then all spices and the smell of her garments is like the smell of Lebanon But when Isaac smelled the savour of Iacobs garments they were nor his owne for c Gen. 27.15 Rebeccah tooke goodly rayment of her elder Son Esau and put them on Iacob As hee was cloathed with the rayment of his elder brother which gave such a sweet smell so the Church is cloathed not with the garment of her owne righteousnes but shee puts on the glorious robe of her elder brother CHRIST IESVS by which she is made the sweet Rose of Sharon Thirdly as the Rose is dead in winter but shoots forth againe at the Spring so though the members of the Church ly a long rime in the grave yet at the Spring of the resurrection they shal rise againe As long as the root is quick the branches will not die but flourish Christ is the root f Rev. 5.5 22.11 we are the branches g John 15.5 and our root did not rot in the ground but rose from the grave to certify us the branches of the resurrection As long as the head is above the water the body cannot bee drowned Christ is h 1 Cor. 11 3. Eph. 5.23 the head wee are i 1 Cor. 12.27 the body but Christ our head is risen from the dead and his members the Church shall assuredly rise from death to the Resurrection of life As Christ k Church Hom. of the Resurrection dyed not for himselfe no more did hee rise againe for himselfe but for us Quia tu Redemptor noster suscepit mortem ne mori timeremus ita ostendit resurrectionem ut nos resurgere posse confideremus for as our Redeemer dyed that wee should not be afrayd of death so he rose againe that we may bee sure of our Resurrection unto life GODS Covenant with his Church l Jerem. 31.33 I will be their GOD and they shall be my people m Peâ—kins on the Creed is an everlasting covenant to last for ever but if God should leave his people in the grave for ever how could they bee called the people of GOD for n Mat. 22.31 GOD is not the GOD of the dead but of the living and therefore seeing Gods Covenant is everlasting to all the Faithfull must rise from the dead that God may alwayes bee said to bee their God and the godly be alwayes said to be his people It is an especiall part of Gods glory to shew forth his mercy on the godly and his Iustice on the wicked to render o Rom. 2.6 to every man according to his deeds But here in this life p Eccles 9.2 all things come alike to all to the righteous and to the wicked and therefore there must bee a resurrection of the dead that the godly may have a reward from his mercy and the wicked from his justice Resurrectio quidem communis est ante tribunal Christi necesse est in corpore justos stare impios Dei hoc dictante justitia ut pietas impietas in operatoribus debitis stipendiis donarentur saith Saint Cyprian q De Resurrec Christi The resurrection indeed is common and it is necesssary that all both good and bad stand before the tribunall of Christ that both piety and impiety might receive a due wages in the workers thereof Et qui finem habâ—… contempserunt in malis infinita claâ—iderentur ultione in poenis qui gloriati sunt in cruce cum crucifixo regnantes beatae fierent perennitatis participes And that they which refused to have an end in evill might bee shut up in payne without end and they which gloried in the Crosse might reigne with him that was crucified and bee partakers of blessed everlastingnes For God as hee is principium effectivum in creatione refectivum in redemptione so hee is principium perfectivum in retributione r Ioh de Comb. Comp. Theol. lib. 4. cap. 11. as hee is the efficient cause in the creation the reficient in the redemption so he is the perficient in the retribution Why should any Epicure or Atheist deny that the omnipotent and everlasting God should bee able to raise mens bodies out of the dust when experience tells us that miserable and impotent men can by art make the curious workmanship of glasse Minus est Deo reparare quod erat quam fecisse quod non erat Å¿ S. Gregor It is a lesse matter to restore that which was than to make that which was not And therefore though the members of the Church should have their bodies torne in pieces by tyrants or consumed to ashes by fire or rent by wilde beasts or devoured by Wormes or Fishes yet they doe but rest a while in the earth for at the Resurrection they shall bee restored when they shall rise from their graves as the Rose in the Spring from the ground for therein the Church resembles the springing Rose of Sharon And so I come to the limitation of this attribute of Sharon The fruitfulnes of Sharon shewes that though the Church before Christ were barren like Sarah or Rachel yet by him it is made as fruitfull as Leah But I promised to proceed in the same method that I did before and therefore the word Sharon signifying any Field I must shew you that the Church resembles the Rose of the common Field in three respects First the Flowers of the Field grow by the providence of God without the helpe of man Campus ex semetipso flores producit absque omni humanae diligentiae adjutorio saith S. Bernard t In loc Ser. 47. The Field produceth her flowers without the industry of man So the Church is not planted by mans industry but by the providence of God The Trees u Doctor Dove on Cant. 4.12 grow not in it naturally as the Trees of the Forrest which beare no Fruit but they are planted by the labour and industry of the husbandman as the fig-Tree God planteth all that are in the Vine-yard of his Church as our Saviour saith w Mat. 15.13 Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up It is he that brings forth x Psal 80.8 his vine-yard out of Egypt plants it too The Church is a Vine-yard God is the husbandman that plants and keepes it it is watered by the word dressed by the Ministers refreshed by the comfortable Sun-shine of the Gospell And here is a difference y Doctor Hall Ser. on Isay 5.4 betweene Solomons Vine-yard and his that is greater then Solomon z Mat. 12.42 Solomon let out his Vine-yard a Sol. Song 8.11 to keepers but Christ keepes his in his owne hand hee useth the help of men sometimes but as tooles rather then agents hee works by them they cannot worke but by him And as it is planted by him so is it watered by him As Promotion so grace commeth b Psal 75 7.
comfort the heart And this physick doth hee still administer by his instruments his Embassadors by them that plant in the Pulpit and water in the presse that plant in their Doctrine and water in their conversation by them that administer such physick as he doth direct and apply such salves as the word doth prescribe for the healing of sick soules Secondly Christ heals immediately by himselfe pride was Adams bane Christ cured it by humility man surfeting fell by the forbidden Tree Christ fasting cured it by the cursed Tree Other Physitians d Stella in Luc. 5. restore health by opening of veynes by letting of bloud by giving of Potions and by prescribing of dyet but Christ this heavenly Physitian made e Staplet Prom. mor. Dom. inf oct nat Dom himselfe the Physick to heale us he tooke the bitter Potion f John 19.29 of vineger the deit of fasting g Mat. 4 2. the bloud-letting in his Hands his Feete his Side his Head his Body Mirabile plane incomparabile genus medicinae propter quam medicus voluit aegrotare aegrotos ipsos quibus salutis remedium procuravit sua decrevit infirmitate curare saith S. Aust. h De Sanctis Ser. 19. It was a wonderfull and incomparable kind of physick for which the Physitian would bee sick and determine to cure those sick persons to whō he procures health by his owne infirmity Esse hominis filius voluit ut nos Dei filios faceret humiliavit se ut populum qui prius jacebat erigeret vulneratus est ut vulnera nostra sanaret servivit ut ad libertatem servientes extraheret mori sustinuit ut immortalitatem mortalibus exhiberet saith S. Cyprian i De opere Elemos pag. 354 He would be made the son of man to make us the Sonnes of God he humbled himselfe that hee might exalt the humble he was wounded that hee might heale our wounds he became a servant that he might set us at liberty that were servants he dyed to restore immortality to mortall men And indeed Christs whole life whether you consider his Doctrine or his doings was healthfull and medicinable to us if we obey his precepts or imitate his patterne This Text hath been hitherto as a fruitfull Field wherein I have gathered some corne I shall now bind some profit of it up in sheaves that you may the better carry it away with you First therefore here we may see Christs love to us with astonishment and admiration What the Iewes said concerning Lazarus k John 11.36 when Christ raysed him from dead behold how he loved him so may we say behold how he loved us how deare and pretious our life hath been in his eyes may appeare by the greatnes of the price which hee payd for it even his owne life Quam indebita miseratio quam grata dilectio c. regem gloriae crucifigi pro despicatissimo vermiculo l Div. Bern. O how undeserved is that mercy how free is that love that the King of glory should be crucifyed for despicable Wormes It was a great love m Comper on Rom. 8. that Abraham shewed to Lot in hazarding his owne life n Gen. 14.14 and the lives of his family to rescue him out of the hands of Chedorlaomer but not comparable that love which our kinsman the Lord Iesus hath shewed unto us who hath given his life to deliver us out of the hand of our enemyes It was a wonderfull great love that God would make man like himselfe and all things for man greater love that he himselfe would be made man but greatest of all that he would dy for his salvation Secondly let us consider the odiousnes of sinne with hatred and detestation Thousands of Rams o Micah 6 7. nor ten thousands of Rivers of Oyle could not make satisfaction for sinne neither could the fruit of our body make satisfaction for the sinne of our soule but the Son of God must needs dy for the sins of man If sinne cost Christ so deare doubtles it will cost us dearer except we repent Memoria ergo crucifixi in nobis crucifigat omne peccatum p Div. Bern. is an excellent counsaile and worthy our practice therefore let the remembrance of Christ crucified cause us to crucify all sin in us he stretched out his hands on the Crosse to embrace us and let not us stretch out our hands to wickednes to disgrace him he was crucifyed for us let not us crucify him againe by our sins but crucify our sins that caused him to be crucified Thirdly Christ is a patterne for our imitation and that in three things First we must imitate him in the sweetnes of our action especially in dong good Secondly in our resurrection which is twofold the first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The one is a resurrection of the dead the other is a resurrection from the dead We must rise from the death of sinne to the life of grace if wee meane to rise from the death of the grave unto the life of glory But we must not rise as the Rose-tree doth at the spring to dy againe the next winter but with Christ he being raysed from the dead q Rom. 6.9 dyeth no more death hath no more dominion over him and we must so rise from the death of sin that we never commit the same sins againe Thirdly as Christ was conceived and borne for us so must we conceive and beare him in our hearts There is a threefold nativity of Christ Divine from his Father fleshly from his Mother and spirituall in the mind Ex patre nascitur semper de matre natus est semel in mente nascitur saepe saith Innocentius r Ser. 3. apud Barrad He is borne of his father alwayes he was borne of his Mother once and is borne in the mind often and we must endevour to keepe him there alwayes Forthly here is also matter of consolation and that in a double respect first as Christ is the Rose of the common Field and lyes open to all he refuseth none but those that refuse him Secondly because he is the Physitian of our Soules that is able to cure them hiding all our sins and healing all our Sores giving us spirituall health here and eternall health and happines hereafter Lastly as Elisha said to his servant concerning the good Shunamite ſ 2 Kings 4.13 She hath been carefull for us with all this care what is to be done for her so may I say to you concerning our Saviour he hath been thus carefull for us what shall we doe againe for him As he dranke to us in the cup of salvation so let us pledge him in the cup of thanksgiving as he gave himselfe a propitiatory sacrifice for us so let us give up our selves a gratulatory sacrifice of prayse and thankesgiving to him And let us fall downe with the t
for medicine so although Christs merits are common to all hee keepes open house for all commers yet those onely have full benefit by them that lay hold upon them God loved the World indeed a John 3.16 when he gave his onely begotten Sonne not onely to it but for it but those onely that believe on him shall not perish but have life everlasting Praedicatio Christi neminem excludit nisi qui sese suapte excluserit perfidia b Bullinger in Tit. 2 11. Christ excludes none but those that exclude themselves by unbeliefe The Apostle tells us c 2 Cor. 5 15. that Christ dyed for all And God d 1 Tim 2.4 will have all men to bee saved not all of the World as Origen would have it e Hom 9 in Gen recensetur inter eâ—rores ejus ab Abra. Scul teto in medull Patr. To. 1. lib. 6. cap. 6. that all men and divells also shall be saved at the last day But some say God will have all men to be saved which are saved not that there is none that shall not be saved but that all those that are saved are saved by the good will and pleasure of God so Aquinas f Part. 1. Quaest 19. Art 6. or as others God will voluntate qua invitat Because he puts no blocke in the way non voluntate qua efficit for he doth not remove the impediment so a learned professor g Doctor Prideaux Lect. Oxon. Lec 3. of Theology or else God will voluntate antecedente non consequente with his antecedent not consequent will so Aquinas h Vbi prius from Damascen as the Iudge in his antecedent will would have all men to live but in his consequent will he would have the malefactors to be put to death so God antecedenter will have all men to be saved but consequenter hee will have the wicked damned Or else Christ dyed for all secundum sufficientiam in respect of the sufficiency thereof but not secundum efficientiam in regard of the efficiency thereof as being effectuall onely to the faithfull or elect of God so the Master of the Sentences i Lib. 3 distin 19. Nich. de Orbell cum in Sent. though that distinction be exploded by many as well of the Church of Rome as of the Church of England which hold that onely to bee sufficient which is effectuall Illiricus k De Trop Schem Sacr. Litt. Trac 4. saies Christus actu passus est pro omnibus sed non actu salvantur aut omnibus actuejus passio prodest Christ suffered effectually for all but his sufferings are not effectuall unto all others would have the word all to bee understood non de singulis generum sed de generibus singulorum and then it is taken distributive not Collective as Logicians speake l Arist 2. Pol. cap 2. distributively for all sorts and conditions of men high and low rich and poore Iew and Gentile not universally for every particular person so S. Augustine m De Correp Gra. Cosma in 1. Tim. Lastly suppose it bee understood de individu is omnibus as some n Aretius in 1 ad Tim. cap. 2. of all particular persons God will have all to be saved conditionaliter if they will use and apply the meanes Christs bloud is like the poole of Bethesda o John 5.4 which was able to cure all manner of diseases but it cured none but those that did enter into it So though it be true which some p Clem. 5. apud Barradium affirme unam guttam sanguinis Christi pro redemptione totius humani generis suffecisse That one drop of Christs bloud was of sufficient vertue for the redemption of all mankind yet though it were all shed it is of no more vertue to him that will not lay hold upon it then a pardon would bee beneficiall to him that should either refuse or rend it The least drop of Christs bloud as hath been said in respect of the excellency of the person the innocency of the nature and the efficacy of the Crosse was sufficient to redeeme the World yet this excellent salve so soveraigne for all sores doth no more good to many then the most soveraigne Rose or Hearb of the Field can worke them health that will not apply it to their severall diseases Si quis non credit in Christum generali beneficio ipse se fraudat ut si quis clausis fenestris radios solis excludat saith S. Ambrose q Ser. 8. in Ps 118. If any believe not in Christ hee deprives himselfe of the benefit of his passion as if one by shutting the windowes should shut out the light of the Sun and therefore he that will not gather this Rose let him blame himselfe seeing hee is not inclosed in the garden but the Rose of the open Field Thirdly the Rose of the Field is for profit as well as pleasure it being healthfull for many Medicines as the Herbalists r Dodanaeus Lantgrave have observed so Christ was profitable for us and healthfull unto us He was knowne in the old Testament by this name I am Å¿ Exod 3.14 leaving a blanke for us to write what we will and he will supply the rest I am your Saviour your Physitian your guide your gayne your all in all for so he is to them that love him Before Christs coming the whole World was weake and wicked sickly and sinfull The generall consumption of goodnes the Dropsie of covetousnes the Tympany of pride the Gout of idlenes the tertian of incontinency and the quotidian of Gluttony did shew that Adam was turned Enosh full of infirmity Neither had this infirmity seised partially on it but with Iob t Job 2.7 from the sole of the foot to the crowne of the head they are all v Psal 14.1 corrupt Nulla sanctitas nulla sanitas Nor was this malady but newly entred or continued onely twelve yeares as the w Lu. 8 43. issue of bloud had with the woman or thirty and eight yeeres as the mans infirmity x John 5.5 at the poole of Bethesdah but the World had lyen bedrid almost foure thousand yeeres given quite over by the Law unto death in this forlorne hope came the y John 11.25 resurrection the life the sole Saviour and great physitian of the world crying out for our comfort the world is not dead but sleepeth restoring health two wayes mediate and immediate First mediate by meanes not as once by clay and spittle Secondly z John 9.6 as he restored sight to the blind or as Isaiah to Hezekiah a 2 Kings 20.7 by a lump of dry Figgs nor as Elisha b 2 Kings 5.10 to Naaman by the waters of Iordan but a Samaritanes cure c Luke 10.34 Wine to search and Oyle to supple the Law being a corrosive to kill the dead flesh and the Gospell a Cordiall to
man then this that a man lay downe his life for his friends but Christ suffered for us dum inimici essemus p Rom. 5.8 10. while wee were sinners and enemies and gave himselfe to death for us while wee were q Eph. 2.1 dead in trespasses and sins Wee read of some indeed that have been ready to dy for their friends as r Cicer. Offic. Damon for his Pithyas Pylades Å¿ Idem de Amici for his Orestes of whom the Poet. t Ovid. Extitit hoc unum quod non convenerat illis Hic negat inque vicem pugnat uterque mori They never fell out about any thing but this which of them should first lay downe his life for the other And wee read of some that have dyed for others as S. Austine reports v De Civitate Dei li. 8. cap. 5. of Castor and Pollux the sons of Tyndarus that Pollux intreated to impart halfe his life on his brother And we read that Codrus did willingly w Iustin dy for his countrey And also it is reported x Iuv. â—ill Subeuntem fata mariti Alcesten that Alcestes did undergo the destinies of her husband and by her death redeemed his life These shewed great loves in laying downe their lives but it was for them that loved them as much or had deserved so much at their hands But Christ layd downe his life for us not onely Sine nostris meritis sed cum nostris demeritis saith S. Bernard y In Cant. Ser. 15 when we deserved no love but when we deserved as much hatred from him as was due unto his enemies and extended the fruits of that love and the benefits of that passion to all that will lay hold upon them It is written of the Cherubins z 1 Kings 6.27 that they stretched out their wings ad parietes usque to the wall on each side full ten cubits so Christ being stretched forth upon the Crosse extended his benefits to the ends of the World hee stood open to receive all commers and spread forth the branches of his love unto all therein resembling the leaves of the Lilies of the Valleyes Thirdly the Lily Lactei floris herba unde nuncupata quasi lidia saith Isidore a Orig. lib. 17 cap 9. cujus cum candor sit in foliis auri tamen species intus effulget The Lily is a milke white Flower from whence it takes its denomination from the whitenes of it and the whitenes of the Lily may signify Christs eternity And therefore S. Iohn the divine describing the parts of Christs Body sayes b Rev. 1.14 his Head and his Haires were white like Wooll as white as Snow for though c Perkins on the Rev. as hee is man he had a beginning yet in regard of his God-head he is eternall and is therefore called d Dan 7.22 the ancient of dayes there is nothing more ancient then he for he had a being when all other creatures were not being begotten of his Father before all time And therefore the Arrian out of his envious pride e Sidenham Ser. on John 8.50 is at once bountifull and injurious willing to invest Christ with the title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but disrobes him of that glorious title and his owne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 granting him a like essence with the Father not the same equall to him in power not eternity for if he bee a sonne saith he he must be borne and if borne there was a time when there was on sonne Indeed it is true according to the course of nature but this is so farre above it that f Es 53.8 who can declare it Cum natum confitemur non tamen non natum praedicamus saith S. Hilary g De Trin. li. 12. When we confesse that he was borne we do not say that he was not borne For ubi author aeternus est ibi nativitatis aeternitas est Where the author of the birth is eternall there is also an eternity of the nativity and from an eternall begetter proceeds an eternall begetting Indeed the Word h John 1.14 was made flesh but non amiserat quod erat sed coeperat esse quod non erat saith the same Father hee ceased not to be what he was before but he began to be in a new manner that he was not before The name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iehovah derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Havah fuit he was in which name all time past present and to come is comprehended as the Rabbins k Becay on Ex. apul Aâ—nsworth have observed is given unto Christ who is called Ier. 23.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iehovah tsidkenu the Lord our righteousnes intimating that hee is the same GOD that is l Rev. 1.8 that was ab aeterno from all eternity and will be in aeternum to all eternity Hee being the same yesterday m Heb. 13 8. before his comming to day at his comming and for ever even at his comming againe Heare Christ testifying of himselfe n John 5.26 as the Father hath life in himselfe so hath he given to the Son to have life in himselfe Apertissime docet saith Saint Cyrill o Th saur lib. 10. cap. 1. quod sicut pater in seipso aeternaliter vitam habet sic filius aeternaliter vitam in seipso habet As the Father hath life eternally in himselfe so hath the Son life eternally in himselfe As he was man p Athanas Creed of the substance of his Mother borne in the World so was he God of the substance of his Father begotten before the Worlds for hee is eternall being the white Lily of the Valleys But whitenes more properly signifies innocency and therefore the Latines call innocency candor which signifies whitenes and innocent men candidi white men and the holy Ghost seemes to allow it for the Church is said q Rev. 19.8 to be arrayed in fine linnen cleane and white which is the righteousnes or innocency of the Saints Seeing then that folia liliorum sunt purissima tam intus quam extra candidissima the Lily is most pure and white both within and without it fitly resembles the innocency both of Christs nature and action Nigra sunt vitia virtus candida est saith S. Bern. r In Cant. Ser. 7. vices are blacke but vertue is white So that Cicero might well affirme Å¿ De legibus li. 2 that Color albus praecipuè decorus Deo est the whitest colour is most agreeable to the highest Son of GOD. Absque liliis nunquam est qui absque vitiis semper est t Div. Bern. ubi supr He is never without the whitenes of the Lily that is ever without the blacknes of sinne Hee is fayrer then u Psal 45.2 the children of men And it may more truely be sayd of him then it was of Absolom w 2 Sam. 14.25 But in
gloriae pompaque jactantiae saith Saint Chrysostome q Apud Barraa In doing those miracles which Christ would not have told he shewed how farre hee was from vayne glory and seeking prayse of men but in those miracles that hee would have to bee divulged hee shewes how free hee was in seeking glory to GOD for hee bidds the man that was freed from his legion of divells to shew r Luke 8.39 how great things not hee but God had done for him And all the time of his life wherein hee wrought his miracles hee went about doing of them he rode not in any stately manner but went on foot neither do I read that hee did ride at all but once when hee rode upon an Asse s Mat. 21.25 into Hierusalem And when he sate Nun quam in sede nec in pulvinari sed in ipsa superficie terrae modo in montibus modo apud fontes sedet docet saith St. Chrysostome t Hom. 67. in Mat. Christ sate and taught not on any couch or chayre of state sometimes on the mountaines sometimes by the fountaines alwaies on the superficies of the earth Fiftly Christ shewed his humiltty in his dying It was great love and as great Humility for him to be cloathed with the vaile of our nature and to undertake the infirmities of our feeble nature yet it was greater love and humility too for him to be compassed with the shadow of death and to undergoe the penalty due to our sinfull nature What humilitie could bee greater then that the Lord of life should suffer a shamefull and ignominious death that hee that was gloria Angelorum should become opprobrium hominum he that was the glory of Angells should be made the u Psal 22 6 scorn of men and despised of the people Thus Christ knowing that humilitie did suite well with the head when the body was sicke with pride bowed w Psal 18.9 the heavens and came downe there was the humilitie of his Godhead not putting it off but clothing it with the raggs of flesh And from his birth to his buriall from the time of his being borne in another mans stable untill the time of his being buried in another mans tombe he alwaies shewed the humility of his manhood never ceasing untill his head were laid under the earth his foot-stoole So that wee may say of him with St. Bernard x De Pass Dom. Nemo illo sublimior nemo humilior there was none more lofty none more lowly none more high and none more humble then he he humbled himselfe saith the Apostle y Philip. 2.8 and became obedient unto death even the death of the Crosse in all his humilitie shewing himselfe to bee the Lily of the Vallies Now because it is not enough for us to feede on the Word as the Israelites might z Deut. 23 24 25. on their Neighbours Grapes and Corne while they were in their Vine-yards or Fields but might carry none away with them I shall briefly therefore shake some of the Boughes and give some of the Fruit of that which hath been delivered to every one that will carry it away with him First therefore in that CHRIST resembles the Flower of the Lilies and is open towards Heaven but close and shut towards earth wee may from thence learne to know the seat of our affection to set our affections a Col. 3.1 2. on things above and to seeke those things and not the things on earth Christians receive their name from Christ Et operae pretium est quod sicut sunt haeredes nominis ita sint imitatores sanctitatis saith S. Bernard b Seaten pag. 496. It is fit that as they are heires of his name so they should bee imitaters of his nature and conversation Conversatio autem Christi apertè docet praesentia contemnere ad futura spem dirigere saith the same Father c Pag 17.23 But the conversation of Christ doth plainly teach us to contemne present riches and to love future not to mind things present but to place our hopes on things to come Secondly let us shew our love to Christ by pitty and compassion Christ resembling the leaves of the Lilies did extend his love downeward toward us let us extend our love upward toward him As Christ shewed his love every way to us so let us shew our love every way to him hee loved us even when hee was dying let us love him all the time wee are living Christus quanto pro me vilior tanto mihi charior saith S. Bernard d In Epiph. Ser. 1. The more vile the Sonne of God Was made for us so much the more deare should hee bee unto us Domine Iesu dilexisti me plus quam te quoniam mori voluiâ—li pro me c. pudeat non redamare te pro tanto amore tuo e S. Augustine O Lord Iesu thou hast loved me more than thy selfe in that thou wouldest vouch safe to dy for me it would be a great shame for me not to love thee againe for this thy so great love Thirdly Christ was an example for us to imitate in our conversation and that in three respects First in innocency we may learne from him to bee f Mat. 10.16 wise as Serpents and innocent as Doves Secondly as Christ was conversant with sinners but not defiled with sinne so though wee live in the midst of a sinfull generation with Noah yet let us not participate with the evill of the time or place or company where wee live I doe but touch of these things by way of application to this subject because I must speake more of them by way of explication in the next Thirdly and lastly Christ is a patterne unto us of humility Remember that Christ is a Lily of the Vallies God g Angelom in loc is the God of humble men and humility was taught us from him by precept and patterne Puderet te forsan imitari hominem humilem saltem imitare humilem deum saith S. Austin h In John Tract 23. Thou wouldst bee ashamed perhaps to imitate an humble man yet at least imitate a humble God Men are ready to allow Court fashions and the greater the personage the sonner is the fashion followed Now Christ our King tooke on him the fashion of humility and all that meane to bee accepted in his court must weare the same fashion For Quid detestandum amplius quid gravius puniendum quam ut videns deum coeli parvulum factum ultra apponat homo magnificare se supra terram Intolerabilis impudentiae est ut ubi sese exinanivit Majestas vermiculus infletur intumescat saith S. Bernard i Flores â—eâ—n pag. 2133. What is more to bee detested what more worthy to be punished then that man which seeing the God of Heaven to become little on earth should exalt himselfe above earth It is an intolerable impudency that where Majesty became
that lash for a short space indeed she had peace under the Emperour Constantine but presently in the time of Arrius shee was troubled with persecution To Solomons Temple there was purpureus ascensus as the latine version renders it h Cant. 3.10 a covering of purple that Temple was a type of the Church and the covering shewes that it weares the colour of the Rose Oportebat Christum pati It behoved Christ to suffer i Luke 24.46 and afterward to enter into his glory must hee suffer before hee could enter into his owne glory and is the Disciple greater then his Master to thinke to come thither without it Christi nativitas à martyriis infantum statim coepit per quod ostensum est saith S. Cyprian k Ad Thibarit de cxhar mart Epist 56. pag. 126. neminem esse à periculo persecutionis immunem Quam ergo gravis causa sit hominis Christiani servum pati nolle cum prior passus sit dominus pro peccatis nostris nos pati nolle cum peccatum suum proprium non habens passus sit ille pro nobis The martyrdome of Infants did follow presently after the birth of Christ by which is shewed that there is no member of the Church free from the prickles of persecution And how grievous is the case of a christian man that the servant will not suffer when his Lord hath suffered before him that we should not suffer for our sins when he that did no sin suffered for us Noahs Arke was tossed up and down by the waves of the floud rested not untill it lighted on the l Gen. 8.4 Mountaines of Ararat that Arke was a type of the Church which is tossed up down in the Sea of this World by the waves of persecution one wave following in the necke of another and findeth no rest untill it come to that mountaine of holinesse that haven of happinesse where it would be Persecutio nunquam deest Christiano neque Christo saith St. Bernard m In Convers Paul pag. 68. as Christ was not so the Church must not looke to bee free from persecution Erras frater erras si putas unquam Christianum persecutionem non pati saith St. Hierom n Epist. 1. thou art deceived brother thou art deceived if thou thinkest that a Christian at any time should not suffer persecution Look backe to the infancy of the Church when there was but one family in the world the family of Adam where was the Church and you shall see Cain persecuted Abel and o Gen. 4 8. Mat 23.35 slew him Abraham was the father p Rom. 4.16 of the faithfull and yet in his family Ismael persecuted Isaack and mocked him q Gal. 4 30. Gen. 21.9 Israell was Gods peculiar people yet what did they suffer in the time of their foure hundred Yeares captivity in Aegypt under Pharaoh After they came out of Aegypt how were they afflicted by the Canaanites the Moabites the Ammonites the Philistines which were r Numb 33.55 as prickes in their eyes and thornes in their sides What cruell persecution did they suffer under Antiochus Epiphanes in whose time all were commanded ſ 2 Macab 6. to bee put to death that would not depart from the law of their God Descend downe to the time of the Gospell what exquisite torments have been inflicted upon many Myriads of Christians under the ten most bloody and grievous persecutions some being torne in peeces with wild beasts as Ignatius some broyled on the Gridiron as Lawrence some stoned to death as t Euseb Eccle. hist lib. 6. cap. 40. Metras others burned to death by a slow fire as Iulianus u Ibi lib. 8 cap. 39. of Cappadocia and the rest put to that accuratenesse of torments that wee may say of them as the Christians did certifie the Pope w Turk Hist. page 13. in their letters that they did every day suffer that which Christ their King suffered but once to bee dayly buffetted scourged peirced So that what would now be accounted cruelty was then accounted the Emperours clemency x Eus li. 8. cap. 12. When he commanded the right eye of the christians to be plucked out and the empty place seared and the left leg to bee cut off and the place seared and condemned them to the mine-pits And to shew that they did seeke rather jugulare animos quam corpora to slay their soules then their bodies they did put them to such lingring torments as if they meant to kill them often Morsque minus poenae quam mora mortis habet It is a greater payne to be long a dying then death it selfe yet I read that one Peter a Page to the Emperour refusing to sacrifice at Nicomedia was hoysed up y Idem ibi cap. 6. on high and his naked body scourged and his flesh rent in peeces with the lash of the whip and when the bones were bare they powred vineger mixed with salt into the wounds and bruised parts of his body and then hee was layed on a Gridiron with a slow fire under to consume him untill hee dyed Quis talia fando z Virgil. Temperet à lacrymis If it bee a griefe to us seriously to consider those torments what was it in them to endure them Not long after the tenth persecution ended the the heresy of Arrius a Perkins on Heb. 11. raised up by the divell brought as greivous persecutions on the Church as ever the Pagans did dying and colouring the Easterne churches with the bloud of GODS Saints for the space of fourscore yeares together Since that time what have some of the Romanists effected With what rage and malice fire and faggot have they proceeded against all those that professe not their errors What b Conr. Theodor. Dieter excommunications burnings killings hangings they have inflicted upon the true professours of the Gospell the massacre of Paris and the death of many thousands of Christians both in this Kingdome and others do sufficiently testify So that the Church did seeme to dwell like the man in the Gospell c Marke 5.3 among the tombs And Christianus d Luther loc Com. Ti◠Calamit seemes to bee crucianus A christian may seeme to bee derived as well from Christs crosse as from Christ Sanguine fundata est Ecclesia sanguine crevit Sanguine succrevit sanguine finis erit The Church was begun with the blood of Abel strengthened by the bloud of the Prophets increased by the bloud of the Martyrs and all e 2 Tim. 3,12 that will live godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution If any should aske the reason why the Church is subject to the prickles of persecution I answer it is both in respect of the godly and in respect of the wicked An iron being put into the fire and heat red hot is afterward layd on the anvill and then every blow struck upon it doth make
thereof Humility is the first step toward Heaven and I know not how they that misse that may ascend any higher How can any thinke to thrust into Heaven by that that made Satan be cast out pride was the divells ruine and can any thinke it should be his raysing And that we may practise humility wee may learne it d Destruct vitior from things without us from things we carry with us from things about us and from God above us First from things without us even from the earth it selfe from whence we came and whither we must for God tells Adam e Gen. 3.19 dust thou art and to dust thou shalt returne So that when thou seest the earth remember thy Sepulchre And what cause hast thou to be proud if thou consider that the earth which is now under thy feete shall shortly bee over above thy head Secondly we may learne humility from what we carry with us even from our selves if we consider our ingresse into the World our progresse in the World and our egresse out of the World First the ingresse of mans life is miserable he beginning his life with teares as bewayling the miseries of his succeeding ages Secondly the progresse of mans life is short and transitory but a f Psal 39.6 spannlong and as short as g Psal 90.9 a tale that is told Thirdly mans egresse is bitter and terrible and therefore death is sayd to be h Aâ—â—iot 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the King i Job 18.14 of terrors And what cause then hath man to be proud when at his birth his conception is detestable in his life his conversation culpable and at his death his dissolution terrible Thirdly wee may learne humility from men about us when we consider that many of our brethren are poore or lame or blind or miserable and we are made of the same matter in the same mould and deserve it as well as they And therefore what cause hast thou to be proud thou being as subject to those calamities as they knowest not how soone thou mayst fall into them Lastly we may learne humility from God above us God reresisteth the proud k 1 Pet. 5.5 but giveth grace to the humble The humble are in Gods eyes as Starres are in mans though they seeme little yet they are great Quanto quis humilior fuit de seipso tanto major erit in conspectu dei saith S. Austin l Ad sâ—aâ—r in Erem Ser. 7 how much the more humble a man is in his owne eyes so much the greater is he in the sight of God We bow our selves at the example of some great person or if we were to goe in at some low dore or if a sword hang over our heads and we under it But the sword of Gods wrath hangs over the proud and we are to enter in by the low dore Christ who hath left us an example of humility To behave our selves humbly est Christum scire imitari saith S. Bazil m De Abdicat veram is to imitate Christ but to carry ones selfe proudly est Diabolo se similem praebere that is to be like the Divell And now I am sure thou hast no cause to bee proud except thou meanest to be conformable to the divell and abhominable to God To conclude without any further application because what hath beene spoken of this part hath for the most part beene by way of application Let every true Israelite fill his Omer with this spirituall Mannah Let every one take a posy of these Flowers home with him nay let him compose himselfe as it were a posy of them And let us all shew that we have the sweetnes of the Rose and the whitenes of the Lily by innocency in our selves and charity to others that Christ that feedeth n Sol. Song 6.3 among the Lillies may take delight in us and accept us for his Spouse to live with him for evermore Which God grant we may all doe for Iesus Christ his sake our onely Lord and Saviour To whom with thee O Father and thy blessed Spirit be ascribed all Honour and Glory might and Majesty now and for ever Amen FINIS