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A68415
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A sermon preached at Cern, in the county of Dorset, the 18 day of September 1623 at the visitation of the right reuerend father in God, the Lord Bishop of Bristoll by Robert Lougher pastor of Mapowder.
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Lougher, Robert.
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1624
(1624)
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STC 16828.5; ESTC S103251
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21,198
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40
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learned man that liues vpon the face of the earth but needeth the instruction and admonition of an other man though farre inferiour to himselfe in learning and knowledge For as a skilfull Phisitian when he is throughly sicke indeede can not cure himselfe nor hath his senses and iudgement so sound and perfect but is faine to seeke counsell and helpe at an other Phisitians hands it may be farre inferiour to himselfe in knowledge and iudgement so the greatest learned man and the wisest man that liues so long as he carrieth sinfull flesh about with him shall haue such sinfull and froward lusts and affections dwelling in him which will so dimme his vnderstanding so obscure and darken the eye of his soule that he shall not so well perceiue his owne sinnes infirmities and imperfections as when he is put in minde of them by an other man especially such a man whom God had ordained and consecrated for that purpose whom Iob calleth a messenger Iob 33.23 an interpreter one of a thousand to declare vnto man his righteousnesse as it is in the 33. of Iob 23. verse The parable of the wise and the foolish virgins doth teach vs plainely that not only the foolish Math. 25.5 but the wise virgins too did slumber nap yea and fall fast asleepe Wherein is set before our eyes the nature of vs all that whether we be wise or whether we be foolish whether we be learned or whether we be ignorant we are apt to fall into the sleepe and slumber of sinne forgetting God and our duties And therefore there is not the best of vs all but had need to be put in minde of our duties yea and of those things which we know most perfectly Philip king of Macedonia knew that he should die and he knew as well how apt he was to forget the same being carried away with the pompe and glory of a kingdome and therefore he would haue a remembrancer euery day to knocke at his doore with a memento Remember Philip thou art but a mortall man Dauid no question knew that to sinne as he did and to continue in his sinnes was euill yet the Prophet Nathan was saine to come and reproue him before he left it King Ezekias no doubt knew vaine-glory to be a foule sinne yet the Prophet Esaiah was faine to come and rebuke him before he forsooke it And what made Saint Paul to write so earnestly vnto Timothy and Titus two such worthy Euangelists and men of such rare and excellent gifts but to shew that the best had neede to be put in minde of their duties yea and of those things which they know as perfectly as they doe their names And therefore th' Apostle Saint Peter telleth them to whom he writeth 2 Pet. 1.12.13 that he would put them in minde of their duties so long as he liued albeit they knew it well enough as you may see in his second Epistle and the first chapter You haue heard what is meant by the word spirit and you haue heard who stirred vp or who awaked the spirit and that was the Lord. Come we now to the third poynt to wit the persons whose spirit the Lord stirred vp and they were Zerubbabel the Prince Iehoshua the high Priest and the remnant of the people in all to the number of 42360. as we reade in the 2. of Ezra Ezra 2.64 The Israelites were first ruled by Moses secondly by Ioshua thirdly by Iudges fourthly by Kings and fiftly by Dukes or Princes the first whereof was this Zerubbabel and so is he here called a Prince of Iudah When God gathered his Church in the 4. of Exodus he appoynted two chiefe Rulers of the People the one in ciuill matters the other in Religion And to those two places he chose two Brethren to wit Moses and Aaron to teach all posterity that the Magistrate and the Minister should loue ioyne together as brethren And so here you see are ioyned together Zerubbabel the Prince and Iehoshua the high Priest that the one with the Word the other with the Sword should ioyntly and zealously set forward the building of Gods house Whose example the remnant of the people was ready to follow Nam facilè transitur ad maiores Men are apt to imitate great authorities And where those that bee in authority are men of vnderstanding there the City prospereth saith Salomon and all goes well Prou. 10.11 Here if you marke it Zerubbabel the Prince is alwaies first named before Iehosua the high Priest and hath still the precedency as you may see from the beginning of this Prophesie to the end thereof Whence wee may obserue the preheminence of the chiefe ciuill Magistrate by what name or title so euer he be called And from hence we may learne cheefe power in all Common-weales to be ioyned with the temporall Sword And that euery man must be subiect to the chiefe ciuill Gouernour within his Realmes and Dominions Euery soule saith S. Paul in the 13. of the Romanes yea though an Apostle Rom. 13.1 though an Euangelist though a Prophet So Saint Chrysostome doth expound it Chrysost hom 23 in Epist ad Rom. writing vpon that Epistle All which notwithstanding the Pope and Bishop of Rome is so farre from yeelding obedience and subiection to King or Kaesar that all Emperors Kings and Princes throughout the world according to Bozius that all Christian Emperours Kings and Princes according to Bellarmine are inferiour to his Holinesse yea and so farre inferiour too as the Moone is lesser then the Sunne and that is 57. times according vnto Bellarmines Astronomy But S. Peter whose successour the Pope would faine be was not onely obedient to ciuill Rulers and those prophane men and Infidels in obeying them in all things not contrary to Gods worship and Religion for then that rule of the same Apostle is in force It is better to obey God then men Acts 4.19 1 Pet. 2.13 Saint Peter I say himselfe was not onely obedient to ciuill Rulers but left it written to all posterity that wee should obey the King as chiefe and highest aboue all other And euen so wrote Tertullian in his time Tertul. ad Seapu Lam. Colimus Imperatorem vt hominem à Deo secundum solo Deo minorem We reuerence the Emperor the King the chiefe ciuill Magistrate as second vnto God and inferiour onely vnto God That may be true saith the Papist in matters concerning man but not in matters concerning God But you must know beloued that a Christian Prince is custos vtriusque tabulae Hath the charge of both the Tables committed vnto him to giue him to vnderstand that not onely ciuill and temporall matters but also religious and Ecclesiasticall doe appertaine vnto his Office that is hee is put in trust as well with the first as the second Table of the law of God not onely to obserue and keepe the Contents of both the Tables in his owne person but
Apostles 1. Tim. 3.15 Christ Iesus himselfe being the chiefe corner stone in whom all the building coupled together Eph. 2.20 21. groweth vnto an holy Temple in the Lord. And this is that spirituall Temple whereof this materiall temple was a type and a figure here spoken of in my text And the building of this spirituall house we are then said to promote as good Christians generally when we endeauour to liue soberly iustly vprightly and in the feare of God Abstaining from all appearance of euill and keeping our selues vnspotted of the world when we doe follow peace with all men and holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord when we all of vs indeauour to liue euery man in his vocation painefully and honestly and that with a cleere conscience both toward God and towards all men More particularly Then is Zerubbabel and the Magistrate said to further this worke of the Lord when they doe execute iudgement and iustice vprightly for the punishment of euill doers and the praise of them that doe well when they doe execute iudgement rectè sententiando and when they doe execute iustice debitè exequendo When according to Illyricus Illyricus they doe execute iudicium iustitia iustitiam iudicij semper iustitiam in iudicie Et sit verbum sapienti sat And then are Iehoshua and Gods Ministers said to set forward the building of Gods house which is the Church of Christ when wearing Vrim and Thummim vpon their heart they doe preach the word of God instantly when they doe improoue and rebuke and exhort with all long suffering and doctrine When they are ready according to the Scriptures to teach the ignorant to confute the repugnant to reprooue the euill mannered and to instruct and frame the well disposed Among the rest speciall workemen are yee the Sworne-men Church-wardens and Side-men on whose shoulders a weightie burden of this building a weightie burden of this businesse lyeth Peruse then seriously your bookes of Articles weigh well the dreadfull oath you take Reade it ouer againe and againe as it is set downe vnto you in the forefront of your bookes Consider the Maiestie of that great God whom you inuocate as a witnesse of your integritie and vprightnesse And if you would be as indeede you should be then must I tell you that you should in some sort be like vnto Melchisedech Heb. 7.3 who in the 7. of the Heb. is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. without father without mother without kindred that so yee may say as Cassidore noteth non nouimus Patrem We know not father we know not mother we know not sister we know not brother we know not friend we know not foe we know not rich we know not poore veritatem nonimus We know the truth and the truth we will present all malice all feare fauour and affection laid aside and that according to the tenour of our oath If thus beloued you will truly informe things deformed in the house of God I doubt not but those in authoritie will carefully see all things reformed conformed and performed to the glory of God and to the amendment of what is amisse in the Church of Christ Ezek. 9.4 5. In the 9. of Ezekiel you shall reade of an Angel whom the Lord sent to Ierusalem in the similitude of a man and what was his message Goe through the Citie and cry against all the abhominations that are done in the midst thereof Other then there were which followed him and what was their charge Goe after him through the Citie and smite and let your eye spare none neither haue you pitie Here both Iurors and Iudges may see grafically described a picture of their duties The Romane Senate as Liuy writeth in his Decads vpon some weightie occasion Tit. Liu. li. 24. deca sent a Messenger vnto a certaine people with whom they were in league called Aequi sometimes he calles them Aequitani But they regarding neither the message nor the Messenger willed him to deliuer his errant vnto that tree pointing vnto an Oake that grew thereby Whereupon the Embassadour turning him to the tree said Tum haec sacrata quercus audict quod faedus violatur Why then said he this sacred Oake shall here and beare witnesse that the league is broken And hereupon followed the ruine and destruction of that people Well you haue heard your duties Church-wardens and Sidemen going before to take and to giue notice of abhominations faults defaults innormities You that are Ecclesiasticall Iudges following after to reforme and amend what is amisse to smite to execute iudgement and iustice without all respect of persons Now herein doe you all take heede that you be not remisse you be not partiall you be not negligent lest the timber the walles the windowes and the pillars of this sacred house doe testifie and beare witnesse against you How God plagued these Iewes for their negligence in the building of his Temple Gods materiall house in Ierusalem you may see in this Prophesie Is it time for your selues to dwell in your sieled houses and this house lye wast There is their sinne recorded in the 4. verse of the 1. Chapter Will you know what were the plagues and iudgements inflicted vpon them for this sinne Then looke into the 6. verse You haue sowne much and bring in little you eate but you haue not enough you drinke but ye are not filled ye cloth you but ye be not warme and he that earneth wages putteth the wages into a broken bagge And in the 9. verse Ye looked for much and loe it came to little And when ye brought it home I did blow vpon it And why saith the Lord of hoasts Because of mine house that is wast and ye run euery man vnto his owne house Therefore the Heauen ouer you stayed it selfe from deaw and the earth stayed her fruit And I called for a drought vpon the Land and vpon the Mountaines and vpon the Corne and vpon the Wine and vpon the Oyle vpon all that the ground bringeth forth both vpon Men and vpon Cattle and vpon all the labour of the hands And in the 16. 17. verses of the 2. Chapter before they set themselues about the building of Gods Temple When one came to an heape of twenty measures there were but ten and when one came to the wine-presse for to draw out fifty vessels out of the presse there were but twenty I smote you with blasting and with meldew and with haile in all the labours of your hands yet ye turned not to mee saith the Lord. And hath not the Lord of late yeares plagued vs after the same fashion for our negligence in the building of his spirituall house iust after the same manner making our fruitfull Land barren for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein And how can we tell but we may be thus plagued partly for our negligence and want of zeale in the repairing in the seemly