Now, then, if you have such a mourning as this, that you do mourn for spiritual things ; and you so mourn that your mourning tit you for prayer, that it make way for praise and thanksgiving ; then take comfort in your mourning, and know that it will end well. After night will come a day ; after darkness there will come light ; after seed-time there shall be an har- vest, you shall have a crop. The more you mourn, the more you shall rejoice. Blessed are they that mourn for themselves and for others. Blessed are they, they shall be comforted. They are comforted, and they will be more comforted afterwards. So saith the mouth that cannot lie. It is the speech of Christ himself. Thus we have done with the point, and can no further proceed at this time.
VIOLENCE YICTORIOUS.
VIOLENCE VICTORIOUS.
JsOTE.
' Violence Victorious ' appeared originally in ' The Beams of Divine Light ' (4to, 1639). The separate title-page will be found below.* For general title, sec Vol. V. page 220. G.
* V I 0 L E N C E VICTORIOVS : In two Sermons,
By the late Reverend and Learned Divine Eichaed Sibs,
Doctor in Divinity, Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher at Grayes-Inne.
Gen. 32. 2G. / will not let thee goe except thou hlesse mee.
1 CoE. 15. 57. Thankes he unto God which giveth us the victory through lesus Christ our Lord.
LONDON,
Printed by G. M. for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford,
1639.
VIOLENCE VICTORIOUS.
From the days of John Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it hj force. — Mat. XI. 12.
John Baptist and our blessed Saviour gave mutual testimonies one of another. He witnessed of Christ before he came, and our Saviour Christ gives witness of him here. The occasion of this you have in the second verse. John being in prison, sends two of his disciples to Christ, to know whether he were the Christ or no ; not that John did doubt, but to confirm his disciples. Christ returns a real and a verbal answer. ' Tell John,' saith he, ' what ye have seen and heard,' &c. ; and then he closeth up all, ' Blessed is he that is not oS'ended with me.' Upon this occasion Christ enters into a commendation of blessed St John Baptist, even unto a com- parative commendation, ' Amongst them that were born of women there had not yet risen a greater than John the Baptist ; ' not so much in emlnency of grace, though that may have a truth, as in regard of the dispensation of his ministry, John living in more glorious times. For the excellency of the church is from Christ. He doth ennoble and advance times, and places, and persons. Bethlehem, a little city, yet not a little city in regard that Christ was born there ; and saith Christ, * Happy are the eyes that see that which your eyes see,' Luke x. 23. Everything is advanced by Christ. So John Baptist, in regard of his office, being the immediate forerunner of Christ, was greater than all that were before him ; yet he saith, * The least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he ; ' not in grace, but in prerogative, in regard of the revelation and manifestation of more things. For John Baptist died before he saw the death, and resurrection, and ascen- sion of Christ accomplished, before he was glorified. Therefore in regard of these pi'erogatives, the least in the kingdom of heaven, that is, in the church of the New Testament, is greater than he. It is a rule that the least of the greater is greater than the greatest of the less. John was greater than the greatest of them that were before him, but lesser than the least of those that were after him.
Then Christ commends John from the efficacy of his ministry : ' From the days of John Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.' So you see how the words depend upon the former. For the points we are to consider in them.
First, Here you have the stale of the church in the New Testament. It is
29G VIOLENCE VICTORIOUS.
a kingdom, and the kingdom of heaven ; together with the quahty ot the means whereby it comes to be a kingdom, the means of grace, the gospel. The gospel and the people that are wrought on by the gospel in the New Testament, they are both called the ' kingdom of heaven.'
Then, secondly, here is set down the affection of those people that seek this }ci))f/(lom at that time, and so foniurd to the end of the ivorld. The dis- position of the persons is, ' They are violent.'
The third is, the issue or success of tliis earjerness and violence. Though the manner be violent, yet the success is good. ' The violent take it by force.'
The fourth is, the date or time ichen it''ber/ins, and how lonr/ it continues. It bears date from the preaching of Saint John Baptist to the end of the world. * Until now ; ' that is, to the end of the world. As it was said,