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Chrift ftiles himself a Door, because by him an Entrance is made into the Church of God, as by a Door an Entrance is made into any Dwelling. And because the Church is often compar'd to a Fold, fo is Chrift to a Door, as the only way by which the Sheep, or true Servants of God, can enter

into that Fold.

All that ever came before me (faith Chrift) are Thieves and Robbers, but the Sheep did not hear them. All that have ever pretended to the Meffiahfhip, or to be Deliverers of the Jews from the Roman Yoke, and Reftorers again of the Kingdom of Ifrael, of which kind were the foremention'd Theudas, and Judas of Galilee, have all been found Lyars and Impoftors, having no Commiffion from God, nor bringing any Doctrines that carry any femblance or colour of coming from him; but by exciting the People to Sedition and Rebellion, fhew'd that they rather proceeded from the Evil One, and were no better than the Doctrines of Devils for which reafon, The Sheep did not hear them; but the People, instead of hearkning to them, fell with Rage and Fury upon them, deftroying the Ringleaders, and dif perfing all their Followers. And therefore, to prevent all farther Danger from Impoftors, and to confirm our Faith in him as the true Meffias, and the only Saviour or Redeemer of Mankind, he inculcates again, I am the Door; by me if any Man enter in, he fhall be faved, and shall go in and out, and find Pafture: which is in effect the fame with what he elsewhere tells us, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; Via, Veritas & Vita. If any will walk aright, he must walk in my Way; if any will believe aright, he must believe in me, and receive my Truths; if any will live for ever, he must come to me, that he may have Life by me; if any Man enter into the Church here, he fhall enter into Life hereafter: by this Door an Entrance fhall be adminifter'd to him abundantly into the Kingdom of God; all that go in at it fhall be fav'd from all Enemies and Dangers; they hall go in and out fafely, and shall find Pafture; that is, all manner of good things, both temporal, fpiritual and eternal. The Thief indeed cometh not but for to teal, to kill, and to destroy. The Impoftor and Seducer aim only at their own worldly Intereft, and stick not by Wars, Seditions and Tumults, to destroy and devour the Flock, to promote their ambitious and fecular Ends; but I come upon far different and more heavenly Defigns, that ye may have Life, and have it more abundantly, that ye may attain to

everlasting Life, and obtain a never-fading Crown of Glory in the highest Heavens.

This is the Drift of this Parable, and the Defign of the Gospel for this Day, which we ought to meditate upon, and to improve, by learning from it the following Leffons. As,

Ift, From Chrift's proving himfelf to be the true Meffias, by coming in at the Door of a Divine Commiffion, demonftrated by the Divinity of his Doctrine, with the Seal of Miracles annex'd to it, we may learn to receive and rely upon him as the true and only Saviour of the World; and to reject all falfe Chrifts or Pretenders to the Mefliahfhip, that climb up at the Windows, or fome other way, without fuch an Authority, as Thieves and Robbers. And he being the true and good Shepherd, we may depend upon his Care and Provifion, that we fhall lack nothing that is good and convenient for us.

2dly, From his Ministers coming in at the Door of a regular Ordination, and a lawful Call, we may learn to hear them, and not to follow Ufurpers and Intruders into this Holy Office. Our Saviour caution'd his Difciples against all fuch, faying, Beware of falfe Prophets, that come to you in Sheeps Clothing, but inwardly they are ravening Wolves; by their Fruits ye all know them: Mat. 7. 15, 16. Many hall come to you in my Name (faith he) Saying, Lo! here is Chrift, and lo! there. Behold! he is in the fecret Chambers, fays one, No, he is in the Field, faith another; he is in the Conventicle, faith a third but believe them not (faith our Saviour) and go not after them: Mat. 24. St. Paul foretold the fame, that after his departing grievous Wolves would enter in among them, not fparing the Flock; and that fome would arife among themfelves fpeaking perverfe things, to draw Difciples after them; therefore watch againft, and avoid them. Acts 20. 29, &c.

3dly, From Chrift's comparing his Followers to Sheep, and calling them so often by that Name, they fhould learn to imitate the Simplicity, Meekness and Innocence of that harmless Creature. The Sheep, we know, often receives, but never does any harm; it is dumb before the Shearer, and openeth not its Mouth, to teach us Patience and Silence under the foreft Affliction. Again, the Sheep is a very use ful Creature, that feeds us with its Flefh, and clothes us with its Fleece; to teach us to be as ferviceable as we may, and to do all the good we can to one another. In fhort, Chrift himself, the Shepherd, bids us to learn of him to be

meek and lowly in heart; and from the Sheep to be humble, tractable and obedient to his Call: fo fhall we hear his Voice, and follow him in Grace and Holiness here, and that will fit us to follow him to Glory and Happiness hereafter; where he will feat us among the Sheep at his right Hand, to hear the bleffed Sentence of Abfolution, and to be receiv'd into our Mafter's Joy: Which God grant, &c.

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DISCOURSE X.

The EPISTLE for Trinity-Sunday.

Rev. iv. 1, to the end.

After this I looked, and a Door was opened in Hea ven: And the first Voice, which I heard, was as it were of a Trumpet talking with me, which faid, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter; and immediately I was in the Spirit, &c.

T

HE myfterious Doctrine of the Holy Trinity was but obfcurely reveal'd under the Old Teftament; for which reafon, before Chrift's Coming, we find little or no knowledg of it. God the Father fpeaking in the Plural Number in the Creation of Man, faying, Come let us make Man in our own Image, Gen. 1. is by fome thought to denote the whole Trinity; and the mention of the Spi rit's moving on the Face of the Waters, and the Son's bruifing the Serpent's Head, Gen. 18. they take to refer to the three Perfons in it: But thefe are dark Discoveries of fo great a Truth; and to interpret the three Perfons that appeared to Abraham, to be the three Perfons of the Holy Trinity, is not much better.

And a Father tells us, That God on purpofe conceal'd from the Jews the Doctrine of the Trinity, left they should thence take occafion to fall into Idolatry, and worship a Plurality of Gods, to which they were too prone.

But

But when Chrift came, this Mystery, which was in a great measure hidden from former Ages, was brought into a clearer Light by the Gofpel. At our Saviour's Baptifm, God the Father declar'd him by a Voice from Heaven to be his beloved and only-begotten Son; and the Holy Ghost defcended on him at the fame time, in the Shape of a Dove, to bear witness of him: where we have all the three Per fons of the Trinity mention'd, the Father, Son and Holy Ghoft; all and each of which are after feverally ftil'd, God bleed for ever, having all the Titles and incommunicable Properties and Perfections of the Deity diftinctly afcrib'd to them: which made St. John to affirm, that there are three that bear Record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft; and these three are one. 1 John 5. 7.

From hence the Church took occafion to profefs and declare their Faith in this great Point, and to pay their folemn Praises and Adorations to the three feveral Perfons: yea, tho this Doctrine of the Bleffed Trinity was daily own'd in the Hymns, Creeds and Doxologies of the Church, yet one Day was thought fit to be confecrated to the celebrating of this great and adorable Mystery.

And becaufe Chrift's vifible afcending up to Heaven, and the Holy Ghoft's vifible defcending from thence, gave not fmall Light and Confirmation to this great Truth, therefore the Sunday after Whitfunday, which was before ob ferv'd as the Octave of Pentecoft, was made choice of for this purpose. And this is the Day on which we now commemorate the Holy Trinity. Accordingly, the Collect for the Day teaches us,

Firft, By the Confeffion of a true Faith to acknowledg the Glory of the eternal Trinity.

Secondly, In the Power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity.

Thirdly, To pray for Grace to be kept ftedfaft in this Faith against all Adverfities and Opposition whatever. For the

Firft, The Epiftle for the Day fets forth fomething of the Glory of the eternal Trinity: From whence we may learn to acknowledg and adore it. This St. John here doth in a Vifion, reprefenting God the Son fitting on the Throne of his Father, and coming with his Holy Angels to judg the World. The Vifion begins in the first Words; After

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this I look'd, and behold a Door was open'd in Heaven. Here he feems with St. Paul to be wrapt up to the third Heaven, 2 Cor. 12.2. Where looking about, he faw as it were the Door of Heaven open'd unto him; And the firft Voice that I heard (faith he) was as it were of a Trumpet talking with me, which faid, Come up hither, and I will them thee things, which must be hereafter. That is, by the help of a fhrill loud Voice, imitating the Sound of a Trumpet, he receiv'd Revelations of fome future things, which fhould in time come to pafs, which things we may fuppofe related to the laft Judgment. Upon the fight and hearing of these things, immediately (faith he) I was in the Spirit, that is, in a Trance or Extafy, like St. Paul in the forecited Place, Whether in the Body or out of the Body, he could not tell, God knoweth : Or elfe, his being in the Spirit, might be his feeling fome fecret Impulfes or Motions of God's Holy Spirit ftirring within him. And behold (faith he) a Throne was fet in! Heaven, and one fat on the Throne. The Throne here reprefented to him, as fet up in Heaven, was a Throne erected for Judicature, and the Son of God, to whom the Father hath committed all Judgment, is the Perfon here brought in as fitting upon this Throne, whofe Glory is after defcrib'd by the Luftre or Shining of precious Stones; for in the next words he tells us, that he that fat on the Throne, was to look upon like a Fafper and a Sardine Stone; and there was a Rainbow round about the Throne, in Sight like anto an Emerald: that is, the Majefty or Colours wherein he was reprefented, were like unto the Colours of a Jasper and Sardine Stone; the former, to wit the Jafper Stone, for its Firmness and Hardness, reprefents the Power and Omnipotence of God; the latter, the Sardine Stone, for its fiery Redness, reprefents the Juftice of God, who will come in flaming Fire to confume the Adverfary, Heb. 12. 28. The Rainbow that was round about the Throne, was an Emblem or Token of God's Covenant made with Man, as we read, Gen.9. 13. The orient Colours whereof reprefent the Brightness that was round about the Throne, and the Appearance of the Glory of the Lord; Ezek. 1.28.' And this is faid to be in Sight like unto an Emerald, which for its pleafant Greennefs and Mixture with other Colours, reprefents the Goodness of God, and his mixing Mercy with Judgment; delivering his People, at the fame time that he deftroys the Ungodly.

Moreover,

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