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than this Chrift could not fhew, than to lay down he Life, and to wraftle with the bonds of Death for them, to fatisfie all the claims of Juftice that could be made: In rifing from the Grave, he did break to nothing all the Snares of Satan, who verily thought he had difpatch'd him out of the way, when he had buried him as a Malefactor: either that he fhould not have rifen, or not to any Glory, or Reputation to men) but by rifing again, Chrift made a way to Glory, which thould to have rejoy ced the Difciples hearts, that all forrow and heavinefs fhould have ceafed from them, and they fhould have triumphed and gloried: that whereas they thought themfelves father lefs: Now the Fa ther of Eternity, and the Lord of Life was Rifen, and come to them, not to fuffer any more, but to diftribute abroad the benefits of his Sufferings. The want of this Comfort is called Unbelief. The want of a Comforting Faith: The want of a quicknefs of Faith: The want of a clearness of Faith: And the want of a fulness of Faith: And for this, the Text faith, Our Lord did upbraid them.

Secondly, The Difciples (which is the Second thing that I propounded to open, viz. The kind of the want of Faith) they were not altogether without Faith, as the Gentiles are called Unbeleevers, who want the means of Faith: Nor were they Unbelievers privatively, because that when they had Means, they did not attend to the Means of Faith: For they were Beleevers, and had not loft their Faith Chrift told Peter (who was then prefent, and in him all the reft of the Apoftles) That the Gates of Hell fhould not prevail againft his Faith. Yea, according to their Opinions who hold falling away from Grace, This kind of Unbelief could not cut off their being in a ftate of Grace: For God would not take away his Grace (accor

ding to their Opinion that hold a mans flipping out of a state of Grace is as a bone that flips out of the focket, or as the hand flips out of the glove) For mark it: They had but little glimmering light of Chrifts Sufferings. Some they had from the beginning For Elias and Mofes met together upon the Mount with Chrift, and they fpake together of his Sufferings: but their knowledge was not much: The Means they had to know it by now, was but a few Women; And thofe Women were in a great deal of fear, and That might be apt to form their Fancies according to their Defires; and because they would have Chrift to be rifen, therefore think and report that he was rifen. The Means therefore that they had to believe was fo weak, that it could not be a Sin of that Note as to throw them out of a ftate of Grace. But they are called Unbeleevers, because they wanted that degree, that strength,and that readiness in beleeving, which the difcovery of fo great Merit and Satisfaction in the Death of Chrift, and fo much love and affection in Chrift towards them, called them unto. For this the Text faith, That Chrift did upbraid them.

CHAP. III.

What upbraiding is. Three things in it: An Obgestion Answered. Unbelief againft all the Attributes of God. The best way to deal with Unbelief is upbraiding it.

Will open that word, and be at what I would

I pretendy. 10 omit many things:

He upbraided them..

Upbraiding, is a difgraceful Reproof. It's a Re

proof

proof with difgrace. There are feveral words used by the Scripture for reproving or rebuking. One word fignifies to reprove fo as to threaten punishment; that word is ufed in Luke 23. 40. where the honeft Thief did rebuke him that blafphemed the name of Jefus, ima dvd. The full fense of his words were,as if he thould have faid, look to it,take heed how you fpeak against him if you do, you fhall be called to an account: There is but a little time between you and the Judgement, and wo to you when you appear before God, although now you make nothing of it. There is another word fignifies Reproof with complaining of injuries done to one, uh. As its ufed Col. 3.13. There's another word immo, and that fignifies to reprove with biting, fharp, and bitter words; and that the Apoftle ufeth in 1 Tim. 5.1. Rebuke not an Elder. There is lafely the word which is in the Textedita To upbraid; and that is, to mingle together with the knowledge of ones fault, reproach, and dif grace to reprove with reproaching, or cafting ig. nominy upon one: To take away from them not only innocency, but honefty. And you fhall find in the Scripture, that it is made as a very heavie affliction. Let us go forth (faith the text, Heb. 13. 13.) and bear the reproach of Jefus Chrift: that is, though we fuffer as much as he did for our fins, yet let us beleeve upon him. So it's faid of Mofer, in Heb.126.that he did chufe to fuffer with the people of God, and to bear the reproaches of Chrift, that is, to be upbraided for Chrift's fake that men fhould fay tohim, Yes, you are one of the New Lights: you are one that follow this Galilean In Heb. 103 The Apostle speaks of this kind of upbraiding as that which madebien an open laughing ftock, and fcorn to others. Whilft we were made a gazing flock by reproach: radious, which is the fame

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© fame word with that in the text [upbraiding.] There are Three Things that are done to the dif grace of one, when he is upbraided.

1. The foulness of his act is laid open. Nothing bur faults, and foul faults can be a reproach: efpecially to men that are imperfect, and fubject to infirmities. And my beloved there is not a fouler fault which Ihould have thewed you) than unbe lief is. It's not only the guard of all your fins, while you are in the ftare of unregeneration, and keeps them together, and defends them; but when you are beleevers, the leaft act of it is higher by head and thoulders in guilt, than the rest of your fins. It's a fin of very great magnitude, even in the leaft degree.

Properly you use to fay a man is upbraided, when as the kindness that hath been done to him is revealed, and laid open, and made known, and his ungratefulness difcovered; fo as that men may fee him not only to be an ungrateful man, but as one that is a dependant, and that hath not wherewithalco fubfift of himself, Now unbelief layes open the folly, and blockithness of the heart of a man, and the bruicifhness of his Spirit. Here Chrift fers before them, 1. The finfulness of the Act, in Luke 24. 25. Obfools (faith he) and flow of heart to believe, how long fhall I be with you? Hecells them that it was a madness: So fome do render those words in Luke 24 25 [O fools] As it is rendered by our Tranflators in fome places of the Scripture, He fhews them the finfulness of their act. That (you know) is the property of all reproof, Torip up, and Analife the thing done into the feveral parts of the illness of it. So that that is the firft thing Chrift doth upbraid, or lay open their fins: or if you will in plain terms, does fet their Confciences ou, accufing of them.

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2ly. He fhews then the root of this illness, whence it comes to pass that it is fo.

Some fins the people of God are carried unto by trong temptations from without: As a Ship by a ftrong guft of wind is carried upon the rocks or Sands And Reproofs for thefe are wonderful gentle,and indeed it is not I, fayes Paul in this cafe, but it is Satan, and fin that joyns with ic

Blafphemous thoughts there are Bur though we have blafphemous thoughts, yet our hearts are not active in them, but pallive.

Some Sins arife from an evil frame of heart, which are but the fteam of a corrupt Spirit. And fo this. unbelief does for in the Gospel of Luke, ch.24.29. he doth not only call them fools, and men that were flow of heart to believe, but he faies, verf. 11. That they counted these things of Chrifts Refurrection to be but on an idle tale, aridiculous thing. Yea, whereever there is any upbraiding, there is alwayes a difcovery of unkindness and unthankfulness: and both these were at the bottom and root of your unbelief. Upbraiding is properly a telling men of kindneffes done them, and their nor carrying themfelves according to the kindneffes done them. And thus our Lord Jesus Christ deals with them, for he did (faith the text) upbraid them: As if he fhould have faid, Do you anfwer my love in dying for you, and being buried, and in breaking for you the Jaws of Death? Is this a behaviour suitable to fo great love as I have fhewed you? Or unto fuch a one as I am, who have all power in my hand to use for your good? Is all the kindness that I have fhewed you thus required, that you will not believe me, but take me to be a Spirit, or to be fome Phantafm, or mear Apparition, as the word waua is, which Lake feth in this frory, Luke 24 37.

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