Precious Faith Considered, Chapter 12

Precious Faith Considered · Chapter 12

p. 370CHAP. XII.

The Divine Experiments of Faith in Scripture-Ordinances, Baptiſm, Preaching of the Word, Prayer, and the Lords Supper; and laſtly in the great Works of Power recorded in Scripture.

IN the next place I proceed to the Divine Ordinances in Scripture: Theſe the Believer may experience to be Divine. God bare ſuch a Teſtimony to the Typical Ordinances under the Law, that his People experimentally knew that they were from him. In Circumciſion God ſet his Seal and Love-mark on his ancient People, and at the doing of it they bleſſed him, that a Child was brought into Covenant. In their Burnt-offerings fire from Heaven conſumed them as a witneſs of their acceptation. Hence the Pſalmiſt prays, The Lord accept thy Burnt-ſacriſice, Pſal. 20.3. foreign, in cinerem vertat; let him turn it to aſhes, thereby teſtifying his acceptance thereof. In their firſt Temple they had many Symbols of Gods Preſence, as the Ark with the Tables in it, and Propitiatory or Mercy-ſeat; by the Ʋrim and Thummin they could ask Counſel of God; the Shechinab, p. 371the Glory or Majeſty of God dwelt between the Cherubims; and acceptance in their Services and Sacrifices offered unto God. But pretermitting theſe as being but Shadows, and by Chriſtians experimented in Jeſus Chriſt the ſubſtance of them; I ſhall inſtance in the four great ſtanding Ordinances in the Chriſtian Church; and ſhew how the Believer may experience them to be from God, and in that experience prove the Scripture, which appoints them, to be from him alſo.

The firſt Ordinance I ſhall inſtance in is that of Baptiſm: This by the Ancients was ſtiled foreign, Illumination, as uſhering in the Evangelical light. St. Baſil calls it Veſtimentum candidum & ſignaculum ſancium, the white garment and holy ſign. It is by St. Auſtin named Porta Gratiae, the door of Grace, and firſt entrance into the Church. And by St. Bernard, Chriſtianiſmi inveſtitura, the firſt putting on Chriſtianity. In Luther it is, Aqua non Creatoris ſed Dei ſalvatoris, the water not of the Creator but of God the Saviour. Among the Jews the Proſelyte of the Gates was only tyed to the ſeven Precepts of Noah, but the Proſelyte of Righteouſneſs was bound to all the Moſaical Ordinances, and was initiated into Judaiſin by Circumciſion and Baptiſm, and the blood of Oblation. The Jewiſh Rabbins built this Baptiſm of Proſelytes on that Command of God, Exod. 19.10. That the people ſhould ſanctifie p. 372themſelves, and waſh their clothes, in order to the reception of the Law. Such as were Baptized they called, Renati, new-born, or regenerate; and reputed them to be Subalis Divinae Majeſtatis, under the wings of the Divine Majeſty. But as yet Baptiſm was no Divine Ordinance but only a Jewiſh cuſtom. Afterwards this cuſtom was turned into a ſacred Ordinance in John's Baptiſm, which was not of Men but from Heaven: He ſaith of himſelf, That he was ſent to Baptize, Joh. 1.33. And by whom St. Luke tells us, The word of the Lord came foreign, upon John, Luk. 3.2. as a Divine Warrant for the Work. His Baptiſm is called, The Counſel of God, Luk. 7.30. And was ſealed from Heaven by a wonderful Theophany, the whole Sacred Trinity manifeſting themſelves at Chriſts Baptiſm by him. Afterwards Chriſt gave a ſolemn charge about it, Go teach all Nations, Baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoſt, Mat. 28.19. and adds a ſweet Promiſe thereunto, Lo I am with you alway even to the end of the world, ver. 20. Thus Baptiſm is firmly eſtabliſhed in Scripture, and the Believer may experience it to be of God: He, though Baptized an Infant, wanting the uſe of Reaſon, and uncapable in himſelf to make any formal Vow or Covenant; yet finds a ſecret bond or obligation lying upon his Conſcience, which remembers him of his Baptiſm in ſome ſuch words as thoſe of an Ancient; Abrenunciaſti Diabolo & operibus ſuis, abrenunciaſti p. 373ſeculo & voluptatibus ejus; Thou haſt renounced the Devil and his works, the World and its pleaſures, forget not thy Baptiſm. And the reaſon of this bond is, becauſe Baptiſm is an Ordinance of Stipulation, called by St. Peter foreign, the ſtipulation or interrogation of a good Conſcience towards God, 1 Pet. 3.21. It is an entry into Covenant with God, and binds the Conſcience. Were it no Ordinance of God, there would be no Stipulation, and ſo no Obligation upon Conſcience. But when the Believer finds his Baptiſmal Vow preſſing there, he knows that Baptiſm is of God. Again, he knows it by the inward ſtrength and power which he receives from thence. The virtue of Baptiſm follows the Believer, as the water of the Rock did the Iſraelites, in all the travels of this World even to his dying hour; at which the oldeſt higheſt Saint may refreſh himſelf by running back to his Baptiſm. When temptations come and aſſault the Believer, when Satan caſts in his fiery darts to inflame the Corruption of the Heart, the Believer is the ſtronger to repulſe them, becauſe of Baptiſm. A pious Virgin, as Luther relates, uſed to oppoſe this to every Temptation, Baptizata ſum, mhil facis Satan; I am Baptized, O Satan, thou canſt do nothing. In the African Perſecution under Hunericus, one Majoricus a fine young Man, being brought forth to ſuffer for the Truth, was thus confirmed therein by his Mother Dionyſia; Memento, mi ſili, nos in nomine Sacro-ſanciae Triadis in Eccleſia eſſe Baptizatos; ah! ne perdamus illud precioſiſſimum indumentum, ne veniens, p. 374qui ad nuptias nos vocavit, non reperiat veſtem nuptialem, & in tenebras exteriores ejiciamur; Remember, O my Son, that we were Baptized in the Name of the Sacred Trinity; let us not loſe this precious Garment, leſt when he comes who called us to the Wedding, he find no Wedding garment, and we be caſt into utter darkneſs. This ſo ſtrengthened the Young Man, that he ſuffered as a glorious Martyr for the Truth.

In Baptiſm we are liſted land enrolled into Chriſts Militia, and ſo go not to war at our own charge; but the great Captain of Salvation is with us, and ſtrengthens us againſt Temptation. About the year of our Lord 433, the Burgundiuns were grievouſly afflicted by the Huns and finding no relief among Mortals, they applied themſelves to the gods; and there being a great crond of Numens, at laſt they pitched on the God of the Chriſtians, as moſt potent and preſent in Perils, and were Baptized, giving up themſelves to Chriſt; after their Baptiſm they went to fight with the Huns, and with a few overcome many thouſands of them: And I ſuppoſe they fought as well and were as good Soldiers againſt inward Temptations as againſt outward Enemies; for the Story ſaith, Ab eo tempore ardenti amore flagrabant in conſervando Chriſtianiſmo; From that time they burned with ardent love to Chriſtianity. Thus they had a double ſignal proof of their Baptiſm, in the ſtrength and Divine aſſiſtance afforded them p. 375againſt outward and in ward Enemies. Moreover the Believer may find in himſelf thoſe Divine Bleſſings which are ſealed up in Baptiſm, and ſo prove it to be of God. Baptiſm ſeals up Regeneration, and is therefore called by the Apoſtle the Laver of Regeneration, Tit. 3.5. And the Believer may find the New-birth in himſelf, We know that we are of God, ſaith St. John, 1 Joh. 5.19. Baptiſm ſeals our Ʋnion with Chriſt; and hence we are ſaid therein To put on Chriſt, Gal. 3 27. and To be buried with Chriſt, and riſen with Chriſt, Col. 2.12. Which two are notably adumbrated in the Baptiſmal Immerſion into the water, and Eduction out of it. And the Believer may know his Union with Chriſt; he may not only believe, That Chriſt is come in carne Mariae, but ſhew that he is come in carne ſua, as Origen ſpeaks; he may not only believe, That Chriſt died and roſe again in the fleſh which he took of Mary, but ſhew that he is dead and riſen in the Believer; that is, Chriſts Death and Reſurrection are ſelt in his Mortification and Vivification. Baptiſm ſeals Remiſſion and divine Favour; hence we read of Baptiſing for the remiſſion of ſins, Act. 2.38. and the Believer may be able to read his Pardon, and ſee Heaven as it were open to him in the gracious favour of God. Thus by experiencing the Divine Bleſſings ſealed in Baptiſm, he may ſatisfactorily prove to himſelf, That Baptiſm is an Ordinance of God.

In the next place I ſhall inſtance in the Preaching of the Word. This (however ſlighted p. 376of late, ſome Papiſts calling the Proteſtant Miniſters in a ſcoff, Praedicantici; and ſome Proteſtants, ſuch as they are, calling Preaching Prating,) is yet a great Ordinance of God ſuch as hath had a ſtanding in the Church in all Ages. God himſelf was the firſt Preacher, firſt promulgating to Man his ſolemn Command touching the forbidden fruit; and after the Fall, that Protevangelium in the Promiſe of the ſeed of the woman, that is, the Meſſias. Adam (as Franzius probably conjectures) was wont at his Sacrifices for nine hundred years to preach of the Meſſias promiſed. Enoch as early as he was in the World preached of the laſt day, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thouſands of his Saints, Jude v. 14. Noah was a preacher of righteouſneſs, 2 Pet. 2.5. and without doubt told them of the approaching Deluge. Abraham had his foreign his Incipients or initiated Ones, whom he taught in the Divine Law as well as in arms. Afterwards in Moſes's time there were Prieſts and Levites to expound the Law to the people. In Samuel's time there were Colledges of Prophets, and there the Word was preached to the people: In theſe Colledges was the firſt riſe of Synagogues, and that of Naioth in Ramah, 1 Sam. 19.18, 20. is tranſlated by the Chaldee Paraphraſt, Domus Doctrinae, the Houſe of Learning, becauſe there the Word of God was taught. The Great Solomon was a Coheleth or Preacher; his Eccleſiaſtes is a Penitential Sermon of the Vanity of all things. The p. 377Prophets were Preachers of the Word, and ſo were the Scribes, who were therefore called Text-Men or Maſters of the Text; and ſaid to ſit in Moſes's Chair, becauſe they expounded the Law. Alſo in the Jewiſh Church they did by the Impoſition of hands called Semiea, ordain Presbyters; ſome of whom were for Judicature, and others for Teaching the Law: Thus Preaching came down ſucceſſively to the Times of the Goſpel, in which we have a ſolemn Command To Preach to every Creature; To be inſtant in ſeaſon out of ſeaſon, To labour in the Word and Doctrine; nay, To travail in birth till Chriſt be formed in men. The Apoſtles, after their Maſter Jeſus Chriſt who was the greateſt of all Preachers, diſperſed themſelves up and down the world to propagate the Goſpel. Paul went Preaching from Jeruſalem to Illyricum, Mark was in Egypt, Matthew in Ethiopia, Thomas in India, Simon Zelotes in Britam, and others in other places, all labouring in the ſame Work. After the Death of the Apoſtles, this Ordinance was much eſteemed in ſucceeding ages. Anciently the very Biſhops of Rome were wont to Preach; and in the ſuppoſed Epiſtle of Clement to James the Brother of the Lord, mention is made of quotidiana Praedicatio. Tertullian ſpeaks of feeding the peoples Faith Sanctis Vocibus, with holy Words; And Origen ſaith, Omnes Epiſcapi erudiunt, all the Biſhops Preach. In the Old, though not, as they are called, Apoſtolical Canons, we have this; Epiſcopus non docens deponatur, Let the not-preaching p. 378Biſhop be depoſed: and in the Old, though not, as named, Apoſtolical Conſtitutions; the manner was, firſt one Presbyter preached, then another, and laſt of all the Biſhop. At this time there was good ſtore of Preaching. Damaſus the Firſt, Biſhop of Rome, in his Epiſtle de Chorepiſcopis, ſhews how unlike Chriſt they are who preach not; Ipſe enim docuit, ipſe ovem perditam quaeſivit, ipſe propriis humeris reportavit; Chriſt did all himſelf. St. Auſtin and St. Chryſoſtom preached every day; ye heard yeſterday, ye ſhall hear to morrow, is common in their Homilies. Many of the Writings of Ambroſe, Nazianzen, Baſil and Cyril, were only their Sermons to the People; and therefore in Concilio Vaſenſi held about the Year of our Lord 440, it was ordered, That if the Presbyter were ſick and unable to Preach, Sanctorum Patrum Homiliae à Diaconis recitentur; The Deacons ſhould read the Homilies of the holy Fathers. Gregory the Great in his Paſtoral, ſaith, Qui verbum praedicationis ſubtrabunt, animabus morientibus vitae remedia abſcondunt; The unpreaching Miniſter hides the Bread of Life from dying ſouls. The fourth Toletan Council, which was a little after Gregory, ſaith, Omne opus Sacerdotum in praedicatione conſiſtit, Preaching is a Miniſters All. In the Council of Mentz under Charles the Great, It was Ordered, Can. 25. Nunquam deſit diebus Dominicis qui Verbum Dei Praedicet; On Sabbath days a Preacher muſt not be wanting; No, though the Biſliop be ſick it muſt not, as that Can. ſaith. In the Oxford Conſtitutions p. 379made by Archbiſhop Stephen, Preaching is enjoined, ne canes muti merito judicentur. Nay, the very Council of Trent, ſaith, that Preaching is praecipuum munus Epiſcopi, the chief work of a Biſhop. Such an Ordinance is this, and ſo highly eſteemed in all Ages, no wonder if Biſhop Morton ſaid, The cuſtom of not-Preaching is but a Babe in Chriſtianity, and the defence thereof a new point of Learning in Chriſts School. But to return to the Point in hand after this long digreſſion; the Believer may experience this Ordinance to be of God. That it is ſo, is in part expermented before Converſion. Whileſt St. Paul but a Priſoner preached of Righteouſneſs, Temperance and Judgment to come, Felix though a Judg trembled, feeling moral bonds caſt on his Conſcience by the Power of that Word which is never bound. It is yet more fully experimented in Converſion, in which there is a wonderful change wrought; the dead being raiſed, new Creatures formed, Lyons turned into Lambs, and hearts of Stone into Fleſh; all proclaiming that the Finger of God is in it of a Truth. Johannes Speicerus, as Scultetus relates, Preached ſo powerfully, That the very Strumpets, leaving their lewdneſs, returned home unto God. After Converſion the Experiment is yet more compleat; the Word works effectually in them that believe, 1 Theſſ. 2.13. The glory of the Divine Attributes break forth in this Ordinance; out of the ſeeming weakneſs a Majeſty appears in ſome ſort, much as Chriſts Deity p. 380ſparkled out of his Humane Fleſh. It is not the meer Voice of Man but of God, coming with an Authority more than Humane, and ſetting the heart, made like Joſiah's tender by Faith, into an holy trembling at it, as a ſignal proof, that the Lord is the Speaker; One who hath the Keys of Heaven and Hell in his own hand, and upon Obedience or Rebellion is able to ſave or deſtroy. The Believer by the command and reverential awe put upon his Conſcience, finds That there is a Divine Preſence and Grandeur in it, which to oppoſe, is to ſtrive and make War with God himſelf.

Again, out of the ſeeming fooliſhneſs wiſdom diſcovers it ſelf. Whileſt but a man is teaching outwardly to the ear, there is an inward Teacher in the heart: The Spirit of Revelation uncovers the holy things, and brings forth this or that ſacred Myſtery to the View, Intus datur, intus coruſcat, intus revelatur, as St. Auſtin expreſſes it. The Father of Lights ſhews himſelf there in ſacred Revelations; Chriſt ſeals up the Ordinance by the dropping of the holy Unction. A Believer meets with ſuch illuminations as are far more precious than all the Lights in Nature. Hence St. Chryſoſtom's Auditors, when he was like to be ſilenced, cried out, Satius eſt ut Sol non luceat, quam ut Chryſoſtomus non doceat; It were better to loſe the Sun, than ſuch a burning ſhining light as he was. The entrance or opening of thy words giveth Light, ſaith the Pſalmiſt, Pſal. 119.130. When the Word preached is p. 381admitted into the heart by Faith, and there opened by the Holy Spirit, a celeſtial Light riſes up, and bears Witneſs to the Ordinance. Again, in the midſt of plainneſs Divine Omniſcience ſhews forth it ſelf; the Miniſter ſtands without, but the Word enters in and anatomizes the heart. Eliſha proved himſelf a Prophet, in telling what the King of Syria ſpake in his Bed-chamber. Our Saviour manifeſted his Deity in anſwering to the thoughts of Men. When the Word preached penetrates into the retiring-rooms and inmoſt chambers of the heart, and there rifles the very thoughts and unriddles the purpoſes and inclinations; It is an infallible Sign that the Great Searcher of hearts hath ſent a Beam of Omniſcience along with it. The Believer, who above all other men ſtudies himſelf moſt, deſires much to know two things, viz. What of ſecret ſin there is in him, and what of truth of Grace. And under this ſearching Ordinance he comes to ſee many a mote or black ſpot in his heart, ſuch as he never dream't of; and withal ſome marks and characters which to his comfort ſhew him his uprightneſs: and in ſuch Diſcoveries he ſees the Great Revealer of Secrets co-operating with the Word. Moreover, whileſt the Miniſter is unfolding the Goſpel, ſuch are the raviſhing ſavours of Chriſt and Grace, as if a box of Heavenly Spikenard were broken in the Believers Heart: Pardon and Peace ſmell out of the odours of Chriſts Merits, and Heaven it ſelf out of his pure Righteouſneſs: p. 382Through this lattice (how contemptible ſoever it be to carnal Men) Chriſt ſhews his all-deſirable ſelf and full treaſures; Free-Grace communicates pardons and lovetokens; the Divine Spirit breaths life and power into Believers, quickning and awakening to anſwer the pure Commands with Obedience; and this and that Promiſe lets out its ſweetneſs, and flows as a Conduit of Coeleſtial Wine, with admirable Suavities and Conſolations. In ſuch things as theſe Faith hath ſweet Communion with God, and a ſure ſeal ſet to this Ordinance. In the Preaching of the Goſpel the Kingdom of Heaven comes nigh, even to rejecters, Luk. 10.11. Much more doth it do ſo unto Believers, who take the holy Myſteries and Promiſes into the boſom and complex of Faith, and thereby inflame their Hearts with the Love of Chriſt and Grace, as a ſure witneſs that this Ordinance which carries ſo much of Heaven in it, is from thence.

Next to the Preaching of the Word I ſhall ſet the Ordinance of Prayer: This is the aſcent of the Soul unto God as the fountain of all Good. As in every luſt there is a depreſſion of the Heart to one Creature or other; ſo in every right Prayer there is an holy elevation of it to God. This gives great Glory to God; as it is humble, it reveres his Majeſty; as upright, it owns his Omniſcience; as believing, it glorifies his condeſcending Grace; and as importunate, it overcomes the Almighty, and takes the Kingdom of Heaven by violence; p. 383opening a door to that infinite maſs or treaſure of Grace which is laid up for thoſe that ſtrive and wreſtle with him for ſupplies out of it. This is a Catholick Duty, good in all places. The Jews prayed in or towards the Temple, but now the whole World is conſecrated for it; every where holy hands are to be lifted up; fit for all times, praying always, ſaith the Apoſtle, Epheſ. 6.18. Not that we are to do nothing elſe, as the Euchitae or Meſſaliani of old dreamed; but that there is no time wherein the Mercy-ſeat is ſhut, or Chriſt not interceding above, or the holy Spirit not ready in ſome meaſure to aſſiſt Believers: Neither is there any time in which we ſhould not carry about with us a virtual confeſſion in our ſenſe of Sin, or a virtual Prayer in our ſenſe of Wants, or a virtual Praiſe in our ſenſe of Mercies. Continuum deſiderium eſt continua oratio, as St. Auſtin hath it. Vita hominis, ſaith Luther, nibil aliud eſt, niſi oratio, gemitus, deſiderium, ſuſpirium ad miſericordiam Dei; Mans life ſhould be a perpetual breathing after God. And withal it is incumbent on all Men; the firſt Adam in Innocency probably addreſſed himſelf to God in Prayer; and Jeſus Chriſt the ſecond Adam was much in it; the Ethnicks by the light of Nature uſed it. It was an old Gentile-Law, Ad divos adeunto, go to the gods. Socrates prayed that he might be Intus pulcher, inwardly fair with virtue. Plato ſaith, Every one who is compos mentis, will in the beginning of any work invoke the gods. How much more muſt Chriſtians p. 384pray, who have before their eyes a Goſpel, a Mercy-Seat, and an open way into the Holy of Holies through the Veil of Chriſts fleſh! Unregencrate perſons are bound to this Duty, as we ſee in the Command to Simon Magus, being in the gall of bitterneſs and bond of iniquity, Act. 8.22; Much more Believers. Prayer is the breath of the new-creature, and badg of Chriſtians; who are thus deciphered by the Apoſtle, All that call upon the name of the Lord Jeſus, 1 Cor. 1.2. Such and ſo great is this Ordinance, that the Jews (who prayed ſtanding, and therefore called Prayer Gnammuda, or Standing) uſed to ſay, Sine ſtationibus non ſtaret mundus, The world would not ſtand without Standing or Prayer. That this is an Ordinance of God, the Believer experiments many ways:

Firſt, He experiments it in the Aſſiſtances of the Holy Spirit; which is as Gales to the Sails of Prayer in its Voyage to Heaven; and as holy Fire to the Incenſe of it, cauſing it to aſcend to the Throne of Grace. The Spirit helpeth our infirmities, Rom. 8.26. foreign, It lifts over againſt us, or helps us to lift up a Prayer, which elſe would be too heavy for us. Whilſt the Believer is a-praying, O what heavenly meltings are there! The Believer is like Ephraim, bemoaning himſelf; or as the Children of Iſrael at Mizpeh, lamenting after the Lord, and pouring out water, as if their eyes were turned into Fountains of penitential tears; or as the man in p. 369the Goſpel, crying out with tears, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief; Catching at Mercy with an hand trembling at his own Infirmity. Such meltings and ſpiritual mournings over Sin, plainly ſhew, That the Spirit of Grace and Supplication is poured out upon the Prayer; making it, like the bruiſed Incenſe, ſull of fragrancy, breathing out from a broken heart, diſſolved into tears by the beams of Gods Love. And in this Evangelical thaw, What Divine enlargements are there! The heart is no longer in the Straits of Sin and Earth, but opened and expanded towards Heaven. E're the praying Believer is a ware, his Soul ſets him on the wheels, and his lips drop as the honey-comb; if not in the very entrance of the Duty, yet in the progreſs of it. The Pſalmiſt in the beginning of the 38th Pſalm, ſeems cold and frozen in Unbelief; Gods arrows ſtick faſt in him, his hand preſſeth him ſore, the iniquities are too heavy, the wounds ſtink and are corrupt; There are nothing but bowings, breaches, and miſerable roarings: But before he hath done praying, his heart recovers again, In thee, O Lord, do I hope; thou wilt hear, O Lord my God, ver. 15. Sometimes at firſt there is a Cloud and dark Eclipſe upon the Prayer; and yet a little after, Grace breaks forth with its Sunny beams, and draws out the heart towards God, They looked unto him and were lightned, as David ſpeaks, Pſal. 34.5; or as the words may be read, they looked unto him and flowed; their hearts were p. 370as a River running out with ſpiritual fluency and enlargments; ſuch as are a real proof that the free Spirit is in the Prayer; and withal, What an heavenly ardor is there? While I was muſing the fire burned, ſaith David, Pſal. 39.3. While the Believer is a-praying, the Holy Spirit is as fire upon the heart, inflaming it into religious aſcents towards God. The Believer ſtirs up himſelf, and takes hold on God by ſome Promiſe or other; and Jacoblike wreſtles with him for Mercy, and will not let him go till there be a dawn or day-break of Grace. He prays in his Prayer, and urges the Attributes of God upon him, and preſſes hard upon him with an holy immodeſty or impudence, as the expreſſion is, Luk. 11.8; and will not be ſaid Nay. Much like Gorgonia, the pious Siſter of Nazianzen, who lay at the Altar with Tears and Prayers, and ſaid, That ſhe would not depart, till ſhe had her requeſt; and accordingly obtained it of God. This is the foreign. Jam. 5.16, the inwrought Prayer, or Prayer wrought by Gods Spirit in ours, and from thence poured out in an agony, or vehemence of holy Aſſections, panting and breaking with longings after God and his Grace. Luther having prayed with great fervency, ſaid, Ʋtinam eodem ardore orare poſſem, Would to God I could always pray with the like ardor; then ſhould I always have this anſwer, Fiat quod velis, Be it unto thee as thou wilt. After this manuer doth the Holy Spirit come down on the Believers p. 371Prayer, and bear witneſs to this Ordinance.

Secondly, He experiments it in his Acceſs to God. The Devils, who are in Chains of Darkneſs, can make no approaches to God; there is an unpaſſable gulf between them and him. It is ſtoried of a German Nobleman, that there was acted before him a Play of the five Wiſe and five Fooliſh Virgins; the Wiſe were St. Mary, St. Catbarine, St. Barbara, St. Dorothy, St. Margaret, to theſe came the Fooliſh for Oyl; that is, as the Actor interpreted it, That they would intercede with God for their admiſſion into Heaven; They knocked, and wept, and inſtantly prayed, but the Wiſe denied, and bid them be gone: At this ſight the Nobleman was aſtoniſhed, crying out, What is the Chriſtian Religion, if none of the Saints will hear and intercede for us? And ſoon after he died of an Apoplexy. 'Tis ſad being ſhut out from the preſence of God. The Believer is, as they ſay of the Rhodians, in ſole poſitus. He is nigh unto God, and hath his Religion proved to him, in that he hath foreign, acceſs or manuduction unto God. The way into the Holy of Holies is open through the veil of Chriſts fleſh; and the Holy Spirit doth conduct him in thither. He may come foreign, with boldneſs unto the throne of Grace; and there utter all his mind, as a Child doth to his Father. David, in the 13th Pſalm, begins as if God were totally abſent, How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, for ever? How long wilt thou hide p. 372thy face from me? But a little after we have him in the joy and triumph of Faith; I have truſted in thy mercy, my heart ſhall rejoice in thy ſalvation, ſaith he, ver. 5. The door of Mercy, which for a little time was ſhut up, ſoon opened again, and gave him a free acceſs unto God.

Thirdly, He experiments it in the returns of Prayer; the Promiſes, by which God binds his own bowels above, are let down here below in the Goſpel. And as the Believer takes hold of them by Prayer, ſo God is touched with a compaſſionate feeling thereof. Whilſt Ephraim was bemoaning himſelf in his Supplication, Gods bowels are troubled and fall a-ſounding at it, Jer. 31.18, 20. Coelum tundimus & miſericordiam extorquemus, ſaith Tertullian; We knock at Heaven, and fetch down mercy from God. Prayer hath done Wonders in the world. At Abrahams Prayer. God ſtoops to ſuch low terms, that he would have ſaved Sodom for ten righteous perſons: Jacob by Prayer wreſtles, and becomes a Prince with God; which is more than to have all the Monarchies of the World. Moſes by it binds as it were the Almighty, and will not let him alone to conſume Iſrael: Joſhua ſtopt the Chariot of the Sun, and ſo made a long day for the improvement of his Victory: Elias locked up Heaven, and till he turned the Key of Prayer the contrary way there was no rain upon the Earth. In the time of Marcus Antoninus the Philoſopher, the Chriſtian Legion by their Prayers, procured Water for the p. 373Roman Army, and a ſcattering Tempeſt againſt their Enemies; and were therefore called Legio fulminatrix, The thundring Legion. Prayer hath a kind of Omnipotence in it, and can do every thing. Sometimes the Prayer is returned in Specie, in the very thing deſired, as Hannah's was in a Son; whom therefore ſhe called Samuel; that is, Asked of God. In this caſe the Believer hath a double Bleſſing in one; over and above the common Providence he hath a pregnant proof of his Prayer in it. A Bleſſing, which is a meer Providence, comes up, as the Corn doth, with the husk or chaff of one vanity or other, as a Memento of that blaſt which Sin brought upon the World: But that, which is a Fruit of Prayer, is as Manna from Heaven, pure and unmixt; a Bleſſing and no ſorrow added to it; as being the Birth of the Promiſe and Covenant. The Bleſſings of the former ſort are gathered up by Men as Acorns are by Swine without looking up to that Grace, which as a Tree of Life bears all the good Fruit: But the latter raiſes up the Heart in the admirations and high-praiſes of the great Donor, as we ſee in Hannah, who returned back her Son, aſſoon as received, unto God in Praiſe and Dedicacation. Criticks have obſerved an elegant Paranomaſia in thoſe words foreign; therefore I have lent him to the Lord, 1 Sam. 1.28. Samuel was firſt Shaiil meel, Asked of God; and then Shaiil leel, lent or returned to God. Thoſe Bleſſings, which are drawn down by p. 374Prayer, lie not dead here below, but are ſent back again in Praiſe. Sometimes the Prayer returns another way, though it be not heard ad voluntatem, it is ad utilitatem: The anſwer is in ſome thing that profits us, though not to the expreſs deſire of our Hearts; it may be it is in the ſweet compoſure of the Heart. Upon Prayer God comes in, and rebukes the Winds and Seas of Paſſion, and there is a calm and Divine ſerenity in the Soul. Hannab before Prayer was a Woman of a ſorrowful ſpirit; but her Soul being poured out unto God, returned with a Divine ſweetneſs; Her countenance was no more ſad, 1 Sam. 1.18. It may be there is an inward ſupport which is tantamount to the Bleſſing deſired. Our Saviours Prayer againſt the Cup of Wrath was heard, in that he was enabled to drink and overcome it. And St. Paul's againſt the Thorn in the Fleſh, in that he had ſufficient Grace to withſtand it. Preclarè nobiſcum agitur, dum adeſt Dei Gratia quae nobis ſubveniat, ſaith Reverend Calvin. In the Supports of Grace there is a ſignal anſwer of Prayer; it may be, over and above the Support, the Beams of Gods Love break in upon the heart: This is a little Heaven here below, and richly tranſcends all this world. Bellarmin tells us a Story of an old Man, who uſed to riſe from Duty with theſe words; Claudimini, Oculi mei, claudimini; nihil enim pulchrius jam videbitis: Be ſhut, O my Eyes, be ſhut; for I ſhall never behold a fairer Object than Gods Face, which I have now beheld. The p. 375Love of God irradiating a Prayer is a raviſhing ſight, far better than life and all its comforts. It may be there is a tranſmutation of the Bleſſing into another; ſuch as God, who improves the ſtock of Prayer to the beſt advantage, knows to be better for us. David prayed earneſtly for his ſick Child, and the return of it was in a Solomon, a Jedidiah beloved of God. One way or other the Believers Prayer returns into his boſom, being anſwered at leaſt ſecundum cardinem, according to the main hinge and ſcope of it, which is Gods glory and Mans comfort or happineſs. Thus Moſes's Prayer to go into Canaan was anſwered according to the ground of it. Inſtead of the type God takes him up to Heaven the true Canaan, which was moſt for Maſes's comfort; And inſtead of Moſes a type of the Law, Joſhua a type of Chriſt leads the people into Canaan, which was moſt for Gods Glory. Which way ſoever the Prayer returns to the Believer, it ſeals up the Ordinance for Divine.

In the laſt Place I come to the Ordinance of the Lord Supper: The outward Elements of this Sacrament our Lord Chriſt took (as Learned Men conceive) from a cuſtom obſerved among the Jews at the Paſſeover, at the end of the Celebration whereof, the Father of the Family was wont to take a Cake of Bread, and after the bleſſing thereof to break and diſtribute it to the Communicants; and alſo after that a Cup of Wine in like ſort, unto which ſome refer that Cup of Salvation, Pſal. 116.13. p. 376The Bread and Wine among the Jews were but a Cuſtomary Rite, but Chriſt conſecrated them into a Sacrament; ſaying of the Bread, This is my Body; and of the Wine, This Cup is the New Teſtament in my Blood, which could not before be ſaid of them. In the Paſchal Rite, it was only ſaid of the Bread, This is foreign, the bread of affliction; and of the Cup, This is foreign the Cup of the Hymn: But now, This is my Body, and this is my Blood. In this great Ordinance the Body and Blood of Chriſt are evidently figured out, and ſet forth before our eyes, as if he were Crucified among us. The ſeventh General Council at Conſtantinople, who knocked down all other Images, ſaith of this Sacrament, That it is Vera Chriſti Imago, the only true Crucifix or Image of Chriſt. And which is much more than an Image, the very Body and Blood of Chriſt are here truly and really, though Spiritually preſent to our Faith, being exhibited ut epulum faederale, as a Covenant-feaſt, or Love-banquet, chearing the heart of God and Man. The ſame Body and Blood, which in the Sacrifice on the Croſs were a ſweet ſavour unto God, and ſatisfied his Juſtice, are ſet forth in the Sacrament as meat and drink for our Faith, feeding us to Life Eternal. Here is Epitome Evangelti, a compend of the Goſpel, the whole Covenant and Contrivance of Salvation is ſealed in a bit of Bread and drop of Wine: Here the Believer meets with many rich Experiments, he feeds and lives upon a Crucified p. 377Chriſt, eating his Fleſh and drinking his Blood; and what a Feaſt is this! 'tis much that our Bodies may live upon the Body and Blood of Creatures; but Oh incomparable Grace! Our Souls may live on the Body and Blood of God. One drop whereof, ſaith Luther, is more worth than Heaven and Earth. Cruci haeremus, ſanguinem ſugimus, & intra ipſa Redemptoris noſtri vulnera figimus linguam, ſaith St. Cyprian. Hauſtu interiori in a Spiritual Myſtical way, we do in this Ordinance cleave to Chriſts. Croſs, ſuck his precious Blood, and as it were faſten our Tongues within his healing Wounds. Whileſt the Bread and Wine are Phyſically and Carnally united to us, we are Myſtically and Hyperphyſically united to Chriſt, becoming Members of his Body, of his Fleſh, and of his Bones; Spiritually dwelling in him and he in us, The ſame holy Spirit, which is upon him in Heaven, falling down upon us on Earth; and the Faith which is in us here below, aſcending up to claſp and embrace him. In ſinu Chriſti recumbimus, in cor Chriſti introſpicimus, ſaith Luther; We lie in his boſom, and look into his heart. In our Pardon ſealed we taſte the ſweetneſs of his atoning Blood, and in the effuſion of the holy Spirit we drink at the ſountainhead of Grace ſprung up in his Humane Nature. We have here the whole Covenant or Charter of Grace ſealed to us, and may believe not only ex promiſſo but ex pignore: Over and above the Promiſe we have a pawn or pledg of the Truth thereof. We ſaw not the inſpired p. 378Prophets and Apoſtles penning down the Promiſes, but Ecce Signum, lo here is a viſible ſign and ſeal ſet thereunto; and ſenſe leads in Faith to claim and poſſeſs them for its own: Hence our Saviour calls the Cup, the New Teſtament in his Blood, Luk. 22.20. The Cup (ſaith Luther) contains the Wine, the Wine exhibits the Blood of Chriſt, the Blood of Chriſt natifies the New Govenant, and the New Covenant promiſes remiſſion of Sins, and with it a vaſt treaſure of Bleſſings. Again, we have here the rich anointings of the holy Spirit. Among the Oriental Nations, and in particular among the Jews, there was Ʋnctio convivalis, a Feaſtival Ʋnction, which they uſed as a token of welcome to pour on the head of their Gueſts: Thus there came unto Chriſt a Woman having an Atabaſter box of very precious Ointment, and poured it on his head as he ſate at meat, Mat. 26.7. Whileſt we are at the Lords-Table, we are anointed with freſh Oyl; the holy Spirit is poured out in richer meaſures of Grace and Comfort, than it was at firſt. As a Spirit of Grace and Supplication it melts the Heart into godly ſorrows at the ſight of a Cruciſied Chriſt: Sin being indeed the Jew and Judas, the betrayer and murderer of the Son of God; the Nails in his Croſs, and Spear in his Side; the Gall and Wormwood in the Cup of Wrath which made him ſweat drops of Blood, and under an horrid Eclipſe of Gods favour to cry out of forſaking. To look upon a groaning World travelling under an univerſal vanity, would p. 379ſtir up ſorrow in any that had a ſenſe of it; much more to look upon a Chriſt, a Creator bleeding and dying upon a Croſs; to the leaſt drop of whoſe Paſſion the daſhing down of a World is a poor inconſiderable nothing. To look upon the broken Tables of a Law dearer to God than Heaven and Earth is very grievous; but to ſtand and ſee God for our Sin bruiſing and breaking his own Son and Effential Image in our aſſumed Nature, is matter of amazing ſorrow. Never was Sin ſet forth. in ſuch bloody Colours as in his Paſſion; never do repentant tears flow more purely than at ſuch a ſpectacle. Here the Heart breaks in its cloſing with a broken Chriſt, and bleeds afreſh over his Wounds, and turns the Sacrament of the Supper into a Baptiſm of Tears; and out of an holy hatred and revenge would have the violence done to Chriſt be put upon Sin the great Crucifier of him in the true Mortification thereof. As a Spirit of Faith it cauſes us to live upon Chriſt: Having no Righteouſneſs of our own to anſwer the Law with, we feaſt and ſatisfie our ſelves in the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt; as in that which ſatisfied the heart of God, and is here made over to ſatisfie ours. We may ſurely ſay, The Righteouſneſs of God is upon us; and as it hath no ſpot or wrinkle in it ſelf, ſo it leaves no ground of ſcruple or jealouſie in our Hearts in the midſt of our Sins, which have Death and Hell virtually in them. We yet live upon the atoning Sacrifice of Chriſt. His Blood which was p. 380offered up to God through the Eternal Spirit, and by him accepted as a plenary Satisfaction for Sin, is now put into Promiſes and Sacraments, as into ſo many Baſins, and from thence ſprinkled on our Conſcience to purge away all our guilt; our Sins are pardoned, and our Pardon paſſed under the Seal of Heaven. In the midſt of our Wants, Faith can triumph in the immenſe Treaſures of Grace in Chriſt ſet open in this Ordinance to all comers. Here's Eye-ſalve for our Blindneſs; Strength for our Weakneſs; Melting for the hard Heart; Cordials for Fainting-fits; quenching Grace againſt the fiery darts of Satan; and Healing for the bloody iſſues of Sin. From this Table we go, ſaith Chryſoſtome, as Lions breathing fire terrible to the Devils themſelves. Ante faciem Ʋnctionis Chriſti nullus omnino ſtare poteſt morbus animae, quamvis inveteratus, ſaith Bernard; Before the Ʋnction of Chriſt the moſt inveterate diſeaſe of the Soul will vaniſh away. When once the Venetians were boaſting of their great Treaſures, a Spaniſh Ambaſſador told them, That his Maſters Treaſure had a root in the Mines of America. However worldly Men may boaſt of outward things, the Believers joy is, That his Graces have a ſure root in the Mines and rich Treaſures of Chriſt; in whom dwells all fulneſs of abundance and redundance running over in ſhares and meaſures upon all that are in him. As a ſpirit of Love it inflames the Heart towards Chriſt; Oh! what manner of Love is here ſet before us! p. 381the Fathers own Son and Image, paſſing by Angels, aſſumed our frail Fleſh, and in it ſtood in our room: Having, though the Holy One, the Sin of the World caſt on him by a wonderful Imputation; and though the beloved Son, the Wrath of God bruiſing and preſſing him into a bloody Agony and Paſſion on our behalf. The Fathers Eternal Joy and Splendor lay for a time in a dark Eclipſe of Sorrow and Deſertion, as one forſaken of God, that we might not be caſt out into utter darkneſs; and bled and died on a Croſs as one accurſed of God, to keep us from bleeding in eternal flames, and to purchaſe a place in Glory for us. And all this in outward Elements is not only limmed out and figured to our ſenſes, but ſealed to our hearts, as that which we have a real ſhare and intereſt in. And what attractives and inflammatives are here? Now, if ever, our Heart will breath out it ſelf in holy Raptures after Chriſt, and faint and ſwoon away in Loveſick deſires, till it can catch hold and embrace him, and ſo taſte the rare Delights and Complacencies of an Union with Him: And the greater thoſe Complacencies are, the higher are the Deſires, and reciprocally the higher the Deſires, the greater the Complacencies; till at laſt the Believing Soul in rapes of Love breaks forth into Hoſanna's and Hallelujahs, touching its great Redeemer. Such Experiments as theſe prove this Ordinance to be Divine.

p. 382Thus much touching the Ordinances in Scripture, and the Experimenting their Divinity.

In the laſt Place I ſhall mention The great Works of Power Recorded in Scripture: many of theſe are Types of the Magnalia or Spiritual Wonders wrought in or for the Souls of Men. Thus the Ark which ſaved from the Deluge was a Type of Salvation from Wrath in and through Chriſt; Iſaac, born of a dead Body and Womb, a Type of the New-creature brought forth by ſupernatural Grace; and The bringing Iſrael out of Egypt, a Type of the great Redemption wrought by Chriſt. Theſe a Believer may Experiment in their Spiritual Imports and Myſteries, which are more great and glorious than the Things themſelves. Not to be prolix in this; I ſhall only inſtance in two Things, viz. The Creation of the World, Hiſtorically ſet forth, Gen. 1. and The Miracles wrought by Chriſt, related in the Goſpel. As touching Creation, as clear a Glaſs as it is of the Eternal Power and Godhead, the Philoſophers were much miſtaken about it: Ariſtotle aſſerting, That the World was Eternal; as if it were poſſible, That there ſhould be an infinite orderly Succeſſion of Things, or a third, fourth, fifth, &c. without a firſt; or as if a World, a Creature, could be made as the Son of God was Begotten, or joyn Eternities with its Creator. The Stoicks dreaming at leaſt of an Eternal Matter or Chaos; as if that Axiome, ex nihilo nihil fit, which runs true in Nature, p. 383did reach God himſelf; or as if He, like our Mechanicks on Earth, could not work without Tools or Materials: Or, as if the Gulf between Nothing and Being were ſo great, that Infinite Power could not fill it up, and ſetch over a Creature from Nullity into Being. The Epicureans fancying the World to be made by a fortuitous concourſe of Atomes luckily meeting together in the framing of it; as if the blind Particles of Matter could range themſelves into a World full of delicate Order and Harmony; or as if the various parts, regular motions, and orderly diſpoſitions in the great Univerſe could be but a chance; or as if the admirable conſent and confederation of all the parts therein, in which contraries conſpire and agree together for the good of the whole, were but a fortunate caſualty. Such were the dreams of the Sophi; but the Believer by Faith underſtands, That the Worlds were framed by the Word of God, Hebr. 11.3. And over and above may experience a Creation, a pretious New-creation in his own Heart; We are his workmanſhip created in Chriſt Jeſus, ſaith the Apoſtle, Eph. 2.10. In this Creation Almighty Power is as much laid out as in the Old; and the Products of it are much more excellent than the other. Spiritual Light excels Natural; and the Firmament of Faith the outward One. The Living Water within exceeds the great Ocean; and Chriſt in the Heart, the Sun in the Heavens. Graces are tranſcendent Creatures, and ſurpaſs even the Immortal p. 384Soul, which yet outweighs a World. The Believer may look upon his Holy Faith, Fear, Love, Joy, Hope and Patience, which make up the New-Creature; and ſay, All theſe were created out of Nothing, and called into Being, when they were not: Here is dextra excelſi, The right hand of the moſt High, the very ſame which made the World, and Veſtigia Spiritûs Sancti, The footſteps of that Holy Spirit which of old moved on the Face of the Waters: Now I know, That God is a Creator indeed, and have a practical proof of it in my own Heart; every part of the New-creature bearing witneſs thereunto. As to the Miracles of Chriſt related in the Goſpel, theſe were ſo famous, That Joſephus mentions them; Celſus and Julian in their Writings againſt Chriſtians durſt not deny them;Grot. de Ver. Relig. 44. Camero de Verbo 441. Petr. Gal. de Arranis 447. The Jews in their Talmudical Books, nay, and the Mahometans in their Alchoran confeſs them: And the Heathens moved with envy at them, cauſed the life of Apollonius Thyanaeus and his lying Miracles, to be deſcribed in meer oppoſition to Chriſt and his true ones. When John ſent his Diſciples on that errand, Art thou he that ſhould come? that is, the Meſſias: Chriſt returns this anſwer, Go and tell John, the blind receive their ſight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleanſed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raiſed up: As much as to ſay, In ſuch Wonders as theſe is my Glory manifeſted. For the right underſtanding of theſe we muſt note; Chriſt did not come only or chiefly to cure the Bodies of Men, no, thoſe Miracles, p. 385which in tranſitu cured their Bodies,Miracula chriſti, corporaliter facta, Spiritaliter intelligenda ſnut. were ultimately levelled at their Souls, that by Outward Cures they might be led to ſeek Inward ones from Chriſt. Neither did he do all his Miracles on Earth; no, being Aſcended and Sitting at the Right Hand of Majeſty in Heaven he works foreign, thoſe Spiritual Miracles on the Souls of Men, which are incomparably greater than thoſe on their Bodies. How many blind Hearts (and thoſe worſe than blind Eyes) hath he cured by a Touch, as he paſſed by them in the Ordinances, cauſing them to ſee himſelf, the True light and Sun of Righteouſneſs, together with all the Heavenly Myſteries which ſtream as ſo many Beams or Rayes from him? How many deaf Souls have upon his Divine Ephatha been obedientially opened to the Commands of God; and though lame before, have Roſe up, walked holily, and praiſed God? what Spiritual Lepers hath he by a Touch of his Spirit and Word cleanſed? Quae enim immunditia, quae incredulitas, quae duritia, quod peccatum ad hunc contactum Chriſti conſiſtere poterit? ſaith Ferus; No uncleanneſs, unbelief, hardneſs, ſinfulneſs can ſtand againſt the Touch of Chriſt. What Sinners of all forts dead in Sins and Treſpaſſes hath he raiſed up to a Divine Life? Saint Auſtin reciting that Chriſt had raiſed up three Perſons, viz. The Maid in her Fathers Houſe; the Young-Man carried out upon the Bier, and Lazarus four days dead and ſtinking in the Grave; adds, Iſta tria genera mortuorum ſunt tria genera peccatorum quos ſuſcitat p. 386Chriſtus; theſe three dead ones are three ſorts of Sinners raiſed up by Chriſt. As the Maid in the houſe, ſo is the ſecret Sinner raiſed up intra latebras conſcientiae, within the doors of his own Heart. As the young Man carried out upon the Bier, ſo is the open Sinner raiſed up out of known Sins: And as Lazarus dead and ſtinking in the grave, ſo is the cuſtomary Sinner raiſed up out of his old putrified Sins. At the voice of Chriſt the ſtrongeſt bonds of cuſtom are broken, and the poor Sinner comes forth into an holy life. Theſe things being ſo, it appears, That the Believer may experiment the Spiritual Miracles of Chriſt; and from thence gather a proof in his own Heart, That the very ſame hand wrought the Corporal ones; eſpecially ſeeing theſe latter are but types and ſhadows of the other, which he finds verified in himſelf.

Thus much touching this Fundamental Experiment of the Scriptures: A Believer may experiment the Laws, Promiſes, Threatnings, Supernatural Truths, Sacred Ordinances, and Great Works in Scripture to be Divine, and ſo have a Practical proof that the Scripture is of God.