euerie Christian but also both apt to Catechise the ignorant and able to confound the aduersarie as Paul requireth in euerie Pastor So that now if euer in this last age of the Church is as it were the ripest haruest of the Lord the complement of the auncient prophesies and the fulfilling of the former promises There remaineth now no more but this euen the expecting of the comming of the Lord of the haruest himselfe of whom all the elect and the faithfull may reape and receiue that reward of their knowledge which our Sauiour himselfe hath set downe in the Gospell euen life euerlasting which God the Father grant vs Iohn 17. who hath promised the same vnto vs in his word Christ Iesus giue vnto vs that hath purchased the same for vs by his bloud and the holy Ghost bestow vpon vs who hath confirmed the same by this vnction To whom being three persons and one immortal inuisible and onely wise God be all praise honour glorie power dominion and maiestie both now and for euer Amen FINIS A FESTIVALL SERMON ON THE NAtiuitie of Christ 1. TIM 3.16 And without controuersie great is the misterie of godlinesse which is God manifested in the flesh iustified in the spirit seene of Angels preached vnto the Gentiles beleened on in the world and receiued vp into glorie THE Apostle Paul writing to his scholer Timothie whether Elder or Euangelist Doctour or Pastour Byshop or Archbishop of Ephesus in the primitiue church after he had described vnto him in most liuely flourishing and orient colours the office both of a Byshop and Deacon the two most necessarie functions in the Churh of God established by Christ with all the adiuncts properties qualities duties and complements belonging vnto them both from the beginning of this chappter vnto the 15. verse thereof and to what end and purpose euen that Timothy might know how to behaue himselfe in Pauls absence in the house of God Which house of God because he mentioned it he taketh occasion to define the same euen to be the Church of God the pillour and ground of truth And taking his hint as it were from the last word of the definition in the verse immediately before which is truth he taketh the like occasion to define the same truth and so as it were descending downe from one thing vnto another The parts of this text first defineth what that truth is although he call it by another name euen Godlinesse and then setteth downe the parts of it But before we come either to the one or to the other he prefixeth a Preface before So that this text might seeme to consist of three parts Preface of a Preface in the first words Without controuersie of a definition of Godlinesse or truth in the next A definitiō Great u the mysterie of Godlinesse and finally of a description A description or rather an enumeration of the parts thereof being six in number Which is God manifested in the slesh iustafied in the spirit c. So that if you will you may call this text a short summe or symbole of our faith or an halfe creed containing 6. Articles or a small Catechisme consisting of 6. parts or a breuiarie of christian religion comprehended in 6. principall points or an Epitome of the Gospell comprised in 6. Aphorismes of diuinitie to conclude it may be tearmed the tree of truth which hath 6. branches The tree of truth the first and lowest branch toucheth the earth and the highest and top branche reacheth to the heauens not vnlike to a pleasant fountain or welspring that deuideth it selfe into six streames But of these things seuerally as they lie in order in the text Without controuersie It is the common course and custome of the holy ghost and of the holy prophets and Apostles the penclearkes and secretaries of the spirit of God thorow out the whole Scriptures whensoeuer they mention anie matter of waight or moment whither it be wonder or miracle strange in our eies and hard to be beleeuede or oracle and misterie darke to be conceiued and obscure to be vnderstood or an heauie iudgment and punishment to be powred vpon the wicked or a gratious benefit and blessing to be bestowed vpon the Godly or any other thing that doth most neerely concerne our soules health and saluation before they pronounce the one or denounce the other to the comfort and consolation of the elect and to the terror and horror of the reprobate to prefixe a preface before the same for to rouse vp their heauie soules to waken their sleepie hearts to quicken their dull spirits and to stirre vp their deafe eares heedfully to heare and reuerently to regard that which followeth that they might make vse and take profit in faithfully beleeuing and willingly allowing and approuing that which God commendeth and commaundeth in his word As namely that most ordinarie preface both in the olde new testament Ecce Behold as also that so common among the Prophets Thus saith the Lord likewise that so often in the Gospell of our Sauiour I say vnto you and verily I say vnto you and againe verely verely I say vnto you And finally that which is so vsual with Paul to keepe our selues within the compasse of our Apostle and of his Epistle yea this first Epistle to Timothy It is a true saying and by all meanes worthy to be receiued 1.15.3 1. and 4.9 But this which is here vsed passeth all the rest being an affirmation of the Apostle with all asseuerance and a confirmation with all assurance Signifying hereby that the matter which followeth is without all doubt question or controuersie yea as the word it selfe purporteth in the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hoc est certum compertum concessum confessum ab omnibus as being certaine sure granted and confessed of al men and that therefore it is to be attended on diligently receiued carefully kept saithfully Against which if any obiect that this is not onely not granted of some but a so vtterly gainsaied and not onely doubted of but flatly denied of manie as first of Atheists who neither acknowledge God nor Christ Secondly of the Iewes to whom this misterie is an offence Thirdly of the Gentiles to whom this Godlinesse is foolishnesse Fourthly Turkes and Saracens to whom this truth is a fable Fiftly of Heretikes to whom this doctrine is nothing els but errour and falshood As namely of the Martionites that denie Christ to be manifested in the flesh of the Arrians that denie him to be iustified in the spirit of the Saduces that say there are no Angels nor spirits and therefore that Christ could not be seene of Angels As also some Infidels who neuer yet heard of Christ and likewise many worldlings which neuer as yet beleeued on Christ And lastly of the Apellites Christolites and Carpocratians which gainsay Christ to haue been taken vp and ascended into heauen but onely his Godhead and Diuinitie and
being past reached him vnto posteritie how not obscurely and darkely as Moyses that had a vaile before his face and without coÌ„ceite and vnderstanding as vnto the Iewes who had a vaile before their harts but after the vaile of the Temple was rente in sunder painefully with diligence for they preached in season and out of season as Paule to Timot. 2.4.2 plainely without eÌ„loquence as the spirit gaue them vtterance acts 2.4 and powerfully by heauenly influence for it was not they that spake but the holy ghost that spake in them Math. 10.20 As Christ himselfe preached with power and not as the scribes coÌ„manding as it were the hearts of men to yeeld reuerence and obedience to the Gospell and conuerting manie soules at once vnto Christ And finally to conclude to whoÌ„e was he preached by them euen vnto the Gentiles new preachers deliuering an vncouth doctrine to a strange people to whom they were sent as Ambassadours to a nation farre off by our sauiour their Master to carrie with blessed feete the glad tidinges of the Gospell and not to one nation for their charter commission was larger being commanded to teach all nations baptising them in the name of the father c. Being the Apostles and messengers of God promising profering grace and truth to all languages degrees sexes callinges and conditions vnder the sun being those seruants which were sent forth by the king as is signified in the parable Math 22. and Luke 14. which made a mariage dinner for his sonne to call those that were bidden who because the vnworthie Iewes which were first inuited neglected dissolutely and refused stubbornly to come were coÌ„manded to go out quicly into the high places and streetes of the cittie and to bringe in the poore maimed the halt and the blind and yet there being roome to go out into the high waies and hedges euen to al outlandish and forreigne regions countries and prouinces of the outcast despised GeÌ„tiles poore in mind for the want of the riches of Gods grace maimed and halte in their soules for lacke of the integritie of good life blind in their hartes for want of the light of the truth to compel them by the force of their commission by the power of their preaching by the efficacie of the word of the gospell to come vnto the wedding of Christ Iesus vnto his spouse the Church as the guestes of the bridegrom and frends of the bride as the Apostles themselues perfourming that in practise which our sauiour by the purport of the parable did prophesie should come to passe when as the Iewes being moued with indignation thereat did forsake them and betake themselues to the Gentiles did reÌ„der this reason of this their doing saying It was necessarie that first the word of God should haue beene spoken vnto you but seeing you putte it from you and iudge your selues vnworthy of euerlasting life loe we turne to the GeÌ„tiles Act. 13.4.6 As it was oftentimes before tould vnto the Iewes euen to their teeth As first by the Baptist That God would of the stonie harted Gentiles raise vp children vnto Abraham Math. 3.9 And that the haughtie hills that the loftie minded Iewes which bare themselues bould of their mount Synai where their law was giuen of their mounte Sion where their temple was builded and where the Lord promised his blessing for euer more should be brought to lowe vallies that is the huÌ„ble harted Gentiles that liued in the vallie of the shadowe of death should be exalted that the crooked affections should be streÌ„gthned by the line leuill of the gospell and their rough waies that is their â—ude and barbarous life should be smoâ—hed by the plainer of the word of God and finally that all fleash that is all men and all manner of men of what natioÌ„ language degree age calling and condition whatsoeuer should see the saluation of God And this the Propheticall EuaÌ„gelist but of the Euangelicall Prophet Iohn out of Esaie 40.3 And secondly by our Sauiour Math. 8.11.22 But I say vnto you that maâ—ie shall come from the East West and shall sit downe with Abraham Isaach and Iacob in the kingedome of heauen and the children of the kingdome shal be cast out into vtter darkenesse And againe Math. 24.43 I say vnto you that the kingdome of God shall be taken from you and shal be giuen to a nation that shall bringe forth the fruites thereof And finally by Paule who in the 11. to the Romans telleth the Romaine Iewes or Iewish Romans that the natural oliues meaning the Iewes were cut of and the vile oliues euen the Gentiles were grafted in their stead and that the election of the one was the reiection of the other the calling of the one the casting away of the other the conuersion of the one the subuersion of the other the ruine of the Iewes being the riches of the world and their diminishing the riches of the Gentiles the one proceeding froÌ„ the seueritie the other from the bountifulnesse of God as the Apostle amplifieth at large in the same chap. Whereby it is come to passe at this day to apply it in a word vnto ourselues because we haue beene ouer longe in this pointe that we which dwelt sometimes in darkenesse blundred in blindnesse and groped at noone daie were the furthest from the sunshine of the Gospel haue bin made partakers of the gratious and glorious light thereof So that of vs that of the Prophet Esaie 9.3 and the Euang Math. 4.16 The people which satte in darkenesse and in the shadow of death haue seene a greate light and to them that sitte in the region and shadowe of death a greate light is risen vp may seeme to be most truely verified Our dutie to coÌ„clude being this to labour by all meanes possible to keepe and continue still amongst vs this lampe and lanthorne of light which Christ the light and life of the world hath vouchsafed to bestowe vpon vs by his blessed appearance least that happelie or rather vnhappelie happen vnto vs which God threatneth to the Angell and the Church of Ephesus Apo. 2.5 Euen a remouing of the Candlesticke of his Church from vs and an extingushing of his word from amongst vs and in turning the congregation of Christ in to the sinagogue of Antichrist or the changing of the consolation of our saluation into the abomination of desolation but it followeth in the texte Beleeued in the world Marueile was it and noe doute a great meruaile that God manifested in the flesh with the other misteries appertaining thereunto should be preached by such silly ministers in so simple manner to such sinfull men yet far more maruelous is it that the same preaching should not only take such place as that it should be receaued with such regard and reuerence but also be so harboured in there hartes that it should be embraced with credence and coÌ„fidence for of all those marueiles which are found
The second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which being thicke they were accustomed to eate The third the meane betweene both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which being neither so thicke as the one nor so thinne as the other they did annoint themselues with all these that deepe delight did inuent and lasciuious luxurie did practise in their times as doth the Romaine writers Plutarch and Plinie and the ancient greek Authors Atheneus and Aeschylus testifie Againe of a fastiing ointment of which our Sauiour in the Gospell When thou fastest annoint thy head with oyle and wash thy face Mat. 6.17 where he chargeth his Disciples and the common people that they would not follow the hypocriticall guise of the dissembling Pharises in looking sowerly in disfiguring thei◠countenances but to vse means of cheerfuluesse and comfort that they seeme no◠outwardly to men to fast but inwardl◠vnto God An ointment of Lust There were also other ointments bot◠of Lust and of Loue of the one the Prophet Amos who among other lustfull delights which the prodigall Princes of Israel the Epicures and Libertines of his time who put farre from them the euill day and approching vnto the seate of iniquitie togither with their stretching them vpon their Iuorie beddes eating the fatte lambes out of the fould and the calues out of the stall singing to the sound of the viole inuenting to themselues instruments of musicke and drinking wine in bowles did also annoint themselues with the chiefe ointments Amos 6.5.6 Of the other Euangelist Luke being the ointment of that woman that was a sinner with which she annointed our Sauiour Christs feete the cause whereof according to the verdit of our Sauiour was the loue of the woman whether she were Marie Magdalen as some thinke or any other and therefore may worthely bee called an ointment of Loue An ointment of Loue. and hereupon had for her reward remission of all her sinnes were they neuer so many in number so hainous in qualitie so grieuous in circumstance for the which shee was more notoriously called a sinner Luk. 7. We reade likewise in the Gospel of burying ointments and those of two sorts A burying ointment The first Generall Generall euen those sweet ointments with which the Iewes by common custome were woont to embalme their dead whereof Mark 16.1 As Marie Magdalen Marie the mother of Iames and Salome would haue annointed our Sauiours body Speciall The second Speciall as that of Marie the sister of Martha an ointment for matter of Spicnard for quantitie a pound waight for qualitie verie costly for valewe worth 300. pence for sente so sweet fragrant and odoriferous that the sauour thereof filled the whole house the end hereof against the day of the burying of our Sauiour by his owne confession An healing ointment of 2. kinds Ioh. 12.3.4.5 There are also healing ointmēts of 2. kinds in the gospel both extraordinarie the one materiall and meruailous the other spiritual and diuine both spirituall and both eye-salues Of the first Ioh. 9.6 which our Sauiour like a most skilfull Apothecarie vouchsafed to make himselfe by spitting on the ground and making claie of the spittle but homely in forme yet heauenly in force with which he annointed the eies of him that was borne blind and healed them contrarie to the common course of nature For this medicine might seeme rather to hurt then to heale and to extinguish the eye-sight then to cure and recouer the same But this did our Sauiour of set purpose to shew forth his Almightie power in working sometimes extraordinarily without meanes and sometimes wonderfully against meanes and sometimes ordinarily by meanes thereby declaring his goodnesse and to teach vs not to tempt God but to vse those secondarie causes as lawfull meanes which God hath appointed vs by his blessings to our benefit Of the second Apocal. 3.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euen that heauenly medicinall Collyrium as it is tearmed in the Greeke or holesome spirituall eie-salue which the holy Ghost like a good Phisitian of the soule prescribeth to the Angell of the Church of Laodicia blindnesse not outward but inward the darkenesse of his minde and the ignorance of his hart by which is meant the verie word of God it selfe which so openeth the eies of our vnderstanding that it is the onely light vnto our feete and lanterne vnto our pathes as that without the which wee should dwell in darknes blunder in blindnesse and grope as it were at noone day None of all which ointments is this which our Apostle speaketh of in this place which is indeed such an ointment so soueraigne that for sente and sauour for puritie and perfection for grace and goodnesse and many other notable and surpassing qualities and properties it doth farre exceede and excell all other sweete odors oiles and ointments in the world whatsoeuer being the holy Ghost and the spirit of God it selfe which although it be resembled and that verie fitly to many other things in the word as expressing in many respects the effects thereof Spirit As when it is tearmed the Spirit and likned to the wind and therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as being the Spirit of all spirits as Gen. 1.3 The spirit mooued vpon the waters because it is as it were the ayre of God that filleth all places Iouis omnia plena and for that like vnto the Winde Winde it is swift and nimble passing and piercing through euen to make a priuie search into the inward secrets of the soule of man And againe for that our Sauiour Ioh. 3.8 As the winde bloweth when it listeth and we heare the sound thereof but cannot tell when it commeth nor whither it goeth so is the heauenly course of the spirit to inspire whom when and as it listeth and no man knowing the manner how Sometimes to Fire as in those words of the Baptist Fire He will baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire Mat. 3.11 And therefore it pleaseth the Spirit of God oftentimes in the gospell when it speaketh of it selfe to vse Metaphoricall phrases and borrowed speeches taken from the fire as 1. Thess 5.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spiritum ne extinguite Quench not the spirit and 2. Tim. 1.6 I put thee in remembrance that thou stirre vp the gift of God which is in thee The word which there the Apostle Paul vseth being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a kindling againe of a fire which is raked vp in the embers or couered in the ashes thereby exhorting Timothie to reuiue againe the spirit of God which was in a manner decaied and dead in him The holy ghost being semblable to fire in refining our cankred consciences from the drosse and corruption of sinne and inflaming our colde benummed hearts in such a floud of iniquitie and in such a frost of charitie with a feruent zeale to Godward And sometimes to water Water as