God reveales the mystery of the Gofpell to any foul: therefore bleffe God for this.

Thirdly, this fhewes how deare Jefus Chrift fhould be unto us. O how should we delight and take contentment in him that brings the Treafuries of grace from the bofome of the Father, and opens them unto us: and not only opens the minde of God the father to us, but comes and lets out the treafure of Gods goodneffe to us. It was ftopt before, I but Chrift he opened as it were the flood gates, and lets the current of grace and mercy in upon us. O how deare therefore fhould Chrift be unto us? it was the fpeech of that Martyr, Mafter Lambert,None but Chrift,none but Chrift. Yea when he fuffered Martyrdome for Chrift, then none but Chrift was deare to him; because he faw that Chrift was the way of conveyance of all good unto him: as if God now make a man a meanes of conveyance of a great deal of good to a nation, every man will be ready to have his eye upon that man: I, but there was never fuch a way of conveyance of good to us as Chrift is: therefore how should our hearts love him, and prize him, and rejoyce at the very thoughts of him? If you have a friend, and God makes that friend an inftrument of mercy to you, O how doth it indeare you to that friend: if the husband be an inftrument of good to the wife, or the wife to the husband; if a Minifter to his people, or people to their Minifter, and fo in all relations: when we can look upon others as a meanes of conveyance of Gods mercy to us, it is a mighty argument to knit our hearts unto them, and indeed this is the way to obtain love. It may be the wife complaines, the hath not love from her husband; or the husband complaines he hath not love from his wife: Why now, be as inftrumentall as you can to convey the goodneffe of God to them, and this will mightily indeare and knit them to you; and if it doth fo between man and man: how fhould it doe fo much more be tween us and Chrift, who is indeed the husband of his Church, and through whom the fulneffe of God is let out unto his people? O how deare and precious therefore ought he to be

unto us!

Fourthly, is Chrift all in all? then if we have an interest in him, it should fatisfie and content us, though we have nothing, or be nothing in our felves: Why, because if we have Chrift, we have all; though thou wanteft parts, friends, eftate, outward comforts; yet know Chrift is to be thy all, and is not he enough? as he said, am not I better to thee then ten fons? fo fayes Chrift to the foul, what doeft thou want? thou wanteft this comfort, and the other comfort, but am not I all in all to thee, and better then all? yea, be willing to be made nothing, for all is made up in Chrift.

Again, it should have put us upon this,to be willing to give up all we have to Chrift; alas, our all is but a poor all: yet give it to Chrift; our parts, eftates, interest, names; let Chrift have all because he is our all,

And let him be the rule of our prizing all things: fo farre as we fee any thing of Chrift,prize it futably: as tis reported of Mafter Bucer, if he could fee any thing of Chrift in any man or woman, though they were never fo poor and meane, his heart would clofe with them. And tis faid of Austin, that before his converfion he took great delight in reading of Cicero's workes; but afterward, fayes he, I finde not the name Chrift in all Cicero; and that took off his heart from him: fo in all thou doeft enjoy, look how much thou seeft of Christ in it, fo farre let thy delight and esteem be carried out towards it,and no farther.

Again, with what mighty intention of fpirit fhould the heart be put forth toward Jefus Christ above all things! what though God give thee an eftate and honour in the world if thou haft not Chrift thou haft nothing, thou haft not that that makes way for thee to eternity. There fore be not fatisfied with any thing without Chrift. As Abraham fayes, What wilt thou give me Lord, feeing Igoe childleffe? So fay thou, Lord, thou haft given me a portion in the world, thou haft given me credit and repute amongst men; but Lord, what is all this to me, if I goe Chriftleffe, and have not him that is the conveyance of grace unto my foul, that is all in all? O Lord, thou haft this day

taught

taught me, that fuch is the diftance and breach betweene thee and me, that unleffe it be made up through a mediator, I muft eternally perifh: therefore give me Chrift, whatever thou denyeft me. O fatisfie not your felves with any thing, without Chrift. Many hypocrites they fatisfie themselves with gifts: if they have gifts, then they are contented. Confider that parable in the Gofpell, Matth. 13.45,46. The merchant-man fought after goodly pearles, lut when he had found the pearle of price, then be went and foll all that be bad, and bought it. Now gifts and parts, and other atchievements are these goodly pearles: I but Chrift he is the pearle of price therefore whatever thou haft, be willing to part with it for him if God have discovered to thee the pearle of price, let no goodly pearles fatisfie thee. Many fouls perifh eternally because they are fatisfied with goodly pearles, and doe not endeavour to obtaine this pearle of price.

Againe, the application fhould further have been, to have endeavoured to work this upon you, that in your feeking after God, you would be fure to take Chrift aJong with you.

I will give you onely this note, if it were your last time to pray to God, and your everlafting eftate did depend upon Gods mercy, mercy, fhould you now feek God never so earnestly, yet if it were onely in a naturall way, as your creator, your condition would be very dreadfull,and you would perifh eternally. If God fhould lay any of you upon your fick beds, or death beds, and you should cry to God, mercy, mercy Lord, be fure you take Chrift along with you, and look upon God through Chrift, or elfe all your cryes will be to no purpofe. It is a fpeech of Luther, that God lookt upon out of Chrift,is moft dreadfull and terrible; and it argues a great deal of ignorance in us, when we think we can goe to God, and fhall finde mercy with him, without confidering him as a God that will be reconciled to us only through his Son. To conclude all, as Chrift fayes, If I be lifted up, I will draw all men

unto

unto me: fo this is the work of our Miniftry, we have spent time amongft you that we might labour to lift up Chrift to you: and that God would be pleafed to draw all your fouls to him.

This Sermon was preacht March 28. 1641.

Hebr.

HEBR.II.V.I.

Now Faith is the fubftance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

I

"N the latter end of the former chapter the Apoftle exhorts to perfeverance, and fhewes the great evill and danger of drawing back. Now, to the end this evill might be prevented, he fhewes what it is that will deliver us from it. Whatever others doe, or whatever temptations or afflictions we meet withall to draw us back, yet still the just shall live by faith: Now faith is the fubftance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not feen.

In this Chapter (therefore) he falls upon this argument, to wit, the opening of the doctrine and practice, of faith. And the words read are an excellent defcription of faith (not an exact definition of it) It is the fubftance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not feen. The fubftance, the word in the originall is very full,the ss, it hath many fignifications: the fundamentall, the foundation of things hoped for; the fubfiftence, the fubftantiality of things hoped for: thofe things that in themselves have no reall present fubfiftence to us, but are things to come,and hoped for; yet faith gives them a prereall fubftantiall being to us. The fubftance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The word tranflated evidence, is a Logicall terme, and fignifieth fuch a kinde of conviction as is by way of difpute and cleare demonftration, fo as it must needs compell one to yeild unto it; that is the priety of the word,that although the objects of faith are things pronot feen, either by the eye of fenfe, or by the eye of reafon, yet faith brings fuch a light with it, and makes them fo de

fen

mon

April 25. 1641.