SERMON XX.
HEe. xi. 5. Women received thelr dead ralseà to lire again; d others s¢ere torture(l» hot accepting a dellverance, that they might obtain a better resma'ection. MEROe is God's right hand, with that God gives a]l; faith man right hand, with that man takes ail. David, Psal. cxxxvi. opeus, and enlarges this right hand of God, in pouring out his blessings, plentifully, abundantly, manifoldly there. And in this chapter, the apostle opens, and enlarges this right hand of man, by laying hold upon thoso mercies of God, plentithlly, abundantly, manifoldly, by faith here. There, David poufs down the mercies of God, in repeating, and re-repeating that phrase,.For his qnercy endureth for erer; and here, St. Paul earries up man to hea'en, hy repeating, and ïe-repeating the bIessings which man bath attaiued by faith; By faith Abri mcrificed, by faith Enoth wolked with God, by faith Nooh built an ark, S-c. And as in that Psahn, God's,mercies are expressed two ways, first in fim good that God did for his servants, tic remembered their low estote, for hls mert!! endureth for erer': and then agaiu, He redeemed them from their enemles, for Ms merc endurtth for eer': and then also, in the evil, that he brought upon their enemies, lle slew famous kings, for his qnercy eiMureth ]br erer: and thell, IIe fraye their land for az ht'ritoge, for Ms merc!/ enduretk for ever. So in this ehapter, the apostle declares the benefits of faith two ways also: first, how faith entiches us, and aeeomnmdates us in the ways of prosperity, Byfoith Abrohom ent go a place wldch he recelved for an itcritance foith S'oroh received strength fo conceb:e seed": and then how faith sustains, and establishes us in the ways of adversity, Byfoit they stoTTed the mouths of lions, by foith tey ueced the ¢iolence of tire, by faith they escaped the edge of the sword', in the verso Ver. 23, = Ver. 24. a Ver. 8. Ver. ll. oc2 immediately befori the text. And in this verse, which is out text, the apostle bath col]ected both; the benefits which they received by faith, l'omen receied teir dead raised to lire ayain, and then, the holy courage whieh was infused by faith, in their persecutions, Otlers were tortured, hot acceptinff delierance, t]at tlwy miy]tt recelée a better resurrection. And because both these bave relation, evidently, pregnantly to the resurrection, (for their benefit was, that the u'omen received tl, eir dead by a resurrection, and their courage in their persecution was, Ttat tey slould recei:e a better resurrection) tllerefore the whole meditation is proper to this day, in which we celebrate ail resurrections in the riot, in the resurrection of thc flrst fruits of tle dead, our Lord and,S'aiour C]wit Jesus. Our parts are two: how plentifully God gives to the faithf'ul, l'omen recei:e t]eir dead raisrd to lire ayain, and how patiently the faithftd surfer God's corrections, Otters icere tortured accejtiy, &c. Though they be both large considerations, (benefits by faith, patience in the faithful) yet we shall contain ouroelves in those particulars which are expressed, or necessarily implied in the text itself. And so in the flrst place ve shall sec first, the extraordinary consolation in God's extraordinary mercies, in his miraculous deliverauces, such as this, llromen received ttelr dead raied to il.le EEain, and secondly we shall sec the examples, to which the postle refer here, what women had had their dead restored fo lire again and then, latly, in that part, that this atection of joy, in having their dead restored to lire again, being put in the weaker sex, in women on]y, we may argue conveniently from thence, that the strength of a truc and just joy lies not in that, but that out virility, out holy manhood, out religious strength consists in a faitlfful assurance, that we have already blessed communion with these saints of God, though they be dead, and we alive; and that we shall bave hereafter a glorious association with them in the resurrection, though we never receive out dead raised to lif'e again in this world. And in thisi threi cinsiderations, we shall determine that first part. And then, in the other, the patience of the faithful, Otlers zeere tortured, &c., we shall first look into the examples which the apostle retors to; who they were that were thus tortured: and secondly, the height and exa|tation of their patience, They 'ould o a Jdc«rance: and lastly, the ground upon which their anchor was cast, what established their patience, Tlta they tdyh a better resurrection. Frst then, for that blessedness, which we need hot be afraid, nor abstain from ealling the recompense, the reward, the retribution of the faithful, (fbr as we consider death to grow out of disobediencÇ, and lire out of obedienee to the law; as properly as death is t]li wages of sin, lire is the wages of righteousness) if I be asked, what it is wherein this reeompense, this reward, this retribution eonsists, if I must be put to my special plea, I must say it is, in that of the postle, Omnlacooperantur in bom«m, that nothing can befall the faithfl, that does not conduce fo his good, and advance his happiness: for he shall hot on]y fintl St. Paul's Mori lucrum, That he shall be the better for dyin, if he must die; but he shall tïnd St. Augustine's Utile cadere, He shall be the better for sinning, if he bave sinned; so the better, as that by a repentanee after that sin, he 8hall flnd himself established in a nearer, and saler distance with God, than he was in that seeurity, which he had belote that sin. But the title, and the plea of the faithful to this reeompense, extends farther than so it is hot only, that nothing, how evil soever in tlie nature thereof, shall be evil to them; but that all that is good, is theirs; properly theirs, theirs peculiarly. There is zo cant to them that fear the Lord, says David; the youn lions do lack, and surfer huçqer, but theff that eek tke Lord, shall hot want any yood The infidel bath no pretenee upon the next world, none at ail; no nor elear a title fo anything in this world, but that we dispute in the sehool, whether infidels bave any true dominion, any tme propriety in anything whieh they posess here; and whether there be hot an inherent right in the Christians, to plant Christianity in any part of the dominions of the infidel, and eonsequently, to despoil them even of their possession, if they oppooe sueh plantations, so established, and sueh propagations of tho Christian religion. For thouh we may hot begin at the dispossessing, and displanting of the native and natural inhabitant, (for so we proeeed but as men against men, and upon such equal PsaL xxxiv. 9.
terres, we bave no right te take any men's possessions frein them) yet, when pursuing that right,,vhich resides in the Christian, we have estahlished sueh a plantation, if they supplant that,,ve may supplant them, say our sehools, and out easuists for, in that case, we proeeed net as men against men; net by God's eommon law, whieh is equal te ail men; that is, the law of nature; but we proeeed by his higher law, by his prerogative, as Christians a,gainst infidels, and then, it is God that proeeeds against them, by men, and net those men, of themselves, te serve their own ambitions, or their other secular ends. A Il tldnys are yours, says thc apostle; by what right? Yot are Clrisfs, says he, And ('rist ¢s God's; thus is a title conveycd te us, all things are God's, God hath put all tlfings under Christ's feet and he under ours, as we are Christians. And then, as the general profession of Christ, entitles us te a general title of the world, (for the world belongs te the faithful; and Christians, as Christians, and no more, are Fiddes, Faithful in respect of infidels) se those Christians that corne te that more particular, more active, more operati'o faith, whieh the apostle speaks of in all this chapter, corne also te a more partieular reward, and recompense, and retribution at God's hands; God does net only give them the natural blessings of this world, te which they have an inherent right, as they are general Christians, but as they are thus faithful Christians, he gives them supernatural hlessings, he enlarges himself even te miracles, in their behalf; which is second consideration » first God opens himself in nature, and temporal blessings, te the general Christian, but te the faithful, in grace, exalted even te the height of miracle. In this, we consider first, that there 'is nothing dearer te God than a miracle. There is nothing that God hath established in constant course of nature, and which therefore is donc every day, but would seem miracle, and exercise out admiration, if it wero donc but once nay, the ordinary things in nature, would be greater nfiracles, than the extraordinary, which we admire most, if they were donc but once; the standing still of the sun, for Joshua's use,,vas net, in itself, se wonderful thing, as that se vast and immense a body as the sun, should run se many miles in a minute; the motion of the sun were standing still, if ail were te bovin ain; and only the daily doin tkes off the admiration. Bt ten God haçin, it were, concld himself in course of nture, nd ritten do m thc boek of cretres, ths and ths though ho glorify himsel sometimes, in doing miracle, yet tere is in every iroele, a silent ciding of the wor]d, tacit rehension of them, who reuire, or who need miracles. Therefore hth od reseed te ise the power oç nfiraclcs, a premgative; for the devil does no miracles the devil and his instruments, de bnt hasten nature, or hinder nattée, antedate natu, or postdate nature, bring things oner te pass, or retard them; and however they prend te oppose nature, yet still it is but upon nture, and but by natural mens, tht they work; only G shakes the whole ri'ame of nature in pieces, and miracle, proeoeds se, as if there were no creation yet accomplished, no course of nature yet established. Facit mirabili« mayna olus, says David ; there are mirabilia parra, seine lcsscr wondem, that the devil and his instruments, Pharaoh's sorcerers, eau de; but whon it cornes te mirabili«,nana, great wonders, grea, tha they amount te the nature of a miracle, Facit,olu, GM, and Goal only does them. And amongst theoe, and amongst the greatest of these, is the raising of the dead, and eroforo we make it a particular consideration, the extrrdiuary joy in tha case, when lVomen recei«ed tkeir dead raioed te aya&. We know the dishonour, and the infamy that lay upon barrenn, among the Jews how w: ces deplored, and lamented that. When God i pleed to takç zwny tlmt impediment of barrenn, and to give chilien, we know the misery, and desdation of orbity, when parents ara deprived of thoso chil&'en, by death; and by the meaure of that sorrow, which foows barrenness, or orbity, we may proportion tht joy, which aeeompanies miraeous bleing when Women receir« tlwir dead raised to le affain. In ail the seeular, and proane writers in tlle world, in the whole body of tory, you shall hot find ueh an expressing of tho nery of famine, as that of the Holy Ghose in the Plm cxxxx5. 4.
Lamentations; That u'oraên eat1alma'es jlios; we translate it, Their cildren of a slan lon.q; that is, that they procured abortions and untirne]y births of tbose cbi]dren, wbicb were in tbeir bodies, tbat tbey might bave so rnucb flesb to eat. As tbat is proposed for tbe greatest rnisery, tbat ever was, wornen to destroy tbeir cbildren so, sois this for tbe higbest accumulation of joy to bave dead chi]dren brought to life again When we hear St. Augustine in his confessions, larnent so passionately the death of his son, and insist so affectionately, upon the pregnaucy, and forwardness of that son; though that son if he had li-ed, must bave lived a continual evidenee, and monument of his sin, (for, for ail his son, St. Augqastine was no rnarried man) yet what may we think, St. Augustine would bave given, thoug.h it had been to bave been eut out of his own lire, to bave had that son restored to life again.z Measure it but by the joy, which we bave, in recovering sick child, front the banals, and jws, and gares of death; measure it but by that delight which we bave, when we sec out garden recovered frorn the death of winter. Men's curiosities bave carried them to unlaxvful desires of eommunication with the dead; as in Saul's case towards Samuel. But if with a good conscience, and without that horror, whieh is likely to accompany such a communication with the dead, a man rnight bave the conversation of a friend, that had been dead, and had seen the otber world; as Dives thought no preacher so powerfid to work upon his bretbren, as one sent frorn the dead, so certainly ail the travellers in the world, if we could hear them ail, ail the libraries in the world, if we could read them ai1, could hot tell us so rnuch, as that friend, returned from the dead, which had seen tbe other world. But,vaiving that consideration, because as we know not what kind of remembrance of this,vorld God leaves us in the next, -hen he translates us thither, so neither do we know what kind of remernbrance of that world God would leave in that man, xvhorn he should re-translate into this, we fLX only upon the exarnples intended in out text, 'ho these jo)qul women x'ere, that received their dead raised fo life again, which is out second branih of this firit pa]; for with those three consideratons, Lainent. il. 20.
which constituted out first branch, we bave done, that God gives us this world, as we are general Christians; and, as we are faithful Christians, miracles; and, the eatest of miracles, the raising of the dead. In the second branch, we have two considerations; flrst, what kind of women these v¢ere, and then, who they were; flrst, their qualities, and then, their persons. We bave occasion to stop upon the first, because Aquinas in his exposition of this text, relis us, there are some expositors, who take this word, in this place, to be intended, hot of noters, but of wires; and then, because the apostle says here, that lfonen received teir dead, that is, say they, Wives received their dead husbands, raised to lire again, and received them, as husbands, that is, cohabited with them as husbands, therefore they conclude, says Aquinas, that death itse|f does hot dissolve the hand of marriage; and consequently, that al1 other marriages, ail superinductions, even after death, are unlawful. Let me say but one word, of the word, and a word or two of the matter itself, and I shall pass to the other consideration, the women whom the apostle proposes for his examples. The word, women, taken alone, signifies the whole sex, women in general; when it is contracted to a particular signification, in any author, it follows the circumstances, and the coherence of that place, in that author; and by those a man shall easily discern, of what kind of women that word is intended in that place. In this place, the apostle works upon his brethren, the Hebrews, by such examples, as were within their own knowledge, and their own stories, throughout ail this chapter. And in those stories of theirs, we have no example, of any wife, that had ber dead husband restored to her; but of mothers that had their children raised to life, we have. So that this word, women must signify here, wters, and hOt vives, as Aquinas's expositors misimagined. And for the matter itself, that is, second or oftener-iterated marriages, the disapproving of them, entered very soon into some heretics, in the primitive church. For the eighth canon of that great Council of Nice. (which is one of the indubitable canons) forbids, by naine, cat]«ros, the Puritans of those rimes, fo be
9 PREACHED ON EASTER DAYo [SEIo XXo receved by the church, except they would be content to receive the soerameut with crsons that ha beeu twice marricd; which belote they would hot do. ]t entered n into some heretic% and it entend soon and went far, in me holy an verent men aud me asoemblies, tht had, and had justly, the naine, and fo of councils. For in the council of NeCoesarea, wch was belote the Nicene Council, in thc sevcnth canon, there are mcwhat shwd aspeions laid upon sond marriages. And ceainly, the oman church cannot be denied, to corne toe this disapproving of second marriaes. For thouh they 11 hot speak plain, (tey love hot tat bause they get more by ing tings in suenoe) yet plainly thcy forbid te benediction at seoend marriages. Valea çuantum alere potês; Let them do as well they tan, with their second marriage, Let them marry de bene esse, at all adventures; but fley will aflbrd no hleing to a ond, as to a first marriage. And though they wi hot shut the church doers against all such, yet they wi shut up all church functions against ail such. No such person as bath marri twice, or married once one that bath married twice, can be rcceived to the dignity of orders, in their church. And though some of the fathers pared somewhat too near the quick in this point, yet it was hOt as in the Roman chch, to ]ay snares, and read nets for gain, and profit, and to forbid only therefore, that they might bave market for their dispensations; neither was if to x, and appropriate sanctity, only in ecclesiastical petons, who only must hOt marry twice, but out of tender senoe, and earnest love to continency, and out of holy indi tion, that men tumhled and wallowed so licentiously, so promiscuously, so indiflrently, so inconsiderately in all ways of incontinency, those blessed fathers admitted in themselves surzealou an over-vehement animosity in this point. But yet St. Jerome himseff «, though he remember with ho]y scorn, that when he was at Rome in the assistance of Pope Damas (as his word is, cure jurarem) he saw a man that had bied twenty wives, marry a wife, that buried twenty-two hbands, yet for the matter, and in seriousne, he ys plainly enough, Non mno biflamos, i»w n triyas, nec si dici pot toyas o Ep. Agecam. Apolog. ad Pammach.
SER. XX.J PREACHED ON EASTER DAY. 95 I condemn no man for marrying two, or three, or if he bave t mind toit, eight dves. And so also in his former epistle, Abri- ¢imns de Eeclesla Diganos. absit; God forbid we should deny any ehureh asistanee to any, for twiee marrying; but yet, says that blessed father, J31ono[/amos ad ¢ontlnentiam lorovocamus; Let me have leave to persuade them who have been married, and are at liberty, fo eontineney, now at last. Those fathers departed not from the apostles IVnbat in Domino, Let them marry in the Lord; but they would fain bring the Lord fo the making of every marriage, and not only the world, and worldly respeets. For the Lord himself, who honoured marriage, even with the first fruits of his miracles, yet persuades eontineney, He that is able to re¢eive t, let him recêlve if TM. The fault whieh thoso fathers did, and -,ve nmy reprehend, is, that men do hot try whether they be able to reeeive it or no; in ail treaties of marriage, in ail eontraets for portion, and jointure, who ever ask their ehildren, who ever ask themseh'es, whether they ean lire eontinently or no. Or what trial, what experiment ean have been made of this, in eradle-marriages . hlarriago was given for u rcmedy; but not before any appearanee of a danger. And given for physie, but not before any appearanee of a disease. And do any parents lay up a medicine against the falling siekness, for their new-born children, beeause those ehildren may have the falling sickness. The peaee of neighbouring states, the uniting of great fanfilies for good ends, may present jtst occasions of departing from severe rules. I only intend, as I take most of those fathers to bave donc, to leave ail persons to their Christian liberty, as the Lord hath donc; and yet, as the Lord baril donc too, to persuade them to consider themselves, and those who are theirs, how far they need the use of that libcrty, and not to exceed that. And thus much Aquinas's expositors, who would needs understand the women in this text tobe wives, have occasioned us to say in this point. In out order proposed, ve pass now to the other consideration, who these women were whon the apostle makes his examples, for they are but two, and may soon be considered. bIatt, xix.! 2.
The first is the widow of Zareptha, in whose house Elias the prophet sojourned. She was widow, and a oor widow, and igt need the labour, or tho providence of husband in that resçect: yet she socits hot, nor Elias endeavours hot te raising oç ber dead husband to liçe aain. A widow, tht is, cow eed ', (as the aostle seks) ay hve in that state of such dowhoed, ore assistances towards the next world, than she should hve çor tis, by king another husband. For, for that widow, Quw tumulo mariti, eepeliit voltq»tates Vho bath buried all ber affections towards this world, in ber husband's grave, the apostle in that place, oains honour, Honour widows, that are «idou' ind«d. And when he says honour, and speaks of poer widows, he speaks hot of such honour as sueh poor souls are incohle of, but of that honour, which that word signifies ordinarily in e Scriptures, Qtti on tam in ealutationibus, çuam i» eleemoynis, sys St. Chr)ostom, which rather consists in Mms, and relie£ tn in salutations, and reverences, or sueh respoets. For so ( St. Jerome notes in partictdar) when we are commanded to honour our parents, it is intended we should relieve and maintain out parents, if they be decayed. Aud such honour the apoetle persuades to be given, and such honour God will provide, that is, peace in the possession oftheir es, if they hnve any este; and reliet from others, if they bave none, for widows, that are -widows indeed. In which qualification of theirs, that they be widos ideed, we may weH take in thnt addition which the apostle makes, That ke kave bee the ife of one a . For flough we make hot that an only, or an essential eharacter of «idow indeed, to have had but one husband, yet we note, as Calvin doth, that the ehureh received widows, in yea, therefore, çuia timendum erat, e ad tas ttias apirarent, Because the chureh feared that they wod marry ain. And certainly, if the chureh fenred they would, the church had rather ey would hot. It is (as Caln adds there) Pçq ctinentioE, et pMoris (though Calvin were no man to be suspected, to countenance the pe'erseness of the Roman chuoeh, in defaming, or unde-ahfing marriage, yet he s! 17. ! T. v. 3. Jerome. « Ver. 9.
says so) it is good pawn, and evidenee of continency, to bave rested in one husband. The widow of Zareptha thon, importunes hOt the i)roi)het to restore ber del husband; she bears ber widow's estate well enough but for ber dead son she doth importune him; in the agony and vehemenee of a passion, she says, af ber first eneounter with the prophet, Quid miM, et tibi? IVtat kave I to do witl tlee? She doth almost renounce the means; in irregular passion, disconsolate soul cornes to say, what bave I to do with prayers, with sermons, with sacraments, I see that God bath forsaken inc: but yet she collects herself; lVhat bave I to do wit] $hee, 0 thon nau of God? When she confesses him to be tho man of God, she doth hot renounce him; when we consider the means, to be means ordained by God, we find comfort in them. Yet she cannot contain the bitterness of ber passion; Art thou corne tnto me, to call my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son? She implies thus mueh; shall my soul noyer ho af peace. Shll no repentaneo from my heart, no absolution from thy mouth, make me sure that God bath forgiven and forgotten my sins . But when I bave received all seals of reconciliation, will God still punlsh those sins which ho pretends to bave forgiven, and punish them with so high a hand, as the taking away of my only child. And we may sec an exaltation of this woman's passion, not only in the loss, but in the recovery of ber chld too. For whcn she had received ber child alive, she cornes to that passionate acclamation, Now by this I kww tha tho arc a nan of God, and tha the word of the Lord in tky wutk, is truth »; as though, ifthis had hot been done, she would hot bave believed that. How then says our apostle in this text, that this woman reeeived her dead son by tkith, when she deelares this inordinateness, this diseomposedness, and fluctuation of passion. This question ruade St. Chrysostom refer this faith that the apostle speaks of, to the prophet that raised the child, and not] to the mother; for she seems to him to bave had none. And so the Syria translates this place, teddiderunt, hot Acceperunt; By faitk, They, that is, the prophets, restored the dead, hot Byfait, Tkey, that is, the mothers, received their dead. Ver. 18. Ver. 14.
98 »vaAcF on ErER nAY. [s. But God forbid that natal affections, even in an exaltion, and vehement eressing therç shold be thoght to destroy faith; forid tt I shod conclude an extermination faith, Mooeç Dal« « Pardon ts peoçle, or blot my naine out of thy book; or in St. Pas atma o arib», That he desed e parad tm Cist, rather than h breten shod or in Job, or in Jeremy, or Jona, 'hen they exstulate, and chide with God hse, out of weariness oftheir lines; or in the Lord of Lire himse, Christ Jesus, when he came to an Ut quld &religuiti? To an apprehension that God had for- ken him n the crs. God that could restore ber oeld child, cod koep his chHd, ber faith, alive in those hot embers of pa sion. So God did but ho d it thus; the child was taken from thc motheçs wa and ft bosom, and carried to the pmphet's hard and cold bed. Beloved, we o o delicacies, and reve hot, but in afflictions; abdance the blow of dth moets us, and the breath of fe, in nfise, and tribation. G pu himse to the cost of one of s greatest miracles, for ber faith he ras ber child lire; and then, he makes up o work; he continues th that chHd, and makes him a good man; there are men, whom even miracles -iH hOt impve; but this child {we hot pure it, but aoeept it from St. Jerome, who relates it ») a prophet. It was that ve Jobs, whom God employed to ineveh; in which service, he gave some signs whoee son ho w, and how mueh of his mothefs passion he inherited in his vehement expostulations with d. Be this then out doctrinal hstruetion for this st example, the OEdow OEZareta; st, that God this nothing too dear for s hitd ehen; hot his eat trease, hot s miracles; and then Goal prese'es this faith of theirs, in eontemplation of which oy, ho bestows this trere, this miroele, h the dst of the storms of natural affections, and the tempest of distempered pfio; and then laly, that he proeeeds, and goes on in his o goodness; here ho nak a earcase a man, and then that man a prophet; eve day he makes a dead ul, a ul again, and then that so,'a The other examFh in this point, is that Shunamite, whose dead » Poem. h Ion.
SEB. XXo] PREACHED ON ^sTE n,¥. 399 n Elijh restored to lire. In the benning of that chanter, you hear of another widow; A certai oman, ortie ives o]" te son e rheta, cried unto Elah, Tky emant my husband i deM«; and tly widow of on of th uons of tb prophets, a ehehman' wiOow, wa liko enough, to b poer nough; yct, the prophct doth hot turn upon that way, cither to rcstore her dead husband, or provide ber another httsband; but oy inquires how she was left; and finding ber in poer estate, and in debt, provides ber means to pay her debts, and to bring up her chilien, and to tht purpose, proeures a micle tom God, in the abdant increase of her oil; but ho troubles hot God for her old, or for new husband. But our example, to which the aptle in our text retors himself, is hot this widow in the beginning, but that mothe in the body of the chapter, vho having, by Elijah's prayers, obtained a n of God, afer she was pt hope, d that son being dead in hcr lap, in ber also, (as in the foer example) we nmy consider, how passion and çMth may consist together: she ks ber husband le,ve, T« se miyt run to the roheffi; ber zeal, ber pssionate zel hastened ber, she would n, but not without lier husband's leave. As St. Jerome forbids lady, to suflèr ber daughter to go to what churches she would, so may there be indiscretion at least, surfer wives to go to wlmt meetings (though holy convocations) they wiH; she does not harbour in ber bouse, a ]mrson dangerous to the public stte, or to her husband's private state, nor a pen likely to liclt ber chastity, though in prophct's naine we may d women, that may have occasion of going to coession, for something that their coers may haro done to them. In this womm's case, there was no disguise; she would fain go, and r; but not without her husband's knowledge, and Mownce. Her husband ks her, IVy e eould yo to te oæet, ten, eify eiter gabat, or mw n He acknowledges, that God is likelier to confer blessings upon Sabbths, and new moons, upon some days, rather than other: that aH days are not ae with God, then, when he, by his ordinance, bath put a dèrence between them. And he acknowledges toe, tlmt though the Sabbath be the principal of those days which God bath seposed tbr #o 2 Heg. 4. Ver. 2. « V. 23.
his especial working, yet there are new moons too; there are other holydays, for holy con'ocations, and for his divine and public worship, besides the Sabbath. But tllis was neither Sabbath, nor new moon, neither Sunday, uor holyday; why wou]d she go upou that day. Belored, though for public meetings, iu public places, the Sabbaths, and ho]ydays be the proper days, yet for conference, and counsd, and other assiances from the prophets, and ministers of God, ail times are seasonab]e, ail days are She goes to the prophet; she presses with so much passion, and so much faith too, and so good sccess, (tbr she Lad ber dead son restored unto ber)that as from the other, so frora this ample arises this, That in a heart abso]utely surrendered to God, vehement exTostu]ation with God, and yet fu]l submission to God, and a quiet acquiescence in God a ,orm of affections in nature, aud yet a sett]ed ca|m, and a fast aehomge in grace, a suspicion, and a jealousy, and yet an surance, and a confidence in God, may we]l consist together: in the same instant that Christ said, Si ossible, he id, Veruntamen too; though he desired that that cup might pass, yet he desired not, that his desire shou]d be s,tisfie& In the same instant that the mart)Ts under the altar say, Usque qud Domine, How long Lord betbre thou exeeute judgment. they sec, that he does execute judgTnent every da)', in their behalf. Ail jealousy iu God, does hot destroy out assurance in him; nor ail dittidence, out confidence; nor ail f.ear, our faith. Theso women had these natural weaknesses, that is, this strength of affections, and passions, and yet by this faith, these women ceired tkeir dead, raised to life ayain. But yet, (whieh is a last eonsideration, and our conclusion of this part) this being thus put only in women, in the weaker sex, that they desired, that they rejoieed in this resuscitation of tho dead, may well intimate thus much unto us, that out virility, out holy manhood, out truc and religious strength, eonsists in tho assurance, that though death hare divided us, and though vo never reeeive out dead raised to lire again in this world, yet vo do lire together already, in a holy communion of saints, and shall lire together for ever, hereafter, in a glorious resurreetion of bodies. Little know we, how litfle a vay. sou] hath to go to heaven, 'hen it departs from the body; whether it must pass locally, through moon, and sun, and lïrmment, (and if a|| that must he done, ail tht mzy he done, in ]ess time thtll ] hve proposed the doubt in) or vhether that soul find new |ight in the saine room, and be hot crried into any other, but tht the glo T of heaven be diffused over ail, I know hot, I disuute hot, I inquire hot. Without disputing, or inuiriu, I know, that when Christ sys, Tlt God is lOt te God of te dead, he says that to sure me, tht those whom I cMl de,d, are live. And when the apostle tells me, T]at God s hot asam to be called t£e God of te de , he tells me that to assure me, That God's servants lose nothing by dying. He w but hethen ' tht id, If God love nmn, Jureds tollltur, He kes him young out of this world; and they were but hetlmns , tht oboerved flt custom, To put on mourning when their sons were born, and feast and triumph when they . But thus much we nmy learn from these hethens, Tiret if the de,d, nd we, be hot upon one floer, nor under one story, yet we re under one roef. We think hot friend lost, beoeuse he is gone into another room, nor becauoe he is gone into noEher ld; and into nofler world, no n is gone; for that heaven, which God creted, nd this world, is M1 one world. If I had Kxed son in court, or nmrried daughter into a plentithl fortune, I were stisfied for tht son nd that dughter. Shll I hot be so, vhen the King of Heven bath taken tht son to himsdf, and mrried himself to that daughter, for ever I spend none of my fith, I exercise none of my hope, in this, that I shall bave my dead raioed to lire agin. This is the faith tht sustins me, when I lose by the deth of othem, or vhen I suflèr by living in misery myoelf, That the deS, nd we, re now M1 in one church, and t the resurrection, shMl be aH in one choir. But tht is the resurrection which longs to out other prt that resul'rection which we bave ndled, though it were resurrection froln deth, yet it was to death too; for those tht were rised gain, died again. But the insurrection which we re to speak of, is for ever; they tt fise then, shM1 see deth no more, for it is (says out text) A better resurrection. Heb. . 16. Iender. e Thrns. VOL, I. 2 D
402 " PREACHED ON FASTER DAi ". [8R. XX, That which we did in the other part in the last branch thereof, in this part we shall do in the first; first we shall consider the examples, from which the apostle deduceth this encouragement, and faithful constancy, upon those Hebrews, to whom he directs thls epistle. Though, as he says in the beginning of the next chapter, he vere compassed about witl, a ¢oud of witresse#, and so might bave proposed examples from the authentic Scriptures, and the histories of the Bible, yet we accept that direction, which out translators have given us, in the marginal concordance of their translation, that tho apostle, il this text, intends, and so refers to that story, which is 2 lIaccabees vil. 7. To that story also doth Aquinas refer this place; but Aquinas may bave had a mind to do that service to the Roman Church, to make the apostle cite an apocryphal story, though the apostle meant it not. It may be so in Aquinas; he might bave such a 1nind, such a meaning. Dut surely Deza had no such meaning, Calvin had no such mind; and yet both Calvin, and Beza refer this text to that story. Though it be said, says Clvin, that Jeremy was stoned to death, and Esay sawed to death, No, dubito, luin illas persecutioes desiynet, qttw st«b Antioco, I doubt hot, says he, but that the apostle intends those persecutions, which the laccabees suffered under Antiochus. So then, there may be good use ruade of an apocryphal book. It always was, and always will be impossible, for out adversaries of the Roman church, to establish that, which they have so long endeavoured, that is, to make the apocr.Thal books equal to the canonical. It is truc, that before thero was any occasion of jealous.v, or suspicion, that there would be new articles of faith coined, and those new articles authorized, and countenanced out of the apocryphal books, the blessed fathers in tho prinfitive church afforded honourable names, and ruade fair and noble mention of those books. So they have called them sacred; and more than that, diviue; and more than that too, canonical books; and more than ail that, by the general naine of Scripture, and Holy Vrit. But the Holy Ghost, who foresaw the danger, though those blessed fathers themselves did not, bath shed, and dropped, even in their writings, many evidences, to prove, in what sense tbey called those books by thoso names, and in what distance they always held them, from those books, which are purely, and positively, and to all purposes, and in ail senses, sacred, and divine, and canonical, and simply scripture, and simply Holy Writ. Of this there is no doubt in the fathersbefore St. Augustine: for they ail proposed these books, as Caoes moe««rn, on fidei, canonical, that is, regular, for applying our manners, and conTersation to the articles of faith; but not canonical, for the establishing those articles; canonical for edification, but hot for founda,- tion. _And even in the later Roman Church, we bave a good author 2° that gives us a good rule,_Ne t«'beris ov/tie, Let no young student be troubled, when he hears these books, by some of the fathers, called canonical, for, they are so, says he, in their sense, 27.ulaees ad wdcationem, good canons, good rtdes for matter of manners, and conversation. _And this distinction, says that author, will serve to rectify, hOt only what the fathers before St. Augustine, (for tlley speak clearly enough) but what St. Augustine himself, and some councils bave said of this matter. But yet this difference gives no occasion to an elimination, to an extermination of these books, which we call apocryphal. _And therefore, when in a ]ste foreign synod, that nation, where that synod was gathered, would needs dispute whether the apocryphal books should hot be utterly left out ofthe Bible; and, hot aflëcting that, yet determined, that those books should be removed from their old place, whcre they had ever stood, that is, after the hooks of the Old Testament, ]:,'xteri se e«cuari petiertnt, (say tho aets of that synod ) thoso that came to that synod, from other places, desire to be excused, from assenting to the displacing of thoso apocryphal books. For, in that place, (as we see'by Athanasius) they prescribe; tbr, though they be not canonical, aays he, yet they are l'3"usden zeteris instruraenti libri, Books that belong to the Old Testament, that is, (st least) to the elucidation, and clearing of many places in tho Old Testament. And that the ancient fathcrs thought these books worthy of their particular consideration, nmst necessarily be more than evident to him that reads St. Chl?;sostom s homily, or Leo's sermon upon this very part of that book of the Mccabees: to which the apostle refers in this text; that is, to that which the seven brethren there, suffered for a better resurrection. And if we take in the testhnony of the Reformation, divers great and learned men, lmve interpreted these books, by their particular commentaries; Osiander bath done so, and done it, with a protestation, that divers great divines entreated him to do it. Conrad Pellicanus bath done so too; vho, lest these books should seem to be undervalued, in the name of apocryphal, says, that it is fitter to call them libros e«lesiasticos, rather ecclesiastical, than apocryphal books. And of the first of these two books of the Maccabees, he says freely, Rererà, Divini,S'piritus ilstlgatione, No doubt, but the Holy Ghost moved some holy man to write this book; beeause, says he, by it, many places of the prophets are the better understood, and without that book, (which is a great addition of dignity) Evclesiastica eruditio perfecta non laisser, The ehurch had hot been so well enabled, to give perfeet instruction in the eeelesiastieal story. Therefore he ealls it Piissimum Catholicw evclesiw institutum, A most holy institution of the Catholie ehureh, that those books were read in the ehurch; and, if that eustom had been every where eontinued, iVon tot errores increissent, So many errors had hOt grown in the Reformed ehureh, says that author. And to deseend to practiee, at this day we see, that in many churehes of the Reformation, their preaehers never forbear to preach upon texts taken out of the apoeryphal books. We discern elearly, and as earnestly we detest the nfisehievous purposes of out adversaries, in magnifying these apoeryphal books; it is hot, prineipally, that they would have these books as good as Seriptures; but, beeause they would have Seriptures no better than these books; that so, when it should appear, that these boo "ks were weak books, and the Seriptures no better than they, their own traditions might be as good as either. But, as their impiety is inexcusable, that thus overvalue them, so is their singularity too, that depress these books too far; of which the apostle himself makes this use, not to establish articles of faith, but to establish the Hebrews in the articles of faith, by examples, deduced from this 15ook. The example then, to which the apostle leads them, is that story of a rnother, and ber seven sons, which in one day suffered death, by exquisite torments, rather than break that law of their God, -hich the king presed them to break, 'dmuh but a ceremonial law. Now, as Leo says, in his sermon upon their day, (for the Christian church kept a day, in memory of the mrtyrdom of these seven Maccabees, though they were but Jew) Gravant audita, isi snsciTiantur imitanda; It is a pain to hear the good that others have done, except we have some desire to imitate them, in doing the like. The panegyric said well, Oneroum est, snccedere boo principi; That king, that cornes after a good predecessor, bath a shrewd burthen upon him; because all the world can compare him with the last king; and ail the world will look, that he should be as good a king, as his immediate predecessor, whom they all remember, was. So Gravant audita, It will trouble you to hear, what these M,ccabees, which St. Paul speaks ot] suffered for the law of their God, but you are wcary of it, and would be glad we would give over talking of them, exeept you bave a desire to imitate them. And if you have that, you are glad to hear more and more of them; and, tom this apostle here, you may. For he makes two uses of their example; first, that though they wcre tortured, they would not accept a delivernce, and then, that they put on that resolution, That tkey might obtait a better resurrection. What they suflëred, hath exercised all out grammarians, and all our philologers, and all our antiquaries, that bave inquired into the racks, and tortures of those rimes. XVe tranate it roundly, They were tortm'ed. And St. Paul's word implies a torture of that kind, that their bodies were extended, and racked, as upon a drum, and then beaten with staves. Vhat the torture, intended in that word, was, we know hot. But in the story itself, to which he refers, in the Maccabees, you bave ail these divers tortures; cutting out of tongues, and cutting off of hands, and feet, and macerating in hot cauldrons, and pulling off the skin of their heads, with their hair; and yet they would hot accept a deliverance. Vas it ofléred them. expressly it was. The king pl)mises , and swears to one of them, that he would make him rich, and happy, and his friend, and trust him with Vel:.'24.
his affairs, if he wod'apply hi te h desires; and yet ho would net ccept this deliverance. This is tt which St. Au- tine ys, 8n çui atienter zoriu»ur, There my be many tund, that die thout any dismpcr, thout any impatience, tllt surfer pticnfly cnough; but then,,Sent qui patienter e &leca/Uter mounttw; Thc are othcrs, whe lire cxerciscs aE thcir patience, se that it is a pain te thcm (though thcy endure it patiently) live. But thcy could die, net only paticntly but chccrfy; they aoe net oly content, if thcy must, but glad if flcy may die, when th may die , that thercby, Tey obtain a ber resuection. And this w the ce of these marts, whom the apostle here propos to the imitation of the Hebrews. They put ail upon that iue, A bezef resurection. So the second brother says to the king ", Thou, like a fury, takest us out of this lire; but the King of the World, shall ise us up, xvho have died for his law, unto evedasting lire. Here lzy his hope; That that which dicd, that whieh eould die, his by, shod ho raised again. Se the third brother peeded'; ho held out his hant, and said, Theso I had frein beau'eu; and, for his laws, I despise thenl; and frein him, I hope te reeeive them again. There was his hope; a restitution of the sme hands, in the resurreetion. And se the fourth brother; It is good, being put te death, hy men, te look for hope, fmm God. Hope of what te be raised up again by him there was his hope. And ho flought ho could net speak more bittedy te that tyrant, than te tell him, As for thoe, thou shalt hve no resurrection unto life. And se the mother eablished herself mo; te her sons he says, I ve you net lifa in my womb, but doubtless the Crear that did, will, of his mercy, give you life again. The seul needed net lire again, ibr the noyer died; the by that died, did; therefore her hope was in a resurrtion. And te her youngest oen sha said ', Be wohy of thy brethren, take thy death, that I may reeeive thee again, in merey, with thy bthren. Ail their establiment, ail their expectation, all their issue was, That they might obtain a bter eesurrection.
sn. xx.] azAcr os z.«sTza A. 407 Now wht w this tht they qulied ud digned by that addition, Te better re#urrecto F Is t clled better, in tht it is better than ths lift, and determned n tht comprson, and degree of betterne, nd no more Is it better thon those honours, and preferments which tht dermined in that comparison, and no more Or better than other men shall have t the lst day, (for all resurrecton) and dermned in tt Or, as St. Chrysostom OEkes it, is it but better resurrection tall that n the former p of this xt, wherc dcad children are restored to tlleir motlmm ive again Is it Imt better resurrection in corne of tlmse enoes Surely better in a higher sens than any of these; it is a supereminent degree of glory, larger measure of glory, thon cve T man, who in a general happiness, is ruade paaker of tlm rurrection of the righteous, is me paker of. Beloved, there is nothing so little ill Imaven, as that we eall express it; but if we could tell you the fulness of so tlmre, what that lhlness is; the in6niten«ss of that glory there, how Ikr that infinitene goes; the eternity of that happiness there, hov long that happiness lasts; if we could mae you know a this, yet this beer resurrectio is a heaping even of that thlness, and an enlarging even of that infiniteess, and an extension even of that eternity of happiness; for all these, this ihlne, this infinitene, this eternity, are in all the resurrections of the righteous, and this is a better resurrectio; we may almost say, it is something more than heven; ibr all tiret bave any resurrection to lire, have all heaven; and something more tlmn God; tbr, ail that have any msurrection to life, have ail God » nnd yet these shall hve a better resurrection. Amorous soul, ambitious soul, covetous soul, voluptuous ul, wht wouldst thou bave in heaven What doth thy holy amorousne, thy holy covetousness, thy holy ambition, and voluptuousness most carry thy desire upon Call it what thou wilt; think it what thou canst; thik it something that thou canst not think; and all this thou shalt have, if thou have any resurrection unto lii; and yet there is a better resurrectio. Whcn I consider what I was in my parent's loins ( substance unworthv of a word, unwonhy of thonght) when I consider what I ara now, (a volume of diseases bound up together, dry cinder, if I look for natnral, t'or radical moistnre, and yet a sponge, a bottle of overflowing rhenmes, if I consider accidental an aged child, a gray-headed infant, and but the ghost of mine om youth) when I consider what I shall be at last, by the hand of death, in my grave, (first, but putrefaction, and then, hot so much as putrefaction, I shall hot be able to send forth so much as an ill air, hot any air at ail, but shall be ail insipid, tasteIess, svourless dust; for a while, ail worms, and after a while, hOt so much as worms, sordid, senseless, nameless dust) when ] consider the past, and present, and future state of this body, in this world, I am able to conceive, able to express the worst that can befall it in nature, and the worst that can be inflicted upon it by man, or fortune; but the least degree of glory that God hath prepared for that body in heaven, I ara hot able to express, hot able to conceive. That man cornes with a barleycorn in his hand, to measure the eompass of the firmament, (and when will he bave done that work, by that way.) he cornes with a grain of dust in his seales, to weigh the whole bodv of the world, (and when will he bave done that work, that way. ) that bids his heart imagine, or his lanmge deelare, or his wit compare the least degree oï the glory of any good man's resurreetion; and yet, there is a bettêr re, urrection. A better resurrection reserved for them, and appropriated to them That fulfll the uflèrin.os of Ckriat, in thelr fleek, by martyrdom, and so beeome witnesses to that eonveyanee whieh he bath sealed with his blood, by shedding their blood; and glorify him upon earth (as far as it is possible for man) by the saine way that ]le bath lorified them in heaven; and are admitted to sueh a eonformity with Christ, as that (if we nmy bave ]eave to express it so) they bave died for one another. ]either is this martyrdom, and so this better resurrection, appropriated to a reM, and aetual, and absolute dying for Christ; but every suffering of ours, by whieh suffering he may be glorified, is a degree oï mart.a'dom, and so a degree of improving, and bettering our resurreetion. For as St. Jerome says, That chastity i» a perpetual raart!¢rdom, So, ever- war malntained by us, aouinst our own desires, is a martyrdom too. In a word, to do good for God's glor.v, brings us to a good, but to surfer for his glory, bl'ings us to a bett«r resurrectlon; and, to suflr patientl.v, brings us to
good, but to surfer cheerfully, and more than that, thankfully, brings us to better restrrection. If ail the torments of all the afflicted men, from Abel, to that soul that groans in the inquisition, or that gasps upon his deathbed, at this minute, vere upon one man at once, all that had no proportion to the least torment of hell; nay if all the torments which all the damned in hell bave suffered, fl'oln Cain to this minute, were at once upon one soul, so, as that soul for ail that, might know that those torments should have an end, though after a thousand millions of millions of generations, all that would have no proportion to any of the torments of hell; because the extension of those torments, and their evedastiness, bath more of the nature of torment, and of the nature of hell in it, than the intenseness, and the vehemeney thereof tan have. So, if all the joys,' of ail the men that h,ve had all their hearts" desires, were concentred in one heart, ail that would not be as a spark in his chimney, to the general conflagrntion of the whole world, in respect of the least joy, that that soul is made partaker of, that depaloEs from this world, immediately after a pardon reeeived, and reconeiliation sealed to him, for ail his sins; no doubt but he shall bave n good resurrection; but then, we eannot doubt neither, but that to him that hath been careful in all his ways, and yet crossed in all his ways, to him whose daily bread hath been affliction, and yet is satisfied as with marrow, and with fatness, with that bread of affliction, and hot only eontented in, bu glad of that affliction, no doubt but fo him is reserved a better resurrection; every resurrection is more than we can think, but this is more than that more. A1- mighty God inform us, and reveal unto us, what this better resurrection, is, by possessing us of it; and make the hastening toit, one degree of addition toit. Colne Lord Jesus, conne quiekly to the consummation ofthat kingdom which thou hast purchased for us, with inestimable price of thine incorruptible blood. Amen.