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A13710
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Demegoriai Certaine lectures vpon sundry portions of Scripture, in one volume. By Lewys Thomas: 1. Christ traualiing to Ierusalem. 2. Christ purging the temple. 3. The history of our Lords birth. 4. The true-louers canticle. 5. The propheticall kings triumph. 6. The anatomy of tale-bearers. 7. Peters persecution and his deliuerance. 8. Heauens high-way.
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Thomas, Lewis, b. 1567 or 8.
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1600
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STC 24002; ESTC S103488
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105,094
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284
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feeling zeale and feruencie of spirit vnto God is a sanctified prayer an acceptable prayer a prayer that pearceth the cloudes presseth vnto the presence of God and returneth not empty vnto them that poure it forth Such was the prayer of meeke Moses for the Israehtes against Pharaoh and preuailed Such was the prayer of Iehosaphat against Ammon and Moab and preuailed Such vvas the praver of the godlie for Paul in the Acts against his persecutours and preuailed And such was the prayer of the congregation heere for Peter and it likewise preuailed Such a prayer doth the Lord looke for for such a prayer doth he call vpon Dauid and vs in Dauid in the 149. psalm Call vppon me in the day of tribulation and I will deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me It was not the sling but the prayer of Dauid that caused the stone to sincke into the fore-head of the vncircumcised Philisâ—â—an And behold the Angell of the Lord came c. See heere the powerfull effect of prayer As the Church sent soorth theyr prayers so here God sends forth his Angell to execute that which they prayed for Rather then the prayer of the iust should fast God ceased not to worke Peters deliuerance by a miracle The Angell smote Peter on the side raysed him vp saying Vp quickly and the chaynes fell off from his hands Theyr prayer found a speedy successe in a most strange and extraordinary manner Peter beyond all expectation is deliuered for a greater comfort to Gods church and the greater terrour to the persecuting Tyrant So hath God his enemies in derision laughes them to scorne in theyr owne imaginatious When they thought themselues most sure of Peter euen then they finde them-selues most deceiued Herod did purpose on the next morrow to put Peter to death but hee failed of his purpose as the Philistims failed of Sampson though he lay bound with great cords in the midst of them So man doth purpose but God doth dispose man imagineth but God determineth all to the best for them that loue him Hence we are to learne that what-soeuer troubles shall happen vnto vs they bee knowne before hande are especially appointed vpon whom they shall fall so that they cannot come sooner or later vnto vs nor can preuaile further against vs then GOD shall permit as God gaue Herod power to take Peter but he had no power to kill him The Lord cutteth short the arme of Tyrants at his pleasure hee can put a brydle in theyr mouthes and an hooke in their nostrils as he did Zenacharib when he came vp against Ezechiah The Angell set Peter at libertie Many such examples of the Lordes prouidence ouer his elect we find in the Scripture as in the sixt of the second of Kinges when the seruaunt of Eliseus rose vp earely in the morning to goe out an host of men sent thether from the King of Aram compassed the Citty rounde about with horses and charyots and he cryed to his Maister Alas we perrish But he aunswered Feare not they that are with vs are more then they that are with them Then Elisha prayed that the Lord would open the eyes of his seruaunt that he might see and he looked and beholde the mountaine was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha There we find Gods gracious prouidence garding the prophet and heere we find another president of the like prouidence of God in rescuing Peter by the ministery of an Angell from the violent rage of Herod An Angell appeared to Paule in that Acts 27. dangerous viage and told him that none in the shyp should perrish And here an Angell tells Peter that hee shall not miscarry nor perrish though hee were euen nowe shutte vp in the lowest dungeon and kept with foure quaternions of souldiours Lot by Angels was deliuered from the flames of Sodome Rather then the three children should be consumed in the siery Ouen God sent his Angell to protect them causing the fire against nature to lose his heate as it were to quench it selfe in his owne flame The fire lost his heat as the yron chaines lost theyr strength when they fell froÌ„ Peters hands What should I stand vppon particulars when as the prophet Dauid saith The Angels of the Lord pitch theyr camps round about them that feare him and deliuereth them So Peter came and followed him and knew not that it was true This deliueraunce came to Peter vnlooked for as appeareth by these words Had he knowne of thys happy newes he would surely haue watched for the Angels comming and not haue suffered his eyes to sleep being a time so full of peril when nothing but death was presented before him And vpon the next morrow he was to bee ledde to the place of execution Well comming vnlooked for it was by so much the better welcome and it was a motiue of forcible efficacie to cause Peter enter into a deeper consideration of Gods goodnes in so strange a sort working his deliueraunce This circumstance in Peters deliuerance is woorth the nothing viz. The time of the Angels comming when now there was almost no hope of any euasion or escape out of their hands for vpon the day following Herod thought to dispatch him Euen then in the moment as it were of his greatest extremitie comes the Angell openeth the prison doores and causeth the chaynes to fall from his handes and so Peter escapeth almost before he awaketh or before he can haue any leysure to consider of his deliuerance The historie speaketh that hee thought he had seene a vision So was Dauid deliuered from the handes of Saul and Ierusalem from the tyranny of the King of Ashur and Samaria from the Aramites and this hapned vnto theÌ„ vpon a sudden when no help was expected In that it pleased God not to deliuer him sooner it proueth that the Lorde will haue the measure of affliction left to himselfe He will sift vs to the vttermost to try our patience Our Sauiour had told Peter before that sathan should winow both him and the other Apostles as one winoweth VVheate And here hee findes it true that sathan indeed had winowed him by his instruments of crueltie Herod and the rest hee was euen nowe at the next doore to death But the prouidence of God became vnto him a present helpe in time of trouble he rescued him from the violence of his mighty aduersaries and stayed theyr furie in the very instant As the Angell stayde Abrahams hande vvhen the fatall blowe vvas comming The very night before Herod purposed to bring him out to the people came thys vnexpected deliuerance Christ suffered the shyppe to be almost vnder the waues before hee woulde awake God went farre with Heliah when he was forced to flie from Iesabell and to cry out They haue killed the prophets I alone 1 Reg 19. am left and they seeke my soule And Dauid the freend of God was put to his shyâ—ts
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