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
and settled in the Faith of the Gospel when they saw it was brought to them not by the Will of Man but by the good pleasure and Counsel of God long before predicted in the Holy Scriptures of Truth This is a plain demonstration how much we are concerned in the Scriptures written aforetime whose true Learning the same Apostle shews in another place is not understood by the Jews but only by Christians to whom the Grace of God is translated which is taken away from the other till they also Believe on Christ Jesus Read 2 Corinth iii. 14 15. where he saith their Minds are blinded and that they have a Veil upon them in the reading of the Old Testament Which veil is done away in Christ i. e. when men become Christians But even unto this day when Moses is read the veil is upon their heart nevertheless when it their heart shall turn to the Lord our Saviour Christ the veil shall be taken away and not till then Which is an evidence that we have more benefit by the Scriptures written aforetime than the Jews themselves till they also turn Christians and abundantly confirms that pithy saying of Tertullian which comprehends all that need be said in this Argument Novum Testamentum in Vetere latet Vetus Testamentum in Novo patet the New Testament lyes hid in the Old and the Old Testament is revealed and discovered in the New And so I have done with the Second Cavil of these men against the Old Testament III. The third part of their impious Doctrine about this matter was That the Scriptures written aforetime were unprofitable for the confirmation of our Faith Which is directly against the whole Scope of the Apostle in this place and is confuted in express terms by our Blessed Lord himself in several places of the last Chapter of the Gospel according to S. Luke Where speaking of his Passion to two of his Disciples v. 25. 27. He upbraided them that they were such Fools and slow of heart to believe what the Prophets had spoken and beginning at Moses and all the Prophets he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself And not long after appearing to all the Apostles and eating with them he said v. 44. These are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning me And then opening their understanding that they might understand the Scripture he said Thus it is written and thus it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise again the third day c. So abominably false it is which those Hereticks were wont to assert that in the Old Testament there was no Testimony concerning Christ They are the words of Faustus as they are reported by St. Austin * Lib. xii contra Faust c. 1 2. and may well make us wonder how any men that were called by his Name should arrive at such a boldness as to contradict Christ himself who proved all things concerning himself out of those ancient Books But this it is to be proud and self-conceited to be forward to teach †Vid. S. Austin Confess l. v. c. 5. before men have learnt to be addicted to a Sect and to love to contradict to be engaged early in a party and then to stop ones ears against the means of Information to be carryed away with a strong antipathy to that which men do not understand nor have duly weighed and considered Against all which Vices the Scriptures caution us sufficiently if we mean to understand them telling us plainly that if we will not purge our selves from such ill humours we shall become vain in our Imaginations and our foolish hearts will be darkned Witness the foolish exception that these men took to the Books of Moses because they represented God according to their Imagination as desirous of the Blood and Fat of Beasts which he required to be offered in Sacrifice to him Whereas nothing is more manifest than that God himself by the Prophets who spake as they acknowledge by the same Spirit that Moses did utterly disclaimed any delight or satisfaction that he took in mere Sacrifices though never so numerous and costly Nay protests that he abominated them if they were not brought to his Altar with a pious mind and accompanyed with actions of Justice and Charity Which makes it apparent that it was the heart of the Offerer to which he had regard and that he lookt upon these but as outward testimonies and significations of a grateful Mind or of a penitent heart or of a Soul resolved to devote it self to his service I need not adde that they were manifest Figures and Presignifications of the great Sacrifice of Christ Jesus who hath purged away our sins by his own blood nor take any further pains to confute these audacious Hereticks from other places of Holy Writ I will rather take to task a little another sort of men no less bold and shameless who would fain be thought the greatest Enemies to Hereticks of all men in the world I mean them of the Romish Religion who notwithstanding their glorious pretences would be heartily glad if this Proposition could be made good That the Scriptures written aforetime are unprofitable for the Confirmation of Points of Faith For our Writers have so overpower'd them with Testimonies fetcht from thence that they are not able to stand before us to defend the Prime Article of their present Faith that Article which is the principal Cause of the Divisions of Christendome for whose sake all other Controversies have been craftily kept on foot I mean that of the Supremacy of the Bishop of Rome * Rome enim subjici inde pendere haec Vestrae Religionis summa est Resp ad Tort. p. 81. Which we utterly confound by beginning at Moses to allude to the words before mentioned and so shewing through all the Scriptures written aforetime that He and Joshua and David and Solomon and Asa and Jehoshaphat and Hezekias and Josias governed the Priests and the whole Tribe of Levi Ordering the time of their waiting and officiating in their Courses appointing Judges in Ecclesiastical Causes and setting Presidents over those Judges taking away abuses and corruptions in Religion commanding the Ark to be removed from one place to another and calling the people by their Proclamations to come and meet there before the Lord requiring the Priests to read the Book of the Law and to reduce things to a Conformity with it renewing the Covenant of Moses for Reformation of Religion making Missions of Priests into such parts of the Countrey as they saw needed their assistance and to say no more ejecting the High-Priest himself and deposing him from his Office Now what say our Adversaries to all this Truly after many other poor shifts they are at last driven thus far to side with the Manichees as to say
our Saviour sayes in the New Testament Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek turn to him the other also And if a man take away thy Coat let him have thy Cloak also v. Matth. 39 40. Are not these things opposite I answer with St. Austin who hath made an excellent Reply to this Cavil both in his Book against Adimantus * Cap. VIII and against Faustus †Lib. XIX cap. 25. to this effect These things discover no contrariety in the two Testaments but only the different degrees of their perfection For there being two degrees of Meekness and Forbearance the first that the Grief of the injured person do not provoke him to seek a revenge beyond the measure of the damage that was done him the second that the injured person pardon and pass by the whole wrong though grievous to him with a peaceable and appeased mind the Old Testament as less perfect preserved carnal men within the bounds of the first degree of Patience and kept them from extending their revenge too far but the New Testament as more perfect advances spiritual men to the most excellent degree of a plenary remission without any revenge at all So that even from such passages as these we learn you see how much we are indebted to God for a greater abundance of his Grace than he bestowed in former times Which should raise us as to a greater degree of gratefull Love to him so to a more excellent degree of Piety and Vertue to which He intends to improve us by this New Revelation he hath made of his good will to us in Christ Jesus And that is part of the use we may make of what hath been said If we may learn so much from those Books which were written aforetime in the dayes of old before the Coming of our Saviour into the World what may we do from those which were written since his appearing who is the very Wisdom of God the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father and hath declared him unto us They prescribe us a more rational Service of Almighty God and raise us to a higher pitch of brotherly Love and teach us greater Purity of Body and Mind and press all these upon us by more perfect Examples and by more excellent Motives especially by the blessed hope of Immortal Life which if we have any sense of our own dearest Interest we ought to embrace and to hold fast as it is in the Collect for this day being willing to do and to suffer any thing that God would have us rather than lose so great so incomparable a good Which the more we think of the more it attracts us to it and holds us fast in its embraces as a perfect satisfaction to all our desires But from that Consideration we may take occasion also to reflect how injurious they are to Christian People to whom God hath been so bountiful who forbid them without their leave to meddle with these holy Books wherein their Hope of Immortal Life is contained Nay make a severe Inquisition after them that dare be so bold as to have in their own Language a Copy of the Will and Testament of their blessed Saviour or if you please so to call it of that Deed of Grace whereby he hath conveyed to them the Eternal Inheritance S. Peter indeed 1 Epist ii 9. honours all Christians so much as to call them a chosen Generation a royal Priesthood a holy Nation a peculiar People But they who pretend to succeed him use them as if they were no better than base Slaves nay vile Beasts who are not fit to be entrusted with this Liberty and enjoy the Priviledge of hearing God himself speaking to them in his holy Gospel No there is a Caution in the Law saith Innocent the third that if a Beast touch the Mountain it shall be stoned from thence concluding that the simple and unlearned should not meddle with the Subtilty of Holy Writ And herein we agree with him that from all Subtilties and curious Inquiries every body ought to abstain But we are not satisfied that He or any man else hath Authority to compare the People of God to Beasts As others among them have done in a most scornfull manner when they prove from hence that the People must not read the Scriptures because we must not cast that which is holy to Dogs nor throw Pearls before Swine This is very rude Language but the Authors are well known who have spoken thus contemptuously of the Flock of Christ whom he calls his Sheep but they call Dogs and Swine and thereby debased Christians below the most blockish Jews who did never so abuse their Holy Books as to forfeit the liberty of Reading them which they challenge and use as a Right belonging to all at this very day What Reason can be given for such unworthy Treatment of those whom the Apostles so highly esteemed and spake of with so much respect but only this that they see there is such a manifest disagreement between them and the Scriptures that their Errours would be in danger to be detected by the simplest people if they should be permitted to come into this light And here let me note that such guides are faln into a contrary errour to that of the Manichees of which I have now treated They do not say that the Books of the Old Testament are superfluous and unnecessary but that they and the Books of the New Testament to boot are defective and imperfect and that their defects must be supplied out of such Traditions as they propound to our belief But among opposite Errours the causes of erring are commonly the same as the great Philosopher observes and is very true in this case For though there be several wayes the Enemy of mankind hath taken to compass his design of bringing the Scriptures into disgrace and setting up the inventions of men instead of them or in Conjunction with them yet the reason still is one and the same which is that the holy Scriptures are not for his turn he cannot deceive men so easily if they keep close to this hold Which is a strong hold indeed and comprehends all that we need to know or believe or do to which nothing need nothing ought to be added as necessary to our Salvation According to that peremptory resolution of St. Austin in his third Book against Petilians Letters Chapt. vi Whether it be about Christ or about his Church or about any other thing whatsoever that belongs to Faith or to our Life I will not say we who are by no means to be compared with him that said licet nos although we but as he presently adds if an Angel from Heaven shall declare to you any thing besides that which you have received in Scripturis Legalibus Evangelicis in the Scriptures of the Law and the Gospel let him be accursed To which let me add this notable sentence of S. Basil the