and them will I endue by my spirit with the like faith in me That confession which thou hast made shall be the foundation of all beleivers so Theophylact. Supra Petram aedificat qui supra Christum aedificat so Stella He that buildeth and layeth his foundation on Christ buildeth and layeth it on a Rock Four reasons I find why Christ may and that not unfitly be resembled to a Rock First Because a Rock is a sound firm and stable stone Petca enim est rupes penitus immobilis on which whosoever buildeth buildeth most strongly buildeth most surely Christ in like manner is a stone yea a corner stone utterly unmoveable He that buildeth on him buildeth most firmly buildeth most safely against whom Math 16 18 the Gates of Hell cannot prevail Secondly a rock is a stone as well of offence as defence it defendeth and keepeth from ruine that which is built upon it so likewise doth it offend and break to peices all obstacles that shall justle against it Christ in like manner is a stone of offence as well as defence as he defendeth and keepeth his Elect that are founded and built upon him from ruine and destruction So likewise doth he offend and break to peices like potters vessels all wicked and ungodly obstacles that shall jussel against him to them is he made a stone to stumble at and a Rock of offence as Saint Peter speaketh And that they that justle against Christ thus must needs be confounded hear what our 1 Pet. 2. 8 Saviour Christ himself saith Whosoever shall fall on this stone he shall be broken but on whomsoever it shall fall it will dash him to pieces Take heed therefore beloved of justling Christ either Math. 21. 44. by your contemptuous mocking of his service or disdainful deriding of his servants lest the like confusion seaze on you that sometime fell on Julian that justling Apostata which constrained him in horrour of heart to confess and to cry out Sozom. Vicisti Galilee vicisti Galilee Thirdly A third reason why Christ is resembled unto a Rock is because that hence did refreshing water sometimes gush out and that in abundance for the miraculous releife of the children of Israel in the dry and thirsty wilderness And Moses lift up his hand and with his Rod he smote the Rock twice and the water came out abundantly Numb 20. 11 Ps 78. 15 16 Wisdom 11. 4 He cleft the Rock in the wilderness and gave them drink as out of the great depth He brought floods also out of the stony Rock so that it gushed out like the Rivers so the Psalmist And again when they were thirsty they called upon thee and water was given them out of the high Rock and their thirst was quenched out of the hard stone This all this Saint Paul explaineth and applyeth to Christ And the Children of Israel did all drink the same spiritual drink for they drank saith he of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ This 1 Cor. 10. 4 Rock was struck for our transgressions and broken for our iniquities as the Prophet Isaiah saith From whence floweth unto all Gods children that live in the dry and thirsty wilderness of this wicked world most large refreshing Isa 53. 5. streams of living water Salientes in vitam aeternam springing up unto everlasting life as our Saviour Christ himself telleth us As therefore the children of Israel in their dry necessities quenched their souls with the sweet streams that Jo. 4. 14. issued out of that typical Rock in the wilderness So let us beloved in all our dry dolours and thirsty distresses run unto this Rock of Christ refresh our parched souls Psal 46. 1. with the living fountains of his holy Gospel and quench our thirsty hearts with the most comfortable waters of his evangellical promise Fourthly and Lastly Christ is resembled to a Rock because a Rock is a receptacle for innocent Doves to preserve them in safety from the piercing claws of devouring Birds so likewise is our Saviour Christ a receptacle for all faithful simple meek harmless Dove-like Christians to defend them from the raging malice of all the malignant Kites of the World that would devour them he he is the Rock of our salvation and present help in trouble A Rock beloved beyond the reach of all though never so malevolent adversaries in whose cliffs the Dove like-Christian abides most safely on which he builds most surely Statuitque fundamentum super petram And laid his foundation on a Rock Obs It is then you see the duty of every good Christian not to build on merits but to lay their foundation on a Rock not to trust confidently in their own deserts but to rely faithfully on Christs deservings The Father of the faithful built not on merrits But laid his foundation Gen. 15. 6 a Rock For Abraham believed in God and that was accounted to him for righteousness Behold he that lifteth up himself his minde is not upright in him but the Habac. 2. 4. just shall live by his faith To trust then in our selves or in any worldly thing besides is never to be at quiet The only rest is to rely upon God by faith for being justified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Rom 5. 1. Christ our Lord. The reason of the point or cause why Gods children ought not to rely on good works is evident For by faith 2 Cor. 1. 24 Gal. 2. 16 ye stand saith the Apostle And again We know that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by the faith of Jesus Christ so the same Apostle Be it known unto you therefore men and brethren that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins and from all things which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses by him every one that beleiveth is justified so Saint Paul Act. 13. 38 39 Good reason therefore have we to distrust our selves and to disclaim our own righteousness seeing that in us there dwelleth no good thing seeing we are all gone out of the way and that there is none that doth good no not Rom. 7. 18 Psal 14. 3 Isa 64. 6. one In a word seeing that we have all been as an unclean thing and all our righteousness as filthy cloutes And great reason have we to lay the foundation of our faith on the Rock of Christs merrits who of God is made unto us wisdom sanctification righteousness and redemption as Saint Paul expressly telleth us 1 Cor. 1. 30 Applic. How grossely then do they erre that forsaking this Rock fasten their foundation chiefly on the fickle sand of good works and that as Maldon in loc Rom. 7. 24. Firmissimum salutis suae fundamentum as Maldonat the Jesuite on this place Whenas alass who knows not how miserable and how wretched we are in our selves carrying alwayes about us no
A SERMON Preached at the ASSIZES Held at Dorchestor in the County of Dorset upon the fourth day of March in the year of our Lord 1669. By JOHN STRAIGHT Master of Arts sometimes a Member of Queens Colledge in Cambridge now Vicar of Stourepain in the County of Dorset and Chaplain to the right Reverend Father in God John late Lord Bishop of Sarum CONTAINING The Metaphorical description of a sincere Christan 1. By his care and providence 2. By his pains and industry 3. By his wisdome and discretion 4. By the ensuing perils and dangers 5. By the invalidity of all perills and dangers 6. By the cause and reason of this firm validity Non dormientibus provenit Regnum coelorum nec otio desidia torpentibus Beatitudo aeternitatis repromittitur Leo. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath ordained that we should walk in them Eph. 2. 10. London Printed for Edward Thomas at the Adam and Eve in Little Brittain 1670. TO THE Right Worshipful ROBERT BARKER Esq High Sheriffe of the County of Dorset SIR ALthough I have often experimented the infallibility of that Adagie veritas odium parit yet I cannot account it fit that truth should be concealed nor clanculary crowded up into a corner The truth therefore is this you know it Sir and I am willing that others should be made acquainted with it also that I was very unwilling to undertake to Preach at the Assizes for you You must needs acknowledge the many arguments I used to excuse my self from it As First my age being now past my Ninth and great Climaterical Secondly the crasiness of my body Thirdly my frequent distempers both of the vellicating Stone and torturing Gout all which were not only great impediments to my due preparation for such a service but might have taken me off and utterly disinabled me to do it at the destined time for it But none of these to make use of Terence his phrase could causam dicere with you No nor could all these together prevail to pass by me and perswade you to pitch upon another more fit for that imployment And now since that is past you have proceeded to another postulate viz. to request and that not barely petere but expetere the publication of those my poor and weak indeavours you continue pressing of me to be in the press again Give me leave Sir to expostulate with you a little with the Poet Proper Quid mescribendi tam vastum mittis in equor Non sunt apta mâ—ae grandia vela rati I must also tell you further Sir that I had even almost Protested against Printing in such times as these are in which that ingenious invention is so much abused with contentious and useless I might add pernicious and seditious Pamphlets But seeing your importunity will not receive a modest denyal I have now therefore thus farre yielded to your request that after a serious scanning of these my rude notes if they happen to gain the favour of an Imprimantur they then should be published to the perusal of others And then Sir if after their pass they chance to meet with the whip of some censorious dispositions of which sort of people the world is now too full who will perhaps say that these thing are too mean for this ripe and exquisite Age I for my part shall acknowledge them to be so and you must bare the blame who have forced them from me Yet withal let me desire such to consider that at the building of Solomons Temple there was room as well for the burden bearers as for other more curious Artificers and at the making of the Tabernacle not only the bringers of blew Silk and Purple and Scarlet Exod. 25. 4 5. but even the poorest which brought but Goats hair and Rambs Skins were accepted However it happen this is my comfort that they that know my reservedness will acquit me from popularity and seeking my self abroad and will not brand me with that busie humour by which too many in this scribling age have even made the times to surfeit with their needless papers Sir I have now but two things more to say The one of which is to you and the other is for you That which I have to say to you is this That if this my Sermon shall afford any good either to your self or to any other truely fearing God I shall not then repent my giving way to the granting of your desires by my thus imparting it to pulick view The other thing is a Supplication for you that the God of goodness would perpetuate your present happiness here in this world and crown you with everlasting happiness hereafter in the World to come and this is the hearty prayers of him who is SIR Your nearly related and humbly devoted Servant John Straight To the Indulgent READERS BEnevolent friends it were but lost labour to tell you why I gave way to the Printing of this Sermon I have said enough of that before and shall not now nauseate you with a crambe You see what importunity can do even with those of the most private and retired dispositions I must now acquaint you that I expect not to escape the lash of censure as having had some experience thereof by the printing of a former Sermon upon a just occasion mentioned in the Epistle to the Reader When I was by some malevolent spirits stigmatized with the title of a vain-glorious person for it As if an affectation of publick notice had only put me upon the publication of those mean conceptions when as the Lord knows how conscious I was and yet am of my own weakness and defects But there is I see a spirit of pride and bitterness in too many Saint Aug. qui vel non intelligendo reprehendunt vel reprehendendo non intelligunt as Saint Austin speaks And to such ignorant uncharitable censurers I wish either a more sound judgment or a more sober affection The desire to disgrace another certainly cannot spring from a good root Seneca Cupio si fieri potest propitiis auribus quid sentiam dicere sin minus dicam iratis as somtime Seneca said I am contented to receive a scarre from Zoilus so as some others may escape a wound having learned in some measure from the blessed Apostle to go through all reports Seneca Male autem de te opinantur homines sed Mali saith Seneca Moverer side me Marius si Cato si Lesius sapiens si alter Cato si Scipiones duo ista loquerentur moverer si hoc judicio facerent quod nunc morbo faciunt I only add Martials quirp to such kind of carping back-biters and Procustean Tyrants and so dismiss them Mar. Epigr. l. 11. Epigr. 93. Mentitur qui te vitiosum Zoile dixit non vitiosus homo es Zoile sed Vitium And thus returning to the moderate unprejudiced and candid Readers hereof to whose considerate
that would serve Nebuchadnezzar the King of all the earth so he also I never molest any that are content to serve me the Prince of the present world as he is termed Jo. 14. 30. Q But why may some man say doth God permit the waters of affliction to arise and the floods of temptations thus to beat upon his childrens buildings A. Truely beloved the reasons for it are many but I will satisfie my self and I hope content you also with these three following First God suffereth the waters of affliction thus to arise against his own children that he might the better manifest his anger against sin that all may take notice if he spare not his own children but and if judgment begin at their houses what the wicked may nay what they must expect and where the ungodly shall think to appear Secondly Therefore doth God permit the floods of temptations to beat upon his childrens buildings that he might thereby manifest unto the world the fidelity of his chosen now I know saith God to Abraham that thou fearest God Not that God was ignorant of this before his bitter tryal of him by commanding him to sacrifice his only Son but that by this fact of his he might make known that his obedience unto others God by this extraordinary act of self-denyal made Abrahams faith and obedience manifest to others Not unfitly therefore are Gods children likened to spices whose odoriferous savour is then strongest smelt when they are soundliest pounded Saint Greg. Virtus per quietem se exercuit in Job sed virtutis opinio commota per flagella fragravit saith Saint Gregory Thirdly and lastly therefore doth God permit both the waters of affliction to arise and the floods of temptation also to beat upon his childrens buildings that he might preserve them in safety from that great gulf of presumptuous security and that he might keep them from the stragling by paths of eternal destruction who otherwise Psal 119. 67. would be too too apt to start aside and with David before his affliction to go astray the best ground untlled soonest runs out into rankest weeds Such are Gods children sudenly overgrown with security ere they are aware unless they be often exercised with Gods plough of affliction Greg. in Mor. Electis suis ad se pergentibus dominus hujus mundi iter asperum facit ne dum quisque vitae presentis requie quasi viae amenitate pascitur magis eam diu pergere quam citius pervenire delegit ne dum oblectatur in via obliviscatur quod desiderabat in patria so Saint Gregory God saith he permitreth his childrens pilgrimage here to be very bitter and extream sharp least any of them should be so far in love with the pleasantness of the path as to forget what they so earnestly desired in their country to come Crosses therefore though in themselves they be bitter arrows yet are they shot from a loving hand and 1 Sam 20. 10 therefore become like to Jonathans sometime shot to David serving only for directing caveats Apollonius writeth of certain people that could see nothing in the day but only in the night Many Men I am sure are so blinded in the Sunshining day of prosperity that they then see nothing belonging to their good only in the night of misery are their eyes open and to them Schols crucis is converted into Scholam lucis which is the third and last cause I mentioned why God permits the waters of affliction to arise and the floods of sorrows sometimes to beat upon his childrens buildings From which I pass unto the reasons why afflictions as I conceive are here and elsewhere too in Scripture compared to waters which are likewise these three following First Propter confluentiam For their confluency Secondly Propter utilitatem For their utility Thirdly Propter salsitudinem For their saltness First I say for their confluency for as one waye followeth and falls on the neck of another even so do afflictions in the righteous pursue each other One deep calleth another as the Psalmist speaks They come so thick upon them as stormy waves at sea a perspicuous Psal 42 7. example of this we have in Job while he was yet speaking saith the Text came anothâ—r and then while he was yet speaking came another and again while he was yet speaking came another c. We live here beloved in an Job 1. 16 17 18. ocean of troubles wherein we can see no firm Land One wave falling on the neck of another ere the former have wrought all his spight mischeifs strive for places as if they feared to lose their roome if they hasted not this for their confluency Secondly afflictions are likened to waters in regard of their utility in respect of their profit for as the one serves to cleanse the outward so doth the other serve to purge the inner man Davids experience shall be a sufficient proof of their utility in this respect who by them was reduced from his erroneous straglings to a constant keeping of Gods commandments Neither are waters profitable onely for purgation nor afflictions onely for restauration but both also for transportation For as without Ps 119. 67. the benefit of water we cannot pass into another country as France Spain or Italy so neither can we pass from hence to Heaven without the benefit of affliction there is no going thither unless we saile through the salt waters of affliction witness that holy Apostle who constantly averreth That we must through many afflictions enter into the Kingdome of God But happy beloved yea thrice Acts 14. 22. happy are those mishaps that make a way to a greater perfection and this for their utility Thirdly and lastly afflictions are resembled to waters because of their saltness and harshness to be endured See water though for curing of the itch and many other things it be very soveraign yet by reason of its extream saltness it is very unwelcome unto most mens pallates Afflictions in like manner though they are very wholsome and profitable to heal all spiritual diseases in regenerate men and therefore in one place especially â—ommended by the Apostle for the curing of itching eares Yet are they allso salt and harsh very distastful and wondrous difficult to be endured even of the very best of Gods children 2 Tim. 4. 3. we need not travail any further for an example of this than to our Saviour Christ himself whose words were these Father if it be possible let this cup pass from Math. 26. 39. me The way to Heaven beloved is by the gates of Hell and like that which Jonathan and his Armour-bearer 1 Sam. 14. 13. passed Rocky Foul and Thorny No sooner do the waters arise but presently the Floods do beat upon the house And when the waters arose the flood beat upon that house A threefold Flood I find that beateth upon all Gods childrens houses First A Flood of sin Secondly A
Flood of sorrow and Thirdly A Flood of godly anger First A Flood of sin I know my iniquities saith David and my sin is ever before me And O wretched man that I am saith Saint Paul who shall deliver me from this Psal 51. 3. Rom. 7. 24. body of death There is a Flood of sin Secondly A Flood of sorrow I say the truth in Christ I lye not my Conscience bearing me witness in the holy Ghost that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in Rom. 9. 1. my heart So the same Apostle These two like Hypocrates twins go alwayes hand in hand there was never sin without sorrow nor ever sorrow without sin All dishonest actions are but earnests laid down for succeeding sorrows Thirdly the third kinde of flood that beateth on Gods childrens houses is the flood of Gods anger And of this the Prophet David complaineth thus Thine indignation Psal 88. 6. lyeth hard upon me and thou hast vexed me with all thy storms This flood of Gods fury hath much beaten upon us and that for many yeares together You cannot forget that fearful flood of civil war and intestine dissentions Jer. 48. 12. 2 Sam. 21. 17. amongst us When God sent unto us as he did unto Moab such as emptyed our vessels and brake our bottles and quenched for a time the light of our Israel You must needs remember the next flood of forraine War at Sea that beat so sorely against our buildings You cannot forget the next flood of Plague and Pestilence that swept away so many thousands And to name no more at present you must needs remember that fiery flood of Gods fury Fluvius Dan. 7. 9. 10. igneus rapidusque as the Prophet Daniel expresseth and renders it shewing the inevitable and consuming force of Gods Judgments You cannot I say forget that fiery flood that but lately beat down so many stately buildings in the Metropolitan City of this Kingdome Well what good effect have all these floods produced in us all this while What amendment is there in the rich What reformation is there in the poor Alass alass but small I fear For who doth not see what a deluge of prophaness and impiety doth yet overflow the Land Are not Gods good creatures too too much still abused in surfeiting and drunkenness in rioting and wantonness in strife and envying Are not people still as prophane still as irriligious still as ungodly still as sinful as ever Lay it to heart beloved and know that the Lord hath more floods to power forth upon us if these prevail not to reform us Applic. to the Judg. Give me leave now my Lord first to address my self to your Lordship for the begging of your assistance to prevent the future floods of Gods anger from falling on us and that by your impartial distribution of Justice you are set in Gods place you are to walk in Gods path and to be a follower of him who is no prosopoleptick with whom there is no respect of persons Let me I beseech you move you to that which you both know and I Rom. 2. 11. presume are ready to put in practise also you know the saying of the Poet. Qui rogat ut facias quod jam facis ipse â—ogando Laudat hortatu comprobat acta â—uo I shall only add good Jehosaphats caveat to the Judges Chr. 19 6. in his time which is this Take heed what ye do for ye execute not the Judgment of man but of the Lord and he will be with you in the cause and Judgment that is he will be with you to preserve you if you do justly or else he will be with you to punish you if you do the contrary To the Sheriff Next a word to you Mr. Sheriff for your assistance also to prevent the future floods of Gods anger from falling on us Ezek. 17. 18 19. and Mat. 5. 33. and to this end let me request you Sir to know your place and to consider your oath look to your under officers that they abuse not poor men with exactions nor the Country with exorbitancies To the Iustices Next I turn to you much honoured Justices and Gentlemen let me I beseech you crave your assistances also herein which that you may the better afford I pray be pleased to call to mind your several oathes remember to what you are sworn and be not remiss nor negligent in the performance of them You have good Law and Authority to punish swearing whoring drunkenness prophanation of the Lords day and other enormities Oh have a zeal for the due execution of such good Laws When any come to you for justice against such offences put them not off with Gallio that deputy of Achaia who would be judge of no such matters Gentlemen you are called Sheilds Ps 47 9. The Sheilds of the earth belong unto God â—aith the Psalmist Your place is to stand between Acts 18. 15. God and the people and by your timely censuring and punishing of known sins to prevent the floods of publick plagues from flowing in upon the Land wherein ye live You are termed also Healers Would God you would go to the quick and heal our breaches in the causes thereof Town and Country are sick of separation and swarm with scismaticks that in things but ceremonial peevishly spurn at the grave authority of the Church and out of a needless nicety are theives to themselves of those benefits which God hath allowed them Good Laws there are to reclaim them to suppress their Conventicles to restrain their seditious spirits but there is but little or no execution of them Gallio careth not for these things Gentlemen it is not material how good a mans will be if the executors who are put in trust do not perform it The Laws I may call Gods will and the will of his vicegerent the King it is no matter how good they be if those who appointed executors neglect to put them in execution In this case they are no better then scare-crows which being set up in the fields by Husbandmen to keep away birds at the first view are somewhat terrible to the fowles but after a while seeing them still in the same place and doing nothing they make bold with them and sit on their heads yea and worse then that too So beloved the Laws though never so dreadful at first if they be not duely executed by them that are in place to do it they grow in contempt and give occasion to refractory spirits to go on with boldness in their perverse and wilful wayes You may take this from Solomon who well observed it and tells you That where sentence is not executed speedily against an evil work the hearts of the sons of men are fully set in them to do evil Where Justice is delayed there sin reigneth And will not this bring a flood upon us think you in the end if not timely prevented Liberty hath