A SERMON PREACHED JN Paules Church in London AND PVBLISHED FOR THE instruction and consolation of all that are heauie harted for the wofull time of God his generall visitation both in the Citie and in the Countrie and fit for the comfort of Gods Children at all times Heb. 12. Vers 11.12 No chastising for the present seemeth to be ioyous but grieuous but afterward it bringeth the quiet fruite of righteousnesse vnto them that are thereby exercised Wherefore lift vp your handes which hang downe â—â—d your weake knees Imprinted at London by E. Allde TO THE RJGHT Honorable Sir Thomas Bennet Knight Lord Maior of the Honorable Citie of London a prosperous and peaceable Maioralty with a plentifull encrease of all God his blessings and graces for the effecting thereof c. THe hope fayling mee of your honorable presence at the Crosse for I vnderstand since it is not the custome for the Lord elect to come thither I â—ost humblie heere offer to your â—…ading at your good leasure that 〈◊〉 then you should haue heard which if it answere not vnto your expectation impute I pray the defect partly to the want of the effect of the liuely voyce which being great in other things as appeareth by the speeche of Ctesiphon to the Rhodians wondring at the Oration of Demosthenes which he read vnto theÌ„ Quanto magis admiraremini si audissetis ipsum By how much more would yee haue marueiled if you had heard himselfe is in this of most importance by the ordinance and blessing of God who hath in his wisdome appoynted faith to bee of hearing And fauorable pardon I beseech you all other the imperfections I intended to the vtmost of my power to minister a word as of instruction so especially of consolatioÌ„ necessary for this woful time it was accepted of by your honorable Predecessor And as I haue bene enformed by the rest of the audience then assembled that which the weakenesse of my voice could not then performe to all if by your Honorable acceptance by this meanes it may be made the more general and so the more acceptable I shall be much bounden to your Honor as a chiefe furtherer of my good meaning If I haue not entred deepe into particulars and searched sores so far as they needed let it be excused by the 〈◊〉 of mine ignorance vnacquainted with publicke affaires as hauing alwaies liued a priuate life and the absence of them to whome such a search especially belonged whom bebinde the backe I thought it no part of discretion to speake that which by a second report might be made more offensiue For conclusioÌ„ let mee beseech you as I besought in this sermon your Predecessor to double the care to double the courage to double the zeale and diligence of all your Predecessors and that not for the first quarter or for a while as it were quinquennium Neronis the first fiue yeeres of Nero but during the time of your whole Maioraltie euen to the last houre thereof yea during the whole time of your naturall life which long may it be wherein you are to liue by this most honorable entrance in a perpetuall magistracie and hee that is God among Gods shall aduance you from this temporall Honour to an euerlasting Crowne of glorie Amen From my house in Deptford this xxxi of October Your Honorable Lordships in Christ Christopher Hooke A SERMON PREAched in Paules Church in London Ioh. 3.1 2 3. Beholde what maner of loue the Father hath giuen vnto vs that we should be called the Sonnes of God for this cause the worlde knoweth not you because it knoweth not him Dearely beloued now are we the sonnes of God but yet it doeth not appeare what we shall be and we know that when hee shall appeare we shall be like him for wee shall see him as he is And euery man that hath this hope in him purgeth himselfe euen as he is pure COnsidering right honorable and déerely beloued in our blessed Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ the heauie hande of GOD which for our sinnes hath and yet doeth lye heauie vpon vs both in Citie and in Countrie whereby so many as haue either sence of their owne sinnes in particular or of the sinnes of other ingenerall or a féeling of their owne afflictions or a sympathie fellow touch of the common calamitie haue their heads their harts cast downe with an extraordinary griefe and sorrow Being called to supply this place being the meanest and weakest of all others I haue thought it not amisse for the raysing vp so farre as in me lyeth of distressed hearts and mindes to handle in your honorable audience this parcell of Scripture which ministreth vnto vs plentiful matter of singular consolation comfort Herein imitating the example of our blessed Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ by whose tender compassion to all them that are distressed calling them vnto him Mat. 11.28 and saying Come vnto me all yee that labour and are heauie loaden and I will refresh you was fulfilled as S. Matthew recordeth that prophecie of Esay concerning him Mat. 12.20 A bruised read shall he not breake and smoking flax shall he not quench Hauing also for my warrant the commandement of almightie God vnto the Prophet Esay who vnto the rest of Gods Prophets from the Lord speaketh thus Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith your God Esay 41.42 Speake comfortablie vnto Ierusalem and crie vnto her that her warefare is accomplished that her iniquitie is pardoned and that she hath receiued double from the Lord for al her sinnes Besides when the Lord chalengeth the Shepheards of Israel by his Prophet Ezechiel Ezech. 34. â— for that they haue not strengthened the weake nor healed the sicke nor bound vp that which was broken It appeareth that it is one especiall parte of our duetie to bend our speech this way so often as occasion shall as great occasion at this time doth offer it selfe vnto vs. God therefore assisting me by his heauenly grace and holy spirite for he onely it is that giueth the tongue of the learned Esay 50.4 to knowe to minister a worde in due season to him that is wearie and you yeelding me your wonted honorable patience and attention I will endeuour as the time wil permit to propose the instructions comforts of this scripture vnto your godly consideratioÌ„s To procéede therein orderly I will deuide the whole into two generall parts euen as it naturally deuideth it selfe The first part concerneth the high prerogatiue and dignitie whereunto we who beléeue in Christ and of him are called Christians are aduanced namely to bee called or to be the Sonnes of God proposed first in the first verse with a note of admiration Beholde what loue the Father hath giuen vnto vs that wee should be called the sonnes of God And repeated againe in the 2. verse with an examplification of the time Deerely beloued now are we the Sonnes of God signifying by
this particle Now the present interest that we haue in this our high preferment though the manifestation thereof in perfection remayneth till the appearance of the Lorde Iesus at whose appearance it shall be made most euident for that then We shall be like him and see him as hee is as he inferreth in the seconde parte of this latter verse And for the further confirmation of this poynte that we are the sons of Gods The Apostle sheweth both the Fountain from whence this great mercie floweth vnto vs to wit from the loue of God Secondly the meanes whereby this his great loue was procured vnto vs which is his méere grace and frée gift thorowe Iesus Christ For the Apostle sayeth he hath giuen vs for so the word signifyeth and so it is to be read But because there is no truth so plaine but that argumentation may be maintained against it and quarrells picked at it our Apostle answereth two obiections which might be obiected against the trueth of this comfortable assertion the one taken from the euil intreatie that we haue in this world For a man woulde thinke since wee are the sonnes of God who made the worlde the heauen the earth and al the fulnesse thereof that the worlde should know vs to be such and for our fathers sake make much of vs. But there is no such matter for the worlde as our Sauiour hath fore-tolde vs careth for it owne and as for Gods children because they are not of the world it respecteth not them To this the Apostle answereth in the latter ende of the first verse that the cause of the want of better entertainment at the worldes hand is because they know not the Father as if hee should saie let it neuer trouble you that are Gods sonnes that the world know you not and make no account of you for it knoweth not the Father that made it nor the naturall sonne of the Father by whom he made it as this our Apostle testifyeth He was in the world 1 Iohn 10. and the world was made by him but the world knewe him not therefore no maruell though it knoweth not vs that are but his adopted Sonnes The second obiection is taken from a consideration of our present estate in regard of our selues to whom no such outward royaltie appeareth as wee thinke appertaineth to the sonnes of so high a Maiestie whereunto the Apostle aunswereth First by a concession in the second clause or comma of the second verse graunting it to bee so that indeede yet it appeareth not what wee shal be Secondly by a certain declaratioÌ„ of the appoynted time when we shall receiue the perfection of this dignitie which is when he shall appeare that is when Iesus Christ in whom our life is hid shall come to iudge the quicke the dead theÌ„ our excelleÌ„cie which lyeth now buried as it were with so great ignominie shall be manifested to our endlesse ioy comfort These obiections thus aunswered whereby the trueth of this principle remayneth inuincible that wee are the sonnes of God The Apostle procéedeth to the duetie which wee ought to performe in respect of so great a prerogatiue which is the second generall parte of my text and contained in the third verse in these words And euery man that hath this hope in him purgeth himselfe Psal 51.5 euen as he is pure Wherein first he sheweth that wee are vncleane of our selues as being conceiued in sin borne in iniquitie hauing added therunto infinite thousand transgressions of our owne both in thought worde and déede and therefore haue néede to be purged Secondly that this worke of clensing or purging belongeth generally to euery one that hath this hope without exception Thirdly how farre forth we ought to labour and to proceede the rein namely not to giue ouer vntil we haue obtained to be pure as he is pure which because we can neuer attaine to in this corruptible life wherein sinne hangeth so fast on and sticketh so hard vnto vs Heb. 12.1 he meaneth that we should apply the whole course of our life vnto an earnest studie of sanctification and holinesse So that the summe of the whole is that God of his méere loue to vs-warde in Iesus Christ hath adopted vs in and thorow him to be his sonnes and daughters and that this is not a preferment of hereafter onely to be but a present prerogatiue and dignitie how-euer the world doth not so acknowledge vs nor the excellencie therof séemeth as yet so apparant to our selues 2 Cor. 7.1 and therefore it is our parts and dueties as our Father is holy so also to be holy and therefore to purge our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and of the Spirit and to growe vp into full holinesse in the feare of God as the Apostle S. Paule exhorteth And to shew foorth as S. Peter also admonisheth â— Pet. 2.9 the vertues of him that is of ouâ— heauenly Father which hath called vs out of darkenesse into his marueilous light Now to handle euery part and poynt in his owne order so farre forth as the time will permit we haue first to consider more at large of this our high calling and prerogatiue and therein to obserue howe by other places of Scripture both it is confirmed and also amplifyed This our Euangelist testifyeth That so many as receiued Iesus Christ Ioh. 1.12 to them he gaue this prerogatiue to be the sonnes of God euen to them that beleeue in his name The Apostle S. Paule sayeth Ye are all the sonnes of God by faith in Iesus Christ And 2. Cor. 6. he alleageth the testimonie of God himselfe out of the Prophet Esay Gal. 3 2â— I will be your God and you shall be my Sonnes and daughters saith the Lord Almightie Our blessed Lord and Sauiour when he teacheth vs in the 6. of Matthew to pray thus O our Father which art in Heauen thereby plainely signifyeth vnto vs that we are Gods children which â—hing also the holy spirit of God testifyeth witnesseth vnto our spirits in emboldning vs to crie Abba Father So that if wee beleeue these Scriptures which are so plaine and pregnant in this behalfe wee neede make no doubt of this great mercie of God vnto vs in making vs to be his sonnes But not onely thus simplie and positiuely the Scripture setteth downe that we are the Sonnes of God but it amplifyeth the same by gradation vnto the highest degrée In the 4. Galatians at the 7. verse the Apostle amplifyeth it First reiecting or renouncing vtterly that seruile estate wherin we once were saying Wherefore thou art no more a seruant and then peremptorily setting it downe but a sonne There-upon hee ariseth a steppe further If thou be a sonne thou art also the heire of God thorow Christ And most swéetely in the 8. to the Ron. 17. he reasoneth thus If we be children we are also heires which is one steppe higher heires of God a second step
bloud in the middest of the stréets torne with their Wyer whips dis-membred with their long Kniues thrust thorow with their sharpe swords and no man to haue buried them Malecontents among our selues as Papists and Athests had hoped to haue got this rod into their handes and as by often Treasons against our late blessed Soueraigne so by stronge conspiracies against our now most gracious and vndoubted King whom God for euer kepe from out of their handes they haue attempted it A day of horrour and confusion a blacke and dismall day beloued would that haue bene for then whereas now you kéepe your seates of honour and for euer may you kéepe them and euerie man possesseth his house and home in peace and each neighbour ready to comfort his neighbour and all may come with safetie to this place and to other places of Gods worship to make their supplications before him then I saye ye should haue séene that verefied which is in the Prophecie of Esay Esay 3.5 Nothing but oppression and violence Children presuming against the ancient and the vile against the honorable Ephraim against Manasses and Manasses against Ephraim Esay 9.21 and both against Iudah The Papist against the Athest the Athest against the Papist both against the true Professour You should haue séene then your houses ransacked your wiues and your daughters dishonoured your swéete children and babes horriblie murthered and euery mans sworde imbrued in the bloud of his neighbour Blesse we therefore God and for euer blesse wee him who hath not giuen vs as a praye vnto our enemies handes but brought vpon their owne pates the destruction mischiefe they deuised for others Himselfe reseruing the rod of our correction into his owne hand And besides which also magnifyeth his loue excéedingly taking the rod to beate vs with which is a more gentle and fauorable rod 2. Sa 24 14 than the rest as appeareth by the choice of King Dauid who chose rather to fall into the hands of God then of man who chose rather the Pestilence then hunger What wofull miserie the sworde of the enemie would haue brought you haue heard And I pray God by experience we may neuer know What calamitie famine and hunger causeth you may easely consider when as it forceth to sustaine nature by vnnaturall foode and the mother to féede vpon her yong babe 1. King 6.25 Examples there are in this behalfe most lamentable which I omit In this disease wherewith the Lorde hath visited vs there is either a spéedie death and dissolution or a spéedie recouerie for the most part without languishing in long torment and paine and much comforte séene in the quiet and milde yéelding vp of their spirits to God whom hee marketh and taketh to himselfe Againe the Lord like a pittifull Father for how shall I make an ende to speake of his mercie that is endlesse vppon the onely promise of amendment haue slacked his hand Exod 34 6 7 to shewe and to manifest vnto vs that he is full of mercie and aboundant in compassion and that if we will truly humble our selues he hath done and his wrath is past As therefore yee haue begone so continue your holie exercises of Preaching of Prayer of Fasting that it may not be formall only and hypocritical which the Lorde reprooueth so much in the Iewes Is this the fast that I haue chosen Esa 58.5 6 7 that a man afflict his soule for a day and hang downe his head like a Bull-rush Remēber that the substance of true fasting is to loose the bands of wickednesse to let the oppressed goe free to take off the heauie burthen and to breake euery yoke To deale the bread to the hungrie to bring the poore that wandreth into thy house to couer the naked and to doe such other workes of mercie And that which shall best please the Lord right honorable is if by the sworde of your authoritie yee shall represse the insolencie of them who not regarding the heauie hand of God continue in their blasphemie in the profanation of the Sabaoth in their drunkennes and in such other detestable sinnes who say with the Epicure Let vs eate let vs drink for to morrow we shal die who make a pray a spoyle to thēselues in this heauy time of sicknes by imbeazeling of the goods of thē that be diseased deceased by defrauding of the widow by defeating of the Orphanes by robbing of the naturall kindred of their right If such complaints come before you right Honorable as I feare mee many will deferre not to do iustice for if you do the Lord will sée it and reuenge it but if yee execute the iudgement of the Widow and of the fatherlesse If you defende him that is oppressed from the hande of him that oppresseth him If you maintaine the right and punish the wrong Then you shall sée that God who hath thus gratiously begunne will euery day more and more slacke his hand vntill he hath remooued this euill disease from you then you shall sée that hee who hath wounded you will heale you then you shall sée that he who hath in his anger for a moment visited you will in euerlasting compassion embrace you that you may sée this your Citie againe peopled by the ioyfull returne of your fellow citizens that are here and there dispersed that you may sée those seats which are by you emptie with the Honorable graue Iudges of the Lande with your worshipfull brethren replenished that you may sée your trades and traffiquing which is now dead to be renewed that you may sée your Tearmes and Sessions of Lawe no more omitted that to conclude you may sée health and prosperitie againe within your walles that you may heare the voice of the bridegrome and of the bride and the noyse of mirth and reioysing more than in the daies of good Quéene Elizabeth Now it remaineth that hauing thus farre forth discoursed of that high dignitie and preferment whereunto we are aduanced in being made the Sonnes of God and heires of God ioynt-heires with Iesus Christ the onely begotten and naturall Sonne of the Father of such a celestiall and glorious kingdome and hauing considered the original from whence so great mercy floweth vnto vs which our Apostle sheweth to bee the méere loue of God which loue appeareth to be loue out of measure Because hee hath bestowed it vpon vs that were his enemies Because he hath gratis and fréely without our desert giuen it vnto vs Because he hath giuen his only Sonne to death to answere his iustice for vs Because he vouchsafeth to be called our Father and more then our Father pittieth vs Correcting vs with his more gentle and not with his sharpest rod repenting of the punishment before we repent vs of our sinnes It remaineth I say that wee procéede to the answere of the first obiection which here ensueth For this cause the worlde knoweth you not because it knoweth not him But for that the time is spent I must leaue the consideration thereof vnto your godly priuate Meditations which I may the more safelie doe hauing in such sort conformed this holie and comfortable doctrine vnto you as that all the obiections of man or Deuill shall neuer be able to preuaile against it And now thou O Lord our God which hast in this wise so excéedingly magnified thy mercies vnto vs in calling vs to be thy children and hast not for al our rebellions against thée cast vs off and vtterlie reiected vs but chastized vs in great mercie for our sinnes and corrected vs for our transgressions we beséech thée to sanctifie this thy fatherly punishing hande vnto vs that wee may make right vse thereof in louing thée for thy mercie and fearing thée for thy iustice That for the time of our life that remayneth we may more religiously and more holily walke before thee in all godlinesse of life and conuersation And to this end we praye thee to giue a blessing to the ministerie and Preaching of thy holy worde at this time that gratiously pardoning passing by whatsoeuer weaknesse and infirmities haue bene committed in the speaking hearing hereof thou wouldest please to make it effectuall vnto vs for the glorifying of thy name for the edifying of our selues in faith for the humbling of our soules by repentāce for the reforming of our liues from all vngodlinesse and so finally for the turning away of this thy feareful Plague and punishment and for the purchasing of thy wonted fauours and blessings onto vs and that for Iesus Christes sake our onely mediator and aduocate To whome with thee and the holy Ghost three Persons one true euerliuing and euerlasting God be rendred all praise power Dominion and thanksgiuing both now and for euer Amen
himselfe expresse as we haue shewed in saying Col. 2.14 God so loued the world that hee gaue his only begotten sonne vnto death that whosoeuer should beleeue on him should not perish but haue life euerlasting This also doeth our Apostle renowne in the fourth Chapter verse 10. Herein is loue Iohn 3.16 not that wee loued God but that hee loued vs and sent his onely begotten sonne to be a reconciliation for our sinnes Where the loue of God is set in the first place for the cause efficient and principall his sonne sent for the cause materiall and to be a reconciliation for our sinnes for a cause finall nothing required of vs but that we beléeue in him and loue one another for him as he hath loued vs. If the consideration hereof were throughly layed to hart it would quickly remooue all proud opinion of our owne merit which is thus excluded by including the merit of Christ as alone the sufficient sacrifice propitiatorie for our sinnes and it would swallow vs vp with an admiration of the excéeding loue of God toward vs Epe 318. The height the depth the length the breadth whereof is incomprehensible and make vs ashamed of our owne corruption Gold and siluer and pretious stones being of no valew all the Sacrifices and ceremonies of the old Law being of no worth his blessed and glorious Angels being insufficient to effect our ransome whoÌ„ he so loued he spared not his owne onely sonne who was in his bosome more deare vnto him than the signet of his owne right hande who willingly said also Loe I come and gaue him to the death by his death to redéeme Psal 40.6 7 Heb. 10 5 â—â— vs according to that swéet saying of S. Peter We were not redeemed by siluer or gold 1. Pet. 1.18.19 or by any other corruptible things but by the pretious bloud of Iesus Christ as of a Lambe immaculate and without spot And wee in the meane while wretched men and women straine at euery curtesie and thinke euery thing too much we do in loue towards our brethren whom wee should not onely loue by supplying their wants in the expeÌ„ce of our goods as before we haue shewed but also loue by laying downe our liues for them by the expence of our bloud if néede so require as our Apostle by this example of our blessed Sauiour teacheth vs saying here in is loue that hee laide downe his life for vs wee ought therefore to laye downe our liues for the brethren 1. Ioh. 3.16 There remayneth in this clause yet one worde that further amplifyeth this loue of God in the greatnes thereof vnto vs For besides that it hath pleased him to make vs euen vs that were his enemies to be his sonnes to be his heires and ioynt heires with his owne natural sonne of such an inheritance that is immortall and that of his méere loue by gift not deserued by vs but purchased for vs by the pretious death and passion of our blessed Lord and Sauiour Christ Iesus he vouchsafeth for the further assurance of our faith herein coÌ„fort of our soules to cal himself our father for adopting vs in his welbeloued Son Eph. 1.7 as his welbeloued Son by nature is not ashamed as the authour of the Epistle to the Hebrews wel obserueth to cal vs euen vs that were adopted from a thing of naught his brethreÌ„ saying Hebr. 2 16. I wil declare thy name vnto my brethren so God his Father the Father by excellencie disdaineth not to cal himselfe our Father saying 2. Cor. 6.18 I wil bee your Father and ye shall be my sonnes and daughters The worde Father is a swéet worde and serueth to be obserued for many vses First it confirmeth al the former doctrine of GOD his louing vs fréely for as the childe receiueth nothing but from his Father and his Father bestoweth all things vpon him fréely in regard onely that he is his Father the childe deseruing not the least iotte of his loue So God being our Father it followeth that we receiue all from him our being our lyuing our mouing Act 17 28 benefites Temporall blessings Spirituall that of his owne méere loue because he is our Father without any desert or merit of ours Secondly it expresseth more sensibly the tender mercie and compassion of our good God vnto vs for thereby wee vnderstand that he tendreth vs as a Father according to that of the Prophet Like as a father pittieth his owne children Psal 103 13 euen so the Lord hath compassion on them that feare him Fatherly and Motherlie loue we know to bee verie great and none know it but they which are veri Patres Fathers indéede their bowels are mooued with more than an ordinarie affection toward their childreÌ„ as appeareth by the example of the harlot whose compassion was kindled toward her childe wheÌ„ she heard sentence giuen 1 King 3.26 and the sword drawen to haue it diuided God in like maner testifyeth Hos 8.11 that his hart is turned in him that his repentance is rouled together euen as a fathers doth wheÌ„ he taketh in hand to punish his childe he will beate him and he will not beate him loath he is and therefore though he doeth it hee doeth it vnwillingly so doeth also our heauenly Father he doth not punish vs with his heart saieth Ieremie in his Lamentations Lamen 3 33 but besides this his compassion farre excelleth in that not onely it reacheth further than is possible for any naturall affection to reach vnto but also for that it is immutable it neuer changeth A mother may forget the fruit of her wombe A Father may turne away his face from his owne sonne and renownce him for euer But though a woman should forget the fruite of her wombe yet would not forget thee Esa 49.15 saith the Lord for I am the Lord and am not chaÌ„ged Therfore the Apostle saieth Rom 11.2 His gifts and callings are without repentance And the Euangelist sayeth Iohn 13.1 Whome hee loueth hee loueth vnto the ende And right Honorable and beloued there is not a greater comfort vnto our soules and consciences in this our present heauinesse and distresse than this to consider that hee is our Father that doeth thus correct vs who though he be iustlie displeased with vs and his wrath fore kindled against vs for our sinnes yet herein he sheweth himselfe to be infinitely gratious and mercifull vnto vs in that hee hath taken the rod into his owne hand not deliuered it into their handes that hate vs to strike vs therewith The Spaniards hath often hoped to haue got this rod into their hands and haue as it were snatched to haue pulled it vnto them that they might haue bene Gods executioners A bloudie day had that bene beloued for the corps whom you haue séene honorably and reuerently in peace caried to their graues you should haue séene them lying waltering in their