present another preacheth a third man standing by readeth heere is no order but confusion and God is not the God of confusion Let all things in the Church be done decently and in order Thus haue you seene Christ our Lorde entering into the Temple in deuotion and in zeale correcting the abuses that hee found there Teaching them withall the right vse of the Temple and what exercises of holines the place requireth that so they might not come together to condemnation Let it be considered what is sayd and the Lord giue vs vnderstanding in all thinges that hauing attained in some measure to the fulnesse of knowledge that is in Christ Iesus and beeing stablished in euery good worke and word our fruite may be holines and our end euerlasting life Let vs pray the spirit of Grace to enter into the temples of our harts and thence to purge and cast out all corruptions whatsoeuer To God onely wise our Sauiour be rendred all honor glory praise with thanksgiuing now and euer Amen ⧠The history of our Lords Birth ¶ A Sermon preached by the Authour at Shrewsburie vpon Christ his day MATH 2. 1. 2. When Iesus then was borne in Bethleem in Iudea in the dayes of Herod the King behold there came Wise men from the East to Ierusalem saying Where is hee that is borne King of the Iewes For wee haue seene his star in the East are come to worship him TWo principall motiues or reasons beloued in our Lord induced me to make choise of this Text. One vvas the occasion of our meeting at this time which is to solemnize keep in memorie the Natiuity of our Lord Sauiour Christ Iesus The other the great necessity of the doctrine in these wordes contained For they deliuer vnto vs the history full discourse of Christes Incarnation beeing one principall branch in the misterie of our Redemption So you see how both text time our meeting matter or cause of our meeting all conspire together and are alike sutable There shoulde be no matter of greater force to draw men together than this vvee haue nowe in hand for it is able to furnish vs with all necessary knowledge like the roule that Ezechiell tooke from the Angell which wheÌ„ he had eaten it filled both Ezch 3 belly and bowels hee straightwayes began to prophecy We liue not in those times wherein vve may offer rich presents vnto Christ like the Wisemen nor can wee nowe poynt at the bodily presence of Christ as Iohn did not can we feast him in our houses as Zacheus did nor can we embrace him in our armes as once Symeon did when hee came by inspiration into the Temple Christ nowe looketh not for these curtesies nor can we performe theÌ„ if we would But this and all this we do when we come to heare Christ preached vnto vs when we open our harts to entertaine the worde as Lydia did and when wee embrace with alacritie and cheerfulnesse the doctrine of Christ And as I haue told you one capitall branch of this doctrine is this concerning his natiuitie Men are carefull very diligent in calculating theyr owne byrth-dayes and theyr childrens natiuities for a more certaine account they kalender them vp to the end they may not be forgotten and thys they â—may doe for reason requireth it law alloweth it and ciuility commends the same But a thousand times more careful ought we to be both Prince prophet people to kalender and keepe in memory the natiuitie of our Lord Sauiour conscience â—inforceth it custome calls for it and vvhich is most of all Christâ—â—â—â—â—e commaunds it For vnto this name and to no other vnder heauen are we baptized Of Christ wee are called Christians We are his schollers his seruaunts his disciples and therefore very careful should we be to honour our Lord Maister in keeping holy his day For as Christ in earth sought nothing but the glory onely of his Father so his father now in heauen seekes nothing but the glory of his sonne And as the same sonne beeing here on earth humbly debased himselfe as a seruaunt vnder all men to obey his Fathers will so hath it pleased God his Father againe to exalt him not onely to surmount the glorie of all Princes and Potentates whatsoeuer but also with such power maiestie hath he aduaunced him that euen the very knowledge and beleese of his glorious Name is able to giue euerlasting life to all sinners be they neuer so greeuously burdened or laden whosoeuer will come vnto him to seeke any refreshing So proued by his oâ—n testimony in the 6. of Iohn verse 40. Thy is the will of him that sent mee that euery maâ— that beleeueth in him should haue euerlasting life and I will raise him vp at the last day Haue not wee great reason then to remember this day of Christ a day as Saint Augustine calls it of all dayes the beginning of all daies the beginning of eternitie to the beleeuers Hee was borne to make vs rich hee vvas layd in a stall euen among beastes to exalâ— vs to the company of Angels Hee was borne an exile a banished person from the cradle driuen to flie into Egypt as Moses did to Mydian to the end he might make vs free Vt Moses in vluas Hee came from heauen to the earth to the end hee might dravve vs from earth to heauen Hee tooke vppon him a naturall â—ody to make vs heauenly bodies He was made flesh to make vs spirits he was made the sonne of man to make vs the â—onnes of God To as many as receiued him â—o them gaue hee power that they might be the â—onnes of God Great reason haue wee then â—o remember him that did all this for vs. And this much shall briefely suffice to â—tirre vp your mindes to a carefull contemâ—lation of Christ and his glory Now let vs â—eare S. Mathew speaking When Iesus then was borne at Bethleem c. For the increase of our fayth and for an â—ndoubted certaintie heere is layd downe â—he true story of Christes birth with cirâ—umstances thereunto belonging The maner of our Lords birth is at large â—eliuered by this our Euangelist in the forâ—er chap afore my Text beginning at the 8. verse The other circumstances runne â—eere in these wordes as first The place â—here he was born In Bethleem 2. When â—n the dayes of Herod 3. Who came first to â—im The wise men 4. How did they know â—ee was borne or howe were they directed â—â— finde him They were guided by a starre 5. To what end came they to him Iâ— worship him This day and time was foretolde by the Prophets commended to men by Angels and celebâ—ated by the godly Fathers of the Church Esay long before the comming of Chrâ—â—â— prophecied saying Loe a virgine shall â—â—â—ceaue Esay 7 and beare a sonne and they shall 〈◊〉 name Emanuell And againe Vnto vs a â—â—â— Esay 9 is
DEMEGORIAI Certaine Lectures vpon sundry portions of Scripture in one Volume By Lewys Thomas 1. Christ trauailing to Ierusalem 2. Christ purging the Temple 3. The history of our Lords birth 4. The True-louers Canticle 5. The Propheticall Kings Tryumph 6. The Anatomy of Tale-bearers 7. Peters persecution and his deliuerance 8. Heauens High-way PHILIP 3. 13. 14. Brethren I count not my selfe to haue attained vnto it but one thing I doe I forget that which is behind and indeuour my selfe to that which is before and follow hard towards the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus AT LONDON Printed by I. R. for Edw. White and are to be sold at the little North-doore of Paules at the signe of the Gunne 1600. To the Right Honourable Sir Thomas Egerton Knight Lord Keeper of the great Seale of England and one of her Maiesties most honourable Priuie Counsell Lewis Thomas wisheth continuance of health and perfect happines RIght Honourable and my very good Lord the rich tast of your honours kindnes and speciall affection towards me the most vnwoorthy of a thousand but principally your godly and zealous care in planting a learned Ministerie throughout this Land haue specially called vpon me for this dutie by presenting to your Honours selfe these few labours the late fruites of my second birth which long agoe had beene strangled in ipso partu as it were bad not the carefull respect of your Honours acceptance reuiued them beeing almost liuelesse I recommend them to your Lordships safe protection protesting that with them I will be alwayes prest to performe all such duties to your Honour as God shall inable mee vnto both in praying for your health and increase of zeale to the comfort and maintenaunce of his poore flocke which I resolue is the end and onely ayme of all your honourable purposes Thus beeing ouer-bolde but in an honest cause I take my leaue commending you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you vp further and to giue you an inheritance Acts. 20 32 among them that are sanctified Your Lordships to commaund L. Thomas These Texts of Scripture are handled in this Booke ¶ Christ riding to Ierusalem 1 And when he was come neere the Citty he beheld it and wept for it saying o if thou hadst knowen euen in this thy day the thingsthat belong to thy peace Luke 19. 41. ¶ Christ purging the Temple 2 Iesus went into the Temple of God cast out them that bought and sold in the Temple and ouerthrew the tables of the money-changers and the seates of them that solde doues saying It is written My house is the house of prayer but you haue made it a denne of theeues Math. 21. 12. ¶ The history of our Lords birth 3 When Iesus then was borne in Bethleem in the daies of Herod the king wise men came from the East to Ierusalem saying where is he that is borne king of the Iewes for we haue seene his star in the East are come to worship him Math. 2. 1. 2. ¶ The True-louers Canticle 4 Heerein is loue not that wee loued God but God loued vs and sent his Sonne to be areconciliation for our sinnes Beloued if God so loued vs wee ought also to loue one another 1. Iohn 4. 10. 11. ¶ The propheticall Kings tryumph 5 This is the day which the Lord hath made let vs reioyce be glad in it Psal 118. 24. ¶ The Anatomy of Tale-bearers 6 Thou shalt not walke about with tales among my people Leuit. 19. 16. ¶ Peters persecution and his deliuerance 7 And when he saw it pleased the people hee proceeded further tooke Peter also c. Acts. 12. 3. 4. ¶ Heauens high-way 8 Sirs what must I doe to be saued And they said Beleeue in the Lord Iesus and thou shalt be saued thine houshold Acts. 16. 30. Christes trauailing to Ierusalem Luke 19. 41. c. And when he was come neere the Cittie hee beheld it and wept for it saying oh if thou hadst knowne euen at the least in this thy day those things that belong vnto thy peace but now are they hid from thine eyes c. IN the seauenth of Eccles and 4. verse it is written That it is better to goe into the house of mourning than into the house of feasting and therefore I haue chosen a tragicall Text sounding foorth nothing but passions and mournful notes like the tunes of those banished Israelites Psal 137. vpon Babilons banks The first voice that euer proceeded from Adam our progenitor after his fall was a voyce compounded of sorrow and feare Gen. 3. 10. when God called vpon him while hee hid himselfe among the trees of the garden all Adams children ought to bee like Adam passionate and sorrowfull making theyr whole life sutable to theyr infancie as wee all come to the worlde by a sorrowfull conception In the 33. of Genesis Iacob coulde not meete his brother but their eyes must streame forth teares And in the 23. chap. we finde Abraham the Patriarch an old man in yeeres a verie childe in teares mourning weeping In Iosiah his time whole multitudes are recorded to goe out and weepe before the Lord. Not to stand vpon particulers which are not necessary in so cleere a truth Christ Iesus the very mirror of sorow is in this place presented vnto vs weeping pittifully vpon Ierusalem Wherein wee are by the way to note the differences betweene the godly the wicked betweene the children of God the children of this world The godlie are euer noted rather sorowing then reioycing rather bewailing lamenting theyr sinfull condition than solacing themselues with the vaine pleasures of this transitory life VVee finde not them at any time either Gen 9 22. Mar 6 22. Dan 5. 2. sporting it like Cham or dauncing like Herodias or carowsing like Belshazar Search the volume of holy Writ from Moses vnto Iohn that saw so many misseries in Pathmos and wee shall finde a contrary humour and another kinde of affection raigning in the righteous Moses as hee was drawne vp from the waters so hee shewed himselfe in the course of his life to be as it were quite swallowed vp with the ouerflowing waters of affliction and he prayed God to race him out of his booke that he had written in the 32. of Exod 32. Exodus Dauid watered his couch with continuall teares Paule wept for the Corinthians 2 Cor 2. Luke 22. 62 Peter went out to weepe bitterly for denying his Lord. And to come to our example in thys place Christ Iesus though hee were the Sonne of GOD shewes himselfe in thys to be also the sonne of man he shed many a salt teare ouer Ierusalem VVho among vs can be so deuoted and so solde ouer as it were to sinfull vanitie now to be sporting seeing Christ our Lord so heauy and passionate The generall proposition vvhich Saint Luke vrgeth
into the world for then was the world redeemed from her olde silence Then began the true sonne of righteousnes to appeare who alone was able to expell all the clowdy mists of ignorance What greater ioy can be then for the prisoner to heare of liberty the sicke of his health the sinner of his saluation In the comming of Christ it is to be obserued that God sent his Angel he did not vse the ministerie of man to publish thys mesâ—age which shewes the dignity thereof This Angell was accompanied with heauenly souldiours who so soone as these tydings were published began to sing Glory to God on high Peace on earth Good will towards men Three notable wonders wrought in one day The first part of this heauenly song noteth that the benefite of Christes Incarnation was not in earth onely but in heauen also and therefore as there was peace on earth so there was glory in heauen among the Angels 2. Peace on earth This sheweth that â—e came as a Medratour to make peace betweene God and vs. 3. Good will towards men To shew that as hee was Fons Charitatis the fountaine of charitie so he would worke loue and charitie among men What day coulde bring foorth greater matters and therefore wee haue reâ—son to sing with Dauid This is the â—ay The day of our Creation is in no sort to be coÌ„pared to this day of our Redemption Gods mercy appeared in making vs but his greater mercy in sauing vs. Before thys day wee were in a state most miserable vnder the curse wherein Adam left vs vnder wretchednes vnder sinne the curse of the lawe and dominion of the deuill But nowe that Christ hath appeared hell is conquered sathan confounded sin put to flight and heauen set open to all beleeuers So is it verified Heauines may indure for a night but ioy commeth in the morning our comming in hath been with teares but our returne to Sion is with euerlasting ioy vppon our heads The first Adam brought into the worlde darknes fearefulnes and sorrowe but the last Adam brought comfort light 〈◊〉 fulnes All is changed in our seconde Adam mortalitie to immortalitie mourning to mirth misery to felicitie sadnes to solace now is the sinner iustified the law discharged the dead reuiued and the deuill vanquished according to his mighty power who hath subdued all things vnto himselfe The Iubilee yeere to the Israelites vvas not halfe so welcome as this day ought to be to vs when that yeere came it brought with it freedome and releasing of debts thys day and time this acceptable yeere of Christ hath brought vnto vs a greater freedome euen our soules freedome a greater releasing of debts our sinnes for vvee owe vnto God more than the cruel debter not ten thousand talents but ten thousand times tenne thousand talents Neyther was the day of theyr deliuerance from Pharao halfe so acceptable vnto them as this day of our deliuerance is to vs. For wee are set free from our spyrituall Pharao the deuill As Moses sayd to the Israelites Remember this day so I say Remember this day for it is the day of our deliuerance the day of our redemption the acceptable day of the Lord. This is a day wherein light first appeared to the Gentiles euen to vs that were aliants from God yet to vs hath the light appeared according to Symeons saying A light to lighten the gentiles We that once were not a people are now become a people wee are made through Christ to bee the sonnes of the liuing God For to the Israelites pertained the adoption and the glory and the couenaunt giuing of the law and the seruice of God and the promises of whom are the Fathers and of whom concerning the flesh Christ came Rom. 9. 4. A whole Sea of matter is heere laid open to mee if I woulde at large discourse of the inestimable good deriued vnto vs by Christes birth but the time will not permit this little that hath beene spoken may carry you to the consideration of all the rest As a certaine Geometrician finding Hercules foote vppon Olympus by that one foote drewe the proportion of the whole body so by this little beeing but as it were a foote in respect of the body of the matter included you may conceiue vvhat might further be amplified in this poynt the absolute fulnesse whereof wee cannot possibly be able to comprehend Onely let vs consider that as at this tyme God sent his sonne to be our Sauiour Hee hath giuen vs him and all things with him so that we may nowe say with the Apostle Saint Paule All is ours the world and the Creatures thinges present and things to come all is ours and wee are Christes and Christ is GOD. It followeth Let vs reioyce Abraham seeing Christes daies a farre of reioyced and yet hee was before Christ thrice foure-teene generations How may wee reioyce that liue to those daies alreadie determined Neyther Abraham nor the Patriarchs nor all the Prophets coulde say as we can They coulde say no more but Christ shall come vvee can say he is come Blessed are the eyes that see the thinges that you see and the eares that heare the thinges that you heare VVhere it appeareth vvee are rather blessed than all that vvere before Christ The Kinges of the earth haue desired to see that which you see c. All that vvere before Christ sawe but a glymse of that lyght the fulnesse whereof wee nowe behold like the Sunne in his strength Wee haue seene the righteousnes of Sion breake out like the light and the saluation thereof as a burning lampe Thus haue we a greater priuiledge than the Keysars and mighty Monarchs might be suffered to enioy For vs were these better things reserued euen we that now lyue in the time of the glorious Kingdome of Christ haue obtayned this so rich prerogatiue all to shew foorth the greatnes of our felicitie Great cause haue we then to reioyce As the babe sprang in Elizabeths wombe so shoulde our harts spring within our bodies for ioy of the presence of Christ If Annah reioyced for that GOD gaue her a sonne and so tooke away the rebuke of her barrennes much more cause haue wee to reioyce that God hath giuen vs his sonne to be borne for vs whereby our barrennes of fayth is taken away and vvee are made fruitefull in the workes of righteousnesse If Iephtah his daughter went out vvith Tymbrels to welcome home her Father how may we prepare to welcome a greater then Iephtah nay a greater then Salomon How should we prepare our minslrelsie to welcome home thys victorious Lyon of the Trybe of Iuda since by him we do returne in victorie and may tryumph as Iephtha did not ouer a sew faint-harted Gybeonits but ouer many millions of spirituall aduersaries Sin death and hell this worlde and the lusts thereof Wee haue then cause to reioyce and to prepare our musicall instruments VVee should say with