shadowed the whole Iland So these Lawes were but the shadowes of good things to come as Saint Paul saiâ—h They were all under a cloud but now the vaile is taken away the partition wall is broken The Sun appeares the shadowes vanish and saving knowledge is apparent to all Nations in the world that doe not wilfully shut their eyes against that light Thirdly the Moone is called Phoebe to signifie as I conceive that all the splendor and brightnesse she hath it is from the Sun So these legall Ceremonies came from the Son of righteousnesse the wisdome of the Father God Almighty commanded instituted and ordained them It also shewes that they are true light though dim and darke And last of all the Moone is called Diana the Goddesse of Chastitie to shew her simplicity purity so likewise these ceremonies in themselves were harmlesse and undefiled but may bee abused as they are used Having taken a view of the Metaphor see it in the thing it selfe Circumcision is the cutting off the foreskin of mans flesh which in Latine is called Praeputium whereby God would have Abraham and his posterity distinguished from other Nations and therefore was called the signe of the Covenant betweene God and his people which was to bee performed the eight day after the birth of the child and they that refused to be circumcised were to bee out off from the living Gen. 17. The reason of which Law was to signifie that all that is begotten of man is corrupt and must bee mortified Now because Christ as on this day subjected himself to this Law Epiphanius writes that the followers of Ebion and Cerinthus gather from hence that Christians ought to be circumcised because the disciple ought to be as his master is But he confutes them thus Christ was not circumcised as a meere Man as they hold but being God he came downe from heaven by taking the true nature of man and was circumcised that this figure might appeare to have the spirituall effect from him that from thenceforth not figures any more but the truth might be divulged by him and his Disciples Hee was circumcised for many causes First that he might shew the truth of his flesh against the Manichees Secondly that it might appeare that his Humanity was not consubstantiall with his Divinity against Apollinaris Thirdly that he brought it not from heaven against Valentinus Fourthly that he might confirme Circumcision which did serve as a figure of his comming And lastly that the Jewâ—s might have no excuse left unto them for if he had not been circumcised they might have said they could not receive a Christ uncircumcised Origen saith As we dye with Christ dying and rise with Christ rising so wee are circumcised with Christs Circumcision so that we need not now to be circumcised Beda renders the reason thus Christ was circumcised to commend unto us the vertue of obedience by his owne example and that in compassion he might helpe those that being set under the Law were not able to beare the yoake of the Law and thus hee which came in the similitude of sinfull flesh doth not refuse the remedy whereby sinfull flesh was wont to bee cleansed there being the same remedie against the wound of originall sin in Circumcision which is now in Baptisme for as Athanas saith Nothing else was figured out by Circumcision but the spoiling of the old generation in that part of the body was cut away which was the cause of generation Therefore Christ being without originall sin needed not to be circumcised but onely to commend obedience by his example and to take away the yoke of the Law For our sakes only hee was circumcised in his flesh that we in him might be circumcised in spirit and Cyril saith that Christ was circumcised the eighth day and so rose againe the eighth day and intimatâ—d unto us the spirituall Circumcision when he said Goe teach all Nations Baptising them c. At the same time he had the Name JESUS imposed upon him which signifieth a Saviour because he is the salvation of the whole world which he prefigured in his Circumcision according to which the Apostle saith Yee are circumcised not with Circumcision mâ—de with hands â—ut with the Circumcision of Christ Now it is rendeâ—ed by some of the Rabbins that the name of the Messias shall be Jesus for this reason among others that as the name of him who first brought the Iewes out of bondage into the Land of promise was Iesus of Iosuah which is all one so must his name be Iesus that shall the second â—ime deliver them from the bondage wherein they are and restore them to their old and ancient possession of Iewry which is the chiefe benefit they expect by the Messias which is true in a spirituall sense And the expresse name of Iesus was prophesied long before Christ as it is to be seene in the second book of Esdras which though it be not canonicall yet it is allowed for a good book in these words of God the Father Behold the time shall come when the signe shall appear that I have told c. And my son Iesus shall be revealed with these who are with him And after those dayes my sonne Christ shall dye and the earth shall render those that sleepe therein So now having taken a view of the old Law let us look into the new and the rather because this day is called New-yeares-day the beginning of the Iulian yeare And the Sacrament that came in place of the old is called the Sacrament of initiation the beginning or entrance into a holy profession And it is as a most effectuall pledge and witnesse of our renewing and restoring by Christ as it is well set downe in our Common Catechisme in these words For we being by nature borne in sin and the children of wrath are by the meritorious blood of Christ made the children of grace which is lively represented in the element of water for as water purifieth the uncleannesse of the body so saith the Apostle The blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sinne for wee are buried with Christ in Baptisme That is he hath by his death so fully satisfied for our sins that by his mighty power sin is dead in them that lay hold on him by a true and a lively faith which with repentance is required in persons to be baptized for the efficacy of Christs blood signified by the element of water in Baptisme is not only to set before our eyes the expiation and purgation from sinne but also to demonstrate our livelyhood and growth in grace for so saith the Apostle that like as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father so we also should wâ—lke in newnesse of life Now here are the great benefits we receive by Christ at our initiation mortification and vivification the casting off the old man and the putting on of the new The death of sinne and the life of
nay of immortalitie if otherwise it turneth into deadly poyson for hee that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himselfe not discerning thâ— Lords body Now the only reason why I do compare the meritorious action of our blessed Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus on this day to Jupiter who as the Poets feine him was Lord of Heaven and Earth is for that as he overcame the malicious and revengefull Titan and all those monstrous and cruell Giants his sonnes called the Titanes and victoriously triumphed over theÌ„ so likewise Christ the Lord of glory and King of Kings as on this day being then the fifth of Aprill and first day of the Jewish weeke having overcome the dreadfull and spitefull Serpent the old Dragon in the Revelation according as it was prophesied of him Gen. 3. 15. and all those fiends that follow him sinne death and hell according to another prophesie in Hosea and having by his divine power raised himself from death to life as David long agoe foretold that God would not leave his soule in hell nor suffer his holy one to see corruption but that according to another prophesie of Hosea in the person of the children of Israel After two dayes he will revive in the third day raise up that we may live in his sight which is the same with the Sybils in these words He shall end the necessity of death by three dayes sleepe and then returning from death to life againe he shall be the first that shall shew the beginning of the resurrection to his chosen for that by conquering death he shall bring us life And last of all having according to his own promise which he oft times made to his Disciples That as Ionas was three dayes and three nights in the whales belly so should he be three dayes and three nights in the heart of the earth destroy this Temple and in three dayes I will raise it up are his owne words in another place meaning the temple of his body And that the Sonne of man shall be delivered into the hands of men and they shall kill him but the third day he shall rise again in another place fast bound the Dragon in the bottomelesse pit and taking away the sting of death which is sinne gloriously triumphed over the enemies of mans salvation and rising out of the Sepulchre of death confounded the souldiers that were his guard with amazement caused the earth to quake and the Angels of God to descend from heaven to attend upon his triumphs did forty dayes walke upon the earth in this triumphant manner and made twelve apparitions to his Disciples and others The first was to Mary Magdalen alone Iohn 10. 14. The second to all the women together as they returned homewards Matth. 20. 9. The third was to Simon Peter alone about noone 1 Cor. 15. 5. Luke 24. 34. The fourth was in the afternoon to the two Disciples as they went to the Castle of Emaus which was some eight miles from Jerusalem the ones name was Cleophas and brother of Joseph who brought up our Saviour and the other as may be gathered by the circumstance of the story was Luke because he hath set it downe so exactly Luke 24. The fifth was after he returned invisibly from Emaus to Jerusalem where when the doores were all shut and his Disciples were assembled together for feare of the Jewes he came and stood in the midst of them Iohn 20 19. And all these apparitions were in one day which was called the first day of the weeke The sixth apparition was eight dayes after his resurrection being the twelth of Aprill to all his Disciples Thomas being then present and the doores shut That he might make evident that his omnipotency was not tyed to any secondary causes or hindred by the property of any naturall bodies which according to S. Austine was so much the more wonderfull because hee appeared unto them substantially and effectually not as a phantasma or shadow which vanisheth away and is without any corporâ—all substance but did eat and drink and suffered his body to be handled by his Disciples The seventh apparition was to Peter Thomas Nathaneel the sons of Zebedeus and other two Disciples as they were fishing upon the shore of Tiberias which stood 36 miles from Ierusalem Northward betweene Bethsaida and Capernaum Iohn 21. The eighth was to the eleven Apostles on Mount Tabor in Galilee The ninth was to more then five hundred brethren at one time as S. Paul witnesseth The tenth was to James the son of Alpheus for he had beene seene before by Iames the son of Zebedeus but the certaine time of these foure last apparitions is not set downe But on the fourteenth day of May which was forty dayes after his resurrection he appeared to all his Apostles Disciples and friends together on Mount Olivet And in their sight with great triumph and joy he ascended into Heaven And last of all after his ascension he appeared to S. Paul as himselfe relates Thus as Luke affirmeth he shewed himselfe alive by many arguments for the space of forty dayes together and reasoned with them of the kingdome of his father Why then should any man mistrust the testimony of these men which saw him ate with him dranke with him touched him and heard him speak and whose entire estate and welfare depended wholly of the certainety thereof For what comfort had it beene or consolation to those men to have devised of themselves those former apparitions what encouragement might they have taken in these dolefull times of desolation and affliction to have had among them the dead body of him on whose only life their universall hope and confidence depended The Scribes and Pharisees being astonished at the sudden news of his rising againe confirmed unto them by their owne souldiers that saw it found no other way to resist the fame thereof but only by saying as their posterity do at this day that his Disciples came by night and stole away his body while the souldiers slept But what likelyhood or possibility can there be in this for first it is evident to all the world that his Apostles themselves who were the heads of all the rest were so dismaied discomforted and dejected at that time as they durst not once goe out of the doore for which cause only those silly women who for their sex esteemed themselves more free from violence presumed alone to visit his Sepulchre which no one man durst doe for feare of the souldiers untill by those women they were informed that the foresaid band of souldiers were terrified and put to flight by Christs resurrection And then how was it likely that men so much amazed and overcome with feare should adventure to steale away a dead body from a guard of souldiers that kept it or if their hearts had served to adventure so great a danger what hope or probability had there beene of successe especially considering the said body lay in
a new Sepulchre of stone shut up locked and fast sealed by the Magistrate how was it possible I say that his Disciples should come thither break up the monument take out his body and carry away the same never after to be seene or found without espiall of some one amongst so many that attended there or if this were possible as in reason it is not yet what profit what pleasure what comfort could they receive hereby We see that these Apostles and Disciples of his who were so abandoned of life and heart in his passion after two dayes only they were so changed as life and death cannot be more contrary for whereas before they kept home in all feare and durst appeare no where except among their owne private friends now they came forth into the streets and common places and avouched with all alacrity and irresistable constancy even in the faces and hearing of their greatest enemies that Jesus was risen from death to life that they had seene him and enjoyed his presence and that for testimony and confirmation hereof they were most ready to spend their lives And could all this proceed onely of a dead body which they had gotten by stealth into their possession Would not rather the presence and sight of such a body so torne mangled and deformed as Jesus body was both upon the Crosse and before have rather dismaid them more than given them any comfort Yes truly And therefore Pilate the Governour considering these circumstances and that it was unlikely that either the body should bee stolne away without privity of the souldiers or if it had been that it should yeeld such life heart consolation and courage to the stealers began to give eare more diligently to the matter and calling to him the souldiers that kept the watch understood by them the whole truth of the accident to wit that in their sight and presence Jesus was risen out of his Sepulchre to life and that at his rising there was so dreadfull an earth-quake with trembling and opening of Sepulchres round about such skriches cries and commotion of all elemēts as they durst not abide longer but ran and told the Jewish Magistrates thereof who being greatly discontented as it seemed gave them money to say that while they were sleeping the body was stolne from them by his Disciples All this wrote Pilate presently to his Lord Tiberius who was then Emperour of Rome And he sent withall the particular examinations and confessions of divers others that had seene and spoken with such as were risen from death at that time and had appeared to many of their acquaintance in Jerusalem assuring them also of the resurrection of Jesus Which information when Tiberius the Emperor had considered hee was greatly moved therewith and proposed to the Senate that Jesus might be admitted among the rest of the Roman Gods offering his owne consent with the priviledge of his supreme royall suffrage to that decree But the Senate in no wise would agree thereunto Whereupon Tiberius being offended gave license to all men to beleeve in Jesus that would and forbid upon paine of death that any officer or other should molest or trouble such as bare good affection zeale or reverence to that Name Thus much testifieth Tertullian against the Gentiles of his owne knowledge who living in Rome a learned man and pleader of causes divers yeares before hee was a Christian which was about 180. yeares after our Saviour Christs Ascension had great abilitie by reason of the honour of his Family learning and place wherein he lived to see and know the Records of the Romans Neither onely divers Gentiles had this opinion of Jesus Resurrection again from death but also sundry Jewes of great credit and wisdome at that time were inforced to beleeve it notwithstanding it pleased not God to give them so much grace as to become Christians This appeareth plainly by the learned Josephus who writing his Story not above forty yeares after Christs Passion tooke occasion to speake of Jesus and of his Disciples And after he had shewed how he was crucified by Pilate at the instance of the Jewes and that for all this his Disciples ceased not to love him still he adjoyneth forthwith these words For this love of his Disciples hee appeared unto them againe the third day when he had resumed life unto him Which expresse plaine and resolute words wee may in reason take not as the confession only of Iosephus but as the common judgement opinion and sentence of all the discreet and sober men of that time laid downe and recorded by this Historiographer In whose dayes there were yet many Christians alive that had seene and spoken with Jesus after his Resurrection and infinite Iewes that had heard the same protested by their fathers brethren kinsfolke and friends who had been themselves eye-witnesses thereof And thus much for the story of Christs Resurrection which I conclude with this divine Prayer Glorious Son of Righteousnesse who this morning didst prevent the dawning of the day by sending forth the beames of thy glorified body out of the Pit of darknesse and shadow of death shine upon my soule by the light of this grace Inlighten my dark apprehension of the mysteries of thy Resurrection Inflame my cold affections and revive my heart even deaded with pensive thoughts upon thy bitter passion O how did the surest ground of Faith shake the safest Ancor of hope loosen at the earthquake at thy death What smiting together of knees what wringing of hands what knocking of breasts what fainting of hearts what hanging down of heads were there at giving up of thy ghost when thy head hung down on the Crosse With thee the faith with thee the hope with thee the joy with thee the life of thy dearest Disciples might seeme to expire What should or could the prisoners of death ever expect when they saw him whom they thought to have been their Redeemer the Lord of life arrested by death and kept close prisoner in the grave so long O death how sharp was then thy sting O grave how fearfull was thy seeming Victory But blessed be the Angell which removed the stone and thereby made way that the stone which the builders refused might be preferred to be the head stone in the corner Blessed be the right hand of thy Father who in raising thee out of the grave raised our hope out of the dust for where is our hope Our hope is even in thee O Christ and thy Resurrection Thou art the life and the Resurrection of all that beleeve in thee Death like a Hornet by stinging thee hath lost his sting and now may make a buzzing noise to affright me but can thrust out no sting to hurt me The grave by thy lying in it is turned to a bed and a withdrawing roome to retire my selfe a while to put off this ragged flesh and attire my selfe with roabs of glory Now dare I insult over Death and Hell since
poison from the sweetest flowers But Bees draw Honey out of driest bowers I meane from bitterest things the honey flie Doth sucke much sweet Spiders in Roses lie Therefore though prying criticks prate their sill And thinke by envious words good deeds to spill And Momus-like to mocke to flout and jeere At me with envie ' cause I doe appeare In simple plainnesse yet I hope to be By wise Mecoenas lik't who out of me Though in my selfe I barren am and bare Will araw delicious and delightfull fare But what need I to feare detractors bent To none of those I hope I shall be sent Because my Authour will not have me prest In any print but what his Pen hath drest Except he be inforced thereunto Then what he would not that he must needs doe For he thinkes me unworthy to be showne To none but such as are ingenious knowne Cause as a Nosegay for his private use From famous Gardens he did me produce To give sweet sent and beautifie each part Of this rough worke and his affected heart And therefore if in Print you doe me see Blame not my Authour nor put fault in me The Pourtraiture of a Pious Man BEhold a Godly man that hath in heart True saving Faith Also in ev'ry part Of his affections is true and sincere Voide of hypocrisie and slavish feare From out his mouth doth gracious words proceed His eyes doe chiefly heav'nly objects heed His hands discharge his stewardships reckoning right His feet to walke in godly waies delight Heâ—'s mindfull of his death therefore his daies He takes account of how and in what waies He spends his time least that his godly light Should faintly blaze or be extinguisht quite And people doe delight to see his waies So full of good deeds to Gods glorious praise Yet is he humble for the good that he Doth doe he knowes to be a Gift most free Of Gods meere love and therefore doth despise The world the flesh and devill so the prize Of heav'nly blisse hâ— gaines that 's the Reward God gives the Saints for he doth most regard The pensive heart whose hope in Heav'n doth rest Thus is the man that 's truely Godly blest A preparatory prayer O Holy and everliving Lord God Infinite in Essence Glorious in Majesty terrible in Judgement and wonderfull in all thy waies how dare I a worme and no man of shallow judgment dull invention and brain-sick wit being as an Aery meteor in respect of those glorious starres men full-growne deepe judgements quicke inventions and ripe wits presume to write or speake of such holy mysteries in such unusuall tearmes as I here take in hand Certainely I must acknowledge it is thy onely worke in me and nothing in my unlearned selfe that hath induced me to undertake such a hard taske Therefore as thou hast thus graciously begun this worke in me so I hope and pray thou wilt magnifie thy power in my weakenesse and so strengthen and enable mee in the performance hereof that those who are more learned seeing and perusing this imperfect worke of mine may be induced to enforâ—e all their knowledge and skill to frame a more excellent worke to the praise of thy Name the â—difying of thy Church and salvation and consolation of thy chosen O Lord I pray Thee pardon and forgive aswell the errors and faults that I have committed in this Booke as all the grievous sinnes I have heretofore committed against thee from time to time in thought word and deed Give me I humbly beseech thee a true sight and feeling of them that the consideration therof may drive me to a serious hearty and timely Repentance for them O Lord increase my faith make it lively and operative in good workes for that purpose perfect thy love in me and my love to thy members make me now and ever thankefull for all blessings spirituall and temporall continually bestowed upon me and that for Jesus Christ his sake thy onely Sonne my alone Saviour to whome with Thee holy Father and thy blessed Spirit three Persons and one God be ascribed and given as most due is by me and all creatures all honour glory praise adoration obedience and thankesgiving from everlasting to everlasting Amen Let the words of my mouth and the Meditations of my heart be now and ever acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my Redeemer Salomons Temple The figure of the Heauens and Elements 10 The first moveable Heavene 9 The Christaâ—ine Heaven 8 Leo * 4 ♋ Cancer * ♊ Gemini * 2 ♉ taurus * 1 ♈ Aries * 12 ♓ Pisâ—e * 11 â™’ Aqâ—*ar 10 ♑ Capri * 9 â™ Sagita * 8 â™ Scorp * 7 ♎ libra * 6 â™ virgo * 5 7 ♄ Saturne could and dry malevolent Lead 6 ♃ Iupiter hott and moyst Benevolent Tynne 5 ♂ Mars hott and dry Malevolent Iron 4 ☉ The sonne hott and dry Benevolent Gould 3 ♀ Venus Could and moist Benevolent copper 2 ☿ Mercury such as he is ioyned with Quick silver 1 ☾ The Moone could and moist Benevolent silver EARTH A generall Survey of this Annuall World THis insuing discourse may not unfitly bee compared unto the Temple of the Lord which King Solomon builded and would very well beseem the head and hand of such a workeman for finishing thereof for if he that was wisest that ever was or shall be did not disdaine to write of Trees from the Cedar in Lebanon to the Hisop on the wal would never have thought it any disparagement to and for ought I know did write of all the works of God from the base Centre of this earthly Tabernâ—cle to the highest Mansion of the heavenly Spheares For I doe ingenuously confesse and humbly acknowledge that this worke rather requires the skilfull Pensill of a rare Apelles to draw to the life or the learned quill of an eloquent Cicero to demonstrate to the full than my unworthy illiterate Pen or dul invention to describe Yet having by Gods enablement upon my weak endevours framed this rare structure in my minde I could not rest satisfied till I had writ what I had so rudely formed And so I have beene bold to compare it to King Solomons Temple for as in that rare Fabrick there were three courts the Outward Middle and Sanctum Sanctorum so likewise in this worke I doe observe three kindes or Species of Meditations The first as the outward Court are Meditations of the foure seasons of the Yeare the foure Elements and their effects The second as the middle Temple are Meditations of the seven Planets on those dayes that commemorate the meritorious workes of our Saviour Christ And the third as Sanctum Sanctorum are Meditations of the starry Christalline and first moving heaven on divers festivall dayes in the yeare Now as in Solomons Temple there was a porch or gate where being entred you might discerne the spaciousnesse of the outward court and the decent behaviour of the people attending upon the royall High Priest
the world fore-telling also by the spirit of prophesie divers particular things that were to ensue both to Christ and Christians and especially by his Mother the blessed Virgin which things being published at that time and confirmed afterwards by the event doe well declare that this narration of Saint Luke could not be forged as also the number of particular circumstances set downe about the time place and persons most notoriously knowne to all Jerusalem as for Anna shee had lived from her youth untill fourscore years of age in the Temple and thereby was knowne to the most part of Jury And Beda doth from her draw a mystery and makes of Anna a figure of the Church which is by Gods grace in that shee was the daughter of Phanuel which signifies the face of God and of the Tribe of Asser signifying Blessednesse her age being fourscore and foure years and her married estate seven which being applyed unto the dayes of Davids week the age of mans life doth signifie That the doctrine of the twelve Apostles should bee the rule of the Church in all ages for twelve multiplied by seven makes fourscore and foure the age of Anna which signifies Grace And as for Simeon he was the Scholler of the most famous Hillel and condisciple to Jonathan maker of the Chaldee Paraphrase and the Jewes Thalmud confesseth that by the death of these two men especially of Simeon failed the great Synagogue called Sanhedrin which after the captivity of Babylon untill Herods time supplyed in a sort the spirit of prophesie that was expressely in Israel before the said Captivity From both which persons this among other things is observeable that Christ came first unto Simeon which signifies obedience an embleme of the Law who taking hold on Christ desired then to die or depart in peace But when Christ came unto Anna a figure of the Gospell shee confessed unto the Lord and gave thankes seeing the Salvation of the World in Israel and was comforted in Jesus her redeemer and Saviour who desired to live for ever with Grace From all which see the honour that was done to Christ from both sexes Simeon an old man Anna an old widow Zachary a Priest Elizabeth a married woman and Mary a Virgin were all insoired with the spirit of prophesie to give testimony unto Christs Incarnatiâ—n Now I will conclude the Meditation of this day in contemplation of the rare graces of Gods Spirit in this Virgin Flower and pray to God that it would please him to infuse into my soule by the breath of his Spirit the sweet savour thereof that so I expressing by godly imitation the pleasant fruit thereof in my life and conversation may as shee on this day did present the first fruits of her wombe and offered the legall sacrifice that God by Moses prescribed from hence-forth consecrate and present the first fruits of the ensuing pilgrimage I have to run in this miserable world wholly to the glory and praise of God the good of others and salvation of my owne soule And so daily offering the Lambes Patience the Doves Innocence and the Turtles Chastity may grow as a young Plant flourish as a pleasant Flower and in a ripe age be gathered into the Garner of a heavenly habitation All which I pray God grant not for any merits of mine owne for I am in my selfe unworthy of the least graine of saving Grace but for the merits of my All-sufficient Saviour Christ Jesus To whom with the Almighty Father and sanctifying Spirit three Persons and one onely wise God be ascribed all Honour Glory and praise from henceforth and for ever Amen A TREE Or A Meditation on Palme Sunday IN the former Meditation you have viewed a fragrant Flower Now as opposite to that you may be pleased to behold a flourishing Tree upon which the Sunne of Righteousnesse did set And as a Tree I consider it first in its root or station secondly in its fruit or operation First for its root or foundation to know the reasons why this day is called Palme-sunday my small learning cannot fully decide nor determine for the Gospell appointed or set apart for the publique service of God on this day makes no mention of Palme nor any thing that hath Reference thereunto for whereas Palme is a note of Victory and Triumph this dayes Gospell contrary thereto makes a sad relation of our Saviours Death and Passion And the Gospel that seemes more to correspond with the name of this day and as some affirme was usually read in Churches in former times on this day is not unfitly stated upon the first of the foure Sundayes before the day of our Saviours Nativity called Advent Sunday because those Sundayes are appointed for us as preparatories to entertaine the benefits of Christs incarnation into our souls as the Jewes did his corporall presence into Jerusalem with great joy and triumph So the chiefe reason as I conceive why this victorious Palmes Gospell is thus transplanted from this day to Advent Sunday and yet that this day should still retaine the name is as before is specified to be as John Baptist was a fore-runner or harbinger to prepare the way for the comming of the great King Christ Iesus into this Annuall World or thus the root of this dayes denomination springs from these two grounds or causes First because that as this day falls alwayes in the Spring season and Palme as some note is one of the first Trees that buds so men that are rationall Trees in the Spring of their age assoone as they come to knowledge should prepare themselves for the entertainment of Christ into their hearts by striving to grow in piety and spirituall understanding 2. Because as some say Palm delighteth flourisheth most by the rivers side so Christ and all Christians flourish and become most victorious by the troublesome waters of persecution and affliction To prove the veritie hereof All writers almost affirme this same very day Christ went to Jerusalem in that triumphant manner as in the Gospel is related five dayes before his Passion to shew that in suffering he became victorious over sin death and all the Temptation of the Devill and in dying hee overcame death which gave the Church anciently occasion to goe in procession with Palmes in their hands on this day from whence it was called Palme-sunday Thus having briefly demonstrated the radical foundation of this dayes denomination I should now shew you the fructification thereof For though the Palme which grows in our Iland beares no fruit at all but onely a spongie or soft blossome growes upon it thereby as I conceive to shew the vanity of all worldly honour and triumphs of which Palme is an Embleme yet this Annuall Palme as the Date-tree will afford as many fruitfull meditations as there are words in the Gospell as is learnedly accomplished by that pious Gentleman Mr. Austin in his divine Meditations out of whose pleasant Garden I will only gather this sweet
and delightfull fruit of Humility which growes upon the top of this Tree and yet it is to be seene in every branch thereof for Humility the higher it is the lower it will stoope therefore as it is the conclusion of his so it shall be the period of my meditation for this day on which our blessed Saviour by his Humility triumphed over the Pride of the world and ascended to true glory by suffering death upon the ignominious crosse For better explanation hereof view the story and you shall find that among all his Pompe and applause of the people when all the Citie of Jerusalem was moved at his Magnificent entrance hee himselfe gave a great example of Humility in riding so simply on a poore Asse with no better a saâ—dle than a cloake or some such slight thing cast on him however the people triumph round about him he was humble enough himselfe he tooke small Pride in it for while they applauded he wept there was Humility running downe his cheekes Indeed it honoured the Citie that hee would thus ride into it but it humbled him He was never in any great Honour in all his life but twice at this time and in the Transfiguration there he talked with Moses and Elias concerning his Death and charged his Disciples to tell no man of his Glory And here he is going to his Death indeed and Weepes in the midst of his Glory And this Honour continued with him but a small time neither for they that thus admir'd him in the morning would none of them give him a lodging at night he was to goe back againe to Bethany to bed and within lesse than a weeke after they were much worse altered toward him which hee full well knew that knew the thoughts of all men therefore looking on and fore-seeing them a sort of false Traytors to his life hee had little cause to bee proud or Ioyfull at their acclamations though he suffered them for will you see what followed Now they cry Hosanna to the Sonne of David then they cry Take him away take him away Crucifie him crucifiehim Now they cry King of Israel then they cry wee have no King but Caesar Now they cut down boughs to strew the way for him to ride on then they cut down a Tree to make a crosse to hang him on Now they cast their garments before him then they cast lots for his Garments Now they cry Blessed is he that commeth in the Name of the Lord but then cursed is hee that hangs on the crosse We see what became of this exaltation and how it ended If he were ever truly exalted indeed it was his Humility that exalted him nay he only tooke Humility for his Exaltation for when he meant one of his greatest Humiliations even that on the crosse hee sayes of it When the Sonne of Man shall be exalted c. No exaltation would he admit in this life unmingled with humility for which cause the Apostle saith That after death God hath exalted nay God hath highly exalted him It may well be his Song as it was his Mothers He hath exalted the humble and meeke But this is not the day of that Catastrophe and small exaltation that was an unmingled one and is an Argument fit for Easter-day wee are now meditating of the beginning of his Passion in Teares even this day of his seeming Glory and therefore our object is principally his humility his emptying himselfe even to the bottome and becomming of no accompt his humility in going to his death for us from which if I could learne this one short rule of Saint Bernard it will be use enough that since the lower he made himselfe in humility the greater hee shewed himselfe in Charity I might say from the bottome of my soule In as much as Christ made himselfe vile for me so and much more should I make him precious and deare to me Mark O man that art but earth see thy God humbled and be not Proud and since he is Ioyned to thee bee not ungrateful to him so shalt thou in the end be exalted to him that for his Humility was exalted to the right hand of God Thus if I could be as a Tree planted by the waters side rooted in Faith growne up in Humility spread abroad by Charity and fruitfull in all kinde of good workes I should in due time bee transplanted from this valley of Teares to a Garden of Pleasure the Paradise of God where I should for ever reigne in perfect glory with Christ who is gone before to prepare a place for those that are followers of him in Humility OF A RAINBOW Or A Meditation on the fifth day of November THe third side or wall of this outward Court is as on the South in which I have fixed a delightsome Rainbow But I am no Astronomer and therefore cannot artificially show you how the Rainbow becomes ingeÌ„dred in the Aire when the glorious Sun with his golden and bright beames is just opposite against a waterish cloud which presently causeth its moist Timpany to powre out and empty it selfe upon the place from whence it receives its borrowed liquor neither doe I intend to show you the variety of colours that are to be found therein But I will briefly write thereof as it is a signe or token of Gods love and mercy to mankind Gen. 9. 13. Behold saith God I set my Bow in the cloud and it shall be for a signe of the Covenant betweene me and the earth So this day is by Act of Parliament according to a like president in the Word of God Hester 9. 27. set in the yeare as a signe or pledge of Gods love and mercy to us of this Nation in commemoration of that great and miraculous deliverance from that unparallel'd entended Gunpowder Treason to assure us that if we continue in the true Religion depend and put our whole trust and confidence in God and walke in the way of his Precepts he will never leave nor forsake us so that neither of those two mercilesse enemies of mankind Water or Fire complotted by the accursed crafty inventions of bloody minded men shall ever have power to destroy us For though sometimes he may for our triall suffer the little Pinace of his Church to be almost covered with waves yet in his due time he will arise out of his slumber to still the raging of the tempestuous Sea for the safegard of his little Barke When the proud papistical and presumptuous Spanyard in 88. thought himselfe sure of this little Island and was upon the brinck of victory in his own imagination though his ships were many and strong his warlike provision and munition great and his people without number yet God by one small blast of his fury in a moment of time by weak means did dissipate overwhelme his ships in the narrow Seas where his strong and warlike provision was confounded and his numerous multitude drowned even as Pharaoh and his Hoast
according to Daniels Prophecy five hundred yeares before At this time there was a universall peace over the whole world for the said Emperour after five civill warres waged by himselfe and after infinite broyles and blood shed in the world raigned peaceably alone for many yeares together and in token of an universall peace over the whole earth he caused the Temple gates of Ianus to be shut according to the custome of the Romans in such cases albeit this happened but twice before from the building of Rome to that time And the very same day that Christ was borne in Jury Augustus commanded in Rome as afterward was observed that no man should call him Lord thereby to signifie the free liberty rest joy and security wherein all men were after so long miseries which by continuall warres the world had suffered to fulfill the Prophesie of Esay above an hundred yeares before Daniel that at the comming of Christ people should sit in the Tabernacle of peace in sure dwellings and safe resting places And againe he shall be called the Prince of peace and againe there shall be no end of peace and David long before him in his dayes shall arise Justice and abundance of peace Now for the particular state of Jewry at Christs Nativity thus it was according as Iosephus the Iew who was borne within five yeares after Christs Passion describeth the same One Herod a stranger whose Grandfather was sexton in Apollos Temple and his father called Antipater waâ— brought up among theeves in Idumea came out of Idumea was risen to acquaintance and favour with the Romans partly by his said fathers meanes who was as Iosephus words are a well monied man industrious and factious And partly by his owne diligence and ambition being of himselfe both witty beautifull and of excellent rare qualities By which commendations he came at length to marry the daughter of Hyrcanus King of Iewry that was descended lineally of the house of David and Tribe of Iuda and by his mariage obtained of his father in law to be Governour of the Province of Galily under him But Hircanus afterwards falling into the hands of the Parthians that carried him into Parthia Herod runne away to Rome and there by the especiall helpe and favour of Anthony that ruled together in company with Octavius he obtained to be created King of Iury without any title or interest in the world for that not only his said father in law Hyrcanus was yet alive in Parthia but also his younger brother Aristolulus and three of his sonnes named Antigonus Alexander and Aristobulus and divers others of the blood royall in Iewry Herod then by this means having obtained that Kingdome procured first to have in his hands the foresaid Hyrcanus and so put him to death he also brought to the same end his younger brother Aristobulus and his three sons likewise he put to death also his own wife Mariamnes that was King Hyrcanus daughter as also Alexandra her Mother and soon after two of his own sons which he had by the said Mariamnes for that they were of the blood royall of Iuda And a little after that againe he put to death his third son named Antipater He caused also to be slaine at one time forty of the chiefest Noble men of the Tribe of Juda and as Philo the Jew writeth that lived at the same time with him he put to death all the Sanhedrin that is the seventy two Senators of the Tribe of Juda that ruled the people He killed the chiefe of the sect of the Pharisees He burned the Genealogies of all the Kings and Princes of the house of Juda caused one Nicholaus Damascenus an Historiographer that was his servant to draw out a pedegree for him and his line as though he had descended from the ancient Kings of Juda. He translated the high Priesthood and sold it to strangers and finally he so raced dispersed and mangled the house of Juda as not one jot of government dignity or principality remained therein And when he had done all this then was Iesus of the same house and line of Iuda borne in Bethlehem the proper City of David which David was the founder and first author of regality in Juda. Now then consider the prophesie of Iacoh concerning the particular time of Christs appearance almost two thousand yeares before these things fell out Come hither my children said he that I may tell you the things which are to happen in the latter dayes c. The Scepter shall not depart from Iuda nor a Law-giver from betweene his feet untill he come who is to be sent The expectation of all Nations Which prophesie that it was fulfilled now at Christs Nativity when Herod had extinguished all Government in Iudah no man can deny that will acknowledge the things set downe before which are recorded by writers both of that time and of the Iewish Nation and Religion themselves And that it was never fulfilled from Davids dayes who began the governmeÌ„t of the house of Iuda untill this time appeareth plainely by all histories and records both divine and prophane For that from David who was the first King unto Zedechias that was the last and dyed in the captivity of Babylon the Scripture shewes how all the Kings descended of the house of Iuda And during the time of their captivity in Babylon which was seventy yeares the Iewes were alwayes permitted to chuse themselves a Governour of the house of Iuda whom they called Resch galuta and after their deliverance from Babylon Zorobabel was their captaine of the same Tribe and so others after him untill you come to the Macchabees who were both Captains and Priests for that they were by the mothers side of the Tribe of Iuda and by the fathers side of the Tribe of Levi as Rabbi Kimchi And from these men â—owne to Hyrcâ—nus and Aristobuâ—us whom Herod slew there continued still the same line as Tosephus declareth so that by this Prophesie it is evident that Iesus was borne at the proper time appointed for the Messias when there was neither King nor Captaine nor High Priest nor Counsellor nor any one Governour of the house and Tribe of Iuda left in Iury. For further proofe that Christ came incarnate into the world at the time appointed here might be shewed the destruction of the second Temple according to Daniels prophesie after sixty two weekes Christ shall be slaine The attestation of Oracles the observation of Rabbins and expectation of all the Jewes at that time but I intend brevity and this is else-where learnedly described by divers famous Writers Therefore I conclude as Saint Luke declares it in the second Chapter 1. It was saith he when Augustus Caesar caused the whole world to bee taxed by taking of every person in all places a penny wherby they might professe themselves subject to the Roman Emperour and he might know how many Townes Cities and persons were in the whole world under his dominion and
grace And the duty on our part that we may be fitted for this great benefit is a godly resolution joyned with an earnest endeavour to consecrate our selves to the forsaking of sin and wickednesse and a lively faith whereby we lay hold and feele the power of this inward washing by the Holy Ghost Therefore I conclude with the prayer for the day which I finde excellently framed to my hand in these words Most tender and compassionate Lord now first knowne by thy name Jesus who being the true Vine which yeeldest the wine that gladdeth the heart wast pruned this day with the sharpe knife of circumcision and bâ—eddest for me have pitty and compassion on me who with weeping eyes and a bleeding heart come unto thee beseeching thee that these drops of blood which fell from thee this day may satisfie for the sin of my Birth and the whole streame that ran from all the parts of thy body in the Garden and on the Crosse may expiate all my numberlesse actuall sins whether they be sinnes of lighter tincture or of a skarlet dye sinnes like beames or sins like moats sins conceived in the heart only or sins brought forth into act sins in my beleefe or sins in my life sins once committed or sins often repeated sins before or after my calling sins of impiety against thee or sins of Iniquity against my neighbour or sins of impurity against my owne flesh for of all these I have a great load they are more in number then the haires of my head they are a burden too heavie for me to beare they lye upon my conscience like so many Talents of lead and would presse me downc to hell did not thy mercy take hold of the hand of my faith to support me in hope even above hope How should I hope if I think upon thy greatnesse how should I not hope iâ— I think upon thy goodnesse How should I hope if I weigh my sins How should I not hope if I weigh thy Merits How should I hope if I coÌ„sider my Actions How should I not hope if I consider thy Passions How should I hope if I number my Transgressions How should I not hope if I number thy Blessings and favours towards me How should I hope if I remember how oft I have refused grace after it hath bin offered unto me How can I but hope if I remember how oft Grace hath been offered unto me after I refused it And still hope I will as long as thou retainest thy Name JESUS which this day thou receivedst when thou offeredst the first fruits of thy blood for my sin without which thou couldst not have been my JESUS for so foule and festered were my sores that nothing could heale them but a bloodie knife But why should this bloody instrument be applyed to thy purest tenderest Immaculate flesh made all of Virgins blood There was no superfluity to be pared off in thee nor ranke blood to be let out the superfluous skinne was on me yet the knife is on thee the festered sores were in my body yet the lance is in thy flesh Thou hast the paine I the ease thou the smart I the cure O wonderfull Cure O more wonderfull Love out of the mouths of babes and sucklings as thou hast ordained so maist thou justly challenge Praise who in thy Inâ—ancie madest such an assay of my Redemption and tenderedst the earnest of thy blood for me Not nine dayes old thou sheddest drops of blood for mee far more precious than so many drops of the richest Balsamum to cure my wounds Let all flesh praise thee who healest it by thy wounds eternall thanks be given unto thee for thy Circumcision whereby thou hast abolished Circumcision it selfe and provided me an easier remâ—dy of originall sin the sacred Laver of Regeneration Water now serveth in stead of blood and a gentle rubbing of the flesh for cutting and wounding it By the Circumcision of thy flesh thou hast merited for me the fulfilling of thy Fathers promise and condition of his Covenant to circumcise the fore-skin of our hearts By this thy rasor thou hast fitted the Tables of my heart now write thy Lawes and love in them By receiving this Seale of the Covenant in thy flesh thou hast sealed to me thy care of me in thy nonage First O Lord I am everlastingly to praise thee for taking my flesh upon thee and next for leaving part of it with me as a pledge of thy love thou bearest to me from thy Mothers wombe In thy infancie thou bleddest for me in thy twelfth yeare thou arguedst for me in thy youth thou obeyedst for me and in thy ripe and perfect age thou sufferedst and dyedst for me To thee therefore as it is my bounden duty I offer the buds of my child-hood the blossoms of my youth and the fruits of my age As thou betimes didst set to the work of my Redemption and on those termes acceptedst the Name JESUS So let me betimes give my name to thee and enter into thy service Let me beare thy yoke even from my youth Lord who this day wert circumcised in the flesh Circumcise me in the heart that I may in purity sincerity and uprightnesse of heart walk before thee all the dayes of my life neither circumcise my heart only but my ears eyes hands head and feet that no superfluity of maliciousnesse nor impurity remain in me Now thou hast renewed the face of the earth renew this day and repaire thy decayed Image in me Thou hast begun a new year begin in me a new Reformation make mee I beseech thee a cleane heart and renue a right spirit within me The yeare like the Serpent hath cast off his old skin and put on a new so let mee also cast off my old Man and put on the new Man and from this day to my old age and death walk in newnesse of life That I may be a fit guest to bee admitted into the new heaven where dwellâ—â—h Righteousnesse and to be entertained at thy Table and drink new Wine with thee in thy heavenly Kingdome for evermore Amen MARS or a Meditation on Ashwednesday IN time of the ceremonial Law the Paschall Lambe was commanded to bee rosted with fire dressed and prepared with sowre hearbs to be a fitting sacrifice to God for the people And Christ the true Paschall Lambe in accomplishment thereof throughout the whole course of his life was continually broyled in the fire of affliction and seasoned with the sowre revilings and bitter taunts of malicious men that he might become a pleasant sacrifice to God his Father Now as the Planet Mars is three yeares before he accomplish or fulfill his celestiall race so likewise Christ in the race or circuit of his ministeriall office was three yeares viz. from the one and thirtieth yeare of his age to his death And as Mars though in himselfe inoffensive yet opposed by contrary aspects proves fatall so Christ if well placed in pious hearts
governes his chosen with the sweet influences of his grace but if opposed by malicious wicked hearts hee turnes into a consuming fire Hee is as a good Captaine over his souldiers to keepe them in good order as a shepherd over his flock to bring those that obey him into a safe harbour and pleasant pastures But proves a severe Judge against those that will not be governed by him And lastly though the Planet Mars be never so much opposed doth not give over his race but holds out to the end so Christ notwithstanding all opposition that ever could be made against him by men as Jews Priests and Herod or devils as on this day yet hee continued his course and vanquished and runne over all even sin death and hell For the Fast of Christ at this time is so well and learnedly written by many that should I adventure to write any thing thereof or any thing else but what I find writ in learned Authors I should too much blaze my owne ignorance Therefore I will briefly write of the Life and Actions of Christ as they are learnedly described for the confirmation of the Truth in these words And first touching the things done by him after his comming out of Aegypt which might bee about the sixth or seventh yeare of his age untill his Baptisme by Saint John which was the thirtieth and as some affirme upon the seventh of October in the middle of the last weeke spoken of by Daniel cap. 9. there is little recorded either in Prophane or Ecclesiasticall Writers for that as Saint Iustine Saint Chrysostome Saint Augustine and others doe write he bestowed that time in the common exercise and labors of mans life thereby to shew himselfe true Man and give demonstration how much he detested hated idlenesse But after his Baptisme viz. when he was past thirty yeares of age for hee was full thirty the twenty five of December because it was not lawfull for any to be admitted into the ministry before they were so old Num. 4. he began to preach in the moneth of January and February and his whole doctrine was directed to the manifestation of his Fathers will and amendment of mans life It tendeth all to this one ground and principle Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soule and thy neighbour as thy self It was plain easie perspicuous and evident though it treated of most high mysteres It had neither pompe nor pride of rhetorical words nor flattering of mans wickednesse as the doctrine of many Philosophers had neither consisted it in unprofitable externall ceremonies as the later observation of the Jewish Law did nor was fraught with carnality and spirit of this world as the Turkish Alcoran and other sectaries doctrine is But all was simplicity all was spirit all was truth all was honesty all was humility all was charity It tooke away or disanulled no one perfect or spirituall point of Moses Law but rather revived interpreted fulfilled and made perfect the same For whereas that commanded external observance this addeth also internall obedience whereas that said Love your friends this adjoyneth Love also your enemies wheras that commanded wee should not kill this further commandeth to speake no angry words whereas that prohibited actuall adultery this also forbiddeth to coyet in the mind whereas that sayd Take no interest or usury of a Jew that is thy country man this saith take it of no man whatsoever whereas that accounted every Jew onely to be thy neighbor this teacheth every person living to be thy brother whereas that taught thee to offer up a calfe a sheepe or an oxe for thy sins this instructeth thee to offer up a contrite heart by faith in the blood of him that dyed for all with a firme and resolute purpose of amendment of life And finally this doctrine tendeth wholly to the true sincere and perfect service of God thy Lord that made and redeemed thee to the exaltation of his onely Name Power Goodnesse and Glory to the depression of mans pride by the discovering his misery to the contempt of this world and vaine pompe thereof to the mortification and subduing of our fleshly appetite to the true and unfained charity of our neighbour to the stirring up of our spirit to celestial cogitations to peace of conscience tranquillity of minde purity of body consolation of our soul and in one word to reduce mankinde againe to a certaine estate of innocency simplicity and Angelicall sanctity upon earth with his eye fixed only in the eternall inheritance of Gods kingdome in heaven This was the doctrine delivered by Jesus which is the same that the Prophets foretold should be delivered by the Messias And for his life and conversation by the testimony of his greatest adversaries it was more admirable then his doctrine his life being a most lively table wherein the perfection of all his doctrine was expressed a man of such gravity as never in his life was noted to laugh of such humility as being the Son of God he scarce used in this world the dignity of a servant of such sweet and milde behaviour as all the injuries of his enemies never wrested from him one angry word Finally he was such an one as he was described by Esay many ages before he was borne in these words he shall not cry nor contend neither shall any man heare his voice in the streets a bruised reed he shall not breake nor the smoking flax hee will not quench c And as his life and conversation was foretold by Prophets so his miraculous works also were foretold by the Prophet Esay others w th did consist of internall and externall acts For first the calling and retaining of his Apostles and other followers who were of divers callings states conditions trades and occupations in the world And yet all upon the sudden left both father and mother wife children and other temporall respects and followed him who had nothing to give or promise them in this world A man that never spake them fair or uttered doctrine that was not repugnant to the sensuality of this life as may appeare by their owne writings and testimonies of him A man that was contemned by the better sort as then it might seeme that is by the wise and learned of that countrey and especially disliked by them that were in government as a dangerous and troublesome man to the state one that had neither friends to beare him out nor a house to put his head in And yet notwithstanding all this that worldly men and women and some such also as were great sinners loose livers before should leave all their worldly hope stay and condition to follow such a man with so great inconveniencies losses dangers and disfavours as they did and should continue with him in all his afflictions and be content to dye and lose their lives rather then forsake him or abondon his service This I say is such a miracle as never in the
world fell out the like and must needs bee granted by his chiâ—fest enemies to be supernaturall The second point is of externall things and facts done by Jesus above all power of humane ability in the sight knowledge of all the Jewes which facts were published by our Evangelists and especially by Saint Matthew in the Hebrew tongue while yet the persons were alive upon whom they were wrought or infinite other that might be witnesses thereof As for example the raising of Lazarâ—s in Bethania that was a Village but a mile or two distant from Ierusalem at whose death and buriall being a Gentleman many Scribes and Pharisees must needs be present according to the Iewish custome at that time and they saw him both deceased interred and the funerall feast observed for him as also raised againe from death by Iesus after foure dayes of his buriall with whom they did eat and drink and converse after his returne to life and every day might behold him walking up and downe in the streets of Ierusalem This story could not be feined So in like manner the raising of the Archi-Synagogues daughter whose name is affirmed to be Iairus with divers other circumstances that do make the thing most notorious The raising of the widowes sonne before the gate of the City Naim in the prefence of all the people that bore the said corps and stood about it the healing of â—he Cripple in Ierusalem that had laine thirty and eight yeares lame at the Pooles side or Bath called Probatica which miracle was done also in the sight of infinite people The casting out a legion of devils from a man that for many yeares was knowne to live in the mountaines the feeding and filling of five thousand men beside women and children at one time and four thousand at another with a small parcell of bread and a few fishes The turning of water into wine at a mariage in Cana in the presence of all the ghests the healing of him by a word only that had an incurable dropsie and this at the table of a principall Pharisee and in the sight of all that sate at dinner with him the giving sight to him that was borne blinde well knowne to many These and divers other such miracles which were done in the sight and presence of an infinite number of people and recorded by our Evangelists at such times when many desired to discredit the same and might have done easily by many witnesses and authority If any one part thereof had beene subject to calumniation cannot in reason or probability be doubted of And last of all though more occult and secret yet not the least but rather the greatest miracle that ever Christ did in his life is his fasting forty dayes and forty nights typified in the fast of Moses and Elias recorded by three Evangelists for confirmation of the truth thereof And all that while was tempted of the Devill as S. Luke expressely saith being forty dayes tempted of the devill yet some thinke hee endured all those sharpe temptations in one day whom in the end he overcame with his own weapons And this hapned upon him presently after he was baptized of Iohn Baptist so saith S. Marke Immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wildernesse And I note it the rather because it is the usuall custome of Sathan now in these dayes to deale with the servants as he dealt with the Lord. As soone as they begin to consecrate their endeavours to the service of God the devill by the winde of promotion the allurements of pleasures or spur of worldly profit drives them into the wildernesse of worldly affaires where they remaine long ere they can get out of the entanglements of many thorny cares and anxieties of minde How this wildernesse was called the Evangelist doth not specifie but it is thought to bethe desert of Araâ—ia Pâ—traea and that our Saviour fasted upon the mountaine of Sinai where Moses and Elias fasted foâ—ty dayes and forty nights for there was no place more fit for Sâ—tlâ—an to tempt our Saviour in then where the Law was delivered which is the power of sinne for although the Son of God was without sin yet he took upon him the sinnes of all the world And so our Saviour Christ according to coÌ„mon computation continued in this desert from the seventh of October to the sixteenth of November which was forty daies and forty nights And upon the seventeenth of November hungred And then the devill with an extraordinary boldnesse carried him from mount Sina with great violence through the aire and set him upon the top of a pinacle of the temple which was so exceeding high that whosoever looked downe from it into the valley of Cedron their eyes dazâ—led and it seemed as though there had been clouds in the bottome of the valley for it was six hundred foot from the bottome to the top From this place the devill bad our Saviour throw himselfe downe after the devill set Christ upon an exceeding high mountaine but what hill it was or how it was called the Evangelist doth not set downe but it is to be thought it was the high mountaine Nebo which was also called Pisgah and stood twenty foure miles from Ierusalem Eastward where God shewed unto Moses all the land of Canaan beyond Iordan And in this place the devill shewed our Saviour the Kingdomes of the world and the glory of them saying All these will I give thee c. Now our Church hath piously set a part this annuall fast to begin as on this day in commemoration of that fast of our Saviour for by our conformity we shew whose servants we are even his whose works we imitate and that abstinence from usuall repast might be a meanes to quicken our resolutions against the receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper at Easter for though fasting in it selfe be no religious act in which the immediate worship of God consists For the kingdome of God as the Apostle saith consisteth not in meat and drinke yet it is a religious act as accessary to the worship serving as a help or preparative to faith prayer c. And so may be called a good work And therefore in all Churches and in all Ages since the Apostles time it hath beene piously observed as is learnedly demonstrated in divers treatises extant in English Now why this day is called Ashwednesday is for that the Christians in the Primitive times retained many of the Heathens and Jewish ceremonies as Iobs friends sprinkled dust upon their heads towards heaven the King of Nineveh and Queen Esther with the Iewes sate in ashes to expresse their sorrow so they to expresse their own vilenesse and unworthinesse cast ashes on their heads But this was an unnecessary ceremony and therfore in the reformed Churches well dismissed So now I conclude this dayes meditation with that divine prayer of Doctor Featelies in these words Oh let not my Lord be angry that I who am but
my teares to wash those thy wounds that bled for my sinnes and in a lively faith to touch the print of thy naâ—les and thrust my finger into the hole of thy side thereby to take reall and corporall possession of thee that I may with Thomas truly call thee My Lord and my God my dread and my love my surety and my ransome my sacrifice and my Priest my Advocate my Iudge my desire and my contentment the life of my hope here and the hope of my life hereafter Before I was thine for thy hands made and fashioned mee but sith thou hast offered thy selfe to be my pledge and thy blood for my ransome thou art truly mine My Lord and my God O let the speare which ran thee thorow fasten my heart to thy crosse let the nailes which printed thy flesh imprint thy love in my soule Let the thornes which pricked thy temples not suffer the teÌ„ples of my head to take any rest in sin let the vineger which was given thee melt my adamantine heart into sorrow let the Spunge which was offered thee on the Crosse wipe out all my debts out of thy fathers tables Let others go on forward if they please I will stay still at thy crosse and take no other lesson For I desire no other Pulpit then that tree no other Preacher then thy crucified body no other text then thy death and passion no other parts then thy wounds no other amplification then thy extension no other notes then thy marks no other points then thy nailes no other booke then thy opened side The first Adam did eat the fruit of the forbidden tree Therefore thou the second Adam hangedst upon a tree By his fall all mankinde was so sorely wounded that the whole head was sicke and the whole heart faint from the crowne of the head to the sole of the foot there was nothing but wounds and bruises and sores full of corruption therefore thy whole head was pained that whole heart wounded from the sole of thy foot which was gored with nailes to the crowne of thy head which was pricked with thornes there was nothing but cuts and stripes and markes and scars and sores and wounds in thy whole body Because our heads plotted and devised wickednesse on thy head was platted a crowne of thornes Because our eyes burned with lust thy eyes were bedewed with teares because wee belched out blasphemies against thy father thy face was spitted upon because our bodies have beene stretched wantonly upon our soft beds thy body was stretched upon the hard crosse O Lord our eares have offended thee by listning to wanton musick prophane speeches and songs therefore thou sufferedst in thine eares by hearing scoffes and blasphemous taunts we have offended in our smell by luxurious perfumes sweet odours therefore thou sufferedst in thy smell by the stench of Golgotha our taste hath offended in gluttony and drunkennesse therefore thou sufferedst in thy taste by gall and vineger because our feet were swift to shed blood thy feet were nailed to the crosse because our hands were defiled thy hands were bathed in blood Because all parts of our bodies offended thou wast punished in all parts In thy temples with thornes on thy cheeks with buffets in thy joynts with straines in thy flesh with stripes Lastly because our hearts most grievously offended in unchaste malicious covetous ambitious thoughts desires and affections and piercing our selves with worldly cares therefore thou wast most grievously pained in thy heart which was run through with a speare If all the sufferings of Martyrs since the world began were put in one skale and thine in the other thy passion would beare them all downe for thou barest the full weight of thy Fathers heaviest hand Never were there sufferings like thy sufferings because never such a sufferer the torments being infinitely improved by the bearer Never sweat like thy sweat because never any had a burthen like thine Never teares like thy teares because shed for them who thirsted for thy blood Never torments like thy torments because never flâ—sh so pure and tender as thy flesh Never horror like thy horror being forsaken of thy father because never love like thy love of him nor sorow like thine because never sense and apprehension like thy sense and apprehension of the infinite displeasure of thy father for the sins of maÌ„kinde O my most bountifull Redeemer who bestowedst largely and wast bestowed liberally for me It concerneth mee to know how much I stood thee in for how should I estimate thy love if I cannot cast the totall of thy debt thou didst discharge for me But no heart can conceive what sorrow thou conceivedst no tongue can expresse what griefe thou didst expresse by thy bloody teares and these thy strong cryes when thou complain'dst that thy soule was heavie unto death and prayedst thy Father if it were possible to let this cup passe from thee I am appaled at thine agony I am astonished at thy feare I am amazed it thy patience I am ravished at thy love My heart riseth my veines swell my blood boyles within me against thy persecutors If it were in my power I would put them all to millions of torments I would inflict a thousand deaths upon Iudas that betrayed thee and Pilate that condemned thee and the envious Scribes and Pharisees that laid snares for thee and the perjured witnesses that gave false evidence against thee and that execrable rout that preferred a murtherer before thee the barbarous souldiers that spit upon thee and buffeted thee and the bloody executioners of the Iewâ—sh malice and Roman cruelty that banged nayled and goared thee But when I dive into thy bloody passion I finde my selfe as deepe in thy blood-shedding as they They were in that but instruments but I by my sins was a principall in the death of thee the Lord of life My sinnes by their tongues and hands did all this villany and outrage upon thee Their nailes and speares pierced but thy flesh but my sinnes pierced thy very soule My sins my sins O Lord by their hands crucified thee wherefore I condemne mine eyes to continuall teares my heart to perpetuall sighes and my thoughts to everlasting pensivenesse What shall I do to wash away the guilt of thy blood which alone can take away the guilt of my sins verily I should be utterly swallowed up in this gulfe but that the price of thy blood hath satisfied as for all other sinnes so for the guilt of spilling it selfe And now my anger and feare and trouble and anguish are all turned into joy and comfort and love and admiration of the infinite wisdome of thy Father in providing such a remedy and his justice in requiring such a satisfaction but most of all for all thine infinite love making so full a payment of the infinite debt of my sins What can I doe what can I suffer enough for thee gracious God to all the rest of thy blessings spirituall
said unto him follow me Therefore as the fifth Apostle I fix him in this starry firmament He was of Bethsaida the City of Andrew and Peter and was no sooner called himselfe but hee went and found out Nathaneel and said unto him we have found him of whom Moses did write in the Law and the Prophets Iesus the Sonne of Ioseph of Nazareth A rare example of a godly minde that being converted labours to convert others and though he himselfe as some note was unlearned yet doth adventure to draw and allure the learned to the knowledge of Christ for some affirme that Nathaneel was a learned man and also this shewes that by weak meanes God can work great miracles and by the foolishness of preaching work faith in the heart which only saves a soule from eternall damnation After it is related by Iohn that the Greeks that came up to worship at the feast came to Philip and said Sir we would see that Iesus who told Andrew and they two told Iesus for it seems Philip durst not tell him alone lest Christ should aske him some question which he could not well answer as he had tried him before by this question when hee saw a great multitude about 5000 follow him into the wildernesse whence shall we buy bread that these may eat yet not long after he of himselfe shewed his own simplicity and ignorance for Christ having spoken of the knowledge of God the Father he interrupts him and bursts out with this question shew us thy Father and it sufficeth In the sixth of the Acts is related that he was chosen one of the seven Deacons in the eighth of the Acts is shewed how hee preached the word of God wrought wonders and healed divers diseases among the people in Samaria how he baptized Simon Magus and converted the Aethiopian Eunuch And in the 21 of the Acts it is declared that he had foure Daughters Virgins and Prophetesses and that Paul abode in his house at Cesarea Philippi for many dayes and some write that he was crucified at Hieropolis where he and his daughters were honourably buried Thus having described what I finde concerning the first of these Starres I should now shew the lustre of the second the ninth Apostle S. James Alpheus Brother to Simon and Jude and called the brother of the Lord for it was usuall with the Hâ—brewes to call their kinsmen brethren so Lot being the sonne of Haran Abrahams brother was by Abraham called brother Gen. 13. 8. And Iacob being the sonne of Rebecca Labans sister was called brother by Laban Gen. 20. 15. And so this Iames and Joses and Simon and Judas being the Virgin Maries sisters sonne was by the Iewes called Christs brethren in a scornefull manner Mat. 13. 55. And S. Paul in 1 Gal. 6. makes mention of this Apostle saying I saw none of the Apostles save Iames the brother of the Lord. He was by the Apostles chosen to be Bishop of Ierusalem for so saith an ancient Father Peter Iames and Iohn after the assumption of our Saviour though they were preferred by the Lord yet challenged not this prerogative to themselves but appointed Iames the Iust Bishop of Ierusalem He continued in the said See 30 years and wrote the Canonicall Epistle which beares his name And at the last wore the crowne of Martyrdome The story of whose life and death I find exquisiâ—ely written after this manner following Iames the brother of Christ took in hand the governement of the Church after the Apostles termed a just and a righteous man of all men from the time of our Saviour unto us for many other were called Iames besides him but this man was holy from his mothers wombe He dranke neither wine nor strong drink neither ate any creature wherein there was life He was neither shaven neither anointed neither did he use bath unto him alone was it lawfull to enter into the holy places he used no wollen vesture but wore a Sindone and alone frequented hee the Temple so that he was oft-times found prostrate on his knees praying for the sins of the people His knees were after the guise of a Camels knee benumm'd and bereft of the sense of feeling by reason of his continuall kneeling in supplication to God and petition for the people For the excellency of his righteousnesse he was called Iust and Oblias which soundeth by interpretation the bulwark or defence of the people in righteousnesse as prophesies do go of him When divers asked him touching the Heresies among the people which was the gate or doore of Iesu he answered the same to be the Saviour by whose meanes they beleeved Iesus to be the Christ but the foresaid heresies acknowledge neither resurrection nor the coÌ„ming of any Iudge which shall reward to every one according to his works for as many as beleeved they beleeved by meanes of Iames. When many of the Princes were perswaded there arose a tumult of the Iewes Scribes and Pharisees saying It is very dangerous lest the whole people looke after this Iesus as though hee were Christ and being gathered together they said to Iames we pray thee stay this people for they erre in Iesu as though hee were true Christ We pray thee perswade this people which frequent to the feast of the Passeover concerning Iesu for we all obey thee yea we and all the people testifie of thee that thou art just and respectest not the person of any man perswade therefore this multitude that they erre not in Iesu for the whole multitude and wee obey thee stand therefore upon the Pinnacle of the Temple that thou mayest be seene aloft and that thy word my be heard plainly of all the people for because of this Passeover all the Tribes are met together with the Gentiles The foresaid Scribes and Pharisees place Iames upon the Pinacle of the Temple and shouted unto him and said Thou just man at whose commandement we all are here in so much as this people is seduced after Iesus who was crucified declare unto us which is the way or doore of Jesus crucified And hee answered with a loud voice Why aske yee mee of Iesus the Son of Man when as he sitteth at the right hand of the great power in Heaven and shall come in the clouds of the Aire When as hee had perswaded many so that they glorified God at the testimony of Iames and said Hosanna in the highest to the Sonne of David then the Scribes and Pharisees said among themselves wee have done very ill in causing such a testimony of Iesus to be brought forth but let us climbe up and take him to the end the people being stricken with feare may renounce his faith And they shouted again saying O O and the Iust also is seduced and they fulfilled the Scripture which saith in Esay Let us remove the Just for hee is a stumbling block unto us wherefore they shall gnaw the buds of their owne workes They climbed up and threw Iustus
towne of Iewry called Giscalis which Towne being taken of the Romans he and his parents fled to Tharsis a Towne in Cilicia but he himselfe confessed that he was borne in Tarsus after he was sent to Ierusalem and brought up at the feet of Gamaliel of whom you may reade in Acts 5. 34. and Acts 22. 3. Some say that after he was the Disciple of Simeon the Just who took Christ in his armes and blessed him and being but a young man he was one of those that kept the garments of the martyr S. Stephen who was martyred in the yeare of Christs nativity 35. About the same time he was made an Inquisitor for private heresies and became a cruell persecutor of the Gospell the next yeare he went to Damascus where by the way he was converted and of a persecutor was made a glorious confessor and was baptized of Ananias in Damascus He confounded Elimas the Sorcerer and one Sergius Paulus Proconsul of Cyprus to the faith of Christ of whom as some say he took the name of Paul for after that he is called no more Saul In the 25 yeare after the Passion of Christ which was An. Dom. â—8 when Festus ruled in Iewry he was sent bound to Rome And in the 14 yeare of Nero thâ— same day that Peter was crucified though not the same yeare as some write he was beheaded at Rome and buried in the way that goeth to Ostia Anno Domini 60. He wrote nine Epistles to seven Churches and foure to three of his Disciples but it is doubtfull whether he wrote the Epistle to the Hebrewes or no. Now were I able to write of all this blessed Apostles labours and travels from Ierusalem to Illyricum Italy and Spaine I should then show you how he was persecuted from City to City how he was beaten with rods here how he was stoned with stones there how he laboured with his hands in one place how he fasted and prayed in another And as himselfe confesseth in the 2 Cor. 11. That he was in labours more abundant than any of the rest in stripes above measure in prison more plenteously in death oft of the Iewes five times received I forty stripes save one I was thrice beaten with rods I was once stoned I suffered thrice shipwrack night and day have I beene in the sea in journying often in perils of waters in perils of robbers in perils of my owne nation in periâ—s among the Genâ—iles in perils in the city in perils in the wildernesse in perils in the sea in perils among false brethren in wearinesse and painfulnesse in watching often in fastings often in cold and in nakednesse beside the things which were outward I am incombred daily and have the care of all the Churches but I knowing my own insufficiency for the performing of such a worke conclude with the Collect for the day saying God which hast taught all the world through the preaching of thy Apostle S. Paul grant I beseech thee that I who have his wonderfull conversion in remembrance may follow and fulfill thy holy doctrine that hee taught through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen S. Barnabe THis is that Ioses who was of the Apostles also called Barnabas which is by interpretation the Sonne of Consolation being a Levite of the countrey of Cyprus whereas he had land sold it and brought the money and laid it down at the Apostles feet whose praise is in the 11 Acts 24 verse that he was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost and faith and much people in Antioch where they were called the first Christians by his powerfull preaching joyned themselves unto the Lord. This was Pauls yoke-fellow who by the commandement of the Lord were joyned together Acts 13. 3. And their names are no lesse then twelve times coupled together in three Chapters viz. from the 12 to the latter end of the 15 Chapter of the Acts where the relation of the division that was betweene them is set downe I reade that he first preached the Word of God in Rome but was afterward made Bishop of Millaine and at the last had a rope tyed about his neck was therewith drawne to the stake where he was burned to ashes and so dyed a noble Martyr as many other starres in this firmament did as the Phenix by death gained life eternall Therefore I conclude with the Collect for this day saying Lord Almighty who hast indued thy holy Apostle Barnabas with singular gifts of the Holy Ghost let me never be destitute of thy manifold gifts nor yet of grace to use them alway to thy honour and glory through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen S. Michael the Arch-Angell IN this place according to my intention at the beginning I should show the glorious Cherubins that look towards the Mercy Seat in Salomons Temple under the Metaphor of the Chrystalline Heaven but as in all the rest so in this likewise I finde my selfe farre unable to performe such a hard task though my minde is willing yet my skill is weak But the reason why I compare this day to the Chrystallin heaven is conspicuous because as Chrystall is of a pure bright and cleare substance so the glorious Angels of whom S. Michael the Arch-Angell is one of the most eminent for whose memoriall the Church hath appointed this Festivall are pure sublime and heavenly creatures created as some affirme with the light which is nearest their nature being one of the three invisibles which never any mortall eye is able to behold in their simple existence to wit God Angels and the soules of men for they are void of all corporeall substance But what substance they are of we are ignorant And as we do not know their nature so we cannot tell their number yet some have observed that there are nine orders of them in three Hierarchies opposed against nine orders of evill Angels In the first order are Seraphin Cherubin and throns opposed by Pseudothei spiritusmendacii and Vasa iniquitatis In the second Hierarchy are Dominations Potestates and Virtates opposed against ultores soelerum Prestigiatores and Aëreae Potestates In the third Hierarchy are Principatus Archangeli Angeli opposed against Furiae Criminatores and Tentatores From Angels we receive power to receive and declare the will of God from Archangels to rule all creatures put under us from Principalities to subdue all we ought to rule from Vertues to obtaine the reward we strive for from powers helpe against our enemies from dominations to subdue our owne bodies from Thrones to collect and settle our memories on eternall objects from Cherubin light to apprehend heavenly things And lastly from Seraphin ardent Affection whereby we cleave to God but to leave these curious speculations of the schooles These heavenly creatures whether they be of these names orders and operations or not as is hard to prove were most certainely in the beginning made to this end viz. for the glory of God and good of man And although