that these things belong not to us for that Authority which was in Kings under the Old Testament is now translated if you will believe those Doctors unto the Priests under the New But what man of sense can entertain this wild fancy that Kings under the Government of Christ are in a worse Condition than they were in under the Discipline of Moses Or that Christ should single out Kings of all other men to be injurious to them and deprive them of their former rights when he left every body else in the very same estate wherein he found them Was this our Saviours business when he came to reign over the Gentiles to strip their Princes of their Prerogatives and lessen their Power and Authority over their Subjects How detestable would the Apostles have been if they had broached this Doctrine when they went out to convert the World Or shall we be so impious as to think that St. Paul equivocated or had some mental Reservation when he Commanded every Soul in the Roman Church to be subject to the higher Powers Mark I beseech you it is upon the Church of Rome that he presses this Doctrine Chapter xiii of this Epistle more than upon any other Church whatsoever as if he foresaw there would be an Apostasie among them from this Faith Let every Soul be subject though thou beest an Apostle and the Bishop of Rome I hope was never greater than so though an Evangelist though a Prophet or whatsoever thou beest thou must be subject as S. Chrysostome whose words these are faithfully expounds the Apostles honest meaning And so Christian Princes long after his time understood him and did not fear both to assume this Authority and to justifie it when they had done so after the same manner that we do by the Example of the Kings that ruled over the People of God before the Coming of Christ Witness to name one for all Charles the Great a Prince as great in Ecclesiastical Policy as in Feats of Arms who in his Preface to his Capitulary tells the Clergy of the Empire That he had sent his Deputies to them that they by his Authority might together with them correct what stood in need of amendment according to the Example of the godly King Josias who endeavoured saith he to restore the Kingdom which God had given him to the Service of the true God by going about it by correcting and admonishing it as we read in the xxiii Chapter of the Second Book of the Kings And they had been very much to blame if they had not taken this pains For as the forenamed S. Chrysostome admirably speaks in a Sermon of his recorded by one of the writers of his Life * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Georgius Alexandrius Tom. Ult. p. 265. The Care appertaining to Kings is not so much about War as about the Church not so much about Political Affairs as about the Church with whose Preservation and Safety God having been pleased to intrust them he expects they should be as angry with those who would Adulterate his Worship therein setled as Moses was with Aaron when he had made the Golden Calf That very example is sufficient to shew the Authority which the Civil Magistrates have in matters of Religion With which they ought not to part no more than they would with their Crowns nor to suffer their people to be deprived of these Holy Books wherein they may read these things and thereby be so throughly possest with a sense of their high Authority that they may never be Debauched from their Duty But of that more presently IV. Let us first hear what the next exception of the Manichees was aginst the Scriptures written aforetime which they said were unprofitable to teach men good manners nay were destructive and contrary to them There are two parts you see of this wicked suggestion the first of which is so directly confuted by St. Paul in another place that one would think these men never read the New Testament at all nor the Old for any other end than to carp at it and frame Objections against it For in 2 Tim. iii. 16. he expressly saies that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All Scripture speaking of the Old for not much of the New was then extant given by inspiration of God is profitable for Doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in Righteousness Upon which words you may be pleased to take this short gloss All Holy Learning consists in being wise and in being good in acquiring of both which the Scriptures being Divinely inspired give us singular assistance As for the first Christian Wisdom it consists in knowing the Truth and in rejecting Falshood Now behold how profitable the Scriptures are in both regards For they are profitable for Doctrine which is teaching the Truth and for reproof which is confuting the falsehood of Error And then for the Second learning to be good that consists of two parts more as the Prophets instruct us to cease to do Evil and to learn to do Well To both which ends also the Apostle affirms the Holy Scripture is profitable for correction that is when we do amiss and for instruction in Righteousness to make us do better And that I may add not only by its Precepts but by its Examples examples which strongly excite and quicken us to our duty and which mightily deter and withold us from doing wickedly I shall only mention some of the latter sort which are drawn up to my hand by St. Paul in the next Epistle 1 Cor. x. where he sets before that Church the example of the ancient Israelites with many of whom God was not well pleased for they were overthrown in the Wilderness after he had brought them out of the bondage of Egypt v. 5. And lest they should think themselves unconcern'd in such stories he adds v. 6. Now these things were our examples to the intent that we should not Lust after evil things as they also Lusted Neither be ye Idolaters as were some of them as it is written The people sat down to Eat and Drink and rose up to Play Neither let us commit Fornication as some of them committed and fell in one day three and twenty thousand Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them tempted and were destroyed of Serpents Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer Now all these things hapned unto them for Examples and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the World are come So he concludes after the same manner as he began this pathetical discourse Which we ought to lay to heart and apply to our selves as much as if he had told us in other words which are but an explication of these I would not willingly have you abuse your selves with false Opinions and therefore do not imagine I beseech you that these things which were done so long ago do not belong to you or that the
Great who comprehends all that I have said in a few words in his Sermon of Faith * Tom. II. pag. 251. It is a manifest falling of Faith and may be justly charged with Pride either to reject any thing that is written or to introduce and bring in over and above any thing that is not written This was the ancient Catholick Doctrine which it is the Interest let me take the boldness to say as well as the Duty-of-Christian Kings and Princes above all other men to assert and maintain For by these Holy Books their Authority is as strongly supported as by the pretended Traditions of the Roman Church it is notoriously undermined and subverted Upon which account it is a point of their greatest Wisdom not only to keep these Books in their Peoples hands but to encourage nay command the conscientious reading of them that they may there learn how plainly they are taught and how Religiously they are bound to fear honour and obey their Sovereigns even though they were Pagans much more when they are Christians Of which Liberty if they suffer their People to be deprived they shall soon be taught that they owe no further respect to their Princes than it pleases the Bishop of Rome to allow them Who from the Dignity of a particular Bishop and Pastor of Souls is raised to be a Worldly Monarch above all Kings and Emperours by sewing several patches and shreds to the ancient Christian Doctrine under the Name of Traditions For nothing is more apparent in History than this that as the Bishop of Rome's Greatness increased so Traditions were still more and more multiplyed which in process of time were more recommended than the Scriptures themselves and more Religiously observed There is another Reason also why Princes should keep the Holy Books open before their Subjects eyes and suffer no Man to shut them and seal them up Because it plainly appears by them that their Persons and Office are Sacred not a mere humane Institution but the Ordinance of God by whom Kings reign and by vertue of whose Laws they demand Obedience The contrary to this is taught by the Popes Creatures and will soon be obtruded for Christian Doctrine if the Holy Scriptures be laid aside Bellarmine for instance in his Book against Barclay maintains that their Power proceeds not from God but is the Institution of Man Conformable to that memorable Maxim of Father Binet in a Discourse of his with the famous Casaubon * Epist ad Frontonem Ducaeum p. 209. about the business of Garnet which he calls the Immortal God to witness is true That it were better all Kings should perish than the Seal of Confession so much as once be violated for the Authority of Kings is by Humane Right but Confession by Divine Which sounds so horridly in all true Christian ears that it is hard to find any thing more contrary to common Reason and to the Holy Scriptures among that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Andraeas Caesariensis calls them * Cap. IV. in Apocalyps that crazed stupid Tribe of Manichees whose Frenzies I have in part represented But this is not a place to lay open this Mystery of Iniquity whereby Kings are almost Dethron'd and manifestly deprived of that which assures their Crowns and their Lives far more than the constant Guard of their Bodies or the most powerful Armies they can raise For though by those they may strike terror into their Subjects minds it is only the Sense of God that can frame their hearts to Obedience Then the Fidelity of Subjects will be firm and unmovable when it is incorporated into Piety and accounted a part of Religion a necessary piece of that Service which we owe to God Almighty For which end the Scriptures must lye open before the People that there they may read their Duty and have their Souls moulded into a Sense of God and not merely receive such Impressions as the Interests of men shall be pleased to stamp upon them I conclude all with those Notable words of S. Chrysostome in his Second Homily upon S. Matthew where he justifies what I have said from the words of St. Paul before mentioned It is a great fault in Christian People that they do not Read the Scriptures but to think it is a needless and superfluous thing to read them is a far greater Crime This is language of the Devils invention for do you not hear what S. Paul sayes That these things were written for our Instruction God grant we may in such wise hear read mark learn and inwardly digest them that we may bring forth Fruit with Patience and do our Duty so faithfully to Him to our Sovereign to one another and to all men that in the end we may attain Everlasting Life through Jesus Christ our Lord To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be given by us and by all others all Honour Glory and Praise both now and for evermore Amen FINIS
A SERMON PREACHED Before the KING ON THE Second SUNDAY in ADVENT Decemb. viii 1678. BY SYMON PATRICK D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to His MAJESTY Published by His Majesties Special Command LONDON Printed by J. Macock for R. Royston Bookseller to His most Sacred Majesty 1678. A SERMON PREACHED Before the KING ROMANS xv 4. beginning For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning THE Holy Scriptures are so full a Store-house of all Divine Learning and we are so frequently exhorted to repair thither for our constant Instruction that as there is no Excuse for those who would lock them up from the people of God and not suffer them to look into them so they are no less worthy to be condemned who will not look into them when they may nor take any care to enrich their minds with those heavenly Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge which the Royal Psalmist thought more pretious than thousands of Gold and Silver To correct this Negligence Our Church now calls upon us to pray in the Collect for this Second week in Advent that we may in such wise hear them read mark learn and inwardly digest them that by Patience and Comfort of his holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of Everlasting life which is infinitely more worth than all our present possessions in this World Now that we may do according to our Prayers mark I beseech you the first words of the Epistle for this day which I have now read unto you in which the Apostle commends to us the study of the holy Scriptures from the Benefit we may receive by them even by those parts of them which may seem to you perhaps very barren or little conducing to the Profit of Christian People For First of all we may learn something he tells us for our Christian Instruction out of those Scriptures which were written aforetime in ancient dayes before the Advent or Coming of our Saviour Christ And Secondly this Instruction is to be met withall in every part of these ancient Writings for he sayes Whatsoever things were written heretofore in the Sacred Volumes were written for our learning There is nothing unprofitable nothing needless and superfluous in them but all tends to Edification Nor were they written you may further consider in the Third place for their Benefit alone who lived when they were written but for our learning also who live in the dayes of Christ For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning For the clearer understanding of all which Particulars you may be pleased to observe that these words seem to come in as an Answer to a tacit Objection of such as might fancy the Scriptures of the Old Testament did not appertain to Christians or contained nothing of Christ in them For the Apostle had just before quoted a place out of the Psalms of David and applyed it to our Saviour Who did not please himself but as it is written Psal lxix 9. The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me And then to prevent such an Exception as I now mentioned immediately addes For whatsoever things were written afore time were written for our learning As if he had said Do not tell me that David speaks there concerning himself for though that be true He represented also a greater King than himself and in such words as those Prophesied of the Reproaches and Persecutions of Christ by the Scribes and Pharisees after the same manner that he suffered by Saul and his Servants This plain declaration of the Apostle about the Scriptures written aforetime should have sufficiently secured them one would have thought from all contempt and preserved a due Reverence towards them in the minds of all those who are called by the Name of Christ But so desirous the Malignant Spirit is to have those Holy Books thrown out of peoples hands that he hath stirred up several Sects who have not only aspersed them but utterly rejected them as useless and unprofitable nay dangerous and hurtful In the Answer to whose Allegations I shall fully explain my Text and show how every part of those Holy Books which were written before Christs coming contain something for our learning and instruction And for our clearer proceeding I think it will be necessary to observe that the first Blasphemers of the Scriptures of the Old Testament were they who introduced the Doctrine of two Gods one an Evil being the God of the Hebrews the other a good and gracious being the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ The Ringleader of these in all probability was Simon Magus the Samaritan who was followed by a rabble of vile people such as Basilides Carpocras Valentinus and a number more whose names are not worth the remembring Who though they did not profess his Name yet followed his opinion as Irenaeus * Lib. I. cap. 30. speaks For whosoever they were saith he that Adulterated the Truth and spoiled the Doctrine of the Church they were all the Disciples and successors of this Man No body doubts but the Gnosticks were who are said among the rest of their Doctrines to have had this of a Good God and an Evil God They are the Words of St. Austin †Cap. VI. de Haeres in the conclusion of the account he gives us of their Heresie Which was followed no doubt by Marcion Apelles and their Disciples who openly maintained this to the great scandal of our Religion For from hence I suppose it was that Celsus the Philosopher took occasion to charge Christians with this detestable opinion that they held an Execrable God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 opposite to the great God of all But they cleared themselves so well of this Crimination in their admirable writings that they neither left any colour for it nor any considerable person that durst maintain it Till not long before the dayes of St. Austin there started up a Persian whose surname was Manes who following other ancient Hereticks as St. Austins words are * Cap XLVI de Heres revived this Opinion when it was in a manner dead and buried and from him it was ever after called the Heresie of the Manichees Who held two first Co-eternal principles of all things diverse from and adverse to each other as he also speaks as opposite as Light and Darkness the one a Good the other an Evil Being Now the Doctrine of these men concerning the Holy Scriptures was conformable to their first foul opinion concerning God and may be comprehenped in these Five propositions First they said that the Writings of the Old Testament were from the Evil Principle Secondly that they belong'd only to the Jews not to Christians Thirdly That they were not profitable for the Confirmation of Faith nor Fourthly For the teaching good Manners but rather destructive to them And Lastly That they contradicted the New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus The folly of which if I
may have leave briefly to represent it will be the clearest Explication I can give of these words of St. Paul and let you see how much we may learn even out of the Scriptures which were written aforetime I. The first of them viz. That the Writings of the Old Testament were from the evil Principle the Law and the Prophets being dictated by bad Angels is such a senceless Blasphemy that I should have wholly omitted it were it not for the reason now mentioned that it gives a fair occasion to shew there is something worth our learning even in such Historical passages of the Old Scriptures as seem less instructive For S. Paul having plainly declared that the Law and the Gospel had the same Author when he saith iii. Galat. 24. The Law was our School-master to bring us to Christ proceeds in the next Chapter of that Epistle to illustrate this most elegantly from the History of Abraham who had two Sons iv Gal. 22. the one by a Bond-maid the other by a Free-woman the first of which was born after the Flesh but the other was by Promise Which things saith he v. 24. are an Allegory for these are the two Covenants or Testaments the one from Mount Sinai which gendreth to Bondage the other from Jerusalem or Sion which is free the Mother of us all Where we learn these two things First That even in such historical Relations as these the Apostles read diviner things which they saw there lye hid and concealed For that 's his meaning when he saith these things are an Allegory aliud portendentia as Tertullian expounds it * L. V. contra Marcionem c. 4. a speech about another matter portending something else than at first sight appears For he clearly discerned that under the Names and Actions of Sarah and Hagar Isaac and Ishmael God was pleased to foreshadow what He intended to do in future times both at the giving of the Law and when He sent his Son to preach the Gospel And Secondly we learn that as those two Wives of very different Condition had but one and the same Husband who was the Father of those two Children So the two Testaments the Old and the New which were represented by those two Women belong to one and the same God who brings forth and breeds up his Children under various Dispensations but is the Father of all those who lived piously under the Old Testament as well as of those who live so under the New This is the necessary Consequence of the Apostles Discourse If those two Wives and their Children were an Allegorie of the two Testaments and of those who were born and bred under them then as those two Children had the same Father though different Mothers so the two Testaments have the same Original though they be Dispensations as different as the Bond-woman and the Free There cannot be a more evident Confutation of the false Principles of these Men than this Observation of the Apostle Who in the beginning of this Epistle i. Rom. 1 2. calls himself an Apostle separated unto the Gospel of God which he had promised afore by his Prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. And in the entrance of the Epistle to the Hebrews openly avows that the same God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake unto the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last dayes spoken unto us by his Son But I shall not trouble you any further in so manifest a business having thus far obtained my end which was to shew that the Historical Books are not unuseful but more serviceable than many imagine not merely because they relate the wonderful Providence of God over that People for whose use they were first written in blessing them when they were faithful to him and punishing them when they revolted from him but because they contain many secret Representations of things belonging to the Person and the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ II. The next part of their wicked Doctrine was that the Old Testament did not belong to Christians but only to the Jews This Faustus the Manichee against whom St. Austin wrote XXXIII Books endeavoured to perswade by his Natural Eloquence and smooth way of speaking for which he was famous * See St. Aust Confessions L. V. cap. 3. 6. without any judgment or reason at all For it is directly confuted by the words of my Text as if the Apostle intended to anticipate such an Objection and prevent the entrance of this extravagant Conceit into any bodies mind The absurdity of which appears also farther from hence that the Promises made in the Old Testament belong to us Christians who are therefore concerned in the Testament it self Which is a Consideration to which St. Paul directs us in the Epistle for this day a little below my Text v. 8. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a Minister of the Circumcision sent that is to preach the Gospel unto the Jews for the truth of God to justifie that is the Faithfulness of God who promised to send him as it follows to confirm the Promises made unto the Fathers that is make good those Promises he had passed to them in ancient time among which this was the chief that he would send a Person into the World in the fulness of time in whom all Nations should be blessed So it follows v. 9 10 c. And that the Gentiles might glorifie God for his Mercy as it is written For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles and sing unto thy Name And again he saith Rejoyce ye Gentiles with his People And again Praise the Lord all ye Gentiles c. And again Psaias saith He that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles in him shall the Gentiles trust All which places of the Old Scriptures are alledged to shew that though this was the grand Priviledge of the Jews that God had expressely obliged himself by Promises to their Fathers to send his Son Christ to them of which Promises the Gentiles i. e. People of other Nations were wholly ignorant and knew not a syllable of this Grace yet God intended to be so mercifull as to make all the world partakers of those Promises which the Jews alone had recorded in their holy Books Which the Apostle proves was agreeable to the Books themselves wherein these Promises were contained For they predicted that the Gentiles also should rejoyce in God and praise him and sing unto his Name because Christ the Son of David should reign over them as well as his Ancient People and they should place their hope and trust in him This he urges from more places of the Old Scriptures as well of the Law of Moses as of the Prophets and Psalms as you will find if you take the pains to examine them than he alledges for the proof of any one thing whatsoever for this great reason That the Gentiles might be the more confirmed