embrac't by some when coming from one and neglected when publisht by another It is the same truth but not in the same dresse It is a signe they never receiv'd the love of the truth plain truth won't please them it must be set out in such attire as may best satisfie their eye though sometimes not becoming the purity of so chast a Virgin This Lumen siccum as he speaks doth parch and offend many mens soft natures And though no doubt but Paul and Apollo deny their own excellencies and become wholly subservient to the Gospel yet even in them they finde somewhat to preferre one before the other And unlesse the word of God were as the Jewes tell us of the Manna though very fabulously yet we have the same in the Apocrypha in the 16th of Wisdome that whatsoever Character or Idea of taste a man shap't to himself in his fancy when he was eating the Manna as most pleasant and delightful to him it serv'd to the appetite of the eater and was temper'd to every ones liking unlesse the word of God had so many severall relishes agreeable to every ones liking Even this though Angels food shall be loathed and nauseated and surely this argues a carnal Spirit Must the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bow to you and the Gospel of the Kingdome become so basely serviceable as to do homage to your lusts Must that word which should search the Conscience tickle the fancy and feed a worme of curiosity that never dies What are these but as Plutarch calls inquisitive delatours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or in the Apostles phrase men of itching cares that catch more after an elegancy then after a promise and are better pleas'd with a criticisme then with a practical truth You know whose speech 't was Pruritus disputandi est Ecclesiae scabies Wee 'l mould it a little to our purpuse pruritus aurium est animae scabies 'T is carnal as it takes from the word of God from the strength of it from the majesty of it 3. Whâ—ch is the maine Argument urged by our Apostle as it breeds ruptures in the Church schismes and divisions which First Hinder the communion of Saints For all communion flowes from union and division takes that away Some go about to make unity the very forme of being to be sure it tends much to the well-being of the Church Oh how happy and pleasant a thing it is to see the Churches children spreading themselves like Olive-branches round about her table in a peaceable and flourishing manner But when they shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he speaks think that the brightnesse of their Brethrens condition doth but obscure and shadow theirs and thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he most elegantly if there be the least ansa or occasion of strife Passion presently hooks it in and is too apprehensive When one shall say I am of Calvin and another I am of Luther when as they might both meet in the Name of Christian nay when by most ridiculous dissension for we have heard of such a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when one shall say I am of Martin and another I am of Luther whereas they did but divide Martin Luther for they were both of his Religion what must this needs bring but a deformity and confusion upon the face of the Church a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 enough to make up a Chaos Secondly These Schismes and Divisions they stop the progresse of the Gospel If Christians would but take the Moralists counsell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to spend and derive their malice some other way as civil warres are often quench't by setting upon some common enemy this was alwayes the Cretians custome and from thence 't was called Syncretismus If we could hear of some happy Synchristianismus when the hearts and tongues and pens of all them that professe the same faith in sincerity would agree amongst themselves and wholly oppose the main adversary If we had not such narrow and contracted souls if God would be pleased to give us a larger heart so as every one would become a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wholly let go his private aimes and study the publick good what might not united forces do How quickly would all difficulties vanish every mountain become a plain the seven hills amongst the rest And the goodly fabrick of the Church would go up with the shoutings and acclamations of Grace Grace and quickly be at the top of its spiritual glory O how should every one with the consideration of so happy a time have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Eunapius speaks most elegantly a sweet Chorus of well tun'd affections and a spirit tripudiating for joy as Abraham did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he foresaw Christs day though that were afar off and this neer at hand Thirdly Schismes and Divisions give great advantage to the enemies and set up the kingdome of Satan the Prince of the Aire The Church thus becomes militant against her self and the enemy becomes triumphant The devil danceth at discord and as St Chrysostome observes when he heard that so goodly and populous a City as this of Corinth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was like to entertain the Gospel he knew no better way to hinder the successe of it then by presently planting a spirit of discord amongst them as well knowing that a Kingdome divided against it self could not long stand And all his agents that are subordinate to him nihil spei nisi per discordias â—abent as Tacitus saith notably of some in his time and as he of others they do per abrupta inclarescere sed in nullum Reipublicae commodum We might learn more wisdome of them that are wiser in their generation then the children of light what a strict union and confederacy have they among themselves as that in Job is usually allegorized These seales of the Leviathan are shut together as with a close seal in respect of their secrecy and combinings and if they chance to be at variance and jarre amongst themselves they have a sure way of meeting and reconciliation by a joynt opposing of the Church But then as it gives this generall advantage so more specially as it is the Original of all errors and the inlet of all heresies When men by a strange 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall set up some one as an oracle and perpetual Dictatour in Divinity If such a one broach an errour O how greedily do they drink it as if 't were pure Nectar some saving truth when at the best it is but the poyson of aspes a deadly and desperate errour The devil thus serves them as Agrippina did Claudius he mingles poyson in their delicate meat and they fall to 't with an appetite As that great Schollar hath well observed they were alwayes learned men which have been haereticorum Coryphaei So withall they have been such as by some deceitful carriages have won the hearts and esteem of men and thus could
the Covenant Now what 's the Covenant but this That he shall be your God and you shall be his people And then you can't but remember a late Vow that you have made too the very summe of which was this to stand for the publick good 3. Certainty to prosper it is the cause of God A Christian is of the surest side of the winning side There 's none but has a minde to prosper then pray for the peace of Ierusalem they shall prosper that love thee There 's none can eclipse the glory of God it 's beyond the limited power of a creature to dimme the lustre of his Crown God will maintaine his own cause or else he should lose of his glory his mighty Arme will get himself the victory Christ is the Captain of this Church and he is the chiefest often thousand the Ensigne-bearer And this is comfort enough for a Christian the enemies must conquer Christ before they can overcome his Church Christ the head of the Church is impregnable This is the second ground why Christians must stand for the cause of the Church because 't is the cause of God to which they are bound 1. By engagements many and great 2. By Vows 3. Encouraged with certainty of successe III. A Christian's bound to be of a publick spirit by vertue of the communion of Saints Every Christian's a member of Christs mysticall body and so must take care for the good of the whole He that is united to Christ the Head must be knit also to the other members He that do's not sympathize with the Church is not of the body He that can hear of the breaches of Sion and the decayes of Ierusalem He that can see the apples of Gods eye pierc't through and not be affected with it will ye call such members of Christs body He that is not truely affected with the bleeding condition of the Christians in Ireland do's virtually and in effect deny this Article of his Creed The Communion of Saints IV. It is against the Mighty Christians had need have publike spirits because they have publick enemies the Devil a publick enemy Antichrist a publick enemy They are private enough in respect of their malice and subtlety but publick in force and opposition As there is the paw of the Lion for strength so there is the head of the Serpent for wisdome but yet the head of the Serpent is broken their wisdome infatuated He that is in heaven can counterplot them and laugh them to scorne But yet thus much you may learn of the enemies of the Church to study the publick good They seek the ruine of the whole and why should not you seek the welfare of the whole If they be so sedulous and industrious so forward and active in a bad cause will you be negligent and remisse in the best cause in the cause of God in the helping of the Lord All that they do they 'l tell you 't is for the Catholick cause they are for the publick What won't a Jesuite do for the Catholick cause Hee 'l compasse Sea and Land to gaine one proselyte They do publick mischiefs and have a malignant and venomous influence into all places where they come and why should not Christians do as publick service for God as they do for the Devil Come out therefore against the mâ—ghty to the help of the Lord. That which was Meroz his excuse perhaps because the Canaanites were mighty ones therefore they durst not come out against them this God makes the very aggravation of their sin for if the enemies were mighty Israel had more need of their help and aide Curse ye Meroz saith the Angel of the Lord c. And Meroz might have consider'd that as there are mighty enemies so there is a mighty God too an Almighty God that can crush proud Sisera and dash in pieces the strongest enemy And now by this time you have seen that 't is but fit and equall for a Christian to be of a publick spirit to come out to the help of the Lord. 2. The manner how every Christian may promote the publick good And here by way of premisall 1. It must be in a lawful and warrantable way They that come out to help the Lord must help him in his own wayes such wayes as his word allowes or else they do not help the Lord but offend the Lord in breaking his commandments Job 13. 7. Will you speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him Do's Gods glory depend upon mans sin do's he allow any man to sin for the advancing of his glory Nay do's he not forbid it and detest it It is a clear and undenyable truth of our Saviour You must not do evil that good may come of it A speech of one of the Ancients You must not tell the least lie if you could save the whole Church by it You remember the clause in the Protestation as far as lawfuy I may he that seeks the publick good in an unlawfull course breaks his Protestation To the right conducting of an action besides the intention of an end truely there must be also the choice of just direct means for the accomplishing of it 2. In a prudent and orderly way They that come out to the help of the Lord must keep their ranks The Starres fought in their courses against Sisera Christians must keep their severall stations if there be confusion you can't tell a Canaanite from an Israelite a friend from a foe Let every Christian that studies the publick good keep his own place The Magistrate his the Ministers theirs and the people also theirs And now there are some wayes very good and warrantable by which Christians may come out to the help of the Lord and to the aiding of Israel 1. By Prayer To be sure this is a lawful meanes I and 't is a prevalent means too and has great influence upon the publick good Exod. 17. 11. When Moses held up his hand then Israel prevail'd 'T is a speciall benefit that Christians have by the communion of Saints the prayers one of another There 's a stock of prayers the Church has and the weakest Christian has a share in it Thou hast the benefit of many Christians prayer whose face thou never sawest whom thou never heard'st of perhaps he lives in America or some remote corner of the world but wheree're he be thou hast the benefit of his prayer as a member of the mystical body For there 's no prayer put up to God for his Church but it encludes every particular member of the Church in it so that prayer do's wonderfully promote the publick good Pray for the peace of Jerusalem pray for it that 's the way to have it And many an one that can use no other means yet may use this There 's many can't help the Christians in Ireland but there 's no Christian but may pray for them There 's many that can't fight against the Rebels and yet they can
The wings of the Cherubims are not weary with flying nor are the wheels of the soul weary with going the sparklings of the soul never vanish but every motion has immortality stampt upon it Spiritual Beings in all their motions are never weary nor out of breath But material Beings as they are dull and sluggish in their motion so they are faint and languishing The body that 's soon tyr'd And yet which is worth the observing only animate Beings are capable of wearinesse The Sun is not weary with shining but is alwayes ready like a Giant to run's race nor the fountain is not weary with flowing but the bird is presently weary with flying Only animate Beings are weary not by vertue of the soul but because the body can't keep peace with the soul Thus many times the string breaks when the Lutanist is not weary The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak The soul would fain be working when the body is not serviceable That which wearies the soul most is to be quencht in its motions to be dull'd by an earthy body by the interposition of that to be clouded to have its wings clipt so that 't was said of that noble Platonist Plotinus that he so liv'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was loath to be in the body as others were loath to be in prison as if he had cry'd out with the Apostle O who shall deliver me from this body of death And therefore the souls of just men made perfect that are set at full liberty they are never weary in their workings never weary of praising God never weary of singing Hallelujahs to him 3. Vast and comprehensive All beings they are within the souls Horizon What can't it graspe in its thought what can't it take in its eye It can take in the several drops of Being and it can take in much of the Ocean of Being I deny not but some men have such narrow and contracted souls as they can commerce with nothing but outward and drossy objects they can scarce have a wish thought minde only earthly things their Corne and their Wine and their Oile But this only shews their souls degenerated from their native perfection from their primitive glory For the soul of it self is more large and spacious and scornes to be bounded with material objects it self is a spirit and so it delights more in spirituals Nay it won't be bounded with reall objects it will set up Beings of its own Entia Rationis Reason's creatures such as the hand of Omnipotency never gave a reall Being to And then the desires of the soul how vast are these and comprehensive the soul can quickly open its mouth so wide as that the whole world can't fill it 4. Self-reflexive and independent upon the body And these indeed are the choicest and most precious workings of all the very flower and quintessence of an immortal soul When the soul shall sit judge upon its own actions when it shall become Speculum suiipsiâ—s view its own force bid the body farewell and even here become an Anima separata withdraw and retire it self to its Closet operations to its most reserv'd and Cabinet-counsels I could at large shew the excellency of these workings in several respects but that I must hasten 5. The workings of the soul are secret and undiscernable The creatures eye cannot pierce them Who knows the things of a man but the spirit of man that is in him The Devil can't tell the thoughts of men at most he has but a guesse and shrew'd conjecture unlesse they be such as are of his own casting in he has reason to know these for they are his own If men had â—enestrata pectora there were scarce any living in the world What mutual rage and envy and malice and heart-burnings would they then behold Yet lest men should abuse this priviledge and from hence take liberty to sin God often puts them in minde of this that he searches and sees the heart 't is his great prerogative and he is greater then the heart then the soul he knows all things This is the second particular the excellency of the souls Operations 3. The excellency of its Capacity Do but consider with your selves what a reasonable soul is capable of 'T is capable of the image of God The soul it has his superscription In the image of God made he him Now there 's little or nothing of Gods Image to be seen in the body for God is a Spirit and so stamps his Image upon the spirits of men And here indeed are some shadowings out of himself some faint and languishing representations of a Deity The soul 't is made in the Image of God and 't is capable of such stamps and impressions as God is pleas'd to put upon it 'T is endow'd with reason the apple of the souls eye 'T is capable of knowledge of learning of all the advancements and ennoblements of reason but what should I speak of these this will seem to some in the world no great matter as good be without them or it may be better in their fond esteem well then 't is capable of grace of glory sure they won't slight these too 'T is fit to be a companion of Angels to bear them company to all eternity Nay 't is capable of communion with God himself they are the friends of God The souls of men must make up a Church for him They are fit to be the Spouse of Christ 'T is the Apostles phrase That I might present you Virgin-souls unto Christ They are capable of such things as neither eye has seen nor ear heard nor e're enter'd into the heart of man to conceive the soul it self cannot conceive what great things a soul is capable of Though the workings of the soul were more vast and comprehensive then they are yet they can't reach them 4. The excellency of its Duration Do but think upon this a while how that it shall run a line parallel to all eternity The body indeed 't is soon resolv'd and crumbled into its first principles Dust thou art and to dust thou must returne But the soul returnes to God that gave it As it did not depend upon the body in some of its workings so neither does it depend upon it in its Being 'T is a very remarkable speech that of St John to Gaius I wish sayes he that thy body prosper even as thy soul prospers For most men in the world we might very well invert the wish we wish their souls prosper'd even as their bodies prosper But Saint John speaks it of a lively and vigorous Christian strong in the faith I wish thy body prosper even as thy soul prospers For many times you know in an aged and decay'd body you have a lively vigorous soul Old men are most famous for wisdome Nestor is for councel In a languishing and consum'd body you have many times a flourishing and well-complexion'd soul Men of the liveliest souls are