same God is mercifull power belongeth unto God and to thee ô Lord mercy The blessed combination of which Attributes in God is easily perceaved if we consider his government of the world for he rewardeth every man according to his works Lo then in a word what is the substance of this text it is true it is cleare God can he will reckon with us all and deale partially with none The paraphrase of the Text to judge what is in God by that which proceeds from him We have warrant from Gods owne mouth under the Test of K. David witnessing that the Indifferency of Gods judgments is the evidence of his nature The points to be considered are two the persons from whom we take this resolution and the resolution that we take from the persons the persons two the author and the witnes and the resolution consists of two parts first what God is secondly how he deales with man First Of the persons the first whereof is the Author the Author is undeniable for it is God God spake Between God and man the Apostle puts this difference Let God be true and every man a lyar for man is but a meere man man may deceave or be deceaved but neither of these are incident unto God nec actu nec potentiâ God doth not he cannot lie God is not he cannot bee deceaved And no wonder seeing he is not only the originall of all truth but also truth it selfe by nature So that it is no more possible for falsehood to be at one with God then for darknesse to consort with light both import a reall contradiction Whereas the greatest commendation of the best man is but this They speake in veritate mentis without simulation without equivocation or mentall reservation The praise due to God is that hee speakes in certitudine veritatis no mist or fraud or errour can overcast his wisdome or his holinesse his word is tryed to the uttermost like silver as the Psalmist speaketh seven times tryed in the fire What then is our lesson Surely this we must not be ashamed of Iulians scoffe he derided the Christian beliefe because it had no other proofe then Thus saith the Lord. But Nazianzen replies well they which allowed and captivated their judgment to a man have no reason to accept against that which relyeth upon the authority of God especially seeing they received principles of Philosophy which were examinable by reason But we credit only mysteries of Religion wherto no approches can be made by the naturall wit of man Finally they build on a professed scholar of the father of lies and we on him whose style is The Lord God of Truth The Conclusion that ariseth here-hence is God spake or the Lord hath said must goe currant with us as an indemonstrable Principle of our faith and an incontrollable precept for our life it must goe currant if God speake it if he speake but once how much more if as it followeth in my Text he speake once or twice I will not trouble you with divers readings of these words I take them as our Church doth read them and read them as may be borne well by the originall But touching the meaning of these words there are diverse observations For some take the words definitely as if David meant precisely twise some indefinitely as if by twise he meant often And they that take them definitely have not all the same conceipt Referre them to the Creation and Redemption of man in both which God really spake that he was powerfull and mercifull to reckon with and to reward man Psal 49.8 15. And indeed as much may be gathered out of the forty ninth Psalme and Saine Peter and Saint Iude argue from Gods proceeding with the world upon the Creation to that which we must respect in the state of Redemption Othersome apprehend this voyce in Gods workes and in his wordes Ps 19.2 3 In the nineteenth Psalme King David observeth this twofold voyce and not amisse for what are Gods workes but visible words and his words but audible workes the Hebrew word Dabar comprehends both God preacheth the same power and mercy in both wee may know that they are in him by that which proceeds from him A third sort understand only the words of Moses and of the Prophets Abraham remembreth these two voyces to Dives in hell they have Moses and the Prophets let them heare them There are two voyces of God the voyce of his Precepts and the voyce of examples for what is contained in the Law is applyed in the Prophets and both say nothing but that of his power and mercy we have as many monuments as there be lawes of God and lives of men Some are satisfied with none of these but report an outward and inward voyce that sounds the one in the eare the other in the Conscience Saint Paul hath specified this double voyce the Conscience shall beare witnesse accusing or excusing it that day when God shall judge the Consciences of men by Iesu◠Christ according to my Gospell Rom. 2. There shall be then as there should be now a concent betweene Gods voyce speaking within us and without us the effect whereof is The judgement of men according to the Gosspel and what is the Gospell but a blessed mixture of the power and mercy of God There remaines yet an exposition more and that is not an idle one God speakes ordinarily and extraordinarily ordinarily in the Canon of the Scripture by the Pastors of his Church extraordinarily when in the distresses of his children hee vouchsafeth to be an immediate remembrancer unto them of those comforts which are notwithstanding in generall contained in the Covenant betweene them and him not speaking any new matter unknowne to them but by speaking immediately himselfe making the greater impression in them And this was usuall untill the death of the Apostles We have instances in the old and new Testament of the extraordinary voice it is needlesse to speake of the ordinary my selfe am now an instance unto you Gen. 15.1 Gen. 16 3 24. Gen. 28.4 but of the extraordinary is that Genesis 15. Feare not Abraham I am thy buckler and thy exceeding great reward The like hath had Isaac Gen. 26. and Iacob 28. In the new Testament how many times did God appeare to Saint Paul in the Acts and memorable to this purpose is the answere My grace is sufficient for thee my strength is made perfect in weakenes King David deare unto God and exercised under the crosse might nay it is plaine in the bookes of Samuel that he sundry times did heare this extraordinary voice And though all other expositions in themselves are true yet unto this place I take this last to be most apt But howsoever in understanding these words you have heard great variety and yet no contrariety onely by laying them together this wee learne that they which understand them definitely by differing each from the other and yet not
Councell of Trent in the Tract De benediction◠〈◊〉 coronatione Regis to the Bishop that performes that Ceremony the Presentee speakes thus Reverendissime â—â—ter postulat sancta mater Ecclesia ut praesentem egregiâ— militem ad dignitatem regiam sublevetis And after 〈◊〉 King begins his Oath thus Ego Deo annuente futâ—â— Rex And what is this but a devise whereby the Pâ—â— usurped upon the Emperour and encroacheth by Metropolitans upon other Kings feigning an interregâ—â— which in an he editary kingdome is questionlesse reâ—ugnant to the fundamentall lawes of all Nations Therâ—â—re against them and all others Psa 89.18 wee hold that of the 〈◊〉 line Our shield belongeth unto the Lord Our King 〈◊〉 the holy one of Israel hee holds of him and none â—ther the King doth sit but God doth set him And sets him for ever The succession is perpetuall â—ome restraine this untill Christs comming according to â—hat speech of Iacob The Scepter shall not depart from Iuâ—ah nor the Lawgiver from between his feete untill Shiâ—ah come Some continue it unto the end of the World â—ccording to these words of the Psalme so long as the Sunne and Moone endureth They are easily reconâ—iled Distinguish the Prophesie from the Promise the Promise speakes of that which might be the prophesie â—f that which would be If IERVSALEM had â—nowne those things that belonged to her Peace the enemies â—ad not cast a banke about her the Romans had not destroyâ—d her that Throne should have continued as the dayes of â—eaven But Iacobs prophesie meaneth that for want of perâ—rmance of the Covenant Ierusalem should faile when Philoh came yea and before that the tabernacle of Daâ—id should be ruinous The ground of that prophesie is â—t downe Psal 49. Psa 40.11 Many thinke that their houses shall conâ—â—nue for ever from generation to generation and call their â—ands after their names But when man is in honour he â—oth not understand and so becomes as the beasts that perish â—nnes interrupt their continuance for ever Wherefore â—ccording to that in Deuteronomy Deut. c. 29. v. 19. If any when he heareth â—he wordes of this curse blesse himselfe in his heart saying 〈◊〉 shall have peace although J walke according to the stubâ—ornnesse of mine heart thus adding drunkennesse unto thirst â—e Lord will not bee mercifull unto that man but the wrath 〈◊〉 the Lord and his Jealousie shall smoake against him and every curse that is written in this booke shall light vpon him â—â—d the Lord shall put out his name from under heaven The succession then is perpetuall but the promise the of is conditionall the Condition is the keeping of Gods Covenant And so wee come from the absolute part of the promise to the qualified which must not be several It was the error of the Kings and Priests of Iudah and Israel excepting against the prophesies and persecuting the prophets which foretold the ruine of those kingdomes for the sinnes thereof they dreamt that the promise was onely absolute and so howsoever they liveâ— their state should endure for ever not remembring thâ— God exacted their duty as well as hee promised his mercy yea and limitted the performance of his mercy according to the continuance of their duty Although then Kings be Lords over their people 〈◊〉 are they subjects unto God They can bee no greatâ— then Adam of whom Saint Augustine Quamvis in mâ—â— do dominus positus est Adam c. though Adam were created Lord of the visible world yet by subjection unto a 〈◊〉 he was to recognize that hee held of a more soveraigne 〈◊〉 It is a fundamentall rule of reason that from whom 〈◊〉 have our being from him wee must receave a Law preportionable to our dependance on him be hee Godâ— man Kings from God and other men from Kings They that have beene of Phaeraohs mind and have saiâ—â— who is the Lord that I should heare him have tryed Saiâ—â— Bernards rule to be true Posse eos summovere se felicitâ—â— but not subducere se Potestati they may deprive themselâ—â— of the glory of God their throne in heaven but they canâ—â—â— exempt themselves from the soveraignty of God hee will 〈◊〉 his pleasure dispose their thrones here on earth There is a covenant then betweene God and the Kinâ— and it is two-fold I will be his Father and hee shall be 〈◊〉 sonne 2. Sam. 7.14 15 16. he shall build an house for my name and J will staâ—â— the throne of his kingdome So it is set downe 2. Sam. 〈◊〉 The Covenant respects David as a private person and as King as a private person hee is to be the sonne of God for Davids Covenant doth presuppose Abrahams bâ— addeth a regality unto it As a King hee is to build an house for God Hee must be custodious et Custos utriusque tabulae it was so in the Old Testament Psal 2.6 it must bee so in the New It is prophesied in the second psalme we are taught to petitionate by Saint Paul 1. Tim. 2.2 and Saint Augustine doth excellently expresse it Aliter servit Rex Deo quia homo aliter quia Rex As a man hee must conforme himselfe to the lawes of God as a King hee makes lawes for the service of God It is not enough for the King to obey it as the child of God as a King annoynted of God he must commaund it like to primum mobile which moveth it selfe and all inferior orbes with it So did the religious Kings of the Iewes and so did the religious Emperours of the Christians But where shall the King find whereunto hee is tyed by Covenant hee hath an authenticall Record the Record is Gods Testimonies they are tabulae foederis God testifieth his will in his word This appeareth by Moses in Deuteronomy where the King is enjoyned to describe the law Deu. 17.18 when he sitteth vpon his throne and the same charge is reiterated unto Ioshua Samuel giveth the like to Saul Josh 17. and David to Solomon Whereupon the booke of the Law was to be delivered the King at his Coronation You may see it in the Story of Ioash Psa 45. â— The Chaldee paraphase expounding those words of the Psalme the Qucene stood at the Kings right hand gives it this sense Stabit liber legis in latere dextrae tuae et exaraebitur in exemplare splendor tuus velut obrizo ophiritico It is memorable that is reported of Alphonsus King of Arragon that hee read over the Bible with the glosse foureteene times But this I moreover marke in the word Testimony that God speaketh like a King signifieth his pleasure without Rhetoricall perswasions or philosophicall demonstrations There are lumina Orationis in the sermons of the prophets which surpasse the Eloquence of all heathen men but the style of the Law runnes onely with a Teste Yea and simply Gods word requireth faith which is the Correlative of a Testimony Quare et
but when the commandement came sinne revived and I dyed Not that before he was alive and then gave up the ghost but he then perceived himselfe to be but dead whereas before in his imagination he was alive Psa 69 28. King David praying against the wicked Let them saith he be put out of the booke of life and let them not be written with the righteous contradictory speeches but that many thinke themselves entred whose names were never in that booke Iude 8. Wherefore Saint Jude cals wicked Christians by the name of dreamers and not unfitly for what the Prophet Esay saith of corporall food is true also â—f spirituall Too many are like to hangry men that â—reame Behold they eat but when they awake â—say 2â— 8 their soule 〈◊〉 empty or like a thirsty man that dreameth Behold he drinketh but when he awaketh behold he is faint and his â—â—ule longeth Quià est hypocritae vita saith Gregory the Great nisi visio quaedam phant asmatis quae hoc estendit in imagine quod non habet in veritate Pro. 30 12. Hypocrites are Solomons generation that are pure in their owne conceit and yet are not washed from their filthinesse All their state 〈◊〉 like a dreame as the Psalmist speaketh when one waketh yea when God waketh then he makes this their image or rather their imagination to be vile and that in their owne eyes Wisd 5.4 as the booke of Wisdome brings them in confessing with their own mouthes We fooles thought a good mans life to be madnesse and his end without honour but how is he counted among the children of God and hath his portion among the Saints But we contrary to our forther thought have erred from the way of truth the light of righteousnesse hath not shined unto us and the sun of Righteousnesse never rose upon us When the Good-man of the house 〈◊〉 up and hath shut the doore many saith Christ shall begin to knocke at the doore saying Lord open to us but he shall answer I know you not Strange newes they had a better thought for they shall begin to say We have caren and drunken in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets But he shall answer I tell you I know you not whence ye are Depart from me ye workers of iniquitie Then they shall begin to weepe never before they mistooke their state when they shall see Abraham Isaac and Tacob whom they tooke to be their Fathers and all the prophets whom they boasted of as of their teachers they shall see both in the kingdome of God and themselves thrust out of doores See then how a man may be deceived and flat downe when he thinketh himselfe bolt upright This the Divines call a negative fall because opposed to a seeming but not a true standing There is another fall which is privative opposed to standing indeed Pro. 30.19 20. The way of a righteous man should be like the light shining more and more untill the perfect day But many goe backe making shipwracke of their faith and forsake their first love When God offered a signe to Hezekiah assuring him of his recovery wilt thou saith he that the shadow of Ahaz dyall goe forward tenne degrees 〈◊〉 backeward His answere was It is a light thing for the shadow to passe forward ten degrees not so then but let the shadow goe backeward ten degrees In the dyall of our soule over which mooveth the Sonne of righteousnesse wee may see the cleane contrary A light matter for the shadow for our vertues are but shadowes of Christ to go backeward not so to goe forward The cause is not in the sunne but in the dyall for here Copernicus Theoricks prove very true The sunne stands still but the earth doth move God forsakes not man but man God Which the Scripture implies when it so often useth that phrase Abierunt retro they have gone backe they have declined they have forsaken mee and such like So the Galatians went so farre backe that of one that were able to runne you did runne well they became babes yea lest Little Children with whom I am in travaile againe till lesâ— Christ be formed in you He. 5.12 13. So did the Hebrewes Where as concerning time yee ought to bee Preachers yet have yeâ— need againe that wee teach you what are the first Principle of the word of God and are become such as have need of milk not of strong meat Neither may they goe backe onely knowledge and in faith but in love and workes too Write saith the Angell to the Church of Ephesus I hâ—â— something to say against thee because thou hast forsaken 〈◊〉 first love Remember from whence thou art fallen and 〈◊〉 first workes And to the Angel of Sardis I know it workes thou hast a name that thou livest but art deadâ— wake and strengthen the thinges which remaine and are ready to die No doubt then but he that stands indeed 〈◊〉 fall the whole Church fall they fall in faith they 〈◊〉 â—n love But this talking age is much troubled with two â—questions how a righteous man doth fall and how far â—he may fall whether with full consent and whether as deep as hell But my text leadeth mee to remember you not to fall rather then to dispute of the manner and measure of their faâ—l Therefore desirous to dismisse you rather religious then judicious though indeed he is most judicious that is most religious for the Scripture counts â—ll sinners fooles I forbeare to exceed the limits of my text adding to the first point onely this Nemo repente suit turpissimus God forsakes not altogether at first as appeares by Ezekiels vision chap. 9. totum that the more consent we give to sinne the greater fall wee take and the greater our fall the neerer we draw to hell The best men will yield too much and the least frowne of God goeth to a good mans heart so that our best care must be so to bridle our will that we may be ever gracious in the eyes of God And so I passe from our mutability to our Vigilaney Whereupon I need not to stand long If our mutability be apprehended well wee need not much bidding to take heed of it The difficulty is to resolve men that sinne is ill to resolve the heart not the wit many are wise enough to vouch it but their lives doe prove they never believed it for can a man unfeignedly acknowledge that to be ill wherein he takes delight as in his soweraigne good But that our mutability may make the stronger impression I will adde something of Vigilancy the second thing that I noted in the Apostles exhortation Let him that stands take heed lest he fall Though a man standing be mutable Psal 1.3 yet if he be Vigilant he may be immutable It was an heresie condemned in unchast Marcian to hold after he was excomunicated for Incontinency non voluntate sed necessitate
sinnes hast thou committed saith God unto the wicked and I held my tongue therefore thou thoughtest that I was like unto thee but I will reprove thee and set thy sinnes in order before thee f Rom. 2.4.5 Hee that despiseth the riches of Gods patience not knowing that his goodnesse should lead men to repentance doth but treasure up unto himselfe wrath against the day of wrath when God shall reward every man according to his workes God can be g Ier. 15.6 wearie of repenting as he tells Ieremie namely when he is h Anos 2.13 pressed under our sinnes as a Cart is pressed that is full of sheaves When the i Ioel 3.13 harvest of our sinne is ripe God will put in his sickle Then will the Lord God say even the mightie One of Israel k Esa 1.24 Oh I will ease me of mine adversaries I will avenge me of mine enemies Againe in this breaking out of the Plague we may observe not onely that Mercie sometimes gives place to Iustice but also the unresistablenesse of Iustice when it comes it beares downe all before it Wherefore Gods wrath seizing upon sinners is compared to a whirlewind a Psal 1.4 scattering chaffe to a devouring fire b Mal. 4.1 consuming stubble to a violent c Nahum 1.8 floud bearing downe cum stabulis armenta all that stands against it Lastly here wee may observe the correspondence of Gods justice to mans sinne the same word is applyed to both to man sinning to God striking both of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Hos 4.2 doe breake forth first man breakes through Gods Law no tye being of force to hold him and then man breakes through Gods defence his mercie not restraining him nor mans power being able to resist him Therefore if we will that God set bounds to his wrath we must keepe within the bounds of our owne dutie Some respect not so much the violence as the varietie of the Plague and translate it The Plague was multiplyed First as the Sinne so the Plague was manifold They fell spiritually and corporally by Idolatrie and Incontinencie therefore their Plague was not of one sort some were hanged some were stabbed and some consumed with Pestilence Man cannot be so wittie in varying of Sinnes but God will be as wittie in varying of Plagues Secondly the Plague was multiplyed not onely in kind but in degree The Iewes in the Wildernesse sustained many Plagues Of those that perished in many of them the number is not specified but of those that are specified this is the greatest At first there dyed but a Exod. 32.28 3000 at the second b Num. 16.49 14000 at this which is the third c Num. 25.9 24000 To teach us that though the judgement wee have felt be terrible yet God hath in store more intolerable and the deeper wee sinke in sinne the lower wee shall descend in Hell All Histories are records of it all Countrâ—yes doe preach it but wee shall doe best if wee reade it in our selves and scape best if wee apply it to our selves I hasten to the third point which containes the meanes to pacifie God Phinees stood up and prayed Phinees the sonne of Eleazar the sonne of Aaron a Priest by birth and function the neerer he was to God the more zealous he was for the glory of God Levi had this testimonie of Moses a Deut. 33.9 He said to his Father and Mother I regard you not to his Brethren I acknowledge you not and to his Children I know you not that he might observe the Law of God and keepe his Covenant Here a sonne of Levi hath this testimonie from God that he was zealous for his glory and pacified his wrath for both hee is commended and plentifully rewarded A good example for such as have the like charge to stirre them up to the like zeale And God grant we may doe so with God that God may deale so with us and with our seed for ever But the fact of Phinehas hath something extraordinarie He stood up Being a private man and a Priest he used the Sword so some observe but that hee was a private man is not so true Besides the High Priest there were other chiefe Priests which had charge of many both persons and things the Bookes of Numbers Chronicles and the Gospel cleare this point And that Gods pleasure was that the Priests should sometimes use the Sword it is plaine by the examples of Eli Samuel and the Maccabees Iudges and reformers of the Common-wealth oâ— Israel the two first expressely thereunto called of God and the thirds lawfull power may be argued by the manifold blessings it was accompanied with from God But this was in defect of Civill Power which ordinarily by Gods appointment beares the Sword and we must be well warranted before such examples be imitated when there is a Civill Governour the Priest can have no pretext to usurpe the Authoritie of the Governour The greater is the sinne of the B. of Rome who hath combined so great a Sword with so great a Key and executeth ungodly zeale with unjust power But Phinees his case is not such God beares witnesse to his zeale and approves his fact his zeale was discernable onely of God but the fact excusable in the judgement of men not onely commendable by the witnesse of God For against the sinne God had pronounced death Moses had specified the kind of death they were backward that should have executed the Sentence but rather then God should be openly dishonoured the Magistrates charge not obeyed up stood Phinees and by him the parties were executed So that Phinees did debase himselfe to be an Executioner rather then exalt himselfe as an Vsurper he leveld his action by Gods and Moses his former direction which I observe the rather because some too farre amplifie the irregularitie of Phinees his fact and some are too forward upon warrant of this Example to usurpe the Magistrates Sword but neither find good ground to build upon in this Historie I goe on Phinehas stood up and prayed The word hath divers significations and they have bred divers interpretations among both ancient and later Divines The Translations are three The Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He did propitiate or pacifie GOD the Chalde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He prayed unto God And some are perswaded that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was then written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither is it improbable for it is no Article of our Creed that the Masoreth containes all various Lections yea there are strong presumptions to the contrarie Those that are later then either the Septuagint or Chalde and whose Masters I suppose were worse translate it He executed judgement whose ground is the Conjugation of the Verbe enforcing as they thinke this for the fittest signification But it cannot be justified that this is the onely signification of that Conjugation and the places alledged may make it
man of so meane place within his charge Ye would thinke these should be the words of Abraham talking with God and checking himselfe as being but dust and ashes when he had a glimpse of Gods presence with him but the Centurion confesseth him no better before Christ commeth neere him Iob layed his hand on his mouth after he had spoken the Centurion before he spake There was more appearance of Majestie in Gods presence to Abraham but specially to Job then could any way be gathered by the outward state of Christ So that the Humility of the Centurion in not thinking himselfe worthy to speake unto Christ doth import an excellent lesson of reverence which is due unto God and how great an impression should Christs Majesty as hee now sitteth at the right hand of God worke in us when we pray unto him when his state in Humility was so apprehended by this Centurion that neither his greatnesse nor his goodnesse could imbolden him to adventure immediately by himselfe to petition him Our best devotion commeth short of this preparation yet should wee rather exceed it then any way be inferior to it The more we know Christs glory the more humble we should be in doing our duty This is the first part of his confession touching the eminency of CHRISTS person so far as is expressed in the comparison of CHRIST and himselfe But it must be gathered also by the Embassage he sends to Christ an Embassage of the greatest in the Towne and the dearest to himselfe he sent the Elders of the Iewes at the first and seconded them with the dearest of his friends Iewes he sent and so declined that which the woman incurred I am not sent but to the lost sheepe of Israel He supposed Christ would gratifie the Jewes though hee had no respect to him being a Gentile But God had a further reach to let these Iewes be witnesses to the faith of the Gentile and the relating of his words unto Christ to give judgment against themselves for their contempt of Christ for seeing they were means in the judgment of a heathen meetest to prevaile with Christ it was a shame for them not to acknowledge how much they were bound to Christ that was not only good unto them but also would be good unto the very heathen to pleasure them Abraham and Iob have it attributed as an honour done by God unto them for that God would heare Abraham for Abimelech and cure his family and Iob for his friends and forgive their sinne But these gracelesse Iewes doe not esteeme the favours of Christ but rather seale their owne condemnation by the manifold proofe of his goodnesse towards them God doth this honour to all Christians to be their God and the God of their seed to blesse the children for the Parents The more GODS mercy the more our debt and our judgment the greater if our neglect do rise with Gods mercy But the Embassage as it was of the Iewes so it was of the Elders of the Iewes had there beene any greater he would have made them his meanes being for to send he would send the best because he conceaved that the best were but too meane to be sent unto Christ It is the curse that GOD pronounceth in Malachy against them that vowed unto God and having a Male in the flock would offer a Female or some contemptible thing he gives the reason because I am a great God and hath God a care of Sheep or rather speaketh be it not for men that we must use the best of all sorts when we have to doe with God And what wonder when God sent his owne Sonne unto man Is there any person so great that man should think too great to send to God there is none too great none too deare Christ as hee is the onely begotten Sonne of God so is he the deerely beloved Son of his Father and this Christ was sent unto men Answerably hereunto doth this Centurion frame his Embassage unto CHRIST hee sendeth the greatest and the dearest he hath he sends the Elders of the Iewes and he sends also his friends that he might seeme not only to honour Christ in them that are great but also to affect CHRIST in them that are deare and indeed it is a compleat present for Christ when we serve him with the best and our best affection too and our devotion both mature and also hearty when both outward and inward man are devoted unto him And thus much of the Centurions confession of the eminency of CHRISTS person I come now to the second part of the confession which expresseth the efficacy of Christs power wherein there are three things to be noted First that he will not have Christ to trouble himselfe he meaneth unnecessarily as if his corporeall presence were superfluous and in desiring that he should wrong Christ and not to the full expresse the strength of his owne faith So that this word is a retractation of his first desire which was come and cure but now he confesseth that the first is too much Come is not requisite to the cure Behold the modesty of the man that was little ambitious to have his house made a theatre of a miracle wrought with pompe and state which Christ presents and in a great assembly Such thoughts were fit for Herod who when Christ was sent by Pilate to him was glad because of long time he had desired to see him because he hoped to satisfie his curious desire by seeing some strange worke done by him This Centurion apprehends better that Christ is farre from yeelding unto such vanity therfore that he may not seeme to affect it he begins with Lord trouble not thy self and give us this good Item that we must not intermingle the idle desires of flesh and blood by desiring any thing that is unnecessary at the hands of God Come is unnecessary we must be contented with the Cure and the Cure may be wrought with only Speake the word Here is the very object of his faith even this word of Christ or if you will Christ the word for the curing word is the word of the word even the Word of God which word is God the word that in the beginning made all and when it was lost restored all This word is that of which David speaketh in the 107 Psalme Ps 107.10 Wisd 16.7 Misit Verbum et sanavit eos and the booke of wisedome in the 16 Chapter It was neither her be nor pasture that healed them speaking of those that were stung of the fiery Serpent but only the word that healeth all things in respect of which vertue in Christ Saint Matthew observes out of the Prophet that Christ tooke upon him all our infirmities which by Saint Matthew appeareth when hee cured all kind of diseases This word the Centurion would shape Christ to speak which S. Paul to the Hebrews calleth the word of Gods power a word mighty in operation and as it