〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie the Providence of God Hebr. 1.3 and to shew that nothing cometh to pass without the will of God and all things that do come to pass by the wil of God are in respect of God most holy just and good for as in the creation all that he made was exceeding good so in the ordering disposing and governing of them all that he doth is exceeding just and the very evil that he suffereth to be done he turneth to good for his own glory and the benefit of his Church as he did the crucifying of his Son to the saving of all his servants For so great is his goodness saith S. Augustine that he would never have suffered Sin or any other evil to be done unless his power and wisdom were able as he drew light out of darkness so to draw a greater good out of our evil though not to them that commit the evil Rom. 6.1 because we should not sin that grace might abound as the Apostle sheweth 2. Signification Deut. 4.24 2. The foresaid Father and others say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is derived 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is adurere accendere to burn and to kindle and enlighten and so Moses saith Our God is a consuming fire either because of his wrath against sin and sinners 1 John 1. or because of the brightness of his Majesty even as S. John saith God is light in whom there is no darkness at all Ezek. 1.27 and therefore he appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire in the burning bush and in his vision to Ezekiel he manifested himself in the appearance of fire which should make all sinners to be afraid to offend him lest this terrible fire should consume them 3 Signification Hebr. 4.13 3. The said Damascen saith that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be derived 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he seeth all things and all things are patent and open in his sight as the Apostle sheweth and no Creature no word no thought can be hid from him and therefore the Wise man adviseth all discontented persons to beware of murmuring which is nothing worth because the eare of jealousie heareth all things and the noise of your muttering is not hid Sap. 1.10 11. neither is there any word so secret that it shall go for naught These be the Etymologies and significations of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Damascen giveth Curro uro cerno to run to burn to see and to these the Latine Writers do add another and say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be derived à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by changing the asperate Δ into Θ and that signifieth fear because all nations should fear the Lord our God And so the Greeks shew us Qualis sit Deus what manner of God he is that seeth and governeth all things and the Latines shew us Quid sit nostri officii what our duty is to be afraid to offend this great and glorious God and so the Prophet Jeremiah demandeth Who would not fear thee O King of nations and God himself saith Fear ye not me and will ye not tremble at my presence which have placed the sand for the bound of the Sea by a perpetual decree that it cannot pass it that is which have bridled and tamed that unruly Element by the small and silly Sands and though the waves toss themselves yet can they not prevail though they roar yet can they not pass over these poor and feeble things 4. The next Attribute here expressed is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The fourth Attribute is of Gods power which is omnipotent in three respects 1. Respect Psal 135.6 that is Almighty or that can do all things and he is said to be almighty in three special Respects 1. Because he can do whatsoever he would do and he can hinder whatsoever he would not have don for whatsoever pleased the Lord that did he in heaven and in earth in the sea and in all deep places saith the Prophet and so the Creation of the World makes this manifest And Solomon saith Prov. 19.21 that many devices are in man's heart but the counsel of the Lord that shall stand and all their devices without his counsel shall come to nought as the Gyants that thought to build the Tower of Babel to scale the Walls of Heaven were soon confounded and their devices suddenly destroyed Gen. 11. Gen. 19. so the men of Sodom thought to press upon Lot and the Angels that were with him but the Lord presently blind-folded them so Absolon conceited to make himself King but God brought him to the bough where he was hanged and so our late Vsurpers and Rebells had brave devices and projects in their hearts to destroy us all and to make themselves Lords over all but you see how easily the Lord overwhelmed them and brought them to shame and confusion 2. He is said to be Omnipotent 2. Respect because he bringeth all things to pass so easily without any difficulty in the world for he did but speak the word and they were made Psal 148.5 he commanded and they stood fast And he doth all things either without means or with the weakest means in the world and sometimes contrary to the nature of the proper means as when he made the world out of nothing he did but say Let there be light and it was so Psal 77.20 Josh 6.20 Judg. 4.21 Judg. 7.2 and what weak instruments were Moses and Aaron to bring Israel out of Egypt Or Rams horns to batter down the strong walls of Jericho or a silly woman to be the death of General Sisera or Gideon with three hundred men to overthrow the mighty Host and the innumerable Army of the Midianites And with what improbable strength hath this Almighty God brought our gracious King to his Crown and Kingdoms again It was the Almighty God that did it And so in the Spiritual work of our Redemption by what weak means hath he loosned and overthrown the work of the Devil 2 Cor. 12.19 and delivered his Prisoners out of captivity For blessed be this strong Jehovah we see how his power is made perfect through weakness as the Apostle speaketh and how Christ that seemed a worm and no man as the Prophet speaketh in becoming poor hath made us rich and in becoming a curse hath made us the heirs of blessing 2 Cor. 8.9 1 Pet. 3.9 and after his Ascention into heaven with what weak instruments hath he converted the world from Idolatry and Infidelity to imbrace the Christian Faith Through the foolishness of Preaching saith the Apostle of a few poor Fisher-men and us that are their successors this is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eye But it is more marvellous that he should do what he will not only without means and by weak means but also contrary to all means John 9.6 as with Clay that is
right of the Church and I resolved and vowed that whatsoever I recovered I would by the grace of God wholly bestow it upon the reparation of the Church so that recovering it I should be not one penny the richer and loosing it not one penny the poorer And I desired nothing but what I conceived to be the right of the Church because I know God loves not to be honoured with unjustly gotten goods But now finding that as the Prophet saith I have laboured in vain and I have spent my strength for nought and seeing the partiality and injustice of men I will with patience submit my self to that strength which is beyond my ability to oppose and study to serve my God another way because I see that as David saith the sons of Zervia are too strong for me because we that were faithfull to our King were fleec'd and bareshorne and left poor and beggarly and they that served the Beast and adheared to the long Parliament and were arrant rebels against our late good King have got all our Lands and our Monies to make friends withall and to keep us still under hatches and so though nos fuimus Troes yet now they are the men and without envy let then enjoy their prosperity so they forsake their iniquity and repent them of their former impiety And so desiring you to bear with this my just defence I shall proceed in this discourse for none other end but to discharge mine own duty and for the good of your souls to avoid the just wrath of God for a sin so highly displeasing unto God and to that purpose I shal desire you to read the 2 Mac. c. 3. where you shall finde how that when Simon the mutinous traitor both to God and his Country had informed Seleucus King of Asia of the riches and the treasure of the Church of Hierusalem and incited him to seize upon it and he had sent Heliodorus his treasurer to fetch it and Heliodorus came like a Fox pretending it was to visit and to reform the disorders of Phoenice and Caelosyria but Onias the high Priest perceiving that the goods of the Church was his errand his countenance was quite cast down and the people not enduring sacriledge ran some to the Temple some to the City Gates and some gadded up and down the streets as frantick men like Bacchus froes and all lifted up their hands and eyes and voices unto God for the defence of his Church and God heard their cry and did help them For Heliodorus was no sooner entred into the treasury to take away the spoile but there appeared to him a terrible man in compleat armour of gold mounted upon a barbed horse that ran very fiercely at the Kings Treasurer and trampled him under-foot and withall there appeared two other men of most excellent beauty and strength whipping him so that he was carried out of the place speechless and without any hope of life untill God restored him upon the earnest prayer of the Priest and people And to let you see how dangerous a sin is sacriledge to rob the Church Act. 5.5 the end of Ananias and Sapphira can bear witness for though their death was the punishment of their lying yet all must grant they were drawn to that sin by the cord of sacriledge And if a greedy desire of with-holding that from the Church which themselves had given was sufficient to open such a window unto the Devil that he came presently to cast them as a prey to the Jaws of Hell how many foule sins do they commit and how many greivous plagues may they fear to fall upon their heads which take away from the Church that which they never gave Gen. 47.22 v. 26. And you may remember that when Egypt in the time of Joseph felt so extreme a famine that the fift part of the Land was sold to releive the Land yet the Patriarch in all the care that he had both of the Country and of the King to succour the one and to enrich the other never attempted the sale of the Lands of the Priests nor once to diminish any jot thereof And if the holy man in so great an extremity never ventured to take away the possessions of the Idolatrous Priests though it were to the releif of a whole Kingdome I wonder with what face dares any man in the world curtal the maintenance of Gods Church and take away those Lands and houses that by religious Princes and other pious men have been consecrated to Gods service But Foelix quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum You might be happy if you would cast your eyes behinde you and by the examples of Gods judgments upon other sacrilegious persons learn to escape the punishments of sacriledge because they are all written for our instruction And we read that Celce the Constable of Gertrund King of Burgundy having under the authority of the King his Master enriched himself and enlarged his Territories with the Goods and Lands of the Church and being one day in the Church at his Devotion and hearing the words of the Prophet that proclaimed a woe to them that joyn house to house and land to land he suddainly shricked in the Congregation and cried out This is spoken to me and this curse is upon me and upon my Posterity and so afterwards died most miserably And we read in the Annals of France that although Lewis the Sixt surnâ—med the Great was once the Protectour of the Church and had caused the Count de Claremont the Lord de Roussi and other great men that had pillaged the Bishopricks to restore their robberies unto the Church again yet in his old age when he began to pull the Church he was sufficiently punished for it by the suddain death of his Eldest Son which was indeed the very staffe of his age though he was urged unto it with extreme necessity They that would see more examples of this kinde let them look into my Declaration against Sacriledge and Doctor Saravia's vindiciae sacrae translated into English by James Martyn And if for all this men will needs have the portion of Gods Church let them eat it with that sauce which God hath prescribed in Psal 83. and which like the Ieprosie of Gehezi wil stick to them and their Posterity for evermore 3. 3. Why these beasts were full of eyes before As you heard that these Beasts were full of eyes within and behinde so they were full of eyes before and so should we be And that is to behold and see 1. Praesentia the things that are present 2. Futura the things that are to come and must come 1. 1. To behold the things that are present As 1. The vanity of all things For the present things I shall onely leave to your consideration 1. The vanities of this life And 2. The uncertainty of our state And touching the first Saint Augustine saith most truly Si quid arrisisset prosperum
these wonderful Beasts in my Text repeat this Attribute three several times saying Holy holy holy Lord God almighty which we do not read of any other Attribute of God the Spirit of God to whom this Attribute is specially appropriated by the name of the Holy Ghost having a special regard to preserve this Attribute of all his Attributes inviolable because he foresaw that through the malice of Satan against God and the froward disposition of corrupt men this Attribute of all Gods Attributes should be most of all contradicted murmured against and traduced as if God were not so pure just upright and holy Especially 1. In the election of his Servants 2. In the distribution of his Graces 3. In the remuneration of our Deserts For 1. If he hath created the wicked for the day of wrath Proverb 16 4. Job 21.30 and for this cause hath raised up Pharaoh and hardened his heart to make his power known and hath from all eternity by his irrespective Decree before the Children had done either good or evil loved Jacob and hated Esau and determined the preterition of those whom he reprobateth How can the Reprobates otherwise choose but walk in the paths that leads them to destruction when the Apostle tells us plainly It is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy and God by his unchangeable purpose to pass by them and to deny that mercy unto them whereby they should will to answer when he calleth and to lay hold of his Grace when he offereth it How can he be so holy so pure and so free from accepting of persons and of being some wayes the Author of the damnation of all Reprobates that as he saith of Pharaoh both his Justice and his power might be known To those rigid Presbyterians that make this indirect Objection to the great dishonour of God and the wounding of his chiefest Attribute we say That although God hath Jus absolutum in Creaturas an absolute power over all his Creatures so that he may do with them what he will Rom. 9.13 Even as the Potter hath power over the clay to make a vessel either to honour or dishonour as the Apostle speaketh Yet because it seemeth to be cruelty to make a Creature purposely for his own pleasure to be miserable and especially eternally miserable God doth not use this his power nor Preparare filios ad patibulum Sap. 1.13 14.6 for he made not Death neither temporal nor eternal but he made all things that they might have their Being and he takes no pleasure in the destruction of the living but through the malice of the Devil and mans own wilful frowardness death and damnation came upon us And Gods Decree of Preterition is but the just punishment of our transgression for God that had decreed our creation foresaw our transgression and the frowardness of the one and the readiness of the other that is of the elect and reprobate to recede from that condition and both of them being alike wrapped in the mass of corruption which came so by Adams transgression and neither of them could challenge any thing at the hand of God from whom both of them had alike receded God sheweth mercy upon whom he will and whom he will he leaveth still in that state wherein he was not created by him nor intruded by his means but most miserably fallen in the loyns of Adam and this he doth most justly too because he foreseeth that when he calleth he will not answer and though he should stretch forth his hand all the day long yet this froward wilful man will not regard it And therefore certainly Culpa non est vocantis sed renuentis there cannot be laid the least blame on God that in the election of the one whom he foreseeth will answer when he calleth he sheweth Indebitam misericordiam more then deserved mercy and in the preterition of the other whom he foreseeth will refuse his mercy he doth nothing else but render unto him debitam justitiam what he most justly deserveth And whereas the Scripture saith That God hardened the heart of Pharaoh and that it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth and that the vessels of wrath are fitted for destruction and the like some of them are not rightly understood when they are spoken in one sense and are applyed by our Presbyterians to another sense as those that are fitted or prepared for destruction are not so fitted and made up by God for that end but by their own sins that do fit them for their damnation some other speeches are spoken of God ad captum nostrum not properly to be understood as they are spoken but in that sense which the holy Ghost meaneth as God sware in his wrath when as God saith In me non est furor and he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye when as God hath neither feet nor hands nor eyes So when it is said Whom he will he hardeneth it is not meant that he hardeneth any man Efficiendo duritiem by working any hardness or stubbornness in him but Non molliendo per gratiam by not softening it by his Grace which he justly denyeth unto him when like Pharaoh he doth stubbornly refuse to obey his Voice And therefore seeing that in the proper sense God hardeneth no man and rejecteth or reprobateth no man but for his sins and wickedness but professeth As I live saith the Lord I desire not the death of a sinner And again Perditio tua ex te Thy destruction is from thy self and not from me If men will rob God kill their Brethren oppress their Neighbours and so damn themselves let them thank themselves and not lay the blame on God who is most just in all his wayes and holy in all his works 2. For the unequal distributing of his Graces we say that this inequality as of glory in the Stars and the Orders of Angels and so of all other Creatures maketh the better harmony and sheweth more of the Wisdom and Power of God then if all of them were equal Matth. 25.15 and though he giveth to one five Talents to others but one and to some none at all and that he exalteth some and make them rich and Lords and pulleth down others to make them poor and Beggars and so distributes all his gifts and graces diversly yet herein we say there is no ataxie no disorder nor injustice in Gods doing nor any wrong done to him that hath but one gift or to him that hath none at all Quia non tenetur Creator creaturae because God is debter to none and he is not bound to give any thing to any one and therefore he may lawfully and justly do what he will with his own as our Saviour sheweth most excellently in the Parable of the Labourers Matth. 20.15 hired into his Vineyard 3. For the remuneration of deserts we say that in
a green bay tree cloathed in scarlet and fine linnen and fair deliciously every day the poor Saints even in their bonds are glad to eat ashes as it were bread and to mingle their drink with weeping I confess this hath been ever a sore objection that disheartned many men and made King Davids feet well nigh to slip Sol. but if I shall obtain your patience to stay with me a little in Gods Sanctuary I shall soon unty this Gordian knot or so cut it to pieces that it can no waies be any hinderance to our progress For 1. Seneca proveth Seneca de brevit vitae c. 8. that long life consisteth not in the great number of years but in vertuous actions and the wise man saith an undefiled life is the old age for God esteemeth of no time but what we spend in his service Sap. 1. All time lost that is not spent in Gods service and therefore they that lived 100 years in pleasures have but lost all their time and been as dead all that time which they lived and those holy Saints that were cut off in the midst of their daies have lived longer because they spent their whole time in Gods service the other lost their time and lost their life as Titus was wont to say diem perdidi I lost the day wherein I did no good and these have gained every hour And 2. Afflictions not so esteemed by the Saints as they are by the worldlings 2. Whatsoever afflictions the Saints do suffer we must not account them so great miseries unto them as the world takes them for the Philosopher tells us that quicquid recipitur recipitur ad modum recipientis and they esteem them not as the world doth but they count them as the fatherly chastisements of Gods love and not any arguments of Gods hatred and as the Poet saith How God sweetneth the afflictions of his servants Una eademque manus vulnus opemque tulit the same hand which layed on their stripes will heal their sores Way 1 1. By giving them that invincible gift of patience which doth more iurage their tormenting persecutors Tert. in apolâ—g then themselves are in suffering torments Way 2 2. By filling them with true content that is in any estate to be contented Phil. 4.11 which is far better than to abound with wealth and to want this heavenly gift for he is most rich that desires nothing and he is best pleased that is never discontented And Way 3 3. By making them to rejoyce in tribulation and to account it all joy James 1.2 Rom. 8.31 Ver. 37. when they fall into divers temptations a strange thing that they should rejoyce in that which the world doth most fear yet such is the case of the righteous that neither life nor death nor principalities nor powers nor any other thing shall be able to separate them from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus but they abound in want they are content in Prison they rejoyce in death and in all things they are more than conquerours for his sake that loved them And therefore to conclude let us seek the Lord and we shall live and we shall be happy because he never faileth them that seek him but he will hear their prayers and will help them so that they need fear neither the scarlet gowns nor the sharpest swords neither their dissembling friends nor their greatest enemies for that God is with them in Prison as with Joseph in the Sea as with Jonas in the fire as with the three Children and in all places to preserve them from all evil here and to bring them to all happiness hereafter to live for ever through Jesus Christ our Lord to whom be all praise and dominion for ever and ever Amen Jehovae Liberatori FINIS How the Rebels dealt with the Bishop while he was Preaching this Sermon VVHile Archimedes was very studious in the framing of his Mathematical proportions the enemy saith the Historian was sacking the Town and pulling him out of his house or ready to pull down his House about his ears and not much unlike That very day the 8th of March when I was as Religious as I could I am sure with an unfaigned heart Preaching this very Sermon in S. Maries the Rebels out of Northampton seized upon my House took away all my goods and Cattel and as I am informed by a Letter from a faithful Preacher the Committee concluded to sequester all my Estate and all that I purchased for my Wife and Children by the indefatigable pains of 17 years service in an honourable house to the use of the Parliament so that now the poor Bishop of Ossory Incidit in Scyllam cupiens vitare Charibdins Or as Lucian saith shunning the smoak of the Irish insurrection that only withheld all that they should pay unto him he fell into the fire of the English Rebellion that thus took all that he had from him for which I pray God to forgive them it doth no waies trouble me when I know that he which lent me all may justly send whom he will to fetch all away from me and I do Profess before my God if I had all the Rebels Estate yet I should freely without the least dispute leave it lose it and part with it rather than I would take their wicked Covenant prove disloyal unto my King depart an inch from the truth of God or any waies defile my conscience for any worldly wealthy and I do heartily thank my God that he hath given me this resolution to rejoyce more in the sincerity of this my Prosession than any waies to grieve at my losses afflictions or persecutions and therefore the taking away of my Estate moves me to nothing else but to pray to God to give them grace to repent them of their sins committed against God and their Rebellion against their King whom God hath commanded them to honour and to obey so I leave them that left nothing besides Loyalty to his King and fidelity to his God unto their Oratour still remaining Gr. Ossory Though the Lord slay me yet will I trust in him saith holy Job and though the pretended Parliament should rob me to my very shirt yet will I both Preach and write and pray against their wickedness this will I do so help me God who is my God in whom I trust Amen THE EIGTHTH SERMON MATTHEW 17.21 This kind of Devils goeth not out but by prayer and fasting THe holy and blessed Apostle S. Paul being a stout Champion of Jesus Christ saith He hath fought with beasts at Ephesus which was a great City full of Great men and of great wickedness and he overcame them and I have fought with beasts in London not inferiour to Ephesus any ways and with the limbs head and tayl of the great Antichrist the members of the the long Parliament and as yet I praise Jehovah my Deliverer I escape invulnerate and now I am