The Glorious Feast of the Gospel, Title page – Dedication
THE GLORIOVS FEAST OF THE GOSPEL. OR, Chriſt's gracious Invitation and royall Entertainment of Believers.
Wherein amongſt other things theſe comfortable Doctrines are ſpiritually handled:
Viz.
1. The Marriage Feaſt between Chriſt and his Church.
2. The vaile of Ignorance and Ʋnbeliefe removed.
3. Chriſts Conqueſt over death.
4. The wiping away of teares from the faces of Gods people.
5. The taking away of their Reproaches.
6. The precious Promiſes of God, and their certaine performance.
7. The Divine Authority of the Holy Scriptures.
8. The Duty and comfort of waiting upon God.
Delivered in divers Sermons upon Iſai. 25 Chap. 6, 7, 8, 9 Verſes, BY The late Reverend, Learned and faithfull Miniſter of the Goſpell▪ RICHARD SIBBS, D. D. Maſter of Katharine-Hall in Cambridge, and Preacher at Grayes-Inne, London.
Prov. 9. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Wiſdome hath builded her houſe; ſhe hath hewen out her ſeven Pillars.
She hath killed her beaſts; ſhe hath mingled her wine; ſhe hath alſo furniſhed her Table.
She hath ſent forth her Maidens; ſhe cries, &c.
Who ſo is ſimple let him turne in hither, &c.
Come eate of my bread, and drink of my wine that I have mingled, &c.
Peruſed by thoſe that were intruſted to reviſe his Writings.
London, Printed for John Rothwell at the Sun and Fountaine in Pauls Church-yard, neare the little North-doore. 1650.
TO THE READER.
SO much of late hath been written about the times, that Spirituall Diſcourſes are now almoſt out of ſeaſon. Mens mindes are ſo hurried up and downe, that it is to be feared, they are much diſcompoſed to thinke ſeriouſly as they ought, of their eternall concernments: Alas! Chriſtians have loſt much of their Communion with Chriſt and his Saints; (the heaven upon earth) whilſt they have woefully diſputed away, and diſpirited the life of Religion and the power of Godlineſſe into dry and ſapleſſe Controverſies about Government of Church and State. To recover therefore thy ſpirituall Reliſh of ſavory pradicall Truths,The principal ſubjects handled in theſe Sermons. theſe Sermons of that excellent man of God, of precious memory, are publiſhed: Wherein thou art preſented,1. Of the Marriage-feaſt between Chriſt & his Church. 1. With an invitation to a great and wonderfull Feaſt; the Marriage-Feast of the Lambe. An admirable Feaſt indeed, wherein Jeſus Chriſt the eternall Sonne of God is the Bridegroome, where every Beleever that hath put on the Lord Jeſus, (the wedding garment) is not onelyonly the Gueſt, but the Spouſe of Chriſt, and the Bride at this Wedding-ſupper. Here Jeſus Chriſt is the Maſter of the Feast, and the Chear and Proviſion too. He is the Lamb of God, the Ramme caught in the thicket. Hee is the fatted Calfe; Prov. 9. 2.when he was ſacrificed, Wiſedome killed her beaſts, Matth. 22. 3.Prov. 9. 2. At his death, the Oxen and Fatlings were killed. foreign.His fleſh is meat indeed, and his bloud is drinke indeed. And that thou maiſt bee fully delighted at this Feaſt, Chriſt is the Roſe of Sharon, the Lilly of the Valley; he is a bundle of Mirrhe, a Cluſter of Camphire, his name is an ointment poured out, and his love is better than Wine. In Chriſt are all things ready, for Chriſt is all in all. And great is the Feaſt that Chriſt makes for Believers; for it is the Marriage Feaſt which the great King makes for his Sonne. The great deſigne and aime of the Goſpel being to exalt the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and give him a name above every name. Great is the company that are bid, Luke 14. 6. Jews and Gentiles. God keeps open houſe; Hoe every one that thirſteth, Iſai. 55. 1.come, Rev. 22. 17.and whoſoever wil let him come and freely take of the water of life. Gen. 49. 20.Great is the chear that is provided; every Gueſt here hath Aſhers portion, royall dainties, and bread of fatneſſe. Here's all excellent, beſt wine, wine upon the Lees well refined. Here's fat things, yea fat things full of marrow. Here's the hidden Manna, the water of life, and the fruit of the tree of life which is in the midſt of the Pa…diſe of God. All that is at this Feaſt is of the beſt, yea the beſt of the beſt. Here's variety and plenty too, here's bread enough and to ſpare: Caligula and Heliogabalus their Feaſts,Super omnia vultus acceſſére boni. who ranſack'd the earth, aire, and ſea to furniſh their Tables, were nothing to this. And above all, here's welcome for every hungry thirſty ſoule; hee that bids thee come, will bid thee welcome, he will not ſay eate, when his heart is not with thee: the invitation is free, the preparation great, and the entertainment at this Feaſt, ſuiting the magnificence of the great King, is full and bountifull. All which is at large treated of in theſe excellent Sermons, which are therefore deſervedly intituled, The Marriage Feaſt between Christ and his Church. We read of a Philoſopher, that having prepared an excellent Treatiſe of happineſſ…, and preſenting it unto a great King, the K… anſwered him, Keep your Book to your ſelfe, I am not now at leaſure. Here is an excellent Treaſure put into thy hand, doe not anſwer … I am not now at leiſure. Oh doe not let Chriſt ſtand knocking at thy heart, who will come and ſup with thee, and bring his cheare with him. Oh let not a deceived heart turne thee any longer aſide to feed upon Aſhes, feed no longer with ſwine upon Husks, while thou mayſt be filled and ſatisfied with bread in thy fathers houſe.
But this is not all, if thou wilt bee pleaſed to peruſe this Book, thou wilt finde there are many other uſefull,2. Of the vail of ignorance and unbeliefe, and the removall of it ſeaſonable, and excellent ſubjects handled beſides the Marriage-Feaſt.
2. Jeſus Chriſt hath not only provided a feaſt, becauſe hee is deſirous that all thoſe for whom it is provided ſhould come to it, (which onelyonly they doe that believe) he takes away the vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe from off their hearts: and here you ſhall finde this skilfull Preacher hath excellently diſcourſed, what this vaile is, how it naturally lyes upon all, and is onelyonly removed by the Spirit of Chriſt. And if the Lord hath deſtroyed this covering from off thy heart, we doubt not, but the truth of this heavenly Doctrine will ſhine comfortably into thy ſoule.
3. Jeſus Chriſt to make his bounty and mercy further appeare in this Feaſt;3. Of Chriſts conqueſt over Death. hee hath given his Gueſts the Bread of life, and hath ſecured them from the feare of death: They need not feare, there's no Mors in ollâ, at this Feaſt wee may feaſt without feare: Jeſus Chriſt by his taſting of death hath ſwallowed it up in victory. Chriſt doth not make his people ſuch a feaſt as it is reported Dionyſius the Tyrant once made for his flatterer Damocles, who ſet him at a Princely Table, but hang'd a drawne ſword in a ſmall thread over his head. But Chriſt would have us triumph over the King of Feares, who was ſlain by the death of Christ, Heb. 2. 14, 15.and wee thereby delivered from the bondage of the feare of death. foreign.At other Feaſts they were wont of old, to have a Deaths head ſerv'd in amongſt other Diſhes, to minde them in the midſt of all their mirth of their mortality: (wich practiſe of the Heathens condemnes the ranting jollity of ſome looſe profeſſors in theſe times.) But here, Chriſt ſerves in Deaths head, (as David the head of Goliah) the head of a ſlaine and conquered death. Our Sampſon by his owne death hath deſtroied Death, Hoſ. 13. 14.and hath thereby ranſomed us from the hand of the grave, and hath redeemed us from Death, and the ſlaviſh feare of it: All which is at large handled in theſe following Sermons for thy comfort and joy, that thou maiſt triumph in his love through whom thou art more than Conqueror.
4. Becauſe it is a merry heart that makes a continuall feaſt, 4. Of the Chriſtians teares, and the wiping them away.and that this feaſt might be a Gaudy-day indeed unto thy ſoule, Chriſt doth here promiſe, to wipe away all tears from off the faces of his people. The Goſpel hath comforts enough to make glad the hearts of the Saints and people of God: the light of Gods countenance will refreſh them with joy unſpeakable, and glorious in the midſt of the valley of the ſhadow of death. A truely godly perſon can weep for his ſinnes, though the world ſmile never ſo much upon him; and though hee be never ſo much afflicted in the world, yet hee can and will rejoyce in the God of his ſalvation. In theſe Sermons thou haſt this Goſpel-promiſe ſweetly opened and applyed; wherein thou ſhalt finde directions when, and for what to mourne and weep, and the bleſſedneſſe of all true mourners, whoſe ſorrow ſhall be turned into joy.
5. In theſe Sermons you ſhall further finde,5. Of the Rebukes and Reproaches of Gods people, and the taking of them away. that though Jeſus Chriſt reſpect his people highly, and entertaine them bountifully, yet they have but courſe uſage in the world, who are wont to revile them as fooles and madmen, as ſeditious Rebels, troublers of Iſrael, proud and hypocriticall perſons. But bleſſed are they that doe not ſtumble at this ſtone of offence, that weare the reproaches of Chriſt as their Crowne, and by well doing put to ſilence the ignorance of fooliſh men: for let the world load them with all their revilings, yet the ſpirit of glory reſts upon them, and in due time he will rowle away their reproach, and bring forth their judgement as the light, and their righteouſneſſe as the noon-day.
6. And becauſe a Chriſtian here hath more in hope than in hand,6. Of the Promiſes. more in reverſion than in poſſeſſion, walkes by faith rather than ſenſe, and lives by the Word of God, and not by bread alone, Thou ſhalt have here (Chriſtian Reader) a ſweet Diſcourſe of the precious promiſes of Chriſt which hee hath left us here to ſtay the ſtomack of the ſoule, till wee come to that feaſt of feaſts in heaven; that by this glimpſe, wee might in part know the greatneſſe of that glory which ſhall be revealed, that the firſt fruits might be a pawne of the Harveſt, and the earneſt of the Spirit a pledge of that full reward wee ſhall have in heaven, where we ſhall be brim-full of thoſe pleaſures that are at Gods right hand for ever. Chriſt hath given us promiſes to uphold our faith and hope, till faith be perfected in fruition, and hope end in viſion, till Jeſus Chriſt, who is here the object of our faith,7. Of the holy Scriptures, and the divine Authority of them. be the reward of our faith for ever.
7. Now becauſe the comfort of the promiſes is grounded in the faithfulneſſe of him that hath promiſed. This godly and learned man, hath ſtrongly aſſerted the Divine Authority of the holy Scriptures, proving that they are foreign, that they are the very Word of God, that they are foreign, & foreign, worthy of all acceptation, and beliefe, for their owne ſakes. A truth very ſeaſonable for theſe times to Antidote thee againſt the poyſonfull errors of blaſphemous Antiſcripturiſts.
8. Laſtly,8. waiting upon God. becauſe that God often takes a long day for performance of the promiſe, thou ſhalt finde herein the Doctrine of waiting upon God excellently handled. A duty which wee earneſtly commend unto thy practice, as ſuitable to theſe ſad times—Say, Oh ſay, with the Church,Iſai. 26. 8. In the way of thy judgements, Oh Lord, we have waited for thee: and with the Prophet, I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the houſe of Iacob, Iſai. 8. 17.and I will look for him. And reſt aſſured, that none of the ſeed of Iacob ſhall ſeeke him in vaine; he will not diſappoint their hope, nor make their faces aſhamed that waite for him.
Thus we have given you a ſhort proſpect of the whole, a briefe ſumme of that treaſure which theſe Sermons containe. Wee need ſay nothing of the Author, his former labours ſufficiently ſpeak for him in the gates, his memory is highly honoured amongſt the godly-learned. He that enjoyes the glory of heaven, needs not the prayſes of men upon earth. If any ſhould doubt of theſe Sermons, as if they ſhould not be truely his, whoſe Name they beare, let him but obſerve the ſtile, and the excellent and ſpirituall matter herein contained, and he will wee hope be fully ſatisfied. Beſides, there are many Eare-witneſſes yet living, who can cleare them from any ſhadow of impoſture. They come forth without any Alteration, ſave onelyonly ſome repetitions (which the Pulpit did well beare) are here omitted.
The Lord make theſe, and all other the labors of his Servants profitable to his Church: And the Lord ſo deſtroy the vaile from off thy heart, that thou maieſt believe, and by faith come to this Feaſt, the joy and comfort whereof may ſwallow up all the ſlaviſh feare of death, dry up thy teares, and rowle away all reproach: and the Lord give thee a waiting heart, to ſtay thy ſoule upon the name of the Lord, to believe his Word, and his faithfull promiſes, that in due time thou maiſt rejoyce in the God of thy ſalvation. This is the earneſt Prayer of
London: Apr. 19. 1650.
ARTHVR JACKSON.
JAMES NALTON.
WILL: TAYLOR.