depart He then that deales treacherously with his wife by taking another while she liues is guiltie not onely of sinne against her but also against GOD and he should be so guiltie though he were diuorced diuorce may goe so farre as to part their companie for a time but it dissolues not the bond of Matrimonie no though both sides be willing to haue it dissolued they may renounce their owne right they cannot renounce Gods without his consent the Obligation which he layeth vpon them cannot be cancelled he that marrieth a second wife euen after diuorce deales treacherously for marriage implyes indiuiduam vitae consuetudinem so strait a tye that whom God hath conioyued Math. 19. 1 Cor. 7. no man can put asunder and diuorce was granted onely for the hardnesse of the Iewes hearts therefore they that are diuorced must be reconciled againe or remaine vnmarried to any other And if it be Adulterie vpon diuorce to marrie againe how much more is it Adulterie to marrie without a diuorce And this is your case which are the Penitent I know you had a faire pretence your wife was lewd she ran from you she was seuen yeeres absent you heard she was dead faire pretences and they doe you this good that they keepe off from you the stroake of seuerer Iustice But though they diminish your fault they doe not altogether excuse it the death of your wife was not hastily to be belieued you should haue legally proued it before you ventred vpon a second match And as for her forsaking you it was a foule fault but you ought not to haue recompenced euill with euill and become an Adulterer because she was an Adulteresse if you will partake of her sinne you must partake of her punishment at least in part The full punishment of Adulterie is verie great temporall eternall in this life MOSES Law did cut off Adulterers by death Leu. 20. and if the Adulterer be a Polygamist our Law also excepting in some cases inflicteth death vpon him 1 Cor. 5. The Apostles Canon doth excommunicate him Neither is an Adulterer onely punishable in this world his case is much worse in the world to come for the Apostle threatens it with eternall death except they repent 1 Cor. 6. Hebr. 13. God himselfe will iudge Adulterers and they shall neuer enter into the Kingdome of Heauen Make you then good vse of this your Ecclesiasticall penance that so you may preuent GODS eternall vengeance There is one clause more in this second branch of the Exhortation whereat I will touch and so end The person against whom the Iowe offended is here called the wife of his youth he marryed her in his younger yeeres and now in his elder set his affection vpon some other It is thought that the Iewes returning from Captiuitie brought with them their wiues poore in state worne and withered in their bodyes with carking and caring and that thereupon to relieue their wants and satisfie their lusts with richer and fairer women they fell to these second matches And indeed pouertie and deformitie are shrewd temptations to worldly and carnall men but this phrase teacheth that the woman whom a man loueth in youth he must loue her in age the longer they haue beene wedded the more must be their loue and it is a greater fault to play false with an old wife then with a young bride Men must euer keepe in mind the promise they made at their marriage I take thee to my wedded wife to haue and to hold for better for worse for richer for poorer in sicknesse and in health till death vs doe part But I end and SOLOMON shall make my conclusion Prou. 2. Drinke waters out of thine owne cisterne and running waters out of thine owne well Let the fountaines be dispersed abroad and riuers of waters in the streetes Let them be onely thine owne and not strangers with thee Let the fountaine be blessed and reioyce with the wife of thy youth Let her be as the louing Hind and pleasant Roe Let her breasts satisfie thee at all times and be thou rauisht alwayes with her loue And why wilt thou my sonne be rauisht with a strange woman and embrace the bosome of a stranger For the wayes of man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his doings Let vs all walke in the Spirit and not in the Flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof So shall God blesse vs and our posteritie here on Earth and after this life we shall be reckoned in the number of those Virgines which follow the Lambe wheresoeuer he goeth Amen A SERMON PREACHED AT St CVTBERTS IN WELLES WHEN CERTAINE PERSONS DID PENANCE FOR BEING AT CONVENTICLES WHERE A WOMAN PREACHED 1 TIMOTH 2. VERSE 11 c. 11 Let the woman learne in silence with all subiection 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach nor to vsurpe authoritie ouer the man but to be in silence 13 For Adam was first formed then Eue. 14 And Adam was not deceiued but the woman being deceiued was in the transgression THIS Epistle is a Booke of Ecclesiasticall Canons therein St PAVL doth instruct TIMOTHIE Bishop of Ephesus how he should guid his censures in regard as well of the discipline as the doctrine of the CHVRCH Amongst others in this Chapter we haue two Canons which serue to correct the mis-beuauiour of Christian women Their mis-behauiour was twofold They did glorie in the monument of their shame and they aduanced themselues aboue the condition of their sex The monument of shame is Apparell for there was no need thereof while we were cloathed with Innocencie but when the conscience of our sinne made vs loathsome in our eyes then did we betake our selues vnto this couert to hide our vile selues from our counfounded senses we put on cloathes Vpon this ground St PAVL tels women I may adde men also for we liue in an age wherein it is hard to say whether in cloathes men grow more womannish or women more mannish but here St PAVL tels women that if they will be gaye and fine indeed they must attire themselues according to that fashion whereinto God at first put them not according to that which sinne hath forced vpon them they must adorne themselues not with the burnished and embelished elements or rather excrements of this lower world but with the graces and vertues that come from Heauen so shall they haue a conuersation well suited with their profession and make themselues louely in the eyes as well of God as men This is the summe of the first Canon the Canon that corrects womens glorying in the monument of shame which is their Apparell To this St PAVL adds a second which corrects their aduancing themselues aboue their sexe and it is contained in those words which now I haue read vnto you The better to vnderstand this Canon we must resolue it into a Rule and the Reason which the Apostle giues for the same In the
vnto vs confusion of faces to our God also belonge Mercies and forgiuenesse though we bee plunged deepe in Miserte and Sinnes Cause thy face O Lord to shine vpon vs thy seruants and let not our sinnes seperate betweene thee and vs remit the Guilt purge the Corruption of vs miserable sinners which doe not present our supplications before thee for our owne Righteousnesse but for thy great Mercies though our sinnes witnesse against vs yet deale with vs according to thy Name for great are thy Mercies AMEN PSAL. 51. ver 3. For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sinne is euer before mee THis Psalme as heretofore you haue heard consists of two Vowes both were made by King Dauid one for himselfe another for his Kingdome the first doth expresse his Desire and his Promise his Desire to bee restored vnto and preserued in the state of Grace his Promise if hee speede hereof to performe religious seruice vnto God In the former Petition of his Desire there are two remarkeable things the Matter contained in it and the Manner of King Dauids redoubling it of the Matter I haue already spoken wherefore I now come on vnto the Manner And herein we must obserue first the Inference then the Amplification that is how that which followeth is brought in vpon that which goeth before and how King Dauid enlargeth himselfe in vnfolding the Confession of his owne Miserie and Petition for Gods Mercy In the Inference we shall learne that as God hath Mercy so it is for such as are sensible of their Miserie in the Amplification we shall learne that hee which is sensible must shew himselfe not onely ingenious in displaying his owne wretchednesse but bee assured also of the Remedie which is prouided by Gods Goodnesse But to looke more particularly into the former branch of the Amplification behold therein how King Dauid doth rip vp his sinnes the Branches the Root thereof the sinne which himselfe hath committed and the sinne which hee hath deriued from his Parents hee layeth open both both the Debt and the Vsury so Saint Chrysostom calls them Homil. ad Neophytos Hee beginneth at the sinne which himselfe hath committed he vseth not the querulous Prouerbe of the Iewes the fathers haue eaten sowre Grapes Ier. 34.29 and the Childrens teeth are set onedge the remembrance of his wofull Inheritance doth not make him forget his owne graceles Purchase no hee mindes this first hee first amplifieth the Debt which himselfe hath contracted In laying open this he obserueth two things the naturall Properties thereof and the supernaturall Euent which followeth thereupon the naturall Properties are two a Malignity and an Impiety he handles the Impietie in the next verse the Malignitie in this that I haue now read vnto you Malignity is a vexing euill first there is euill in his sinne hee toucheth a double euill euill of the Heart and euill of the Head of the Heart noted by the word Peshang which signifieth a rebellious inordinatnes of the will of the Head noted by Chata which noteth an erring Iudgement or misleading aduise these two euills are in sinne enormous sinne and where they are there they vexe for they are Coram or Contra before vs or Against vs the word beareth both significations and therefore it is translated both wayes and if we couple them as well we may then you shall finde that enormous sinne committed doth haunt our thoughts and afflict our wills Neither onely doe they so but they doe so incessantly so saith the Text they are Semper Coram Semper Contra Alwaies before vs and Against vs alwaies vexing both our Head and our Heart Of this King Dauid is ingeniously feeling and testifieth the truth of it in his owne Case in his owne Case I say for the sinne which he remembreth is his owne My transgressions My sinnes the disease of mine owne Head and mine owne Heart therefore saith King Dauid I am feeling feeling in my Head and feeling in my Heart for Agnosco I Acknowledge it Acknowledging importeth a worke of the Head which is Noscere to know and a worke of the Heart which is Agnoscere to Acknowledge the vse of knowledge the applying of it to our Liues Neither is King Dauid only feeling hereof but ingenious also in publishing the same for he did Acknowledge it in this Psalme These bee the particulars which offer themselues in this Text and whereunto God willing I shall now speake more fully and answerably vnto this * The 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈◊〉 of Welles Occasion But I must first touch at the Inference and shew you how these and the following words are brought in vpon those that goe before Haue mercy vpon me O Lord c. saith King Dauid for I acknowledge my transgressions c. Obserue then Mans deuotion must follow Gods direction neither may we hope otherwise to speede then we are waranted by his Promise Now God doth not promise Mercy but to those that are feeling of their Miserie in the beginning of the Leiturgie we heare daily out of Ezek. Eâ—c 18.21.22 At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sinne from the bottome of his Heart I will put al His wickednesse out of my remembrance saith the Lord Ioel. 2.13 and therefore out of Ioel we are called vpon to Rent our Hearts and not our Garments and turne vnto the Lord our God because hee is gentle and mercifull patient and of much mercy and such an one as is sorric for our Afflictions Mâ—t. 5.6 to this purpose doth our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell pronounce them Blessed that hunger and thirst after righteousnes saying Mâ—â— 11. â— they shall be satisfied and inuiteth those that Labour and are heauie laden saying he will refresh them Although then wee doe yeeld that the Mercy of God is infinite and that it is readie to releiue all wretches yet wee may not forget that in obtayning it there are Partes nostrae as Chrysostom speaketh there is some thing that God requires on our part hee requires that we approue vnto him our Repentance Saint Austin sets it forth in a prettie Dialogue betweene God and King Dauid Quidergo quaeris miserecordiam pecatum impunitum remanebit what saith God vnto King Dauid doest thou seeke for mercy so that thy sinne may remaine vnpunished Respondet Dauid respondeant Lapsi King Dauid replied and all sinners must ioyne in this answer with King Dauid Non Domine Nay Lord my sinne shall not bee vnpunished I know his Iustice whose mercy I implore my sinne shall not passe vnpunished but therefore would not I haue thee punish it because I doe punish it my selfe and so Chrysostome I see my sinne O Lord therefore doe not thou see it I register it in this Psalme therefore doe thou blot it out of thy Booke Agnosco ignoscas therefore pardon because I am penitent 1. Cor. 11. And indeed it is the Apostles Rule That if we would
iudge our selues wee should not be iudged of the Lord. Yet may we not corrupt this Doctrine as the Church of Rome doth by ouer-valewing mans Penetencie and esteeming it to bee Satisfactorie Satisfactorie I say Dignitatesuâ for any worth that is in it though it may goe for Satisfactorie Dignatione Diuinâ because God is pleased to rest contented with it Paululum supplicij satis est Patri to the Indulgence of a Father small sparkles of Grace make a good satisfaction for a great fault committed by a Child but he were a gracelesse Child that would so mis-conster his Fathers good nature as to deeme a few sorrowing teares a full ransome of his offence Our condition of being Gods children by faith in Christ and the affection of God respecting vs in Christ as his Children are the true ground why God requires no more of vs and he that instead of this Relation plods vpon a proportion betweene his Repentance and Gods vengeance doth not onely corrupt a comfortable Doctrine by his errour but for his pride deserueth to forfeit Gods gracious Pardon Let vs keepe the right path neither ouer-valewing Godly sorrow neither yet neglecting it seeing God hath vouchsafed it so comfortable an effect Let vs all especially you that are the Penitents be feeling of our Miserie that God may releeue vs with his Mercie And let this suffice concerning the Inference I come now to the Amplification to consider so much of it as is contained in this Verse here I told you King Dauid doth display the malignitie of his Sinne. Malignitie is a vexing Euill therefore in the Sin here specified we must obserue first the Euill and then the Vexation thereof and we find a double Euill noted by the two Names that are giuen to the Sinne I haue on former Verses spoken of these words but the present occasion hath made me looke farther into them and obserue moreouer that which is not vnworthy of our knowledge These words then will teach vs that Sinnes especially if they be enormous haue plaine Characters of the Diuell Hee is resembled to a Serpent and to a Lion in regard of the first Christ calleth him a Lier Iohn 8.44 in regard of the last a Murderer and where he instils Sinne hee leaueth the steps of either of these of his Lying in the errour of Mens Iudgements of his Murdering in the Rebelliousnesse of their Affections the second of these is noted by Peshang Lawlesnesse the first by Chata aberration from the scope where at we ayme he desireth not to haue men to halfes he endeauoureth to venome both the fountaines of the reasonable Soule and soldome shall you find a man misled in his Iudgement whose Affections are not violent See the truth of this first in Moralitie then in Diuinitie Let a man bee giuen to Drunkennesse if the Serpent haue taken him by the Head and made him conceiue that that beastly qualitie doth well beseeme a man the Lyon will take him by the Heart and hee will grow mad against those that will not bee as mad as himselfe the bloud that is shed in quarrels of this nature are too dayly proofes of this Truth For vnchastitie you neede no better euidence then the storie of the Sodomites 〈◊〉 1. it is no great matter to gather proofes touching other Morall defects but the occasion remembreth me especially to instance in matters of Diuinitie here you shall see if euer that the enemie of mankind hath left the markes of either of his Persons How the Serpent preuailed against the Pharisees hee knoweth not the Gospell that doth not know Christ doth therein discouer manifold errours of their Iudgement and that the Roaring Lyon had entred their Hearts is witnessed by their persecuting of Christ and his Apostles how fouly the Arians were deceiued concerning the Deitie of Christ we read in the storie of the first Nicene Councell and in the Ecclesiasticall storie we read how barbarous how bloudy they were as the Serpent had bit them so the Lyon raged in them come on to the Papists is not their erronious Iudgement accompanied with most furious Affections As they are not ashamed to put the Diuels properties into their Creede teaching an Art of periurious Lying and Meritorious Murdering so doe they act them both publishing Lyes by their tongues and pennes and practising Murders by their inchanted Assasinates the Gunpowder-treason is a Monument hereof to their eternall infamie The Anabaptists came fairely after them whose opinions were not more grosse then their dealing seditious not so few as a hundred thousand persons perished while with their Rebellious sword they laboured to make good the forgerie of their braine they made it plaine that as well the Lyon as the Serpent had taken possession of them This the Germaine stories relate at large And our owne stories will tell vs that wee haue not wanted some that haue beene kinne vnto them Hackets Coppingers and others that though they haue not gone so farre yet had gone farther then beseemes those whose profession is truth and practise should bee obedience they haue receiued nay they haue vented some thing of the Serpent and some thing of the Lyon I thinke you see by this time what I meane I meane to lance the sores of these Penitents to let it appeare that the Serpent hath got into their Head and the Lyon into their Hearts They haue had a false light that deluded their Iudgement and an vnkind heat that hath warmed their Affections they haue scanted Gods bountie in permitting vnto vs the vse of his creatures and entertained a Iewish conceit of the vnlawfulnesse of eating bloud And as their opinions haue beene erroneous in regard of Christian libertie so haue they beene also concerning Ecclesiasticall societie thinking they may seperate themselues from the Church if those whom they esteeme irreligious liuers be not excommunicated by Ecclesiasticall censures yea so farre hath the Serpent preuailed as to make them if not denie at least to doubt of the Lawfulnesse of the Leiturgie the Ministrie yea to question the very Root of all the Ecclesiasticall Authoritie both of Prince and Pastors So farre hath the Serpent beene with them And if He get in before the Lyon will follow after and indeede he hath followed in them for what Auctoritie haue they not set at naught Ecclesiasticall Ciuill either of them more then once and trod vpon them more waies then one and how Lyon-like they would haue beene if they had had power answerable to their will God knoweth the proofe wee haue had of others may make vs iustly suspect the worst This onely I wish them to take to themselues that in their Sinne there was this double Euill and if they do not therein discerne this dou ble Euill they doe not as they ought looke into their Sinne which not withstanding they should doe because so to doe is the first step of Repentance The second step doth consider the vexation that doth accompanie this Euill
As it seiseth vpon the Head and vpon the Heart so doth it vexe them both for it is Coram Nobis and Contra Nos both before vs and Against vs. The word Neged doth containe both Praepositions and therefore the Interpreters haue differed in their Translations but because sin cannot be before a Penitent but it will bee Against him therefore will I conioyne them both I will shew you that it doth haunt our Thoughts and afflict our Hearts Sinne then is fitly resembled vnto a Harlot painted that her countenance may by art worke what by nature it could not doe while she doth wooe her Louers that which she offereth to their view is the paynting but when she hath drawne them into her snare she giueth theÌ„ leaue then to see hir natiue hue she reuealeth then what before shee concealed Euen so sinne hath a faire out-side but the inside thereof is foule it puts on the one to allure but when men are allured then it sheweth them the other wee are easily tempted to the Act of sinne for pleasure maketh vs swallow the bait when the Act is determined the sight of the pleasure vanisheth but the sight of the guiltie corruption abideth by vs the painting is quickly wiped off and the vglinesse thereof appeares and the Angell of light is quickly turned into an Angel of darkenesse though wee striue to cast our sinnes behind vs will we nill we they will thrust themselues before vs. And why Hom 3i in Cap. 12. ad Hebraeoâ—â— they are grauen in Memoriâ Conscientiae as Chrysostome calls it they are registred in the Booke of Conscience which we are forced to read euen when we would be most glad to be rid of it but the relation thereof cannot be supprest our thoughts cannot be freed from it And this is the first vexing propertie of sinne it doth vexe our Thoughts But not our Thoughts only it vexeth our Hearts also it is not onely Coram but Contra not onely Before vs we cannot but thinke of it but also Contra Nos In Psal 35. we cannot but be tormented with it Saint Ambrose saith it is Vltrix Imago a verie Furie it is a Hell going before Hell and rackes vs before wee are put vpon the racke the Harlot suddainely turneth into a souldier and giueth vs as many deadly wounds as she gaue vs counterfeit kisses Chap. 20. verse 12. Chap. 1. Iob expresseth it in a verie fine Similie Wickednesse is sweet in the mouth and the wicked hideth it vnder his tongue but this meate in his bowells is turned it is the gall of Aspes the Wiseman speaketh it plainely Men entertaine sinne as a frend and make a Couenant with it but what is the issue it consumeth them and bringeth them vnto naught and as Saint Peter speaketh 1. Pet. 2. it fighteth against their Soules Neither is this vexing momentanie it vexeth Semper Alwaies Alwaies Before Alwaies Against a Sinner is the double Euill of sinne in the night in the day in prosperitie in aduersitie while hee is alone while hee is in companie a sinner that is rowsed to see his sinne cannot but be vexed with the Euill thereof Nec prius hi stimuli mentem quam vita relinquent Quique dolet citius quam dolor ipse Cadet The torments will not end before death and in the Reprobate after death this Vexation shall be much increased But of this Vexation more anon when I come to couple the first part of the Text with this latter Let vs come on then to King Dauids ingeneous feeling of this Malignitie Malignitie of his owne sinne And indeed it is his owne Sinne that he is feeling of Many studie sin and they can see euill enough in it but it is other mens sinne in other mens eyes Moates seeme Beames Mat. 7.3 but Beames in our owne eyes seeme not so much as Moates most men are like the Laodiceans thinke themselues Rich encreased in goods that they want nothing euen then when they are poore blind naked and miserable as Christ tells that Church Reuel 3. Hereupon it is Luke 18. that they come to God like Pharisees with I thanke God I am not like vnto other men but King Dauid choose rather to play the Publican to looke into his owne sores his errors his rebellions to amplifie his owne sinnes and fit them with their proper names to note the diseases of his owne Head and of his owne Heart It were to be wished that you that are Penetents had taken the same course You haue traduced your Pastors for the Diseases of their Head and reproached them by the names of Baals Priests you haue traduced your Brethren for the Diseases of their Hearts and doomed them as vnworthy of the Communion of Saints and see how God hath rewarded your Pride he hath suffered the Diuell to wound you both in Head and Heart he hath made you spectacles of those diseases which you condemned in others Rom. 7. they may presse you with that question of Saint Paul Thou that makest thy boast of the Law by breaking the Law dishounerest thou God And vpbraid you with the Prouerbe Luke 4.24 Physician heale thy selfe And it is a good warning that may be taken by vs all not to studie others before we haue studied our selues and not to let our censure passe against any more seuerely then against our selues so did King Dauid in his practise of Repentance and so must we we must looke into our owne Case not onely so we must bee feeling thereof also so much is meant by the word Acknowledging Acknowledge doth implie knowledge and adde thereunto the vse therof To vnderstand this we must obserue that for the ordering of our life God doth furnish vs with two helpes the one is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie or note the Principles whereby wee doe distinguish good and euill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 noteth the Application of these Principles to our Actions the first you may call Morall knowledge the second Morall Acknowledgement the latter cannot bee without the former and the former should not be without the latter But to touch at either of these for our present occasion God hath set downe those Principles which he thought expedient to guide a Christian Resolution but two Euils haue ouer-taken the Church The Papists they breed vp the people in an ignorant Deuotion and care not how litle they know the true grounds of Conscience but bid them rest contented with an Implicite Faith and rest their Soules vpon the Authoritie of the Church they offend in Parum in ouer-scanting of the peoples knowledge But the Separatists runne into the other extreame they offend in Nimium attribute too little to the Church and exceed in knowledge or fancies which they suppose to be Diuine knowledge And what maruell When leauing the guides of their owne Church then whom since the Apostles dayes God hath not raised vp in any
these good precedents they that are honoured to bee Gods messengers must learne that it beseemes Referendaries to keepe themselues to their instructions and deliuer so much as and no more then they haue receiued in charge But to speak a litle more distinctly to this point The message did consist of two branches First That which God required Secondly That which God offred Moses that did deliueral Gods Cōmandements deliuered both these branches he informed them of their dutie aswell as of Gods mercy and of Gods mercy no lesse then of their dutie And indeed both are requisite to be taught our dutie that wee doe not presume Gods mercie that we doe not despaire omit either and you may me the doctrine of Gods Couenant There is also committed vnto vs the Law and the Gospel the one to humble the other to comfort men we ought to conioyne both and you must be content to heare of your dutie aswell as of Gods mercie We preach them both to our people the Papists charge vs with taking from the doctrine of the Couenant but the bookes of our Confession the Articles and Catechismes and the booke of our Deuotion our publike Lyturgie and finally the Homilies which are appointed to be read vnto the people refute this slander But wee iustly charge them with adding to the doctrine of the Couenant the bookes Apochryphall and their vngrounded Traditions and wee remember them of that saying of Salomon Pro◠30 v. 6. adde not to Gods Word lest he reprooue thee and thou be found a liar And what wee haue censured in them are nothing else but the forgeries of mens braines which may not bee reputed the Oracles of God Therefore though we call vpon you dutifully to heare and receiue aswell what God requires as what hee promiseth yet as necessarily to saluation wee doe not wee should not call vpon you to heare more then he requires or to beleeue more then he promiseth But enough of Moses Fidelitie Let vs now see his Wisdome As hee dischargeth himselfe fully so doth hee discharge himselfe clearely also For he laid all that God commanded him before the faces of the Elders Nec incautis nec nescientibus ingeritur Lex Here first we meete with a strange phrase for can words bee laid before mens faces you would expect that the Text should haue said Moses spake that which God commanded in the eares of the people and here wee find their eares turned into eyes When the Holy Ghost meaneth euidence of speech it vseth to expresse it in such significant tearmes Saint Paul telling the Galathians of his perspicuous preaching the Gospell vnto them 〈◊〉 3. v 1. saith that Iesus Christ was described in their sight and crucified before them Although the Holy Ghost doe speake to some in Parables Mat 13. that in hearing they may heare and not vnderstand which he doth in punishment of their contempt of euident truth which hath beene laid before them Mat. 6. because as the Prouerbe is Pearles are not to bee cast vnto swine nor holy things vnto dogs yet to those that heare with a reuerent and an obedient eare Mat. 13. ◠11. Datum est nosse mysteria regnicoelorum the Parables are vnfolded the mysteries of the Kingdome of heauen are laid before their face To open this point a little better We must distinguish the Couenant of God from the Illustrations and Amplifications thereof The Couenant it selfe both Old and New is plainly deliuered whether you respect that which God requires or that which Godoffers aswel in this chapter as in other parts of the Bible But there are many Illustrations and Amplifications of either of these Typicall Mysticall darke and hard to be vnderstood which the people cannot vnderstand without an Interpreter ea which the Interpreter himselfe cannot vnderstand without manifold helpe helpe of Deuotion that Gods Spirit may inlighten him and helpe of Meditation painfully scanning and comparing the branches of the Text with other places finally helpe of Varietie of humane literature which giueth great light sometimes to the phrase sometimes to the matter in hand But aboue al in matters necessarie to saluation we follow Catholike Tradition This we say And yet the wrangling Romanists beare the World in hand that wee say there is no difficultie in the Scriptures and that for their guide wee referre the people only to their priuate Spirit which are grosse vntruths We encourage the people to read the Scripture and tell them that though there bee some depths therein wherein an Elephant may swimme yet there are some such shallowes wherein a Lambe may wade The simplest may meete there with all parts of their Catechisme the ten Commandements the Articles of their Creed the Lords Prayer the Sacraments These points containe the substance of the Couenant and they are plainly deliuered there And more then these are not necessarie to saluation Some may haue more some lesse vnderstanding of these according to their breeding yet all should vnderstand these And for this purpose did Moses and the Prophets Christ and his Apostles and the Fathers of the Primitiue Church commend vnto the people the reading of the Scriptures But we aduise them to leaue vnto the learned at least to learne of them to vnderstand those things that are vailed and soberly to edifie their pietie with these things which they shall find there vnuailed or laid before their faces I haue done with the deliuerie of the Message I come now to the Answere that is made thereunto And here we are to take notice first Who maketh it the whole Congregation The people answered But doe not you remember that the Message was deliuered to the Elders why then doe the People answere Surely because the Elders receiued it to deliuer it to the people and therefore not only the Elders but the people also were to make an answere Some are of opinion that the Elders were the representatiue bodie of all the people and that their consent was the consent of all and that all were bound by that which they did as in Parliaments the chosen Knights and Burgesses in Synods the chosen Proctors of the Clergie haue such obliging voices Which conceit the Romanists wrest so farre as therupon to make the tenents of the Elders of the Church the ground of the peoples faith to which purpose they also abuse the maxime of Cyprian Ecclesia est in Episcopo The Church subsisteth in the Bishop vbi non sunt Sacerdotes Ecclesia non est The same premises serue aswell to conclude for the Lyturgie in an vnknowne tongue and for their priuate Masse For if the people may beleeue because their Bishops beleeue they may aswell as indeed they doe serue God in the Priest and in the Priest they may communicate without any their priuitie to what hee doth or any their cooperation with him from which they are necessarily excluded by priuate Masses and vnknowne Prayers But the reason why the people are said to
carried in a Cart but vpon mens shoulders and for neglecting that was he stricken dead as you may gather by the correcting of that fault in the very same Chapter Neither would Dauid haue beene displeased with Vzaes death if he had sooner knowne this 1. Sam. 6. nor the Bethshemites would neuer haue asked this question Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God when that more then fiftie thousand were slaine for looking into the Arke For God had prouided Numb â— that the Leâ—ites that bare it should not come neere till the sonnes of Aaron had wrapt it in three or foure couerings if before that they touched it they were to die How much lesse might the promiscuous multitude behold it and not suffer for their presumption Two affections there are Loue and Feare which must order our respect towards God and the lesse we are apt to loue God the more doth God take order we should feare him And Seueritie is neuer more seasonable then when the first foundation of a State is laid as this of Israel now was for if Lawes be then slighted they will neuer be obeyed and awe well begun in the people is like to be the longer liued Therefore will God haue Iustice so quicke in this case But here is not only death denounced but such a death as belongeth to an execrable thing For first all men must abborre the person so I vnderstand the phrase No hand shall touch it Though some conceiue thereby that all rescuing of the malefactor is forbidden But that sense though it bee good yet is not so naturall to my text This rather is meant that no man must desile himselfe by touching him who by his presumption had made himselfe abominable For as hee that being himselfe impure touching holy things in the Law maketh them prophane and abominable so he that being otherwise pure intrudeth vpon holy ground or â—surpeth holy things makes his owne person abominable And none is reputed of God more abominable then he that is sacrilegiously presumptious Though no man must touch him yet euery mans hand must be against him they must stone him with stones or shoot him through If neare then must they stone him with stones if farther off from them then they must shoot him with darts euery hand must trie euery meanes rather then they must suffer the malefactors to scape And hee must needs be an execrable person against whom God doth arme the hands of all the people with iustice Finally note that this doome is vnpardonable the very phrase importeth as much Moriendo morietur non viuet these words note a peremptorinesse in the sentence You haue the like in Ezech. 18. as the contrarie thereunto in that place He shall liue hee shall not die noteth a certaintie of life We must take heed of corrupting the phrase as Eue did Gen. 3. who when God told Adam At what time thou shalt eate of the forbidden fruit moriendo morieris Thou shalt surely die she turned the phrase which was vndoubted into a peraduenture and told the Serpent lest yee die And see our weaknesse Commonly in doubtfull cases wee incline to the worst she did but doubt she might not doe it the Deuill putteth her out of all doubt and telleth her shee may doe it It is not good therefore for vs to play the wantons with Gods threatnings if we meane to hold in our vntoward nature from sinning we must vnderstand them in that rigour as God doth deliuer them Euery man must For here is Quicunque no respect of persons none of the people none of the Priests as many as are forbidden to sinne so many are threatned the doome Neither haue the great any priuiledge to doe ill and farewell all shall fare as they doe Neither only men but beasts also you haue heard before they were forbidden to transgresse so here you see if they doe transgresse they are doomed to die The master shall bee punished in the losse of his beast because hee looked not better to him and the beast shall bee punished because it had ventured to prophane holy ground for I told you before that euen beasts were tied to doe reuerence to the Sanctuarie Man and beast must die if they transgresse die by the hands of the Israelites But a malefactor may yet hope that the people will bee foolishly pitifull at least great ones may thinke they may find as much fauour as Agag did at the hands of Saul What then shall they escape shall Gods doome bee reuerst it shall not bee reuerst they shall not scape The Lord shall breake forth against the greatest of them Gods iustice is fenced with mercie and his mercie is as it were a bulwarke betweene vs and his iustice but if so bee our sinnes grow to this height it will not be held in And when it rusheth forth it is like an ouerbearing flash of lightning which flieth not abroad without a fearefull clap of thunder it terrifieth and destroyeth together But more of that hereafter There remaine two points more which I will touch in a word The first This prohibition is often repeated here we haue it in my text and we haue it once and againe towards the end of this Chapter you would thinke this superfluous Moses himselfe thought so he seemeth somewhat discontented with God for inculcating it so often But Moses was but a Nouice in gouernment therefore he thought once telling was enough Dan 7 9. God which is the ancient of dayes and throughly acquainted with mans infirmitie knowes that his forgetfulnesse his vntowardlinesse needeth be remembred he must be vrged more then once and often is not more then enough to worke our care and keepe vs in awe See then Gods clemencie that doth not hold his tongue in warning that hee may hold his hand in striking Wee are no better then the Israelites neither doe wee lesse neede reiterated warnings then the Israelites did the Minister therefore must not bee secure of his charge but suspect these defects in them and redouble his admonitions to them As Moses added a Deuteronomie to the former Bookes of the Law though he repeated but the same thing and the Euangelists added Gospel vpon Gospel of the same argument and the Apostles added Epistles to Epistles not much varying their doctrine So it must not grieue vs to write and speake the same things to the people and for them it is a sure thing as the Apostle teacheth Philip 3. v. 1. The last point sheweth how this prohibition is limited in time When the Trumpet soundeth long then shall they come vp to the Mount It is disputed whether these words point out the time wherein the Israelites must come out to meete God and then come vp the Hill is but to come to the foot of the hill whether Moses brought them Or whether it point the time when God would goe from the Mount and leaue it free to be resorted vnto by man and beast This
Kingdome so many and so worthy they commit themselues vnto obscure Guides that either lurke in corners or flie their Countrie No Bookes are for their eyes but those which are of their penning and they that scorne our Apocryphalls what Apocryphall writings doe they dote vpon And as no writings please them but such so no mens Sermons but theirs can edifie them and indeed they doe edifie but it is a Babel their sancies are no better then that Tower of confusion and yet to dwell in that they will forsake Hierusalem it selfe I will not amplifie your fault that are Penitents but a man may guesse at the modell of your knowledge by your Librarie by the Bookes any may guesse what Principles you follow not of your owne Church but of Conuenticles and this is that that hath made you Schismatickes hence forward you shall doe well to take your light from those Starres whom God hath placed in this Church especially seeing they refuse not to let those who with modestie desire to bee resolued see that their Light is deriued from the Sunne of Righteousnesse and that as Faithfull Stewards they presse nothing to the Consciences of their fellow seruants but that for which they haue warrant from their Master Christ wherein they differ from the Popish Pastors But Knowledge is not enough Acknowledgement is required also vnto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we must adde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Principles that we haue we must put in vre As our Knowledge must not be Headlesse so must it not bee Heartlesse when we haue gone so farre as that the Light of our vnderstanding can discerne betweene Good and Euill wee must then take care of our Affections that the heate of Grace giue them a good temper that they take a true taste of their Obiects that Loue and Hatred Desire and Feare Hope and Despaire arise out of that which was designed to worke them But to amplifie this a litle farther We should vse knowledge in guiding of our Actions before hand and trie what that is which offereth it selfe to be done before we goe about to doe it If a man were so aduised as timely to moue vnto his soule this question quid ago where about goe I such prouidence if it would not preuent all sinne because of the manifold temptations and mans too naturall infirmitie either in neglecting Grace which he hath or forgetting to pray for Grace which he hath not yet would it put off many a sinne and make vs take lesse content in the sinnes which wee doe not put off yea this would bee a good inducement to the thorough feeling of our slips which is the after vse we must make of our knowledge and is vsually meant by Acknowledgment for what is that but only that if sinne haue preuented our aduisednesse vpon a reuiewe we retract what rashnesse hath committed This is a profitable vse of Knowledge But sinfull soules are now become like corrupt Bodies corrupt bodies haue often times great appetites when they haue but small digestion so many desire much knowledge whereof they put but a little in practice yea as meat that is not digested in the Body doth incumber it and breeds in it many disquieting diseases so if our life bee not the better for our knowledge by our care to expresse it it will be much the worse by our quarrells that we will raise about it Socrates the Ecclesiasticall Historiographer reports a storie of one Pambo Lib. 4. c. 18. a plaine ignorant man such as you the Penitents are who came to a learned Man and desired him to teach him some Psalme hee began to reade vnto him the 39. Psalme when he had past the first verse I said I will looke to my waies that I offend not with my tongue Pambo shut the Booke and tooke his leaue saying that he would goe learne that poynt when hee had absented himselfe certaine moneths hee was demanded by his Reader when he would goe forward he answered that he had not yet learned his old lesson and he gaue the very same answere to one that many yeares after moued the same question I doe not desire that our people should haue so few Sermons the Canons of the Church haue prouided for the people better then so but this I desire that the people would make more vse of that which they learne and let their liues shew that they are the better for the Ministers paines for sure I am that it is their negligence that maketh the Ministers diligence the more needfull and though knowledge be wanting in too many places of the Land yet is Acknowledgement wanting much more the fruit of our paines is so farre from preuenting sinne in the people that we cannot speed so well as to worke a feeling thereof in them when they haue committed it we finde not that tendernesse in their soules which Nathan found in the soule of King Dauid and which King Dauid implies in his Acknowledgment But feeling is not enough that is not all that is meant by Acknowledgement though the feeling bee no lesse in the Heart then it is in the Head Therefore I told you that King Dauids was an ingenious feeling he published what he felt If sinnes bee onely secret then the humiliation of the inward man may suffice in the sight of God it is enough to confesse his faults or in a generalitie to acknowledge them in the publike confession of the Church without specification except the burden of his conscience giue him iust cause to reueale it that he may be relieued by Ghostly counsell but if what he conceiued inwardly hee hath vented outwardly in word or deede to the offence not of God onely but also of the Church then vnto the Confession made vnto God in priuate must bee added a publike also in the face of the Church such was King Dauids sinne and such is King Dauids Confession he testified publikely to the Church the Religious feeling that hee had of his sinnes and this is thereason why I called his dealing ingenious And indeed herein standeth the great conflict that Grace hath with flesh and bloud hardly are wee contented to be priuie to our selues of our owne sinfulnesse for though wee delight to commit sinne yet doe we not delight to behold our selues as we are sinners the more naturall the desire is in euery man to be reputed good the more vnsauorie is that search that sindeth him to bee nothing so And if wee are so vnwilling to know our selues to bee sinners much lesse will we endure that others should be of our Counsell therein Stultorum incurata pudor malus vlcera celat Many will rather die then be knowne that they are sicke of some shamefull disease but men are lesse willing to haue their sinnes published then their sores The more remarkable is King Dauids ingenuitie rather to be wished then hoped for in this Age wherein men sinne without shame but shame to Acknowledge their knowne