Blessed be God we need not say so we amount to thousands and as Tertullian said of the Christians in his days Singuli magis noti quam omnes Could we take a view there thousands might amount to millions such as whatever their knees have done their hearts never bowed to God-Parliament But what are these to many millions So many so suddenly fallen off from Religion Loyalty Friends Faith and all that good is But the Devil is a cunning Fisher and hath baited his Hooks thorowly with the fat Lumps of Bishopricks and Cathedrals and least that should he too little for the Maws of those Cormorants there 's more bait Forrest-lands Ships Offices and I know not what And now have they verified that old Proverb No Bishop no King But God bless them both I hope he will suffer no man long to do them wrong There is one thing yet remains and that 's the Place whither our Pilgrims went But I remember that saying Vivorum difficilis censura 't is dangerous to censure living men much more whole Countreys specially where the Censor is nec beneficiis nec maleficiis cognitus But something doth misg ve where the sweet Innocent Dove finds no rest fo the sole of his foot I hope he shall ere long and an Olive-branch too But you Worthâ—es and the rest of my dear Country-men In Joshuah's dayes one Aâ—hâ—â— was the overthrow of an Army The Theft of Achan Afterward in Jeroboam's dayes the Son of Joash one Jonah w thout a special Providence had been the total ruin f a Ship and all the Passengers The Disobedience of Jonah In Christ's dayes one Judas dissolved the best Society that ever trod upon the Earth The Treason of Judas Is there no Achan Jonah Judas amongst us God grant it You have gone from one Nation to another from one Kingdom to another People and are you all sound at the heart none tainted with the Vices of those Countries you come from Let no Amasiah bite the lipp and tell me this is Bethel I know it well But where was God more dishonoured then at Bethel which became Bethaven And who hath more betrayed a glorious Cause for King Country and Religion then some which were the sometimes Grandees of the Court and the pretended Servants to the same And who hath more disgraced dishonoured blasphemed the Name of Christ and his Religion then those that do profess themselves the Reformers and Refiners of Christianity You know the Macedonians in Babylonia Carthaginians at Capua and the French at Naples what they found and what they learnt and what the end of it was If any one be tainted yet there is a Salve for that soar there is a Noli amplius O sin no more least a worse thing happen Give Glory to God with Achan Cry tollite me with Jonah Or if that be hard then say with David Tolle or Dele blot out my unrighteousness till thou find none I conclude with the words of St. Paul Rom. 10. My hearts dâ—sire and prayer to God is that they may be saved And that as Israel you may have power and prevail with God and Man Be of one heart and of one mind Pour out your souls in prayer for all men for Kings for our King O Lord deliver him not over unto the will of his enemies and let not those who câ—â—selesly and maliciously persecute him let them not longer triumph over him Cloth them all with shame but upon himself let the Crown flourish May we live to see the day when we shall sing with Moses Surge Domine Rise up Lord and let thine Enemies be scattered Nay Return O Lord return to the ten thousands of Israel Numb 10. ult With David I began with David I must end Arise Lord into thy resting place thou and the Ark of thy strength Let him find a resting place Let his golden Pot of Manna be all glorious without and gracious within Let Aaron's Rod bud blossom and yield Almonds Let the Tables of the Covenant be preserved entire in despight of all cursed Covenanters And let him who is utriusque Tabulae Custos find favour in the eyes both of God and Man Amen A SERMON UPON 2 KINGS IV. 1 2. Now there cryed a certain woman of the wives of the Sons of the Prophets unto Elisha saying Thy servant mine husband is dead And thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord And the Creditor is come to take unto him my two Sons to be Bond-men And Elisha said unto her what shall I do for thee tell me What hast thou in thy House And she said Thine Hand-maid hath not any thing in the house save a pot of Oyl DEATH Sorrow Penury and Fears begin the Text Compassion Deliverance and Plenty end it Here 's a Story fraught with much variety Many are the Miseries and yet a Salve for every Sore After Poverty comes Plenty unexpected Mercy follows cut-throat Cruelty Fear and Danger find Deliverance You have here the brief Relation of a Man and his Wife of a Widow and her Children of a Creditor and his Debtor Of a Prophet and his Client or Petitioner The Woman acts the greatest part in whom you may observe three things Her Distress Her Address Her Redress 1. What she suffered 2. To whom she applyed her self 3. What the Issue was Her Distress is fully shewed in three respects 1. In the loss of a good Husband 2. Ecce Creditor she is like to loose her Children after 3. Her poverty and inability to relieve her self or them We shall begin with the Husband He is said to be Filius Prophetarum and a good man and therefore the loss the greater Where by the way those Prophets were not only such as did foretell things to come and are often called Seers in Scripture but also such as did interpret and expound the Law teach and instruct the People and pray for the Congregations Now Filii Prophetarum were such as were bred up in Learning and fitted to succeed the Prophets either at Jerusalem in the Temple or in the lesser Synagogues abroad in the Country And we shall note in them three things Cohabitation Subordination Preparation First their Cohabitation in the Schools and Nurseries of Learning Secondly their Subordination and rising by degrees Whence the younger are called Filii Prophetarum Thirdly their Preparation and fitting them to the work they were to be imployed in not leaping into the Ministry but acquiring some competent knowledge and measure of Learning before they presumed to offer themselves abroad unto the World First For their Cohabitation in certain Schools and Nurseries of Learning read but 2 Kings 2.3 at Bethel vers 5. at Jericho 2 Kings 4.38 at Gilgal Unto which add 2 Kings 6.1 Acts 22.3 Secondly For their Subordination and Degrees You have Aaron and his Sons Priests and Levites Principes Levitarum Principes Principâ—â—â— Numb 3.32 In the New Testament we have our Saviour the High-Priest twelve Apostles seventy Disciples Luke
10.1 After his Death Apostles Bishops Deacons After the Apostles dayes Bishops Priests Deacons I too well know Hesterni Illi as Tertullian called Praxeas Some later Writers have had their new-found and different thoughts touching those Church-Degrees and Hierarchy But the Consentient Judgment of Antiquity and universal continued practise of the Church shall ever be reputed by me The best Interpreter of Scripture The third thing is their Preparation The two first make good the last And we must be Discentes antequam Docentes as Bernard said Learners before we can be Teachers They tell us greater Gifts were reserved for these times and those dayes of Ignorance are past Amen say I. But what if our Gifts be less and our Presumption more They tell us of Jeremy and Daniel both Children of Amos an Herd-man of Elisha this Elisha taken from the Plough But sure Jeremy was Propheta Natus Jer. 1.5 yet was afraid to undertake the Calling till he had a command and a promise and a touch too v. 9. Daniel was bred up a Scholar Dan. 1.4 and at v. 17. God gave him knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdome And Amos had his special call from God Amos 7.15 c. I have read indeed of Learning gotten without Learning Archippus Ingenio pro Libris utebatur Anthony had the Heavens for his School-master Nepotianus his memory alone made him learned so that from a Souldier he became a Priest Johannes Trajectensis Episcopus à Plaustro ad Pulpita ascendit Divinitùs edoctus Nay I have read of one Qui omnium Linguarum notitiam ex morbo adeptus est An happy Sickness What shall I say of these but that Spiritus ubi vult spirat John 3.8 The Creator of Spirits can inspire how and when and whom he please And these and the like Examples are not for Imitation but Admiration Solomon hath a good Rule Prov. 24.27 Prepare thy Materials and then build thine house First get Learning and then expect a Call 'T is St. Paul's Rule too 1 Tim. 4.13 Attende Lectioni and v. 15. Give thy self wholly to it v. 16. persist continue But beware of those Clouds without Rain that boast themselves of their false Gifts Prov. 25.14 Who instead of dividing the Word aright 2 Tim. 2.15 do slice and chop it out without Rules Method Matter any thing full of Battologies Tautologies vain Repetitions tumbling out Non-sense with incredible Confidence The second observable thing This Filius Prophetarum was Vxoratus a married Man We meet with three sorts of men The first are Enemies to Women The second to Marriages The third to Priests marriages As for Women-haters in general I could willingly let them pass by as unworthy to be thought upon but that some of them think it their greatest praise when they can wittily dispraise that Sex I can think them no better then Cowards that are sure to strike when they cannot be stricken again Doubtless there 's many a Jezebel Herodias Messalina and those Jones of Naples There are many such as Bernard stigmatizeth Mulier secularis Organum Satanae But 't is Secularis then 't is a bad woman must be so bad an Instrument Tertullian cryes out Tu es Diaboli Janua Tu es c. But I see no reason why one Eve should make us angry with the whole Sex more then one Adam who did personate and represent Mankind and by his Transgression conveyed sin to all his Posterity And though the Apostle some where layes the blame on Eve for the priority in the Transgression Adam was not deceived but the Woman 1 Tim. 2.14 Yet for Natures Gangreen and Sins Transmission the same Apostle sends us all to Adam Omnes in Adamo 1 Cor. 15.22 All died in Adam I might hear bring in Cyril speaking but untowardly of Women but he elsewhere gives them their Right again And the like doth Hieronimus Tertullian after so many shrewd speeches yet he allows them a place in Heaven though not as Women for he thinks they must change their Sex into that of men Idem Sexus qui est viris The Turk in his Alcoran shuts all women out of Heaven But let him go for a Turk Some may think better of him who gave the Gods thanks that he was not born a woman But I am sure he had never been born without one We must pass from Women-haters to Wedlock-haters Such as like the Sex but not the Knot They can love a Woman but not a Wife There are perchance too many Libertines of this Opinion in these dayes of old the Adamites and Albanenses of late the David-Georgians taught Matrimony to be evil in it self The Tatians nil differre à Scortatione Durand de Waldach Matrimonium nil aliud esse quam occultum Meretricium O Enemies of Mankind O Doctrine of Devils Foretold condemned by St. Paul 1 Tim. 4.3 Matrimony instituted in the time of Innocency and honoured by our Saviours presence in the Gospel 2 John Well if not all Marriages yet Priests-Marriages are cryed down hewed down by a stronger hand Indeed they be but yet with greater strength justice reasons powerfully maintained I shall but touch this string 'T is a common question between us and the Papists 'T is sufficient that amongst the Patriarchs Prophets Apostles and ancient Bishops and Fathers of the Church we still find married men who lived more chastly with their Wives without Concubines then these now with their Concubines without Wives But above all we have the Apostles warrant for it Marriage is honourable in all Heb. 13.4 And the Son of the Prophet here was a married man The third Observation He was a good man He did fear the Lord. Yea will some body say So did the Devils also Ja. 2.19 Nay not so 'T is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there they do more than fear they tremble and alwayes tremble A word taken from the waves of the Sea that are never at rest No Lucida intervalla no hope no intermission Non est pax impiis Less Diabolo The usual distinction of Fear is into Filial and Servile Fear Fear to offend and Fear to suffer But Devils fear Timore Desperationis And good men fear Timore Venerationis So is Fear taken in this place for the Worship of God Veneration and Piety Moses will tell you that to fear God is To keep his Commandements Deut. 6.2 The Psalmist will tell you He that fears the Lord doth delight in his Commandements Psal 112.1 Solomon He that fears the Lord will depart from evil Prov. 3.7 and Chap. 14.2 He that walketh in Vprightness feareth the Lord. St. Paul sums it up in three words Titus 2.12 Sobrie juste pie Those three duties concern God our Neighbour and our Selves Piety is for God Justice for our Neigbours and Sobriety for our own selves And these make a man good indeed These are like Solomons three-twisted cords not quickly broken Eccl. 4.12 Religion consists not in Lip-labour nor in hanging down the heâ—d or
quasi materia Either as something of or something belonging to Repentance either as parts of Penitency or * Ibid. Concil Fâ—orent acts of the Penitent necessary either ut praecepta or media †Concil Trident in â—atechist ad parochos in sacrament poenitent as things of nature or conducing to the perfection of Repentance Many of them have said no more and for ought I see we may as much for when no stone is lest unmoved and sick man-like we have tossed us from side to side we are still in the same place We admit them all in some cases As for Confession to the Priest our Church approves and presseth it * Book of Common Prayer indeed as †B Vsher in answer to the Jesuit challenge p 92. Medicinal not Sacramental and though the Keys be grown rustie yet are they rich But we have not now to do with any secret sin Canus parte quinta de relict poenitent but with a known Capital offence And though with the Greek Church we content our selves oft-times with confession to God alone yet here together with them we do admit approve urge a publick Exhomolegesis open Confession and Church discipline S. Thom. ex Anselmo Satisfactio est compensatio Offensae prae teritae ad aequalitatem justitiae As for Satisfaction our intent is not to make level with the Almighty for our sins We know the disproportion between Mans weakness and Gods justice * Dr. Fulke ad 2 Cor. 2. S. 6. in Rhem. Test and against Stapleton Fortress 10. difference But publick offences may not be smothered privately and he that hath given scandal and offended the Church must to the Church give Satisfaction Said I that he must nay he will he will willingly He will cry ignosce pater for his Sin and ignosce frater for his Example All his grief is that he did sin and not that he doth suffer and freely and ingeniously he will confess That whatsoever is laid upon him whatsoever his pennance be either for the humbling of himself or for a terrour unto others 't is all too little Lib. 1 c 9. Irenaeus will tell you of a Woman seduced by Mark the Heretick which did spend her whole time in bewailing her offence and of others which did Ibid. in manifesto exhomoligesâ—n facere publickly acknowledge and lament their sins and wickedness Lib. 5 c 26. Eusebius will tell you of an Heretical Bishop Natalis who clad himself in sackcloth and ashes falls down to the feet of the Bishop and with a world of sighs and tears craves pardon Socrates will tell you how Ecebolius for renouncing his Faith Lib. 3. c. 11. lay along in the Church-porch and cryed to such as came in Tread me Tread me under your feet for I am the unsavoury Salt Lib 1. de poenitent c. 16. And Ambrose will tell you of many who did even plow-up their face with tears wither their cheeks with weeping prostrate themselves to the feet of the passengers and with their continual abstinence and much fasting they made their living bodies the very Image of Death I might add unto all these old Origen In Suida inter sua opera post libros 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Library of Learning and Ocean of woe But we will pass from voluntary submission to Canonical satisfaction And here give me leave to say somewhat of the Laws Ecclesiastical and punishment inflicted by the Church that which many ignorantly condemn and many most maliciously hew at Lib de poenitent Tertullian will tell you that such like Offenders as these must pastum potum pura nosse Bread and Water must be their diet as the Prophet David said My tears have been my meat day and night That they must pray and sigh and weep pray to God humble themselves to the Priest St. Augustine will tell you De mirabil Sacrae script that they must never think their pennance enough they must alwaies sorrow alwaies cry peccavi life and lamentation must end together St. Ambrose De poeniten lib. 2. cap. 1. The more a man throws himself down by sorrow and submission the more abject he is in his own sight the more accepted shall he be in the sight of God But this is general The Church did appoint certain forms of pennance according to the quality of the offences and for denying the Faith Grandem redeundi difficultatem sanxit antiquitas Apud Carranz cap. â—7 ejusdem Contil 't is a Canon in the Agathon Council about a thousand years agon Our Fore-fathers say they did command and enjoyn a bitter pennance to all such as had denied the Faith Indeed some as 't was said of Novatus would admit no reconciliation some would receive onely once all such as fell after Baptism The usual practice was to enjoyn a three years pennance at the least to such as did in time of Persecution and against their will deny some had their punishment prolonged even unto eight or nine years or more Carranz in Conc. Ancryan Can. 6. Ibid. Can. 1. and some were put off ad magnum diem even till the hour of Death or day of Judgment And if he were a Priest tkat fell he lost his Orders nor might he ever recover his former state but by enduring the brunt of a second Persecution Lib. Eccles Hist. 7 cap. 2. tom 1. ep 10. Pysh Alloy in Miscellan names four sorts ex Conc Nicen. Moses Maximus c. inter opera Cyprian tomo 1. epist. 26. And last of all If any were restored either of the Laiety or otherwise it must be done by laying on of Hands and Confirmation of the Bishop And this Eusebius calls the ancient Custome and Cyprian that to do otherwise were to ruinate and not restore Now during the time of these long appointed Pennance some were Audientes and might only stay the Sermon other were Orantes and might be present at Prayers but must depart when the Eucharist was to be administred To admit them to the Communion was to give that which is holy to Dogs some some and to press to the Altar was Domini corpus invadere De Lapsis Exam. Concil Trident. parte ult de Indulgentiis So Cyprian yet all this while there were Relaxations Moderations Mitigations or as the new word after Chemnitius hath it Indulgences from that rigour and severity and there was a peculiar reserved power in the R. R. Bishop †Concil Ancyran Cau. 2. 5. F Th Gavius de contrit he might either lengthen or shorten the time as he saw cause For as one saith out of Hierom. Apud Deum non tantum valet mensura tempoporis quà m doloris God regardeth not the length of the Pennance but the Contrition of the party not how long but how heartily we humble our selves This was the Discipline of the Primitive Church this was the remedy they did provide against