of the Martyrs sepulchres when she had no Churches but caves under ground no wealth but grace no exercises but sufferings no crowne but of martyrdome yet then she thrived best then she spread farthest then she kept her purity in doctrine and conversation then she convinced the Jewes then she converted the Gentiles then shee subdued Kingdomes whence I inferre three corollaries 1 That the Roman Church cannot be the true Church of Christ For the true Church of Christ as she is described in the holy Scriptures hath for long time lien hid beene often obscured and eclipsed by bloudy persecutions but the Roman or Papall Church hath never beene so her advocates plead for her that she hath beene alwayes not onely visible but conspicuous not onely knowne but notorious And among the many plausible arguments of perswasion and deceiveable shewes of reason wherewith they amuse and abuse the world none prevaileth so much with the common sort and unskilfull multitude as the outward pomp and glory of the Papall See For sith most men are led by sense and judge according to outward appearance the Church of Rome which maketh so goodly a shew and hath born so great sway in the world for many ages easily induceth them to beleeve that she is that City whereof the Prophet speaks x Psal 87.3 Glorious things are spoken of thee thou City of God What more glorious and glittering to the eie than the Popes triple crowne and the Cardinals hats and their Archbishops Palls and their Bishops miters and crozures their shining images their beautifull pictures their rich hangings their gilt rood lofts their crosses and reliques covered in gold and beset with all sorts of pretious stones These with their brightnesse and resplendency dazle the eyes of the multitude and verily if the Queenes daughters glory were all without and the kingdome of Christ of this world and his Church triumphant upon earth all the knowne Churches in the Christian world must give place to the See of Rome which hath borne up her head when theirs have beene under water hath sate as Queene when they have kneeled as captives hath braved it in purple when they have mourned in sackcloth and ashes But beloved y Rom. 10 17. faith commeth not by sight but by hearing and we are not to search the Church in the map of the world but in the Scriptures of God where we find her a pilgrim in Genesis a bondwoman in Exodus a prisoner in Judges a captive in the book of Kings a widow in the Prophets and here in my text a woman labouring with child flying from a red Dragon into the wildernesse I grant that Christ promiseth her a kingdome but not of this world and peace but it is the peace of God and joy but it is in the Holy Ghost and great glory but it is within z Psal 45.13 The Kings daughter is all glorious within c. 2 That none ought to despise the Churches beyond the seas under the Crosse but according to the command of the blessed Apostle a Heb. 13.3 Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them and them that suffer adversitie as heing our selves also in the body Their turne of sorrow is now ours may be hereafter God hath begun to them in a cup of trembling it is to be feared it will not passe us but we and all the reformed Churches shall drink of it Our Church in Queene Maries dayes resembled this woman in my text theirs now doth both never a whit the lesse but rather the more the true Churches of Christ because they weare his red livery and beare his Crosse 3 That we ought not to looke for great things in this world but having food and raiment as the woman had here in my text to be therewith contented and as she withdrew her self from the eye of the world so ought we to retire our selves into our closets there to have private conference with God to examine our spirituall estate to make up the breaches in our conscience to poure out our soules in teares of compunction for our sins of compassion for the calamities of our brethren of an ardent desire and longing affection for the second comming of our Lord when he shall put an end as to all sinne and temptation so to all sorrow and feare Amen Even so come Lord Jesu To whom c. THE SAINTS VEST A Sermon preached on All-Saints day at Lincolnes-Inne for Doctor Preston THE XXIV SERMON APOC. 7.14 These are they that came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the bloud of the Lambe Right Honourable Right Worshipfull c. THe question which the Elder moved to Saint John in the precedent verse to my Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what are these mee thinks I heare some put to mee at this present saying What are these holy ones whose feast yee keep what meane these devotions what doe these festivities intend what speake these solemnities what Saints are they Virgins Confessours or Martyrs whose memory by the anniversary returne of this day you eternize 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence came they or rather how came they to bee thus honoured and canonized in our Kalendar My direct answer hereunto is my Text These are they c. and the exemplification thereof shall be my Sermon The palmes they beare are ensignes of their victory the robes they weare are emblemes of their glory the bloud wherein they dyed their robes representeth the object of their faith the white and bright colour of them their joy and the length of them the continuance thereof Yea but these holy ones you may object at least the chiefe of them had their dayes apart the blessed Virgin hers apart and the Innocents apart the Apostles apart and the Evangelists apart how come they now to be repeated why committeth the Church a tautologie in her menologie what needeth this sacred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or congeries of feasts blending of devotions thrusting all Saints into one day and that a short one in the rubricke It is that men may see by that which we doe what we beleeve in that Article of our Creed the communion of Saints Wee joyne them all in one collect wee remember them all upon one day because they are all united into one body admitted into one society naturalized into one Kingdome made free Denisons of one City and partakers of one a Col. 1.12 inheritance of the Saints in light In a word we keep one feast for them all upon earth because they all keep one everlasting feast in heaven the marriage b Apoc. 19.9 supper of the Lambe The Romanes beside severall Temples dedicated to severall deities had their Pantheon or all-gods temple See wee not in the skie here single starres glistering by themselves there constellations or a concourse of many heavenly lampes joyning their lights do we not heare with exceeding delight in the singing of our Church
overthrow of the Jewish Nation by Vespasian and his sonne Titus Others deferre the accomplishment of this prophecy till the dreadfull day of the Worlds doome when by the shrill sound of the Archangels Trumpet all the dead shall bee awaked and the son of man shall march out of Heaven with millions of Angels to his Judgement seat in the clouds where hee shall sit upon the life and death of mankinde That day saith Saint d August l. 20. de civitate Dei Ille dies judicii propriè dicitur eo quod nullus erit ibi imperitae querelae locus Cur injustus ille sit foelix cur justus ille infoelix Austin may bee rightly called a Day of Judgement because then there shall bee no place left for those usuall exceptions against the judgements of God and the course of his providence on earth viz. Why is this just man unhappy and why is that unjust man happy Why is this profane man in honour and that godly man in disgrace Why doth this wicked man prosper in his evill wayes and that righteous man faile in his holy attempts Nay why for a like fact doth some man receive the guerdon of a crowne and another of a e Juvenal Satyr Sceleris pretium ille crucem tulit hic diadema crosse or gibbet the one of a halter the other of a chaine of gold These and the like murmurs against the justice of the Judge of all flesh shall bee hushed and all men shall say in the words of the f Psal 58.11 Psalmist Verily there is a reward for the righteous Verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth And then Christ may bee said properly to bring or send forth judgement when hee revealeth the secrets of all hearts displayeth all mens consciences and declareth the circumstances of all actions whereby all mens judgements may bee rightly informed in the proceedings of the Almighty and all men may see the justice of God in those his most secret and hidden judgements at which the wisest on earth are astonished and dare not looke into them lest they should bee swallowed up in the depth of them I speake of those judgements of God which Saint g August lo. sup cit Dies declarabit ubi hoc quoque manifestabitur quà m justo Dei judicio fiat ut nunc tam multa ac penè omnia justa Dei judicia sensus mentemque mortalium fugiant cum tamen in hac repiorum fidem non lateat justum esse quod latet Austin termeth Occuliè justa and justè occulta Secretly just and justly secret so they are now but at the day of Judgement they shall bee manifestly just and justly manifest then it shall appeare not onely that the most secret judgements of God are just but also that there was just cause why they should bee secret or kept hidden till that day Lastly then Christ may bee said properly to bring forth judgement unto victory because hee shall first conquer all his enemies and then judge and sentence them to everlasting torments Of which dreadfull Judgement ensuing upon the glorious Victory of the Prince of peace over the great Whore and the false Prophet and the Divell that deceiveth them all from which the Archangel shall sound a retreat by blowing the last trump and summoning all that have slept in the dust to arise out of their graves and come to judgement I need not to adde any thing more in this Religious and Christian auditory Wherefore I will fill up the small remainder of the time with some briefe observations upon the ruine and utter desolation of the Jewish Nation who even to this day wandring like Vagabonds in all countries and made slaves not only to Christians but to Moores Turkes and other Infidels rue the crucifying of the Lord of life and the spilling of the innocent bloud of the immaculate Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the World As according to the custome of our country Quarter-Sessions are held in Cities and Shire-townes before the generall Assises so Christ a little more than forty yeeres after his death at Jerusalem and ascension into Heaven held a Quarter-Sessions in Jerusalem for that country and people after which hee shall certainly keep a generall Assises for the whole world when the sinnes of all Nations shall be ripe for the Angels sickle Some of the wisest of the Jewish Rabbins entring into a serious consideration of this last and greatest calamity that ever befell that people together with the continuance thereof more than 1500. yeeres and casting with themselves what sinne might countervaile so heavie a judgement in the end have growne to this resolution that surely it could be no other than the spilling of the Messias bloud which cryed for this vengeance from heaven against them And verily if you observe all the circumstances of times persons and places together with the maner and means of their punishments and lay them to the particulars of Christs sufferings in and from that Nation you shall see this point as cleerly set before your eyes as if these words were written in letters of bloud upon the sacked walls of Jerusalem Messiah his Judgement and Victory over the Jewes 1. Mocking repaid 1. Not full sixe yeeres after our Lords passion most of those indignities and disgraces which the Jewes put upon him were returned backe to themselves by Flaccus and the Citizens of Alexandria who scurrilously mocked their King Agrippa in his returne from Rome by investing a mad man called Carabbas with Princely robes putting a reed in his hand for a Scepter saluting him Haile King of the Jewes Note here the Jewes mocking of Christ repaid unto themselves yet this was not all 2 Whipping repaid The Alexandrians were not content thus scornfully to deride the King of the Jewes they proceeded farther to make a daily sport of scourging many of the Nobility even to death and that which Philo setteth a Tragicall accent upon at their solemnest Feast Note here the Jewes whipping and scourging Christ upon the solemne Feast of Passover repaid unto them 3. Spitting repaid 3. And howsoever their noble and discreet Embassadour Philo made many remonstrances to the Emperour Caligula of these unsufferable wrongs offered to their Nation yet that Emperour because the Jewes had refused to set up his Image in the Temple was so farre from relieving them or respecting him according to the quality he bare that he spurned him with his foot and spit on his face Note here the Jewes spitting on Christ repaid them 4. The Jewes refusing Christ to be their King to flatter the Romane Caesar reveneâ—d on them by Caesar himself 4. In conclusion the Emperour sent him away with such disgrace and discontent that hee turning to his country-men said Bee of good cheare Sirs for God himselfe must needs right us now sith his Vicegerent from whom wee expected justice doth so much wrong us and contrary
so wonderfully for nought but that he reserved him for some greater worke and service to his Church as wee see this day There remaineth yet one clause in my text And the mouth of every one that speaketh lies shall bee stopped and answerably an appendix to the narration of the conspiracie of the Gowries for stopping the mouthes of all that shall call in question the truth of that relation Which besides the conscience of his Majesty the deposition of his servants the publicke justice of the Parliament of Scotland the solemne piety and devotion of the Churches of great Brittaine and Ireland was sixteene yeeres after the plotting thereof and eight yeeres after the acting confirmed by the publicke free and voluntarie confession of p Vid. a booke intituled the examination of G. Sprot published with a learned preface to it by G.A. Dr. D. and Dean of Winchester George Sprot arraigned and executed at Edinburgh for it Thus have I fitted each member of this prophecy to the severall parts of the storie of his Majesties deliverance as on this day betweene which there is such good correspondencie that the prophesie seemeth text to the storie and the storie a commentarie on the prophesie Observe I beseech you the harmony of them and let your heart dance with joy at every straine 1. The first is They that seeke my soule to destroy it shall goe downe c. This was exemplified and according to the letter accomplished in Alexander Ruthwen who sought the ruine of our David and was himselfe throwne downe the staires and after part of him into the lowest parts of the earth a deepe pit into which his bowels were cast 2. The second is They shall cast him downe by the edge of the sword This was accomplished in the Earle Gowrie whom the Kings servants smote in the study with the edge of the sword that hee died and fell at their feet 3. The third is And they shall be a portion for foxes that is lie unburied for a prey to the fowles of heaven and beasts of the earth this was accomplished in all the Traitors who were according to the Lawes of the kingdome hanged drawne and quartered and their quarters set up upon the most eminent parts of the Citie where the fowles preyed upon them till they dropped downe to the ground and were made an end of by some ravenous beasts 4. The fourth is The King shall rejoyce in God This was literally verified in our King who joyfull after hee was plucked out of the jawes of death gave publicke thankes to God and ascribed the whole glory of his deliverance and victorie over his enemies to his gracious goodnesse and in memorie of this so great a benefit commanded this feast which wee now celebrate to be solemnly kept in all his Dominions yeerely 5. The fifth is And all that sweare by him that is all which worship the true God the God of our Jacob or all that sweare to him that is allegiance to his Majestie shall glorie This as it was accomplished in other congregations so is it in us here present assembled to glorie in the Lord for this wonderfull delivery of their then and now also our Soveraigne 6. The sixt and last is And the mouth of all that speake lies shall bee stopped This was also fulfilled by the meanes of George Sprot who by his pious behaviour and penitent confession at his death and a signe which he promised to shew after his breath should be stopped and accordingly performed after he had hanged a great while clapping his hands above his head stopped the mouth of all such as before spake lies against the truth of the precedent relation To the lively expression whereof I have borrowed as you see Davids princely characters and set the presse placing each letter in his ranke and part in his order What remaineth but that I pray to God by his spirit to stampe them in our hearts and so imprint them in our memories that he that runneth may reade our thankfulnesse to God for this deliverance and confidence in his future protection of our Soveraignes person and love and loyaltie to his Majestie whom God hath so strangely saved from the sword to save the sword from us that in peace and safety he might receive and sway the Scepter of these Kingdomes of great Brittaine and Ireland Which long may hee with much prosperity and honour to the glory of God and propagation of the truth libertie and safetie of the Church and Common-wealth exceeding joy and comfort of all his friends and remarkeable shame and confusion of his implacable enemies So bee it Deo patri c. THE LORD PROTECTOR OF PRINCES OR DEUS ET REX GOD AND THE KING A Sermon appointed to be preached before his Grace at Croydon August 5. 1620. THE SIXTH SERMON PSAL. 21.1 The King shall joy in thy strength O Lord and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoyce Or as wee reade in the Bishops Bible The King shall rejoyce in thy strength O Lord exceeding glad shall he be of thy salvation THat manifold or to make a new compound to translate a compound in the Originall a Eph. 3.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 multivarious wisedome and goodnesse of God which hath illustrated the firmament with varietie of starres some more some lesse glistering and glorious enamell'd the meadowes with choyce of flowers some more some lesse beautifull and fragrant inriched the sands of the Sea with pearle some more some lesse orient and veines of the earth with metals some more some lesse pretious hath also decked and garnished the Calendar of the Church with variety of Feasts some more some lesse holy and solemn You may observe a kinde of Hierarchy among them some have a preheminence over the rest which we call greater and higher Feasts Among which this day challengeth his place on which we refresh the memorie of his Majesties rescue out of the prophane and impious hands of the Earle Gowry and Alexander Ruthwen A paire of unnaturall brethren brethren in nature and brethren in a most barbarous and unnaturall attempt against their Soveraigne the Lords annointed brethren by bloud and brethren also in bloud who by the just judgement of God cleansed that study with their owne bloud which they would have for ever stained by the effusion there of the Royall bloud of the most innocent Prince that ever sate on that or this Throne whom almighty God seemeth not so much to have preserved from those imminent dangers he then escaped as reserved for these unvaluable blessings we now enjoy by the prorogation of his life enlarging of his Scepter and propagation of his Issue In his life the life of our hope is revived in his Scepter the Scepter of Christ is extended in his stocke the root of Jesse is propagated and shall I hope flourish to the end of the world For this cause the King shall rejoyce c. he shall rejoyce in thee we in
caveret si caveret evaderet Cyprian pricking the right veine telleth us it is a thing to be bewailed with teares of bloud that none almost mindeth everlasting torments For did they minde them and beleeve them they could not but feare them and if they feared them â—â—â—y would beware of them and if they would beware of them they might escape them O that men therefore were wise to thinke upon hell before they rushed on the brinke of it and enter into a serious consideration of Gods fearfull judgements upon obstinate and impenitent sinners before they were overtaken by them This is the scope and effect of these words and I pray God they may worke this effect in us that laying before our eyes the fearfull ends of the wicked and their damnation wee may learne from henceforth to be wise unto salvation The unum necessarium and chiefe point of all to be thought upon in this life is what shall become of us after wee goe from hence for here God knowes we have but a short time to stay We reade in King l Eccles 3.1.2 Solomons distribution of time according to the severall occasions of mans life to every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven a time to be borne and a time to dye but wee reade of no time to live as if our death bordered upon our birth and our cradle stood in our grave yet upon this moment rather than time of our life dependeth eternity Division The greatest perfection attainable by man in this life is wisedome and the most proper act of wisedome is consideration and the chiefest point of consideration is our later end First therefore the Spirit of God in this Text commendeth wisedome to their desires Secondly consideration to their wisedome Thirdly their later end to their consideration and the more to stirre up their affections and expresse his he delivereth this his advice in a wish and accompanieth it with a deep sigh saying O that they were wise they would understand this that it is not for their sakes that they might bragge but for their enemies sake that they might not bragge that I have thus long spared them For I had long ere this scattered them abroad and made their remembrance cease from amongst men but that I knew their adversaries would take advantage thereat and waxe proud upon it Verse 27. and say our high hand and not the Lord hath done it For they are a Nation void of councell neither is there any understanding in them Which words beare a light before the words of my Text Coherence and thus bring them in O that they were wise then they would understand this viz. that nothing standeth between them and my wrath my wrath and their destruction but the pride of their enemies they are indebted to the fury malice and insolency of the Heathen who seeke utterly to destroy them and by proudly treading upon their neckes to trample true religion under feet that hell raines not downe upon them from heaven and they not burnt like Sodome and consumed like Gomorrah Were they wise they would understand it and understanding consider how neere they are to their end and considering it meet the Lord upon their knees to prevent their utter overthrow Observ 1. O that they were so wise If those words wherewith Moses beginneth his Swan-like song immediately before his death Verse 2. My doctrine shall drop as the raine and my speech shall distill as the dew as the small raine upon the tender herbe and as the showers upon the grasse were verified of any of his words they are certainly of these in my Text which drop like raine or rather like hoâ—y from his mouth whereby wee may taste how sweet the Lord is in his speeches how milde in his proceedings how passionate in his perswasions what force of art eloquence he useth to draw us unto him without force violence Are not sighes the very breath of love are not sobs the accents of grief are not groanes fetched deep the long periods of sorrowes ravishing eloquence which Almighty God breathes out of the boyling heat of his affection both here and elsewhere O m Hos 6.4 Ephraim what shall I do unto thee O Judah how shall I intreat thee for your righteousnesse is as a morning cloud your goodnes as an earthly dew vanisheth away O that n Psal 81.13 14 15 16. my people had hearkened unto mee and Israel had walked in my wayes I should soone have subdued their enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him but their time should have endured for ever Hee should have fed them with the finest of the wheat and with honey out of the rocke would I have satisfied thee And O o Mat. 23.37 Jerusalem Jerusalem which killest the Prophets and stonest those that are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen doth gather her chickens under her wings but yee would not How can the affection more outwardly enlarge or the heart open it selfe than by opening the bosome and stretching out the armes to imbrace Behold the p Esay 65.2 armes of Almighty God stretched all the day long to a rebellious people which walketh in a way that was not good after their owne thoughts What truer Embassadours of a bleeding heart than weeping eyes behold the teares of our Saviour over Jerusalem and reach your hand and thrust it into the hole of his side and you shall feele drops from his heart bleeding afresh for your ungratefull refusall of his love and despite of his grace If drops of raine pierce the stones and drops of warme Goats bloud crumble the Adamant into pieces shall not Christs teares sinke into our affections and the drops of his heart bloud breake our hearts with godly sorrow and make them so thorougly contrite by unfained repentance that they may be an acceptable sacrifice unto him according to the words of the Psalmist q Psal 51.17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God thou shalt not despise Were not that City very unwise that would refuse any tolerable conditions of peace offered by a potent enemy against whâ—m shee could not make her party good in warre Beloved are wee able to hold out warre with Almighty God to maintaine a fight against his plagues and judgements what are we but dead men if hee lay hold on his glittering sword why then doe wee not come in whilest hee holdeth out his golden Scepter of mercy why sue wee not to him for a treatie of peace It can be no disparagement to us to seeke to him first yet we need not he seeketh to us first he maketh an overture of his desire for peace he draweth conditions with his owne hand and offereth them to us as wee heard before out
the later Papists if it be worshipped cultu latriae with divine worship not cultu duliae which is an inferiour kinde To cut off this third head of Hydra with the sword of the Spirit First we ought not to distinguish where the Law distinguisheth not It is a good rule in the civill Law and holds in Divinity but this distinction of dulia and latria hath no ground in Scripture where the words dulia and latria are indifferently used and as latria is attributed unto men so dulia to * Mat. 4.10 Rom. 12.11 Vid. Humfridum in vit Juel God Secondly the Commandement forbiddeth expresly all both inward and outward worship all outward in those words Thou shalt not bow downe before them all inward in the words following nor worship them If therefore their dulia imply either an inward or an outward worship of the likenesse of any thing that is in the world it is prohibited in the second Commandement Thirdly if it should be granted them that there is some difference between dulia and latria proper worship and improper per se and per accidens absolute and relative yet questionlesse the honest vulgar are not able to tithe this Mint and Cummin and cut these scholasticall distinctions to a haire their dulia is latria and latria dulia and as a Comment in lib. Aug. de 〈◊〉 Dei Ludovicus vives confessed before they clipped his tongue they exhibit a like manner of devotion to Saints and their Images and Reliques to that which the Heathen did to their gods and goddesses Fourthly all worship is either civill or religious to performe civill worship to Images as if they were our concives is ridiculous to yeeld religious is impious If by cultus duliae they mean civill complement they must shew what familiarity or civill society the living have with the dead and what courtesie their Images can returne backe againe Indeed we reade of an Image of our Lady that b Doctor Andrewes resp ad apol Bellar. Obvertit ei posteriora turned her backe parts to a Carthusian that came tardy to Mattens but never of any that performed any complement before No civill respect therefore is due to any Image and much lesse religious for Saint c Lib. 14. cont Faus Maniche Austin teacheth expresly that the Apostle forbiddeth any worship of religion to be given to a creature Lastly the Jesuites and Schoolmen before alledged teach that the Image of God and of Christ and of the Crosse and all Papists teach that the elements of bread and wine after consecration in the Sacrament are to be worshipped cultu latriae or with divine worship Therefore notwithstanding all their slips and evasions the second Commandement taketh hold of them and Gods fearfull judgement against Idolaters will seize on them also if they avert them not by turning from dead Images to the living God I will cut off the thread of my discourse with Aristotle his sharpe censure of the Milesians d Aristot politic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Milesians are not fooles yet they doe just the same things which fooles doe even so though we forbeare to fasten the name of Heathenish Idolaters upon Papists yet surely they doe the same things as they did First the Heathen carried their gods of gold and silver e Baruch 6.4 upon their shoulders so doe the Papists beare out their Images and Reliques inclosed in chasses of gold and silver in their solemne procession on high dayes Secondly the Heathen decked their Images as if they were men and women with apparrell yet cannot these gods save themselves from rust and moth though they be f Ver. 11. covered with purple raiment and who knoweth not that Papists put costly apparrell on their Images almost every Saint among them hath his holy day and working day suit Thirdly the Heathen lighted candles before their Images g Ver. 19. though the Image seeth not one of them and doe not Papists set tapers before theirs Fourthly the faces of the Heathen Idols were blacked with h Ver. 21. smoake so are the Popish Images with the fume of the incense they burne to them Fifthly the Heathen i Ver. 41. spake to their Idols as if they were able to understand them so doe the Papists to the wood of the Crosse Ave lignum spes unica Sixthly the Heathenish Priests beards and heads were k Ver. 31. shaven and so are our Popish Priests crownes Seventhly Baals Clergy if I may so speake was divided into Priests and Chemarims so termed for the blacke attire they ware so is the Popish into Seminary Priests and Jesuites birds of the same feather with the Chemarims Eighthly the Heathen about the l Polid. virg de invent rerum l. 1. c. 5. calends of February visited all their Temples with lights a like ceremony the Papists use at Candlemasse Ninthly at the beginning of the Spring the Heathen kept their Hilaria feasts in which it was lawful to revel riot in all kinds of disorder in place whereof the Papists have brought in their Carnivals about the same time Tenthly the Heathen commended every City and Village to the protection of some god or goddesse Juno was Lady guardian of Carthage Venus of Cyprus Diana of Ephesus Pallas of Athens c. and have not the Papists likewise multiplyed their Saints according to the number of their Cities and doe they not share the patronages of them betweene them Doth not Venice fall to Saint Markes lot Paris to Saint Genoviefe's Spaine to Saint James's France to Saint Dennises Scotland to Saint Andrewes Ireland to Saint Patrickes England to Saint Georges Eleventhly the Heathen assigned severall offices to severall gods calling upon Ceres for corne upon Bacchus for wine upon Aesculapius for health upon Mercurie for wealth Apollo for wisedome c. In like manner the Papists addresse themselves to particular Saints upon particular and speciall occasions to Saint Genoviefe for raine to Saint Marcâ—an for faire weather Saint Michael in battell Saint Nicholas in a sea tempest Saint Eustace in hunting Saint Roch and Sebastian for remedies against the plague Saint Raphel against catarres Saint Apollonia against the tooth-ach St. Anthony against inflammations Saint Margaret for safe delivery in childe-birth and to other Saints upon other occasions as if God had granted a kind of Monopoly of the sevâ—rall commodities of this life to severall Saints Twelfthly will you have yet more Hercules hath left his club to Saint Christopher Janus hath resigned up his keyes to Saint Peter Lucina her office of midwife to Saint Margaret the Muses their instruments of musicke to Cecilia and Jupiter Hammon his hornes to Moses Sentio me jam de faece haurire I now draw very low the very lees and dregges of Popery which whosoever sucketh unlesse hee cast them up againe by repentance is like to sup up the dregges of the viall of Gods wrath And now mee thinkes I see the Sonne of man looke upon
come to one first cause that setteth all on working and it selfe dependeth upon no other former cause This truth the Poets fitly resembled by a golden chaine upon which heaven and earth hang whose uppermost linke was fastened to Jupiters chaire The morall Philosophers also yeeld a supply of their forces to aid this truth There can be but one chiefe good say they which wee desire for it selfe and all other things for it but this must needs be God because nothing but the Deitie can satisfie the desire of the reasonable soule and because in the highest and chiefest of all good there must needs be an infinitie of good otherwise we might conceive a better and more desirable good now no infinite good can be conceived but God Neither is it a weake pillar wherewith the Statesman supporteth this truth Nulla fides regni sociis omnisque potestas Impatiens consortis erit No one Kingdome can stand where there are two p Bod. de rep l. 2. c. 20. De vnius dominatu supreme and uncontrollable commanders therefore neither can the whole world which is a great Empire or Kingdome be governed by two or more supreme Monarchs This argument may be illustrated by the fact and apophthegme of the Grand Seignior who when his sonne Mustaphas returning from Persia was received and entertained with great shouts and acclamations of all the people he commanded him presently to be slaine before him this oracle to be pronounced by the Priest Unus in coelo Deus unus in terris Sultanus One God in heaven one Sultan on the earth q Lact. divin institut l. 1. c. 5 Adeo in unitatem universa natura consentit Lactantius also harpeth upon this string There cannot be many masters in one family many Pilots in one ship many Generalls in one armie many Kings in one Realme r De Ira Dei cap. 11. Non possunt in hoc mundo multi esse rectores nec in una domo multi Domini nec in una nave multi gubernatores nec in uno regno multi reges nec in uno mundo multi soles many sunnes in one firmament many soules in one body so the universalitie of things runnes upon an unitie These and the like congruities induced the greater part of the heathen Sages to assent to this truth Mercurius Trismgeistus giveth this reason why God hath no proper name because he is but one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orpheus calleth God the one true and first great begotten because before him nothing was begotten whose nature because he could not conceive he saith he was borne of immense aire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pythagoras termeth him Animam mundi and Anaxagoras Mentem infinitam Seneca Rector of the whole world and God of heaven and all gods Tully and Plato were confessours of this truth and Socrates a Martyr of it but Beloved we need not such witnesses for we have the testimony of those three that beare record in heaven of God the father I am God and there is ſ Esay 46.9 none other of God the sonne this is t John 17.3 life eternall to know thee to be the only true God whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ of God the holy Ghost O Lord there is u 1 Chron. 17.20 none like thee neither is there any God but thee there * 1 Cor. 8.6 is but one God the father of whom are all things and wee in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him This point is not more cleere in the proofe than profitable in the use which 1. Convinceth the errour of the Manichees who taught there were two Gods and of the Tritheites who worshipped three and of the Greekes who multiply their Gods according to the number of their cities and of the Romans Qui cum omnibus gentibus dominarentur omnium gentium servierunt erroribus who when they had subdued all nations made themselves slaves to the errours of all There was no starre almost in the skie no affection in the minde no flower in the garden no beast in the field no thing almost so vile and abject in the world which some of the Heathen deified not Omnia colit error humanus praeter eum qui omnia condidit This Unity of the Trinity inferreth a Trinity of Unity Viz. 1. Of faith 2. Baptisme 3. Charitie The two former the x Ephes 4.5 Apostle inferreth in that verse wherein hee declineth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 surely there can bee no verity of unity where there is no unity of verity If there bee but one God then the worship of him must needs be the onely true religion if there bee no name under heaven by which we may be saved but the name of Jesus Christ y Acts 4.12 it insueth hereupon which serveth wonderfully for our everlasting comfort and the terrour and confusion of all Infidels that onely the Christian can be saved The Poets fained that the way to heaven was via lactea a milkie way but the Scripture teacheth that the only way thither is via sanguinea not a milkie but a bloudie way by the crosse of Christ 3. From unity of faith and Sacraments there followeth a third unity to wit the unity of love For how can they bee but united in love who are members of one mysticall body and quickened by one and the selfe same spirit The neerest and strongest tie among men is consanguinity how neare and deare ought then all Christians to bee one to another who are not only made all of one bloud as all men and women are but also are redeemed by one bloud the bloud of Christ and participate also of one bloud in the Sacrament Where the union is or should be firmer the division is alwayes fowler how then commeth it to passe that as in the Church of Corinth one said z 1 Cor. 1.12 13. I am of Paul another said I am of Apollo another I am of Cephas so in our Church one saith I am of Luther another I am of Calvin another I am of Zwinglius Is Christ divided Is the reformed religion deformed Is not this a cunning sleight of Satan to divide us one from another that so he may prevaile against us all as Horatius did against the Curiatii the manner whereof * Decad. 1. l. 1. Conserus manibus cum non motus tantum corporum agitatioque anceps telorum armorumque sed vulnera quoque sanguis spectaculo essent duo Romani super alium alius vulnerati tribus Albanis expirantes corruerunt ad quorū casum cum conclamasset gaudio Albanus exercitus Romanas legiones jam spes tota nondum tamen cura deseruerat exanimes vitae unius quem tres Curiatii circumsteterant Forte is integer fuit ut universis solus nequaquam par sic adversus singulos ferox ergo ut segregaret pugnam eorum capessit fugam ratus secuturos ut quemque vulnere
Athenian Priest answered to those that would have had her curse Alcibiades Priests saith shee are appointed to blesse not to curse to pray for people not against them Notwithstanding if the Church meet with a Simon Magus set in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity or an Elymas that will not cease to pervert the right waies of God or an Alexander that mightily withstandeth the preaching of the Gospel shee may brandish the sword of the Spirit and cut such off from her visible assemblies for a time till they make their peace with God by repentance and with the Church by confession and humble submission to her sacred Canons 3. Men neither inspired by God nor authorized by the Church yet may and ought to pray against the kingdome of Sathan and members of Antichrist in generall and all whosoever stop the free passage of the Gospel or hinder the advancement of Christs Kingdome For we cannot love God but we must needs love them that love him and hate them that hate him even with a perfect hatred As wee must blesse them that blesse him so wee may and ought in generall to curse all that curse him In warre wee may aime at the Standard and shoot at the Flagge and Ensignes but it is against the law of armes to levell at any particular man in like manner we may shoot out of zeale fiery darts of execration at the Standard of Sathan and levell at the Flagge and Colours of Antichrist but wee may not curse or doome to the pit of hell such a nation city assembly or man in particular 1. Because God only knoweth who are his he that is now a great persecuter or a scoffer at the truth may be in time a zealous professor and it is a fearfull thing to curse the children of blessing 2. Because it is very difficult if not impossible for any in this kinde to curse but that malice and desire of revenge will mingle themselves with our zeale and thereby wee shall offer with Nadab and Abihu strange fire 3. Because we are commanded to pray for our enemies who the more they have wronged us the more they stand in need of our prayers For the greater injury they offer us the more they hurt themselves they wound us in body but themselves in soule they spoyle us of our goods but they deprive themselves of Gods grace they goe about to staine our good name but by detraction and false calumniation they worse staine their owne conscience they may worke us out of favour with Princes and great men but they put themselves out of favour with God thereby Yee heare how execrable a thing cursing and execration is and yet what so common I tremble to rehearse what wee heare upon every sleight occasion O remember from this Memento in my Text that unlesse yee were inspired as the people here were and knew that those whom yee curse were hated of God as these Edomites were by cursing others yee incurre a curse and by casting fire-brands of Hell at your brethren yee heape hot burning coales upon your heads And so I passe from the curse to the parties cursed The children of Edome The Edomites or Idumeans were of the race of Esau Jacobs elder brother who comming home hungry from hunting and finding his brother seething pottage grew so greedy of it that he bargained with him for a messe at the deare rate of his birth-right This red broth bought at such a price was ever after cast in Esau his dish and from it hee was called r Gen. 25.30 31 32 33. Edome and all his posterity Edomites or Idumeans as if yee would say red or bloudy ones Such was their name and such were they a bloudy generation of the right bloud of Esau For as he sought the life of his brother Jacob so they ever plotted the ruine and destruction of the Jewes their brethren and in the day of Jerusalems fearfull visitation when the Babylonians had taken the City and put all in it to the sword and robbed the Temple and ransacked all the houses and left nothing but the wall their unnaturall brethren the Idumeans in stead of quenching or at least allaying the fury of the Babylonians by their praiers and compassionate teares cast oyle into the flame and set them in a greater rage against them and instigated them to a further degree of cruelty even to pull down all the houses and sacke the walls saying Raze it raze it to the ground For which their inhumane and savage cruelty against the Church of God God remembred them in due time and rewarded them as they had served their brethren to fulfill the prophecies of Å¿ Jer. 49.7 8 9 10 11 12. Jeremy and Obadiah t Obad. ver 10 11 12 13 14 15 16. For thy cruelty against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee In the day that thou stoodest on the other side in the day that the stranger carried away captive his forces and forreiners entred into his gates cast lots upon Jerusalem even thou wast as one of them But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger neither shouldest thou have rejoyced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of their distresse Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crosse wayes to cut off those of his that did escape neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remaine in the day of distresse For the day of the Lord is neere upon all the heathen as thou hast done so it shall be done unto thee thy reward shall returne upon thine owne head Behold a notable example of divine justice in meting to the wicked their owne measure and punishing them with that where with they offended The Edomites proved false to the Jewes their brethren and their neerest friends prove false to them They received a wound ver 7. from the men of their confederacy even from them that ate their bread Non expectato vulnus ab hoste ferunt Remember O Lord the Edomites but destroy the Babylonians Though the Edomites dealt most cruelly with their brethren the Jewes yet the Jewes are not so farre transported with passion against them as not to put a difference between them and the Babylonians By the way wee may note the condition of Christs dearest Spouse in the world both Edomites and Babylonians forraine and domesticall enemies those that are neere and those that are farre off conspire against poore Jerusalem and bring her as you see upon her knees crying to heaven for revenge and by the spirit of prophesie promising Cyrus good successe in his enterprise against Babylon O daughter of Babylon that is City of Babylon by an elegant Hebraisme as tell the daughter of Sion that is tell Sion We reade of a twofold Babylon in sacred Scriptures of the one in the Old Testament the other in