THE holy Apostle St. Paul, The coherence. (the Trumpet of the Gospell, the vessell of election) was ordained to bee a messenger of reconciliation, and to spread the sweet savour of the Gospell every where: And answerably to his calling, hee makes way for the excellencie of his Ambassage into the hearts of those he had to deale with. This he doth by the commendation of his function. And that he might the better prevaile, hee removes all objections to the contrary. There were some that would debase his Office, saying, that the Gospell he taught (Christ crucified) was no such great matter: Therefore in the 6. verse of this chapter, hee shewes, that the Gospell is Wisedome, and that among them that are perfect; among the best and ablest to judge. St. Paul did not build as the Papists doe now, upon the blindnesse of the people. But it were not Poperie, if they did not infatuate the people. St. Paul sayth to this effect:The best Ministers will not shun to be tried by the best judgments Wee dare appeale to those that are the best, and of the best judgement, let them judge whether it be wisedome or no: the more perfect men are, the more able they are to judge of our wisedome.

It might bee objected again, You see who • ares for your wisedome, neither Herod, nor Pilate, nor the greatmen and Potentates, the Scribes, and Pharisees, great, learned men, and withall, men of innocent lives, notable for carriage. Therefore, sayth he, Wee speak not the wisedome of this world, or the Princes of this world, that come to nought. Doe not tell us of such mens wisedome, they and their wisedome will come to nought too. Wee teach wisedome of things that are eternall, to make men eternall. As for the Princes of the world, they and all that they know, their thoughts, and all their plots and devises perish. But wee speake the wisedome of God in a mysterie, That is the wisedome of Gods revealing, a deepe wisedome, a mysterie, that God or dained before the world. Ancient wisedom, not a yesterdayes knowledge, tho lately discovered: the preaching of the Gospell is the discovery of that wisdome that was hidden before the world was.

And to invite you, and make you more in love with it, it is a wisedome To your glory. God hath a delight to shew himselfe wise in devising a plot to glorifie poore wretched man.

As for the words themselves, Scope of the words, and explication. they are a proofe of what he had sayd before, why none of the Princes of the world knew this great mysterie. If so be that the eye of any man hath not seene, nor the eare of any man hath heard, nor the heart of any man hath conceived, what doe you tell us of the wise men, which were not all, nay what should I speake of men? the very Angels (as we know by other places) are excluded from a full knowledge of these mysteries. Therefore it is no mervaile,The mysteries of the Gospell hidden from naturall men. though none of the Princes of this world knew them. They are universally hidden from all naturall men. This I take to be the sence of the words. They are taken out of Isaiah: Isai. 64. 4▪ S. Paul delights to prove things by the Prophets: but here it is not so much a proofe as an allusion; which we must observe to understand many such places. For Isaiah there speakes of the great things God had done for his Church, such as Eye had not seene, nor Ea e heard: And the Apostle alludes to it here, and addes somewhat, This clause (nor hath entred into the heart of man) is not in that place: but it is necessarily understood: for if the eye doe not see, and the eare heare, it never enters into the heart of man. For whatsoever enters into the heart of man, it must be by those passages and windowes, the gates of the soule, the sences.

And whereas St. Paul sayth, For them that love him, It is for them that expect him, as in Isaiah. The sence is all one: Whosoever love God, they expect and wait for him, where there is no expectation, there is no love.

This is the Apostles drift, If God did doe such great matters for his Church, as eye hath not seen, nor • are heard, according to the Prophet Isuiah, what shall we thinke he will do in the kingdome of grace here, and of glory hereafter.

The words then as wee see, containe the excellencie of the mysteries of the Gospell, described first by the hiddennesse of it to men at first.

Secondly, by the goodnesse of the things revealed, such as neither eye hath seene, &c.

The hiddennesse and excellency of the Gospell in that respect, is set forth by way of negation, Eye hath not seen, nor Eare heard, nor Heart conceived. And indeed this is the way to set forth excellent Divine things.The way to set forth divine things. God himselfe is set out by way of deniall; by removing imperfections, he is invisible, immortall, &c. And so heaven, that is neare to God, as being prepared by him, it is set out by way of deniall, as S. Peter sayth, It is an inheritance immortall, 1. Pet. 1. undefiled, &c. 1. Pet. 1.

So here, positive words could not be found sufficient to set out the excellencie of the things that God hath prepared.

As for the Knowledge of the mysterie of salvation in Jesus Christ, we neither can come to it by naturall invention, nor by naturall discipline. All the things that we know naturally, we know by one of these two wayes, but divine things are knowne neither way.

Where could there have been any knowledge of Christ, if God had not opened his breast in the Gospell, and come forth of his hidden light, and shewed himselfe in Christ, Godman, and in publishing the Gospell, established an ordinance of preaching for this purpose, where had the knowledge of salvation in Christ been?

To prove this, wee have here a gradation: the eye sees many things; but wee heare more things than we see, yet neither Eye hath seen, nor eare hea • d: I but the conceits of the heart, are larger than the sight of the eye, or the hearing of the eare; yet neither eye hath seen, nor eare hath heard, nor hath entred into the heart of man to conceive, &c. The Philosopher sayth, there is nothing in the understanding, but it came into the sences before: and therefore it cannnot enter into the heart of man, if it enter not by the eye, or by the eare.

The things here spoken of,What is meant by those things the eye hath not seen. be especially the graces, and comforts, and priviledges to bee enjoyed in this life, and the consummation, and perfection of them in heaven. Christ brings peace, and joy, justification, & sanctification, &c. the like. And even in this life; the perfection of these is in heaven, where the soul and the body shall be both glorified, in a glorious place, together with glorious, company, The Father, Sonne, and holy Ghost, innumerable Angels and justmen. These are those things that eye hath not seen, &c. The beginnings here, and the perfection and consummation of them hereafter. Having thus farre unfolded the words, I come to the poynts considerable.

First,D •• trines God hath a company of beloved children in the world, that he means a speciall good unto.

The second, God hath prepared great matters for them.

If great persons prepare great things for those whom they greatly affect, shall we not thinke that the great God will prepare great things for those that hee hath affection to, and that have affection to him? If God be a friend to the llect, & they be his friends, surely he wil answer friendship to the utmost: answerable to the great love he beares his children, he hath provided great things for them.

If that bee excellent that is long in preparing, then those things which belong to Gods children, must needs be excellent: for they were preparing even before the world was. Salomons Temple was an excellent Fabrick, it had long preparation. Ahasueros made a feast to 127. Provinces, it was long in preparing: great things have great preparation. Now these things that God intends his children, have been preparing even from everlasting, and they are from everlasting to everlasting: they must needs bee excellent. But before I dwell on any particular poyn • , here is a question to be answered.

If the things that God hath prepared for his children,A question be secret and excellent, how then come we to know them at all?

We come to know them 1. by Divine Revelation. God must reveale them first, as it is in the next vers. God hath revealed them by his spirit▪ God reveals secret things that are excellent to his children.

The Spirit reveales them by way of negation, and indefinitely, as also by way of eminence. Whatsoever is excellent in the world, God borrowes it, to set out the excellencie of the things that hee hath provided for his Children in grace, and glory.

A feast is a comfortable things they are called a Feast. A Kingdome is a glorious thing; they are called a Kingdome. Marriage is a sweet thing; they are set forth by that, by an inheritance, and adoption of children, and such like: So that all these things are taken to • e shadowes of those things. And indeed they are but shadows, the realitie is the heavenly kingdome of grace and glory: the heavenly riches, the heavenly inheritance, the heavenly sonship: when all these things vanish, and come to nothing: then comes in the true Kingdome, Sonship, and Inheritance.

Againe, 2. wee know them in this world by way of taste: for the things of the life to come, there are few of them, but Gods children have some experimentall taste of them in this world: God reserves not all for the life to come, but he gives a grape of Canaan in this wildernesse.

Thirdly, by arguing from the lesse to the greater: If peace of conscience bee so sweet here; what is eternall peace? If a litle joy here bee so pleasant and comfortable, that it makes us forget our selves, what will bee that eternall joy there? If the delights of a kingdome bee such, that they fill mens hearts so full of contentment, that ofttimes they know not themselves, what shall we think of that excellent kingdom? So by way of taste and rellish, we may rise from these pettie things, to those excellent things, which indeed are scarce a beame, scarce a drop of those excellencies.

If Peter and Iohn when they were in the mountain, were not their owne men, when they saw but a glimpse, but a little glorie of Christ manifested in the mount, what shal we think, when there is the fulnesse of that glorious revelation, at the right hand of God, where there is fulnesse of pleasures for ever? How shall our soules be filled at that time? Thus by way of rising from the lesser to the greater, by tasting, feeling, and by divine revelation, wee may know in some measure the excellencie of those things prepared for us.

Now to cleare this thing more fully,Three degrees of revelation. know that there are three degrees of revelation.

First there must bee a revelation of the things themselves, by word, and writing, or speech, and the like, as we know not the minde of a man, but either by speech, or writing: so there must bee a revelation of these things; or else the wit of Angels could never have devised, how to reconcile Justice and Mercie, by infinite wisedome; by sending a Mediator to procure peace, God-man, to worke our salvation. Therefore wee could not know them without a revelation, and discoverie outward: this is the first degree that wee may call Revelation by scripture, or by the doctrine of the Gospel. Who could discover those things that are meerly supernaturall, but God himselfe?

Then againe 2. when they are revealed by the word of God, and by men that have a function to unfold the unsearchable riches of Christ, by the ministerie of the Gospell, yet notwithstanding they are hidden riddles still, to a company of carnall men. Put case the vaile be taken off from the things themselves; yet if the vaile bee over the soule, the understanding, will, and affections, there is no apprehension of them: therefore there must bee a second revelation, that is, by the Spirit of God. Ofnecessitie this must bee: for even as the Apostle sayth in this Chapter, None knoweth the minde of Man, Vers. 11. but the spirit that is in Man: so none knoweth the mind of God, but the Spirit of God. What is the Gospel without the Spirit of Christ, to discover the minde of God to us? We know not the good meaning of God to us in particular:The Gospell is hid, without the Spirit to discover the minde of God. wee know in generall that such things are revealed in scripture: but what is that to us, if Christ bee not our Saviour, and God our Father? unlesse we can say as S. Paul sayth, He loved me, and gave himselfe for mee. Therefore you see a necessitie of revelation by the Spirit.

But this is not all that is here meant, there is 3ly a higher discovery, and that is in heaven▪ that that is revealed here, is but in part. and thereupon if wee believe, wee believe but in part, and wee love but in part, If our knowledge, which is the ground of all other graces and affections, be imperfect, all that followes must needs bee imperfect also. Therefore St. Iohn sayth,1 Iohn 3. 2. We know that wee are the Sonnes of God, but it appeares not what we shall bee. What we shall be in heaven it doth not appeare now; there must bee a further revelation, and that will bee hereafter, when our soules shall bee united together with our bodies: and then indeed our eyes shall see, our ears heare, and hearts shall conceive those things that while wee are here in the wombe of the Church, wee neither can see nor heare, nor understand, more than the childe in the wombe of the mother can conceive the excellencies in this civill life. Thus we see these truths a little more unfolded. I will now adde somewhat to make use of what hath been spoken.

First of all therefore for matter of instruction,1. Vse. Instruction if it be so, that the things of the Gospell bee such, as that without a revelation from God, they could not bee knowen, then we see, that there is no principle at all of the Gospel in nature. There is not a sparke of light, or any inclination to the Gospell but it is meerly above nature: for hee removes here, all naturall wayes of knowing the Gospell, eye, eare, & understanding: therfore the knowledge of it is meerly supernaturall. For if God had not revealed it, who could ever have devised it? And when hee revealed it, to discover it by his Spirit, it is supernatural: but in heaven much more, which is the third degree I spake of.Why so many heresies touching the Gospel. Therfore (by the way) you may know the reason why so many heresies have sprung out of the Gospel, more than out of he Law, & the misunderstā ding of it. There are few or no heresies from that, because the principles of the Law are writtē in the heart: men naturally know that whoredome, and adulterie, and filthy living, &c. are sins; men have not so quenched nature, but that they know that those things are naught: therefore there have been excellent Lawmakers amōg the heathens. But the Gospel is a meere mystery discoured out of the breast of God, without all principles of nature: there are thousands of errors that are not to be reckoned, about the nature, the person & the benefits of Christ, about justification, and sanctification, and free will and grace, and such things, what a world of heresies, have proud wits continually started up? This would never have beene but that the Gospell is a thing above nature. Therefore when a proud wit, and supernaturall knowledge revealed meete together: the proude heart stormes, and loves to struggle, and deviseth this thing and that thing to commend it selfe, and hereupon comes heresies, the mingling of naturall wit with divine truthes. If men had had passive wits to submit to divine truthes, and to worke nothing out of themselves, as the spider out of her own bowells, there had not beene such heresies in the Church, but their hearts meeting with supernaturall truthes, their proud hearts mingling with it, they have devised these errours that I note in the first place.

Then againe if the things that wee have in the Gospell be such divine truthes above nature altogether:2. Instruction. In d • vine truths above nature, wee are not to trust to reason too much. Then we must not stand to looke for reason too much, nor trust the reason or wit of any man, but divine authority her • especially. For if divine authority cease in the Gospel, what were it? nothing; the law is written in mens hearts: but we must trust divine authoritie in the Gospel above al other portions of scripture, and not to the wit of any man whatsoever.

The Church of Rome that is possest with a Spirit of pride, and Ignorance and tyranny; they will force knowledge on them that be under them, from their sole authoritie; the Church, saith so; and wee are the Church, and it is not for you to know, &c. and scriptures are so and so; but is the Gospell a supernaturall mysterie above the capacitie of any man? and shall we build upon the authoritie of the Church for these truthes? oh no! there must bee no forcing of Evangelicall truthes from the authority or parts of any man. But these are not things that wee stand in so much need of, therefore I hasten to that which is more usefull. Eye hath not seene, nor eare heard, &c.

Here then we have an use of direction how to carrie our selves in reading, An use of direction. How to study and read divine truths and studying holy truths, especially the sacred mysteries of the Gospel, how shall we study them? Wee thinke to breake into them with the engine of our wit, and to understand them, and never come to God for his spirit: God will curse such proud attempts. Who • nowes the things of man but the spirit of a man? and who knowes the things of God, but the spirit of God? Therefore in studying the Gospell, let us come with a spirit of faith, and a spirit of humility, and meeknesse there is no breaking into these things with the strength of parts; That hath been the ground of so many heresies as have beene in the Church. Only Christ 〈◊〉 the key of David that shutteth and no man openeth, and openeth and no man shutteth, he hath the key of the Scripture, and the key to open the understanding. And to presse this poynt a little; if eye hath not seene, nor eare heard, nor hath entred into the heart of man to conceive, the things of the Gospell without the revelation of the spirit; then we must come with this mind, when wee come to heare the things of the Gospell: Lord, without thy holy spirit they are all as a clasped booke, they are hidden mysteries to mee, though they be revealed in the Gospell. If my heart be shut to them, they are all hidden to me.

Wee see men of excellent parts are enemies to that they teach themselves, opposing the power of the Gospell: whence is all this? because they thinke only the opening of these things makes them divines, wheras without the holy Ghost sanctifying, and altering the heart in some measure, to tast, and rellish these things, that as they are divine in themselves, so to have some what divine in the heart to tast these things, it is impossible but that the heart should rise against them; and so it doth: for when it comes to particulars, you must deny your selfe in this honour, in this pleasure, & cōmoditie, now you must venture the displeasure▪ of man for this, and that truth: the heart riseth in scorn, and loathing of divine truth: when it comes to particulars they know nothing as they should. For when is truth knowne, but when in particulars wee stand for it, and will neither betray it, nor do any thing that doth not benefit a Christian? If we have not the spirit of God to relish truthes in particular, they will doe us no good. And except the spirit sanctifie the heart of man first by these truthes, the truth will never be understood by the proud, naturall heart of man.

Therefore the course that God takes with his children is this;GODS course with his children to shew them these mysteries. those that he meanes to have; he first inspires into their hearts some desire to come to heare, and attend upon the meanes of salvation, to understand the Gospell, and then under the means of salvation, he shines into the understanding by a heavenly light; and inspires into the will and affections some heavenly inclination to this truth of the Gospell, to justification, sanctification, selfe-denyall, and the like: and workes a new life, and new sences, and upon them wrought under the meanes comes the soul to relish, and to understand these mysteries, and then the eares, and the eies are open to see these things, and never before. A holy man that hath his heart subdued by the spirit of God in the use of the meanes, oh, he relisheth the point of forgivenesse of sins, hee relisheth the point of sanctification, he studies it daily more, and more, and nearer communion with God, hee relisheth peace of conscience, and joy in the holy Ghost, they are sweete things, and all the duties of Christianity, because hee makes it his maine busines to adorne his pro • ession: and to live here, so, as hee may live for ever hereafter. And this must be of necessitie: for marke out of the text; If the naturall eye, and eare, and heart can never see nor heare, nor conceive the things of God, must there not be a supernaturall eare, and eye, and heart put into the soule? must not the heart,Supernaturall objects require supernatural senses. and all be new molded againe? If the former frame bee not sufficient for these things, of necessitie it must be so.

From hence learne to arme your selves against all scandalls: when ye see men of parts, and account, (and such there may be) men of deepe apprehensions, and understanding in the Scripture for matter of notion, and for the language of the Scripture exquisite, and yet to be proud, malicious, haters of sanctity, next to divells, none greater; consider what is the reason: either they have proud spirits that despise, and neglect the meanes of salvation altogether; or if they doe come, they come as Iudges, they will not submit their proud hearts to the sweet motions of the Spirit: stumble not at it, if such men bee both enemies to that they teach themselves, and those that practise it, the reason is, because their proud hearts were never subdued by the Spirit to understand the things they speake of. For such a teacher understands supernaturall things by a naturall light, and by humane reason; that is, to talk, and discourse, &c. but hee sees not Supernaturall things by a supernaturall light, divine things by a divine light. Therefore a poore soule that heares the things published by him, understands them better by the helpe of the Spirit, than he that speakes them: better indeed for his use, and comfort.Simile. As we see, there are some that can measure land exactly; but the man that oweth the land measured, he knowes the use of the ground, and delights in it as his owne: the other can tell, here is so much ground, &c. So some Divines, they can tell there are such poynts, and so they are raysed; and they can bee exquisite in this: but what profite have they by it?

The poore soule that heares these things, by the helpe of the Spirit, hee can say, these are mine, as the man for whom the ground is measured. As it is with those that come to a Feast, the Physitian comes, and sayes, this is wholsome, and good; and this is good for this and that, but eates nothing: others that know not these things, they eare the meate,Of knowledge joyned with feeling. and are nourished in the meane time: so when such men discourse of this and that, a poore man that hath the Spirit, he relisheth these things, as his owne; the other goes away, onely discourseth as a Philosopher of the meate, and eates nothing.

And therfore when you read & heare these things, content not your selves with the first degree of revelation: no, that is not enough; when you have done that, desire of God to joyne his Spirit, to give you spirituall eyes, and hearts, that you may close with Divine truths, and be divine as the truths are; that there may bee a consent of the heart with the truth: then the word of God will be sweet indeed.

Againe, here we see this divine truth, That a man when he hath the Spirit of God, knowes things otherwise than hee did know them before, though he did not know them by outward revelation of hearing and reading, &c. And hee believes them otherwise than he did before: he sees them by a new light. It is not the same knowledge that an unregenerate man hath,1 Cor. • . 14. 15. with that he hath after, when God workes upon his heart: for then it is a divine supernatural knowledge. And it is not the same faith, and beliefe: the Spirit of God raiseth a man up in a degree of creatures above other men, as other men are above beasts: hee gives new eyes, new ears, & a new heart;Concerning spirituall sight. he moulds him anew every way. Therefore you have good men, somtimes wonder at themselves (when God hath touched their hearts) that they have had such shallow conceits of this and that truth before. Now they see that they were in the darke, that they were in a dampe before, that they conceived things to be so and so, and thought themselves some body; but when God opens their eyes, and takes away the skales, and lets them see things in their proper light, heavenly things, by a heavenly light, and with a heavenly eye; they wonder at their former foolishnesse in divinity, especially so farre as concernes the Gospell: for there is more in the Scripture then pure supernaturall divinity, there are many other arts in the Scripture.

The Gospell I say is a knowledge not of naturall men,It is not in nature to shew us these divine mysteries. or great wits, but of holy sanctified men. Therefore we must not think that these things may be known by nature, &c. It is a sacred knowledge so much as will bring us to heaven, it is a knowledge of holy men, that have their hearts brought to love and tast, and relish that they know. Therefore it is no wonder though a company of men of great partes live naughtily, they are no true divines, because they have no true knowledge. The divell is no divine, nor a wicked man properly; though hee can discourse of such things, yet he is not properly a divine: because he knowes not things by a divine light, or heavenly things by a heavenly light. The knowledge of the Gospell, it is a knowledge of sanctified, holy men: but to come neerer to our practise.

If eye hath not seene, nor eare heard, Another use of In • struction. nor hath entered into the heart of man, to conceive those things that God hath prepared for his: Then let us make this the rule of our esteeme of any thing that is good, or any thing that is ill, make it a rule of valuation. The Apostle here you see, hath a ranke of things above the sight of the eye, or the hearing of the eare, or the conceiving of the heart of man: if there be such a ranke of things above this; then the greatest ills are those that eye hath not seene, nor eare heard, nor hath entred into the heart of man: and indeed they are so. Wee grieve at the Ague, and at the Stone, and the Goute, they are grievous things indeed; oh! but what bee these things that wee feele, and see, to those in another world, that wee cannot apprehend for the greatnesse of them? The torments of hell wee cannot conceive, and understand them here: for it is indeed to bee in hell it selfe, to conceive what hell is: and therfore when God enlargeth mens spirits to see them, they make away themselves. And so for the greatest good; these goods here, this outward glory, we can see through it. Christ could see through all the glory in the world, that the Divell shewed him. And these are things that wee can heare of, and here the utmost that can be spoken of them: therefore surely they are not the greatest good, there are more excellent things than they, because the eye sees them, the eare heares of them, and the understanding can conceive of them; but there be things that the eye hath not seene, nor eare heard, not the soule conceived; and those bee the joyes of heaven.A rule to value things by. And thereupon (to descend to practise) if this bee a rule to value things, that the best things are transcendent, beyond sence and comprehension: then shall I for those things that I can see, & can heare, and feele, and understand, shall I lose those excellent good things, tha • neither eye hath seen, nor eare heard? &c. Is not this desperate folly, to venture the losse of the best things, of the most transcendent things, that are above the capacitie of the greatest reaches of the world? shall I lose all for pettie poore things, that are within my owne reach and compasse?

How foolish therefore are those that are given to pleasures! they feele the pleasure indeed; but the sting comes after. They delight in those ill things that they can heare, and heare al that can be spoken of them, and never thinke of the excellent things that eye hath not seen, nor eare heard, &c.

Let this make us in love with divine truthes in the Scripture, with the Gospel, that part of the Scripture that promiseth salvation by Christ, and all the graces, and priviledges of Christianity, they are above our reach. Wee study other things, we can reach them, we can reach the mysteries of the Law by long study, and the mysteries of physicke, and to the mysteries of trades by understanding, & when men have done all, they may be fooles in the maine; Solomons fooles: they may do al these things, and be wise for particular things, by particular reaches of that which eie hath seen, and eare heard, &c. and then for the best things that are above the capacitie of men, they may die empty of all,I • is the best wisedome to be wise to salvation. and goe to the place o • the damned. To bee wise to Salvation is the best wisdome.

What a pittifull case is this, that God should give us our understandings for better things then wee can see or heare in this world, yet we imploy thē in things of the world wholly? Let us not doe as some shallow, proud heads, that regard not divine things; the holy Scriptures they will not vouchsafe to read once a day, perhaps not once a weeke; nay, some scarce have a Bible in their studies. For shame, shall we be so Atheisticall? when God hath provided such excellent things conteined in this booke of God, the Testament, shall wee slight these excellent things for knowledge that shall perish with us? as St. Paul saith before the Text: the knowledge of all other things is perishing, knowledge of perishing men. Learne on earth that that will abide in heaven, Augustine. sayth S. Austin. If wee bee wise, let us know those things on earth, that the comfort of them may abide with us in heaven. Therefore let us be stirred up to value the Scriptures,Value the Scriptures the mysteries of salvation in the Gospel, they are things that Eye hath not seene, nor Eare heard,&c. Nay, I say more, that little that wee have here, by hearing truths unfolded, whereby the Spirit of God slides into our hearts, and workes with them: there is that peace that a man hath in his heart, in the unfolding of the poynt of Iustification, or Adoption, or any divine comfort, that it breeds such inward peace and joy as is unspeakable and glorious. All that we have in the world is not worth those little beginings that are wrought by the hearing of the word of God here. If the first fruits here be joy oftimes unspeakable, and glorious, if the first fruits be peace that passeth understanding; what will the consūmation, and perfection of these things be at that day?

Againe here you see a ground of the wonderfull patience of the Martyrs. Ground of the Martyrs patience. You wonder that they would suffer their bodies to be torne, and have their soules severed so violently from their bodies: Alas; cease to wonder; when they had a sence wrought in them by the spirit of God of the things that eye hath not seene, nor eare heard. If a man should have asked them why they wold suffer their bodies to be misused thus when they might have redeemed all this with a little quiet? oh! they would have answered presently, as some of them have done; wee suffer these things in our bodies,A godly man suffers these things in his senses for those that are above his senses. and in our sences, for those that are above our sences, wee know there are things layd up for us that eye hath not seene, nor eare heard, &c. What doe you tell us of this torment, and that torment? we shall have more glory in heaven then wee can have misery here: for wee can see this, and there is an end of it▪ but wee shall have joy that eye hath not seene, nor eare heard, &c. As St. Paul most Divinely in diverse places in Rom. 8.Rom. 8. the things that wee suffer here are not Worthy of the glory that shall be revealed. Therefore let us not wonder so much at their patience as to lay up this ground of patience against an evill day when we may be drawne to seale the truth with our blood. By the way learne what Popery is,What Popery is. they thinke to merit by their doing, but especially by their sufferings, though they be ill doers, and suffer for their demerits; this is their glory. Shall those stayned good workes (put case they were good workes, they be defiled, and stayned, and as menstruous cloathes, as it is Isaiah 64.)Isai. 64. shall they merit the glory to bee revealed, that is so great that eye hath not seene, &c. What proportion is there? In merit there must be a proportion betweene the deed done,Merit hath no proportion with glory. and the glory: what proportion is there betweene stayned imperfect defiled workes, and the glory to bee revealed? Should not our lives be almost angecall? What manner of men should wee be in all holy conversation, Considering what things are layd up in heavē, & we have the first fruits of them here? Can men be too holy and exact in their lives, that looke for things, that eye hath not seene, nor eare heard, &c.

I wonder at the stupiditie, and hellish pride, and malice of mens hearts, that thinke any man can be too exact in the maine duties of Christianity,We cannot be too exact in holy duties. in the expression of their love to God, in the obedience of their lives, in abstinence from the filthinesse of the world, and the like. Can a man that lookes for these excellent transcendent things, be too careful of his life? I beseech you your selves be Judges.

THE Apostle sets out the Gospell here with all the commendations that any skill in the world can be commended by.The scop • coherence & division, more cleared. From the authour of it, God. From the depth of it, it is Wisedome, in a mystery, hidden wisedome. From the antiquity of it, it was ordained before the world was. From the benefite and use of it, for our glory. God is content his wisedome should be honoured in glorifying us, such is his love. And then when it was revealed, that none of the Princes of the world (he meanes not onely commanding Potentates, but he being a scholar himself, esteemed Philosophers, Pharisees, and learned men to be Princes: because the excellencie of a man is in the refined part of man his soul) none of these Princes of the world,The wisedom of God h • d from wise men. for all their skill and knowledge, knew this.

In this verse hee shewes the reason why Eye hath not seene, nor eare heard, &c. He removes knowledge, by removing the way and means of knowledge. The meanes of knowledge in this world is by the passage and entrance of the sences: Now this heavenly mystery of the Gospell, it is such a knowledge as doth not enter into the soule by the sences.

The poynts we propounded, 1 Point. were these, I That God hath a people in the world, whom he favours in a speciall manner.

Then secondly, For these that he accounts his friends he hath prepared great matters.

Kings prepare great matters for those they meane to advance: what shall wee thinke then God will doe for his friends?

Now these things prepared, they are great matters indeed, for in the third place they are such as Eye hath not seene, nor eare heard, &c.

And then in the fourth place the disposition, and qualification of those for whom God hath prepared such great matters, it is for those that love him, not for his enemies, or for all men indifferently, but for those that love him.

Of the first, and second I spake in the former, and I wil not now stand to speake of them, but enlarge my selfe in the two last.

The things that God hath prepared for them that love him, Observation. are such excellent things, as neither eye hath seene, nor eare heard, &c. He meanes the naturall eye, and eare, and understanding or heart of man.

There bee 3. degrees of discovery of heavenly things.

First in the doctrine of them, and so they are hid to them that are out of the Church.

And then secondly, in the spirituall meaning of them, and so they are hid to carnall men in the Church.

And then thirdly, in regard of the full comprehension of them, as they are indeed, and so they are reserved for heaven: wee have but a little glimpse of them, a little light into them in this world. Now in this place is meant the things that are discovered in the Gospell, especially as they are apprehended by the Spirit, together with the consummation of them in heaven. For they differ onely in degree, the discovery of the heavenly things in the Gospell here the priviledges, and graces, and comforts of Gods children, and the consummation of them in heaven. And wee may reason from the lesser to the greater, if so be that a naturall man, (though hee have naturall eyes, and eares, and wits about him) cannot conceive the hidden mysteries of the Gospell, Naturall wits conceive not the Gospel spiritually with application: much more unable is he, and much lesse can hee conceive those things of a better life. Now the things of the Gospell, the priviledges, the graces and comforts which Christ the spring and head of them all, in whom all are, and whence we have all, cannot be comprehended by a naturall man, he can discourse of them as far as his natural wit conceives them; but not understand heavenly things in their owne light as heavenly things, as the things of the Gospell.Wicked men talk of repentance, but do not rerepent. They can talke of repentance (that wee commonly speake of, which is a mystery) but notwithstanding who knowes repentance by the light proper to it, but he that by the spirit of God hath sinne discovered to him in its owne colours? H • knowes what it is to grieve for sin. The sicke man knowes what it is to bee sicke: the Phisitian knows it by definition, by books, and so he can inlarge it: but if he be not sicke, the sicke patient will speake to better purpose. So there is a mysteryin the common things of the Gospell; repentance, and griefe for sinne. A holy man feels it another matter because he feeles sinne discovered by the Spirit of God:A holy man feeles sin heavy. and so in faith, in the love of God, and every grace of the Gospell is a mystery. If one come to the schoolemen, they will tell you of faith, and dispute learnedly of it, and deduce this from that: but when he comes to be in extremitie? when the terrours of the Lord are upon him, when he comes to use it, he is a meere stranger to it: to cast himselfe being a sinfull creature into the armes of Gods mercy, hee cannot doe it without a further light of the Spirit discovering the hidden love of GOD to him in particular; and so for other graces. Therefore they do but speake of these things, (men that are unsanctified) as a blind man doth of colours, they inwardly scorne the truth they speake of: and those to whom they speake, if by the power of Gods Spirit they come to profit by the things they teach, if themselves be carnall,Carnall men hate the light. they hate them. A carnall man believes not a whit of what hee sayth: hee hath onely a common light for the good of others: a common illumination to understand and discover things, and a doctrinall gift to unfold things for other, and not for themselves: for themselves they scorne them in their hearts, and in their lives & conversations; and they will speake as much, when it comes to selfe-deniall in preferment, in pleasures, in anything that is gainfull: tush tell him what hee hath taught, or what hee knowes out of the booke of God, he cares not, hee knowes them onely by a common light:They know them but by a common light but for a particular heavenly light with application, and taste to himself, springing from an alteration by the Spirit, hee never knowes them so. Therefore content not thy selfe with a common light: for together with our understanding, God alters the taste of the whole soule: he gives a new eye, a new eare, to see and heare to purpose, and a new heart to conceive things in another manner than he did before.

But you will aske, How can a godly man know them at all, seeing eye hath not seen, nor eare heard, &c.

I answer: First,An objection answered for explicatiō. the things of another life (as wee see here) are knowne by negation, as God is,1. Answ. by way of removing imperfections. The naturall eye sees them not, nor the naturall eare heares them not, &c. no, nor the spirituall eye, nor eare, in a full measure: so things transcendent, that are above the reach of man, are described in the Scriptures by the way of denial, which is one good way of knowledge.

That yee may know the love of God that is above knowledge, sayth the Apostle,Ephes 3. Ephes. 3. that yee may know it more and more: but it is above all knowledge in regard of the perfection of it. As a man may see the sea, but hee cannot comprehend the sea: hee may be much delighted in seeing the sea, but hee sees neither the bottome nor the bankes, he cannot comprehend such a vaste body: he may see the heavens, but hee cannot comprehend them. So a man may know the things when they are revealed, but hee cannot comprehend them: apprehension is one thing, and comprehension is another; there may be apprehension in a poore degree, sutable to the capacitie of the soule here: but alas it is farre from the comprehension that we shall have in heaven.By way of negation. That is one way of knowing them by way of negation, and deniall of imperfections to them.

And then secondly,By way of eminence. they are knowne (as wee call it) by way of eminence; that is, by comparing them with other things, and preferring them before all other excellencies whatsoever; as wee may see the sunne in water by resemblance: for God borrowes from nature termes to set out grace, and glory, because God will speake in our language, for they are called a Kingdome and a feast, and a crowne by way of comparison. Shallow men thinke there is a great deale in a kingdome;What tho we should have of the world? and indeed so there is, if there were no other. There is great matters in a crowne, in the feasts of kings, and the like: but alas these be shaddowes, and there is no Rhetoricke or Amplification in this, to say they be shaddowes; a shaddow is as much in proportion to the body, as these are to eternall good things; the true reality of things, are in the things of another world, for eternity. If wee talke of a Kingdome, let us talke of that in heaven. If of a crowne, of that wherewith the Saints are crowned in heaven. If we talke of riches, they are those that make a man eternally rich, that hee shall carrie with him when he goes out of the world, what riches are those, that a man shall out live, and die a begger, and not have a drop to comfort him,What true r • ches are. as we see Dives in hell had not? here are riches indeed. So if we talke of beauty, it is the Image of God that sets a beauty on the soule, that makes a man lovely in the eye of God. True beauty is to be like God.What true beautie is. And to bee borne a new to that glorious condition, is the birth and inheritance. All these poore things, are but acting a part upon a stage for a while, as the proudest creature of all that is invested in them will judge ere long; none better judges then they. This is one way of knowing the things of the Gospell, by naming of them in our owne language. As if a man go into a forraine country, he must learn that language, or else hold his peace: so God is forced to speake in our owne language, to tell us of glory, and happinesse to come under the name of crownes, and kingdomes, and riches here. If God should set them out in their owne lustre, wee could not conceive of them.

But thirdly, the most comfortable way, whereby Gods people know the things of heaven, and of the life to come, is in regard of some tast, for there is nothing in heaven but Gods Children have a tast of it before they come there, in some measure: they have a taste of the communion that is in heaven in the communion they have on earth: they have a taste of that eternall Sabbath,Gods children have a taste of heaven before they come there. by some relish they have of holy exercises in these Christian Sabbaths. A Christian is as much in heaven, as he can be, when hee sanctifies the holy Sabbath, speaking to God in the Congregation by prayer, and hearing God speake to him in the preaching of the word.What peace in heaven is. That peace that wee shall have in heaven, which is a peace uninterrupted, without any disturbance, it is understood by that sweet peace of conscience here that passeth all understanding. We may know therefore what the sight of Christ face to face will be, by the sight wee have of Christ now in the word and promises: if it so transforme and affect us, that sight that we have by knowledge and faith here; what will those sights doe? So that by a grape wee may know what Canaan is: as the spies, they brought of the grapes of Canaan into the desart: we may know by this little taste, what those excellent things are.

The fourth way is by authoritie, and discoverie. St. Paul was wrapped up in the third heaven, he sayth, they were such things that he saw, that could not bee spoken of, strange things. And Christ tels us of a kingdome. Christ knew what they were, and the word tells us what they are: our faith lookes to the authoritie of the word. If wee had not the first fruits, nor any other discoverie. God that hath prepared them, hee sayth so in his word, and we must rest in his authoritie. And there are some that have been in heaven: Christ our blessed Saviour that hath taken into a perpetual union, the man-hood with the second person, which he hath knit unto it, he knowes what is there, and by this meanes wee come to have some kind of knowledge of the things to come.

Againe by a kind of reasoning likewise from the lesser to the greater, we may come to know not only the things, but the greatnesse of them. As, is there not cōfort now in a litle glimpse, when God shines upon a Christians soule, when he is as it were in heaven? is there such contenment in holy company • here? what shall there be in heaven? Is there such contentment in the delights of this world, that are the delights of our pilgrimage? they are no better, our houses are houses of our pilgrimage, our contentments are contentments of passengers, if the way, the gallery that leads to heaven, bee so spread with comforts, what bee those that are reserved in another world? A man may know by raysing his soule from the lesser to the greater. And if the things that God hath provided in common for his enemies as wel as his friends: (as all the comforts of this world; all the delicacies, and all the objects of the sences, they are comforts that are common to the enemies of God, as well as his friends) if these things be so excellent, that men venture their soules for them, and lose all to bee drowned in these things: oh! what peculiar things are they that God hath reserved for his owne Children, for those that love him? when those that are common with his enemies, are so glorious and excellent! These kind of wayes we may come to know them by the helpe of the spirit.

Those unmixed joyes, those pure joyes, that are full of themselves, and have no tincture in heaven, are understood by those joyes we feele on earth, the joy of the holy Ghost, which is after conflict with temptations, or after afflictions, or after hearing, and meditating on good things: the heavenly joyes that flow into the soule, they give us a taste of that full joy that we shall have at the right hand of God for evermore. That comfort that we shall have in heaven, in the presence of God, and of Christ, and his holy Angels, is understood in some little way by the comfortable presence of God to the soule of a Christian, when hee findes the Spirit of God raising him, and chearing him up,Heaven on earth. and witnessing his presence: as oft-times to the comfort of Gods people, the holy Ghost witnesseth a presence, that now the soule can say, God is present with me, he smiles on me, and strengtheneth mee, and leads mee along. This comfortable way Gods children have to understand the things of heaven, by the first fruits they have here: for God is so farre in love with his children here on earth, and so tender over them, that hee purposes not to reserve all for another world; but gives them some taste before hand, to make them better in love with the things there; and better to beare the troubles of this world. But alas, what is it to that that they shall know? as it is 1 Ioh. 3. Now wee are the sonnes of God, but it appeares not what we shall bee: 1 Ioh. 3. That shall bee so great in comparison of that we are, that it is sayd not to appeare at all: it appeares in the first fruits in a little beginnings; but alas, what is that to that glory that shall bee? Our life is hid with Christ in God. It is hid, there is no man knowes it in regard of the full manifestation: because here it is covered with so many infirmities, & afflictions, and so many scornes of the world are cast upon the beautie of a Christian life: it is hid in our head Christ. It is not altogether hid: for there is a life that comes from the root, from the head Christ to the members, that quickens them; but in regard of the glory that shall be, it is a hidden life.

Let us consider the reasonsReasons. why God will have it thus (to make it cleare) before I goe further: We must be modest in reasons when we speake of Gods counsels and courses. I will onely name them to open our understandings a little.

First,1 Reason. It is enough that God will have it so: a modest Christian will be satisfied with that, that God will have a difference betweene heaven and earth, Gods dispensation may satisfie them. 2. God wil have a difference betweene the warring Church, and the triumphing Church.

This life is a life of Faith, and not of sight. We walke and live by faith. Why? partly to try the truth of our faith, and partly for the glory of God, that he hath such servants inn the world here, that will depend upon him, upon termes of faith, upon his bare word, that can say, there are such things reserved in heaven for me, I have enough: what a glory is it to God, that he hath those that will trust him upon his bare word? It were no commendation for a Christian to live here in a beautifull glorious manner, if hee should see all, and live by sight. If he should see hell open, & the terrours there, for him then to abstraine from sinne, what glory were it? the sight would force abstinence. If he should see heaven open, and the joyes of it present, it were no thanks to be a good man: for sight would force it.

The second Reason is this,2 Reason. that God will have a known difference, between hypocrites, and the true Children of God. If heaven were upon earth, and nothing reserved in faith, and in promise, every one would be a Christian: but now the greatest things being laid up in promises, wee must excercise our faith to waite for them; now there are none that will honour God in his word, but the true Christian: that there are such excellent things reserved in another world, in comparison of which all these are base: there is none but a true Christian that will honour God upon his word, that will venter the losse of these things here for them in heaven, that wil not lose those things that they have in reversion and promise for the present delights of sinne for a season? Wheras the common sort, they heare say of a heaven, and happinesse, and a day of judgement, &c. But in the meane time they will not deny their base pleasures and their Rebellious dispositions, they wil crosse themselves in nothing: doe wee thinke that God hath prepared heaven for such wretches as these? oh, let us never thinke of it. God therefore hath reserved the best excellencies for the time to come, in promises, and in his word, if we have grace to depend upon his word: and in the meane time goe on, and crosse our corruptions, it is an excellent condition to be so, it shewes the difference that God will have between us, and other men.3 Reason.

Againe thirdly, our vessells could not containe it: Wee are uncapable, our braine is not strong enough for these things: as weake braines cannot digest hote liquors: so we cannot digest a large revelation of these things. As wee see St. Peter was not himselfe in the transfiguration, hee forgot himselfe; and was spiritually drunke with joy, with that hee saw in the mount; hee wote not what hee said as the Scripture saith, when hee said, Master let us make three Tabernacles, &c. Nay Saint Paul himself, the great Apostle, when hee saw things in heaven, above expression, that could not, nor might not be uttered, could not digest them. They were so great, that if he had not had somewhat to weigh him downe, to ballance him, hee had been overturned with pride: therefore there was a pricke in the flesh sent to Paul himselfe to humble him. Are wee greater than Paul and Peter, the great Apostles of the Jewes and Gentiles? when these grand Apostles could not containe themselves, when they see these heavenly things, and but a glimpse of them, the one did not know what he said, and the other was humbled by way of prevention, with a pricke in the flesh; and shal we think to conceive of these things? No, we cannot: for that is to be in heaven before our time. These and the like reasons wee may have to satisfie us in this, why wee cannot conceive of the things to come as they are in their proper nature. God sayth to Moses, when Moses would have a fairer manifestation of God, No man can see me and live. If we would see God as he is, we must die. If we would see heaven,If wee would see God as he is, we must die. and the joyes of it as it is, wee must die first. No man can see the things that the Apostle here speakes of, in their proper light and excellencie, but he must die first.

They are not proportionable to our condition here: for God hath resolved that this life shall bee a life of imperfection, and that that shall be a perfect estate of perfect glory. Alas, our capacities now are not capable, our affections wil not containe those excellent things; therefore God traines us up by little, and little, to the full fruition, and enjoying of it. Thus we see how wee come to have some knowledge of them, and why we have not a full knowledge of them here.

Well, to leave this, and goe on;Use. I. If this be so, then let us oft thinke of these things.

The life of a Christian is wondrously ruled in this world, by the consideratiō, and meditation of the life of another world,The meditation of the life hereafter, steeres a Christians life here. nothing more steeres the life of a Christian here, then the consideration of the life hereafter: not only by way of comfort, that the consideration of immortal life, & glory, is the comfort of this mortall base life: but likewise by way of disposition, and framing a man to all courses that are good. There is no grace of the spirit (in a manner) but it is set on worke by the consideration of the estate that is to come, no not one.

What is the worke of faith? It is the evidence of things not seene. It sets the things of another world present before the eye of the soule, and in that respect it is victorious, it conquers the world; because it sets a better world in the eye. Where were the exercise of faith, if it were not for hope of such an estate which feeds faith? the excellencie of faith is, that it is about things not seene: it makes things that are not seene to be seene; it hath a kind of omnipotent power: it gives a being to things that have none, but in the promise of the speaker.

And for hope, the very nature of hope is to expect those things that faith believes. Were it not for the joyes of heaven, where were hope? It is the helmet of the soule, to keepe it from blowes, and temptations. It is the Anchor of the soule, that being cast within the vaile into heaven, stayes the soule in all the waves and troubles in this world: the consideration of the things to come, exerciseth this grace of hope; we looke within the vaile, and cast anchor there upward, and not downeward, and there wee stay our selves in all combustions, and confusions by the exercise of hope.

And where were patience? If it were not for a better estate in another world, a Christian of all men were most miserable. Who would endure any thing for Christ, if it were not for a better estate afterwards?

And so for sobrietie; what forceth a moderate use of all things here? the consideration of future judgement, that made even Felix to tremble. The consideration of the estate to come, causes that we surfet not with the cares of the world, and excesse, but doe all that may make way for such a glorious condition.

What enforceth the keeping of a good conscience in all things? St. Paul looked to the resurrection of the just and of the unjust; and this made him exercise himselfe to keepe a good conscience.

And so puritie and holinesse, that we take heed of all defilements in the world, that we bee not led away with the errour of the wicked: but keepe our selves unspotted. What forceth this, but the consideration of a glorious condition in another world? He that hath this hope, purgeth himselfe. There is a purgative power in hope, a cleansing efficacie, that a man cannot hope for this excellent condition, but it will frame and fit the soule for that condition. Can a man hope to appeare before a great person, and not fit himselfe in his deportment and attire before hand, to please the person before whom hee appeares? So whosoever hopes to appeare before Christ, and God, of necessitie that hope will force him to purge himselfe.

Let us not stand to search curiously into particulars, what the glory of the soule or of the body shall bee, (the Apostle discovers it in generall, we shall bee conformed to Christ our head in soule and body) but rather study how to make good use of them: for therefore they are revealed before hand in generall.

And with all to humble our selves, 2 Vse. and to say with the Psalmist, Lord what is Man, that thon so farre considerest him? Sinfull man, that hath lost his first condition, and hath betrayed himselfe to thine, and his enemy, to advance him to that estate, that neither eye hath seene, nor eare heard, &c. This consideration will make us base in our owne eyes.

Shall not wee presently disdaine any proud conceits? shall wee talke of merit? what can come from a Creature that shall deserve things that eie hath not seen nor eare heard; that such proud conceits should enter into the heart of man? surely grace never entred into that mans heart that hath such a conceite to entertaine merit. Shall a man thinke by a penny to merit a thousand pound, by a little performance to merit things that are above the conceit of men and Angels? but a word is enough that way.

And with humiliation, 3 Vse. take that which alwayes goes with humiliation, thankefulnesse, even before hand. When the Apostle S. Peter thought of the inheritance immortall, and undefiled, &c. he begins, Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, &c. Hee could not think of these things without thankfulnesse to God. For wee should begin the life of heaven, upon earth, as much as may bee; and what is that, but a blessing and praising of God? Now we cannot more effectually and feelingly praise God, than by the cōsideration of what great things are reserved for us: for faith sets them before the soule as present, as invested into them. Now if we were in heaven already, we: should praise God, and do nothing else; therfore faith making them sure to the soule, as if we had them, sets the soule on worke to praise God, as in Ephes. 1. and in Pet. 1.Ephes. 1. 1 Pet. 1. Saint Peter and Paul, they could never have enough of this. Thus wee should doe, and cheare and joy our hearts in the consideration of these things in all conflicts, & desolations: wee little thinke of these things, and that is our fault: wee are like little children that are born to great matters, notwithstanding not knowing of them, they carry not themselves answerable to their hopes: but the more the children grow into yeares, the more they grow in spirit and conceits, and carriage sitting the estates they hope for.

So it is with Christians at the first, when they are weake, they are troubled with this temptation, and with that, with this losse, and with that crosse: but when a Christian growes to a full stature in Christ, every petty crosse doth not cast him downe: hee thinkes, what shall I be dejected with this losse, that have heaven reserved for mee? shall I bee cast downe with this crosse, that have things that eye hath not seene, nor eare heard, &c. Prepared for me? He will not; he makes use of his faith to fetch comfort from these things that are reserved for him,Every petty crosse will not cast downe a believer. that are unexpressible, and unconceiveable.

And let us comfort our selves in all the slightings of the World. 4 Vse. A man that hath great hopes in his own coū try, if he be slighted abroad, he thinkes with himselfe, I have other matters reserved elsewhere, and I shall have another manner of respect when I come home. The world it knowes not God, nor Christ, nor us: shall not we be content to go up and downe as unknowne men here, when God the father, and Christ our Saviour are unknowne?Hee comforts himselfe with his hopes of heaven, against the slightings of the world. There are better things reserved at home for us: therfore let us digest all the slightings and abusage of carnal men. And let us not envy them their condition that is but for terme of life, use it as well as they will; that hath a date that will bee out wee know not how soone? Alas all their happinesse it is but a measured happinesse, it is within their understandings, their eyes can see it, and their eares can heare it: and when they can neither see nor conceive more in this world, then there is an end of all their sensible happinesse. Shall we envie when they shall shortly be turned naked out of this world to the place of torment?Envie not wicked men, but pitty them We should present them to us as objects of pitie, even the greatest men in the world, if wee see by their carriage they be void of grace; but not envy any condition in this world. But what affection is due and suiting to the estate of a Christian? If we would have the true affection, it is admiration, and wonderment. What is wonderment? It is the state, and disposition of the soule toward things that are new, and rare, and strange, that we can give no reason of, that are beyond our reach. For wise men wonder not, because they see a reason, they can compass things: But a Christian cannot but wōder: because the things prepared, are above his reach: yea when he is in heaven, he shall not be able to conceive the glory of it: he shall enter into it, it shall bee above him, he shall have more joy, and peace then he can comprehend, the joy that hee hath there, it is beyond his ability, and capacity, beyond his power; he shall not be able to compasse all. It shall be a matter of wonder, even in heaven it selfe; much more should it bee here below. Therefore the holy Apostles when they speake in the Scriptures of these things, it is with termes of admiration and wonderment,joy unspe • joy unspeakeable & glorious, & peace that passeth understanding, & when they speake of our deliverance, out of the state of darknesse into the state of grace, they call it a being brought out of darknesse into his mervailous light. And so God loved the world, 1 Ioh. 3. he cannot expresse how, I Ioh. 3. Behold what love hath the Father shewed us, that we should bee called the sonnes of God? To be called,To be called a son of God, is to be so. and to be, is all one with God, both beyond expression.

Againe, if this be so,Vse. that God hath provided such things as neither eye hath seen, nor eare hath heard, &c. Begge of God first, the Spirit of grace to conceive of them as the Scripture reveals them: and then begge of God a further degree of revelation, that hee would more and more reveale to us by his Spirit those excellent things. For the soule is never in a better frame, than when it is lift up above earthly things. When shall a man use the world, as though hee used it not? when he goes about his businesse in a commanding manner, as seeing all things under him,Why men are drowned in the world. when he is raysed up to conceive the things that are reserved for him above the world: that keepes a man from being drowned in the world: what makes men drowned in the world? to be earth-wormes: they think of no other heaven but this, they have no other thing in their eye. Now by the Spirit discovering these things to the • that have weaned soules, it makes them goe about the things of the world in another manner, they will doe them, and doe them exactly, with conscience, and care, considering that they must give an account of all: but they wil doe them with reserved affections to better thing. Therefore let us oft thinke of this, and labour to have a spirit of faith to believe them, that they are so, that there are such great things; and then upon believing, the meditation of such excellent things will keepe the soule in such a frame, as it will bee fit for any thing without defiling of it selfe. A man that hath first faith, that these things are so: and then that hath faith exercised to thinke, and meditate what these things are,How to get the conquest of any temptation. he may bee turned loose to any temptation whatsoever: For first of all, if there be any solicitation to any base sin, what will he thinke? shall I for the pleasures of sin for a season, if not lose the joyes of heaven and happinesse, that eye hath not seene, &c. yet surely I shall lose the comfort and assurance of them. A man cannot enjoy the comfort of heaven upon earth, without self-deniall, and mortification: shall I lose peace of conscience, and joy in the holy Ghost for these things? When Sathan comes with any bait, let us thinke hee comes to rob us of better than he can give: his bait is some present pleasure, or preferment, or contentment here; but what doth he take from us? that which eye hath not seene, nor eare heard, &c. Hee gives Adam an Apple, and takes away Paradise: therefore in all temptations consider not what he offers, but what we shall lose; at least the comfort of what we shall lose; we shall lose the comfort of heaven, and bring our selves to terrours of conscience.

Religion is not so empty a thing, as that wee need to be beholding to the Divell for any preferment, or riches, or contentment, or pleasure. Hath God set up a profession of Religion, and doe wee thinke that we must bee beholding to his, and our enemy for any base contentments? No; it is a disparagment to our religion, to our profession and calling, and to our Lord and Master we serve, to thinke that hee will not provide richly for his: you see here he hath prepared things that eye hath not seene, &c.

And by this likwise wee may judge of the difference of excellencies, the difference of degrees of excellencies may bee fetched from hence. The things that the eye can see, they may be excellent good things; but if the eye can see them, there is no great matters in them. The thing that the eare heares by reports, are more than the eye sees; wee may heare much that we never saw: yet if we can heare them, and conceive of them upon the hearing, they are no great matters: for the soule is larger than they. We conceive more than wee can heare; the conceit is beyond sight, and hearing, if we can conceive the compasse, and latitude of any thing it is no great matter: for it is within the reach, and module, and apprehension of mans braine, it is no wondrous matter. I but then the things that are most excellent of all, they are above sight, and beholding, and hearing: and conceite, that the soule cannot wholly compasse, and reach them, those are the excellent things of a • l. The rule of excellencie is to know what wee can conceive, and what is beyond our comprehension: The wit of man can conceive all things under the heavens. All the knowledge we have comes within the braine of man, the government of states, and the like. Oh! but the things that God hath provided for his, never came wholly within the braine of man; and therefore they are the most excellent.

And so by way of contraries for ills, what are the greatest ills? those that the eye can see, that wee can feele, and heare of, and conceive? Oh! no, the greatest ills are those torments that never eye saw, that eare never heard of, it is to be in hell to know these things; they are beyond our conceit, the worme that dies not, fire unquenchable, the things above our apprehension are the most terrible things. It is not the gout, or the stone; men feel these things, and yet suffer them with some patience: these are not the greatest ills, but those of another world that are reserved for Gods enemies, as the best things are those that are reserved for his friends.

Therefore let us make use of our understandings in laying things together, and make use of Gods discovery of the state of Christianitie, the excellencies of religion. Why doth God reveale these things in the word? that wee should oft meditate of them, and study them, that we may bee heavenly minded: for there are none that come to heaven, but they must have a taste of these before hand; there are none ever enjoy them in perfection; when the day of revelation shall come (the Gospell now is the time of revelation, but) the day of revelation is the time of judgement, then we shall wee be revealed what we are. But in the meane time there is a revelation by the spirit in some beginnings of these things, or else we shall never come to have the perfection of them in heaven. If wee know not what peace, and joy, and comfort, and the communion of the Saints, and the change of nature is here in sanctification, wee shall never know in heaven the fulfilling of it.

And those that have the first fruits here, if they bee in a state of growth, that they desire to grow better continually, they shall no question come to the perfection: for God will not lose his beginnings: where hee gives earnest, he will make up the bargaine.

Therefore let us all that know a little what these things are by the revelation of the Spirit, let us be glad of our portion: for God that hath begun, hee will surely make an end.

The affection, and bent, and frame of soule due to these things is admiration, and not only simple hearing. If these things in their beginnings here, be set out by words of admiration, peace that passeth understanding, and joy unspeakable, and glorious: what affection, and frame of Spirit is sutable to the hearing of those things that are kept for us in another world? If the light that wee are brought into here bee admirable, great, wee are brought out of darknesse, into admirable wonderfull light: If the light of grace bee so wonderfull to a man that comes out of the state of Nature, as it is indeed; a man comes out of a dampe into a wonderfull cleare light; what then is the light of glory? Therefore let us often think of it. Those that are borne in a prison, they heare great talke of the light, and of the Sunne, of such a glorious Creature; but being borne in prison they know not what it is in it selfe: so those that are in the prison of Nature, they know not what the light of grace is: they heare talke of glorious things, and have conceits of them. And those that here know not the glory that shall bee after, when they are revealed, that affection that is due to them is admiration and wonderment. So God loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Sonne; and behold what love the Father hath shewed to us, that wee should bee called the sonnes of God! what love! he could not tell what, it is so admirable, and to know the love of God that is above all knowledge! Who can comprehend the love of God, that gave his sonne? who can comprehend the excellency of Christs gift? the joyes of heaven by Christ, and the misery of hell, from which wee are delivered, and redeemed by Christ? These things come from the Gospell, and the spring from whence they come, is the large, and infinite, and incomprehensible love of God. And if it bee so, what affection is answerable but admiration? Behold what love! If God have so loved flesh, and blood, poore dust & ashes; so as to be heires of heaven, and of such glory as eye seesnot, nor cannot in this world, nor eare heares not, nor hath entred into the heart of man, till we come fully to possesse them; let us labour to admire the love of God herein.

And labour to know more and more our inheritance, as we grow in yeares, as children doe, they search into the great matters their parents leave them, and the nearer they come to enjoy them, the more skill they have to talke of them: so should wee, the more wee grow in Christianity, and in knowledge, the more we should bee inquisitive after those great things that our father hath provided in another world: but to goe on.

How shall we know whether these things be prepared for us or no? whether wee bee capable of these things or no? God hath prepared them, and he hath prepared them for those that love him; but how shall wee know that God hath prepared them for us?

In a word, whom God hath prepared great matters for, hee prepares them for great matters: we may know by Gods preparing of us, whether he hath prepared for us. God prepared Paradise before Adam was created: so God prepares paradise, he prepares heaven before wee come there; and wee may know that wee shall come to possesse that, if we be prepared for it. What preparation? If we be prepared by a spirit of sanctification; and have holy desires, and longing after those excellent things: for certainly there is preparation on both sides. It is prepared for us, and us for it; it is kept for us, and wee are kept for it: whom God keepes heaven for, he keeps them for heaven in a course of pietie and obedience. We may know it by Gods preparing of us, by loosing us from the world, and sanctifying us to himselfe. Thus a man may know whether those great things bee prepared for him, or no.

But the especiall thing to know whether they be provided for us, or no, is love. God hath prepared them for them that love him: not for his enemies: hee hath prepared another place, and other things for them, those torments that eye hath not seene, nor eare heard, nor hath entred into the heart of man, for those that are his enemies, that would not come under his government: but these things are prepared for those that love him.

For those that love him: especially that love is all in all, in the disposition of a holy man: all graces are one in the spring, which is love: they are severall in the branches, but they are one in the root.

Thus you have heard the use we are to make of this, that there is a reservation of a glorious condition for the people of GOD, so great, that neither eye hath seene, &c.

But who bee the parties, that God hath prepared these things for?

For them that love him.

This is the fourth part,The fourth particular. the disposition of the parties for whom, for them that love him.

Why not for those that God hath elected? Why doth he not goe to the root of all?Some questions answered for explication. the great things that God hath prepared for those that he hath chosen to salvation? No, that is out of our reach; hee would not have us goe to heaven, but rather goe to our owne hearts; wee must search f • r our election not above our selves, but within our selves.

Why doth he not say,2 Quest. to them that believe in h • m?

Because Faith is the radical grace from whence the rest spring.Answ.

But faith is a hidden grace many times,F • ith a hidden grace. and the Apostles scope is to poynt to such a disposition, that every one may know, that is more familiar. Somtimes faith is hidden in the root, and it is shewed in the effect more th • n in it selfe, in Love. A poore Christian that is in the state of grace, that sayth, Oh! I cannot b • lieve, aske him if hee love God; Oh, yes, he loves the preaching of the word, hee loves good people, and good bookes, and the like: when hee cannot discover his faith, hee can his love; therefore the holy Ghost sets it out by the more familiar disposition, by love, rather than faith.

Why doth hee not say,Quest. For those that God loves? Gods love is the cause of our love.

Because Gods love is manifested more familiarly by our love to him:Answ. for that is alwaies supposed; wheresoever there is love to God, and good things, there is Gods love first. For our love to God is but a reflexion of that love hee beares to us: First, hee shines on us, and then the beames of our love reflect upon him; therefore hee need not say, whom God loves (though that be the cause of all) but who love God, and know thereby that hee loves them.

But why for them that love him,4 Quest. more than for any other thing?

Because all can love,Answ. therefore hee sets downe this affection: there is no man living, not the poorest Lazar in the world, that hath a heart, and affections, but he can love. He doth not say, that are prepared for this great Christian, and that learned Rabbi; no,For whom these are prepared. but for all that love him, bee they poore or rich, great or small, all those that love him. Therefore hee sets down that to cut off all excuses: yea, and all that love him, bee they never so many, are sure to have these great things prepared for them. God hath prepared these things for those that love him.

To come therefore to some observations. The first generall thing is this, that

God d • th qualifie all those in this world,Observ. that he hath prepared heaven and happinesse for in another world.

The cause of it is his free love: but if you aske mee what qualification the persons must have? They are such as love him. This is not the proper cause why, but t • e qualification of the persons • on • hom these things are. There must bee an inward disposition and qualification, before wee come to heaven: all those that hope for heaven without presumption, must have this qualification, they must bee such as love him.

Why?

The Scripture is plaine,R • asons. 1. No uncleane thing shall enter into heaven: No whoremonger, or drunkard, or filthy person: bee not deceived sayth the Apostle, you thi • ke God is merciful, and Christ died, &c. but neither such, nor such as you are, (and your consciences tell you so) shall ever enter into heaven. We must not think to come è coeno in coelum, out of the mire and dirt of sin, into heaven: there is no such sudden getting into heaven;No gett • ng to heaven, without change of our natures. but there must be an alteration of our dispositions, wrought by the Spirit of God, fitting us for heaven.

2. Another is that that I touched before, that heaven and earth differ but in degrees: therefore what is there in perfection, must be begun here.

Then againe thirdly, It is impossible for a man if he be not truly altered, to desire or wish heaven as it is holy. He may wish for it under the notion of a Kingdome, of pleasure, and the like: but as heaven containes a state of perfect holinesse, and freedome from sinne, hee cares not for it. A man that is out of relish with heavenly things, and can taste onely his base sinnes, whereon his affections are set and exercised, cannot rellish heaven it selfe. A common base sinner, his desires are not there. There must bee some proportion between the thing desired, and the desire; but here is none, hee is not fit for that place, being an unholy wretch.

Therefore his own heart tells him, I had rather have this pleasure and honour that my heart stands to, than to have heaven, while hee is in that frame of desire: therefore there is no man that can desire heaven, that is not disposed aright to heaven before. Beetles love dunghils better than oyntments, and swine love mud better than a garden; they are in their element in these things: so take a swinish base creature,A carnall man-wants eyes to see heaven. he loves to wallow in this world: tell him of heaven, hee hath no eyes to see it, no eares to heare it, except hee may have that in heaven, that his heart stands too (which hee shall never have) he hath no desire of heaven. Therfore in these, and the like respects, of necessitie there must be a disposition wrought before wee come there. These things are prepared for those that love God.

If this be so, Vse. let us not feed our selves with vaine hopes: there are none of us, but we desire, at least wee pretend that we desire heaven; but most men conceive it onely as a place free from trouble and annoyance, and there are goodly things they heare of, kingdomes, crownes, and the like; but except thou have a holy, gracious heart, and desir • st heaven that thou mayest be free from si • ne, and to have communion with Christ, and his Saints, to have the image of God,Take heed of vaine hope. the divine nature perfect in thee, thou art an hypocrite, thou carriest a presumptuous conceit of these things, thy hope will delude thee, it is a false hope. Every one that hath this hope, purgeth hims • lfe: Every one, hee excludes none. Doest thou defile thy selfe, and live in sinful courses, and hast thou this hope? Thou hast a hope, but it is not this hope: for every one that hath this hope, purgeth himselfe. No, no, how ever in time of peace, and pleasure, and contentment that God followes thee with in this world, thou hast a vaine hope; yet in a little trouble, or sicknesse, &c. thy owne conscience will tell thee another place is provided for thee, a place of torment, that neither eye hath seene, nor eare heard, nor hath entred into the heart of man to conceive the misery of it. There is not the greatest man living, when hee is troubled, if he be a sinfull man, whose greatnesse can content him: all his honour, and friends, cannot pacifie that poore conscience of his; but Death,G • eatnesse nor hono • s can pacifie conscience the King of Feares, wil affright him: he thinks, I have some trouble in this world, but there is worse that rem • ines, things that he is not able to conceive of. Let us not therfore delude our selves, there is nothing will stand out but the new creature, that we finde a change wrought by the Spirit of God; then wee may without presumption, hope for the good things which neither eye hath seene, &c.

Againe, we see in the second place,2 Vse. Look within thee for the evidences. Gods mercie to us, the qualification is within us, that we need not goe farre to know what our evidence is. Sathan abuseth many poore Christians; oh, I am not elected, I am not the Childe of God. Whither goest thou man? doest thou breake into heaven? when thou carriest a soule in thy breast, and in that soule the affection of love, how is that set? whither is thy love carried, and thy delight, and joy, those affections that spring from love? Thy evidence is in thine own heart, our title is by faith in Christ; his righteousnesse gives us title to heaven: but how knowest thou that thou pretendest a just title? Thou hast the evidence in thy heart. What is the bent of thy soule? whither is the poynt of it set? which way goes that?Looke to thy affections. doest thou love God, and divine things, and delight in them? then thou mayst assure thy selfe that those things belong to thee, as verily as the Scriptures are the word of God, and God a God of truth. When thou findest the love of God in thy heart, that thy heart is taught by his Spirit to love him, then surely thou mayst say, Oh, blessed be God that hath kindled this holy fire in my heart. Now I know that neither eye hath seene, nor eare heard, nor hath ent • ed into the heart of man, those excellent things that are layd up for me.