Page images
PDF
EPUB

of a future and better Life were given; if the fame Love, the fame defire of earthly Satisfactions continue, fuch a Perfon can no more be faid to have died to the World, than a Body to be naturally dead, which yet continueth to eat, and drink, and walk, and perform all the ordinary Actions of Life. After thofe things do the Gentiles feek, who are without God in the world, who have hope only in this Life; who expect no Satisfacti on, but what they reap here below, From thefe a Chriftian feparates himself by his Baptifm; profeffeth himself a Member of a diferent Society, which proceeds upon con trary Principles, and foundeth his Interefts in another Life. He abandons his Pretenfions to the unlimited Pleasures of this Life, crucifies his Affections, and dieth to the World, that he may rife with Chrift; rife with him here to a new Life, that he may rife with him to Glory hereafter.

In Confirmation of this bleffed Hope, he often confiders of his Lord's Refurrection ; he celebrates the Mercy and Faithfulness of God in comforting his afflicted Church as upon this Day, by reftoring to her the Prefence of her Beloved Saviour: He thence conceiveth allured Hopes that himself shall i like manner be railed up at the last Day, And now that the bodily Prefence of his Lord is after his Afcenfion taken from him, he ftrengthens his Faith, and confirms his Hope by the frequent Participation of the Holy

Holy Eucharift, inftituted in remembrance of him: He efteemeth these facred Symbols received and eaten by him as an infallible Pledge of his own Refurrection; agreeably to the Belief of the ancient Chriftians, who accounted the Body and Blood of Christ delivered to the Faithful, to be a most certain earnest of their future Refurrection; as being perfwaded, that as God permitted not the Natural Body of Chrift to fee Corruption; fo neither will he fuffer his Symbolical Body to be imprisoned in the Grave for ever. By the Reception of these facred Elements we are incorporated with Chrift, and become Members of his Myftical Body, and thereby obtain the highest affurance that we can defire, that as he raised up his own Body on the Third Day, fo he will raife up us, who are thereby Members of his Body, in his due time. Only let us by dying to the World and living to him, by renouncing the inordinate Affections of the Flefh, feeking those things which are above, fo fit our felves for the Reception of his Representative Body in the Holy Sacrament, that we be not unworthy after Death to be received unto the Society of his Natural, and now glorious Body in Heaven, Where he fitteth on the right hand of God. To him with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be afcribed all Honour, Power, and Glory, henceforth and for evermore.

SERMON

346

SERMON

XIV.

Preach'd May 4, 1689, at Lambeth Chapel.

John XIV. 1.

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe allo in

me.

UR Lord and Saviour, being now ready to leave the World and return to his Father, endeavoured by many Preparatory Difcourfes to confirm the Minds, and difpel the Anxiety of his Disciples, who began to defpond at the News of his approaching Departure. This to them, not yet fully understanding the design of Chrift's Coming, feemed a total Dereliction of them, and abandoning them to the World. They had forfaken all the prefent Conveniences of Life, when they entred into the number of his Difciples; and had all along fhared in the Miseries and Hardships, that their Mafter was content to endure on

Earth,

Earth, in hopes of partaking at laft in the Glories of that temporal Kingdom, which they fondly imagined he would found on Earth.

With these Hopes they fupported themfelves under all their Calamities; and bufied themselves in propofing imaginary Methods of enjoying what they fo long and fo earneftly expected. We find them disputing who fhould be the greatest Officer, or the principal Favourite in this Kingdom; who fhould fit on his right hand and on his left. And now that after their Lord had entred into Jerufalem in a triumphal manner, their Hopes were enhanced, and Expectations grew higher, as believing the Completion of them to be at hand, and that this glorious Kingdom of the Meffias would immediately commence: When on a fudden all their Hopes were dafhed, and their imaginary Happiness overthrown, by a free and open Declaration of their Lord concerning his Sufferings and ignominous Death, which now drew near, and were immediately to be accomplished. In what Confufion and Anxiety must we then conceive them to have been, when not only their Hopes, and therein, in their own Opinion, the Fruits and Reward of fo many Labours, fo much Hardhip undertaken and endured in profpect of their Preferment in a temporal Kingdom to be founded by their Mafter, were in an intant overthrown and cancelled: When not

only

only themselves were to be difperfed, as beep having no Shepheard, expofed to the Derifion, Infults and Perfecution of the Jews, who, as our Lord foretold, fhould even force them to deny their Mafter, and thereby renounce all Title to any fhare in the Glories of his Kingdom: When they were to be left alone without any Head to direct, comfort, and protect them: When not only all thefe Calamities were to come upon themselves; but alfo their deareft Lord and Mafter was to be delivered up to the Rage of wicked Men, to be treated with the utmoft Indignities, and at laft Crucified as a Malefactor? What Diftraction must they then have fuffered, when fo many contrary Paffions, Love of their Mafter, and fear of their own Mifery, Deprivation of paft Hopes, and Defpair of future Happiness, wrought together in their Minds? They retained ftill indeed fome faint Hopes of the Refurrection of their Lord, after three Days Imprisonment in the Grave, who fhould. then enter upon his Kingdom and fatisfie all their Expectations; but alas even these remaining Hopes are diffipated by our Saviour's acquainting them in this Chapter, that immediately after his Refurrection he was to leave the World, and go unto the Father.

In this difconfolate Condition of the Church, our Lord feeks to chear up the Spirits and remove the Defpair of his Followers;

by

« PreviousContinue »