by our Saviour with the Title of Kingdom of Heaven Thus Calvin understands the Text and I find him accompanied in his exposition with the best of our own Interpreters Besides he is countenanced by the 7th of Luke where that Evangelist relates it thus Among them that are begotten of women there is not a greater Prophet than Iohn mark he saith not a greater Man but a greater Prophet the comparison then concerns not his Person but his Office Only Maldonate the Jesuite challengeth this Gloss as injurious to the Baptist What shall each private Minister each Priest and Deacon be thought greater than Iohn yea Jesuite why not your own Abulensis in his thirty fourth question upon St. Matthew confesseth as much Quantò de Messiâ apertior tanto major Propheta We Ministers are Prophets too and we are therefore the greater because the playner Prophets Surely this Jesuite fears to be out-stript by Herod in his respects to Iohn and therefore we shall find him more observant than ordinary Hear therefore if you please his Commentary upon the Text The least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he that is saith he the least of them that receive the Gospel How may the least Christian be greater than Iohn and yet not the least Minister He 's very observaunt indeed Iohn shall take place both of Elias and Paul of Apostles and Prophets yet Demetrius and his Crafts-men may have the wall of him There are of his Church I confesse that go sarr beyond this Herod in observance they have taken the paines to climb Heaven it self as it may seem to do the Baptist some shew of Honour For Gerson in his fourth Tract upon the Magnificat with Maironius and from them another Jesuite Barradius give him confidently the third place in Heaven that is next to our Saviour and his Virgin-Mother in the very same Throne say they from whence Lucifer fell Great observance indeed if there were as good ground for it But I go on Had this fear and observance been done by Herodias had she with Mary Magdalen of a lewd Strumpet become an humble Paenitent the example had not been so much worthy the noting in as much as the tendernesse and instability of her sexe might argue possibly some easiness in her conversion also or had they been performed by Philip the forsaken husband of Herodias it had been no great marvail no great marvail I say to see a man injuriously disgrac'd by his Brothers lust and perhaps not well able to revenge himself to think of a retir'd life ro renounce the World and become follower to a Prophet in the Wildernesse especially to such a Prophet as the Baptist was whose zeal had allready made him a party in his quarrel But that this lawful respect should proceed from Herod himself who being a man wanted that tendernesse of affection which should mollify him and for ought we read was not expos'd to such injuries as might discontent him in any sort with the World that hee should do it it may seem to argue abouâ—…dance of Grace and that he went as farr beyond the other two in Goodness as he did in Authority But upon a more strict inquiry into the nature of the Action we shall find it I doubt to issue from some bastard fountain to proceed at best from Morality rather than from Religion My Text discovers it plainly Herod feared and observed Iohn knowing him to be a just man and an holy See the respect which was given to Iohn was given to his person not to his office Herod observed him for those personal deserts or merits which he saw in the Man not because he was a Prophet and the forerunner of so great a Majesty To be short he honoured Iohn but not the Baptist And what was this more than Philosophy had taught her followers Râ—…me even in the height of Paganism and Idolatry yet honour'd the Severer strictnesse of Cato'es Integrity very much and that Stern carriage of the Stoicks in how great estimation was it even with those Athenians which for their own persons were most loosely profane and vicious But thou who intendest after a right manner to regard and reverence Gods Ministers consider not so much what they are as from whom they come and the respect thou affordest them give it not so much for their own sakes as for his that sent rhem For who entertains an Embassadour onely according to his own personal deserts may soon violate the law of Nations by scorning him as either weak or vitious to whom in that imployment belongs all the honour due to his Princes person Now we are the Embassadours of Christ whatsoever the meannesse of our persons be yet at least that 's the Title and dignity of our office Nor doe I altogether condemn this Action of Herod For fear and observance are matters of due Debt unto Justice and Holinesse such qualities deserve respect yet neither can I commend it I mean as a work truly good The reason is I find it not performed with any relation to the Author of goodnesse without respect to whose Glory our best Actions may be goodly perhaps but yet but goodly Transgressions splendida peccata as the Father calls them But can so much good as this come out of Galilee from whence there ariseth no Prophet can there come a man that shall so highly regard a Prophet A shame it is for these times that the worst part of Israel should afford a man whom we can hardly better within our Christian Territoâ—…ies For of that small number which at this day either fear or observe the Ministry the most part are provok'd unto it by Herods inducements Either they know them honourable or wealthy or perhaps of an austere life and exemplary conversation In this manner I confesse diverse of the Clergy are honoured in these our daies and yet but few Ministers are honouâ—…ed Let a Baptist be called to some Eminent dignity in the Church no doubt there are of all sorts both Scribes and Pharisees that would reverence him Let him be Zealous and powerfull in his profession there are of the most vitious Publicans and Sinners that would sometimes even tremble under him Nay let him be but as violent against Ceremonies as Sinnes Let him enveigh as bitterly against the Priests vestments as against the incest of Herod he should have followers by Troops from Hierusalem to Iordan and from thence to Enon onely he must lay apart his garment of Camels hair and that girdle of skins about his loins because they are onely in fashion now a daies among our great enemies they are used onely in the Cloysters of Babylon But you Beloved that your entertainment of the Prophets may receive and be crowned with a Prophets reward learn to receive them not in the name of learning not in the name of kindred not in the name of honour wealth or any outward dignity but onely in the name of a Prophet onely in
and yet not know it After this remedy followes our happy estate of health attended with the blessing of peace and quietness being in my last part shadowed out only under a negative description {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} no more conscience of sinne The happy Estate Part 3. I dare not undertake to describe this happinesse for I find it passeth all understanding much more all discourse of man To call it health or peace or joy in the Holy Ghost were to name it rather than to expresse it so mysteriously happy is this estate that its conceived onely by being enjoyed I shall therefore make use of my Apostles modesty and call it onely no conscience of sin yet doth this Brevity include a panegyrick of praises for you know all excellencies are defin'd by Negatives Nor do I hold it a weak argument of perfection that Sathan so much desires to counterfeit this Estate seeing things of mean condition are no objects for imposture men do not usually counterfeit Brasse or Copper but Gold and Silver And therefore Satan that grand Impostor and deceiver of souls that he may more securely cheat us of that which is true labours with all subtlety to work in us a false similitude of this blessednesse and in stead of leaving us no conscience of sinne many times leaves us no conscience at all Saint Paul chap. the 4th of his fiâ—…st Epistle to Timothy verse 2. fiâ—…ly describes such deluded ones {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} men of seared consciences as we say in English or rather as Beza somewhat more Emphatically seemes to render it such men as an hot Iron set on fire surâ—…ly by Hell hath not seared only but cut off their consciences quite Hâ—…u miseri servitutem qui intelligunt miseriores qui non intelligunt cryd the Orator and I may well in this case be his Eccho Miserable are those men that feel the burthen and bondage of daily transgressions but most of all unhappy are they that serve sin and do not perceive it Canst thou then being a Noah beget a Cham make laughter the sonne of drunkennesse canst thou after a beastly surfeit jest at it instead of weeping canst thou lye in wait to deceive chastitie and then impudently boast of those Actions of which nature her self is ashamed If you be such Beloved it behoves me then to turn this part of my Sermon which I intended for your consolation into some Funeral discourse and set my self rather to deplore than congratulate your estate your disease is not cur'd but chang'd in stead of the Fever the burning Fever of a tormenting guilty conscience you are fallen into a Lethargie or dead sleep of unsensibleness and stupidity of spirit in a word you are dead not living Yet seing the dead too shall hear the voice of the Gospel of Christ I must not forbear to call upon you Awake therefore thou that sleepest in the security and senselessenesse of sin awake and stand up from the dead that Christ may give thee life Take and consider well these few lessons I shall give thee they may possibly help to recover thee Leaâ—…n first to be diseas'd that thou maist be healthfull let the Terrours of the Law threatning sin with death affright thy soul let them enter and wound thy Conscience that so thou maist both hunger and thirst after this remedy by Teares and contrition labour to procure a sense of it and so by degrees at length attain the blessednesse of this happy estate wherein those accusing thoughts shall be silenced those distractions quieted and composed and instead of Terrours and amazement thy conscience shall speak nothing but peace unto thee Thus have I discoursd upon the words of my Text apart and shewed you hitherto what I was able to collect from each of them in particular by themselves It remains now that I declare according to my intended purpose and briefly the Truth of this whole proposition namely how far a justified person may be again perplexed with his former transgressions and in what sense mine Apostle speaks when he saith that Worshippers once purged have no more conscience of sin Give me a man then after Gods own heart one who condemns himself with as much severity as he sinnes with fear let his sorrow keep pace with his transgressions and because he must daily offend let his life be a perpetual repentance yet may even such a Iob such a just man and carefull walker with God be afflicted with his passed offences after a setled confidence of Absolution He may hold himself for their sakes unworthy of the blessings of this present life as Saint Paul thought he deserved not the high attribute and Title of an Apostle because the Christian Church had sometimes groaned under his persecution I am not meet saith he to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of Christ yet I was received to mercy because I did it ignorantly through unbelief I was received to mercy that argues his confidence of forgivenesse I am unworthy to be called an Apostle that shews there was a conscience remaining in him which some way accused his sin Nay in respect of Temporal punishments our consciences are of so large extent that they bid us fear sometimes when our conceit tells us that others offend For Deliâ—…ant reges plectuntur Achivi the pestilence may invade all Israel upon Davids offence and though it were the Son of Kish onely that unjustly flew the Gibeonites yet may the famine starve all Iudah in the reign of the son of Ishai for that offence Upon this conscience of sinne doth our English Letany not without good cause give entertainment to that petition Remember not Lord the offences of our Fore-Fathers although I confesse vehemently opposed by that sort of men who professe themselves enemies to our whole Liturgy and whose zeal in this as in diverse other cases of like nature is manifestly of great prejudice to their judgment But I have no occasion to speak more of them at present 'T is true Ieremy hath long ago censured that murmuring proverb of his people the Fathers have eaten the sour grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge and not without cause for it was as false as common For Iudah her self never eat more sour grapes than in the time of that weeping Prophet and whereas sometimes she tasted onely and set her teeth on edge now she eat and surfetted The sinne then of the Fathers was punished in their posterity but not without the childrens offence and when they also cease not to continue their Fathers sinne they may justly expect a severer punishment now which of us dare say I am innocent I have utterly declined my Fathers sinnes It we dare not or cannot say thus if our own consciences would fly in our faces and give us the lye in case we should what mervail is it yea what obstinate perversenesse were it if we should refuse to make our petition to
know it follows their end is to be burnt If our good works be fruit it follows they ought not to make us proud nor to puff us up with any vain imaginations as though they had deserved that God should favour us For tell me when Noah had bestowed great paines in planting a vineyard do you think he was beholding to his slips that they brought forth graps Beloved we are Gods vineyard he hath planted us he hath set an hedge about us and therefore to bring forth the fruits of a Godly life is not our kindnesse but our duty This truth is yet further manifested by the verse next following My Apostle had lately received a contribution from Philippi and yet thus he speaks of it {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} I have received all things {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} is a word very emphatical it signifies to receive by way of due debt as a Prince receives his Tribute or a Lord his rent for so 't is expounded by Saint Chrysostome a Greek Father and therefore one that knew well the property of my Apostles language Observe hence when you minister â—…nto the Saints necessities you do but pay what you owe and such works I hope you will confess are not to be accounted as your liberality but as Gods Tribute You have heard the difference between Gifts and Fruits and I doubt not but the bare Narration of it hath soon taught you which to practise For Iacob needed no other inducement to chuse Rachel before her Sister Leah than that the one was bleare-eyed but the other beautifull The disproportion here is of a farre greater consequence bare Gifts are dead and unprofitable but Fruits are of a weighty value the Testimonies of our Faith and the pledges of our Salvation If neither Grace nor yet Reason hath taught you which to chuse learn at least to rely upon Saint Pauls Authority I desire not a Gift but I desire Fruit which I call'd my Second part and I must now explain it to you I desire not a Gift but I desire Fruit To know the true worth of this Apostolique assertion we must as well enquire how Saint Paul then liv'd as what he wrote we must look as well into his life as his Epistle You must understand therefore that he was now at â—…ome a prisoner under Nero the Emperor whither the Jews malice constrained him to appeal as Saint Luke relates it from his own confession in the last of the Acts at the 19th verse He was now indeed in a very Strange Land forc'd to converse with Romans Strangers to his person with Gentiles Strangers to his Religion and which makes his case farre more lamentable There was a Nero and a Paul together the most Zealous Apostle under the most Savage Tyrant You see Beloved he is a miserable object his condition and in all likely hood his wants also not unfit for a whole Church to exercise their charity upon Here 's an Apostle in necessity in prison and that under a cruel Prince among Strange people The Philippians hear news of his Estate and presently in a Religious bounty they make Collections for him and dispatch them to him by Epaphroditus who in their names was both to Salute and relieve the prisoner It may be thought nothing could be more welcome to the Apostle at this time nothing more welcome than wealth in stead of want than the Almes of Philippi in the midst of his great extremity But men of that opinion are ignorant of Saint Pauls abundance He could truely say of himself what the Comaedian put into the mouth of his Actor omnia habeo nec quicquam habeo nihil cum est nihil deest tamen I have all things and yet possesse nothing there 's nothing about me and yet I want nothing For contentment is a large possession and the man truly full is not he that hath eaten most but he that 's satisfied They are his own words in this present Chapter I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and to suffer need I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me How all things hear ye Elders of Philippi what need is there of your Churches bounty Saint Paul wants nothing he hath already all the wealth he desires and 't is but a Thanklesse expence to enrich a man beyond his wishes Indeed had these Philippians in a seeming Holinesse sent but their wealth a bare Gift onely his chain had been more welcome than their Benevolence Saint Paul would have more esteem'd the bonds of Christ than the riches of hypocrisie But when under the shadow of this outward bounty he descryes the inward Truth of a Sincere affection when he perceiv'd it an odour of a sweet smell a Sacrifice acceptable well-pleasing to God then he breaks out I rejoyced in the Lord greatly that your care of me hath Flourished not because I desire a Gift but I desire Fruit not that I coveâ—… my own wealth but your Salvation A generous mind you see and fit for an Apostles breast he scorns to be relieved but by the hand of Faith and can be as well content with the pangs of hunger as the Gifts of Infidelity Indeed had the Philippians been yet but hypocrites my Apostle might with a good conscience have used their bounty for it came to him by deed of Gift and there is no fairer Title to any possession But he is not so content to please him they must send as well Fruits as Gifts they must send such presents as may abound no lesse to their accounts than to his necessity otherwise they may satisfy his wants perhaps but not his desire 'T is a rule in the Mathematicks that Rectum est index curvi the best way to discover a Crooked line is to compare it with one that is straight You know 't is a straight square that must tell the workman whether his timber be straight or uneven The case is with us as with Lines Beloved Men of a crooked disposition are then best known when they are compared with others of an upright heart and the onely way to discover a false Philippian is to examine his Actions by Saint Pauls example He was in want you heard and yet desires not Gifts except they were Fruits too How farre then do those poor decline from the straight steps of his Apostle who scarse either desire the one or respect the other but had rather be beholding to their own theft and cousenage than either to the Fruits of other mens Faith or to the Gifts of their vain Glory Indeed such men may usurp upon that speech of Saint Paul these hands minister to my necessities but 't is not of their own but their neighbours goods The covetous person may here examin himself and strait way discover the errour of his life Saint Paul was poor and yet desires not wealth
includes a Priesthood and bids him not to rule only but to pray for his People Consult the Pagan Antiquities and you will find strange variety of Honour conferred upon the Ministers of their supposed Deities Romulus stiled them Kings as if he meant to have enlarged their power unto the height of his own Authority And when afterwards the name of a King became as odious at Rome as the real oppression of a Tyrant was to other Cities yet was she still content that the chief Master of her religious Ceremonies should retain the old Title and be styled Rex Sacerdotum or the Priestly King I might acquaint you with the large Immunities and Privileges which they enjoyed with the strange Complements of Honour wherewith they were little lesse than adored did they not contain as great an excess of Superstition as they did aboundance of Reverences This will be sufficient to prove that they were both fear'd and observ'd that in succeeding ages the Caesars themselves became ambitious of the Priesthood as Suetoâ—…ius hath observed in Iulius Caesar and Augustus and Tacitus witnesseth the same in the third of his History of Vitellius The Relations even of our modern times are not without some parallel examples likewise Henry the Archbishop of Ebora becomes King of Portugal as you may find in the late Spanish History and Possevine the Jesuite relates this of the Russian Monarch otherwise called the great Duke of Muscovie Rex Sacrorura simul et Imperator videri velit he doth as much affect to be thought chief in their holy Ceremonies as to be held chief in his Empire And therefore his Robes are Copes his Crown a Miter and in stead of aâ—… imperial Scepter he arms his left hand with a Crosiers staff Neither did the purer years of the Christian Church shew themselves any whit negligent in the performance of so Religious a duty being no way ignorant of that Doctrine which St. Paul had imparted unto his Timothy Let the Elders saith he that rule well be had in double honour especially those which labour in the word and doctrine 1 Tim. 5. 17. Indeed for those former Titles of Soveraignty as I read them not offer'd so neither could they have been accepted by the Ministers of the Gospel they having received prohibition against it from their Masters own mouth vos autem non sic The Kings of the Gentiles reign over them and they that bear rule among them are called Benefactours But you shall not be so Luke the 22. Yet if we enquire into the cariage of those Elder Christians we shall easily find that what was wanting in those swelling Titles of Eminency was supplied in the Truth of sincere affection So the Apostle himself witnesseth of his Galathians in the 4th chap. of his Epistle to them Yee received me as an Angle of God yea as Christ Iesus nay I bear you record that if it had been possible you would have pluâ—…kt out your own eyes and have given them unto me Happy Galatia who wert become the Mother of such affâ—…ctionate Children If you expect fear and reverence they receive the Apostle as an Angel of God If love and affection they could have spared even their own eyes to have supplyed his necessities But is the practice of our present times answerable doth it equal the se precedents of the Apostolique age do you fear and observe nay do you not rather scorn and neglect our profession else what 's the cause that the most liberal and ingenuous dispositions are fearful to undertake this worthy calling what hinders them but only the publike contempt and much ignominy which in these times they see openly attends the Ministry For doubtlesse if a mans reputation be his second life you may now justly call Orders a kind of Martyrdom because I am sure he hazards his account in the world much for Christs sake whosoever in our dayes puts himself apart to serve the Tabernacle How are we contemn'd by the greatest and injured by those of meaner rank do not the scorners deride us and the Drunkards make songs upon us nay is not our very Function become a Proverb of contempt even in their mouths whose education hath ever been as servile as their birth was base There are perhaps of our Masters in Israel that can with Nicodemus be content to afford us countenance by candle light I mean in private and during the absence of those high-bred Spirits who count it basenesse to entertain discourse with people of so mean Quality as we are in their esteem But are the times so strangely altered are we now thought unworthy to accompany them whom Antiquity held us fit to govern 'T was his Majesties late observation before a most honourable and judicious Assembly that the Clergy was never grown into such contempt as now and in his opinion 't was one of those great offences which argued the near approach of the latter day There he enjoyned his Judges to countenance us exhorted his People to reverence and respect us God continue so gracious a Prince that reigns even in these dayes to become a Preacher and let all those that wish well to the house of Aaron say Amen Amen For should not Iudah I mean the Scepter it self stand firm to Levi the other Tribes would be as ready to prey upon us as they are now to scorn us Yet could the practice of former ages work any alteration upon these latter times I should not doubt but to leave this Auditory as carefull of our Estimation here on earth as we professe to be and in some measure I hope are of your Welfare in Heaven My speech hath already laid open the examples of the Patriarks and purer Church to instruct you of the Pagans and Infidels to stir up and enflame your affections But if through hardnesse of heart you remain still unmoveable yet quake and tremble to think how this Herod in my Text shall one day rise up in Judgement against you and shall condemn you for he fear'd and observ'd the Baptist and I say unto you it may be spoken of the meanest Minister of the Gospel of Christ A greater than Iohn is here Speak I this of my self saith not the Scripture the same also in the eleventh of Matthew at the eleventh verse Amongst them which are begotten of women arose there not a greater than Iohn the Baptist yet the least in the Kingdome of Heaven is greater than hee Where our Savioâ—… makes comparison between Iohn and us not in respect of any personal eminency for therein if in modesty we would not Truth it self would enforce us to yield Iohn the precedency but in respect of our Office and in that regard as Iohn was greater than the former Prophets because he taught Christ after a more clearer manner than they so are we to be prefer'd before Iohn himself because our preaching of Christ is yet more manifest than his was for which reason the Christian Church is ther likewise honoured