Bishop of our fouls, we muft continue under the protection of cur Paflors, and when the chief Shepheard commeth, we shall receive the crown of life, which he hath purchased, the first epiftle of Peter, the fift chapter, an incorruptible Crown of glory. Jub. 16 16. Paulifper, & non confpicietis me: rurfum paulifper, & videbitis me, quia ego vado ad Patrem. HEY be the words of Chrift, fpoken to his Difciples to comfort them, being in heavineffe, becaufe Chrift was to be taken from them, verle the fixtb; for here is matter of double forrow. For fift, That they should not fee him Secondly, That he was to goc fuch a journey from them. But there is a double comfort anfwerable. The comfort of not feeing him is, after a while ye shall fee me: The comfort against his depar ture is, that he goeth to his Father. The words in effect are as much asif he faid, within a while I shall fuffer death upon the Croffe, and be buried; and within a while after, I fhall arife again, and afcend up to my Father, which is a fpecial matter of comfort and rejoycing, as fohn the fourteenth chapter and the twenty eighth verfe, if ge loved me, ye would rejoyce, because I faid, I goe to my Father: They knew not what he meant by those words, verfe the eighteenth, therefore our Saviour maketh a commentary on them, verse the twentieth, ye shall not fee me, that is, ye fhall weep and lament, but the world hall rejoyce: And again, ye shall fee me, that is, your forrow fhall be turned into laughter and joyes. Again, he makes it more plain with a comparison, verle the twenty first, non videbitis; that hall be to you as the pangs of a woman labouring with childe; and ye fhall fee me, that is like the joy the conceiveth after her deliverance. For the firft point he faith, verfe the fourth, he did not tell them of his departure from the beginning, nor yet a great while before his paffion, but only now; that is fome diminishing of their grief. But in the fecond point there is much more comfort; that is, albeit he must be taken from them, yet they fhall not only fee him again, but very shortly after. The vifion that is for many dayes, maketh us to long and thirst after the accomplishment of it, but Chrift tells them, they fhill fee him again, and that very thortly. The fame courfe he keeps in the reafon; for he faith, quia vado, not to the croffe and paffion, that was not a matter fo pleafing, but ad Patrem, that is it that doth increase their joy. Wherein we are to oblerve Chrifts method of comfort, not to minifter comfort before the time. To fee is a good and comfortable thing, Ecclefiaftes the eleventh chapter, the want of which benefit, made Tolias that he had no joy. joy. And as God giveth fight, fo hath he made many excellent Creatures for us to behold; whereof the Wife-man faith, non fatiatur oculus. And there are not only real, but perfonal objects. Adam opened his eyes and faw the light, but faw nothing, till God made one like himielf. The perfonal object is the more comfortable. But in the perfon many things make it more defirous: As to fee a perfon whom we love, and who loveth us, that is a fight of comfort: So was it a great joy to Facob, to fee Fofeph, Genefis the fourty fixt chapter; fuch is the joy of the Spoule to fee Chrift, Canticles the fixth chapter. Touching Chrifts love, himself faith, John the fifteenth chapter, Majorem hac charitatem habet nemo; he loved us being his enemies. It then the view of a man be comfortable, what' fhall we fay of the fight of God, that must needs be vifio beatifica? In him is fullnesle of joy, Pfalm the fixteenth; The pure in heart shall be blessed, quia videbit Deum, Matthew the fit chaper That was it that made Philip tay, Fohn the fourteenth chapter, oftende nobis Patrem,& fufficit. But he that feeth Chrift, feeth God the Father, as he faith, He that feeth me, feeth the Father. When Mofes defired God to fhew him his glory, Exodus the thirty third chapter though he fhewed but his back parts, yet it was fo glorious a fight, that they that beheld Mofes face, faw the skin fhine, Exodus the thirty fourth chapter, fo that he was faia to cover it. And, as in the fecond epiftle to the Corinthians the third chapter, we are transformed imo his image Chrift in his corruptible nature being transfigured in the prefence of his Difciples, was fo glorious, that they defired they might goe no more home, Matthew the feventeenth chapter: There fore it the fight of Gods prefence be a matter of fo great joy, non videbitis must needs be occafion of great forrow: Which is exemplified in Adam; who having finned, though he were in Paradise, a place of all comfort; yet he had no joy, because he could not fee God, as he was wont: Therefore Cain complaineth, I am caft out of thy prefence, Genefis the fourth chapter: And not only the Reprobate, but David faith, Pfalm the thirty firft and the twenty fecond verfe, Ifaidin my hafte, I am cast out of thy prefence, or fight: which fhewed, that as videbitis must be the perfection of all felicity; fo non videbitis is the fumme of all mifery, especially if it be not qualified with modicum, Pfalm the thirteenth, How long wilt thou forget me, o Lord, for ever? Pfalm the feventy feventh: Will the Lord abfent himSelf for ever? Pfalm the eighty ninth: And that which he faith, Fohn the fourteenth chapter and the nineteenth verfe, The world fball fee me no more; if modicum be not added, there is no forrow like this. Out of this we learn to feek Gods favour, as Pfalm the twenty first, and he faith, Seek my face, to answer, My heart never leaveth thinking on thu. And if we have loft the comfort of it, to complain as David, Pfalm the thirty first, I am caft out of thy prefence: For albeit men in the time of their youth, delight in other fights; yet the dayes will come, when they fhall fay, Shew us the light of thy coun tenance, tenance, Pfalm the fourth; Turnus again, O Lord, fhew us the light of thy countenance, and we shall be whole, Pfalm the eightieth; We shall defire to fee one of Chrifts dayes, Luke the feventeenth chapter and the twenty fecond verle: All flesh fhall fee him at his appearing, even they that pierced him, Apoc. 6. Secondly, We are to inquire, what manner of fight he speaketh of, for as much as men fee not only with bodily eyes, but with the eyes of understanding. They that with their bodily eyes beheld Chritt before his Paffion, and after his Refurrection, did not understand it, Luke the twenty fourth chapter and the eleventh verfe. As there is an outward light, fo an inward light of the minde, into which the doctrine of the Gospel doth fhine, the second epiftle to the Corinthians the fourth chapter, as the light of the Sunne fhinech to our outward fenfe. There are things that cannot be seen of the bodily eyes, which we doe yet behold and look on with the eye of faith, the fecond epiftle to the Corinthians the fourth chapter and Mofes is faid to have loved God invisible, Hebrews the eleventh chapter. So the bad qualities of men, as Herefic, are invifible to the outward eye; but yet we fee it by the light of our understanding. Such a fight is that which he promifeth, John the fourteenth chapter, I will make my felf manifeft to him. He fhewed himself to Fudas as well as to Peter bodily But as it was a special touch, wherewith he now touched the bem of his garment and was healed, Matthew the ninth chapter; fo the view that Peter had of Christ, had another manner of effect then Fudas beholding, Luke the twenty fecond chapter. Buc even this fpiritual fight hath also a deceit, as, in the first ep ftle to the Corinthians, the thirteenth chapter, Now we feethrough a glasse, but then face to face: So there are two words to that purpose, fed is , to fee in a glaffe, but pe is to fee a thing as it is. The Angels doe continually behold Gods face; we have but an enigmaticall fight of him in this life, and it is foon loft; as Chrift being rifen from death, was seen of Mary Magdalen and others, in the habit of a Gardiner To them that travelled to Emaus, at one time they did see him, and at another time they could not see him. Touching which, he that shall confider the defire which the Saints of God have of this benefit, fhall eafily perceive what matter af forrow it was, for Pfalm the ninety fecond, My foul is a thirst for the living God; Pfalm the eighty fourth it faith. For the City of my God, again, How long wilt thou forget me, for ever? but modicum, & videbitis, that gives comfort again. Heavineffe may endure for a night, that is modicum, & non videbitis, but joy commeth in the morning, that is modicum, & videbitis, Pfalme the thirtieth. The delaying of hope is the fainting of the heart, Proverbs the eighteenth chapter, but the defire accomplished is the tree of life. Modicum, & videbitis, is as the tree of life, that quickens the foul, Isaiah the fixty fourth chapter, For a moment in my anger I for fake them, but with great compaßion will I gather them. As he gives the matter of grief in non videbitis, and comfort in videbitis, videbitis, ye shall fee me within a while; fo in the reafon, quia vado, that is the grief, but ad Patrem, that is matter of comfort: He goeth, but woe to him by whom the Sonne of man goeth, Matthew the twenty fixt chapter, that is matter of forrow; but when he faith ad Patrem, that is, not to an enemy that keeps me long from you, but to my Father, the fame that fent me at my birth, and will fend me again, by my Refurre&ion. Secondly, As he went to Pilate a cruel Judge on earth, so to as fevere a Judge in Heaven: But yet when you heare me lay, Why baft thou forfaken me? yet still he is my Father; as if he fhould fay, this is a hard way, but yet I muft goe this way. Thirdly, in, not quia, but quòd vado, that is the contrary, I fhall be carried up in a cloud. Secondly, From the confideration of Chrifts words,verle the fift, I goe my way, and none askesh me whither Igoe, that is to be upderstood, as of the place whither, but to what purpofe for of the place Peter asked, in the thirteenth chapter and the thirty fixt verse, Domine, quo vadis? So here the placing of ad Patrem, is to shew that he went to reconcile God; not only that he be no enemy, but propitious and favourable; not as a friend to a friend, but as a father to his children; to make us the 'children of God his Father, and fo joynt heirs with himself, Romans the eighth chapter; So Chrift faith, Afcendo ad Patrem meum & Patrem veftrum, ad Deum meum & Deum veftrum, John the twentieth chapter and the seventeenth verse:* my death God is made your Father. Therefore as a woman travaileth in forrow, but being delivered, is glad, quia natus eft homo: So by my death there is a new nativity, and you are to be glad, that by me you are made the children of God, that is, by my going away to the Father. By For the Ufe, as Chrift faith of himself, non videbitis, and again, modicum, & videbitis, that is, verse the twentieth, Tefball weep and lament, and the world fhall rejoyce. We are to reckon of the things and perfons of this lite, that is truly faid of the modicum, & videbitis: and again modicum, & non videbitis; their continuance is uncertain. We have had much peace by the space of fourty one years, during which time we faw her which now we fee not it was a great time indeed, but it was but modicum; for a thousand years in Gods fight is but as yesterday, Pfalm the nintieth. As all worldly things are seen for a little time, and fhortly after are not to be feen. So for vado, all things in the world are paffing,they vade & paffe away,as in the first epiftle of John and the fecond chapter, The world paffeih away. The ufe which we have is, the inverting of non videbitis me, & videbitis. The world faith, ye shall fee me for a while, and within a while ye fhall not fee me; that is the state of the world, as in Proverbs the fourteenth chapter, Externa gaudia luctus occipit: But in Chrift the not feeing goeth before, and the feeing goeth after, that is, Pfalm the thirtieth, Heavineffe goeth before, and endures for a night, but joy commeth after in the morning. But the world fetteth on the best wine fift, and the worst after; but Chrift keepeth the best wine till laft. He that Nana 2 will Pfal. 106: 29.30. will follow the world, fhill fee fome happineffe here, and notice Adeo provocantes Deum ad indignationem factis fuis, ut irrumperet eos plaga; donec confiftente Pinchafo & judicium exercente, coercita effet plaga illa. HERE is in these two verfes mention of the plague. And as it is here faid, the plague was great among them, fo great, as there dyed of it four and twenty thousand, Numbers the twenty fift chapter. And now God hath laid the fame axe to the root of our trees, and the fame rafor to cur off some of our number, Ifaiah the feventh chapter and the twenty eighth verfe: Therefore our ftate being like theirs, while they wandered in the wilderneffe, Every thing in the Scriptures bewritten for our instruction, Romans the fifteenth chapter. We mult take direction from this principle, what to doe in this cafe. That |
