desire as if he meant that he would not any longer be flesh and bloud hee would be rid of that which is the nurserie of sinne which slakes his life in grace and disheartens his hope of glorie And it is likely King Dauid did not call onely for subuention against guilt contracted but preuention that he might contract no more he looketh backward and forward and it beseemeth vs all to pray against originall sinne 〈◊〉 7. O wretch that I am who shall deliuer me from this body of sinne Finally as Bloud signifieth not onely Sinne but the punishment thereof also Gene. 4. so much the Prayer be vnderstood to deprecate not onely sinne but the punishment also Dauid heard ringing in his eares Caines doome Maledictus because thou hast shed bloud therefore thou art accursed the doome against murder Gene. 9. which God denounced by Noah thundered in his eare 2 〈◊〉 12. He that sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed againe he could not forget that dreadfull voice which Nathan vttered vnto him The sword shall neuer depart from thy house and out of sense of all these as if he were euen presently ready to perish fall vpon this supplication Deliuer his Penitertials doe shew what deepe impression the terrour of Gods iudgements made vpon his soule and also vpon his body and no wonder if he that so felt them did pray to bee released from them But marke how he Prayeth first how discreetly then how zealously Very discreetly for he maketh choice of a person that can and will deliuer Can for he is Deus salutis it is his proper title to be a Sauiour In creatures you may find vanitie that will delude you or infirmitie that will faile you euen of Kings themselues it is said that their breath is in their nostrels and that they are not saued themselues by their much strength Dauid himselfe who so often deliuered Ismel and was attended with so many Worthies yet could hee not expect saluation from himselfe the Prophet Ieremies rule is peremptorie Chap. 17. Cursed is hee that maketh flesh his arme c. We must therefore resolue that saluation belongeth vnto the Lord especially when wee speake of spirituall saluation such as that is wherewith wee haue now to doe which standeth in the remission of sinnes the peace of conscience and freedome from death for who can remit sinnes but God onely And except he iustifie vs how should we haue the peace of conscience God vseth Ministers to worke these effects but they flow from grace not inherent in them but assistant to them and so they are the effects of Gods hand And to him also belongeth the issues of death for as it is his iustice that inflicteth it so except he release none can free from it But marke the phrase the God of saluation 1 Iohn 1â— is it not a periphrasis of the name of Iesus And then behold a mysterie sanguis liberat a sanguine the bloud of Iesus clenseth from all sinne and so deliuereth vs from bloud bloud whereof we are guiltie and rising againe he receiued the keyes both of death and hell and so can deliuer vs from the bloud whereunto wee are endangered As Dauid is discreet in seeking to a person that can so is he also discreet in seeking to a person that will deliuer for he calleth vpon him not only as a God of saluation but as a God of His saluation God is a God of saluation as he is the Sauiour of all men but no man can cal him the God of his saluation except he bee a faithfull man so that there are two remarkable things in the Pronoune for it is verbum faederis Euangelici fi et specâ—â—lis Dauid sheweth thereby that he is in Couenant with God euen in the Couenant of grace for no man can vse that word except he bee in so blessed a state no man can call God His except God haue appropriated himselfe vnto him and appropriate himseâ—fe he doth not but by the words of the Couenant Ero Deus tuus I will be thy God And when God doth so appropriate himself we must keepe the â—itle of the Conenant in our Prayers and direct our words vnto him as he is ours this is the exercise of a speciall saith and it is the greatest comfort of our prayer it is most likely that he shall speede that hath so neere reference vnto God he that can will helpe And marke that though he were put to the conflict yet was hee not without Armour of proofe he saw whence saluation might be had and commeth with boldnesse to the Throne of grace more doe conflict with the horrour of conscience and terrours of death then preuaile against them to conflict is common vnto all sinners but to preuaile is the prerogatâ—ue of the children of God the God ossaluation doth ease doth vnburden onely those that can truely say he is the God of their saluation Dauid prayed Discreetly and he prayed zealously also for marke how he doubles the word O God thou God Nota in repititione magnum corâ—â—â— affectum saith Gregorie such ingemminations proceed not but from ardent affections they importune God and they will take no deniall And indeede God doth not like cold suitors for that betrayech cold defires which in one that is at Gods mercie hath grieuously offended lyeth open vnto the sharpest wrath can find no fauour can promise it selfe no mercie we must therefore wrestle with God as â—acob did replie as the woman of Canaan did treble our petition as did Saint Paul if we meane that our Prayers shall pierce the cloudes climbe vp into the Heauens and enter into the eares of God Neither sacrifice nor frankincense were offered without fire vpon the one Altar or the other no more must any Prayer come from vs which is not warmed by zeale quickning it and giuing it speedie wings to flie from earth to heauen and make our words a liuely representation of those desires that are conceiued in our hearts And let this suffice for Dauids spirituall Pange I come now to the Deuotion the argument whereof is the righteousnesse of God But there is a double righteousnesse of God the one is legall the other Euangelicall The legall is that which dealeth with men according to their workes the Euangelicall is that which dealeth with men according to their faith the latter is here meant and not the former from the former a sinner can expect nothing but condemnation because this is the tenour of it Cursea is he that abideth not in cuerie point of the Law to dâ—e it from the later we may expect saluation because it stands in the renussion of sinnes therefore wee must ioyne Libera that is gone before with Iuditâ—a and so you will find that it is Iustitta liberans it is such Iustice a freeth vs from Iustice and therefore Symachus translates it not amisle Misericordia this Iustice is nothing but plaine Mercie mercie
cap. 4. by St. Paul Rom. 11. and he hath his name from Oyle Yea and what was his Crosse but the Oliue presse of Gethsemane that so strained him the true Oliue that his name became Oleum effusum Cant. 1. and the drops of Oyle that streamed from Christ haue anael'd many millions of men made Christians Iohn 18. Christ tooke delight to walke in this Garden intimating thereby that it was his delight so to be pressed with the Crosse But there is a third thing which we must marke in this place in Gethsemane he withdrew himselfe from his Disciples when he gaue himselfe to Prayer that he might more freely poure forth his soule vnto God hee retired himselfe from all company of men And indeed retirednesse is most fit for passionate and affectionate Prayers Many things may beseeme vs in priuate which in publicke are not fit the teares of the eyes the sobs of our tongues the beating of our breasts the interruptions of our affections the prostration of our persons the villifying of our selues expostulations with God and such like many of these modesty will stifle in company or they may be abused to vaine glory but priuacie taketh away all hope of the one as it giueth vs scope to bee free in the other Therefore Christ here by example teacheth that whereof in St. Matthew cap. 6. v. 5. he giueth a rule To pray in priuate to pray in our closet And many holy men haue not only practised Aug. Bern Anselm Heb. 10. but recorded also their soliloquies and priuate conferences that haue passed betweene God and their soules But this is not to be abused to the preiudice of the Communion of Saints or publicke Prayers they must be obserued St. Paul blameth them that neglected the Assemblies these priuate Deuotions must bee added ouer and aboue the publicke Christ that vsed these did not forbear the other no more must wee The last thing that I will note vpon this Cricumstance is that Christus separatus est in oratione qui separatus est in passione Christ associated none with him in this offertory Prayer more than he did in his propitiatory Sacrifice or Suffering vpon the Crosse he bids the Disciples pray for themselues he neuer bids them pray for him the glory of the Redemption is so wholly his that hee suffered none to haue the least share therein with him And so haue I vnfolded the Circumstances vnto you let vs now come to the Substance of the Prayer Wherein we must first see to whom it is directed And we finde that the person is the Father and indeed he ordained the Crosse and therefore there is reason that a prayer concerning the Crosse should be made vnto him Iewes and Gentiles wicked men and Angels had a hand in it but it was but a secondarie hand the primarie was Gods they did no more than was determined by him And God that determined it determined it as a Father out of the heart of a Father did hee ordaine it and hee did mannage it with a Fathers hand Had God beene as bowellesse as Adam was gracelesse the fall of man had beene as desperate as was the fall of Angels but God forgat not to be a Father when Adam forgat to be a Childe therefore out of his Fatherly affection did he prouide this recouerie of his lost childe he prouided that his only begotten Sonne should dye that his adopted sonnes might liue Neyther did he only ordaine it out of a Fathers heart but mannaged it also with a Fathers hand he included nothing in the ransome of the adopted Sonnes that tended not to the glory of the onely begotten Sonne neyther was Christ euer so handled by God as that God did not shew himselfe a Father vnto Christ We haue our afflictions and happely we acknowledge they come from God but that is not enough the Heathen did so much as many as acknowledge diuine prouidence acknowledge that from it commeth light and darkenesse peace and warre prosperity and aduersity But our Afflictions haue this proper name of the Crosse and when wee enquire after the Authour of them we must behold God in the person of a Father with this title must we sweeten his sowre prouidence Are wee left to the will of our enemies yet he that holdeth the bridle is a Father and they can doe no more than he will permit yea to him belong the issues of death and he will suffer no child to be tempted aboue his strength Doth God chastise vs himselfe as what childe is there whom the Father chastiseth not and by chastisement shewes that hee taketh him not for a bastard but for a sonne then paululum supplieij satis est patri his mercy will reioyce ouer his iudgement 1 Sam. 7. Heb. 12. he couenanted so with Dauid in the Old Testament and in the New Testament he warranteth as much by S. Paul Wherefore whensoeuer wee pray against the Crosse let vs not forget to pray vnto God as our Father As we must put vpon God the person of a Father when we pray to him so must wee not come to him but with the behauiour of a Childe Certainly Christ did not The behauiour of a Childe is Reuerence and Reuerence is a vertue compounded ex timore amore of awe and loue Christ expressed both these affections his Awe in an humiliation and in a compellation his Loue His Humiliation was the prostrating of his bodie He fell vpon the earth saith my Text St. Luke He fell vpon his knees St. Matthew He fell vpon his face all agree that he was humble very humble Humilitatem mentis habitu carnis ostendit the posture of his body made sensible the lowlinesse of his soule The distance betweene the Creatour and the Creature is so great that it may well beseeme the most glorious Angell in Heauen to fall downe low before his footestoole certainely the 24. Reu. 5. Elders cast downe not onely their Crownes but themselues also before his throne where they attend And if the distance of a Creature from his Creatour call for such behauiour what behauiour must a sinner vse when he appeareth before his iudge what humiliation of Body must true contrition of heart expresse must we not shew that we are vnworthy to looke to Heauen most worthy to bee reputed no better than vilenesse The Sonne of God in the forme of Man had but sinne imputed and yet we see here how thereupon he is humbled and how then should we villifie our selues in whom sinne is inherent We alwaies owe lowlinesse but wee should striue to intend it most when wee haue most neede to deprecate Gods wrath the greater need wee haue of mercie the more shew should wee make of our humilitie How doth this checke the stiffenesse of our knees the loftinesse of our lookes the inflexiblenesse of our bodies if we be richer if we be greater than others we thinke we may be more familiar shall I say nay more vnmannerly
liue amongst Beasts and vpon his acknowledgement of the Lord of Heauen and Earth was restored againe maketh this cleare Canutus a King of this Land when flatterers magnified his power and did almost deifie him to confute them caused his chaire to bee set by the Sea shore at the time of the floud and sitting in his Maiestie commanded the waues that they should not approach his Throne but when the tyde kept his course and wet his garments Lo saith hee what a mighty King I am by Sea and Land whose command euery waue dareth resist Though then they are mighty yet there is much weakenesse ioyned with their might Not so Christ It appeares in the Epithite that is added vnto El which is Gibbor importing that he is a God of preuailing might In Daniel he is called El Elim The Mighty of mighties whereupon Moses magnifying his might saith Who is like vnto thee Exod. 15. O Lord amongst the gods Which words abbreuiated the Maccabees in their wars against their enemies did bear in their standard and therehence as the learned obserue did take their name of Maccabees Certainely this Epithite is a lust ground of that which King Dauid perswades Psalme 29. Ascribe vnto the Lord O yee mighty ascribe vnto the Lord glory and strength But there are two Eminences in Christs might by which hee is aduanced aboue all Creatures The first is that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mighty of himselfe The second is that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 almighty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 other Creatures haue their power from him and therefore their power depends vpon him so that he can at his pleasure intend or remit theirs but his owne continueth euer the same Secondly they can doe but euery one so much as is permitted him and neuer was there any creature to whom God imparted all his power I speake not of the degree but the parts thereof some things he committeth to Angels which Men cannot doe and some things to Men which Angels cannot doe the earth hath not the power of the heauens nor the heauens of the earth but God is the fountaine of all power there is nothing done by any of these which without these he cannot doe Ier. 23. Nothing is hard vnto him and the Angel Luke 1. Nothing is impossible vnto God therefore hee hath wrought the same effects without these creatures What he doth by his Angels ordinarily he extraordinarily hath done by himselfe and what doth hee by Man which without Man hee hath not done And as for the Sunne and the Starres he hath illightned the ayre without them and without the earth hath he prouided both bread and flesh yea at his pleasure he hath stript all those of their power in an instant in a word He doth whatsoeuer he will both in heauen and earth he cannot will that which he cannot doe nothing resisteth his will but all things readily do serue him If this title be carried through the Gospell euery point of the Gospel will witnesse the truth thereof in Christ it will witnesse that hee hath a preuailing power and that he is therefore worthily called a mighty God When God promised him hee promised him in these words I haue layd helpe vpon one that is mighty Psalme 89. When God exhibits him Luke 1. Zacharie proclaimes him thus God hath raised vp a mighty saluation vnto vs in the house of his seruant Dauid Christ himselfe Mat. 28. All power is giuen to mee both in heauen earth to say nothing of like titles that are remembred in the Reuelation But I chuse rather to obserue vnto you out of both Christs Regall titles how well they fit vs what comfort they doe yeeld vnto vs. Our enemie the Diuell is compared to a Serpent to a roaring Lion hee is full of craft and of great strength and so are his instruments the wicked subtill and violent but wee are silly and we are feeble If we compare our selues to them how can we but feare to be deceiued to bee opprest See how God hath prouided for vs see how hee hath furnished Christ whom hee sendeth vnto vs Hee is a Counsellour and it was a Counsellour that wee needed that â—ight discouer vnto vs the Serpents policie in his end and Sophistrie in his meanes wherewith he setteth vpon vs He pretends that we shall be like vnto Gods when he meaneth to make vs Diuels and by setting an edge on our desire of the Tree of the knowledge of good and euill he would depriue vs of the Tree of life but Christ is at hand to discouer his purposes and to giue vs timely caueats that we bee not abused by them Secondly he still compasseth the world seeking Whom he may deuour and is mighty to destroy And certainely none should escape him were it not that we haue on our side a mighty God the seed of the Woman that shewed himselfe so much mightier than the seed of the Serpent by how much breaking of the head is more than bruising of the heele Wee haue a Dauid for that Goliah and a stronger man that hath entred that strong mans house bound him rifled him and diuided his spoyle So that if now it be doubtingly asked Shall the prey be taken from the mighty or the lawfull captiue bee deliuered we may answer with the Prophet Esay 49. Thus saith the Lord Euen the Captiues of the mighty shall be taken away and the prey of the terrible shall bee deliuered for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee and will faue thy children and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Sauiour and thy Redeemer the mighty One of Iacob Wherefore seeing Christ is become our Counsellour let vs not leane vnto our owne wisedome but be counselled by him It is the second degree of wisedome when wee cannot aduise our selues to bee aduised by others if we faile herein the Philosopher himselfe will censure vs for fooles And remember withall that of the Sonne of Syracke Bee in peace with many neuerthelesse haue but one Counsellour of a thousand cap. 6. hee giues the reason at large cap. 37. And well may we rely vpon the iudgement of this Counsellour who much better than Elizeus can detect vnto vs the plots of the King of Aram of all our Enemies that we may prouide against them yea he can take them all in their owne wilinesse and infatuate their Counsels as he did Achitophels Reade Esay 19. 8. So did Christ deale with the old Serpent and with the broode of the Serpent in all ages our age our country hath had proofe thereof As this must encourage vs to rely vpon his Counsell so must the other title encourage vs to rely vpon his power his preuailing power We walk in the middest of our enemies and they vse the vttermost of their strength to ruine vs yet though we are in the middest of the valley of the shadow of death let vs feare none euill
for they that trust in the Lord are like vnto mount Sion which shall neuer be remoued LOrd guide vs by thy Counsell support vs by thy Power that wee be neyther circumuented nor quelled but by thy direction and protection we may escape both the craft and the force of all our Enemies So shall we euer glorifie thee as our admirable Counsellour and our most mighty God THE FIFTH SERMON The euerlasting Father the Prince of Peace THe Excellencie of Christs Person consists in the indowments thereof which are Regall but Spirituall That they are Regall appeares in his two first titles whereof I haue already spoken and that they are Spirituall it will appeare by the other two whereof I am now to speake Whereof the first sheweth that Christs Kingdome is not of this world He is the Father of eternity the second sheweth that the condition of his people is not worldly Christ is Prince of Peace To begin with the first In the Originall the first of these two titles is so exprest as I haue read it The Father of eternity And the words beare a double sense for either Aeternity is made the Attribute of the Father and so by an Hebraisme The Father of eternity is no more than the eternall or euerlasting Father so some Translations reade it or Aeternity may note that which is subiect to the Father and so the title imports that he is a Father of eternall things and so some Translations reade The Father of the world to come We need not to bee troubled with this variety for the words will beare eyther Translation and both these things concurre in the same person He that is the euerlasting Father is a Father of euerlasting things We will therefore handle both and first shew you that Christ is an euerlasting Father The phrase doth distinguish betweene our Father and our Father the Father of our flesh and the Father of our spirits of whom St. Paul speaketh Heb. 12. Of these two the first is Temporall the other is Aeternall that the first is but temporall wee may gather out of the fift of Genesis where are reckoned vp the longest liued Fathers that euer were in the world but of them all it is said that they begat children and then they dyed they left their children to the world And as they so their posterity come within the compasse of that of Iob Man that is borne of a Woman is but of a short time or as Dauid speakes His dayes are but a spanne long When he hath serued his course he goeth the way of all flesh and sleepes in his graue Neyther is he temporall only in regard that he must dye but also in regard that his affection is mutable Some parents destitute their children inforced by death but not a few put off the affection of Fathers euen in their life and they in that respect also may be termed but temporall Fathers Our Sauiour Christ speaking of the later times telleth vs that the Father shall rise against the Sonne as the Sonne against the Father Saint Paul speaking of former times Rom. 1. amongst other wicked ones reckoneth vp persons that were without naturall affection and it were an easie matter out of Histories to report that many haue dis-inherited many haue murdered many haue deuoured their own children so farre vnnaturall haue they beene In opposition vnto these two cases which apparantly conclude that the Parents of our flesh are temporall temporall in regard that they are mortall in their nature and temporall in that they are mutable in their affections our Sauiour Christ is termed an euerlasting Father death cannot take him from vs for euen in his death wherein notwithstanding his abode was so little that hee saw no corruption the hypostaticall Vnion which made him a father did not cease And as for his affection it is immutable Whom he loueth hee loueth vnto the end of the perpetuitie of his being excellent is that place Esay 63. Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of vs and Israel acknowledge vs not Thou O Lord art our Father and our Redeemer thy name is from euerlasting And touching the perpetuity of his louing the Church there speaketh also Looke downe from heauen and behold from the habitation of thy holinesse and of thy glory where is thy zeale and thy strength the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercy towards me 〈◊〉 9. â—â—al 27. are they restrained No they cannot bee restrained For as God in this Prophet speaketh elsewhere Can a Mother forget her child If she can yet will not I forget thee saith the Lord And King Dauid When my father and my mother forsooke me the Lord tooke me vp This is the reason why our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell biddeth vs Call none father vpon earth for that we haue but one father which is in heauen hee liueth when the other dye and when the other hateth he continueth his loue and therefore is deseruedly called the euerlasting Father Two good Lessons are implyed herein the one teaching Piety the other Charity We are taught Piety when we are taught that he whom we obey is our Father for if I be a Father saith the Lord where is mine honour Mal. 1. and Moses to Israel Deut. 32. Doest thou so reward the Lord O thou foolish people and vnwise is not he thy Father that made thee c. And as the very name of Father teacheth Piety so doth the name of Euerlasting teach it much more St. Paul argueth so Heb. 12. If so bee wee honoured the fathers of our flesh which are mortall as is our flesh how much more should we honour the father of our spirits which is immortall as is our spirits Great reason haue we to reuerence this Father that neuer ceaseth to be our Father that hath prouided that euen when we lose our fathers we should yet stil haue our Father haue him for our Father which is the Father of Orphanes It is no small comfort nor weake pillar of our faith that we neuer want a Father yea our double birth readeth vs this Lecture For as we come out of our mothers wombe by the help of our mortall Parents so to signifie that we haue immortall parents we are then borne againe in the Churches wombe Neither doth this title teach vs only Piety but Charity also charity one towards another For whereas our mortall parents extend their consanguinity and affinity but to a few this euerlasing father extends his vnto all Malachy worketh vpon this Haue we not all one Father Cap. 2. wherefore then do you iniury one to another The blood should neuer be cold seeing wee are all kinne in the first degree all brethren sonnes of one father euen of him that is here called the euerlasting father But how commeth Christ to be called father who otherwise is called our brother he being the sonne of God and God being his father as hee is ours If you respect the Communion of