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A07952
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Christs suite to his church a sermon preached at Paules-crosse the third of October 1613 / by Thomas Myriell ...
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Myriell, Thomas, d. 1629.
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1613
(1613)
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STC 18322; ESTC S100664
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42,412
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119
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yet a while to Open your cares in attention whilst I lay Open vnto you the meaning of this word Open. A word it is of liberty and of liberall signification yet all that in this place it imports may be reduced to two actions Something that she is to doe to her children Something that her children are to do to themselues That which the Church is to doe to her Children is to Preach Christ vnto them n Isa 1.1 which is an opening of the prison dore and setting the prisoner at liberty Isa 61. 1. Thus Augustin vnderstands the place o August in Iohan. tract 57. Aperi mihi id est praedica me Open vnto me that is Open me Preach and declare me p Id. ibid. Ad cos quippe quiclauserunt contra me quomo do intrabo sine aperiente For vnto such as haue shut me out how shall I enter without an opener How shall they heare without a q Rom. 10.14 Preacher This thing Christ else-where desires of his Church Cant. 2.10 r Cant. 2.10 Arise my loue my faire one and come thy way Arise out of thy bed of contemplation Come away looke about and s Ioh. 4.35 behold the regions white vnto haruest Ioh. 4.35 Make hast and be quicke in preaching A businesse indeede of important celerity in respect whereof wee must passe by men t Luc. 10.4 vnsaluted Luc. 10 4. And leaue euen our father u Math. 8.12 vnburied Mat. 8.22 And it may be Christ therefore a little before his death washed his disciples v Iohn 13.15 feete that they might be nimble and expedite in preaching that others seeing them might cry out in admiration x Rom. 10.15 How beautifull are the feete of them that bring glad tydings of peace and glad tidings of good things Rom. 10.15 Vndoubtedly a most worthy worke of the Church as can be Lord Iesus let mee euer preach and declare thy name among men that thou mayst purge and cleare my name before thy father in heauen Seeing then this businesse of preaching is committed to the Church it is her duetie to chuse men that can and men that will vndertake so weighty a businesse as preaching is Men that can For euery blocke is not apt for a Mercury nor euery honest man to be a teacher It is y Nazi Apol. pag. 6. ars artium et scientiarum regere hominem saith Nazianzen an Arte of all Artes and sciences to be a teacher and ruler of men Therefore Paul saith he must nor be a z 1 Tim. 3.6 Neophyte a young Scholler 1 Tim. 3.6 a Cyprian exhortat ad marty Neque enim idoneus potest esse miles qui non exercitatus prius in campo fuerit saith Cyprian He can neuer be a fit Soldiour in Christs campe that was neuer exercised in the field before Which made Nazianzen so pittifully to complaine that some in his time did b Figulinam in dolio discere Gilber Cog. paraem 2.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the prouerbe saith that is as he expounds it learne knowledge of CHRIST by the destruction of soules like vnto bad Phisitians who learne skill by hurting their patients For my part saith hee I haue euer preferred it as a point of wisedome c Nazian apol candidam potius aurem submittere quam stolidam linguam mouere Rather to vse an ingenuous eare in hearing then to moue a blockish tongue in speaking Againe it is the Churches duety to chuse men that will Preach For as good be silent with ignorance as with idlenesse And it is no lesse impietie not to be willing to Preach when we can then not to be able to Preach when we should d Exod. 28.34 Moyses commanded Aaron the high Priest to make him a coate at the skirts whereof were to be pomegranates of blew silke and bels of Gold that his sound might bee heard when hee went into the holy place and when hee went out that he might not dye Exod. 28.34 Hereupon e Greg. Past lib. 2. cap. 14. et Epist lib. 1. ep 24. Gregory Moysi praecipitur c. Moyses is commanded that the Priest going into the Tabernacle should be compassed with bels that is vt voces praedicationis habeat that hee should haue the voyce of preaching and so not dye f Idem vt sup Sacerdos quippe ingrediens vel egrediens moritur si de eo sonitus non audiatur For the Priest going in and comming out dyeth if there be no sound of preaching nor no sound preaching come from his mouth Wherefore let vs bee continually following our businesse Let vs saith Origen g imitate Moyses and Aron Orig. in Leuit. hom 6. What is said of them That they departed not out of the Tabernacle day nor night What did they there Aut à Deo aliquid discere aut populum à ocere Either learne something of God or teach something to the people And Haec duo sunt pontificis opera These two things are the whole businesse of a Church-man either by reading the Scriptures to learne something to himselfe or by expounding the Scripture to teach something to the people And thus much of this The other action I take it is chiefly intended heere which each faithfull soule that is a member of the Church is to doe for it selfe viz. to Open to Christ. A speech indeed metaphoricall And that you may the better conceiue the Metaphor wee must call to minde that man before his fall being made after the Image of God had God remayning and abiding in him as another soule to his soule quickning him with another life which Paul cals h Ephes 4.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 4.18 the life of God And so for that time the state of man in paradise was like the happy condition that shall be to Gods children in heauen when i 1 Cor. 15.28 GOD shall be all in all 1 Cor. 15.28 But when by the subtiltie of the Diuell it was mans vnhappy case to fall from God then did hee banish and expell that sweet guest out of his soule and was himselfe expelled and banished out of Paradise And looke how God in Iustice then shut the gate of Paradise against man that hee should not any more come thither so hath man by sinne euer since shut the dore of his heart against God that hee cannot lodge there Hence it is that God who doth neuer cease to seeke and to saue doth beg and craue of vs as in this place Open vnto mee desiring that wee againe would entertaine him that by receiuing him into our soules againe on earth we may come to be receiued by him into his celestiall Paradise in heauen Now the dores by which hee is to enter in to vs are the dores of our senses and the dores of our vnderstanding By the one wee heare and see him by the other wee loue and beleeue in him And because there is nothing in the vnderstanding
Lord they all speake to me to loue thee and so they doe to all other men to make them without excuse Lastly by afflictions And then God knockes vs somewhat hard indeed For as Iob saith q Iob 33.15.16 God speakes once or twice one seeth it not in dreames and visions of the night Then he openeth their eares euen by their corrections which he hath sealed So that God Opens mens eares to heare his call and then men Open their harts to let him in But why Lord why dost thou beg thus of vs to let thee in Art not thou able to make enterance thy selfe Is our heart harder then that r Act. 12.10 Iron gate of the Citie which opened vnto Peter of its own accord And art not thou our Sampson able to breake vp and breake downe the s Iudg. 16.3 gates of our Azzah and to carry them with thee into thy holy mountaine Lastly hast not thou the Key of Dauid which t Reuel 3.7 openest and no man shutteth which shuttest and no man openeth Why dost thou then beg so much to haue vs Open to thee thou being so well able to Open to thy selfe Yes my deare brethren God desires of vs to let him in because his presence is not pleasing to himselfe if it be not pleasing vnto vs. Therefore he would haue vs Open to him receiue him willingly entertaine him ioyfully that so hee may ioy to remaine with vs. For it is his v Prou. 8.31 delight to be with the sonnes of men especially if they againe delight to be with him And hence it is that wee haue so many sweet exhortations u Eph. 4.30 not to grieue his spirit x 1 Thes 5.19 not to quench the spirit but to y Psal 31.23 loue the Lord and to z Psal 37.4 delight in him And all for this end that hee might please himselfe in the kinde entertainment that comes from vs. For hee tarryes with no man against his will nor remaines in any place where he is not welcome Therefore he is not more ready to demaund entertainment of vs then hee is forward to giue abilitie of the thing vnto vs. For a Iohn 15.5 without him can wee doe nothing As no man but Christ could b Reu. 5.5 Open the clasped Booke that Gods counsels might be deliuered to vs so none but Christ can Open our closed heart that Gods counsels might be receiued of vs. Euen he which bids vs Open to him must Open for himselfe Our heart as hee did the c Acts 16.14 hart of Lydia Acts 16.14 Our d Luke 24.31 wits as the two Disciples that went to Emmaus Luke 24.31 Our eyes as the e Mar. 10.47 eyes of blinde Bartimaus Marke 10.47 Our eares as the eares f Mar. 7.34 of the deafe and dumbe man Marke 7.34 Domine saith g Aug. confess lib. 10. cap. 27. Augustine vocasti clamasti rupisti sur ditatâ—m meam Lord thou hast called thou hast cryed and beate through my deafnesse h Id. ibid. Coruscasti splenduisti fugasti cacitatem meam Thou hast glittered thou hast shined and driuen away my blindnesse Then Lord giue what thou commandest and command what thou wilt Wherefore to draw to a conclusion and to shut vp this word Open remember what Christ saith vnto you here Open vnto mee Remember what you must say to Christ hereafter Open vnto vs that which you shall desire of him then that doe whilst hee requests it of you now Gouernours and Rulers heare what is said of Hezekiah 2 Chro. 29.3 i 1 Chron. 29.3 Hee opened the dores of the house of the Lord which k 2 Chr. 28.24 Ahaz had shut in the first yeere of his raigne and the first moneth of the yeere Hee began to settle his owne kingdome with the setting vp Gods Kingdome and so fulfilled the request of each faithfull soule that had cryed out with Dauid l Psal 118.19 Open me the gates of righteousnesse that I may goe in and praise the Lord. Yee Reuerend Fathers and Pastors of the Church remember what is said of Christ m Mat. 5.2 He opened his mouth and taught Mat. 5.2 which signifies eyther that hee spake of n Apertio oris profunditatem significat sacramenti Strab. in Gloss ad loc high matters according to that of Mat. 13.35 o Mat. 13.35 I will open my mouth in Parables I will declare hard sentences of old or else that hee spake boldly and confidently accordng to that of Ezeck 29.21 In that day I p Ezek. 29.21 will giue thee an open mouth in the midst of them And this being remembred will vntie the strings of their tongues whose mouthes seeme to be coped vp like Ferrets and can say nothing at all or whose practise is q Origen in Gen. hom 10. Linire parietem lapsantem as Origen speakes to daube a tottering wall and colour ouer their sinnes with silent ouer-passing which they should rub out with sharpe reprouing Ye worshipfull Magistrates and Iudges Heare what Bethsheba saith to her sonne Prou. 31.8 r Prou. 31.8 Open thy mouth for the dumbe in the cause of all the children of destruction Remember that ye be liuing lawes to teach men by your actions as vvell as by your counsailes And one day we shall all appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ s Bern. Epist Vbi plus valebunt pura corda quam astuta verba conscientia bona quam marsupia plena When a pure heart shall do more then a subtile tongue and a good conscience preuaile aboue a full purse Ye rich men Remember what God saith to his people Deut. 15.8 t Deut. 15.8 Thou shalt not shut thy hand from thy brother but thou shalt Open thy hand vnto him And to conclude all you that are tradesmen as you Open you shops to men for gaine so Open your hearts to Christ for godlinesse v Heb. 9.8 Christ hath Opened to vs a way into the holy of holies Heb. 9.8 Shall Christ Open a way for vs in heauen and shall not we Open a way for him on earth Yes As u Gen. 8.9 Noah Opened the window of his arke and tooke in the Doue that came flying to him with an Oliue leafe in her mouth so let vs Open the dore of our heart and receiue Gods Doue his blessed spirit that brings the Oliue of peace vvith him Finally let me say to each mans heart which is the gate of his soule as Dauid doth to the gates of the Temple Psalm 24.9 x Psal 24.9 Lift your heads O ye gates and be ye lift vp ye euerlasting dores and the King of Glory shall goe in Let the King of glory come into our soules now that wee may come into his kingdome of glory hereafter To which King of glory One eternall and euer-liuing God and three persons the father sonne and holy Ghost be all glory might Maiesty power and dominion for euer and euer Amen FINIS