a new Sepulchre of stone shut up locked and fast sealed by the Magistrate how was it possible I say that his Disciples should come thither break up the monument take out his body and carry away the same never after to be seene or found without espiall of some one amongst so many that attended there or if this were possible as in reason it is not yet what profit what pleasure what comfort could they receive hereby We see that these Apostles and Disciples of his who were so abandoned of life and heart in his passion after two dayes only they were so changed as life and death cannot be more contrary for whereas before they kept home in all feare and durst appeare no where except among their owne private friends now they came forth into the streets and common places and avouched with all alacrity and irresistable constancy even in the faces and hearing of their greatest enemies that Jesus was risen from death to life that they had seene him and enjoyed his presence and that for testimony and confirmation hereof they were most ready to spend their lives And could all this proceed onely of a dead body which they had gotten by stealth into their possession Would not rather the presence and sight of such a body so torne mangled and deformed as Jesus body was both upon the Crosse and before have rather dismaid them more than given them any comfort Yes truly And therefore Pilate the Governour considering these circumstances and that it was unlikely that either the body should bee stolne away without privity of the souldiers or if it had been that it should yeeld such life heart consolation and courage to the stealers began to give eare more diligently to the matter and calling to him the souldiers that kept the watch understood by them the whole truth of the accident to wit that in their sight and presence Jesus was risen out of his Sepulchre to life and that at his rising there was so dreadfull an earth-quake with trembling and opening of Sepulchres round about such skriches cries and commotion of all elemēts as they durst not abide longer but ran and told the Jewish Magistrates thereof who being greatly discontented as it seemed gave them money to say that while they were sleeping the body was stolne from them by his Disciples All this wrote Pilate presently to his Lord Tiberius who was then Emperour of Rome And he sent withall the particular examinations and confessions of divers others that had seene and spoken with such as were risen from death at that time and had appeared to many of their acquaintance in Jerusalem assuring them also of the resurrection of Jesus Which information when Tiberius the Emperor had considered hee was greatly moved therewith and proposed to the Senate that Jesus might be admitted among the rest of the Roman Gods offering his owne consent with the priviledge of his supreme royall suffrage to that decree But the Senate in no wise would agree thereunto Whereupon Tiberius being offended gave license to all men to beleeve in Jesus that would and forbid upon paine of death that any officer or other should molest or trouble such as bare good affection zeale or reverence to that Name Thus much testifieth Tertullian against the Gentiles of his owne knowledge who living in Rome a learned man and pleader of causes divers yeares before hee was a Christian which was about 180. yeares after our Saviour Christs Ascension had great abilitie by reason of the honour of his Family learning and place wherein he lived to see and know the Records of the Romans Neither onely divers Gentiles had this opinion of Jesus Resurrection again from death but also sundry Jewes of great credit and wisdome at that time were inforced to beleeve it notwithstanding it pleased not God to give them so much grace as to become Christians This appeareth plainly by the learned Josephus who writing his Story not above forty yeares after Christs Passion tooke occasion to speake of Jesus and of his Disciples And after he had shewed how he was crucified by Pilate at the instance of the Jewes and that for all this his Disciples ceased not to love him still he adjoyneth forthwith these words For this love of his Disciples hee appeared unto them againe the third day when he had resumed life unto him Which expresse plaine and resolute words wee may in reason take not as the confession only of Iosephus but as the common judgement opinion and sentence of all the discreet and sober men of that time laid downe and recorded by this Historiographer In whose dayes there were yet many Christians alive that had seene and spoken with Jesus after his Resurrection and infinite Iewes that had heard the same protested by their fathers brethren kinsfolke and friends who had been themselves eye-witnesses thereof And thus much for the story of Christs Resurrection which I conclude with this divine Prayer Glorious Son of Righteousnesse who this morning didst prevent the dawning of the day by sending forth the beames of thy glorified body out of the Pit of darknesse and shadow of death shine upon my soule by the light of this grace Inlighten my dark apprehension of the mysteries of thy Resurrection Inflame my cold affections and revive my heart even deaded with pensive thoughts upon thy bitter passion O how did the surest ground of Faith shake the safest Ancor of hope loosen at the earthquake at thy death What smiting together of knees what wringing of hands what knocking of breasts what fainting of hearts what hanging down of heads were there at giving up of thy ghost when thy head hung down on the Crosse With thee the faith with thee the hope with thee the joy with thee the life of thy dearest Disciples might seeme to expire What should or could the prisoners of death ever expect when they saw him whom they thought to have been their Redeemer the Lord of life arrested by death and kept close prisoner in the grave so long O death how sharp was then thy sting O grave how fearfull was thy seeming Victory But blessed be the Angell which removed the stone and thereby made way that the stone which the builders refused might be preferred to be the head stone in the corner Blessed be the right hand of thy Father who in raising thee out of the grave raised our hope out of the dust for where is our hope Our hope is even in thee O Christ and thy Resurrection Thou art the life and the Resurrection of all that beleeve in thee Death like a Hornet by stinging thee hath lost his sting and now may make a buzzing noise to affright me but can thrust out no sting to hurt me The grave by thy lying in it is turned to a bed and a withdrawing roome to retire my selfe a while to put off this ragged flesh and attire my selfe with roabs of glory Now dare I insult over Death and Hell since
and delightfull fruit of Humility which growes upon the top of this Tree and yet it is to be seene in every branch thereof for Humility the higher it is the lower it will stoope therefore as it is the conclusion of his so it shall be the period of my meditation for this day on which our blessed Saviour by his Humility triumphed over the Pride of the world and ascended to true glory by suffering death upon the ignominious crosse For better explanation hereof view the story and you shall find that among all his Pompe and applause of the people when all the Citie of Jerusalem was moved at his Magnificent entrance hee himselfe gave a great example of Humility in riding so simply on a poore Asse with no better a saâ—dle than a cloake or some such slight thing cast on him however the people triumph round about him he was humble enough himselfe he tooke small Pride in it for while they applauded he wept there was Humility running downe his cheekes Indeed it honoured the Citie that hee would thus ride into it but it humbled him He was never in any great Honour in all his life but twice at this time and in the Transfiguration there he talked with Moses and Elias concerning his Death and charged his Disciples to tell no man of his Glory And here he is going to his Death indeed and Weepes in the midst of his Glory And this Honour continued with him but a small time neither for they that thus admir'd him in the morning would none of them give him a lodging at night he was to goe back againe to Bethany to bed and within lesse than a weeke after they were much worse altered toward him which hee full well knew that knew the thoughts of all men therefore looking on and fore-seeing them a sort of false Traytors to his life hee had little cause to bee proud or Ioyfull at their acclamations though he suffered them for will you see what followed Now they cry Hosanna to the Sonne of David then they cry Take him away take him away Crucifie him crucifiehim Now they cry King of Israel then they cry wee have no King but Caesar Now they cut down boughs to strew the way for him to ride on then they cut down a Tree to make a crosse to hang him on Now they cast their garments before him then they cast lots for his Garments Now they cry Blessed is he that commeth in the Name of the Lord but then cursed is hee that hangs on the crosse We see what became of this exaltation and how it ended If he were ever truly exalted indeed it was his Humility that exalted him nay he only tooke Humility for his Exaltation for when he meant one of his greatest Humiliations even that on the crosse hee sayes of it When the Sonne of Man shall be exalted c. No exaltation would he admit in this life unmingled with humility for which cause the Apostle saith That after death God hath exalted nay God hath highly exalted him It may well be his Song as it was his Mothers He hath exalted the humble and meeke But this is not the day of that Catastrophe and small exaltation that was an unmingled one and is an Argument fit for Easter-day wee are now meditating of the beginning of his Passion in Teares even this day of his seeming Glory and therefore our object is principally his humility his emptying himselfe even to the bottome and becomming of no accompt his humility in going to his death for us from which if I could learne this one short rule of Saint Bernard it will be use enough that since the lower he made himselfe in humility the greater hee shewed himselfe in Charity I might say from the bottome of my soule In as much as Christ made himselfe vile for me so and much more should I make him precious and deare to me Mark O man that art but earth see thy God humbled and be not Proud and since he is Ioyned to thee bee not ungrateful to him so shalt thou in the end be exalted to him that for his Humility was exalted to the right hand of God Thus if I could be as a Tree planted by the waters side rooted in Faith growne up in Humility spread abroad by Charity and fruitfull in all kinde of good workes I should in due time bee transplanted from this valley of Teares to a Garden of Pleasure the Paradise of God where I should for ever reigne in perfect glory with Christ who is gone before to prepare a place for those that are followers of him in Humility OF A RAINBOW Or A Meditation on the fifth day of November THe third side or wall of this outward Court is as on the South in which I have fixed a delightsome Rainbow But I am no Astronomer and therefore cannot artificially show you how the Rainbow becomes ingeÌ„dred in the Aire when the glorious Sun with his golden and bright beames is just opposite against a waterish cloud which presently causeth its moist Timpany to powre out and empty it selfe upon the place from whence it receives its borrowed liquor neither doe I intend to show you the variety of colours that are to be found therein But I will briefly write thereof as it is a signe or token of Gods love and mercy to mankind Gen. 9. 13. Behold saith God I set my Bow in the cloud and it shall be for a signe of the Covenant betweene me and the earth So this day is by Act of Parliament according to a like president in the Word of God Hester 9. 27. set in the yeare as a signe or pledge of Gods love and mercy to us of this Nation in commemoration of that great and miraculous deliverance from that unparallel'd entended Gunpowder Treason to assure us that if we continue in the true Religion depend and put our whole trust and confidence in God and walke in the way of his Precepts he will never leave nor forsake us so that neither of those two mercilesse enemies of mankind Water or Fire complotted by the accursed crafty inventions of bloody minded men shall ever have power to destroy us For though sometimes he may for our triall suffer the little Pinace of his Church to be almost covered with waves yet in his due time he will arise out of his slumber to still the raging of the tempestuous Sea for the safegard of his little Barke When the proud papistical and presumptuous Spanyard in 88. thought himselfe sure of this little Island and was upon the brinck of victory in his own imagination though his ships were many and strong his warlike provision and munition great and his people without number yet God by one small blast of his fury in a moment of time by weak means did dissipate overwhelme his ships in the narrow Seas where his strong and warlike provision was confounded and his numerous multitude drowned even as Pharaoh and his Hoast
the world fore-telling also by the spirit of prophesie divers particular things that were to ensue both to Christ and Christians and especially by his Mother the blessed Virgin which things being published at that time and confirmed afterwards by the event doe well declare that this narration of Saint Luke could not be forged as also the number of particular circumstances set downe about the time place and persons most notoriously knowne to all Jerusalem as for Anna shee had lived from her youth untill fourscore years of age in the Temple and thereby was knowne to the most part of Jury And Beda doth from her draw a mystery and makes of Anna a figure of the Church which is by Gods grace in that shee was the daughter of Phanuel which signifies the face of God and of the Tribe of Asser signifying Blessednesse her age being fourscore and foure years and her married estate seven which being applyed unto the dayes of Davids week the age of mans life doth signifie That the doctrine of the twelve Apostles should bee the rule of the Church in all ages for twelve multiplied by seven makes fourscore and foure the age of Anna which signifies Grace And as for Simeon he was the Scholler of the most famous Hillel and condisciple to Jonathan maker of the Chaldee Paraphrase and the Jewes Thalmud confesseth that by the death of these two men especially of Simeon failed the great Synagogue called Sanhedrin which after the captivity of Babylon untill Herods time supplyed in a sort the spirit of prophesie that was expressely in Israel before the said Captivity From both which persons this among other things is observeable that Christ came first unto Simeon which signifies obedience an embleme of the Law who taking hold on Christ desired then to die or depart in peace But when Christ came unto Anna a figure of the Gospell shee confessed unto the Lord and gave thankes seeing the Salvation of the World in Israel and was comforted in Jesus her redeemer and Saviour who desired to live for ever with Grace From all which see the honour that was done to Christ from both sexes Simeon an old man Anna an old widow Zachary a Priest Elizabeth a married woman and Mary a Virgin were all insoired with the spirit of prophesie to give testimony unto Christs Incarnatiâ—n Now I will conclude the Meditation of this day in contemplation of the rare graces of Gods Spirit in this Virgin Flower and pray to God that it would please him to infuse into my soule by the breath of his Spirit the sweet savour thereof that so I expressing by godly imitation the pleasant fruit thereof in my life and conversation may as shee on this day did present the first fruits of her wombe and offered the legall sacrifice that God by Moses prescribed from hence-forth consecrate and present the first fruits of the ensuing pilgrimage I have to run in this miserable world wholly to the glory and praise of God the good of others and salvation of my owne soule And so daily offering the Lambes Patience the Doves Innocence and the Turtles Chastity may grow as a young Plant flourish as a pleasant Flower and in a ripe age be gathered into the Garner of a heavenly habitation All which I pray God grant not for any merits of mine owne for I am in my selfe unworthy of the least graine of saving Grace but for the merits of my All-sufficient Saviour Christ Jesus To whom with the Almighty Father and sanctifying Spirit three Persons and one onely wise God be ascribed all Honour Glory and praise from henceforth and for ever Amen A TREE Or A Meditation on Palme Sunday IN the former Meditation you have viewed a fragrant Flower Now as opposite to that you may be pleased to behold a flourishing Tree upon which the Sunne of Righteousnesse did set And as a Tree I consider it first in its root or station secondly in its fruit or operation First for its root or foundation to know the reasons why this day is called Palme-sunday my small learning cannot fully decide nor determine for the Gospell appointed or set apart for the publique service of God on this day makes no mention of Palme nor any thing that hath Reference thereunto for whereas Palme is a note of Victory and Triumph this dayes Gospell contrary thereto makes a sad relation of our Saviours Death and Passion And the Gospel that seemes more to correspond with the name of this day and as some affirme was usually read in Churches in former times on this day is not unfitly stated upon the first of the foure Sundayes before the day of our Saviours Nativity called Advent Sunday because those Sundayes are appointed for us as preparatories to entertaine the benefits of Christs incarnation into our souls as the Jewes did his corporall presence into Jerusalem with great joy and triumph So the chiefe reason as I conceive why this victorious Palmes Gospell is thus transplanted from this day to Advent Sunday and yet that this day should still retaine the name is as before is specified to be as John Baptist was a fore-runner or harbinger to prepare the way for the comming of the great King Christ Iesus into this Annuall World or thus the root of this dayes denomination springs from these two grounds or causes First because that as this day falls alwayes in the Spring season and Palme as some note is one of the first Trees that buds so men that are rationall Trees in the Spring of their age assoone as they come to knowledge should prepare themselves for the entertainment of Christ into their hearts by striving to grow in piety and spirituall understanding 2. Because as some say Palm delighteth flourisheth most by the rivers side so Christ and all Christians flourish and become most victorious by the troublesome waters of persecution and affliction To prove the veritie hereof All writers almost affirme this same very day Christ went to Jerusalem in that triumphant manner as in the Gospel is related five dayes before his Passion to shew that in suffering he became victorious over sin death and all the Temptation of the Devill and in dying hee overcame death which gave the Church anciently occasion to goe in procession with Palmes in their hands on this day from whence it was called Palme-sunday Thus having briefly demonstrated the radical foundation of this dayes denomination I should now shew you the fructification thereof For though the Palme which grows in our Iland beares no fruit at all but onely a spongie or soft blossome growes upon it thereby as I conceive to shew the vanity of all worldly honour and triumphs of which Palme is an Embleme yet this Annuall Palme as the Date-tree will afford as many fruitfull meditations as there are words in the Gospell as is learnedly accomplished by that pious Gentleman Mr. Austin in his divine Meditations out of whose pleasant Garden I will only gather this sweet
much inquisition therinto without first acquainting the King therewith so upon Alholland day presented it to his Majesty the Contents whereof follow My Lord out of the love I beare to some of your friends I have a care of your preservation therefore I would advise you as you tender your life to devise some excuse to shift off your attendance at this Parliament for God and man have concurred to punish the wickednesse of this time and think not slightly of this advertisement but retire your selfe into your countrey where you may expect the event insafety for though there bee â—o appearance of any stirre yeâ— I say they shall receive a terrible blow this Parliament and yet they shall not see who hurts them This counsell is not to be contemned because it may do you good and can do you no harme for the danger is past so soone as you have burnt the Letter and I hope God will give you the grace to make good use of it to whose holy protection I commend you The King no sooner read it but after a little pause and then reading it over againe contrary to all Grammaticall construction of this sentence in the said Letter That they should receive a terrible blow at this Parliament and yet should not know who hurt them and then joyning this sentence immediately following for the danger is past as soon as you have burnt the Letter concluded that the danger mentioned should be some sudden danger for no other Insurrection Rebellion or whatsoever other private or desperate attempt could be committed or done in time of Parliament and the Authors thereof unseene except it were by Powder which might be performed by one base Knave in a corner And therefore wished that the lower roomes under the Parliament House should be narrowly searched or else there should be no going to Parliament wherupon the Lord Chamberlaine with the Lord Mounteagle made as it were a carelesse and racklesse search where they found in the Vault under the Upper house great store of Billets Faggots and Coales which gave just cause of suspicion and wondred why such extraordinary provision of fuell should be in that house where Mr. Percy had so seldome occasion to remaine besides viewing M. Percyes alledged man they thought him to be a very tall desperate fellow but yet in case this Letter should prove but the evaporation of an idle braine then a curious search being made and nothing found would not only turn to the generall scandall of the King and State as being suspicious of every light toy but lay an ill imputation upon the Earle of Northumberland this Thomas Percy being his Kinsman confident familiar Therefore upon pretence of Whyniards missing some of the Kings Stuffe Sir Thomas Knevit a Iustice of Peace in Westminster with some small company about midnight the fourth of November searching the said house found Mr. Percyes pretended man standing without doore booted and spur'd and presently apprehended him then removing the Coals Billets found thirty six Barrels of Powder and other instruments fit for their purpose and searching Fawkes found in his pocket three Matches a piece of Touchwood and a Watch by which they had tryed how long the Touchwood would continue burning till it came to the traine of Powder When Fawkes saw this Treason discovered he instantly confessed That if he had beene within the house as he was without when they first laid hands upon him he would have blown up them himselfe and all When the rest of the Traitors knew for certain that all was discovered they fled out of the City and went to Dunchurch at Sir Everard Digbyes lodging where they were met by Iohn Graunt one of their Associats who with others had stolne seven or eight great Horses out of a Stable in Warwickeshire And seeing they could not prevaile with a private blow they went about to practise rebellion dreaming to themselves that they had the vertue of a â—nowball that by running up and downe the countrey they might increase their company but as in the other so in this also they were deceived for the greatest company that ever they could get together was not passing fourescore and those most of their servants and Tenants and much adoe they had to keepe them from stealing from them And at last were all beaten killed taken and dispersed by the Sheriffe of Worcester not knowing any thing of the Treason but only upon their riâ—tous assembly and stealing the Horses And see herein Gods judgements being in the house of one Stephen Littleton by chance a sparke of fire fell into a Paper of Powder burnt Catesby Rockwood and Graunt And in the same house by the said Sheriffe and his company Percy and Câ—tesby were shot and kild and their heads cut off and set on the ends of the Parliament house and the rest had triall at Westminster and were drawne hanged and quarter'd their heads fixed on London Bridge and their limbes upon the gates of the City Thus having seene the true relation of this unparallell'd Treason may I not very well compare it to the Rainbow an effect of the Aire for it apparantly appears to proceed from the Prince of the Aire who rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience and dwels in utter darknesse And these delight to worke and be in darke vaults with darke Lanthornes agreeable to their blinde religion But if this devillish stratagem of the Prince of Darknesse and Miners of Antichrist had taken effect which God be praised is discovered and defeated wee should have then seene the Image of the last and terrible day when the Sunne of man shall descend in flaming fire to render vengeance to them that know not God and obey not the Gospell we should have heard louder cryes lamentations then the mournings of Adadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo When Soveraign Majestie and Ecclesiasticall and civill authority and publick justice and all the honour and digty of the Kingdome should have laine in the dust or floted in the Aire The King our Head the Queene our fertile Mother and those young and hopefull Olive Plants not theirs but ours our reverend Clergy our honourable Nobility the faithfull Counsellors the grave Judges the greatest part of the worthiest Knights and Gentry as well as of the wisest Burgesses the Clerkes of the Crowne Councell Signet Seals or of any other principall Iudgement feat all the learned Lawyers together with an infinite number of common people Nay their furious rage should not only have lighted upon reasonable and sensible creatures without distinction either of degree sex or age but even the insensible stocks and stones should not have beene free of their fury The Hall of Iustice the House of Parliament the Church used for the Coronation of our Kings the monuments of our former Princes the Crowne and all other markes of Royalty All the Records aswell of Parliament as of every particular mans right with a number of Charters and