all the world knowes that yee are also innocent as Doues we hope wel If yee should be wise and not innocent in what danger were wee poore sheepe whose liues and liuelodes after a sort are in your hands Respect of persons the weight of gifts would make our right to be too much sleighted and we should be but as a prey vnto Wolues Oh therefore let that holy Doue which sometime descended vpon that Innocent Christ Iesus inspire you also with Doue-like innocency that yee may haue both pure hearts and pure hands In the scripture yee are called Gods be yee then as Gods and resemble him And as he neither taketh bribes nor accepteth the persons of men so neither doe you and seeing be hath not chosen the noble or mighty of this world let them not sway you against the righteous cause of the poore Bee you wise as Serpents to discerne where the right lieth and innocent as Doues in doing euery man right Yee Lawyers and aduocates that are so learned in the Law even as wise as Serpents are yee innocent as Doues also I cannot speake vpon knowledge hauing euer liued a monasticall as it were and retired life but the generall voice of the world is No cause so good that you will entertaine without a fee no cause so bad but for your fee you will entertaine selling your tongues to defend vniustice labouring with your best skill to deceaue the Iudge by niceties and tricks to oppresse the iust cause and to overcome truth for falsehood How many are there who after they haue spent most of their thrift and that in iust sutes complaine as the Comicall Poet did My Comedie was the better but my adversaries had the better Actors And thus yee wax in wealth though yee wane in conscience not caring how much yee loose within so yee may abound in riches For as the world iudgeth your end is not to discharge a good conscience by helping your brother to his right but how you may prevaile in your cause be it right or wrong for the filling of your purses So that Serpents yee may be but Doues yee are not and hardly shall a man finde among you one that is both wise and innocent Yee Nobles and Gentles of the land that looke vpon your poore brethren like Anakims as if they were but Grashoppers in comparison of you are you both Wise Innocent or neither It may be some are both perhaps so many as the gates of Thebes or the mouthes of Nilus But as Samuel said vnto Saul standing vpon his innocencie What meaneth then the bleating of the sheep in mine eares and the lowing of the Oxen So may I say vnto you what meaneth the exclamation of the country vpon cruell oppressions intolerable fines racking of rents and the like How wise you are I knowe not but sure I am these are not the fruits of innocencie and so you are not both wise innocent But how many among you are neither nor wise nor innocent Learning and knowledge yee disdaine to haue your selues and yee despise them that haue it◠swaggering swearing smoking of Tobacco carowsing hunting hawking are almost become essentiall to a Gentleman so that perhaps he defined not much amisse who said A Gentleman was a beast riding vpon a beast with a beast on his fist hauing beasts following him and himselfe following beasts And yet forsooth this Gentleman that is nil nisi Cecropides nothing but descended of Trojan blood otherwise hauing not one commendable quality in him will not sticke to outbraue the best and beare him selfe as farre better then other men So did a horse some time I am better then thou for I come of a better fire I feed on better provander I haue richer furniture then thou but quoth another horse vnto him if thou hee better then I come and run with me in like manner say I if yee boast your selues to be the better men let it appeare in the vertues of a man Wisdome and Innocencie Sed lingua quo vadis whither strayest thou ô my tongue I will say no more least I transgresse against the first part of my Text not being so wise as a serpent and yet haue I beene bold to say thus much because I would practise the second part and discharging my duty bee as innocent as a Doue To conclude therefore all in a word I could wish that what Christ hath ioined together no man would put asunder and that as Righteousnesse and Truth so Wisdome and Innocency may kisse each other to the end that being Wise as Serpents our Innocence may bee safe and being Innocent as Doues our Wisdome may bee sauing Neuerthelesse of the two it is better to be Innocent without Wisdome then to be Wise without Innocency lesse Wise so that more honest For as Tertullian saith Praestat minus sapere quà m peius errare quà m fallere better is it to be lesse wise then sinfully wise and to stray our selues then to lead others out of the way The holy Ghost in Scripture is resembled to a Doue appeared in the shape thereof the divell is compared to a serpent and vsed it for his instrument Illa à primordio divinae pacis praeco the Doue in the beginning brought an Oliue branch in her mouth and preached peace vnto the world ille à primordio divinae imaginis praedo the serpent in the beginning plaid the theefe and robbed mankinde of the image of God The Serpent is accursed of God to creepe vpon his belly and to licke the dust of the earth all his portion is in this life but the Doue hath wings giuen vnto her euen the wings of innocence couered with silver and whose feathers are like vnto the yellow gold whereby as David saith she may fly away from hence and bee at rest For when shee hath travelled over the world by reason of the deluge of vanities wherewith it is ouerwhelmed can finde no resting place here below then may shee betake her to her wings and mount vp aloft into heauen where our Nöe euen Iesus Christ our blessed Saviour and redeemer will be ready to stretch forth his hand and to receaue her into the arke of eternall glory and blessednesse Vnto which the Lord bring vs for his Christs sake FINIS SVBIECTION To the HIGHER POWERS OXFORD Printed by I.L. for E. F. 1633. ROM 13.5 Yee must needs be subject not only for Wrath but also for conscience ALthough I doubt not but a graue and learned Divine may without presumption take vpon him to informe and advise and ciuill Magistrate in the duties of his calling the science he professeth being architectonical and all other sciences euen that of gouernment being subordinate therevnto yet is it not my meaning at this time to aduenture so high I knowe mine owne insufficiencie and you my Lords are as Angels of God My purpose rather is to addresse my speech vnto those of inferiour place and to aduise them vnto that which
yea St Steven generally vpbraids them yee stiffe-necked and vncircumcised in heart and eares yee doe alwaies resist the holy Ghost as your Fathers did so doe yee All these Scriptures evidently demonstrate that the cause of not coÌ„ming after Christ is not for that Christ forceth man from him but because man himselfe refuseth to come Let the blame thereforely where it ought on man and not on God let God be true but every man a lyar as it is written that thou maist be iustified in thy sayings and overcome when thou art iudged As Christ forceth no man from him so neither doth he force any to come after him If any will let him God offereth violence to no mans will for though he hate evill loue good yet neither doth he violently draw the will from the one nor constraine it vnto the other Good is not good if it be done of compulsion and not willingly Hee that doth good by constraint would not doe it and â—o doth ill and God shall shew great mercy vpon him if he doe not punish him For the sacrifices which God accepteth are free will offerings it is the cheerefull giuer whom he approueth Hence is it that God requireth our election and choice and election importeth liberty I call heauen earth to record this day against you saith Moses that I haue set before you life and death blessing and cursing therefore chuse life And Ioshua chuse you this day whom you will serue whether the Gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the Gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell In a word all the exhortations commandements promises and threatnings vsed in Scripture plainely argue that it is Gods will that what we doe wee should doe willingly Here happily some will say what are you fled into the enimies campe are you also become a Proctor for free will God forbid Our comming after Christ I ascribe not with Papists vnto the freedome of our owne will but vnto the free grace of God for I confesse that if he prevent vs not with grace we cannot will and being prevented if he pursue vs not with his grace wee shall will in vaine according to that of Saint Paul It is God which worketh in you to will and to doe of his good pleasure If it be so will you yet say why doth our Saviour Christ vse this forme of words if any will let him and doe you not overthrow all what hitherto you haue said affirming that we can neither will nor doe vnlesse by grace we be elevated aboue nature Herevnto to expresse my selfe more fully I answere foure things First if wee were such as we ought to be we might of our selues by the meanes offered vnto vs come vnto Christ. That now wee cannot is through our owne default who haue disabled our selues And yet the obligation still lieth vpon vs and wee are bound to bring with vs power abilility and fit dispositions If wee neither doe nor can yet may God iustly exact them of vs as the Creditor may his debt of the vnthrift that cannot pay him neither is he bound againe to enable him by grace no more then a Creditor is to supply the wants of his wastfull and prodigall debter Secondly although in things supernaturall and spirituall the act of Willing be not in our power yet are there many prerequisites going before which are in our power as to goe to Church to heare Gods word preached to meditate vpon it to seeke further information c. without which ordinarily God saueth none God blesseth not our idlenesse but our labour he that will not labour shall not eate he shall eat that seeketh his bread in the sweat of his browes He that will not plow nor sow shall not reap the crop and he that will not striue and endeauour himselfe shall not obtaine grace Thirdly if a man hauing the meanes of grace offered him shall therevnto adde his owne endeavour and doe whatsoeuer lieth in his owne power who knoweth but that God will bee gracious to that man Or rather to declare my mind freely I doubt not but that God will be gracious vnto him And although others wrench and stretch the place too farre for their owne advantage yet will I not bee afraid with as graue Divines as this land affordeth any to apply it vnto this purpose Habenti dabitur to him that hath shall be giuen God forsaketh not man vntill man forsaketh him neither fayles any vntill hee bee defectiue vnto himselfe Then indeed the talent which he would not imploy shal be taken from him but he that imploies it carefully shall receaue more yea shall haue abundance Being thus called and affected God will never cease to further our conversion vnlesse wee our selues stop his course either by carelesse neglect or wilfull rejection of grace Lastly when we haue done whatsoeuer we can doe yet is conversion out of our power it is the work of Gods free grace which grace of vnwilling maketh vs willing not by forcing and constraining the will but sweetly inclining and bending it For albeit God in converting vs bee said to draw vs yet may we not conceaue this Drawing to be constraint or violent coaction Hee drawes vs indeed what as stocks and stones No but as men I will draw them saith God with the cords of a man with the bands of loue Grace so prevaileth vpon the will as it preserueth the libertie thereof It cannot will before Grace grace maketh it willing When we are first converted by grace we convert willingly and whensoeuer we will wee will freely For will is not will vnlesse it be free Grace indeed setteth free the will yet except wee will our conversion freely we can neither be converted nor saued according that of Bernard Nisi sit liberum arbitrium non est quod saluetur nisi sit gratia non est vnde saluetur vnlesse there be free will there is nothing to be saued vnlesse there be grace there is no meanes whereby to bee saued And thus much haue I thought good to speake touching the forme of words or the liberty of them that are counselled partly to cleare God from being the cause why wee follow not this counsell and partly to set an edge vpon our endeauour to follow it The Counsell it selfe is threefold first abnegation of our selues secondly bearing of the crosse thirdly following of Christ. And of every of them there is a conditionall necessity if we will come after Christ. For howsoeuer simply we may chuse whether we will deny our selues or not deny our selues take vp the crosse or not take vp the crosse follow Christ or not follow him yet conditionally if wee will come after Christ we must of necessity deny our selues take vp our crosse daily and follow him So that in euery of these Counsels we are to consider first the Substance and then the Necessity
saith Let him deny himselfe Himselfe What meanes he by that There are two sorts of men for as S. Paul distinguisheth there is a Spirituall and there is a Naturall man The Spirituall man is he who is borne a new of water and the holy Ghost by grace is become a new creature a new man transformed into the image of Christ. The naturall man is he that is as yet vnregenerate hath nothing in him but nature the corruption thereof bearing only the image of the old Adam Must the spirituall man deny himselfe No verily so farre forth as he is spirituall for so doing he should disclaime and disesteeme the very grace of God by which hee is whatsoeuer he is It is the Naturall man then that must be denied Now in the Naturall man there is first Nature and then the corruption of nature By Nature I vnderstand the powers faculties of the soule such as are the Vnderstanding and the light of reason whose office is to discerne truth from falsehood and the Will vnder which also I comprehend Passions and Affections whose dutie is to pursue that which is good and to shun that which is evill The corruption of nature is that which in Scripture is called flesh concupiscence and is commonly known in the Church by the name of Originall sinne because it is traduced vnto vs from our parents and wee are polluted therewith in every part both of soule and body from our very conception and birth Now which of these two must be denied I answer both yet not both alike but the corruption of Nature simply and absolutely and Nature it selfe only in some respect First then Nature it selfe must bee denied What simply and absolutely as the corruption of Nature No by no meanes â—oâ— it is the good creature of God without it neither are we capable of blessednesse nor can bee schollers in the schoole of Christ. Nature is not opposite but subordinate vnto Grace and Grace destroyeth not nor abolisheth but healeth and perfecteth Nature Neither is it without cause that God spoiling man of his supernaturals for sinne only wounded him in his naturals and left vnto him both a light in his Vnderstanding and a liberty in his Will By the light of reason the invisible things of God euen his eternall Power and Godhead are clearely scene there is no nation so barbarous but partly by inbred principles partly by the booke of the creatures knowe him By the same light of reason doe we in part also know the will of God for the law morall is written in our hearts by nature and how many excellent precepts of moralitie doe we finde in the writings of meere naturall men Finally even in the matter of the Gospell reason seeth thus farre that it is not vnpossible if God will and vpon this ground Iustin Martyr Tertullian Arnobius Lactantius Athenagoras Augustin anciently and Aquinas Vives Mornay of late haue attempted to proue by reason the truenesse of Christian religion As for the Will it is yeelded of all hands that in matters morally good it hath free liberty and may of it selfe either chuse it or refuse it at pleasure So that hitherto Nature the power thereof is no way to bee denied or disclaimed Wherein then Surely in things meerely supernaturall For that which is aboue reason cannot be comprehended by reason and that which passeth the reach of nature caÌ„not be attained only by the power of nature The naturall man saith S. Paul perceaueth not the things of God nor can knowe them because they are spiritually discerned In these things reason is starke blinde and seeth nothing Search the writings of the subtilest and sharpest Naturalist and ye shall finde in them of Christ and his Gospell nor palme nor footstep Here therefore reason must bee denied and as a woman may not speake in the Church so must reason also be silent in things supernaturall In things not revealed it must be contented not to know docta ignorantia est it is a learned ignorance In things revealed it must beleeue without and aboue reason reason must bee captived vnto the obedience of faith And as where the naturall Philosopher endeth there the Physitian begins so where naturall reason stoppeth divine Faith must come in place Otherwise if reason will needs be prying into Gods arke and search into those mysteries that are aboue the reach thereof it is the corruption of reason and no marvaile if it become vaine and foolish in her imaginations Yea when men in their curiosity thinke themselues most wise then are they most infatuated And as Ixion in the fable embraceing a cloud insteed of Iuno begat Centaures thereon so they entertaining their owne fancies insteed of divine veritie bring forth nothing but monsters of errors and strange opinions What I say of reason must be vnderstood of the will also in spirituall matters the one wanteth light to see and the other strength to doe It is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy for as we haue already demonstrated neither can we will of our selues without preventing grace nor doe when wee haue willed without pursuing grace So that if a man will be no more then the scholler of Nature he cannot be the scholler of Christ. For as nature is vnable both to know the mysteries which Christ teacheth and to doe the duties which he requireth so doth Christ command vs to renounce our naturall abilities to come as infants vnto the kingdome of heauen But if Nature it selfe must be denied much more the Corruption of Nature For as the Scripture saith Corruption cannot inherit vncorruption and without holinesse it is impossible to see God Now the leprosie of Originall Corruption not only infects the inferiour part of the soule as Papists dreame but spreads it selfe to every part even the superiour also For as for the mind it is not only blind and ignorant but Corrupt also and full of vanity it savoureth not the things of God but they seeme vnto it meere folly As for the will it is not only vnable to performe spirituall duties but full of hardnesse also and perversnesse and vntowardensse vnto any thing that is good Finally the inferiour part is but a shop of all turpitude outragiousnesse full of nothing else but tempestuous tumultuous vnruly and sinfull lusts These all as the Scripture saith must be crucified must be mortified must be killed that is must vtterly be renounced and denied if wee will bee the followers of Christ. And reason For the flesh lusteth and fighteth against the spirit by reason whereof the good wee would doe we cannot doe and the evill wee would not doe wee doe They that walke after the flesh saith St Paul are not in Christ but they that walke after the spirit And they that liue after the flesh shall die neither can any man liue vnlesse by the spirit
the dispenser whereof is this great iudge of the whole world who nor can nor will doe otherwise then right In that day saith the Scripture shall the Lord himselfe come downe from heauen with a shout and a throne shall bee set in the clouds and the auncient of daies shall sit thereon whose garment is white as snow and the haire of his head like the pure wooll his throne is like the firy flame and his wheeles as burning fire a fiery streame shall issue and come forth before him thousand thousands shall minister vnto him and ten thousand thousands stand before him the iudgement shall be set and the bookes opened Then shall the Archangells trumpet sound and the dead shall rise and the Angells shall goe forth and gather both good and bad together and we all must appeare before the tribunall of Christ that every man may receiue the things done in the body according to that he hath done whether it be good or evill and the wicked shall goe into everlasting paine and the righteous into life eternall Goe too now yee Epicures yee Stoicks yee Philosophers that are so wise in your owne conceit and account the preachers of iudgement no better then Bablers goe too yee mockers and scoffers of this last time who say where is the promise of his comming For since the Fathers died all things continue alike from the beginning of the Creation non alium videre paeres aliumue nepotes the world which our ancestors saw of old is the same which wee their posterity see now Goe to I say eate drinke make you merrie crowne your heads with rose buds before they be withered delight your selues in the tabâ—et and harpe enioy the pleasures that are present let not the flower of life passe by walke in the waies of your owne heart and in the sight of your owne eyes but yet know that for all these things God will bring thee to iudgement I remember that a gallant of this stampe some time said vnto a reverend Prelate what if there bee no iudgement to come are you not then a very foole to barre your selfe from the pleasure of this present life to whom the Prelate and what if there be a iudgement to come are not you then a very foole for the short pleasures of this present life to barre yourselfe from those eternall ioyes of the life to come Thou vaine man art thou infallibly certaine thou shalt not come to iudgement is there no scruple no doubting remaining in thee to the contrary I know thou wouldest faine haue it so that thou maist sinne withall impunity howbeit I am sure thy Conscience doth so counterchecke thee that thou canst not but doubt thereof In a case so doubtfull vnto thee what folly nay what madnesse is it for time to hazard eternity and for a few fading pleasures to adventure thy selfe vpon endles woe and misery The wise heathen could say Longum illudtempus cum non ero magis me movet quam hoc tam exiguum the long time which shall be after this life doth more affect me then this short life If it bee possible let it affect thee also if not sit still in the chaire of scorners scoffe on thy fil and seeing thou wilt not beleeue that fire is hot vntill it burne thee thou shalt one day be convinced that there is a iudgement when thou shalt feele the intollerable torments of those flames that never shall be quenched In the meane season let vs who haue better learned Christ and know the terror of the Lord let vs I say prepare our selues against this great dreadfull day of the Lord giuing all diligence that we may be found of him in peace without spot and blamelesse And to this end let vs alwaies haue it in mind and with Saint Hierom ever be meditating therevpon Quoties diem illum considero saith he toto corpore contremisco siue enim comedo siue bibo siue aliud facio semper videtur tuba illa terribilis sonare in auribus meis Surgite mortui et venite ad iudicium as often as I thinke of that day I tremble every limbe for whether I eate or drinke or doe any thing me thinkes I heare that terrible trumpet sounding in mine eares arise yee dead and come to iudgement If any thing in the world will make a man sober and keepe him within his bankes it is the consideration hereof Thinke of this I beseech you and thinke of it seriously all yee that heare me this day Yee Iudges of the land be yee wise and learned serue the Lord and kisse the sonne doe right to the poore and fatherlesse deliver the poore and needy and saue them from the hand of the wicked doe nothing vniustly accept no mans person execute iustice without bribery and partiality for your selues must come vnto iudgement and as you iudge so shall yee be iudged Yee lawyers and advocates see that yee entertaine none but good causes sell not breath only for your fees spin not matters out at such a length for your owne advantage in every cause deale conscionably and honestly for your selues shall need an advocate in that day to speake for you quando plus valebunt pura corda quam astuta verba when a good heart shall farre more availe then cunning and plausible words Yee Priests and Levites of the Lord feed yee diligently the flocke whereof the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers strengthen the weake heale the sicke binde vp the broken bring againe that which was driven away seeke that which is lost be instant in season out of season thrice happy are you if your Lord when he cometh finde you so doing for you shall stand in iudgement and hauing iustified many yee shall shine as the starres for ever and ever And yee the rest of my brethren whatsoeuer whether gentle or vngentle rich or poore take heed to your selues also and for these outward vanities of birth and wealth see that yee neither despise nor envy one another In that day not the first but the second birth will be regarded and a good conscience will bee more esteemed then a full purse Watch therefore be sober flee vngodlinesse and worldly lâ—sts and follow after righteousnesse piety faith loue patience meekenesse doe good and be rich in good workes laying vp in store a good foundation for your selues against the time to come that ye may obtaine eternall life Then shall yee not need with guilty reprobates to hang downe your countenances and to request the hills to cover you from the wrath of the terrible iudge for ye shall earnestly long for his speedy comming and at his appearance shall yee lift vp your heads for ioy knowing that your redemption draweth neere and that now is to bee pronounced that more then ioyfull sentence Come yee blessed of my father inherit yee the kingdome
you never so vprightly yet if either you want a talent or hauing one you employ it not it profiteth you nothing Againe haue you never so rich a talent and employ it never so diligently yet if your life answere not your doctrine it availeth you nothing Either through your inability or idlenes or wickednes you murther the soules of men and God will require their bloud at your hands What he hath giuen you he will surely take from you and when it is gone you cannot but grow worse worse vntill you rise to the height to impiety and plunge your selues into the bottomlesse pit of everlasting perdition It is a fearfull speech of Saint Chrysostome Quis vnquam Clericum lapsum paenitentem vidit Who ever saw a Minister recover himselfe after his fall by repentance And indeede it is but seldome seene For the sins that are single in others being double in him and an idle word in an others mouth being as it were blasphemy ' in his God punisheth him more rigorously then hee doth others When once he giueth over the conscience of his calling the spirit of God departeth from him as hee did from Saul and then looke what degree of excellency hee held before into the same degree of basenesse he degenerates afterwards The strongest wine turneth into the sharpest vineger and the noblest Angells sinning became the vgliest Divells In like manner is it with vs. And if wee who are the Salt of the earth once loose our savour wherewithall shall we be seasoned Wee are thenceforth good for nothing neither for the land nor the dunghill but only to be cast out and troden vnder foot of men Take wee heede therefore that wee dishonour not God least he dishonour vs for our God is a jealous God and his honour is as deare vnto him as the apple of his eye If wee beare both Vrim and Thummim in our breastplates and carry our selues in his sight both as Good Ministers and Good men neither shall wee any way dishonour him neither shall wee be causes of contempt vpon our selues but shall exactly and perfectly obserue this Apostolicall charge See that no man despise thee Yea but will some say when yee haue done all yee can doe and haue performed the will of God on earth as the Angells doe in heauen yet can you not escape contempt from all but some will still despise you Grant it Yet for all this Ne pudeat Evangelij let vs not be ashamed of the Gospell of Christ. for it is the power of God vnto salvation If it proceede of Ignorance because they know not the worth of the Ministry let vs say with our Saviour Christ. Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe If parents beare much with froward children and Physitians with their franticke patients why should not wee pardon much more vnto those whose soules wee hope by the grace of God to saue If it be of wilfulnesse then let vs put on the greater minde and with the Emperour Severus While wee are carefull of doing our duties little care what others say of vs. Let them spit against Heaven as long as they list it will surely fall downe in their owne faces againe Their perverse judgements are to bee neglected ad honesta vadenti contemnendus est hic contemptus of all them that aime at a Crowne of Glory this contempt must be contemned If wicked and sinfull men should honour vs wee had reason to suspect our selues least all were not well with vs but if they despise vs wee haue cause to thinke the more honourably of our selues God ceaseth not to be good though it seeme not so vnto some Neither is the Sunne darke because blind eyes see not the light thereof Let ignorant lewd wretches thinke as they please yet maugre them all our calling is of all other the most honourable and wee our selues if wee be both Good Ministers and Good Men deserue of all double honour Which if wee cannot obtaine of some yet shall wisdome still bee iustified of her owne children Our owne consciences the Saints of God his blessed Angells shall honour vs yea as the Prophet speaketh wee shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord and our God shall be our strength with him is our reward Hee will make vs rulers over many things heere and in the next world enter vs into eternall Ioy. For as Daniel saith with whose comfortable words I conclude this exercise They that be wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and they that turne many to righteousnesse as the stars for ever and ever FINIS THE DOVE-LIKE SERPENT OXFORD Printed by I. L. for E. F. 1633. MAT. 10.16 Be yee therefore wise as Serpents and innocent as Doues FOR the better guiding and ordering of our actions in regard of those offices which we are to performe each vnto other our Saviour in the Gospell hath giuen this exact perfect rule Doe as you would be done vnto Which rule the Emperour Alexander Severus though a Heathen so approued and admired that he caused it to be engraven in his Palaces and all publike buildings and in publike executions also the Crier was commanded to proclaime Quod tibi fieri non vis alteri ne feceris doe not to another what yee would not haue done to your selues Breefly so much was this sentence applauded and esteemed that at length it was related as a maxim or principle into the Ciuill law But here happily some will say that it would not be amisse to practise this rule towards all if a man might finde the like measure of charity from others againe but if others offer wrongs and indignities vnto me may not I returne like for like For the better direction of our affections in such cases our Saviour here prescribeth another most excellent and absolute rule Bee yee wise as Serpents and innocent as Doues a sentence worthy to be engrauen not only in Princes Palaces and places of publike iudgement but euen in the hearts and consciences of all true Christians For it is as if he should say in regard of the evils yee may otherwise suffer Be yee wise as Serpents but in regard of your owne practise bee yee innocent as Doues And of this Text at this time it beeing as I suppose both seasonable and profitable yet breefly considering the many and important businesses to succeed All I haue to say touching these words may bee reduced to two heads first Christs counsell secondly the limitation of the practise of it Christs counsell is Be wise the limitation Be innocent both expressed by way of allegory or Similitude the Counsell be wise as serpents the limitation Be innocent as Doues The meaning of all yee shall the better conceaue if yee giue me leaue in the person of Christ thus to paraphrase it I doe indeed aduise you for avoiding of danger and securing of your selues
the pollicy of Saint Paul who by professing himselfe to bee a Pharisee set the Pharisees and Saducees by the eares that himselfe the while might escape them both who both else would haue set against him But some man perhaps will say what need so many words to proue so cleare a case giue vs rather some direction how wee may keepe our selues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without gunshot Hic labor hoc opus est this indeede is the point of difficulty and if I should attempt it in this wise auditory happily some one or other would taxe me to be as wise as Phormio who presumed to discourse of military service in the presence of Hannibal the expertest captaine of that time Neither dare I therefore nor will I adventure vpon this argument farther then my text leads me and that briefly pointing only with my finger to the fountaines Be wise saith our Saviour Christ as Serpents How is that First the Serpent by naturall instinct knowes man to be his mortall enimy that principally he aimes at the breaking of his head and therefore carefully provides for it So should wee wisely seeke out who are ill affected towards vs and which way they purpose to assault vs that wee may bee the more able to prevent them Sagitta praevisa facilius evitatur the arrow foreseene is easily declined and it is easy to countermine when wee know which way the mine is carried Watchfulnesse then and observation is here required Againe the Serpent as wee haue shewed stops his eares because hee will not heare the enchanters charme So should wee also turne the deafe eare vnto the crafty insinuations of false treacherous Sinons Blessed is hee that feareth alwaies saith Salomon for distrust is the sinewes of wisdome saith the Poet bonum est timere omnia vt nihil timeamus it is good to feare all things that we may feare nothing Credulity is the bane of honest hearts but it is wisdome timere Danaos dona ferentes to feare an enimy speake he never so faire Charity you will say is not suspitious true without a cause But when there is cause wisdome requireth vs to be Diffident and Distrustfull Lastly the Serpent being assaulted vseth the best shift hee can either by couering his head or by flight to saue himselfe So should wee also in all dangers vse such lawfull meanes as are offered vs to free our selues It is not sufficient to say Dij prohibebunt haec God will helpe all nunquam propter te de coelo descendent tibi dent mentem oportet vt prohibeas if thou sit idle hee will never come downe from heaven to helpe thee thou must haue a minde to helpe thy selfe To pray vnto God for averting dangers without vsing the meanes is to tempt God and to enwrap our selues farther into danger But I will proceede no farther in this point nor read a lecture of wisdome vnto those that are farre wiser then my selfe and it may be some are liker to goe too farre then to come too short in these matters I will therefore passe from hence vnto the second part which is the Limitation if first I may by your patience briefly apply this This doctrine condemnes the great foolishnesse of those who care not to vse caution in any thing nor toward off any thrust whatsoever is aimed at them Such was the error of Tertullian in ancient times who held it vnlawfull to fly in time of persecution and such is the peevishnesse of Anabaptists in these daies who thinke it vnchristian to defend themselues from wrongs and iniuries making themselues outlawes both to God and man and refusing the benefit of any law But starke franticke and mad are they who like Caecias loue to draw clouds and tempests on their owne heads right Ishmaels whose hands being against all men draw all mens hands against themselues provoking and exasperating oftentimes those that are too mighty for them vntill they bee crusht for their labour More wisdome certainly were it to follow the wise counsell of our Saviour Christ to be wise as Serpents and to make friends even of the wicked Mammon if for no other cause yet for a Ne noceat that they doe vs no hurt And as this wisdome is to bee practised in regard of temporall dangers and such as concerne the body so much more in regard of spirituall dangers and such as concerne the soule Nam pretium pars haec corpore maius habet the soule is of greater value then the body for if the body dye yet doth the soule liue and the body shall be revnited to it happily to liue with it eternally but if the soule perish the body cannot liue but must dye with it for evermore Oh then my brethren seeing our poore soules are every houre in danger the flesh seeâ—ing to betray vs the world to entrap vs the Divell to devoure vs seeing so many wolvish Iesuits and Seminaries walke about in ship-skins vsing all art and cunning to deceiue vs and to draw vs from the faith of Christ vnto the service of Antichrist let vs that are the children of light labour to be as wise in our generation as they are in theirs and as they are astuti Serpentes studio nocendi câ—afty serpents to hurt so let vs be prudentes sicut Serpentes studio nocentes cavendi wise as serpents in keeping our selues from being hurt by them Let vs not be in alijs rebus cauti in maximis negligentes wary in petty matters and retchles in the greatest least wee be found too much to prize this present life quae vera vita sit ignorare and to be ignorant of the true life But specially ought this wisdome to bee practised by publike persons and such as haue the managing of state businesses because publike evills are ever more dangerous then private Father Parsons a deepe polititian forsooth in the judgement of Papists would not haue statesmen goe about to prevent insuing dangers because they are only Contingent and nothing else but a May to the end I thinke that their trecheries and intended treasons might not be looked into nor discouered But whatsoever this cheating Mountebanke affirme it behooueth all publike persons carefully to prevent future mischiefes and to take heede that the commonwealth incurre no danger The neglect of this wisdome is a certaine forerunner of destruction Cuiuscunque fortunam mutare constituit Deus consilia corrumpit whose state God meaneth to change their wisdome he first taketh away God grant therefore vnto his Maiesty and to his councell and all that are in publike place vnder him to bee wise as serpents for the prevention of all such evills as threaten our state The late divelish powdertreason assures vs that the endlesse malice of Hell Rome will ever be working against vs and that therefore we ought with all providence to stop and countermine them And so much for the first part which is Christs counsell Be wise as Serpents The next is
is of God by which words the vse of meanes is no way excluded For whether it please God to worke by meanes or without meanes his Providence ever ordereth and disposeth all The selling of Ioseph the spoiling of Iob the rayling of Semei the incest of Absolon the crucifying of Christ and the like sins though they were committed by men and through the temptation of Satan yet God chalengeth the doing of all to himselfe Not that he wrought all by an immediate hand of Providence for this were to make him the author yea the only author of Sinne then which there cannot bee a greater blasphemy but because of the concourse of his Providence with the meanes permitting directing and determining all So that to come to an issue although it be granted that in all lots the whole disposition is of God yet it followeth not but in some lots as namely some Games at Cards and Tables wit skill industry may be vsed vnder God for obtaining the victory Whence also it followeth necessarily that all lots so disposed of by God are not therefore meere lots But you will not let this passe so N. N. It s of Gods disposing or of thine or of Fortunes disposing chuse which thou wilt I care not If it be of Gods disposing 't is that I would haue it s that the Scripture will haue If it be of thy disposing I know thy dishonesty If it be of Fortunes disposing then there were fortune Which if thou wilt doubt of I leaue God to confute thee DEFENCE These are now the second seething of these cole-worts and you doe not well to cloy our stomakes so soone againe with them To avoide tautologie therefore I referre you for answere to what is already said where I haue shewed that in sundry Games both at Cards and Tables not only God but man also disposeth and that without Dishonesty yea and Fortune too if you will not quarrell with the word but vnderstand thereby a Casuall accident or Chance not ordered by mans forecast or providence Where you say you will leaue them who doubt if there be fortune to Gods confuâ—ing it may please you to remember that God ordinarily reformes mens errours not by his owne immediat Magistry but by the Ministry which he hath ordained And therefore you much forget your selfe to neglect the performance of your Ministeriall duty and to leaue vs poore soules vnto Gods extraordinary instruction N. N. It doth cause contentions to cease for it disposeth the thing in controversy whether it be mony or victory whose it shall bee Let no profane Iester vent his wit here or blaspheame the word of God by saying that there Gaming doth rather cause contentions such as are braulings oaths curses blasphemies and the like and therefore doth not cease contentions but cause contentions it is not the Lot but their vnlawful vnholy vse of it that causeth this DEFENCE That a Lot stinteth contentions or controversies is not denied for the applying of a casuall event for the determining of a doubt is the very forme of a lot Neverthelesse in diverse Games as is already said both at Cards Tables it is not the Lot only but it and art also that disposeth whose the mony or the victory shall be As for the obiection if it bee not a Chimera of your owne braine some merry Gentleman I thinke made it to dally with you and to sport himselfe withall Wherevnto your answere is no lesse pleasant that not the lot but the vnlawfull vnholy vse causeth Contention meaning thereby as I conceaue it the vsing of it in Games which is a meere begging of the thing in question that it is vnlawfull to vse lots in gaming Besides you are to know the lots in gaming are not in themselues causes either of Peace or of Contention Not of Peace for this proceedeth from a farther compact made betweene those who referre themselues to a lot Otherwise howsoever the lots fall if such mutuall obligation be wanting the quarrell is not stinted Not of contention for those outrages you speake of rise only from the corruption of them that play as either their ambition that they cannot endure to bee beaten or their covetousnesse that vexeth them when they loose their wealth or the like Take these corruptions away and let moderate and temperate men only play and you shall haue neither Braulings nor Oths nor Curses nor Blasphemies nor the like furious behaviour amongst them And thus much in answere to those reasons whereby you would proue Cards and Dice to bee meere lots N. N. I come now to proue that it is vnlawfull to vse Lots in Gaming or light matters My reasons for it are these First Gods servants haue neuer vsed it but it vrgent great and weighty matters As for example in the choice of Kings Priests 1. Sam. 10. in the division of lands Iosh. 14. To knowe who was in fault that Israel fell before their enimies Ios. 17. to knowe whether Ioses or Mathias were to succeed Iudas Act 1. DEFENCE Vnto this assertion I oppose the contrary affirming that it is lawfull to vse Lots in gaming or light matters nay farther that the most serious businesses are lest fit for lots the lightest most fit For what thing is there in the world more vncertaine then a meer Chance What that lesse regardeth right or wrong true or false good or bad fit or vnfit What matter soeuer be to be decided the Lot is indifferent to either side and cares not which way it fall And hence it is that by lot neither doth the Church trye the fitnesse of her Ministers nor the Lawyer the right of his Clients cause nor the Physitian the state of his patient Neither is it the manner of wise men to referre any thing vnto a lot vntill by their wisdome and providence they haue so disposed of all things as it is not much materiall which way the lot fall Were the question referred to a lot of any great consequence of great consequence also must the fall of the lot be and if it fall amisse great inconveniences must needs ensue thereof But if wise men so order and cast their businesses as it is indifferent vnto theÌ„ howsoeuer the lot fall that cannot bee of any great moment which they referre vnto a lot But I forget that I stand rather in the place of an Answerer then Replier and therefore I come directly to your Arguments Your Argument standeth thus That which the Servants of God never vsed but in vrgent great and weightie matters is not to bee vsed in gaming or light matters But the Seruants of God neuer vsed Lots but in vrgent great weighty matters Ergo Lots are not to be vsed in gaming or light matters The Major it seemes you take for granted for you goe not about to proue it The Minor you endeauour to confirme by certaine examples out of holy writ which we will by and by examine In the