The Good Samaritan, Part 15
As he journied came where he was] Text.
Little did this Samaritane thinke to meete with ſuch an Object for his Compaſſion, but while hee is on his way, and in his journy, he meets with one unexpectedly.
Obſerve hence,
Doct. God ſerves himſelfe and providence of us and by us then eſpecially when we are in our wayes and following the workes of our callings, Exod. 3.1. Iudg 6.11, 12. 1 Sam, 9.3 19 Luk. 1.8. & 2.8. Mat. 4.18. Act. 9.3. Act. 8 26, 27. Luk. 24.27.
Vſe Would we then find God in the tokens of his grace, and favour to us, ſee that he find us employed in our vocations following our buſineſſe, that he may know where to find us when he hath a bleſſing to beſtow upon us, Pſalme 109.31. He ſtands at the right hand of the poore to ſave him: The Right-hand you know is uſually the working-hand, now at the working hand he ſtands to give a bleſſing, not at our left hand, to bleſſe us in our idleneſſe, ſo Pſal. 16.8. Iſay. 31.13.
You read Deut. 22.6. the whilſt the Bird keepes herneſt, and ſits upon her eggs, or young ones, God undertooke the Protection of her; None might touch her or hurt her; but when ſhe left her Neſt and forſooke her eggs, ſhe was in danger. Thus it is with him that keepes himſelfe in his way, the Angels are commanded to preſerve him, Pſal. 91.11. But going out and wandering from our place, we are like the bird that wandereth from her Neſt, Prov. 27.8. lyable to Gods Judgement and the temptation of the Divell: Wherupon Saint Hierom gave this advice to his friend Rusticus the Monke, that he would ſtill be doing ſomething, that ſo the Divell when he came might find him buſie. Flies eaſily ſtick to the cold pot, but they eſchew the pot that is hot and boyling; ſo is it with the temptations of Satan, they light not ſo often on a ſtirring and and active mind, as on the idle and ſloathfull perſon.
Doct. 2 Secondly we hence note,
That opportunities of doing good to others, which unexpectedly we meet withall in our waies are to be apprehended, and made uſe of, Eccl. 8.5. Pro. 3.27. Gal. 6.10. See 1 Sam. 30 5. 2 King. 8.5.
Reaſon Otherwiſe we controle Gods wiſdome in whoſe hand it is to diſpoſe of times and ſeaſons.
Vſe O that we were wiſe to redeeme our time. There is none of us but have more opportunities offered daily,Col. 4. both of doing and receiving good then we expected, or looked for, but who is ſo wiſe as to apprehend them? When we let ſlip an opportunity for our outward ſtate, we can cry ſhame on our ſelves: What a foole was I, but many a faire opportunity God puts us upon to do good to our own ſoules which we ſleightly let paſſe. To amend this, conſider
1. God gladly takes every opportunity for the doing of us good: If Iob be naked he laies hold on the opportunity and cloathes him: If the Shunamites child be dead to quicken him: If Lazarus buried, he glad of the occaſion, raiſeth him, &c.
2. Satan watcheth upon every opportunity to do us miſchiefe. If David be a little idle, he takes the opportunity and tempts him to Adultery. Zach. 3.1.If Ioſhua the High-Prieſt ſtaine his Prieſts garments and ſo come to miniſter before the Lord, Satan will take the opportunity to reſiſt him, and tell tales of him: His ſowing ſeaſon is when men ſleepe, which opportunity he looſeth not.
3. The godly have bin good husbands of their time, and apprehended every good occaſion offered. Paul will preach while a doore is open, and there is likely-hood of doing good. Cornelius and his friends will gather themſelves together,Act. 10. when Peter opens his mouth and preacheth the word unto them. Abigale watcheth the fitteſt opportunity both to reproove Nabal and pacifie David. And Nathan can obſerve his time,1 Sam. 25. when to come in,1 Kin. 1.14, 22 and ſecond Bathſheba in her ſuit for Salomon her ſon, &c.
4. The wicked alſo know their times (though not in thoſe things which belong unto their peace) The ſervants of Benhadad can lie upon the catch and take every word that fals from the mouth of Ahab that will ſerve their ends,1 King. 20.33 Thy brother Benhadad, &c.
Opportunitate nihil faelicius, amitti nihil facilius.Watch we then all opportunities, to apprehend them, wherin we may do good to others as well as to our ſelves. Sometimes it may ſo fall out a word of our mouths may ſtand them in great ſtead, as you ſee in that Example, 2 King. 8.5. ſuch a time muſt be obſerved and apprehended. Sometimes it may happen, that to lend or to forbeare to require our owne from them may do them as great a pleaſure as to give ſo much at an other time, here we ſhould obſerve the opportunity, ſo ſhall the worke be more beautifull and pretious, as you read, Eccleſ. 3.11.
Mystically: The journey of this Samaritane ſets forth unto us our bleſſed Saviour, his Deſcention from Heaven to us in the fleſh. Quis eſt qui deſcendit de Coelo, niſi qui aſcendis in Coelum, filius hominis qu… est in Coelo? Saith Saint Ambroſe, as we have it, Iohn 3.13.
Deſcendit non per peccatumſed per incarnatio nis myſterium, Amb.Now he came where we were; Firſt, when he was conceived in the wombe; for in the wombe of our mother we lay wounded, Pſ. 51.5.
2. He came where we were, when he came into the World, Iohn 1.10, 11. And there he found us in the manger. Pſal. 49 12.20. Man in honour underſtanding not, is like to the Beaſts that periſh: What was Man els but Beaſt having loſt his excellency? Wherupon ſaith St. Bernard, Iumenta puto dicerent (ſi loqui fas eſſet) Ecce Adam factus eſt quaſi unus ex nobis.
3. He came where we were, when he went into the Grave; we were but dead men; Death had taken us up captive and carried us into his Denne. Chriſt to redeeme us breakes into his hold; overcomes the ſtrong man, binds him and ſets the priſoner free, 1 Cor. 15.54, 55, 56, 57.
Quest. But when tooke Chriſt this journy?
Reſp. Quando venit plenitudo temporis (ſaith the Scripture) Gal. 4.4. When the fullneſſe of time was come; not in the beginning of the world; not ſo ſoone as man was fallen and wounded, but long after; it being deferred by the wiſdome of God purpoſely that man might feele his diſeaſe, and ſee the need he had of helpe and remedy.
Nor was it fit that ſuch a Prince as he ſhould come without his banners and triumphs before him.
But in the perfect age of the world he came to ſhew that with him he brought perfection; Perfect joy, perfect peace, perfect Salvation, &c.
Vſe How can we but admire at the love and rare humility of our bleſſed Saviour thus to humble and abaſe himſelfe, who being the higheſt ſhould yet deſcend downe unto the loweſt, and come Ex alto from the height of Heaven, yea Ex altiſſimo from the boſome of his Father, to viſite man a poore wounded creature.
When Elijah lay in his Cave deſolate and alone, the Lord called to him and ſaid, what doeſt thou here Eliah? May it not be ſaid in this caſe to the Sonne of God, What doeſt thou here? Why cameſt thou to this forlorne and abject place?
We cannot thinke that our bleſſed Saviour had any buſineſſe of his owne, and that he did take up the worke of mans Redemption and Salvation, by the way as he went, as this Samaritane in the Parable did the wounded man, but this was the maine errand and end he undertooke this journy for, Heb. 2.14. In which reſpect at the firſt moment of his Incarnation he is ſaid to be given us of the Father, Iſay. 9.6. Both natus nobis, and datius nobis, for us men Incarnatus (ſaith the Nicene Creed,) for us men Condemnatus, bred for us, dead for us, all for us.
Should a Prince come to a Dungeon, and but call or looke through the grate upon the Priſoner, as Ebedmelech did on Ieremiah; And Nebuchadnezer on Shadrach, Meſach and Abednego, the favour were great, and greatly to be eſteemed of (eſpecially when the party is out of favour and in great diſgrace withall.) But to come into the Dungeon or Priſon, and there eat, and drink, and ſleep and keepe with the Offender, who would not wonder to to heare of ſuch an act and admire ſo rare an example of humility and favour? But this of Chriſt is more, for ſhould a King not only do (as before was ſaid) for a Traitor that hath ſought his life; but further for the good of ſuch a one be content to be made a toade or frog or the meaneſt creature, it were not to be compared with this love of Chriſt; for betwixt the meaneſt of the creatures and a King, there is not ſo great a diſproportion, as betwixt the Creator and the creature. One hand made them all, and they were all made of the ſame matter, Earth and Duſt, and when they are turned to Earth againe there is no difference betwixt them: But betwixt the Sonne of God and Nature of man there was no proportion at all. This then exceeds. Why didſt thou wonder David at a farre leſſe mercy, O what is man that thou ſo regardeſt him! 1 King. 8.27.Pſalm. 8. And thou Salomon admire that God ſhould be pleaſed to dwell in a Temple made with hands, (which was yet as glorious as the wit of man could deviſe to make it) And thou Elizabeeh by way of aſtoniſhment demand, Whence commeth this that the mother of my Lord is come unto me? Luk. 1.4…. Zach. 2.Behold I my ſelfe will come and dwell in the midſt of you (ſaith the Lord.) And he hath performed his Promiſe, foreign, ſaith the Evangeliſt, he dwelt with us, The eternall God is come from Heaven and hath planted his Tabernacle in the midſt of us, and ſaith, touch me, handle me, Luk. 24.39. Like a good Phyſitian he preſſeth into the Peſt-houſe of this contagious world, healing all our infirmities, diſdaining none.
Vſe 1 Seeing then that it is thus, our duty is to entertain him chearfully; let us take up the Harpe and Timbrell, tune our ſoules into a pleaſant Key; riſe up and meet our God with a new Song in our mouthes, as Luk. 1.68. This will proove the heavy condemnation of the world in the end, that he came to his owne, but his owne received him not, Ioh. 1.11. Firſt in not knowing him, 2. Not acknowledging him, 3. Not loving him, 4. Not believing him, 5. Not obeying him. All theſe waies we refuſe him, much more when we perſecute him, and ſlay him. as Math. 21.33. be not like the Bethlemites, who afforded him no better a lodging than the Oxes and Aſſes had, a Stable. The beſt roome is not good enough for his entertainment.
Vſe 2 And let it further inſtruct us by way of thankfulneſſe to take a journy unto him where he is, who ſo gratiouſly hath come to us where we were, we owe him a viſit.
Object. How can we go to him? Where he is we cannot come, Ioh. 13.33.
Reſp. Corporally, as yet we cannot, but afterwards we may, Ioh. 13.36.
Spiritually we ought: And that, firſt by Contemplation, Col. 3.1, 2. 2 Cor. 4.18.
2. By Deſideration; longing ſtill for his preſence, deſiring that we may once be where he is, Phil. 1.23. 2 Cor. 5.8.
3. By Reſolution or Determination, wi…h full purpoſe of heart cleaving cloſe unto him, Act. 11.23. Phil. 3.8. Revel. 12.11.
4. By Imitation, ſtill following his example in things imitable, doing as he hath done, walking in thoſe ſteps he hath gone before us in, Mat. 11.29. Iohn 13.15. Epheſ. 5.2. 1 Pet. 2.
Beſides we come unto him in his Ordinances, Pro. 9. Luk 14.17. Mat. 22. Who can ſay the Church is too far conſidering the long journy Chriſt tooke? We come alſo unto him in receiving of his ſervants, and in viſiting his diſtreſſed members, Math. 10.40. & 25.40. Thus come.
Vſe 3 And laſtly, let us learne hence to have the ſame mind in us that was in Chriſt Ieſus; to humble our ſelves and finiſh our workes of Selfe-deniall, that in due time we may be exalted: He was (as you ſee) content to deſcend from Heaven, and to take on him the forme of a ſervant for our good, and ſhall we refuſe to do or undergo any thing for him and his? Ioh. 13.14. It is our ſinne and ſhame, to refuſe to ſtoope to any condition of Humility.
Whilſt Rebecka was amongſt her ſervants, ſhe rode upon her Cammells, but when ſhe ſaw Iſaac walking in the fields, ſhe lighted downe and covered her face with her vaile: Thus we though we are in our Ruffe or in the height of our pride in the company of others like our ſelves, yet to ſee Chriſt thus comming on foot, (as it were) and humbling himſelfe for us, let us leave our pride and high-mindedneſſe and be content to doe the meaneſt office for the good of others. A humble Maſter and a proud ſervant is moſt unſeemly, yea a ſhame intollerable.
Remember the oyntment wherwith Mary anoynted Chriſt was in a broken box, ſo grace acceptable is in a broken heart.