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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A66899 Moses and Aaron, the king and the priest by the author of the examination of Tilenus before the triers, in the time of the late rebellion. Womock, Laurence, 1612-1685. 1675 (1675) Wing W3346; ESTC R20340 27,170 67

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plant which the Heavenly Father hath planted For no man taketh this Heb. 5. Honour to himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron Our Rod is that which undoubtedly sprung from the root of Jesse As Joh. 20. my Father sent me so I send you Out of that ground it shooteth up in the Church of God and all Antiquity sets forth the Lineage of it in the visible succession of Bishops from the Apostles in the several Churches of their plantation In Tabernaculum Bring it into the Tabernacle there it hath the Approbation of Gods eye the protection of his Presence From hence therefore it must take direction to minister in subordination to the Authority and Honour thereof there it is installed ut servetur in signum lodged there in safety obliged therefore to serve the Interest of the Church which is the Interest of God and of immortal Souls In order hereunto it is set up in signum for a sign Yes and in signum ad sagittam too as a mark for the Arrow It is the Prophets complaint Behold I and the children which God hath given me are for signs and wonders It was our Saviours own lot he was set up in signum contradictionis a sign liable to great contradiction against him they shot out their Arrows even bitter words And if so bold with Aaron himself they will not forbear his substitute if they forbear not the chief Bishop they will not spare his shadow As long as Aaron is set up for a sign in the Church there will be found such Archers we have them in our Text with their quiver full of bitter Arrows nay their Arrows are upon the string and upon the flight too As long as they continue to be filii Rebellionis while they retain their froward disposition non quiescunt querelae we shall never be free from Murmurings But are there any of this breed left in our Israel Has not the Gracious Act of oblivion quite extinguished this unquiet spirit 1 Sam. 15. 14. If it has what meaneth then this lowing and this bleating which we hear Are there not a many Murmurers attempting to exasperate the people into a new insurrection that they may once more wrest the Rod out of the hand of Aaron And do these men look for a sign too yes they do and they might see a wonderful sign from heaven if they were not blinded with pride and prejudice and an obstinate Spirit Ecce Dominus behold the Lord himself hath given us a sign Dedisti Psal 69. 6 7. metuentibus thou hast given a token for them that fear thee At the tears and prayers of the Church God saved her with the wholsome defence of his own right-hand For the change amongst us by the Restauration of the King was no other than mutatio dextrae Altissimi wrought by the right-hand of the most-high A sign from heaven this was without all peradventure Yet these men are not satisfied they look for and preach for and pray for another sign and what sign would they have The seven Angels with the seven Apoc. 15. plagues and vials of Gods wrath Would they have more fire come down from heaven Alas They know not what spirit they are of He that came not to destroy mens Souls but to save them did not ordain Aarons Rod for such a sign If that Rod did turn Num. 20. 9. the rock into water as some have imagined yet to be sure it did not turn the water into blood It may bring forth contrition and refreshment but not destruction It bodes better things to mankind even to these Refractory and stubborn children 'T is signum salutare ne moriantur A soveraign preservative That they die not That is the end for which the Rod is introduced and deposited in the sanctuary This 2 Cor. 10. 8. Power of Discipline Dedit nobis in aedificationem God hath given it for edification saith the Apostle and not for your destruction And yet he hath taught us to distinguish betwixt yours and you Something 2 Cor. 10. 8. was to be destroyed in them though not their Persons yet their Carnalities their vices their Schismes and Disorders These works of the flesh The Rod is to be administred in interitum carnis for the destruction of the flesh That the spirit may be 1 Cor. 5. 5. saved in the day of the Lord Jesus Mortification is the way to life and Reformation Jam. 5. ult the door of safety He that converteth a sinner from the errour of his way shall save a Soul from death This is the right Method Gods Method in the Text et quiescant querelae c. Thou shalt quite take away their Murmurings c. We see then why the Rod is placed in the sanctuary not so much for Aaron's own advantage that he may pride himself in the Power and Beauty of it but for the benefit of others even of such as do most oppose it The remoter end is ne moriantur that they die not but in order to this the immediate end is Vt quiescant querelae eorum to still their murmurings The oure must begin here care must be taken in the first place as much as is possible to take away their complaints and murmurings and how shall that be effected Why Virga est mater disciplinae the Rod will open the eyes if it be administred with 1 Sam. 14. 27. a little honey applied to the top of it when the asperity is sweetned with mildness and compassion The Rod and reproof giveth wisdom Pro. 29. 14. If the viper be beaten with a rod it takes away his venom and he becomes an excellent Antidote against poison If we cannot heal their perversities at least we may still their murmurings And to this end the constitution of the Rod is very considerable It must be a streight Rod that the infliction Deut. 25. 2. may be equal to the fault est enim verus praesul virga recta aequaliter justitiam exercens atque semper vigilans It must be a solid Rod H. P. ad Ez. 3. to support the weak and a smart Rod to correct the wicked and a stiff Rod to defend the Innocent Or to keep still to the Metaphor it should have these properties It should be 1. solid 2. vital 3. florid and 4. fruitful 1. A solid Rod not hollow loose or spungy Ezok. 19. 11. Chap. 2. 4. 6. Chap. 3. 8 9. like a cane For it is concern'd many times to encounter with a Rock the heart of flint and the face of brass and therefore it had need be solid and steel'd with Resolution that it may not yield to the applications nor receive the impressions of an importune and stubborn spirit 2. It must be a vital Rod and they say Aaron's Rod did never wither was never barren after it was deposited in the sanctuary And this life must appear in a threefold germination it must bud 1.