canft not understand from whence thec Wind comes, and whither it goes, or how thine own Spirits beat in thy Veins, what is the Production of them, and what their Motions; how can we then con. eive the Proceffion of the Holy Ghost, which Eye bath not seen, nor Ear beard, nor bath it entred into the Heart of Man to confider it? SERMON II. 1 John i. 1. That which was from the Beginning, &c. THINGS are commended fome-before all imaginable Beginnings. He, times, because they are ancient, of whom he fpeaks, Chrift Jefus, the efpecially Doctrines in Religion, becaufe Father's Word, was with the Father, Truth is before Error, and Falfhood is from the Beginning, with the Ancient but an Aberration from Truth; and of Days, who infinitely, and unmeafu therefore there is fo much Plea and Con- rably, antidates all Antiquity, to whofe tention among Men, about Antiquity, as Endurance, all Antiquity that is renownif it were the fufficient Rule of Verity; ed among Men, is but Novelty; to whom but the Abufe is, that Men go not far e- the World is but as of fix Days ftanding, nough backward in the Steps of An- for but as of yesterday, if we confider tiquity, that is, to the most ancient Rule, that infinite, beginningless, immenfurable and Profeffion, and Practice of Truth in Endurance of God, before this World : Scripture, to Chrift and his Apoftles, but What a Boddom or Clew is that, that halt in their Grand-fathers Tombs. But can never be untwined by the Imaginafometimes Things are commended, be- tions of Men and Angels; to all Eter-caufe new; the Nature of Man being in nity they should never unwind it, and clined to Change and Variety, and ready come to the End of that Threed of the to furfeit and loath accustomed Things: Age of the Father, and the Son, who Even as the Stomach finds Appetite for new poffeffed one another before the Hills and unufual Diets, fo the Mind of Man were, and before the Foundatiens of the bath a fecret Longing after new Doctrines, Mountains: This is it that maketh Re-and Things. Now we have both thefeligion the richest and most transcendant combined together in this Subject, which Subject in the World, that it prefents us makes it the more excellent and won-with a twofold Eternity, and invironsderful; Antiquity, and Novelty: For An- the Soul before and behind with an Etertiquity, it is that which was from the Be-nity without Beginning, only proper to ginning, and which was with the Father, and that is before ali Antiquity, even from Eternity; not only from the Beginning of Time, but before all Time, God, and an Eternity without End, com- real L to the framed by infinite Wisdom, real, or imagined, how much Moment and Weight is in that, to perfwade a Soul, and compofe it, beyond all the fpecious and painted Appearances of the World? To confider that fuch a Saviour is holden out unto us, to come unto, and lean upon, that is the Rock of Ages, upon whofe Word this huge Frame is bottomed, and ftands firm; one who infinitely exceeds and prevents all Things vifible or invifible, all their Mutations and Changes; one who was poffeffed of the Father, as his Delights, before the Foundation of the World, and fo most likely to reconcile him to us, and prevail with him; yea, moft certainly, they must have one Will, and one Delight, who were undivided from all Eternity; and they then Rejoycing in the babitable Parts of the Earth, taking Complacency in their own Thoughts of Peace and Good-will they had towards us, afterwards to break forth. And if both delighted in their very Projects and Plots upon the Business, what may we think the Accomplishment of the whole Defign will add, if it were poffible to fuperadd to their Delight? I would have you upon this, to gather two Confiderati-and Design between them, to fave and ons, for your Edification: One, to think what an incomparably excellent Saviour we have, one with God, equal to him, yea, one with him from all Eternity; and fo how ftrong a Foundation there is for Faith and Confidence? What a Rock to establish a toffed Soul upon? Māns Mi lery and Curfe being for all Eternity, there is one to deliver from that, who was from all Eternity. And who could purchase unto us fuch abfolute Blessedness throughout all Eternity, who was not himself from all Eternity? What mar-wills you; not because he must be overvellous Congruity and Beauty is in the come by his Son's Perfwasion, but because Ways of God? How is all fitted and he would have his Love to run in that Aaa 2 redeem Mankind. Some entertain harther Thoughts of the Father, as if Chrift were more acceffible, and exorable; but the Truth is, he hath given his Son this Command, and therefore he profeffed, that it was not fo much his Will, as his Father's he was about: Therefore correct your Apprehenfions, do not stand aback from the Father, as it were, till you have prevailed with Chrift; no, that is not the Way; come in your first Addrefs to the Father, in the Son, for fo he Chan lately cloathed with Flefh, that made him both visible, and capable of being handled Now truly these are the two Poles, about which the Mystery, Glory, and Wonder of Chriftianity turns: The An Channel, through Chrift to us: And indeed our Saviour was much in holding out the Love of the Father, and laboured to perfwade the World of it. Withal, I with you to confider whom ye neglect and defpife, who hear this Gofpeltiquity of his real Exiftence, as God; daily, and the Word of Life holden out and the Lateness or Novelty of his Apunto you; and yet fuffer not your Hearts pearance in the Flesh, as Man; nothing to be moved, or ftirred after him. Alas, fo old, for he hath the infinite Fore-ftart my Beloved, to forfake fo great a Mercy, of the oldeft and most ancient Creatures. as the eternal Word of Life, as the in- Take thofe Angels, the Sons of God, finite Wisdom of the Father, and to let who fung together in the firft Morning of the Offer of this every Day run by us, the Creation, yet their Generation can and never to find Leifure and Vacancy foon be told, and their Years numbered; from the Multitude of Bufineffes, and it is eafy to calculate all Antiquity, and we Throng of the Thoughts and Lufts of the fhould not reach fix thoufand Years, when World, never to ftart fo far backward, it is taken at the largeft Measure; and as to look beyond this World, to God, what are fix thousand Years in his Sight, and his Son Jefus Chrift, never to mind but as fix Days, when they are paft? feriously, either him that was before all And if we would run backward, as far Things visible, or our own Souls, that before that Point of Beginning, and calmuft furvive and out-live all this vifible culate other fix thousand, yet we are ne Frame. This, I fay, is the great Mifery ver a Jot nearer the Age of the Son of and Condemnation of the World, that God. Suppofe a Mountain of Sand, as this eternal Light hath fhined, and you, big as the Earth, and an Angel to take love your own Darkness better: But be from it one Grain every Year, your Imaperfwaded, that one Day ye will think gination would weary it felf, ere ye reckOne Offer of this Word of Life, better oned in what Space this Mountain fhould than Life, better, infinitely better than the be diminished, or removed: It would most abfolute Life that the Attendance and certainly trouble the Arithmetick of the Concurrence of all the Creatures could wifeft Mathematician. Now imagine as yield you. O then that ye would incline many Years, or Ages of Years, to have your Ears and Hearts to this that is de- run out before the World took its Beclared unto you, to receive this Word ginning, as the Years in which the Angel of Life, that was from the Beginning, would exhauft this Mountain; yet we and ye may be perfwaded, ye shall enjoy have not come a whit nearer the Endur ance of our Lord and Saviour, whose a Bleffedness without End. Being is like a Circle, without Beginning or End. But there is withal a Newness in this Subject, which both increases Admiration, and may the more engage our Affection; for the Life was manifefted (faith he) Verse 2. and he is fuch a Word of Life, as though he was invifible, and untouchable from the Beginning, yet he was Bebold he is great, and we know him not, and the Number of bis Years cannot be fearched out, Job xxxvi. 26. And who can tell his Generation? The Age of this Word is fuch a Labyrinth, with innumerable Turnings and Wind Windings in it, which will always lead them round that enter in it; and fo they are, after the longest Progrefs and Search, but juft where they were, always Beginning, and never coming nearer the Beginning of his Duration, because it is the Beginning of all Things that have a Beginning, but hath none it felf. Now he that was thus bleffed from everlasting, who dwelt in inacceffible Light and Glory, which no Man bath Jeen, nor can fee, infinitely removed from all humane Capacities and Senfes; he, I fay, begins to be manifefted in the Fulnefs of Time; and to make himself vifible, he takes on our Flesh; and all for this Purpofe, that he who was the substantial Life in himself, and the eternal Life, in an efsential and neceffary Way, might become Life to poor dead Sinners, and communicate to them eternal Life: And truly it was no wonder that all Ages were in Expectation of this, from the Beginning of the World, fince it was firft promifed, that the Inhabitants of Heaven were in a longing Expectation to fee, and look into this Myftery, for there is fomething in it more wonderful than the Creation of this huge Frame of Heaven and Earth: God made himself in a manner visible, by making the visible World: His Power, Goodness, and Wifdem, are every where imprinted in great Characters on the whole, and all the Parts of it: The Light, how glorious a Garment is it, with which -he is, as it were, cloathed? The Hea vens, how majestick a Throne? the Earth, how fately a Foot-ftool? the Thunder, how glorious and terrible a Voice? Ina Word, the Being, the Beauty, the Harmony, and Proportion of this huge Frame, is but a visible Appearance of the invifible God. But in taking on our Flesh, the Word is more wonderful ly manifefted, and made visible; for, în the first, the Creator_made Creatures to ftart out of nothing, at his Command: but in this, the Creator is made a Creature: He once gave a Beginning of Being to Things that were not: Being before all Beginning himself, he now takes a Beginning, and becomes Flesh, that he was nor. And what is it in which he was manifefted? Is it the fpiritual Nature of Angels? But though that far excel ours, yet it is no Manifeftation of him to us; for he should still be as unknown as ever. Is it in the Glory, Perfection, and Flower of the vifible World, as in the Sun, and Lights of Heaven? But though that have more Shew of Glory, than the Flesh of Man; yet it makes not much to our Comfort; there would not be fo much Confolation in that Manifestation. Therefore, O how wifely and wonderfully is it contrived, for the Good of loft Man? That the Son of God fball be. made of a Woman, that the Father of Spirits shall be manifefted in the lowest Habit of our Flesh: And the lower and bafer that be, in which he appears, the higher the Mystery is, and the richer the Comfort is; fuppofe the Manifeftation of Glory fhould not be fo great, yet the Manifeftation of Love is fo much the greater; and this is the great Design, God fe loved, &c. John iii. Nay, I may fay, even the Glory of the only begotten Son of God, was the more visibly manifefted, that he appeared in fo low and unequal a Shape; for Power to thew it felf in Weakness, for Glory to appear. in Bafenefs, for Divinity to kythe in Humanity, and fuch glorious Rays to break forth from under fuch a dark Cloud; this was greater Glory, and more Majefty, than if he had only fhewed himself in the Perfection of the Creatures. Now it it is easy to diftinguish the Vail, from that it covers; to feparate Infirmity from Divinity But then it had been more difficult, if his outward Appearance had been fo glorious, to give unto God what was God's, and to give the Creatures what was the Creatures: The more near his outward Shape had been to his divine Nature, the lefs able had we been to fee the Glory of his Divinity through it. Now, my Beloved, when both these are laid together, the Ancientness of our Saviour, and withal the Newness of his Appearnce in the Flesh, by which he hath come fo near us, acd, as it were, brought his own Majefty within our Sphere, to be apprehended by us; and for no other End, but to make Life and Immortality to fhine forth, as Beams from him, to the quickning of dead Souls, O how fhould this Conjunction endear him to us: That the everlasting Father fhould become a Child for us; that is one Wonder. The next Wonder is, That we who are Enemies, bould be made the Children of God by bim: When the dark and obfcure prophefying of this, when the Twilight of Jewish Types and Shadows did create fo much Joy in the Hearts of Believers, in fo much that they longed for, and rejoyced to fee afar off that Day; when fuch a dark Representation of this Word of Life, was the very Life of the Godly in the World for four thoufand Years; O how much is the Cause of Joy increased, by the rifing of the Sun of Righteousness himself, and appearing in the very darkest Night of Superftition and Idolatry that was ever over the World? When the true Life hath arifen himself, and brought to open Light that Life that was obfcurely couched up in Prophecies and Ceremonies, as hid under fo many Clouds. O then, let us open our Hearts to him, and entertain these new and fresh Tidings, with new Delights: Though these be now more than fixteen hundred Years old, yet they are ftill recent to a believing Heart; there is an everlasting Spring in them, that fends out every Day fresh Confolation to Souls, as refreshing as the first Day this Spring was opened. This is the new Wine that never grows old, nay, it is rather every Generation renewed, with the Acceffion of fome new Manifeftation of the Love of God. Chrift's Incarnation was the firft Manifestation of the Sun, the very Morning of Light and Life, the Day-fpring visiting the World, that was buried in an hellish Darkness of Heathen-idolatry: And even the Church of God, in the Grave of Superftition, and Corruption of Doctrine and Manners: Then did that Sun of Righ teousness first fet up his Head above the Horizon: but it is but one Day ftill, he hath been but coming by Degrees to the Meridian, and shining more and more to the perfect Day; That Sun hath not fet fince, but made a Course, and gone a round about the World, in the preaching of the Gofpel, and brought Life and Light about, by Succeffion, from one Nation to another, and one Generation to another; and therefore we ought to entertain it this Day with Acclamations and Jubilation of Heart, as the People that ly under the North, do welcome the Sun when it comes once a Year to them. Af ter that the Kindness and Love of God our Saviour toward Man appeared, Tit. iii. 4. navbρota, his kindly and affectionate Love to Mankind, that is it that shines fo brightly; the Beams of Grace and Love to Men, are the Rays that are fcattered from this Sun of Righteousness. O the Hardness of Mens Hearts, |