known sinnes Rise wee to the top of a billow why there is the throne of a iudge to coÌ„demne vs. Fall we againe to the bottome why there is a place of torment to follow vs. Then haue wee not memory for all euen so short a speach as that of the Apostles Luk. 8.24 Lord helpe vs or wee perish But so possest are we with the thought of our owne ende that no more but the ende of it runnes vpon our tongues and wee cry onely wee perish Here euen so constant a minde as Bernards incredibili metâ—â— ac miserabiliconfusione deiecta as hee himselfe speakes stricken as it were to the grounde with so great feare as no heart would thinke but any would pittie Nay tenebroso circumfusa horrore as it were close prisoner in darknesse and horror Hoc solum and that de profundis too clamabat as it were from the bottomlesse pit will not haue a worde to speake but quis nouit pot estatem iraeti lae Lord who is able to conceiue aright what the power of thy anger is And whom doth any feare so little appall that his wits serue him to reckon the torments that attend on thy displeasure Here needes not trow wee to so perplexed a Pilot as that poore soule of ours which God hath set at the sterne of this vnwealdie bodie some land-marke to giue it comfort against the feare in which it is and direction for the course it is to take Is it not high time that a Sauiour by a generall wheresoeuer should show that Hauen wheÌ„ the destroyer by a generall No-where hath almost perswaded there is no Heauen yes and that failes hee not to doe Heare him distressed soule whosoeuer thou art Hange sinne so heauie vpon thee that it seemes thou canst not make any wing And be the place to which thou must take thy flight whersoeuer it will yet shalt thou bee able to recouer it Faire it with thee as that did with the Doue and finde thou no other place yet shalt thou not misse of thee hande of this Noah for thy foote to rest vpon Spectat militem suum vbique pugnantem as Ciprian saith Be it wheresoeuer it will that the aduersarie set vpon thee it cannot be so darke a place but thy Sauiours eye is vpon thee too either if thou faint to cheere thee or if thou fight it out to Crowne thee Is it the guarde with which this way is kept that scares thee why is it stranger than was that of Paradice It cannot cut thee off Take not an Angell but Angels euen Principalities vnto thee and ioyne they vnto themselues noe lesse than Powers Attende there vpon these death to dispatch thee life to corrupt thee things present to delight thee thinges to come to suspende thee height to discorage thee depth to afright thee Nay an armie royall of all creatures to ouerrunne thee what greate thinge shall they all be able to do Not so much as to seperate or with-holde thee not from the person but neither the very loue and that is in the hearte thou knowest and of whom of God himselfe Rom. 8.38 Know thou no more particulers of this kingdome than Abraham did of that which was the type of it And haue hee which cals thee hither from out thy kinred and from thy fathers house tolde thee no more but that hee will shewe thee this Lande yet passe thou on securely there will come a time in which brought to thy iorneyes ende ere thou be a warre thou shalt heare This is the lande which I will giue to thy seede And know thou no more of the coaste of this way than Abrahams seruant did of that which ledde to Bethuell yet relie with him but vpon the conduct of the GOD of his maister and hee shall bring thee as straight hither as hee did him whithersoeuer It followeth The bodie is or as Theophilact readeth and that both in the iudgement of Hierome and vpon the warrant of good reason and euen by the confession of the Sire-newe Scholiast himselfe more significantly The deade bodie For this kinde of reading makes both the Syriacke edition of this place in which for this bodie we reader Dephegad of Phagad to destroy as one woulde say the destroyed or slaine And the originall to the fellow text to this in the 24. of Mat. where we finde not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to sal likewise for acakrasse Mat 24.27 because as Ierom saith It falleth by death And the grounde whence this prouerbe in the 39. Iob. 33. verse where euen the vulgar Latine inforced by the nature of the hebrew Calalim comming of Calal to wound or kill reads this vbicunque fuerit caedauer flatim adest Whersoeuer the carkas or deade bodie is thither will it speaking of the Eagle shortly resort Heere therefore not to say how inconuenient it may in reason bee to take this body which so many waies is a deade one for the Church whose verie stones Saint Peter tels are liuing 1. Peter 1.51 In this marke at which this flight is to bee made there are two things to bee considered First it is tearmed a bodie Then this bodie is saide to be a deade one Both not without singuler wisdome of the Spirit First of the bodie it selfe then of the qualitie of it it is a deade one Very much is there worth both our attention memory in this little which here the Euangelist giues our Sauiour when hee tearmes him a bodie For without labour such is the dexteritie of the Spirit of God both armes hee vs against an error which the Diuell hath sowne in the Church and warnes of a benefit which our God hath bestowed vpon his Church For what Christian hauing his Sauiour tearmed a bodie is either so dull as not to conceiue that then Marcion mistooke his marke who taught that hee was but a shadowe or so vnthankefull as not to recount that for his sake was this bodie in vnspeakable humilitie assumed of God in the birth of Christ and in vnconceiueable loue offered vpon the Altar of the Crosse in the death of Christ At this wisedome stand amazed with mee At this loue melt with iee flesh if thou be not harder than stone Thy Sauiour is a bodie remeÌ„ber this with this also in the 24. Luk. 39. wherewith himselfe satisfied his Disciples that he was not a Spirite For hee had flesh and bones and with these two texts stop the Heretikes mouth if euer he assault thee Thy Sauiour is a bodie remember this and with this also that which his Apostle S. Peter tels thee 1. Pet. 2.24 that with this bodie he hath borne thy sins vpon the Crosse and then lift vp thy head and reioyce let thy thoughts be comforts to thy selfe thy words praises to thy God thy deedes good deeds to thy brethren Thy Sauiour is a body remember this withall that which the Doctour of the
Gentils 1. Cor. 6.15 tels thee that thou art a member of this bodie And then bethinke thy selfe what honor is due to thy bodie How ill it will beseeme thee to pollute it with any sinne which hee who was without sin hath vouchsafed to accept as his own flesh Thy Sauiour is a body remeÌ„ber this and with all That in this body he shal returne to iudge the earth For it was the son of man whom the high Priest was promised one day to see in the Clouds Mat. 26.64 And no other but very him whom they preached vndertakes Iohn vnto the soldiers they should behold Iohn 19.37 And to the sonne hath the father giuen the power to iudge and by this title as to the sonne of man Ioh. 5 27. And then say whether that speach of Paule vnto Agrippa Act. 26.2 will not be fitter for thy mouth than it was euen for his I thinke my selfe happie sweete Sauiour if I shall answere this day before thee Chiefly because thou hast knowledge of all customes whether they bee the aduersaries who is busie in assalting or this fleshes who is false in betraying or this poore soule which is weake in resisting That flesh of mine which Iudas-like with a kisse to thy Deity deliuered thee into the hands of so many Temptations hath giuen thee experience of them all I see the woundes yet bleede which were taken for my sins and loe my nature is assistant in iudgement to assure mee it shall be pattaker in glorie Gen. 43 34 Is my Ioseph thus greate then shall not his brother Beniamins entertainement bee small And if Hester be so deare to Assuerus sure her kinsman Mardochy shall haue his day Hest 6 1. There is in store for him a robe and a ring and a horse and a crowne and a traine to proclame his sauour Thus shal it be done to the man whom the king will honour Thy Sauiour is a bodie remember this withall that which himselfe hath auerred in the sixt of Iohn That this bodie and flesh of his is meate indeede and then neuer doubt but thou shalt haue wherewithall to strengthen thine heart Let the windowes of heauen be shut that the raine cannot fall to moisten let the face of the skye bee darkned that the Sunne cannot breake out to ripen let the poores of the earth be locked that the fruite cannot spring forth to feede thee yet art thou prouided for thy diet Thy Sauiour his bodie shall bee to thee the widdowes Barrell and Cruse neuer shall this meale if I may so terme it of his flesh 1 King 17 16 nor this Oyle of his blood faile thee The meate that hee will giue thee endureth vnto euerlasting life So saith himselfe Iohn 6.27 The water that hee will giue shall be to him that drinketh of it a Well of water springing to euerlasting life so vndertakes himselfe Iohn 4.14 Findes the Fowle her prey delightfull when she tyres vpon it Bee ruled by Dauid Come and tast of thy Lord and thou shalt finde him more than so no lesse than euen sweete Finds the Fowle her prey hartie Heb 10 22 and growes shee high by tyring vpon it Bee aduised by Saint Paule Drawe neare thy Sauiour with a pure heart in assurance of faith and thou shalt finde him more than so Such fulnes shalt thou meete with in him wherof not thou but wee all both may doe receiue and what receiue wee no meaner things than very grace and it not mincingly But so thinke Iohn 1.16 as grace for grace or as some interpret grace vpon grace or grace in the necke of grace Pro Legis gratia Gratiam Euangelij as Augustine speakes In time past the grace of the lawe but it not seruing to bring vs to God In the fulnesse of time the grace of the Gospell and with this one grace as with one hande manie fingers how many graces The grace of Redemption for to purchase it vnto vs he giues himselfe who is this bodie 1. Tim. 2.6 The grace of spirituall growth for both is his age The measure and his Spirite The meanes of this growth of ours The grace of Sanctification for this that hee might conferre on vs Ephes 4.13 fanctified hee himselfe The grace of Glorification for to harbing as it were Iohn 17.19 to prepare for our instalment therein is hee before ascended into heauen so that sparing is his commendations of our sauiour as the Psalmist Iohn 14 2 Psal 45 2 full of grace are not his lips only but his whole bodie also In whatrespect Christ is termed a bodie you see why a deade one let vs now inquire May it bee in regarde of the estate wherin he either now is or hereafter may bee No hee hath had his â—â—persedeas for death euer since his resurrection Christ once rysing from death Rom 9 6 dieth no more death hath no more dominion ouer him And though himselfe confesse that he was deade yet addes he that now the case is altered For why he is aliue that not for a time but for euermore Amen Reue 1 18 The tearme therefore of being deade which here the Euangelist giues him hath relation to a state of his which is past For hee was indeede as you haue heard de ade Exo 12 46 witnesse the souldiers who because they fouÌ„d him so vnwittingly ful filled the scripture whilst they saued the needlesse paines Iohn 19 33 as they tooke it of breaking his legges And had he not so beene hard of digestion would our weake-stomackt faith haue found him For as in the lawe Leuit 17 13 were it beast or fowle that was taken by trauell such as for his kinde might lawfully bee eateâ—â— yet must the bloode of it bee shed aâ—â— couered with dust ere it were eaten 〈◊〉 in the gospel were this Lambe which we had not caught indeede Gen 27 20 but which as Iacob saide of his venison the Lord our GOD hath brought it into our hands neuer so cleane and indeede without spot of sinne was it yet must his side be opened with the speare and his body hid in the dust of the graue before he coulde be diet for our soules Phisitions both in their directions in diet prescribe the flesh of the doue as wholsome and in their practise applye the bloode of it a soueraigne against certaine diseases of no baser parts than the eye and the braine For Galen in his tenth booke of the vertue of Symples giues it against the bruses called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which make euery thinge wee looke on seeme redde And Iul. Alex. liber 12. Capite 4. salubrium commendeth it as a most speciall baulme to bee dropped vpon the corners off the Braine called Pia and dura mater in the woundes of the heade which though they doe yet in the feare of inflaÌ„mation councell they a kinde of diuorce of these two so wholesome parts and wish this birde to
sligded but straight she is grapling with the Dragon And heere 's a right note of an Eagle indeede to single such an enemie who hath bene thousandes of yeares in armes against his God Ierones his head would now giue proofe of a good subiect to his prince but this Dragons head of a better to his God Should we turne taile to this foe wee shoulde doe what in vs lies to make both God a lier our selues periured He hath promised to put an edge in Gen. 3.15 vs against him I will put enmity betweene this feede and her head And that this enemy should grow to encoūter him wound him in the verie head Hee shall bruise thy very head And wee our selues haue vndertaken in our baptisme to do as much You haue often herad how careful Hawiball was of maintaining the quarrell against the Romaines which his father Hamalcar had sworne him to And you haue often heard how harde God pressed the disobedient Iewes with the Rhecabits obseruance of their fathers charge Put these together Shall not heathen Hanniball rise in iudgement against vs if we rise not in courage against this Dragon against whō we haue passed an oath still to be in armes Were the losse small by his friendship it were another matter But it cost vs if wee remember Paradise Or were the gaine but small by this conquest it were another matter But it is euen that or greater for which once we ventured All we shall be like not Dij Gods that are so base to haue fellowes but Deus that one God that is aboue al in all And how so He made all good and so saith Origen in a sort shall we doe Nobis saltem qui malis aduer samur wee shall make the Diuell him selfe good vnto vs the conquest of whom shall be the matter of our glorie Nowlong you to be bickering with him and woulde any of you know where to finde him Aske Macarius he wil tell you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heere man here is his forme when God bids you be angrie with the Dragon he bids you be angrie with your selues and when hee wils you to fight against him he wils you to fight against your owne lust for they as the Apostle hath giuen you intelligence fight against you Leo in his sermon of the 7. of Macab hath descried within you a whole Ambuscado of his couetousnes which tell mee citizens if you neuer founde there pride which tell me Ladies if you neuer found there Anger which tell me Captaines if you neuer founde there Pleasures which tell mee Courtiers if you neuer founde there Lies which tell mee Lawyers if you neuer found there And if you euer did doe as there bee wishes you Cum viderit is multiplicem pugnam numer◠sam quaerite victoriam Set vpon all there and get many crownes for many conquests One saith a Captaine and his companie is like a birde whereof the Captaine is the bodie which mooueth the winge and the cōpanie the winges which beare vp the bodie As therefore if you can breake the winges you may easilie seize vpon the birde So if you can cut off these forces of the Dragon which are his wings you shall at pleasure catch him which is the bodie And thus briefly of the Foe the fourth note of an Eagle The fist if you remember was the Age and that of the nature that it might be renewed And this is that peculiar of the Soints Iob. 11.17 which was Zephers warrant to promise iust Iobe that his age should shine and appeare more cleare than the moone day Ephes 4.23 And Paules commission to enioyne the conuerted Ephesians to so greate a taske as to bee renewed in the spirit of their minde And Augustines grounde for that note of his vpon Abrahams sacrifice in the 15. of Gen. where though the age of euerie beast hee offered bee set downe his Ramme his Goate each three yeare olde yet of his birdes by which Spiritual men are ment he are wee no such thing De auium aetaete tacetur they haue specified no stint of yeares Esay 40.31 because they haue indee de no ende of yeares Now this reparing of the Eagle is in two points The melting her soarefethers the casting her ouergrown bill Plin. lib. 10. Cap. 3. For the former of which her meanes is as some Hebrewes write to bath in a spring for the latter with Augustine the streame of waters accord to beate it against a rocke Euen so haue the chosen ones of God both two meanes and two degrees of their reuocation The first of their meanes baptisme answerable to her bathing Gal. 3.27 For as many of vs as are baptized haue put on Christ The second 2. Co. 1.10 Repentance like her beating against the Rock for both as painefull is it hauing sorrow for his mother of whom it is bred Act. 11.18 and it is fruitfull hauing life for his daughter which it bringeth forth The first of their degres Viuification or a spiritual ioy vpon a feeling they haue of pardon for hauing done amisse and strength hereafter to doe better The other their Glorification or the change of their corruption into the state of Angels by their resurrection Of the former wee haue one example in Paule now so woe begone as to break out into Owretched man that I am who shal deliuer me from this bodie of death Rom. 7.25 I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord neuer more desperate disease neuer more quicke cure For the latter they haue his worde whose credit is so good that hee needes not the testimonie of men In the resurrection they shall bee like the Angels of God in heauen Ma. 22.30 though not with out bodies as they yet as free from corruption as they But of this I haue elsewhere spoken at large Here my note is that euery one who will goe for an Eagle must both molt and replume Shall I speake plaine Vide pro. cap. 24. v. 16. must so search euerie corner in his heart for sinne till hee finde himselfe almost as farre gone as euen now you heard Paule was They bee the broken hearts Christ came to heale The whole in opinion for in truthe there are none they either haue noe neede or shall haue noe vse of his phisicke But you must not stay here Bernard saith God hath two knees a left one of iudgement and a right one of mercie If thou be a sinner and therefore on his left hand thou must indeede take his left knee in thy way till thou tremble for feare But thē by it creep to the right which wil make the spring for ioy Heare secure wantons from whome sin yet neuer wrong teare whom the Viol de la Iambo hath a charge to keepe from melancholie looke vp see another Viol that wil one day as much noble all your sences as that delighteth one It is a Violl of wrath which shall bee powred