hath his particular branches there are foure in the first verse 1 The time 2 The meanes 3 His exhortation 4 Their obedience The time Now it came to passe on a certaine day The meanes That he went into a ship with his Disciples His exhortation And hee said vnto them Let vs go ouer vnto the other side of the lake Their obedience And they lunched forth In the second verse there are foure things also The manner of their trauell and the accidents that fell out in their iourney which be in number three The manner of their trauell they sailed But as they sailed The accidents they be three 1 He fell asleepe 2 And there came downe a storme of winde on the lake 3 And they were filled with water and were in ieopardy In the third verse there are two things the feare of the Disciples the power and authority of the Maister The feare of the Disciples 1 And they came to him and awaked him saying Maister maister wee perish The power authority of the Maister 2 Then he arose and rebuked the winds and the raging of the waters and they ceased and there was a calme Now it came to passe on a certaine day c. This word here Now it does not poynt vs out vnto any certaine time as in many other places of the Scripture it does as in Exod. 6. Nunc videbis quae facturus sum The Lord intending for to worke his wonders in the land of Egypt hee sayes to Moses Exod. 6.1 Now thou shalt see what I will do to Pharaoh So Balac the King of Moab desirous for to ridde himselfe of his dangerous neighbours the Israelites in Numb 22. hee sends for Balaam the Southsayer to come in all haste vnto him Nunc igitur veni maledic Num. 22.6 Come now therefore I pray thee come and curse me this people for they are too mighty and too strong for me So old Simeon desirous to be dissolued to be with the Lord he ioyfully sings his Nunc dimittis vnto the world Luk. 2.29 Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace c. So our Sauiour feeling of his death approching he cries vnto his Father Nunc ad to vento now I come vnto thee But heere this word Now it is not as in those places an Aduerbe of time but a Coniunction copulatiue and signifies as much as Et or autem and so the Latine Translation reades it Factum est autem in vna dierum Now it came to passe on a certaine day that is and it came to passe on a certaine day The time is set downe in the following words Now it came to passe on a certaine day there is the time set downe but what day that day was of the week perhappes might bee thought to bee both curious to enquire and ouer-difficult also to be found out he was sent forth into the world to doe his fathers businesse and so earnest was hee in this Calling of his that as the Tragedian speakes in another sence Finis vnius gradus est futurs the end of one busines was but the beginning of another and as the Mathematitian said of the practise of that Art Nulla dies sine linea no day should passe ouer his head without the drawing of a line more so wee may safely say of our Sauiour that no day passed ouer his head in which hee did not make profession of the Gospell vnto the people for hee professeth this of himselfe that in it he tooke his sole delight Ioh. 4. My meate sayes hee is to do the will of him that sent me Iohn 4.34 and to finish his worke And so hauing finished what businesse was conuenient amongst his owne people the next day after peraduenture set forward for this intended iourney of his without so much as mentioning of the day at all and so It came to passe on a certaine day To keepe a Diarie of euery dayes work of his it had bin a labour infinit so many so diuers were the miracles that were wrought by him daily that Saint Iohn testifies of him in his 21 chapter it had been endlesse For sayes hee there are many other things which Iesus did Ioh. 21.25 the which if they should be written euery one I suppose that euen the world it selfe could not containe the bookes that should be written and therefore no Register being kept of them they are poasted ouer vnto certaine dayes Now it came to passe on a certaine day Yet some probable coniecture might bee giuen of the day though no definitiue sentence to conclude it absolute The Latine and the Greeke translations they giue vs a little glimmering light of this same day for they both reade it the selfe same way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sayes the Greeke text and the Latine text Factum est autem in vna dierum and it came to passe in one of the dayes Now both the Greeke and the Latine tongue doe often reckon One for First as likewise many times does our English Dialect one two three that is first second third c. And the Hebrues they haue no other word to expresse their meaning in and therefore whereas we read it in our English Translation in Gen. 1. and the euening and the morning were the first day Gen. 1.5 the Hebrue Translation reades it Haggi 1.1 the euening and the morning were one day So likewise in Haggai 1. where we reade it in the first day of the moneth came the word of the Lord they say in the one day of the moneth came the word of the Lord hauing no other word to expresse their meaning And the Latine and the Greeke following of the Hebrue phrase for the First say one as in Mark 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark 16.2 Vna Sabbathorum where our Translation reades it and very earely in the morning the first day of the weeke they came vnto the Sepulchre c. So here it is set downe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one day which day may very well signifie the first day and that is this day But if it were this day how comes it then to passe it may well be demanded that our Sauiour is guilty of the breach of that commandement Remember that thou keepe holy the Sabboth day c. And in it thou shalt doe no manner of worke c. which was so strictly obserued amongst the Iewes as that in the 12. of Mathew the Disciples are reprehended by the Pharises for but plucking of the eares of Corne on the Sabboth day Math. 12.2 Behold thy Disciples they doe that which is not lawfull to doe on the Sabboth day If it were not lawfull for them to plucke a fewe eares of Corne on the Sabboth day then surely much lesse was it lawfull for them to take their iourney on the Sabboth day Yes verily euen on the Sabboth day it was lawfull for them to trauell though not to make any long iourney
on the Sabboth day and therefore in the Acts. 1 Acts. 1.12 Mount Oliuet is sayd to bee from Ierusalem a Sabboth dayes iourney which Sabboth dayes iourney contained in it as the writers do agree vpon it two miles in distance the which it was lawfull for them to walke on the Sabboth day and therefore in the place before cited in the 12. of Mathew Mat. 12.1 the Disciples were not found fault with by the Pharises for that they trauelled on the Sabboth day but for that they pluckt the eares of corne on the Sabboth day But yet it may bee demanded further for wee are fallen into a labyrinth of questions how comes this permission of a Sabboth dayes iourney seeing all iourneying in the law is expressely forbidden See Exo. 16.29 sayes Moses in Exod. 16. See sayes hee for that the Lord hath giuen you the Sabboth therefore he giueth you on the sixt day the bread of two dayes abide yee therefore euery man in his place let no no man go out of his place on the seuenth day If euery man were commanded to abide in his place on the seuenth day how then comes in this Sabboth dayes iourney Why certainly I can giue no other reason for it but what Oecumenius and Lorinus doe giue and that is that in the time of Ioshua hee commanded it to bee proclaimed that the Arke going before there should be a distance left between it the campe of two thousand cubites by measure as as it is Ios 3. Iosh 3.3 which was the iust distance of two miles whither it was lawfull for the people for to go to visite the Arke euen on the Sabboth day and so may come in our Sabboth daies iourney But yet wee are not thus quite of our question though for still it may be vrged further that this was more then a Sabboth daies iourney for it was aboue two miles that he was to trauell Mat. 4.18 Luke 5.1 Iosh 6.1 Saint Mathew calles it in his 4 chap. the sea of Galilee S. Luke in his 5. chapt the lake of Genesareth S. Iohn in his 6. chapt the sea of Tiberias a broad and large place so that howsoeuer he was still without the compasse of two thousand cubites his Sabboth dayes iourney how may this bee For this we say that our Sauiour Christ he did not iourney on the Sabboth day for the Iewes Sabboth it was our Satterday and that was the seuenth day but this was the first day afterwards changed by the Apostles in memory of our Sauiours most glorious resurrection who dyed vpon the Friday and rose againe the third day which was Sunday and therefore by Saint Iohn in his first of his Apoc. is called Dies Dominicus Apoc. 1.10 the Lords day I was saith he in the spirit on the Lords day that part then of the Commandement the Sabboth day it was but Ceremoniall not Morall for had it beene Morall it had bound vs perpetually to the obseruation of it but wee see it was altered and continues altered vnto this day and so wee haue a gesse of the time which is here set down indefinitely a certaine day though no definitue sentence to conclude it peremptory Now it came to passe on a certaine day It came to passe Heere haue our licentious Epicures and our vpstart Atheists a ground foundation as they thinke to build vp their Chance-medly doctrine in the world that things they come by chance and fortune not by the determinate and deliberate prouidence and disposing of the Almighty For what greater argument of chance can there be say they then that Christ himselfe should in his owne businesse admit of a casualty for the Text is plaine Now it came to passe or it chanced on a certaine day But their foundation it is laid but on a sandy ground for Aristotle long since though but a Heathen Phylosopher yet he could say by the twy-light of nature that ignorantia causarum the ignorance of man was that that made blind fortune a goddesse amongst men for when they saw no reason for many things that came to passe amongst them they did not conceiue that there might be a reason which they thēselues did not see but straight way they deified Fortune made her the author and bestower of thē all vpon the world her that is so brittle a goddesse quae cum spēdet frangitur which is dashed in peeces by the least accident whereas our Sauiour Christs rule is quite contrary for he teacheth vs another doctrine in the tenth of Saint Mathewes Gospell Mat. 10.29 for hee makes Prouidence reach vnto the smallest matters euen vnto the falling of a Sparrow vpon the ground Are there not saith hee two Sparrowes sold for a farthing and yet one of them shall not fall on the ground without the will of your heauenly Father Then much more the weightiest matters such as the Preaching of the Gospell is which is the saluation of the soule of man that shall not be done but by a particular prouidence indeed and that iourney resolued on with mature deliberation Fortune as the world esteemes it it is but an Idoll made for foolish man to worship and adore and he that will worship any thing euen the meanest of creatures will not neglect it wherein hee thinkes hee sees some shew but as it is indeed in it owne nature it is Ordinaria potestas Dei the ordinary prouidence and direction of Almighty God himselfe by which he brings to passe what himselfe intendeth This iourney here of our Sauiours it is vndertaken with a singular resolution to do good vnto all euen those that were most wicked and prophane So is it Gods goodnesse for to super-abound where the sinne of man seemes for to abound The heart of man for his wickednesse it is termed in Scripture Abyssus a bottomelesse pit according to that of Ezechiel in the 17. of his Prophecy Eze. 17.9 Prauum est cor hominis inscrutabile quis cognoscet The heart of man it is vnsearchable and who shall know it yet the mercy and goodnesse of God it is farre deeper then that that is so deepe as that Saint Paul in the 11. to the Romanes is faine to cry out O altitudo diuitiarum Rom. 11.33 Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God And in regard of his mercies he is termed by the Apostle 1. Cor. 3. Pater misericor diarum 1. Cor. 3.2 the Father not of one or two but of many mercies and the God of all consolation he is called the Father of mercies to pardon all the sinnes that man shall commit against him and the Apostle in the Ephesians tels vs Ephe. 2.7 that when we shall need them he has abundantet diuitia gratia exceeding riches of his grace in store for vs if we our selues will but willingly accept what he shall kindly offer vnto vs. Hee does not take this iourney heere vpon
of them for he made them all Dixit facta sunt saith the Psalmist he spake but the word and all things were made hee commanded and they stood all fast hee did but speake the word let the earth bring forth her increase and also the waters and presently both earth and sea they were replenished with all manner of varietie Brevis sermo sed valde vehement saith Saint Ambrose a short speech it was indeede saith hee that God spake but yet withall it was a speech that was full of power the efficacie of that speech it brought forth the greatest as well as the least creatures and in the same time too for in the same time the whole was made that hee was making of a Frogge Non laborat in maximis Deus non fastidit in minimis saith Saint Ambrose God saith hee did not labour in the making of the greatest things nor yet contemne the making of the meanest hee made all things by his power and therefore worthily is Master of all Was hee not worthy to bee Master of Man as well as of other Creatures when hee made such diuers and contrarie Elements for to meete together in one and the selfe same body and accord in one Fire and Water Aire and Earth Heate and Cold and all in one and the selfe same place and yet hath so tempered them together as that one is the defence and maintenance of the other Nay more then this saith Saint Bernard Mirabilis societas In man hee hath made a wonderfull societie for in him Heauen and Earth Maiesty and Basenesse Excellencie and Pouertie hee hath matched together What is higher then the spirit of life What is baser then the slime of the earth his soule it was infused into him the spirit of life his body it was made of the dust of the earth This was that that made Gregorie Nazianzen to break into that same exclamation of himselfe what great and wonderfull miracle was within himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. I am litle and yet I am great I am humbled and yet I am exalted I am mortall and yet I am immortall I am earthly and yet I am heauenly little in body but great in soule humble as being earth but yet exalted aboue the earth mortall as he that must dye immortall as he that shall rise againe earthly as whose body was taken from the earth heauenly as whose soule was breathed feom aboue And will not all this then make him well deserue the Name and Title of Master amongst vs Yes But here hee hath a double Title Master Master What of that Why hee hath a double Mastership he was their Master Iure creationis by the right of their creation but much more Master Iure redemptionis by right and title of their redemption when man had lost himselfe and defaced that glorious image that God at the first had left within him then came our Sauiour Christ Iesus in a mercifull Redeemer and reconciled his Father and Man together againe Henceforth let vs not repine at the fall of our Grand-father for Christ our Sauiour hath made satisfaction for it Was he cast away for the price of an Apple Why yet he is redeemed for a great deale lesse he was redeemed in meere loue and pitie The sixth day of the weeke as it is thought Adam fell for it is thought that he fell the same day that hee was made the sixth day of the weeke againe Adam and his posteritie were redeemed from death The same day that he fell he was redeemed And as God in the beginning rested on the seuenth day so Christ our Sauiour saith Saint Augustine sabbatizanit in monumento kept holy the Sabboth euen in the graue to teach vs to make more account of that day then the world vsually doth in these our times For for all that belonged vnto the saluation of man he finished that vpon the crosse before his departure hence when hee cried Consummatum est all is finished Ioh. 19.30 Iohn 19. Then all was performed that was requisite for vs and hauing finished his worke he rested as securely in his graue as the most secure man of vs all doth rest in his bed And in this redemption which he so kindly performed for vs there are two things especially to bee considered of vs Modus and Fructus the manner and the fruit of our redemption The Manner it was wonderfull Exinanitio Dei saith the Apostle the emptying of God the fulnesse of all things The emptying of him I say and that in three regards First into the flesh Secondly vnto the death Thirdly lastly vnto the death of the crosse O who can worthily esteeme these three as hee ought to do his worth his humilitie his loue vnto mankinde That the God of all Maiesty should be cloathed with the garment of humane flesh That hee should consent to dye and that hee should dye so miserable and cursed a death Here speech must faile vs and our safest eloquence must bee admiration Let vs sometimes in the feare of God call our selues to account for these things and thinke what great things the Lord hath done for euery one of our soules and then let vs be ashamed at our owne vnthankfulnesse againe that he being Lord of all became obedient and seruant for the very worst of vs Of being rich in all things became poore and miserable in most that were necessary That of the word he became flesh Of the sonne of God that he should become the sonne of base and mortall man Let vs remember that though at the first we were made of nothing yet that afterwards we were not redeemed of nothing In sixe dayes at the first God made heauen and earth and all things that in them were contained but in the redemption of Man our Sauiour was three and thirty yeares and vpwards a working of it vpon the earth O how much in that time did he suffer for our sakes The necessities of the flesh the contempt and scorne of the world the temptations both of the Diuell and of mankinde Can wee thinke that pouerty in all that time did not oppresse him nor shame did not touch him nor yet the wrath and anger of his Father any whit amaze him Certainly certainly beloued the least of all these did touch him neere and the greatest that was the fury of his Father did make him make that lamentable cry vpon the Crosse the like wherof was neuer heard in Ages before nor euer shall be heard againe vnto the ending of the world My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Yet thus O Lord didst thou worke the saluation of Man and wonderfully towards him hath beene thy loue Let vs thinke of these things seriously let vs thinke of them often and then I make no question but we shall thinke we haue great reason to think him a double Master vnto vs. And they came vnto him and awaked him saying Master Master But yet the
OVR SAVIOVRS IOVRNEY TO the Gadarens OR The loue of Christ vnto Man Written by I. IONES Bachelour in Diuinity and Parson of S. Nicholas Acons London PSAL. 8.4 Lord what is man that thou art so mindfull of him or the sonne of man that thou so visitest him LONDON Printed by Nicholas Okes for Henry Bel and are to bee sold at his Shop hard without Bishops-gate 1615. TO THE WORSHIPFVLL THE TWO EQVALL SISTERS Mris R. Io. and Mris I. Vass Iohn Iones their sonne wisheth increase of grace in this world and eternall saluation in the world to come MOST deere and louing Mothers the Preachers note in the 12 of his Ecclesiastes and the 12 verse against the scribling Age wherein we liue That there is no end of making of Bookes had once made me vow my life to obscuritie yet such you see hath been the efficacie of your intreaties that for your sakes that which I meant most priuate vnto my selfe I haue now cōmunicated to the world Your intreaties haue preuailed with me and at the last you haue what long you haue desired It is part of my prayers that now you haue it it may satisfie the least part of your expectations The aboundance of your loues I confesse at the first made you both to wish wel vnto me and the desire of seeing somewhat for your money hath made you more importunate vpon me but thus far I haue bene wary to my selfe though that imitating of the prodigall Gallants of these our times I haue taken vp of you good large summes and do pay you here againe with inke and paper this is the onely coine you are like to receiue of me for your manifold charges bestowed vpon me Accept it then I beseech you kindly and cast a look vpon it now and then so perhappes you may thinke at the last that though your sonne hath mis-spent much yet he hath not vtterly lost all his time It is yours now for I haue sealed deliuered it vp for your vses and sooner you should haue had it but that some mens fingers who haue delighted in theft by chance haue stolen Diuinitie from the Printer to make them good If they make that vse of it I am glad they haue it if to make vse of other mens labours they stole it from him this Copy will witnesse the worke is none of theirs and I would haue them know He seldome proues good that is growne old in theft and wickednesse But you to whom it doth belong take it and vse it as your owne and command me who doth desire to be imploied by you in all offices of loue and duty The God of loue who giues to all abundantly and vpbraideth none fill you both full of all spirituall blessings that as louingly you haue liued here and haue beene beloued so aboue when this life shal leaue you both you may liue with the fountaine of loue Amen London this 9th of March 1615. Your very louing and obedient sonne J. Iones TO THE WORSHIPFVL THE PARISHIONERS OF S. Nicholas Acons I. Iones wisheth all happinesse in this life and in the life to come WOrshipfull and beloued my parishioners hauing found out God-mothers for this infant of mine it remaines now that I intreate you all at once to play the God-fathers part for the naming of it And so much the rather I intreate you and hope you will be willing aboue others to performe this duty because you best of all others know the birth of it being conceiued and brought forth especially for your sakes the originall being Sermons which I preached here amongst you and you I hope somwhat haue profited by them The law prouides that where the childe is borne there be it neuer so base it should be kept and you must foster what is hatched amongst you Accept then kindly what is kindly meant towards you and continue to loue him whose prayer is for you all to loue one another Almightie God increase his loue towards you and cause you that as you are ioyned together in friendly neighbour-hood so you may be ioyned in heartie affection one vnto the other so that when this life shall haue end as you haue liued and loued together here so you may all ioyne with the rest of the heauenly quire in singing louely hymnes vnto the God of loue And in that confidence I take my leaue and commit you all to his protection who for his power is able and for his exceeding loue wil keepe you all in the bond of loue Farewell From my house in S. Nicholas lane this ninth of March 1615. Your very louing and kind Friend I. Iones CHRISTS LOVE TO MAN LVKE 8.22.23.24 22. Now it came to passe on a certaine day that he went into a ship with his Disciples and he sayd vnto them Let vs go ouer vnto the other side of the Lake and they lanched forth 23. But as they sailed hee fell asleepe and there came downe a storme of winde on the lake and they were filled with water were in ieopardy 24. And they came to him and awoke him saying Maister Maister we perish Then hee arose and rebuked the winde and the raging of the water and they ceased and there was a calme THese words beloued of the Euangelist now read vnto you containe in them the iourney of our Sauiour vnto the Gadarens and in the iourney a mighty miracle he went vnto the Gadarens an ignorant people the Epitome and Compendium of all mankinde men that were more inly touched with the losse of their hogges then with the sinnes of their soules the true picture of couetous man who so conformes himselfe vnto his wealth as that he accounts his life his soule his blisse his good tell him of his soule and the torments of hell he stands and stares you in the face and knowes not what your speech doth meane touch but his hogge and the whole Countrey of the Gadarens will suddenly be vp in Armes together against you yet thither he goes that so they themselues might be witnesses against themselues of their owne deserued and wilfull destruction But in this iourney there falles out a miracle a miracle I say both to the astonishment and the confirmation of his Disciples to the astonishment for they mutter amongst themselues what manner of man is this for he commandeth both the windes and the water and they obey him to their confirmatiō also that by confirming all his seuerall doctrines with sundry miracles they might beleeue that hee was the true and onely Messias that was sent into the world to be the saluation and rdemption of it So then in these words wee haue three parts to bee inquired into according vnto the three seuerall verses here euery verse hath his particular part The preparation for the iourney the manner of the iourney the miracle in the iourney 1 The preparation in the first verse 2 The manner in the next verse 3 The miracle in the last verse And euery part