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A01920
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EnÅtikon or A sermon of the vnion of Great Brittannie, in antiquitie of language, name, religion, and kingdome: preached by Iohn Gordoun Deane of Sarum, the 28 day of October 1604, in presence of the the Kings Maiestie at Whitehall
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Gordon, John, 1544-1619.
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1604
(1604)
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STC 12059; ESTC S103340
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32,572
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56
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ΕÎΩΤΙΚΟΠOR A SERMON OF the Vnion of Great Brittannie in antiquitie of language name religion and Kingdome Preached by IOHN GORDOVN Deane of SARVM the 28 day of October 1604 in presence of the Kings Maiestie at WHITEHALL LONDINI Impensis GEORGII BISHOP 1604 ΕÎΩΤΙΚΟΠOR A Sermon of the Vnion of Great Britannie MATTH 12. vers 25. Euery Kingdome diuided against it selfe or in the selfe shall be brought to nought or desolate and euerie citie or house diuided against it selfe or in it selfe shall not stand CHrist Iesus the eternall Sonne of the eternall Father doth deliuer vnto vs in this text a most wholesome and profitable doctrine into the which he sheweth to all estates of euery Societie of man in the world That Diuision is the ouerthrow destruction and desolation of all estates whatsoeuer whereby we are taught That the contrary vertue to Diuision which is Vnion hath beene is and shall be to the end of the world the cause of the preseruation and keeping of all spirituall and temporall felicitie and happinesse in the societie of mankinde in this earth In these three words Kingdome 〈◊〉 House are comprehended all men of whatsoeuer estate qualitie or condition they be Christ in this doctrine doth proceed à generaliori ad specialius a summo ad infimum from the more generall to the more speciall from the highest to the lowest This word Kingdome doth containe in it Cities and Citie houses and House man and woman on the other part by that order of doctrine which doth proceed ab imo ad summum from the lowest to the highest which is the order Architectonicke of building By the vnion of man and woman is made the lowest degree of societie which is here called a House by the vnion and coniunction of many houses doth proceed the second degree and estate of mankinde which is called Citie and last by the vnion of many cities doth come the third and lowest degree of societie which is comprehended vnder the word Kingdome In the exposition of this text we meane God willing to gather some wholesome and fruitfull doctrine of the mysticall signification of these three words out of the auncient originall Hebrew language These words then that signifie all the estates and conditions of the societie of mankinde in the originall language haue a certaine hid doctrine which doth expresse and signifie that which is most wholsome and profitable to the felicitie and happinesse of all men We must first beginne at the words that signifie man and woman by whose vnion a house is made The Hebrew word that signifieth man is Isch in the which word are three letters vnited to signifie one thing The first Aleph signifieth learning knowledge and a conductor The second Iod signifieth God because by the ancient Hebrewes he is called Macom a place that doth containe and comprehend all things created inferiour to himselfe The third Schin doth signifie second Which three letters vnited in the word Isch which is man doth set before our eyes a wholsome doctrine for the instruction of all men that will follow the same to wit that the knowledge of God doth make man a second God and the image of God as Clemens Alexandrinus teacheth vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God dwelleth in the middle of man that is in his soule and minde euen as the letter Iod which signifieth God is in the middest of the Hebrew word Isch that signifieth man The word that signifieth woman in Hebrew is Ischah which is made by the growing or augmenting of the letter He to the foresayd word Isch that signifieth man This letter He signifieth respiration of life which doth serue to be a memoriall that the woman tooke life from God by making her out of man This letter also signifieth her inclination towards man for this letter affixed to the word Isch that signifieth man doth denote motum ad aliquid a motion from one thing to another as from God to man the woman being created by God to adhere to man This blessed coniunction of man and woman in the holie bond of marriage doth make a house The Hebrew word Beth that signifieth house doth consist of three letters The first Beth doth signifie the forme of the materiall and earthly house in the which man and woman doe dwell the second Iod signifieth God as said is the third Tau signifieth a mark or signe For in the 9. of the prophesie of Ezechiel it is called the marke of saluation and preseruation of the people from death and destruction as the blood of the paschall Lambe was sprinkled on the house posts of the Israelits to be a signe that when God sent his destroying Angell to kill all the first borne of the rest of the people their first borne should be saued and preserued which marke was a figure of Christ his blood that saueth all true beleeuers from the destroying Angell and death eternall Of this mysticall signification of these three letters vnited in one word we are taught that God his true knowledge and worship signified by the letter Iod being in the middle of the house ioyned with the mark of the letter Tau which is a signe of saluation contrary and against the destroying Angell that that house is preserued kept safe against sinne and Satans machinations This much for the mysticall interpretation of the Hebrew letters in the word Beth that signifieth house Note also that this word House is here figuratiuely taken for man and woman dwelling within one a house Which is continens pro contento that is when the container is taken for the thing contained The second word whereby is signified the second degree of the societie of mankind is the Hebrew word Gnir which doth consist of three letters hauing in them a mysticall signification shewing vs by what meanes all cities are to be conserued from this diuision whereof Christ speaketh in this Text. The first Hebrew letter is Gnain which signifieth the eye the second is Iod which as we heard before signifieth God the third is Resch which signifieth the head whereby we collect the signification of the whole word to be this That God being in the eyes and heads of the Citizens shall be the onely meanes to preserue and defend that Citie from diuision which doth bring foorth as our Text saith a miserable desolation The third Hebrew word whereby is signified the most high and generall degree or estate of the societie of mankind is the word Kingdome which doth come from King which in the Hebrew language is called Melech and consisteth of three letters also the first is Mem which signifieth water and is of the duall number because that there are superior and inferior waters which in their mysticall signification doe denote and signifie spirituall and temporall Life As Christ in the Gospell of Iohn calleth himselfe and his doctrine the water of life the second is Lamed
the Kings and Princes of our daies by whom God hath builded his Temple in the spirituall Ierusalem that is to say the preaching of the true worship and adoration of the increated God that they be not by any meanes seduced by the desire and couetousnesse of the riches of that false God which is made of a wafer cake to be erected set vp and maintained in high places houses and castels which do pertaine to men of high places in the Countreies and kingdomes where they dwell For vndoubtedly as God in euery place and in all ages is like vnto himselfe euen so shall he be to the end of the world to all the Monarches Kings Princes soueraigne gouernours and to all Republicks that doe commit such an offence as Salomon did which came to passe by a diuision of false and true religion that was suffered by Salomon I pray the eternall God to extermine and abolish all the remnants reliques of Idolatrie which as yet are excercised tolerated in the high places of this Iland and let vs all call to God in the contrition humilitie of our harts that that same good God who moued his Maiesties heart to renew all these lawes that serue to extinguish all Idolatrie which his Maiestie doth detest as much as any man liuing would also mooue and touch the hearts of all his subiects who are in the high places of the land that they may follow the godly example of their Soueraigne Prince and King and that they may put in effect the saying of the Poet Regis ad exemplum totus componitur orbis that following the example of their King in louing the true religion and hating false worship and Idolatrie euery one of them according to their place and estate may be carefull to purge and clense this whole Iland from the spirituall plague and pestilence of Idolatrie that doth to much increase in many places of this Kingdome so that if God put not to his helping hand it is to be feared and there is to great appearance that this foule infection of Idolatry shall extend it selfe vniuersally through the whole countrey that it will not be contented with the high and secret places but wil come to the valleies townes cities and Churches which without all doubt if it be suffered will bring that miserable and fearefull desolation whereof Christ doth speake in our text Satan by the diuision of the earthly Kingdome betwixt Roboam and Ieroboam did practise a lamentable diuision in the spirituall Kingdome of God whereby he did establish his kingdome of abhominable Idolatrie Againe we see that the old serpent hath alwaies taken occasion to establish his Kingdome in the which is exercised false religion by the diuision of the earthlie Kingdome as he did in the first world by the diuision of the house and posteritie of Adam and as he did in the age following by the diuision of languages lands Countreies and kingdomes as yee haue heard before And for this effect Satan did seduce Ieroboams heart that he might shew himselfe ingrate to God who had beene so beneficiall vnto him in making him King of the greatest part of his Maisters kingdome and to moue him to such a falling away from God did cast in his heart this worldly consideration to witte that if he should suffer his people to remaine vnited with the two Tribes of Iudah and Beniamin which did appertaine to Roboam and so to continue in the exercise of true religion in the temple of Ierusalem would be the cause to reunite them as they were before in one Kingdome This wicked minde of Ieroboam did distract him from God and tooke away that true confidence which he should haue had in him which was this That as God did foretell by his Prophets that he was to giue him these ten Tribes euen so he was to conserue them to him and his posteritie vpon this condition that he would remaine constant in God his true worship and Religion out of this all Monarches Kings haue their lesson who haue receaued from God this their high preferment that they should take heede least such vngodly cogitations enter into their harts as did into Ieroboams which the diuell infused into his hart by lying and false imaginations The onely true meanes of keeping maintaining and preseruing of a Kings royall estate is to be constant in defending the true worship of God Who as Daniel doth teach vs dat regnum cui voluerit transfert regnum à quo voluerit giueth a kingdome to whom it pleaseth him and doth transferre and take away kingdomes as pleaseth him Satan in drawing men from the true Religion in diuiding and separating them from the kingdome of God vnto the kingdome of darknesse doth proceede and worke by degrees For first he drew away Ieroboam the King from God by his deceitfull counsell next he seduced the people of the ten Tribes by worldly and earthly commodities to ioyne with their King in this apostasie and falling away from God perswading them that it was a great vexation of body and chargeable expences and consumption of their goods to goe so farre as vp to Ierusalem to offer their sacrifices and so to auoide such a tedious trauell to their persons and such a great wast and spending of their goods he perswaded them that it was better to build Temples and Altars and institute sacrifices at home in their owne countries neere their owne Cities and houses In this respect and regard of worldly commodities there came a lamentable diuision in Religion amongst the Elect people of God which made the greatest part of them to be Idolaters by worshipping of two golden calues which were erected by their new King the one being set vp in Bethel the other in Dan in the which places they did build temples as Ioseph doth write frō whence we learne that the diuision of the earthly kingdome was the meane by the which Satan did practise the diuision of the kingdome of God by separating the greatest part of this people from the true Church of God After this diuision of the kingdome in the Elect people of God within the space of 240. yeeres there did fall out a miserable desolation vpon the Israelites according to the doctrine of Christ in our Text. For God raised vp cruell warres against the Israelites and in the end they were all caried away into a miserable captiuitie in the countrey of the Assyrians and another people of the said countrey called Cuthians were planted in their Cities houses and lands That this example may serue for our instruction First let vs be thankful to God who hath vnited the people of this Iland in the true Religion and worship of the onely God Creator of all things excluding the false adoration of things inferiour to God or created by God Secondly let vs be thankfull to God that he hath vnited vs vnder one head and King taking away from