our fubject, and therefore calls for ferious attention, and fear and Reverence; And ô that we would carry this thought with us all the while we hear him preaching out of these Chapters.

All that I fhall doe at this time fhall be but to preface this Sermon: There are thefe fix things confiderable in this Sermon.

First, Because we find this Sermon recorded not only in Matthew, but also in Luke, To inquire whether they be the fame yea or no: For we thall find it of use, one will much inlighten the other if they be the fame.

Secondly, We fhall inquire at what time Chrift preached this Sermon, and upon what occafion. Thirdly, In what place he preacht it. Fourthly, To whom he preacht it.

Fifthly, The manner of his preaching, and

Sixtly, The Scope of bis Sermon, what it did principally ayme at: Thefe fix things will be usefull for the making way to what fhall follow,

For the First: Whether it be the fame Sermon that Luke records: I find Interpreters are very much troubled about it: and yet if you read the Sermon it felfe, you thall find, though not recorded fo largly as Matthew doth it, yet the tubstance of it is the fame,and almoft the fame words: Inthe 6 Luk 20. He lift up his eyes on his Difciples, and faid, bleffed are the poore, and fo he goes on juft as here:- And the reafon of the doubt is,because we find in Matthew that Chrift chofe his Difciples in the 10 Chapter and fent them out, but we find in Luke,that Chrift did choose his Difciples before this Sermon was preached in this 6 Chapter 13. verf. You shall find that the twelve were fent out first, and then the Sermon was preached; There's the difference: And then Secondly, Matthew faith that Jefus Chrift went up to the mountaine, and there taught his Difciples, verf. 1. But Luke faith, he came down with them and flood in the plaine,and he lift up his eyes on his Difciples & faid, &c. Matthew faith he fat, and Luke faith he stood in the plaine;fo that divers Interpreters fay it was a different Sermon: But yet thefe may easily be answered.

For

For the Firft: Though Luke makes it to be after the fending out of the Twelve; and Matthew feemes to make it to be afore, yet it may be reconcil'd thus: That though indeed it be recorded in Matthew after, as in the 10 Chapter, yet we know that many times the Scripture doth not fet down things that are before in time, alwayes before in place, as I might easily fhew you: There be many things that are after in a booke, that yet were done before thofe things that are fet down firft, it's ordinary here Matthew had occafion to fpeake of Christs Doctrine, afterwards in the 10 Chapter to fpeake of fending out his Dif. ciples: That's no argument because it's in the 10 Chapter :// Therefore it was not before this that is in the's Chapter.

And then for the other, That it's faid in Matthew that he was upon the Mountaine, and in Luke, that he came down to the plaine: To that the Answer is, That here it is not faid that he came downe to the plaine, and preached upon the plaine, buc. it is faid that after he had fent forth his Difciples he came down to the plaine, and then the Company came to him: So then, after he had done the work, of giving his Difciples the Commillion to goe and preach,then comes aboundance of people to him: he had been upon the mount, as we thall fee by and by. all night, and then did the work of fending out his Difciples: And then comes downe and fees a great multitude of people, i and did fome work about them, In healing of them, and then returnes up into the mountaine againe, with-drawing himfelfe from the tumult of the people, to preach to his Difciples, and-thofe that came together with him: So that though it be faid, he was in the plaine, and he stood, that is, he ftood while the multitude was with him, but after he had done fome worke about them, then according to Matthew he retires into the Mountaine againe, and there falls a preaching. So that there's no Objection of any moment (that I know) why it thouldnot be the fame Sermon, bu: thefe two, and thefe tvo may eafily be reconcil'd. Therefore feeing that the very fubftance. * of the Sermon is the fame, we will take it, that it was all one; Now being all one Sermon,you shall find much helpe by this: The one Evangelift will give light into another.

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And:

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And then the fecond thing that is to be inquired into, is the time when Chrift preached it; and that help you must have from Lake, (For fo I intend, that what light one Evangelift will give, I will make ufe of that, though it be not mentioned here in Matthew, and you will find it of very great ufe to inquire after this: You hall find that the very night before he preached this Sermon, that he was at prayer all night, Luke the 6 & 12. verfe. And it came to paffe in thofe dayes, that he went out into a Mountaine to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God, It was the night before this Serm n was preached.

And this Scripture will juftifie long prayers upon extraor dinary occafions: Though I confefle in an ordinary way in family prayer, ordinarily it's more convenient to have thent. fhort then long: But this Scripture juftines long prayer': fpeaking many hours in prayer upon extraordinary occafions: Jefus Chrift fpeaks a whole night in prayer unto God, and you fee how the things of the Glory of God, and the good of his Church did take up his heart, fo that he fpeakes a wholenight in prayer about them: O confider this you that spend fo many nights in chambering and wantonneffe, you that can fet up nights in drinking and playing, remember Jefus Chrift fat up a whole night together in praying: He prayes

all night, hereby giving an example to his Minifters upon occafions to be praying for people, when they are fleeping, to be feeking to God in prayer, and when they are about other things: Chrift he was a whole night here int prayer.

But you will fay, what was the occafion; why was he a whole night in prayer before he preached this Sermon Why the occafion feemes to be the work that he had to doe the next morning, which was to fend forth his Difciples, for fo the Text faith in the 13 verf. When it was day, he called. unto him his Difciples, and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named Apostles: He had a great work to do, to choose twelve Apoftles to goe up and downe in the world to preach the Gospel of God, the greatest work that ever men were to

doe

do fince the beginning of the world: To goe and preach the Gofpel, Chrift lookt upon this as a great and a weighty worke. And therefore by way of preparation before he choofes them, he spends a whole night in prayer to God to prepare for that great worke

1

You may fee by this, that the worke of the miniftry it is a great work: You may think it indeed a light matter, but Chrift accounted it a great matter: he makes folemne preparation for the choofing his Apoftles, and prayes to God all night before, Olet thofe then who are in the Miniftry confider of this as a mighty and great work, as a folemne bufineffe: That that Chrift shall spend fo much time in prayer about, muft needs be a folemne thing: They should fo look upon the work that they are call'd unto: And for people that are at any time to choose or to call a Minifter, ô they should look upon it as a folemn work, and not think it a light matter, fome when they heare of fuch a man, fay come let's have him prefently; when Chrift was to choose his Apostles and fend them forth, he makes a preparation by fitting up all night in prayer: And it's a very feemly thing for people that are at any time to choose a Minister, that they should fpend much time in prayer and feeking to God. Indeed for the choyce of civill Officers, or of any that shall be but by way of affiftance to the civill Magiftrate; There is not need of fo much folemnity, but if it be for the choyce of thofe that shall exercise the power of Chrift in the adminiftring of Ordinances, They are to be chofen and brought into their place with a very great folemnity: here it was fo at firft: and fo I find it continued,that if but a Deacon was brought in, (Alts 6.) it was with prayer and impofition of hands; And to Elders much more, if they be for to exercise the power of Chrift, then, (as in Acts 14.) they are with prayer and fafting and impofition of hands brought into their places: It's a folemne and great bufinefle, and all Minifters of God fhould confider of this prayer of Chrift in way of preparation for the Miniftry; Confider of it, and exercife their faith in beleeving the bleng of it upon them: Now whereas Chrift himselfe faith in the 17 John 20. That

he

he prayed not onely for them that were prefent, but for all others after that fhould beleeve : fo certainly, Chrift when he fpent this whole night in prayer, did not pray onely for the 12. Apostles, but for all thofe that thould be in the Miniftery, to preach the Gospel of Chrift to the end of the World: -----But now having spent all the night in prayer, then in the morning the firft thing he doth, is to choose his twelve Apostles, and when he hath done, he feeing the multitude come to him, doth a little retire himfelfe from them and falls a preaching, and preaches this excellent and notable Sermon, that we are now beginning to fpeak of: After Chrift had been all night up, yet next day he falls a preaching;-You fee Chrift is nor fo tender of his body; Thofe that had been tender over him,would have been ready to fay that he should go and feepe, what thall he tire and wear our his bodyshaving lat up all night, and spent himfelfe in prayer? (as there's no exercite that is more fpen-ding to the body then prayer) yet after all this, the next morning Chrift he takes this opportunity and falls a preaching.

Teaching thus much that the Minifiers of the Gospel should not be too nice and dainty of their bodyes, not to be alwayes whyning and complayning of the weaknefle of body, and fpending of themselves, (and fuch things) but if there be opFortunity given for fervice they thould be ready to take ic although it thould be a wearineffe and spending, what if it fhould fhotten their dayes a little while, is it not all one to do a great deale of good in a little time, or to do a little good in a great deale of time; to doe a great deale ina little time is the more comfortable: A mans life is to be reckoned according to his fervice, not according to how many years he lives: Chrift he preaches this long Sermon (the longeft that ever he he did preach for ought we know) and it was the morning after he had been up all the night a praying.

Further obferve, from this time of the Sermon of Chrift: what a notable Sermon doth Jefus Chrift Preach, after he had been thus praying, It's a moft heavenly Sermon: And that prayer that he had a little before he dyed, from the, 14.

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