Chrift,in Rev.1.14. we find that the eyes of Chrift were as a flaming fire wifdome makes a mans face to fhine; And many times there appears a great majefty in the very countenance of a Minifter,and a great deale of ufe is made by the Ministers looking upon the people, and the peoples looking upon the Minifter: Therefore becaufe Chrift would have his word effect the more, the text faith, he lifted up his eyes upon his Diciples, and lookt upon them: And it hath a great deale of power in way of reprehenfion and threatning; and many times a guilty con cience is not able to beare the faftening of the eyes of a Minister upon them: Therefore in Acts 13.9. we read of Paul, when as Elimas the Sorcerer would have taken off Sergius Paullus that was the Deputy of the place, and would have hindered the worke of the miniftry upon his heart. Paul was a preaching, and the Deputy began to be ftirred up,and to hearken to what Paul fhould fay, and there comes one Elimas and would have taken off the Deputy; now when Paul having hopes to have gain'd fuch a man that might be a publick inftrument in the place where God had fet him: the text faith, that Paul fet his eyes upon Elimas, and fpake to him in a terrible manner,as if he fhould fay,O wretch, (for fo he faith,) O child of the Devill, and full of all fubtilty, what wilt thou feek to hinder the word upon fuch an eminent man: ô thou child of the Devill: There is a great deale of power fometimes in the eyes of a Minifter of the word: And we find that when Peter had denyed Chrift, the text faith, that Chrift lookt upon him, and then Peter went forth and wept bitterly! there was much darted through the eyes of Jefus Chrift, and there is much many times darted through the eyes of a Minifter of God.

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Now then my Brethren, this is the clofe of this Sermon for the prefent. I beseech you while we are preaching over this large Sermon of Jefus Chrift, do you apprehend that the eyes of Jefus Chrift are upon you all: why thould we not apprehend it fo now as well as then; when Chrift faith,he that heareth you heares me. It is the Sermon that Chrift preached himfelfe, and as he lift up his eyes upon his auditors at that

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time:

time: fo do you know that Jefus Chrift lifts up his eyes upon you all, and his eyes will be upon every heart all the while his Sermon fhall be preached: & Chrift comes into the Congre gation to look upon this man, and the other man, to fee how they will entertaine his word, and if you will but remeniber this one note all along as we goe, it will be of very great use to you, remember the eyes of Jefus Chrift will be upon you, and Íooks upon your behaviour all the while and that's the fifth thing by way of preface.

The fixth thing is to fhew what the scope of this Sermon was: Sermon 20. and that confifts especially in these three things. Ver. 2.

Firft, To discover wherein true bleffednefle doth confift; who they are that are truly bleffed.

Secondly, To open the fpiritualneffe of the Law, or that fpirituall light that by the light of the Gofpell we come to underftand: Chrift undertakes to shew the dutyes of the Law how they were by the Gofpel raised to a higher hight; The Gofpel doth not abolish them, but fhewes us a more fpirituall life to live then thofe generally under the law did understand, our Saviour aimes at taking of men off from fatisfying of themfelves in externall dutyes of righteoufneffe, of prayers, or any. other way; or keeping from externall fins.

And then thirdly, a forewarning of falfe teachers: Thefe are the three principle heads of the Sermon; There are many other things interwoven in, but for the first thing; It is to fhew wherein true bleffednefle confifts, He begins with blef fedneffe in his mouth, Blefled are the poor, Bleffed, Bleffed, againe and againe : From this we have thefe notes briefly.

First, that it is Jefus Chrift that teaches wherem true blef fedneffe doth confift: If we would know how to be happy, and bleffed, it must be by Chrift: the natural wifdome of man can never reach it, there were among Philofophers a hundred and four-fcore opinions of mans happineffe, and fome reckon more: They did but beat the Bush, it's the Chriftian that cat-i ches the Bird: 'tis onely by Chrift that we may know how to

be

be happy: Chrift is come from the bofome of the Father to reveal unto mankind thofe eternall counfels of the Father about mans laft end. Man fince the fal would never have come to have known wherein his laft end confifts, and what good it is that he is capable of and God intends towards him, had not Chrift came from the bofome of the Father to declare it, ô the poore and low things wherein the children of men place their happinetfe in, that know not Jefus Chrift, but are tran gers to Jefus Chrift; When Chrift comes to be revealed, the thoughts and hearts of men are raised and inlarged, they looke after happineffe in another manner then, then formerly they did: Olet us bleffe God for Jefus Chrift by whom we come to know how we may be happy: that is, wherein our hoft end confifts, that high good that mans nature is made capablě of by God.

2d y, It is the end & fcope of the Miniftry to fhew to people how they may come to be bleffed; For this Sermon was preached efpecially to the Apoftles when they had their Commif fion, as I opened the Laft day. Now in that Chrift fpeakes fo much of blefednetle to them, it was to prepare them to goe and Preach it to the world: Oh 'tis the Miniftry of the word that thewes to men how they may conie to be happy: This is all the hurt it will do you,to thew you how you may be bleffed for ever: How Foor and miferable are thofe people that live without the Miniftry of the Word? What poor things doe they plant their happineffe in? When you come to attend the Ministry of the Gofpel, you must come to attend it as a meffage from God, to fhew you how you may be happy for ever: It's called the Gospel that they Preach good ridings! It brings tidings to you from heaven how there foul's and bodyes of yours may come to be eternally happy Comel with fuch a diffofition to the Miniftry of the word: Thore therefore who forfake the Miniftry of the word forfake their own mercy, the way that might thew them to be happy Oh howr vild are mens hearts to prize it at no higher a rate then moft doe, fo as ye cannot think it worth the enduring a ter cold in a morning to come to attend upon the Ministry that is

appointed

appointed by God to thew happineffe to thofe that God intends eternal good to.

O the connictions that many have had in the Miniftry of the Gofpel, what a turne fometimes hath the word given to their hearts in one halfe quarter of an houre: Their hearts have been feeking after vaine and droffie things for their happineffe, and would reft in them as the onely good that they would think themselves happy in: and the Miniftry of the Gofpel hath darted in thofe truths unto them that have given a a tumne to their hearts: and they would not have loft what they have found in the Miniftry of the word, fometimes in one Sermon for 10000 Worlds, that that you prize at fo low a rate, they find fuch good in, as (I fay,) they would not have loft for 10000 worlds: They have come fometimes to hear the word with carnall, droffie, vaine, fenfual hearts, looking onely to things that are here, bafe and vild, but in attending upon the Word,there hath been thofe flashes of light let out unto them that hath made them to fee wherein the true good of a rational creature confifts, to fee what was the end God made man for and the infinite good that mans foule is capable of, and upon this they have gone away with their hearts fcorning and contemning all thofe fenfual delights and vanities, that they placed their happineffe in before: therefore learne to know what the fcope of the Miniftry of the Gospel is, that is the 2d generall Note

The 3d Note from the defign of Chrift in general is this,By what we hear Chrift telling us bleffednetle doth confift in, we may learne,that there's a great deal of difference between the thoughts and judgement of God about true happineffe, and the thoughts and judgment of the world; for if fo be that you look into all thofe 8 Beatitudes that we have here, you will fee them in fuch a quite croffe way to the judgment of the world as nothing can be more.

For in the first place, Suppose the judgement of the world hould be askt, who are thofe that are bleffed, Certainly, they would never have faid the poor was bleft; They would think them to be miferable men that are poore, I but Chrift is of bomi

another

another judgement, Bleffed are the poore, poore in fpirit, their's is the Kingdome of heaven, Blefted are the Rich would the world fay, they are happy indeed. We call the Proud happy in the 3 Maty but here 'tis Bleffed are the poore.

Then 2y, Ask the world again who are blefed men,they would never tell you that thofe that mourne are blefled; Cerrainly if there be any bleft in this world, they must be thofe that live brave jolly lives,there's a happy man that lives a brave merry life, No, faith Chrift it's quite contrary, Bleffed are they that mourne, quite croffe the judgement of Chrift goes to the judgement of the world.

Then 31y, If you would ask who are the happy men?why those that will take no wrong, and thofe that are able to right themselves, and if any man wrong them, they thall know it, the world would think them to be happy men; No,faith Chrift, Bleffed arethe mecke, thofe that are willing to put up wrongs, and carry themfelves meekly towards thofe that do abuse them, the world thinks he is a fool that puts up wrongs, but in the judgement of Chrift he is a bleffed man.

And then 4thy, If you would aske the world who afe bleffed, furely they would fay, Thofe that are full of all kind of Delicacies, that can fill themfelves: No, faith Chrift, Bleffed are thofe that hunger, and those that thirst, hungry and thirfty foules are the bleffed foules.

And then sth. If you would aske the world who are the bleffed men, why they are thole that keep their eftates to themselves, They think 'tis wildome for a man to keep what he hath, and not let it goe: No, faith Chrift, Bleffed are the merciful; If a man hath an eftate and great means, and let's it go for good ufes, bleffed is he.

Againe 6tly, Aske the world who are blefied, they Would never have pitcht upon the pure in heart, bleffed are they that follow their lufts, and fatisfie them to the full: No, faith Chritt, Blessed are the Puritans, thofe that are pure heart.

in

And then, Bleed are the peace-makers: The men of the world think it a happineffe for thofe that ftand out,and de

fend