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A14974
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Iacobs vvell: or, A sermon preached before the Kings most excellent Maiestie at Saint Albans, in his summer progresse 1612. By William Westerman, Bachelar of Diuinitie, and chaplaine to the most Reuerend Father in God, the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, his Grace
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Westerman, William.
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1613
(1613)
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STC 25281; ESTC S103491
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32,662
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111
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the mony further then the necessitie of the worke requireth and still keeping a booke of accompts therein ready to exhibite all their proceedings to the examination and censure of those worthie Knights adioyning or to any other well-willer to this businesse who shall request it For the continuance of which faithfull diligence considering howe strong a motiue the vigilant eye and abundant caution of the Right Reuerend Father my Lord Bishoppe of London will bee to the under-takers I dare promise all good dealing yet if standers-by may doe any good both I and others haue vowed to bee inquisitiue into the businesse and finding anie miscarriage to informe and clamour against the faulters But I rest in hope of a better Office wherein I may rather commend their doings then finde fault In the meane time ceasing to bee further troublesome to your Grace I humbly take my leaue neuer ceasing to pray as dutie bindeth mee for the prosperous victorious reigne of our dread Soueraigne and his royall issue that the weakest in his house may bee like Dauid and his house a sure house like Dauids euen like Gods house and as an Angell of the Lord before the people And for your Grace that after manie successe-full labours in your pastorall Charge by ruling and teaching the Church of God accompanied in this life inwardlie with comfort of conscience outwardlie with double honour you may receiue an incorruptible Crowne of righteousnesse and glorie from that great Shepheard of the Sheepe Christ lesus our Lord and Sauiour Amen Your Graces most humble and duetifull Chaplaine William Westerman IACOBS VVELL IOHN 4. 6. And there was IACOBS WELL. LET it not seeme absurd that I reade this short Chorography and briefe description of a matter in appearance so small before this most Illustrious Audience Rich treasure may bee hidden in a roome vnlikely and such a narrow well as this may affoord much comfortable water There was no pinne in the Temple of God but was seruiceable to some holy vse neither is there any iot or tittle in the scripture of truth but is profitable for some instruction At this fountaine once the King of heauen vailed in the flesh of our infirmitie refreshed himselfe when he was hungry wcarie and thirstie although rich in himselfe aboue all And let my Soueraigne Lord so great a King vpon the earth in his dcuotions thirsting after the water of Life at the beginning of his happie progresse vouchsafe his first repose out of this well by the draught of his vnworthy seruant although his own precious heart be like Solomons a 1. King 4. 29. large as the sands and deepe as the waters of the Sea In this well here spoken off the Patriarch lacob left a memoriall of his Charity and care for succeeding ages and at this well the God of Iacob left a mirrour of his thirst for the conuersion and comforting of soules Now to preserue the remembrance of both did the Euangelist set downe this particular note in his holy Mappe Out of which let me be bold according to the number of the words to obserue three especiall Occurrences First of the place There Secondly of a Monument in the place a Well Thirdly of the Author and founder of it Iacob Iacobs Well A place of note for many circumstances and this especially of our blessed Sauiours presence A monument not great but of good vse and benefit in those drie countries A well A founder of much reuerence for his faith for his workes of pietie and charitie as also for his great Antiquitie Iacob There was Iacobs Welll The first of these occurrences whereof I purpose to speak least is the site and Landship of the place modelled or rather folded vp in this briefe locall demonstratiue There but explicated more at large for Historie Geographie before and after by former circumstances of Iacob and later of Christ For first the place is bounded out as beeing interiacent between Iudaea and Galile in the midway betweene them both Secondly the name of the Region Samaria and of the Citie Sychar so called b Maldonat for Sychem is expressed which was a chiefe Citie seated at Mount c Josephus Garrizim where Iacobs sonnes once made their furious Massacre Thirdly the bordering vicinitie is laid down as being neere to the possession d Gen. 34 that Iacob gaue to his sonne Ioseph which hee e Gen. 33. purchased of Hemor Shechems father And lastly is described the departure of our sweet Sauiour from his own countrimen and brethren this way passing along as his iourney ledde him and heere as it were f De torrente in via bibens Psal 1 10. drinking of the brooke by the way for his refection In whom wee may behold that prophesie of Iacob made to his sonne Ioseph more liuely verified then in Ioseph himselfe g Ramus faecunà us iuxta fontem Gen. 45 22. He shall bee as a fruitfull branch by the Well side for neuer did Ioseph take personall possession in this place but h Heb. 11. 22. by faith or by the translation of his bones and in his posteritie and they Alas how often interrupted and at the last exterminated quite Insomuch as this place euen this Citie and Country may be pointed at for a Theater I will not say of Fortune but of Gods iustice in the conuersion of State and alteration of Religion For notwithstanding that this was Iacobs purchase Iosephs inheritance by promise by legacie by prophecie confirmed to the faithfull Yet beside the former sacking of this Citie by Iacobs sonnes and the abandoning of the same by Iacob himselfe It was first i Iudg. 9. fired by that Ambitious bramble Abimelech then the whole Region peruerted by the Caluish Religion of k 1. Kin. 13. Ieroboam in whose defection this Citie was l 1. King 12. 25 suddenly built and as suddenly left Then Samaria it selfe m 2. Kin. 6. besieged and famished and at length all harrosed dispcopled desolated and being n 2. Kin. 17. replanted with Idolatrous inhabitants fearing not GOD they were wearied with Lyons When being better taught yet at their best as they did feare God so they still worshipped their Idols continuing in a confused Meslin of Religion And this race of sirangers Mongrels and Neuters remained heere till this approch of our Sauiour who now as a o Cant2 2. Lillie amongst the thornes as the Churches dearest spouse heere fedde and p Cant. 1. 6. rested himselfe at noone thirsting in bodie but more in soule for the saluation of mankinde q August in hunc locum petens promittens bibere praying and yet promising drinke being r Egens tanquam accepturus afflâ—ens tanquam satiaturus vbi supr 1. in want as one that would receiue and flowing ouer as one that would replenish others But I wrap vp this description of place againe with these three briefe notes vpon it First that there is no
not indeed to priuate vses for couetousnesse but unto a publike benefit for ib. the honour of God euen as men when they are conuerted from being sacrilegious and impious persons to the true Religion are to imploie themselues and their members to serue the Lord I ibid. speake out of Saint Austen Saint Paule did eate and drinke conuerse ibid. in Athens a Citie consecrated to c Quia Ciuitas erat Minerua eiusih numini consecrata Acts 17. 5. Minerua an heathnish Goddesse and hee sailed in a d Acts 28. 11. shippe hauing the badge of Castor and Pollux Our sauiour vouchsafed to frequent the Temple after it had been prophaned and that Temple which Herod had e Iosepbus lib. 15. reedified for populer vaine glory nether did he that did al things well forbeare to imploie the f Iohn 2. 7. water pots of the Iewish and superstitious purification in the work of his gracious miracle This am I bould to speake for their sakes that are in no liking with aunciently built Churches and make a maine point of their Religion either not to enter into them or not to call them by the former names of saints Saint Peter Saint Paul Saint Alban that first for distinction the scripture vseth the names of g Acâ—s 28. 11. Castor and Poilux false Gods without scruple and the Churches of all ages haue beene content in the translation of the words of the Lord in h Iob. 38. Amos 5. 8. Giegor Mag in Job 58. Iob and in the Prophet Amos to vse the heathenish appellations of the starres Pleiades Orion Acturus notwithstanding they had fabulous and poeticall Originals So that if the names were worse then those of Saints and Martyrs a well reformed Conscience might vtter them for distinction sake without offence But now seeing they are the Names of Saints and Martyrs to whom although as to protectors and tutelar Gods wee dedicate no Churches nor offer supplication or seruice yet for their vertues and victorious sufferings we may loue them rehearse their names with Reuerence and imitate their faithfulnesse It is not with vs as the Papists i Bellar de eccles triumph obiect that with k D. Reinald de Ro eccl ldol lib. 1. c. 8. §. 2. 3. Eustathius we detest all temples and especially those that carrie the names of Martyrs and like onely Conuenticles in priuate or that with the Eunomians we refuse to goe into the Churches intitled with the names of Apostles and Martyrs This may be the fanaticall whispering of some wandring house-creeper and the conceipt of some seduced separatist but Wee that is Dauid our King our preists and people frequent those howses of praier call them by their former names enter into them willingly hauing antiquity and all reformed Churches for our precedents to do the like For who knowes not that the Citie Vniuersitie of Geneua haue their cheif Church retaining the name of Saint Peter one intituled Saint Magdalen another Saint Geruase Vbisprá the Martyr whither they vsually resort to l Zanch in 4. praec to this purpose holy exercises Neither is it altogether vaine that the holy Euangelist here in this place calleth that same Iacobs well which the Samaritans so named and termed before him making no question but that Iacob had digged it although the tradition came from the Samaritans Nay our blessed Sauiour is not scrupulous to rest himselfe at this Well or to graunt it for Iacobs howsoeuer which is for our example he will not be drawne by the Names and titles of Iacob to m Iohn 4. 22. approue of a counterfcit Religion wherefore let vs leaue curiositie in such small matters and conclude this point first with praise to the Lord that these wels these Monuments and other benefits for the furtherance of Religion sometimes in possession of Samaritans and the superstitious and by them corrupted and made vnholsome are againe so cured and restored that now we may draw and drinke our fill in them euen of the pure Riuers of the waters of life Secondly if it should be proued that any of these Monuments were founded erected by the superstitious yet then wee must acknowledge our selues much bound to God that wee may drinke of the n Dent. 6. 11. wels wee digged not dwel in houses that wee builded not inioy these Churches which wee prepared not as o Ludolph Noah had the benefit of that Arke which was framed by prophane shipwrights and Sampson was refreshed with sweet hony out of the dead Lion that liuing would haue killed him So that we may say with Samson p Iudg. 14. 14. Out of the strong came sweet and out of the deuowrer came meat Ob. 1 But here mee thinks the Romish Samaritans interrupt vs and first obiect that our faith buildes no Churches digges no such wels but their Religion their Pater noster as they call it founded all Ob. 2 Secondly they lay claime to our Churches nay bragge that themselues are the Catholike Church because of the Monuments and names of godly men that were sometimes pillars of the Church Ans 1. to the 1. ob To the first whereas they say we build no Churches doe no such workes but they haue beene all the doers and are so still I answere briefly that the Apostles and first Martyrs who planted the Church did build no materiall temples and yet they are worthily stiled q AuÌ„entinus Religiosis simi mortales most Religious men none being comparable to them since They as the former planters of the Gospell edified and built vp the people of God r Ephes 2. 20. as temples for the holy ghost to dwell in vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Christ Iesus being the head corner stone and wanted peace wealth opportunitie and the fauour of Princes to erect any Churches and houses of praier either publike or costly Ans 2. to the 1. ob Secondlie more largely I answere that when the Lord vouchsafed to call Kings and Princes to the knowledge of the truth then by their Authoritie and out of their Aboundance they in the profession of our Religion of Aedes sacras sacred houses erected Basilicas Kinglike palaces thereby the more to honour God with their substance and prouide for the more conueniencie of holie Assemblies Now these first honorable founders were not of the Romish Religion for they did not vse such Iewish and heathnish Ceremonies in their s Euseb hist eccl lib. 10. c. 3 Church-dedications nor such Inuocation or adoration of Saints or Images as the Romane Church hath since brought in This plainly appeareth by the example of Constantine and by the best Antiquitie who with Saint Austen speake thus like Protestants t Augustin de Ciuit dei lib. 8 c. vlt. We ordaine no Churches no Priesthoods no rites nor sacrifices vnto Martyrs we do not crie at the altars O Peter O Paul O Cyprian wee offer vnto thee