calling their washings of their cups 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So the Latin Interpreter frequently renders it as in S. Marke c. 7. a foro nisi baptizentur non comedunt as likewise in S. Luke ch 11.38 the Pharisie began to say Quare non baptizatus esset ante prandium the use being then to wash their hands and vessels before they did eate which appeares Luk. 2. to have been the Cause in Providing the many water pots at the Mariage of Cana according to the manner of the purifying of the Iews The word was afterward receiv'd into a Sacred use In which sense also there are diversities of baptisme a baptisme there is of water but it is of Teares the baptisme of Repentance with which that woman as some think was baptized that with her teares wash'd our Saviour's feet There is a baptisme of Affliction the baptisme of Martyrdome the baptisme of blood as the Ancients call'd it of which our Saviour speaks Mat. 20.22 can you be baptised with the baptisme that I am baptised There is a baptisme of Fire that is of the Spirit a powring out of the guifts of the Holy Ghost which sometimes is given before the baptisme of Water as appeares in the story of Cornelius where the hearers of the Word receiv'd the Holy Ghost Act. 10.44 and afterwards were baptised v. 48. There is a Baptisme also of the Flood as it is term'd a baptisme of water the Ordinary Sacrament which may be called also the baptisme of Blood since the power of it depends upon Christ's blood 1 Ioh. 1.7 The blood of Christ washes us from all sinne It may be call'd also the baptisme of Fire since Christ's blood is apply'd to us through Faith by the Holy Ghost Thus the inward baptisme is of the Spirit as the outward is of the Water Which last of Water the Spirit was before hand pointed out by many Types Foreshew'd it was in the Flood that drown'd the World preserv'd Noah 1 Pet. 3.21 Foreshew'd it was in the passage through the Red Sea in which Pharoah was drown'd and the Israelites Saved 1 Cor. 10.6 thus in this Baptisme is sinne drow'd and the soule preserved Foreshew'd it was in the Iraelites dwelling under the Cloud 1 Cor. 10.2 such protection there is to the true Receiver from the water of Baptisme Foreshew'd it was in the Leviticall Washings as the Apostle observes Heb. 9.10 By all which types besides the expresse Institution of our Saviour we may see the Element in which this Sacrament is to be performed is Water Perversely then did those which S. Austin speakes of baptize in Fire literally taking and so mistaking that Mat. 3.11 He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with Fire More subtilly also than soundly doe some Schoolemen question If the Element of Water as in case of necessity may not be had whether or no it may not be supplyed by Wine or Vinegar or Sand so vaine are man's Imaginations without God when in Divine matters Phansie shall be presciption where the Element is deny'd the Sacrament is deny'd though not alwaies the blessing of the Sacrament Presumptuously likewise do the Aethiopians first baptize with Water then with Fire It is an unreasonable practice yet were it lesse fond if it were senselesse too but they deliver this Sacrament of the Gospell as the Law was delivered with fire when as the practice in this Sacrament should be continued as it begunne in water only in water What wisedome is it then to put Salt into the mouth of the Infant though to figure out the salt of wisedome by which he must be cleansed from the putrifaction of sinne what wisedome to touch with spittle the Eare though to instruct us that they must be open to instruction what wisedome to use Milke and Hony though they shaddow-out his claime to the Substance and Possession of the truest Canaan which so excells the first that excell'd with these blessings what wisedome to adde Oile for the annointing of the Brow the Brest the Shoulders though to implye the baptised must be thence forth a Champion of Christ what wisedome to bring a burning Tapor to helpe the Baptized to see that he is translated from the Kingdome of Darknesse to Light what wisedome to use Exsufflation a puffing into the face of the Child though used sometime in ancient time yet not by the Priest but the person to be baptised to shew how he defied Satan his works as Tertullian tells us What wisedome then shall we say this is surely this is humane wisedome and at best but Ceremoniall wisedome None of these things 't is true are in themselves evill and some we grant were anciently in use and all significant Yet lookes not such a traine of Ceremonies more like the Pompe we should renounce than professe We must remember what God injoynes us to remember Deut. 12.32 What thing soever I command you observe to doe it thou shalt not adde thereto nor diminish from it Wisedome it is and Modesty not to strive to be wiser then our Saviour Divine institution needs not Humane Addition Tradition quickly corrupting into Superstition Ezekiah brake the brasen Serpent though made my Moses when once the people began to worship it when the brasen Serpent began to doe more hurt than in Moses his time the fiery Serpents did though this were raised as a remedy against them They indeed kill'd but the body but this the Soule nay this did now kill the Soule which at the first heal'd the Body There is only one signe the memoriall of our Saviours Death which has longest lasted not as essentiall to this Sacrament much lesse for Adoration but for Commemoration the signe of an extended body from which it first receiv'd its forme worne once in the Banner of the Great Constantine attended with a great victory over the Enemies of Christ yet this also according to the late and diverse Judgements of divers Churches has been esteemed or Disus'd But the Element in this Sacrament is only water an Element out of which some ancient Philosophers held all things were made but surely by Water and the Spirit man is new made From which new life in water to the true receiver Tertullian call'd Christians Pisciculos Fishes agreeable also to the Sibyls verses wherein the Initiall letters of this title of our Saviour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jesus Christ Gods Sonne the Saviour make in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Fish as S. Austin Prosper and before them Optatus have it water also Cleanses makes Fruitfull allays the Thrist thus does God's spirit allay our immoderate thirst after earthly affaires And as we thus see the Element so may we see the use of it in the manner of the Action Anciently the Baptized had his whole body covered in the water this was Demersion for the conveniency whereof they were usually baptized in Rivers or Fountaines as afterwards in every Church a large vessell was provided called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
him to the defence of his own truth Or say of his truth as the Jews did of his Sonne Let him deliver it if he will have it If we discerne any that preferre the giddinesse of their own reason under the notion of sound Reason before the Sobriety of the holy writings and the Church shall we presently either reele out of the way or stagger in it About the eleventh year of this present Century of the Church a new starre-gazer one Fabricius in the upper Germanie publish'd at Witteberge by the vertue of a strange glasse a pretended discovery of strange spots in the Sunne about which time in the lower Germanie a like acute Novelist publish'd pretented spots in the best Belgique Church But as the clearest-sighted though of a lesse excellency then S. Stephen's eie judg'd those suppos'd staines through divine permission to have been by the grand Artist the devil juggled into the starre-wise glasse not into the Sunne so the best-sighted though not so wonderfull as Lyncius yet free from the Jaundice of Opinion discern'd through the right Optique of sacred truth the spots to be not in the Church but in the Novelist and so that his mistakes were the staines If then we see any departing from the truth shall not we depart from Them shall we not rather partake with the Prophet in his tears than with them in such backsliding as deserves such tears You see then enough yea too much cause of sorrow and yet you can not but see the little Effect it produces And must we not confesse this to bee very unnaturall that where there is so great cause there is so litle Effect where so much sinne so few teares for sinne O let us then with severity look upon our Own sinnes let us with compassion behold other mens and shall we make ourselves so unhappy as not to bewaile our own unhappinesse shall we weep for the death of our Friends Bodies and shall we not weep for the death of our Own Soules That being for them but to fulfill the Law of Nature but this being for us to violate the Law of God! When David and his men saw Ziklag burnt and their wives and children carried into Captivity it is said they wept untill they had no more power to weep 1 Sam. 30.4 And shall not we weep as much to see our Soule which is the City of God set on fire by vice and all the vertues and ornaments of our Soules to be lost to be Triumph'd-upon by the Enemies of our Soules Surely as the wind by gathering many clouds makes a shower so our mind by meditation collecting the many evils of our own lives and others will easily cause a shower of tears And indeed who would not willingly by a temporall sorrow scape eternall sorrow since in this life a few accepted teares can wash away the greatest sinnes that shall be remitted but after this life eternall teares can not wash away the least sinnes Let us then crie here for the guilt of our sinnes that we may not hereafter crie for the punishment of them Let us bemoan our selves like Ephraim repentant Ephraim in this our Prophet chap. 31.19 with a holy indignation Surely after that I was turn'd I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was asham'd yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth Let us with the wise man Eccles 2.2 crie-out of mirth what does it crie-out of the madnesse of it The Septuagint term it there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the turning-about the Giddinesse of mirth Let us turn our hearts by Meditation towards Hell that they may never be neerer to it than by Meditation Can we remember how the Israelites mourn'd by the waters of Babylon and not imitate their mourning The waters of Babylon sayes S. Austin are the transitory pleasures of this world by which the Godly mourne as in a strange Country when they remember Sion the heavenly Ierusalem And what more powerfull Motives can we have for teares whether we consider our selves or God than Feare or love both which God has provided for us There are sayes S. Gregory two causes of tears the first for Fear of Punishment the Second for delay of our happinesse both which are intimated according to that Father by that double blessing which Caleb as it is Josh 15.19 bestow'd upon his daughter Achsah to whom he gave the upper and the nether springs the nether spring is Fear the upper Love To the same purpose did Nazianzen observe that Noah's flood came partly from the Earth and partly from Heaven so sayes he the purging flood of tears comes partly from the feare of Hel land partly from the desire of Heaven from the love of God And surely as waters which are distill'd from the rose by the force of fire yeil'd a sweet smell so much more sweet are the waters of the head which are press'd-out by the heat of divine Love It is indeed the Spirit of divine love that from the eies forces holy tears according to that of David Ps 147. Hee causes his wind to blow and the waters flow The same Prophet sayes Ps 104.3 God layes the beames of his chambers in the waters that is he covers the upper part of the heaven or air with water the just man is such a heaven whose upper parts his soule his head his eies are overflow'n with devout sorrow whose teares doe mystically fullfill that of the Psalmist Ps 148.4 The waters that are above the heavens praise the name of the Lord And more admirably doe these waters the tears of the just praise the justice the Mercy and goodnesse of the Lord Who will not then shed a few such tears that he may never shed any more tears And since our Soule is the Garden of God who will not provide a Fountain of tears to make it pleasant for his intertainment who will not labour who will not Rejoice to shed such tears as God himself will wipe away when he will change the darknesse of sorrow into the light of joy the dark eie into a cheerfull eie when he will work such a wonder in the Soul as he has in the eie by a marvelous raising of light out of darknesse out of the apple of the eie which the Hebrews call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 amongst other reasons from the blacknesse as the word also signifies expressing God's wonderfull work in the composition of the eie when as out of the apple of the eie which is the darkest part of it he raises light The apple of the eie being so black or dark that when in the Proverbs Cha. 7.9 it is said in the black and dark night it is in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if we should say in the apple of the eie of the night Yet out of the darkest sorrow God will at last raise the most cheerfull light From an eie darken'd with humble tears with innocent tears such as
sinne in our selves For thus says he we shall by degrees ascend unto heaven as by Iacob's ladder not by visible steps but by the secret increase of vertues Let us still remember the noble examples proposed in Scripture If lust tempts thee call to mind the holy Ioseph and if it sets furiously upon thee breake violently from it and cry out unto thy selfe soul remember Ioseph and if againe it returnes cry out againe soule remember Ioseph and he was proposed to be remembred If thou art tempted to distrust in God being ready to be swallowed up by thy enemies and despaire remember David and if feare does yet assaile thee cry confidently unto thy selfe soule remember David Let us take Cassianus his advice let us first fight couragiously against our greatest sinnes and the rest will be over come with an easy victory Let us take also that excellent counsaile of S. Basil let us compare the present day with the former day so to understand exactly our own proficiency As the merchant uses his bookes of account saies S. Chrysostome Let us consider what speech we have spent upon disgraces of other men what upon foolish jests what upon uncleanesse how we have imployed our hands our feet our eyes And let us know it is as absurd to think our soules can be kept clean without such searching as to think our garments cab be kept cleane without brushing our houses without sweeping our gardens without dressing◠or to expect comlinesse and order in a City without the eye of a Magistrate to discrie offenders yet for all our searching we must not think we shall be free from all sinne we cannot kill it but we must suppresse it Whether thou wilt or no the Jebusite will dwell within thy borders Iudg. 1.21 conquered he may be cast out he cannot be Wherefore let every one examine himselfe and then think he has profited says S. Bernard not when he finds nothing which may be reprehended but when he reprehends somewhat which he finds Then hast thou search'd thy selfe not in vaine when thou findest that againe thou hast need of Searching And if thou dost it always when thou hast need thou dost it always But this examination must be serious it must be solemne we must goe into the presence of God with all Humiliation examining our selves in his presence by his Commandements which will shew unto us all the kinds of our sinnes as our memory must recall unto us the greatest acts of our sins And then no doubt but our examination will break forth into Confession and we shall crie out with the Leaper Vnclean Vnclean Levit. 13.45 Then let us immitate the good Hezekiah 2 Kin. 19.14 So let us acknowledge before him all our sins beseech him as our mercifull Physitian to deliver us from them Then will this mournfull confession not goe alone It will be attended with a Resolution to forsake even our most dearly beloved sinnes it will make us pray against our own heart against our naturall heart but not against our regenerate heart It will make us pray more against the uncleannesse of our sinne then the punishment which is the true marke of true repentance Lastly this Resolution will at last proceed unto Execution and will make us punish our selves with holy Exercises which are punishments to a sinner as they are delights to a repentant sinner It will make us resigne up all our Affections unto God that we may be a living and acceptable sacrifice unto him Now because man has but three things to offer unto God his Soule his Body and his Goods this will make him offer up his Soule by Prayer his Body by Fasting and his Goods by Almes And since our Offering must be free from all uncleanesse which is our sinne this will make us put away all our sinnes which being principally reduced unto three by S. Iohn 1 Ep. 2.16 unto the Lust of the Flesh the Lust of the Eyes and the Pride of life that is unto Lust Covetuousnesse and Pride we shall put away these three by the three foresaid vertues we shall put away lust by Fasting Covetuousnesse by Almes and Pride by Prayer by the humility of prayer And when by prayer we shall have obtained Perseverance in Prayer in Almes in Fasting then may we with truth to our own soules say we have judged our selves and with triumph to our own soules say we shall not be judged we shall not be judged This is the benefit of the judgement of Man but now behold if man's judgement prevent it not behold the horrour of the judgment of God And this we must also seriously behold it being a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God But if we would judge our selves we should not be judged we should not be judg'd The Iudgements of God are by the Apostle distinguished into chastizements and the Condemnation with the world with that World the world of the perseveringly unrepentant for which our Saviour prayes not Chastizements may be inflicted were inflicted even in the Apostle's time on some loose Christians which by an impure accesse to the Lord's Table not discerning the Lod's Body were sometimes punished with disease and sometimes with death Yet even in those chastizements in those judgements there might be secret mercy and even in death not the despaire of a future life punishment here being usually inflicted that we may judge our selves and escape punishment And if we judge our selves though here we may suffer the judgment of Correction we shall be sure to escape the horrour of the last judgmēt the judgment of Confusion which God has made so dreadfull that by the feare of Hell he might bring us to the feare of God by the Feare of God he might bring us to the Love of God and that lastly by Hell he might bring us to Heaven That therefore we may be mindfull to judge our selves we must be mindfull of God's Last judgment in which is wonder enough for the most prophane and for the most Curious A judgment which does exceed all Persecutions Warre Pestilence Earthquake Famine not only by Horrour but by Eternity And if we consider it we shall find it Dreadfull in all respects dreadfull for the Secrecy for the Suddenesse for the Preparation for the Session itselfe for the Execution Dreadfull for the Secrecy which is so wonderfull that the day and houre of that judgment is not knowne to Christ himselfe who shall be Judge in that day It is not knowne to the Sonne of man Some goe yet higher It is not knowne unto the Sonne of God It is not knowne unto him as he is God the Sonne that is according to his owne personality but only according to his Nature by which the Father and the Sonne are one S. Austin speakes more breifly Pater scit ideo hoc dixit quia in patre filius scit Thus only by his divine nature our Saviour knows it in his humane nature It is the
describes him Gen. 49.17 has one condition to bite the horse heeles so that his rider shall fall backward and does not wine bite and overturn the drunkard at the last you may see the filthinesse of this sinne in the base estate of Soul into which it casts one the drunkard as S. Chrysostome says being worse then a dog or an asse though one be filthy the other silly since neither companie nor custome can make them drink beyond the temperance of naturall thirst You may see the filthinesse of this sinne in S. Austins judgment who terms the drunkard a lake that brings forth nothing but frogges and filth Indeed even the creatures bred in such filth wee may esteem but a living filth nor are the actions of a drunkard worth the name of life And therfore did S. Ierome commend an Oratour for saying of a drunkard rais'd from sleep Nec dormire excitatus nec vigilare ebrius poterat that he could neither sleep being wak'd nor a wake being drunk therby as he say's reckoning him neither among the living nor the dead S. Basil compares him to the Gentiles Idols which as David sayes have eies and see not The wine we may grant they see but they will not see either the strength of That or the weaknesse of themselves You may see the filthinesse of this sinne in the expression of Seneca whose wise Rhetorique calls it madnesse and he wittily proves it since drunkennesse as he says Intends all sinne and discovers it Even righteous Noah by this was discover'd though happy he was because but once discover'd and more happy because he could be but once discover'd An Act of frailty we find a habit of it we find not Lot whom Sodom could not overcome wine overcame even to a repeated Incest nor had he any covering for his fault but his Ignorance an unhappy mantle wherwith his daughters cover'd him sham'd him Holofernes never drank so much at one time in all his life as in that night in which he lost his head but in which also he first lost his wit Iob's children were at a feast and too unhappily at the wine when the house fell on them Job did feare they might fall by sinne they did not fear that the house would fall by their sinne It was at his birth-day-feast a time of wine and headinesse that Herod promis'd to the dauncing damsell even halfe his kingdome but in an unlawfull performance of an unlawfull promise he gave her the head of the holy Baptist. Had he been at a cooler council than his cuppes he might happily have thought of an innocent aequivocation he promis'd her half his Kingdome she demands All and he gives her a value more than all the Blood of a Prophet But if wee looke upon lesse offenders yet great offenders may we not find some whom excesse in the wine does not satisfie without an excessive society in the excesse as if at the great reck'ning-day it were not enough to have no bodies sinnes to answer for but their own But such companions shall at last want neither wine nor company nay they shall be made drunk in the Prophets phrase by God himself he shall make them drunk with the wine of wormewood Lament 3.15 and as the royall Prophet speakes with the wine of aslonishment Psal 60.3 the wine of his wrath yea he shall make them suck-up the dregs of it the dregs of wine a plague more irksome even to the drunkard than the want of wine nay than sobriety where shall then be his riotings and false healths by which he destroy'd the true health of his bodie and made hast to the destruction of his Soul shall the strength of the wine be of strength to defend his sinne shall the health of his great Lord to whom his deep draught is devoted secure the health of his body or mind shall that be an acceptable quaffe to a Prince that is abominable unto God O the folly of men sayes the wisedome of S. Ambrose speaking of those that drank healths to the Emperours the folly of men that can think drunkennesse to be the sacrifice of Loyalty we may adde that there was indeed a Drink offering under the time of the Law but it was not the draught of the Sacrifice but the Present Even the Creator of the Vine stinted his own sacrifice from the Wine at a pint and a halfe a quarter of a Him Levit. 23.13 So little did the most wise God choose from his own plenty when as the outragious thirst of man is too often not satissied till oppress'd Soberly and truely spake S. Austin concerning the drinking of Healths if one should be threatned with death for not pledging better it were the body should dye sober than the soule be drunk nay that even he that in his intemperance should disgrace thy sobriety after his intemperance would admire it and such disgrace that holy Father accounts Martyrdome Memorable was the example being as well a glory as a patterne of S. Ambrose and S. Austin whose conscientious rigor shunn'd a feast as the danger of intemperance He mistakes wine that takes it not as Physique no more should we take than we must needs take But alas though men begin to eat and drink for Health they Commonly end in pleasure if not in riot shadowing the basenesse of pleasure with the pretence of Health till with delight they excuse themselves to death A holy age it was when the Family and the Cattell drank of the same sobriety yet thus did Jacob his children his cattell drink of the same well Iohn 4.12 But so absurd now sinne is become that who need it least drink most young men strong men adding as S. Ierome sayes oile to fire Indeed can they by art more contrive an outrage surely of more temperance have some heathen been els had not the Roman forbidden the use of wine to all that were not thirty years of age if Aelian be not a Poet. But greater examples have we of greater temperance in the true worshippers of the true God Famous were the Rechabites to whom their Father seem'd to give a ' leaventh commandement in a perpetuall abstinence from wine which with such joy they did observe that their Obedience was the wine Famous was Daniel in feare and temperance preferring water before Babylonian wine this was holy water which gave him complexion more cheirefull than the wine Famous was the Babtist who was not filled with the joy of the grape but of the Holy Ghost Aske of the Fathers of the Christian Church and S. Ierome will tell us that the contemplative men of Palestina would not though ill receive comfort from it we may think they thought it not Physique but Disease Aske S. Austin and he will tell us that the Clergie generally abstained from wine as if they had accounted it a Lay comfort Aske Eusebius he will tell us that S. Marke diswaded all the Alexandrian Christians from the use of it He
death after four dayes buriall In this change indeed of the body a dead creature was made a living creature but in the change of the Soul a dead creature is made like the everliving creator that was a temporary effect chiefly of power this an everlasting effect of infinite Mercy S. Cyprian's wisdome gives the reason of the difficulty to escape lust others sinnes sayes he seem harsh unto us but pleasure kils us whiles it flatters us Wherefore that we may Cleanse our selves from this filthinesse we must resist the first motion to it it being like a Serpent as S. Ierom sayes If the head enters the whole body follows We must resist the first motion Blessed is he that takes thy children O Babylon that is the first temptations of lust and dashes them against the stone that is Christ as the same father's judgment expounds it We must if a foul thought offers to defile us crie unto God to God our Saviour Iesu thou sonne of David have mercy on us Wee must crie-out to our own Soul in the words of the Prophet Psal 42.11 Why art thou cast down O my Soul and why art thou disquieted within mee hope thou in God for I shall yet prayse him who is the health of my countenance and my God And at last then we shall with the same Prophet Psal 116. 7. say also Return unto thy rest O my Soul for the Lord has dealt bountifully with thee vers 8. For thou hast deliver'd my Soul from death mine eies from tears and my feet from falling vers 9. I will walke before the Lord in the land of the living Thus must we resist this dangerous temptation although indeed it is so dangerous that we are not so properly said to resist it as to flie from it which flight is not cowardlinesse but victory So Ioseph fled and though his garment was caught his mind was not But if it comes to passe that we cannot flie then must we resist and by resisting though with danger yet because with danger we shall with glory put the temptation and the tempter to flight But in a lesse terrible way let us fly let us fly ill thoughts S. Ierome master'd them by study devotion He master'd the softnesse of lust by the rugged study of the Hebrew language as unpleasing to a Roman as the wildernesse in which he learn'd it He maister'd it chiefly by the Hebrew Scripture which imploy'd him in a high intention of wit and holinesse Thus study teaches temperance temperance chastitie chastitie which is an advanc'd a royall an unconquer'd an unwearied excellency It helpes us to admire it and enjoy it whiles also it teaches us that lust is a base servile cowardly guilty Infamie You shall find chastitie in the Temple in the Field on the wals of the city you shall find it praying labouring Combating you shall find it harden'd dusty swarthy but lust you shall find on a lazy bed in some fulsome house that is afraid of an officer Chastitie says devout Ephrem is a Rose that with delight perfumes the household the chastitie of parents being as Ierome sayes the comfort also and honour of the children Conjugall chastitie has a double prerogative it was in paradise and in the state of Innocency A chaste man and an Angel sayes S. Bernard differ in happinesse rather than in vertue and though the chastitie of an Angel be happier yet the chastitie of Man is greater and Angel being as without a body so without temptation and therfore without pretence to the glory of such victory And surely great examples have some Times and Countries setforth even of Kings that have been monasticall without a monastery deserting the libertie of their marriage and making continence their delight Thus has our own storie fam'd our great confessor Edward thus Casiile the Second Alphonsus thus Polonia Bodeslaus and thus Germanie an Emperour the first Henry Our Religion may make our faith assent to the storie supposing first an unfeined continency consent in their royall consorts No doubt they remember'd and our charity may believe they understood that of the Apostle Let them that have wives be as if they had none It was in a time of distres and also may imply a temperance as well as abstinence and not an abstinence without mutuall consent and no consent without an experimentall guift of Continence And therefore we can but touch the Apostle's councell remember our Saviours also Let him that can entertaine it entertaine it And let no man in a mistaking appetite of holy fame loose what he seekes and his safety too But now shall petty sinners betraie easy women by povertie to lust and lye in confederacies of uncleannesse not fearing the Almighty when as such mighty Princes as much feared his Majesty as they desired to imitate his purity shall Job make a covenant with his eies not to looke upon a maide and shall these make a Covenant with Hell scarse to imploy their eies in other objects shall we by such beauties attaine to the beauty of Holinesse Often it is the judgement of God to punish bodily whoredome by spirituall whoredome letting the uncleane fall from Whoredome to Idolatry which is a filthinesse of spirit no lesse dangerous than infamous Idolatry and Witchcraft were the great sinnes of the Gentiles for which the wise Iew in the book of Wisedome tells us cap. 12.3 4. that the first inhabitants of the Holy Land were by God cast out They thought to cast out Him and cast out themselves their sinne cast them out off that second Paradise whence they were driven not by a fiery sword yet by fire and sword Ioshua was an Angell a messenger though not from Heaven yet from God and at that time zealously cleansed the land as well from the sins as from the sinners the Idolater and the Sorcerer The Idolater that worshippes his own creature and his Enemy an Idol the sorcerer that worships God's creature but God's Enemy the Devill Idolatry came in by the vaine glory of men if we take the report Wisd 14.14 15. for when a Father afflicted had lost his Sonne untimely he made an Image for him and honoured him as a God which was then a dead man and delivered to those that were under him ceremonies and Sacrifices Thus custome grew to a Law v. 18. then when any would honour those that were absent to flatter them they made images of them v. 17. And the dilligence of the Artificer did helpe to set forward the ignorant to more superstition v. 18. And the workman himselfe was glad to flatter one in Authority and therefore made the more excellent worke by the grace of which he allured the multitude v. 19. Thus it arose from the pride and tyranny of great men and from the necessity and flattery of the meaner sort as the wisdome intituled to Solomon excellently expresses it v. 21. and happy had the true Solomon been if the image of this Doctrine had been still before
rugibus were more wit than truth since the Name of the place was more ancient than the Abuse In which place was Molech the Idol of the Ammonites of stature High for Substance of Brasse for Contrivance Hollow and by some held to be the same with Saturne It was of a stately size the Head whereof was like the Head of a Calfe but the Body like the body of a Man whose armes were spread open as ready to receive the children that were offered in Sacrifice to him fire being for that purpose put into the hollow of the Idol unto which the children being compell'd to goe fell into a fire To this Idol belong'd seven roomes for the severall kinds of Offerings that were brought unto him the seventh whereof was for the Children which as some think only passed between two fires by way of ceremonie to testifie their conservation and so there future service unto Molech But others take the Phrase to passe between two fires to signifie they were burn'd Indeed for what purpose els had a certaine place in the vally been called Tophet mentioned in Isaiah ch 30.33 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a drum but because as it is related they beat drummes to out-noise the cryings of the Children whiles sacrificed that so the Parents might not be terrifyed For this was a free Sacrifice and therefore as they believed not to be disgraced with unwillingnesse And as for the custome of passing between two fires it may yet be admitted as a ceremony without the burning in use also among the Heathen so that both are taken for truth but the Burning is here intended With this impiety though thus cruell were yet even Ahaz and Manasses Kings of God's People defiled deserving to feele a worse Gehenna that made others feele This Devillish was his worship yet conceiv'd to have been the wretched Imitation of holy worshippers even Abraham and Isaac Sathan's Art and Malice making Cruelty be esteemed Devotion the Heathen neighbours of Israel as appeares Numb 14.14 being unacquainted with the affaires of Israel But as Molech signifies a Prince and the Devil is by permission Prince of the Aire so is he but for a time permitted Bad Kings there were and a good King there was even good Iosias who destroyed the graven Image of the Grove which Manasses had placed in the house of the Lord 2 Kings 21.7 and burn'd it and stamp'd it to powder ch 33.6 and brake in pieces the Images and cut down the Groves and filled their places with the bones of men v. 14. And in this Vallie of Hinnom as it is in Ieremie chap. 7. did that Prophet break the earthen Vessell telling the Iewes that God would for their iniquity so breake that City and make it as Tophet Iere. 19.11 12. This was Gehenna the Gehenna of Fire whence S. Ierom would inferre that there is also a Gehenna of Cold. But though it be true that in Hell there shall be gnashing of teeth which we may conceive may be from the extremity of Cold yet since in the first Gehenna there was no extremity of Cold it were an impropriety to expresse that torment though in Hell by the condition of Gehenna A Gehenna of fire then Hell is called not to implie a Distinction but a more powerfull expression Which expression S. Iames also uses ch 3.6 when he sayes that the Tongue is set on fire of Hell in the Originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is set on fire by Gehenna the same thing expressing both the sinne of the tongue and the punishment S. Iohn calls Hell a Lake of fire burning with brimstone Apoc. 19.20 But most aptly does our Saviour here call it the fire of Gehenna for the threefold representation of the filthinesse the Burning and the outcry of the place Will ye see the difference now in the punishment of Anger In the Judgement it is by some observed that the Condemnation was uncertaine that in the Councell it was certain though the Punishment uncertaine but that in Gehenna both were certaine Will you next compare the sinnes and the Punnishments There may we with feare and wisedome observe that our Saviour tries Anger though expressed but by signes in no lesse Court than that of Three and Twenty Judges as if we should say at the Publique Assizes and so tries even the first degree of Anger without a cause in the same Court wherein the Iewes tried Murder Next we may observe that the Reproach express'd by Racha he judg'd worthy of a Nationall Judgement in the Councell but wrongfully to object to any a wicked Life he judg'd worthy to be punish'd Like a wicked Life with the fire of Hell Now all these things the Iewes understood they were more known unto them than their sinnes And shall not then the Danger of anger be as well known unto us a danger to the soule more visible than the Soule a danger to the body no lesse sure than Death Wrath kills the foolish man saies Eliphaz the Temanite Iob. 5.2 yet if any should hope That may be long in doing the wise man Eccl. 30.24 will put us out of that mistaking hope telling us that wrath shortens the Life Nay before death it presents the distortions of Death making man as unseemely as his passion in which condition the Looking-glasse may be an unfained witnesse and instruction O how it exulcerates the Mind says S. Ambrose how it dulls the sense changes the speech darkens the Eie and disturbs the whole Body Many says S. Chrysostome I have known that by Anger have got diseases many that have lost their sight Anger then must be a great disease that is the cause of diseases and must be a great grief that deprives man of the pleasure of the eie By frequent anger saies S. Austin to Nebridius the Gall increases and reciprocally by the increase of the Gall Anger againe increases Does man then Love himselfe he should then hate his passion this passion and by a lesse evill he may thus be cured of a greater and by the pollicy of Morality make a lesse enemy helpe him against a greater But if we will not be so kind to our selves we must be so just to another Can any consider how David us'd Saul yet rather imitate Saul than David shall good example make us bad shall we not rather by kindnesse make a brother than by anger loose him Can any consider how Moses used the people and be no better than the people compared with Moses Did not they Murmure Did not he pray Were not they angry Was he angry Should they have been angry should not he have been angry Their anger was his honour his patience was their shame Though then we cannot be like Moses let us not be like the people Let us not be so bad as the people to Moses let us not be worse then the People to one another Can any consider how Ioseph used his brethren and use his brother worse who is not worse than
yet not from the Israelites passing through the Wildernes to the Land of promise nor from their passing through the Red Sea but from the Angells passing over their Dores in Mercy their dores sprinkled with blood when he destroyed the Aegyptians And so will God's vengeance passe over those whom he shall find sprinkled with the mysticall blood of our Saviour imparted to us in this mercifull Sacrament Unto which come all you that would be delivered from all your sinnes past you that are at the Gates of Death and this bread of Life shall give you Life everlasting and this Wine of life shall make your hearts cheerfull with an eternall joy Come all you that would be delivered from sins to come this shall not only take away the delight in smaler sinnes but also a consent to greater Not to come at all to this heavenly food is certaine death to come but seldome or with a small appetite is a manifest sicknesse in the soule O then come frequently to this Sacrament and in time you shall say He hath fill'd the hungry with good things But come with hunger and then you may truely say you keep a good dyet and as truly say you have got that by Grace which the Physitian denyes in nature a perfect Health Come all you that would conquer all Affections and all Temptations that would lead you to such affections Come hither and you shall have peace in all your affections you shall have peace in all your Temptations You shall have that peace which the world cannot give that peace which the world cannot understand Come all you that would be one body with Christ a possibility but a miracle Christ shall not be corrupted into you that indeed is an Impossibility but you by grace shall be perfected into Christ and that is though not properly a miracle which is an outward act of power yet the happiest miracle which is an Act of Spirituall power Come all you that would by Grace be one spirit with Christ come and you shall dwell with him and he in you his Grace in you Eate Christ and thus become Christs ye shall be the Adopted Sonnes of God Heires of Eternity And that you may the rather come and raise a desire in your selves unto this bread observe the desire which was in the people their Desire of this bread Give us Indeed now you have seen the benefit you may easily think the people might well crie out unto our Saviour Give us this bread you will acknowledge their desire and excuse it nay rather commend it by imitation Yet when againe you think upon the wounder of it may you not think that our Saviour might have justly answered them as he did the mother of Zebedeus children ye know not what you ask Surely they had but a little knowledge of it Yet the wounder of the benefit may warrant their desire and condemne us if we have not the like yea a greater Desire of this heavenly food since a greater knowledge we have of this Heavenly food which we should indeed hunt after When the Prophet David says Ps 78.25 Man did eate Angels food he sent them meat to the full the word for meate is there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly venson and so a meate caught with hunting and surely with more earnestnesse should we pursue after this food with a holy appetite No marvaile then we may say if they crie out as if already they had learned the substance of prayer Evermore give us of this Bread which must be broken before it be given and therefore the distribution of the bread in the Sacrament is called the breaking of bread Act. 2.42 Yet is was the custome of the Hebrews to say they brake bread not only when they brake it with the hand but also when they cut it sōetimes when they did neither but only gave it Yet some think this phrase arose from the fashion of the Jewish Loaves which they say were usually made in the forme of Cakes broad and thinne and that so it was their custome to breake their bread Which though it might be true is yet uncertaine for some of their loaves as the Shew-bread which was set upon the table of the Lord were seaven fingers thick as the Hebrew writers teach us But in what manner soever the Jewes brake bread or in what manner soever they gave bread we know how they used the bread of life our Saviour Indeed they could not breake a bone of him and as they did not breake him so neither did they give him but we may say with the Prophet Isaiah c. 53.5 they bruised him but he gave himselfe he gave himself to be bread of life for us And thus you see this bread is a guift therefore justly requires Thanks For which cause it is call'd the Eucharist or the Thanks-giving not only to expresse our Saviour administred it with giving of thanks but also to expresse our duty of thanks which ought most justly to waite upon this Sacrament The bread saies Origen is call'd Thansgiving S. Paul calls the cup 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the cup of blessing 1 Cor. 10.16 he addes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we blesse or which with blessing we consecrate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with with the Jews is both to Blesse and to be Thankfull they being commonly performed together And so Justin the Martyr calls the Eucharist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the food consecrated or bless'd with thanksgiving And well may they be thankfull that are the receivers of it if they but consider themselves They that would here have been receivers were Jews and may we not say that to have given this bread to Them had been to cast the Childrens bread unto dogges yet though they were bad they seem to have some desire to be good may seem somewhat good already whiles they wish'd good to one another every one wishing this bread not only for himselfe but all of them ask'd it for all collectively Give us this bread A desire that might have beseem'd them though they had understood the nature of a Communion This is indeed a Communion not only by our Union with Christ but also with one another We are all members of the same body as was aptly presigur'd in Manna which is said to have been like Coriander which the Hebrews call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as some think from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to gather order an armie the seeds growing in great number and order'd as aptly as an armie of men And is not this our Christian Manna or Coriander this wonderfull seed collected and ordered alwayes in a Christian armie of Communicants in the Church Militant It is a Communion also of the rich and poore and therefore in some places is usually celebrated with almes in a good Imitation of the Primitive Christians who had their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their feast of Love at which they did use to feed the poore and had
whereby we shall discerne the Lord's body and worke the true the mysticall transubstantiation of ourselves by Grace into Christ so shall we be one with him and he with us We must come with an Examined Conscience sometimes that is occasionally examined by the Minister as in a Conscience very Ignorant and usually rather for Instruction than Censure but alwaies examined by it selfe Let every man examine Himselfe says the Apostle The examination by the Minister is more Charity than command and therefore we must beware that we Lord it not over the Lord's people They are his people more than Ours nor at all Ours but because His. Let us then chiefely examine Ourselves and come with a Consceince as resolute to Leave sinne as to acknowledge it Let us come with sorrow answerable to that Joy which we tooke formerly in sinne The Paschall Lambe was to be eaten with bitter herbes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Septuagint render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Theodorus Gaza expounds it interpreting the ninth book of Aristotle De natura Animalium signifies Wild Lettice lactuca agrestis which as Dioscorides tells us lib. 2. cap. 130. was a very bitter herbe And likely it is God did not leave the choise of the herbe to the libertie of the Iewes to whom in all other things he had so particularly prescribed and so S. Jerome every where renders it lactuca egrestis And since this was a figure of the bitternesse or sorrow of the soule for sinne which every one ought to bring unto the Secrament it will be necessary to know what sort of the wild-lettice they did use That which is Old and Grown is not only bitter but also full of prickles upon the back or out side of the leafe so that it cannot be eaten but the more yong and tender sort was used in medicine though it was bitter yet it had a milkie moisture in it whence it is call'd Lactuca this being boild they eate with the Paschal Lambe Thus is there an Old and Grown sorrow for sinne a sorrow that goares the soule a sorrow which we rather call despaire but this is not that which comes to the Sacrament but we must bring the more gentle and tender grief which has the milkie moisture a supple Comfort with the bitternesse We must have sorrow but we must have Hope nay we must have sorrow and we must have Joy Yet must we come with Feare remembring that the surfet of bread is of all surfets held the most dangerous especially then the surfet of this bread which they shall take that unworthily take this bread He that receives unworthily insteed of bread receives a stone or a Scorpion usually 't is undigestable death The Apostle indeed told the Corinthians 1 Ep. 11.30 that for unworthy receiving many of them are weake and sickly and some slept that is God did strike some of them with infirmities of body some with grievous diseases and some of them with the last sleep of nature death it selfe We must come likewise with Humilitie and then by the Humility of our Saviour we shall obtaine pardon for our pride He wash'd the feet of his Disciples nay of Iudas whom yet he pronounced to be a Devil Can any man think he has an enemy worse than Iudas can any man think he can be so injur'd as our Saviour O what humility then ought we to shew towards the Lord of Glory who shewed such humility towards a servant towards his own servant and a traitour And that we may be sure we come not unworthily we must come with a Desire an earnest desire the true signe of a true receiver we must not like prophane Livers be glad to scape a Communion but we must long for it we must seek for it David professes such a search and such a desire in a like kind when he cries out Psalm 132.6 We heard of it in Ephratah we found it in the fields of the Wood. He speaks as it appeares v. 8 10. of the Arke of God which was a visible signe of God's gracious presence and in which as the Apostle says Heb. 9.4 was the golden pot of Manna Now David had heard he knew that the Arke had at the first been placed by Ioshua at Shiloh a City in Ephratah the Country of Ephraim Iud. 18.1 but he found it in the fields of the Wood that is at Kireath-jearim or the City of the Woods where it had continued for the space of twenty years after it had been brought home from the Philistines 1 Sam. 7.2 Now you know with what paines joy he went to fetch it when he had it how he triumphed in the Musique and in the Dance The like Desire and Labour and Joy we must come with unto this admirable signe of God's presence unto this more admirable Manna The Infant sayes S. Chrysostome does with alacritie snatch the teat fasten the lip upon it and suck with a most fixt impression so must we saies he like innocent babes suck the grace of Christ and like the babe crie when we want this spirituall nourishment The Iewes made great hast to be guilty of the blood of our Saviour and shall not we make more hast to purge our selves by his blood from our Guilt And if we truly purifie our selves with his blood we shall be as carefull of our behaviour after our receiving as we were before Otherwise we shall be but like the Iews who brought our Saviour into Ierusalem with shoutes of joy crying Hosanna and afterwards cryed as fast Crucifie him Crucifie him We must not in the Morning drinke the Lord's wine and continue at wine all the day after nor must we expell the Joy of our soule with the Mirth and Riot of our Body But we shall be certainely carefull after the receiving of it if we be truly carefull before And if we be thus truely carefull to receive we shall truly receive we shall truely feast with Christ both in this Kingdome of his Grace in the Kingdome of his Glory wherein this mstically feast shall be fullfilled as it is said Luke 22.16 by being changed into that heavenly and eternall feast in which as our Saviour speakes Luk. 22.30 we shall eate and drinke at his table in his Kingdome Then shall we be like Lazarus in Abraham's bosome not in a Limbus Patrum or the Confines of a Purgatory but without a mistake of the speech in an honourable place with a loving intertainment at a feast The speech is drawn from the custome of the Ancients to eate lying in Couches inclining sōewhat on the left side somewhat resting on the left elbow the head of the second lying in the bosōe of the first as of the third in the bosome of the second the right hand being at liberty whiles they eate being somwhat more erect the table being placed before the couch Now for a Lazarus a poore Iew to sit at the table as
our Saviour's time it kept some from the Coâ—fession of the Faith though not from the Faith In the primitive times there were degrees of such as were separated froÌ„ the Church of which were some of the Audientes Hearers of the word preached among whoÌ„ were some indeed that were not yet admitted to the farthar blessings of the Church those were by punishment but Hearers these had been but Hearers A second sort were Procumbentes such as in prostrate manner ask'd pardon of the Church for some publique scandall given by them to the Church A third were the Orantes call'd also as S. Cyprian say's Abstenti persons after some offence admitted only to the Prayers of the Church A last sort were such as were once Communicants persons admitted to the Lord's Supper but for great sinnes depriv'd of so great a blessing To be remov'd from the Lord's Table was a great punishment yet greater it was to be remov'd also from the prayers of the Church but how great was it then not to be admitted to aske pardon The Libellatici were soonest Restored the Church looking upon their frailty as well as on their Fault they being such as for feare of punishment had their names registred in the Magistrates Booke from whence they are call'd Libellatici aknowledging their consent to offer Incense to the Gentiles Gods but meeting with a dealing Judge redeem'd themselves from trouble and the performance by the perswasion of a Bribe Their unwillingnesse to offend wonne the Church to a willingnesse to Restore them Adulterers indeed as too too foule were left for many yeares to be wash'd with their own tears in hope to be throughly wash'd in the blood of Christ But such as relapsed into Idolatrie were not readmitted till the houer of death when as much they were to leave the Church as to re-enter it and rather in a new hope of the Church Triumphant than a new possession of the Church Militant This manner of Excommunication was grievous indeed and often attended with grievous consequences God permitting the Devill in primitive times upon the pronouncing of the sentence to enter into the persons and torment them as we read of Stilico's secretary excommunicated by S. Ambrose We may remember it is call'd a delivering unto Satan 1 Cor. 4.5 Hymeneus and Alexander 1 Tim. 1.20 were thus delivered up by S. Paul And this Excommunication the Fathers call a resemblance of damnation S. Jerome termes it a judging before the day of Judgement and S. Cyprian calls it the death of the Soule So grievous it is that S. Chrysostome thinks it to grievous too be exercised since not against the living saies he because we must not prevent God's judgement nor against the Dead because they have their judgement already Yet in this point his Mercy was more than his Judgement we having not only the permission but the Command in God's Word and the practice of the Ancient Church the greatest Heretiques having been struck with this sentence by the greatest Councils And thus though it were very grievous it was very necessary and if more weight may be given unto it some think it added in the Word that is added Mara-natha Let him be Anathema Mara-natha Between which words some copies have no point and such it seems Oecolampadius liked but insteed of Maranatha he thinks it should be Matha and so expounds it by Anathema Mortis which may be interpreted One accursed to death But Guesse being too bold an attendant upon the holy text we must according to the Originall read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as the very ancient printed copie of Prevotius with small difference 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which as S. Jerome says is as much as Dominus noster venit Our Lord is come The compound word is acknowledg'd to be rather Syriaque than Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying then our Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is come or by the libertie of the Hebrew which often uses the time past for time to come shall come yet some understand it of the time past which had been apt if the Apostle had here spoken of the Iews who denyed he was come but speaking here to the Corinthians he seems not to speake to such as denyed our Saviour but to such as lov'd him not According to which acception some make the sense to be Let such a one be accursed 'till the Lord shall come Others Let suh a one be accursed when the Lord shall come or be separated from the comming of the Lord that is from the benefit of his comming which is the deliverance of the Just This expression then of the Apostle is an allusion to to the severest curse among the Jewes in their Excommunication to be inflicted at the comming of their Messias a forme of speech not unknown as appeares to S. Pauls converted Corinthians Briesely then and clearely we may take the first words for the pronoucing of the Curse the last for a confirmation of the curse the first being as the writing the last as the Seale The sentence is whosoever loves not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Accursed the Confirmation is Nay the Lord shall come and at his comming prove this Curse a Truth Thus speakes the Apostle by an Aposiopesis a figure attending upon Indignation which is the passion in which the Apostles Zeale here speakes Let him be Anathema doe only 1 Paul say so Yea Maranatha the Lord shall come and say so The Lord whom he loves not shall come and say so Since then there is so great so certaine a Curse for all that doe not Love the Lord needfull it will be to know who are such which we may know by knowing the nature of the Duty or what it is to Love the Lord Jesus Christ If we should aske most men whether they love the Lord our Saviour they would presently venture not to love him by their Indignation at the question Yet notwithstanding such Disdaine one might peradventure as easily pose them as anger them But not to tempt them to the hazard of the Passion and at once to save their Patience and Credit they may without being catechiz'd positively know that the nature of true Love consists in similitude so that he which truely loves the Lord is to his endeavour like the Lord. And since our blessed Saviour who is the Sonne of God is like the Father by his Nature we likewise who are by Adoption the Sonnes of the same Heavenly Father must strive to be like unto him in Holinesse He is holy therefore we must be Holy In this consists our proportionall similitude unto God! And that we may the more fitly resemble him we must fit our will unto his will which being reveal'd in his commandement if we love Him we must love his Commandement and then we unfeinedly love it when we keep it No other signe or Truth is there of our Love if we observe not what Christ Commands we as yet love not Christ that