CXXXIX. SERM. viz. that at the last day, when the Son of Man shall come to judge the world, both the sea and the earth shall give up their dead; that at the sound of a trumpet, the dust of every body shall immediately gather up itself from all places whithersoever it hath been dispersed, and haste every particle of it into its proper place again, so as to make up the selfsame individual body, which it did before; to which the soul also being reunited, the same numerical persons shall be restored again, to live in happiness or misery for evermore. Now these and such like truths which the light of nature, as it is now clouded with sin, could never have discovered, our blessed Saviour hath so clearly taught and revealed to us, that there is nothing in the world that we have, or can have more ground to believe, than we have to believe them. It is true, they are mysteries which our senses cannot perceive, nor reason fathom, so as to comprehend them; yet, howsoever, reason itself cannot but conclude them most certain, because of the infallible testimony which God Himself hath given of them. So that we have more reason to believe them, than we have to believe what we see or hear: for our senses we know are fallible, and we have often found them deceive us; but we cannot say so of God, it being impossible for Him to deceive or lie. And therefore all that reason hath to do, about the mysteries which God reveals, is only to search into the grounds that we have to believe them to be revealed by God. For a Divine revelation being once proved, or supposed, reason itself requires an absolute assent unto it; and that we concern ourselves no farther about it, but to believe it because God hath revealed it, whether we understand it or no. For there are many things in natural philosophy, and geometry itself, which we know by experience, or infer from reason to be really true and certain, though we cannot understand the reasons of them, nor imagine how they come to be so; how much more, when we speak of Divine mysteries, should we captivate our reason, and submit it wholly to the infallible testimony which the Supreme Truth hath given to them; not believing them more or less, because we do or do not understand them, but resolving our faith wholly and only into the testimony of God. And this is that which our blessed Lord requires of those that come unto Him, saying, "Take My yoke upon you;" whereby He enjoins us to believe what He saith, and submit to His doctrine, without suffering our reason any farther to interpose, than only to search into the grounds and motives which we have to believe that it is His doctrine, and He hath said it; which whosoever is convinced of, must look no farther, but take His Word for it, and therefore believe it because He said it; yea, therefore said it that we might believe it. And whosoever dares pry too much into the secrets of God, or deny any mystery revealed in the Gospel, because they forsooth cannot understand it, nor make their shallow apprehensions reach unto the bottom of it, they have not yet taken Christ's yoke upon them; they have not learned to submit their judgments unto His, nor to believe the Gospel as they ought to do, even upon the infallible testimony and authority of Him that hath revealed it. Secondly, The yoke of His discipline. For as we must believe what He hath said, only because He hath said it; so must we observe what He hath commanded, only because He hath commanded it. And as we are to believe His sayings, though they be never so much above our reason, so are we to observe His laws, though they be never so contrary to our temper and inclinations. And certainly, as His doctrine is the highest that ever was revealed to the sons of men, so is His discipline the strictest that we can be under. For He is so far from those horrid opinions that the Libertines and Antinomians would father upon Him, even from indulging sin, and licensing iniquity, as His pretended Vicar at Rome doth, that He requireth universal obedience to all the moral law, in the highest manner that can possibly be expressed. Indeed, one great end of His coming into the World, was to reform and better it; and not only to satisfy for our former sins, but to shew us also how to order our future lives exactly, according to the commands of God. Hence it was that He took off those false" glosses which the Scribes and Pharisees had put upon the moral law, making as if it required nothing but external obedience; and hath declared to the world, that each com P CXXXIX. SERM. mand is to be understood in its fullest latitude, and in the strictest sense that possibly can be put upon it. ver. 21, 22. Thus, in the fifth of St. Matthew, He sheweth, that the sixth commandment is not only to be understood of actual murdering another, but of being angry at, or despising our ver. 27, 28. brother. That the seventh commandment is to be under ver. 44. stood, not only of adultery in the act, but even in the very v. 33, 34, 37. thoughts. That the third commandment doth not only forbid perjury, but taking the Name of God in vain. That the ver. 38-40. law of retaliation, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, hath reference only to courts of judicature, but as for private persons, they ought not so much as to resist evil; " but if any man would take away their coat, they should let him have their cloak also;" so as never to be forward to contend with any man about the things of this world. And that we do not fulfil the law, by loving our friends or neighbours only, but we must love our very enemies too. And in the next chapter He shews us, that it is not enough that a man be just and honest in his dealings, so as not to cheat others to enrich himself, but that we should be so unconcerned about the world, as not to take care or thought for the morrow; but that the main and only design that we carry on in this life, be to prepare for another, "to lay up for ourselves treasures in Heaven." ch. 6. 34. ver. 20. Thus I might shew you all along how our Saviour Himself prescribes the strictest rules, both of piety towards God, and of equity towards our neighbour, that it is possible for us to perform, or indeed for Himself to prescribe, telling us in Matt. 5. 20. plain terms, " Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." And therefore He expects that all those that come to Him, should excel not only the more brutish and debauched part of mankind, but even the most formal hypocrites, and the highest moralists in the world, in virtue and godliness. He expects that they that name His Name, and look for pardon and happiness [Phil.2.15.] upon His account, should "shine like lights in the world;" yea, so as to dazzle the eyes of all that are about them, and shame them into repentance and true conversion, that none that see them, but may know they have been with Christ, observing the excellency of His laws and discipline, in all their actions both to God and man. But here you must give me leave to stand still and wonder; wonder, I say, what is become of Christianity in the world, and into what corner of the earth it is gone! That there was such a religion established here, I verily believe, but there is little or no sign of it now amongst us. Insomuch that when I consider what Divine mysteries Christ hath revealed to us, and what strict and holy lives He requires and expects from them that profess His Name, I cannot but sometimes question with myself, whether there be such a thing as a Christian in the world? I am sure it is very rare to find one. But why should I wonder at that, when Christ Himself hath told us, that " many are called, but few are Matt.20.16. chosen?" and hath told us, that His flock is rò ngòv Toivov, Luke 12. 32. 'a very little flock.' However, I hope, that there be some amongst us who truly fear the Lord, and walk in His ways, turning religion neither into faction nor superstition, but sincerely endeavouring to take Christ's yoke upon them, and to observe His discipline exactly, although they be so few, so very few, that they are not discernible. Thirdly, The yoke of the cross. Which our Saviour hath made the badge of His disciples; so that as the cross bore Him, they must bear it, if they would manifest themselves to be His disciples. 66 If any man," saith He," will come Matt.16.24. after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." That is, they that would go after Christ, so as to be His disciples indeed, must deny themselves whatsoever seems profitable or advantageous for them, whensoever it comes into competition with His interest in the world, or theirs in Him; so as to think no duty too great to undertake, no misery too heavy to undergo, so that He may be glorified by them on earth, and they may be glorified by Him in Heaven; so far from taking pleasure in sin, that it is their only trouble; and so far from being troubled at what they suffer for Christ, that it is their great pleasure: "There- 2 Cor.12.10. fore," saith St. Paul," I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake." Yea, and all the Apostles "rejoiced that Acts 5. 41. they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His Name." CXXXIX. SERM. Oh, the excellent temper of a real Christian! who can not only trample upon the seeming greatness, but also upon the very briars and thorns of this present world, with pleasure and delight! Looking upon it not as his misery, but his happiness and honour to suffer reproaches, troubles, yea death itself for Christ, Who suffered infinitely more for us, Rom. 8. 18. than we can do for Him; as reckoning with St. Paul, that the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. 1 Cor. 6. 19, 20. And verily, it is no wonder that they who come to Christ take this yoke upon them, so as to reckon that they can lose nothing for Him, as knowing they have all things in Him. Neither properly can it be counted misery, which is both accompanied with and leadeth to the highest happiness imaginable, even the love and favour of Almighty God: which being the only object of their souls' desires, who come to Christ, they cannot but esteem themselves happy in attaining it whatsoever it costs them. Or howsoever, they that come to Him, so as to be His disciples, cannot expect to fare better in the world than He their Lord and Master did; and therefore should prepare themselves beforehand, and resolve to take upon them, not only the yoke of His doctrine, so as to believe what He hath taught, and the yoke of His discipline, so as to observe what He hath commanded, but the yoke of His cross too, so as to bear whatsoever He shall see good to lay upon them, in order to His present, and their future glory. Neither is it sufficient thus to take the yoke of Christ upon you, but you must do it too with that willingness, alacrity, and patience, as He requires you. So that you must not only make His religion that He hath taught you, your business, but your choice and recreation too; and so resign and submit your wills to His, as to be as ready to do, or suffer, any thing that He requires, as He is pleased to require it. For, to speak home unto you, if you expect to be pardoned and saved by Him, He expects to be served and honoured by you: yea, He expects that you should be wholly His; and by consequence should live as those who are none of your own, but being bought with a price, yea so high a price as His most precious blood, you should glorify |