fort. If there be any of you therefore, that harbours in your breast a secret love of and complacency in your known and resolved sins, Procul, O procul: let him keep off from this Hoy Table: let him bewail his sinful mis-disposition; and not dare to put forth his hand to this passover, till he have gathered the bitter herbs of a sorrowful remorse for his hated offences. And, where should he gather these, but in the low grounds of the Law? There they grow plenteously lay the Law then home to thy soul: that, shall show thee thy sins; and thy judgment school thee. Yea, Dear Christians, how can any of us see the body of our Blessed Saviour broken, and his blood poured out; and, withal, think and know that his own sins are guilty of this tort offered to the Son of God, the Lord of Life; and not feel his heart touched with a sad and passionate apprehension of his own vileness, and an indignation at his own wickedness that hath deserved and done this? These are the bitter herbs, wherewith if we shall eat this passover, we shall find it most wholesome, and nourishable unto us to eternal life.

[2.] The Manner of the Eating of it follows, in three particulars.

1st. The whole lamb must be eaten; not a part of it.

2dly. Not a bone of it must be broken.

3dly. In one house, at once; nothing to be reserved, or carried out.

For the first; you find it not so in any other cookery or provision of this kind. Many a lamb did the Jews eat in all the year besides these were halved and quartered, as occasion served; but, for the Paschal-Lamb, it must be set on all whole: the very entrails must be washed, and put into the roast, and brought to the board in an entire dish. Whosoever would partake of Christ aright, must take whole Christ; not think to go away with a limb, and leave the rest that he should dividere mendacio Christum; as that Father speaks. As, in God's demands of us, he will have all or none; so, in his grant to us, he will give all or none. He would not have so much as his coat divided: much less will he abide himself shall. There have been heretics, and I would there were not so still, that will be sharing and quartering of Christ: one, will allow of his Humanity; not his Eternal Deity: another, will allow his human body; but not his soul; that must be supplied by the Deity another, will allow a divine soul, with a fantastic body: one will allow Christ to be a Prophet, or a Priest; but will not admit of him as a King. In vain do all these wretched mis-believers pretend to partake of Christ the Passover, while they do thus set him on by piecemeal. They are their own monstrous fancies, which they do thus set before themselves; not the true PaschalLamb whom we do most sacrilegiously violate instead of receiving, if our faith do not represent him to us wholly God and Man; soul and body; King, Priest, and Prophet: here, he is so exhibited to us; and, if we do thus believe in him and thus apply him to our souls, we do truly receive him, and with him eternal salvation.

Two particulars follow, yet more, in the Manner. Then, the Persons allowed to this banquet: no uncircumcised might eat thereof. Then, in the next place, we should descend to the Second Head of our discourse, that Christ is OUR Passover. that he is our Passover SACRIFICED; and sacrificed FOR US.

Then,

Ye see what a world of matter yet remains; and offers itself, as in a throng, to our meditations: but the long business of the ensuing sacrament forbids our further discourse; and calls us, from speaking of Christ our Passover, to partaking of him: For which he prepare our souls, that hath dearly bought them, and hath given himself to be our True Passover: To whom, with the Father and the Blessed Spirit, One Infinite and Incomprehensible God, be all praise, honour, and glory, now and for ever. Amen,

די

SERMON XL.

THE SONS OF GOD LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD:

A SERMON PREACHED ON WHITSUNDAY, IN THE PARISH CHURCH OF HIGHAM, IN THE YEAR 1652.

ROM. viii. 14.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

THIS only day is wont to be consecrated to the celebration of the Descent of the Holy Spirit: and, therefore, deserves to be, as it is named, the true Dominica in albis, "Whitsunday."

White is the colour of Innocence and Joy. In respect of the first, this, together with the feast of Easter, was wont, in the primitive times, to be the solemn season of Baptism and Sacramental Regeneration in respect of the second, it was the season of the just triumph and exaltation of the Church; which was, as this day, graced, confirmed, and refreshed, with the miraculous descent of the promised Comforter. In both regards, every Christian challenges an interest in it: as those, who claim to be the sons of God by Baptism, the Sacrament of Regeneration; and to be endued and furnished with the sanctifying gifts of that Blessed Spirit, whose wonderful descent we this day celebrate. Which, how can we do better, than by enquiring into what right we have to this Holy Spirit, and to that sonship of God, which, in our baptism, we profess to partake of?

We are all apt, upon the least cause, to be proud of our parentage. There are nations, they say, in the world, whereof every man challenges gentility, and kindred to their king: so are we wont to do spiritually to the King of Heaven. Every one hath the Spirit of God: every one is the son of God.

It is the main errand we have to do on the earth, to settle our hearts upon just grounds, in the truth of this resolution: and this Text undertakes to do it for us; infallibly deciding it, that those, and none but those, that are led by the Spirit of God, are the Sons of God. So as we need not now think of climbing up into heaven, to turn the books of God's eternal counsel; nor linger after enthu siasms and revelations, as some fanatical spirits use to do; nor wish for that holy dove to whisper in our ear, with that great Arabian Impostor: but only look seriously into our own hearts and lives; and try ourselves thoroughly by this sure and unfailing rule of our

blessed Apostle, So many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God.

Let my speech and your attention then, be bounded in these three limits. Here is, First, A PRIVILEGE; To be the Sons of God: Secondly, A QUALIFICATION OF The privileged; To be led by the Spirit: Thirdly, AN UNIVERSAL PREDICATION OF THAT PRIVILEGE UPON THE PERSONS QUALIFIED; So many as are led by the Spirit of God, are the Sons of God. I need not crave your attention: the importance of the matter challenges it.

I. To the First, then. It is a wonderful and inexplicable PRIVILEGE, this, to be the Sons of God.

No marvel, if every one 'be apt to claim it. The glory of chil dren are their fathers; Prov. xvii. 6. How were the Jews puffed up with that vain gloriation, that they were the sons of Abraham! and yet they might have been so; and have come from hated Esau, or ejected Ishmael. What is it then, to be the sons of the God of Abraham? Ye know what David could say upon the tender of matching into the blood royal: Seemeth it a small matter to you, to be the son-in-law to a king? Oh, what then is it to be the trueborn sons to the great King of Heaven? The Abassins pride themselves to be derived from that son, whom they say the Queen of Sheba had begotten of her by Solomon, when she went to visit him: it is enough that it was Princely, though base. How may we glory, to be the true and legitimate issue of the King of Glory? The great lord in the Gospel is brought in by our Saviour, in his parable, to say; They will reverence my Son; and Amnon's wicked kinsman could say to him, Why art thou, the King's son, so sad? as if the sonship to a king were a supersedeas to all whatsoever grief or discontentment.

Neither is there matter of honour only in this privilege, but of profit too: especially in the case of the sons of this Heavenly King; whose Sons are all heirs, as ye have it verse 17. With men, indeed, it is not so. Amongst God's chosen people, the firstborn carried away a double portion: but, in some other nations, and in some parts of ours, the eldest goes away with all: as, on the contrary, others are ruled by the law or custom of Gavel-kind, and the like institutions; where, either the youngest inherit, or all equally. But, generally, it is here with us contrary to that old word concerning Isaac's twins, the lesser serves the greater. Jehosaphat gave great gifts to his other sons; but the kingdom to the eldest, Jehoram, 2 Chron. xxi. 3. so as the rest were but as subjects to their eldest brother. In the family of the Highest, it is not so: there, all are heirs; all inherit the blessings, the honours.

As all are partakers of the divine nature; and, of every one may be said by way of regeneration, that, which was eminently and singularly said by the way of eternal generation of the Natural and Coessential Son of God, Thou art my Son, I have begotten thee: so all are partakers of those Blessings and happy Immunities, which appertain to their filiation. And what are they? Surely great, beyond the power of expression. For,

1. In this name, they have A SPIRITUAL RIGHT TO ALL THE CREATURES OF GOD. All things are yours; saith the Apostle. A spiritual, I say; not a natural, not a civil right, which men have to what they legally possess. We must take heed of this error, which makes an universal confusion, wherever it prevails. All these earthly affairs are managed by a civil right; which men have, whether by descent, or lawful acquisition: so as it is not for any man to challenge an interest, either ad rem or in re, in the goods of another. But God's children have a double claim to all they possess; both civil from men, and spiritual from God: The earth hath he given to the sons of men; saith the Psalmist; and men, by just conquest, by purchase, by gift convey it legally to each other. Besides which, they have a spiritual right: for God hath given all things to his Son as Mediator; and, in and by him, to those that are incorporated into him: so as now, in this regard, every child of God is Mundi Dominus, "the Lord of the World;" as that Father truly said.

2. They have, in this name, AN INTEREST IN GOD HIMSELF: for what nearer relation can there be, than betwixt a father and a son? an interest in all his promises, in all his mercies; in all that he is, in all that flows from him; in his remission, protection, provision. Which of us earthly parents, if we extinguish not nature in ourselves, can be wanting in these things to the children of our loins? How much more impossible is it, that he, who is all love, 1 John iv. 16. should be wanting to those, that are his by a true regeneration! Hence is that enforcement, which God useth by his Prophet, Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget; yet will not I forget thee: Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; Isaiah xlix. 15, 16.

3. Hence follows an unquestionable RIGHT IN ATTENDANCE AND GUARDIANSHIP OF THE BLESSED ANGELS; Psalm xci. 11. They are the little ones, whereof our Saviour, Matth. xviii. 10. the especial charge, whom those glorious spirits are deputed to attend; Heb. i. 14. And, oh, what an honour is this, that we are guarded by creatures more glorious in nature, more excellent in place and office, than ourselves! What a comfortable assurance is this, that we have these troops of heavenly soldiers pitching their tents about us; and ready to safeguard us from the malice of the principalities and powers of darkness!

4. In this name, they have a certain and unfailable CLAIM TO ETERNAL GLORY. For what is that, but the inheritance of the saints? Col. i. 12. Who should have your lands, but your heirs; and, lo, these are the heirs of God: and none but they; Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you; saith our Saviour, Matth. xxv. 34. Many a one here is born to a fair estate; and is stripped of it, whether by the just disherson of his offended Father, or else by the power or circumvention of an adversary, or by his own mis-government and unthriftiness. Here, is no danger of any of these. On our Father's part, none; For, whom he loves, he loves