that is miserable For this cause that He humbled himselfe And thirdly Humiliavit ipse se Obediens It was not Absalom's humility 3 Obediens 2. Sam 15.5 in shew and complement and his heart full of pride disobedience yea rebellion And yet it is a glory for humilitie that even proud men take a pride to shroud themselves in her mantell that pride weares humilitie's livery But it is not humble courtesie but humble Obedience that is the Propter quod Till it come to that many beare themselves in tearmes and shew low ad humum even touch the ground But come once thither to obedience then give lawes they must but obey none make others obedient and ye will but not factus obediens not made themselves so CHRIST was so made And for this cause And something strange it is why Humiliavit ipse se Obediens would not serve and no more but factus must be added Somewhat there was in that 4 Factus .. An Obedience there is that commeth from the dictamen of naturall reason in some things we so obey we will doe it because our reason so moveth us That is Obediens natus But some other there be wherein there is no other reason to leade us to doe it but onely this that is enioyned us by a lawfull Superiour and therefore we doe it and for no other cause This is Obediens factus and that in true proper termes is the right obedience indeed All looke to the former and very few obey thus But even so obeyed CHRIST erat subditus illis And for this cause then Luk. 2.51 that He was factus Obediens And obediens factus vsque is a fifth For the very size 5 Vsque Act. 26.28 1. Sam. 15.9 the extent of our obedience is a matter considerable For if we come to any it is Agrippa's in modico in some pety small matter Or Saul's in the refuse of the spoiles little worth And that obedience is little worth that is so shrunk up The drawing out the vsque of it is all in all How farre obedient vntill what Vsque quò Which very Extent or vsque is many times as much worth as the Obedience itselfe This also will come into the Propter quod Now many Vsque's there be in this of His. 1. Vsque naturam hominis Thither Verse 7. His very humanity had beene humility enough 2. Vsque formam Servi is more How Even to wash the feet of they servants said Abigail 1. Sam 25.41 Ioh. 23.5 and tooke herselfe to be very humble in so saying Thither He came too What say yee to vsque mortem the sixth point Mortem 6 Mortem Iob. 2.4 Rom. 6.23 that will stagger the best of us We love Obedience in a whole skin Vsque any thing rather then that And to say troth no reason in the world obedience should come to that Death is the wages of sinne of disobedience Factus obediens what and factus reus too Obedient and yet put to death heaven and earth should ring of it if the case were ours Well even thither came His obedience Et ne perderet obedientiam perdidit vitam And rather then to lose His obedience lost his life This is indeed a great Propter quod 7 â—ortem aâ—tem Cruciâ— Enough now For death is vltima linea we say Nay there is yet an Autem more behinde to make it up full seven For One death is worse then another And His was Mortem autem the worst death of all the death of malefactors and of the worst sort of malefactors Mortem Crucis Nay if he must die let him die an honest a faire death Not so nay Morte turpissimâ said they of it that put him to it the foulest death of all other vsque mortem Chap. 2.20 mortem autem Crucis Died and so died Ever the So the manner is more then the thing it selfe in all of CHRIST To be borne So to be borne vsque praesepe to the Cratch To die Luke â— 7 nay So to die vsque Crucem to the Crosse. Vsque naturam hominis vsque formam Servi vsque mortem malefici 1. So great a Person 2. Thus to humble 3. Humble his own selfe 4 To be obedient 5. To be mà de obedient 6. Obedient with an vsque so farre 7. So farre as to death 8. And to a death so opprobrious These Extensives and Intensives put together will I trust make up a perfect Propter quod And this for humilitas claritatis meritum in the first verse II. Verse 9. Now for Claritas humilitatis praemium in the rest And will yee observe how they answer one another For humiliavit there heere is exaltavit For Ipse there DEVS GOD heere For Ipse se DEVS ipsum He humbled himselfe GOD exalted him For humiliavit vsque there heere is exaltavit super For factus obediens there heere factus Dominus For mortem crucis the death of the Crosse there here is the glory of GOD the Father Super-exaltavit Ipsum This exalting we reduced to two 1 Of His Person 2 Of his Name Of His Person in super-exaltavit Ipsum Of His Name in the rest of the verse To begin with His personall exaltation Super-exaltavit is a de-compound There is Ex and Super both in it His exalting hath an Ex whence or out of what His exalting hath a super whither or whereunto Ex. Ex from whence from the two very last words Mortem Crucis His raising to life opposed to Mortem the sorrowes of death The giving of His Name to Crucis the shame of the Crosse. This dayes Ex was from death His humiliavit had beene ad humum to the ground Nay further into the ground Nay further yet Ephes. 4.9 Psal. 9.13.49.15 Pro. 7.27 Matt. 28.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into the very lowest parts of it His exaltavit then was from thence from death and nor the gates of death then He was not in nor the iawes of death then He was not quite downe but from inferiora and interiora the lowermost and innermost roomes of death From vnder the Stone thence from the Dungcon with a Gen. 40.15 Ioseph From the bottome of the Denne with b Dan. 6.23 Daniel From the Bellie of the Whale with c Ionas 2 10. Ionas All three Types of Him There is His Ex. Super. Now then whither From Death to life From shame to glory From a death of shame to a life of glory From the forme of a servant in factus obediens to the dignitie of a Soveraigne in factus Dominus But will ye marke againe For Non sicut delictum sic donum saith he els-where So here not as His humbling so was His exalting but more That of His humbling was dispatched in one verse Rom. 5.15 This of His exalting hath no lesse then three So the amends is large three to one But that is not it I meane But
pronounced over them As if some great matter had lyen in the missing of it as if they had beene of Iacob's mind Non dimittam te nisi benedixeris mihi Gen. 32.26 they would neither let the Priest depart nor depart themselves till they had their blessing with them Such a vertue they held in it The blessing pronounced they had then leave to goe with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Greeke Mâ—ssa â—st fidelibus in the Latine Church and none went away before An evill custome hath prevailed with our people Away they go without blesâ—ing without leave without care of eithâ—r Marke if they runne not out before eny blessing as if it were not worth the taking with them Verse 17. Matt. 25.34 I mervaile how they will be inheritors of the blessing that seeme to set so little by it If they meane to heare Come ye blessed they should me thinkes love it better then by their running from it they seeme to doe This would be amended We are heerein departed from the Primitive Christians with whom it was in more regard Sure there is more in the neglect of it then we are aware of This blessing could not be delivered in better termes then in those that came from the Apostles themselves which accordingly have beene sought up heere and there in their writings and by the Church sorted to severall dayes which they seemed best to agree with As â—his heere having Easter-day in it was made an Easter day-benediction For the speciall mention in it of CHRIST brought againe from the dead doth in a manner appropriate it to this Feast Vtter it but thus The GOD of peace who did now as upon this day bring againe CHRIST from the dead doe but utter it thus and it will appeare most plainely how well they suite the Time and the Text. 2. The Summe For the Summe It is no more in effect but shortly this That GOD would so blâ—sse them and us as to make us fit for and perfect in all good workes A good wish at any time But why at this time specially upon mention of CHRIST 's rising he should wish it is not seene at first Yet there is some matter in it that at CHRIST 's rising he doth not wish our faith increased or our hope strengthened or any other gracâ— or vertue revived but onely that good workes might be perfected in us and we in them Surely this sorting them thus together seemes to implie as if CHRIST 's râ—surrâ—ction had some more peculiar interest in good workes as indeed it hath And there hath ever beene and still are more of them done now at this time then at any other time of the yeare A generall reason may be given That what time CHRIST doth for us some principall great work as at all the Feasts He doth some and now at this time sensibly we to take occasion by it at that time to do somwhat more then ordinarie in memorie and honour of it More particularly some such as may in some sort suit with and resemble the act of Christ then done As it might be when Christ died sinne to die in us when CHRIST rose againe good workes to rise together with Him Christ's Passion to be Sinne 's passion Christ's Resurrection good worke 's resurrection Good-friday is for Sin Easter for good workes Good-friday to bring Sinne to death Easter to bring good workes from the dead And we that were dead before to good workes by occasion of this to revive againe to the doing of them And not as the manner is with us Sinne to have an Easter to rise and live againe and good workes to be crucified ly dead and have no resurrection For the Partition Two Verses there are and two Parts accordingly 3. The Division 1 The Praemisses and 2 the Sequele The Praemisses are GOD and the Sequele Good-workes The former verse is nothing but GOD with His style or addition The GOD of peace who hath brought againe c. The latter is all for good workes Make you perfect c We may consider them thus Of the two 1 One a thing done for us in the former verse 2 The other a thing to be done by us in the latter verse The bringing back Christ the benefit done vs by GOD The applying good workes our duety to be done to Him for it The thing done is an Act that is a bringing backe Which act is but one but implieth another precedent necessarily For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a bringing backe implieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a bringing thither To this Act there is a concurrence of two Agents 1 One the Partie that brought 2 The other the Partie that is brought The Party that brought is GOD vnder the name or title of the GOD of peace The Party that was brought is Christ set forth heere under the Metaphore of a Shepheard the great Shepheard of the Sheepe The GOD of peace did bring againe this Shepheard from whence and how 3 From whence From the dead Then among the dead He was first First brought thither 4 How from thence by what meanes By the blood of a Testament everlasting All which is nothing els but the Resurrection of Christ extended at large through all these points The thing to be done That GOD would so blesse them As to make them 1 First fitt to doe 2 and then to doe good workes 1 Fitt to doe in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To doe Wherein we consider two things 1 the doing To which doing there is a concurrence of two Agents ◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what we to do â— And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what He to doe 2 And then the worke it selfe expressed in two words 1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is His Will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which is well pleasing in His sight These two be holden for two degrees and the later of the twaine to have the more in it And last of all the Sequele Where is to be shewed how these two hang together and follow one upon the other First the GOD of peace and the bringing of CHRIST from death Then how the bringing of Christ from death concernes our bringing forth good workes Which being shewed what this Feast of Easter hath to doe with good workes will fall in of it selfe That with Christ now rising they also should now rise They are thought as good as dead that there may be a Resurrection of them at Christ's Resurrection I. The thing done for us â— The Party by whom THe GOD of peace c Heere is a long processe What needs all this setting out His style at length Why goes he not to the point roundly And seeing good workes doing is his errand why saith he not shortly GOD make you given to good workes and no more adoe But tells us a long tale of Shepheards and Testaments and I wote not what one
8.23 which bands are they Psal. 1â—â— 16 David thankes GOD for breaking in sunder There need no other bonds we will say if once we come to feele them The galls that sinne makes in the conscience are the entering of the yron into our soule Psal. 10â— 1â— But you will say we feele not these neither no more than the former No doe Take this for a rule If CHRIST heâ—le them that be broken-hearted broken-hearted we behove to be yer He can heale us He is Medicus cordis indeed but it is cordis contriti It is a condition 〈◊〉 annexed this to make us the more capable and likewise a disposition it is to make us the more curable That same pauperibus before and this 〈…〉 they limit CHRIST 's cure His cure and His Commission both and unlesâ—e they be or untill they be this Scripture is not nor cannot be fulfilled in us In our eares it may be but in our hearts never That as such as come to be healed by His Majestie are first searched and after either put by 〈◊〉 admitted as cause is so there would be a Scrutinie of such as make toward CHRIST What are you poore Poore in spirit for the purse it skills not No but dicis â—uia dives in good case CHRIST is not for you then He is sent to the poore What Psal. 119.70 is your heart broken No but heart-whole a heart as brawne then are you not for this cure In all CHRIST 's Dispensatorie there is not a medicine for such a heart a heart like brawne that is hard and un-yielding CHRIST himselfe seemes to give this Item when He applies it after Many widowes Verse 25. Many lepers saith He and so many sinners Elias sent to none but the poore Widow of Sarepta Elisaeus healed none but onely Naaman after his spirit came downe was broken No more doth CHRIST but such as are of a contrite heart Verily the case as before we set it downe is the sinner's case feele he it feele he it not But if eny be so benummed as he is not sensible of this so blind as dungeon or no dungeon all one to him if eny have this same Scirrhum cordis that makes him past feeling it is no good signe but it may be our houre is not yet come our cure is yet behind But if it should so continue and never be otherwise then were it a very evill signe Prov. 7.22 For what is such a ones case but as Salomon saith as the oxe that is ledd to the slaughter without eny sense or the foole that goes laughing when he is carried to be well whipped What case more pitifull You will say we have no hammer no worldly Crosse to breake our hearts It may be That is Manasse's hammer the common hammer indeed but that is not King David's hammer which I rather commend to you the right hammer to doe the feat to worke contrition in kind The right is the sight of our owne sinnes And I will say this for it that I never in my life saw eny man brought so low with eny worldly calamitie as I have with this sight And these I speake of were not of the common sort but men of spirit and valor that durst have looked death in the face Yet when GOD opened their eyes to see this sight their hearts were broken yea even grownd to powder with it contrite indeed And this is sure if a man be not humbled with the sight of his sinnes It is not all the crosses or losses in the world will humble him aright This is the right And without eny worldly crosse this we might have if we loved not so to absent our selves from our selves to be even fugitivi cordis to runne away from our oâ—ne hearts be ever abroad never within if we would but sometimes rediâ—e ad cor Esay 46. â— returne home thither and descend into our selves sadly and seriously to bethinke us of them and the danger we are in by them this might be had And this would be had if it might be If noâ— in default of this no remedie the common hammer must come and GOD send us Manesse's hammer to breake it some bodily sicknesse some worldly affliction to send us home into our selves But sure the Angel must come downe and the â—ater be stirred Ioâ— 5.4 els we may preach long enough to un-contrite hearts but no goodwill be done till then 〈◊〉 beene too long in the Caâ—se but the knowledge of the Cause in every disease 〈…〉 halfe the cure To the healing now 〈…〉 for heale in Esay where this Text is signifies to bind up The cure 〈…〉 the most proper cure for fracturâ—s or ought that is broken Nay 〈…〉 and all as appeareth by the Samaritan The 〈◊〉 is so stayed Luk. 10.34 which if it 〈◊〉 râ—nning on us still in vaine talke we of eny healing It is not begun till that stay 〈…〉 no longer The sinne that CHRIST cures He binds up He stayes to begin with If he cover sinne it is with a plaister He covers and cures together both under oâ—e 〈◊〉 broken-hearted the Hebrewes take not as we doe we broken for sinne they 〈◊〉 of or from sinne And we have the same phrase with us To breake one of 〈…〉 fashions or inclinations he hath beene given to So to breake the heart 〈◊〉 must it be broken or ever it be whole Both senses either of them doth well but both together best of all 〈◊〉 done now to the healing part The Heathen observed long since 2. How they are cuâ—ed Act. 10.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the soules cure is by words And the Angell saith to Cornelius of Saint Pâ—ter He shall speake to thee words by which thou and thy houshold shall be saved And by no words sooner then by the sound of good tydings By good tyâ—ings Good newes is good physiqâ—e sure such the disease may be and a good message a good medicine There is power in it both waies Good newes hath healed evill newes hath killed many The good newes of Ioseph's welfare we see how it even revived old Iacob And the evill Gen. 45.27 〈◊〉 the arke of GOD taken it cost Eli his life 1. Sam. 4.18 Nothing workes upon the heart â—ore forcibly either way What are these newes and first how come they By 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they come No secret Proclaimed â—hispered newes from man to man in a corner No flying newes They be proclaiâ—ed these so authenticall Proclaimed And so they had need For if our sinnes â—nce appeare in their right forme there is evill newes certainely let the Divell alone with that to proclaime them to preach damnation to us Contraria curantur câ—ntrarij we had need have some good proclaimed to cure those of his Two proclamations heere are one in the neck of another Of which the former in 〈◊〉 three branches of it applieth in particular a remedie to the three
Gerson you would not wish to finde Iehova iustitia nostra better or more pregnantly acknowledged then in them you shall finde it But this is by vertue of this Ecce Rex faciet judicium out of whose sight when we be we may fall into a phansie or as the Prophet saith we may have a dreame of Iustitia nostra à IEHOVA Ver. 27. But framing our selves as before him we shall see it is not that righteousnesse will consist there but we must come to Iustitia nostra in Iehova It is the onely way how to settle the state of this controversie aright and without this we may well misse of the interpretation of this Name And this they that doe not or will not now conceive the Prophet telleth them after at the XX. Verse quòd in novissimo intelligetis plane at the end they shall understand whither they will or no. And indeed to doe them no wrong it is true that at this Iudgement-seate so farr as it concerneth the satisfaction for sinne and our escaping from aeternall death the Church of Rome taketh this Name aright and that terme which a great while seemed harsh unto them now they finde no such absurditie in it That Christ's righteousnesse and merits are imputed to us So saith Bellarmine Et hoc modo non esset absurdum si quis diceret nobis imputari Christi justitiam merita cum nobis donentur applicentur ac si nos ipsi Deo satisfecissemus And againe De Iustif◠2.20 ◠11 Solus CHRISTVS pro salute nostrâ satisfacere potuit re ipsâ ex iustitiâ satisfecit illa satisfactio nobis donatur applicatur nostra reputatur cum Deo reconciliamur justificamur So saith Stapleton Illa sané iustitia quâ satisfecit pro nobis per communicationem sic nostra est ut perinde nobis imputetur De Iustifi 7.9 ac si nos ipsi sufficienter satisfecissemus in as full termes as one would wish So that this point is meetly well cleered now Thus they understand this Name in that part of righteousnesse which is satisfactorie for punishment and there they say with us as we with Esai in Iehova Iustitia nostra But in the positive Iustice or that part therof which is meritorious for reward there fall they into a phansie they may give it over and suppose that Iustitia à Domino a righteousnesse from GOD they graunt yet inhaerent in themselves without the righteousnesse that is in Christ will serve them whereof they have a good conceipt that it will endure GOD'S iustice and standeth not by acceptation So by this meanes shrinke they up this Name and though they leave the full sound yet take they halfe the sense from it Now as for us in this point of Righteousnesse if we both goe no further then the former of taking away sinne then as much as we strive for they doe yield us And therein we thinke we have cause to blame them justly for not contenting themselves with that which contented the Prophet a Esai 27.9 Hic est omnis fructus marke that omnis ut auferatur peccatum c Mat. 1.21 Which contented Saint Iohn Baptist b Ioh. 1.29 Ecce Agnus Dei qui tollit peccata mundi Which contented the Angel Hic servabit populum suum à peccatis eorum Which contented the Fathers Saint Augustine d De verb Apost 16. Puto hoc esse iustus sum quod peccator non sum Saint Bernard e In Cant. 22 Factus est nobis iustitia sapientia c. Sapientia in predicatione iustitia in peccatorum absolutione So that to be absolved from sinne with him is our righteousnesse And yet more plainly in his CXC Epistle to Innocentius the Pope himselfe Vbi reconciliatio ibi remissio peccatorum Et quid ipsa nisi iustificatio Which the very name and nature of a judgment-seat doth give which proceedeth onely in matters paenall And as we blame them for that so likewise for this no lesse that if they will needs have it a part of justice they allow not CHRIST'S Name as full in this part as in the former For there they allow imputation but heere they doe not For I aske what is the reason why in the other part of satisfaction for sinne we need CHRIST'S Righteousnesse to be accompted ours The reason is saith Bellarmine Non acceptat Deus in veram satisfactionem pro peccato De Iustifi 2.25 nisi iustitiam infinitam quoniam peccatum offensa est infinita If that be the reason that it must have an infinite satisfaction because the offense is infinite we reason á pari there must also be an infinite merit because the Reward is no lesse infinite Els by what proportion doe they proceed or at what beame doe they weigh these twaine that cannot counterpeize an infinite sinne but with an infinite satisfaction and thinke they can weigh downe a reward every way as infinite with a merit to say the least surely not infinite Why should there be a necessarie use of the sacrifice of CHRIST'S death for the one and not a use full as necessarie of the oblation of His life for the other Or how commeth it to passe that no lesse then the one will serve to free us from aeternall death and a great deale lesse will serve to entitle us to aeternall life Is there not as much requisite to purchase for us the crowne of glorie as there is to redeeme us from the torments of hell VVhat difference is there are they not both aequall both alike infinite VVhy is his death allowed solely sufficient to put away sinne and why is not his life to be allowed like solely sufficient to bring us to life If in that the blessed Saints themselves were their sufferings never so great yea though they endured never so cruell martyrdome if all those could not serve to satisfie GOD'S justice for their sinnes but it is the death of Christ must deliver them is it not the very same reason that were their merits never so many and their life never so holy yet that by them they could not nor we cannot challenge the reward but it is the life and obedience of Christ that de justitiâ must procure it for us all For sure it is that Fini ti ad infinitum nulla est proportio Especially if we add heerunto that as it cannot be denied but to be finite so withall that the Auncient Fathers seeme further to be but meanely conceipted of it A reckoning it not to be full but defective not pure but defiled and if it be judged by the just Iudge Districté or cum districtione examinis they be Saint Gregorie's and Saint Bernard's words indeed no righteousnesse at all Not full but defective So saith Saint Augustine Neque totam neque plenam in hac vitâ iustitiam nos habere confitendum nobis est If neither whole but a part nor full but wanting then
that He had made And it was a conveniencie that He should and it was an inducement that He would vndertake the businesse and go through with it 2. What Christ is to us All this He is in Himselfe Yet not so but in all His splendor and glorie He mindeth us And that so as He is desirous to bring us to the ioynt partaking of His inheritance as Sonne of His glorie as the Brightnesse yea of the very Divine nature as the Character of His Substance The ground whereof is laid in quem fecit haeredem whom He made heire and that was as man For per quem fecit we said is GOD Quem fecit is man 1 He is made Heire Made him heire Heires are either borne or made So borne by nature or so made by purchase He was His Sonne and His onely Sonne and so borne His heire He was borne and yet He would be made There is a mysterie in this we are to looke to it It will fall out to concerne us Heire borne He was and so claimeth all as His inheritance by due of birth-right But it is further heer said He was made what meanes this Quem fecit Nay quem genuit That is true But quem fecit is true likewise Fecit haeredem qui prius fuit haeres So borne and so made too Haeres natus and haeres factus So commeth He to a double right two titles How so He needed but one He would have two To what end Not for Himselfe for Himselfe one was enough Beliâ—e His meaning was to have two that He might set over one to some body els There is the point He was borne Heire for Himselfe but made heire for us Haeres natus that serveth Him that He reteines to Himselfe Haeres factus that He disposeth of to us By this we hold euen by Quem fecit that is our tenure and best hope He is and ever was in the bosome of His Father as haeres natus He now is but on our behalfe and to our behoofe at the right hand of His Father as Haeres factus And now followeth He purged our sinnes â— He purgeth our sinnes For He could not bring us to sit with Him in His throne thus purchased being so spotted and foule as we were by meanes of the pollution of our sinnes He was then to purge and make cleane our Nature first that He might exalt it to partake His purchase being so clensed Where first our case is set downe wherein He found us and wherein we are without Him A sinners case how gloriously soever he or she glister in the eyes of men being in GODS eyes as the case of a foule diseased person And we thereby taught so to conceive of sinnes as of foule Spots without or of such humours within as go from us 2 Cor. 7.1 by purging Inquinamenta carnis Spiritus as Saint Paul termes them right defiling both flesh and Spirit which vnlesse they be purged there is no entring into the heavenly Ierusalem where the throne is into which nihil inquinatum Apoc. 21.27 no polluted thing shall ever enter Exalt us He could not being in that plight for love or pitie therefore purge us He would And heer now is the topp or highest point of elevation in this Text. Who being the Brightnesse or though He were the Brightnesse that is a Partie so excellent in Nature Glorie Person and Power Nature as Sonne Glorie as Brightnesse Person as Character Power as maker and supporter of all who though He were all this did not abhorre to come and visit us being in that foule and wretched case This will teach us Psal 84. Luk. â— 78 Domine quid est homo what is man that Thou shouldest visit him Visit him not as the day-spring from an high doth the earth but visit him as if a great Prince should go into an Hospitall to visit and looke on a lothsome diseased creature 2 And not onely visit him but not refuse the base office to looke to his purging from that his vncleannesse 3 And thirdly not cause it to be done by another but to come and do it in Semetipso by his owne selfe in person 4 And fourthly in doing not to stand by and prescribe but Himselfe to minister and make the medicine 5. And fiftly to make it Himselfe and make it of Himselfe in semetipso and de semetipso to make the medicine and be the medicine 6. And how or of what Spots will out with water Some will not with any thing but with blood Without shedding of blood there is no taking away Sinne as Chap. IX v. 22. And not every blood will serve but it must be lambs blood And a lambe 1. Pet. 1.19 without spot And not every lamb neither but the Lamb of GOD or to speake plainely a Lamb that is GOD His blood and nothing els will serve to do this Ioh. 1.29 7. And seventhly not any blood of His not of a veine one may live still for all that but His best most pretious His heart blood which bringeth certaine death with it With that blood He was to make the medicine Dy He must and His side be opened that there might issue both the water and the blood that was to be the Ingredients of it By Himself His own selfe and by Himselfe slaine by His death and by His blood-shedding and by no other meanes Quis audivit talia The Physitian slaine and of his flesh and blood a receipt made that the patient might recover And now we may be at our choise whither we will conceive of sinne as of some outward soile in the soule And then the purging of it to be per viam balnei needs a bath with some cleansing ingredients as the Prophet speakes of the herb Borith Ier. 2.22 And this way purged He us made a bath of the water that came out of His side to that end opened Zach. 11.1 that from thence might flow a fountaine for sinne and for vncleannesse Zach. 11 1. Water and mixed with His blood as forcible to take out the steines of the soule as any herb Borith in the world to take away the soile of the skinne Or whither we will conceive of sinne as of some inward pestilent humour in the soule and conscience casting us into perill of mortall or rather immortall death Then the purging of us to be by way of some Electuarie or Potion And so He purgeth our sinnes too To that end He hath made an Electuarie of His owne bodie Take Mat 26.26.27 eate it and tempered a cup with His owne blood Drink ye all of it which by the operation of His eternall Spirit in it Heb. 9.14 is able effectually to purge the conscience from dead works or actuall sinnes and from the deadly effect of them No balsame or medicine in the world like it The Summe of all is There be two defiling sinnes and two waies He purgeth
man He is the Way both Way and Guide too His Doctrine our guide His example in the whole tract of His life the very way thither Nothing remaineth but that we now set forward in this way For as we daily sing in the Benedictus He came not to whet our witts or to file our tongues Luk. 1.79 but to guide our feet into the way And into what way Not of questions and controversies whereof there is no end about which we languish all our life long but into the way of peace even of those duties about which there is no disagreement Looke but to this Feast it is S. Augustines note didicerunt Magi et abierunt docuerunt Scribae remanserunt The Wise men they learnt the way and on they went The Scribes they taught the way but they tarried still behind O do as did the Wise men dimittunt Scribas inaniter lectitare ipsi pergunt fideliter adorare let the Scribes sitt still and scan and read lectures of the way On went the Wise men on their way and performed their worship the end of their iorney and so let us This for Dux viae And this would serve for the way if there were nothing but the way if that were all But if there be enimies besett the way to stop our passage 2. A Captaine to guard us then will not dux a guide serve our turne we must have dux a Captaine then the second sense of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one to guard us and to make way for us For we are not only to be led surely without error but safely without daunger also Such a Guide we behove to have as will see us safe at the Place we would be at And Bethlehem breeds such Out of little Bethlehem came he that fetched downe great Golias And againe out of it this day He that shall tread downe Sathan under our feet dux Messias 1 Sam. 17.49 Captaine Messias as the Angell in DAN 9.25 calls Him Rom. 16.20 Dan. 9 25. And for qui pascet we may not misse that neyther For say we be guarded from enimies yet shall we goe our journey but evill if we faint by the way for hunger or thirst 3. A Shepheard to feed us and have not to releeve us He is not a good Guide that in that case cannot lead us where we may be purveyed of necessary food for our releife It is all one to perish out of the way by error and to perish in the way by want of needfull refreshing Saint Matthew therefore to make Him a complete Guide by way of supply adds Qui pascet Such a one as shall Lead more Pastoritio as a Shepheard doth his flock not lead them the way only but lead them also to good greene pasture besides the waters of comfort see they want nothing Dux qui pascet or Pastor qui ducet choose you whither for He is both Psal. 23.2 Of all the three the name of the Place He was borne in seemes to favor this most to be ominous toward qui pascet Beth is a house Iehem bread and Ephrata is plentie Bread plentie And there was in Bethlehem a well of such water as King David we reade longed for it the best in all the Countrey Bethlehem then sure a fitt place 1. Chro. 11 17. for Qui pascet to be borne in And Qui pascet as fitt a person to be borne in Bethlehem He is not meete to be Ruler saith Esai that saith in domo mea non est panis He can never say that Bethlehem is his house and that is domus panis Esay 3.7 and in domo panis semper est panis Never take Him without bread His house is the house of bread inasmuch as He Himselfe is bread that in the house or out of it wheresoever He is there is Bethlehem There can no bread want These three habilities then are in CHRIST our Leader 1 Skill to be a Guide 2 Valour to be a Captaine 3 and for Qui pascet Bethlehem the house of bread is His house Of which 1 Skill serves for direction 2 Strength for defence 3 Food for refreshing 1. Luce Sacerdotalis scientiae by the light of His Priestly knowledge So He guides us for the Priests lipps are to preserve knowledge 2. And brachio Regalis potentiae by the arme of His Royall power So He guards us Mal. 2.7 for Power perteines to the Prince Principally 3. And for qui pascet He is Melchisedek King and Priest Gen 14.18 ready to bring forth as He did bread and wine But in another manner farr then he did The bread and wine Melchisedek brought forth were not His body and blood CHRISTS are Both qui pascet and quo pascet As before Dux via the guide and the way So now heer pastor et pabulum the feeder and the food both You may see all this represented in the Shadowes of the Old Testament There is a booke there called Exodus of Israels egredietur out of Egypt Therein they had MOSES for their Guide and he led them to the borders of the Holy land and there he left them Heb. 7.19 Heb. 4.8 To shew the law brought nothing to perfection Then comes Iosua whom the Epistle to the Hebrewes calls IESVS the figure of ours heer and by his conduct they were led and put in possession of the Land of promise Ier 31.31 Heb. 8.6 All this but in type of another Testament after to be made saith Ieremie and upon better promises saith the Apostle Namely our Spirituall leading through this vale of vanitie Gal. 4.26 to the true land of promise the heavenly Ierusalem that is from above whither this our IESVS undertakes to bring all those that will be guided by Him Observe but the correspondence betweeen the type the truth Moses when he came to lead the people Exod. 5.12 found them how scattered over all the land of Egypt to seeke stubble for bricke to build him a City that sought the ruine of them all Our case right the very patterne of it when our Guide findes us wandring in vanitie picking up strawes things that shall not profit us Sap. 1.12 seeking death in the error of our life till we be so happy as to light into His guiding Secondly Moses was to them not alone Dux viae a Guide for the way but when enimies came forth against them Dux militiae a Captaine for the warr CHRIST was so too and farr beyond MOSES For He made us way with the laying downe of His life Esa 53 12. So did neyther MOSES nor Iosua Would die for it but He would open us a passage to the place He undertooke to bring us to Was Dux a Guide in His life Dux a Captaine in His death Thirdly MOSES when they fainted by the way obteined in their hunger manna from heaven Ioh 6 32. 1. Cor. 10.4 and in their thirst water
for it bruises as a fall for it bringeth downe as a fall downe from the state of Paradise downe to the dust of death downe to the barre of iudgement downe to the pitt of hell Againe Men turne when they erre And sinne is an error Nonne errant omnes c saith Salomon make you any doubt of it I doe not No sure an error it is Prov. 14.22 What can be greater then to goe in the wayes of wickednesse they should not and come to the end of miserie they would not It is then a fall and an error Vpon which he ioyneth issue and inferreth the fifth verse Quare ergo and why then If there be no people so sottish that when they fall will lie still or when they erre goe on still why doe this people that which no people els will doe Nay seeing they themselves if they be downe gett up and if astray turne backe how commeth it to passe it holds not heere to That heere they fall and rise not stray and returne not Fall and stray peccando and not rise and returne poenitendo Will every people and not they Nay will they every where els and not heer Everie where els will they rise if they fall and turne againe if they turne away and heere onely heere will they fall and not rise turne away and not turne againe In every fall in every error of the feet to doe it and to do it of our selves and in that fall and that error which toucheth GOD and our soules by no meanes by no entreatie to be got to do it What dealing call you this Yet this is their strange dealing saith the LORD Both theirs and ours Which GOD wonders at and complaineth of and who can complaine of His wondering or wonder at His complaining But what speake we of a fall or an error There is a word in the fifth verse the word of rebellion maketh it yet more greevous For it is as if he should say I would it were nothing but a fall or turning away I would it were not a fall or turning away into a rebellion Nay I would it were but that but rebellion and not a perpetuall rebellion But it is both and that is it which I complaine of There is Sinne a fall men fall against their wills that is sinne of infirmitie There is Sinne an Error men erre from the way of ignorance that is sinne of ignorance The one for want of power The other for lack of skill But rebellion the third kind that hatefull sinne of rebellion can neither pretend ignorance nor plead infirmitie for wittingly they revolt from their knowne allegiance and wilfully sett themselves against their lawfull Soveraigne That is the sinne of malice Take all together Sinne a fall an error a rebellion We see sinne aboundeth will you see how grace over-aboundeth Yet not such a fall but we may be raised nor such a departure but there is place left to returne no nor such a rebellion but if it sue for may hope for a pardon For behold He even He that GOD from whom we thus fall depart revolt reacheth His hand to them that fall turneth not away from them that turne to Him is readie to receive to grace them even them that rebelled against Him It is so for He speaketh to them treateth with them asketh of them why they will not rise retire submit themselves Which is more yet If ye marke He doth not complaine and challenge them for any of all those three for falling straying or for rebelling The point he presseth is not our falling but our lying still not our departing but our not returning nor our breaking of but our holding out It is not why fall or stray or revolt But why rise ye not Returne ye not Submit ye not your selves Thus might He have framed his interrogatories Shall they fall and not stand He doth not but thus Shall they fall and not rise Shall they turne from the right and not keepe it No But shall they turne from it and not turne to it As much to say as Be it you have fallen yet lie not still erred yet goe not on Sinned yet continue not in sinne and neither your fall error nor sinne erunt vobis in scandalum shall be your destruction or doe you hurt Nay which is farther and that beyond all It is not these neither though this be wrong enough yet upon the point this is not the verie matter Neither our lying still nor our going on nor standing out so they have an end they all and every of them may have hope Perpetuall is the word and Perpetuall is the thing Not why these any of these or all of these but why these perpetuall To doe thus to doe it and never leave doing it To make no end of sinne but our own end To make a perpetuitie of sinne Never to rise returne repent for repentance is opposite not to sinne but to the continuance of it that is the point In sinne are these 1 The fall 2 The relapse 3 The wallow it is none of these It is not falling not though it be recidiva peccati often relapsing It is not lying still not though it be Volutabrum peccati the wallowe It is none of all these It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the never ceasing the perpetuitie the impenitencie of sinne To speake of sinne that is the sinne out of measure sinfull that is the offense that not onely maketh culpable but leaveth inexcusable That fall is not ADAM'S but LVCIFER'S fall not to erre but to perish from the right way not SHEMEI'S rebellion but the very Apostasie and gainsaying of COREH This then to add sinne to sinne to multiplie sinne by sinne to make it infinite to eternize it as much as in us lyeth that is it to which GOD crieth O quare Why doe you so Why perpetuall Why perpetuall Indeed why For it would pose the best of us to finde out the Quare a true cause or reason for our doing Before shew but an example Now heere shew but a reason and carie it But they can shew no reason why they will not It were to be wished we would repent or shew good cause to the contrarie But as before we violate our owne custome so heer we abandon reason we throw them both to the ground order and reason and stampe upon them both when we make perpetuities Verily true cause or good reason there is none Being called to shew cause why They tell not we see they stand mute they cannot tell why GOD himselfe is faigne to tell them Why all the cause that is is in the latter part of the verse Apprehenderunt c. that is some Non causa pro causâ some lye or other they lay hold of or els they would returne and not thus continue in it To flatter it selfe that it may not repent Mentita est iniquitas sibi saith the Psalmist Psal. 26.12 Sinne doth even coosen it selfe telling a
Iejunium prescribe it and that to a religious end Even to chasten our selves for sinne by this forbearance So no Physicall Philosophicall Verse 15. Politicall but a Propheticall yea an Evangelicall fast For if in very sorrow we are to fast when the bridegroome is taken away Much more when we our selves by our sinnes committed have beene the cause of His taking nay Matt. 9.15 of His very driving away from us And must we then fast Indeed we must or gett us a new Epistle for the day and a new Gospell too For as GOD heere in the Epistle commands it So CHRIST in the Gospell presupposeth it with His Cum jejunatis Matt. 6.16 taking it as granted We will fast That sure fast we must or els wipe out this cum jejunio and that Cum jejunatis and tell GOD and CHRIST they are not well advised we have found out a way beyond them to turne vnto GOD without any fasting at all But how fast To relieve all we may When we speake of Fasting Humanum dicimus propter infirmitatem vestram Rom 6.19 Psal. 109.24 we entend not mens knees should grow weake with fasting Two kinds of fasting we find in Scripture 1. David's who fasted tasting neither bread nor ought els 2. Sam. 3.35 till the Sunne was downe No meat at all That is too hard Dan. 10.3 2. What say you to Daniel's fast He did eat and drinke but not cibos desyderij no meats of delight and namely eat no flesh The Church as an indulgent mother mitigates all she may Matt. 19.12 Enjoynes not for fast that of David and yet qui potest capere capiat for all that She onely requires of us that other of Daniel to forbeare cibos desyderij and flesh is there expressely named Meates and drinks provoking the appetite full of nourishment kindling the blood Content to sustaine Nature and not purvey for the flesh Rom. 13.14 to satisfie the lusts thereof And thus by the grace of GOD we may if not David's yet Daniel's For if David's we cannot and Daniel's we list not I know not what fast we will leave for a third I find not 1. Tim. 5.25 And yet even this also doth the Church release to such as are in Timothee's case have crebras infirmitates It is not the decay of nature but the chastisement of sinne she seeketh But at this doore all scape through we are all weake and crasie when we would repent Matt. 16.22 but lusty and strong when to commit sinne Our Physitians are easy to tell us and we easy to beleeve any that will tell us Propitius esto tibi favour your selfe for it is not for you Take heed GOD is not mocked who would have sinne chastened Who sees I feare the pleasing of our appetite is the true cause the not endangering our health is but a pretense And He will not have his Ordinance thus dallyed with fast or loose Said it must be that Ioël heere saith Turne to GOD with fasting or be ready to shew a good cause why And to shew it to GOD. It is He heere calls for it the pen is but Ioël's He best knowes what turning it is will serve our turne will turne away Ira ventura which Quis poterit sustinere who is hable to abide And take this with you when fasting and all is in Ver. 14. if it be Quis scit si convertatur Deus If we leave what we please out then it will be Quis scit indeed 2. With Weeping The next point and GOD send us well to discharge it is Weeping Can we not be dispensed with that neither but we must weepe too Truly even in this point somewhat would be done too Els Ioël will not be satisfied but call on us still There is saith the Psalme a flagon provided by GOD of purpose for them Psal. 56 8. Therefore some would come some few droppes at least Not as the Saints of old No humanum dicimus heere too a Iob. 16.20 Iob's eyes poured forth teares to GOD b Ps. 119.136 David's eye gushed out with water He all to wet his pillow with them c Luk. 7.38 Marie Magdalen wept enough to have made a bath We vrge not these But if not poure out Ier. 13.17 not gush forth Nonne stillabit oculus noster saith Ieremie shall not our eye affoord a drop or twaine Stay a little turne and looke backe vpon our sinnes past it may be if we could get our selves to doe it in kind if set them before us and looke sadly and not glance over them apace Esa. 38.16 Thinke of them not once but as EZEKIA did recogitare thinke them over and over consider the motives the base motives and weigh the circumstances the grievous circumstances and tell over our many flittings our often relapsing our wretched continuing in them It would sett our sorrow in passion it would bring downe some Some would come Our bowells would turne our repentings rowle together and lament we would the death of our soule as we do otherwhile the death of a friend and for the vnkindnesse we have shewed to GOD as for the vnkindnesse we doe that man sheweth us But this will aske time It would not be posted through as our manner is we have done streight It is not a businesse of a few minutes 2. Pet. 3.9 1. Cor. 7.6 It will aske Saint Peter's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 retired place and Saint Paul's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vacant time It would aske a Nazarites vow to doe it as it should be done Even a sequestring our selves for a time as they did In other respects I grant but among others for this also even to performe to GOD a Votive repentance This I wish we would trie But we seeke no place we allow no time for it Our other affaires take up so much as we can spare little or none for this which the time will come when we shall thinke it the weightiest affaire of all And yet it may be when all is done none will come though For who hath teares at command Who can weepe when he lists I know it well they be the overflowings of sorrow not of every sorrow but of the sensuall parts and being an act of the inferiour parts reason cannot command them at all times they will not be had But if they will not the Prophet hath heere put an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 insteed of it for 3. With mâ—urâ—ing so doe the Fathers all take it Mourne If weepe we cannot mourne we can and mourne we must Et vos non luxistis saith the Apostle He saith not 1. Cor 5 2. Et vos non flevistis and you have not wept But and you have not mourned as if he should say that you should have done at the least Mourning they call the sorrow which reason it selfe can yeild In Schooles they terme it Dolorem appretiativum valuing what should
tabernaculi huius 2 Pet 1.14 the taking down of this tabernacle is not farre hence death will come with his axe and downe we goe For it is not saith Saint Iohn layd to the branches but to the roote and then we are past fruit-bearing for ever Proferte fructus igitur Verse 10. After the Axe comes the Fann to shew whither our bringing forth be corne or chaff 2. The Fann. Verse 12. Iude 14. which is our doome after death So long agoe told of by old Enoch in his Maranatha that the LORD will come come to judgement Et omnes stabimus and we shall all stand before His judgement Seat and the fann go over us And there by these fruits heere and by these fruits onely all shall goe for none is in heaven but by it Sinners both they in heaven and they in hell Onely this difference they in heaven had these fruits they in hell had them not And then seeing they will be all in all Proferte fructus igitur These two ventura come they will to all and to all alike we heare not of wrath yet But heere it comes I goe further and ask Ventura to come to come what Ira ventura wrath to come Whose wrath His who when he hath killed the body Luk. 12.5 can cast both body and soule into hell fire For after the Fann comes the Fire The fann divides the corne and the chaff sends each to his owne place the Corne to the Garner the chaff to the fire 3. The Fire Verse 12. and every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit thither too Proferte fructus igitur Els how will you scape the wrath to come saith Saint Iohn How will you scape the damnation of hell saith CHRIST and meane the same thing Chap 22 33. That of CHRIST is but a Commentarie of this of Saint Iohn Ire and fire are but one thing Now the noise of fire will startle any of us even at midnight out of his dead sleepe Of any fire but much more of this Non est iste ignis sicut qui ardet in foco tuo saith Augustine This fire is another manner fire then that on our harthes Why ours may be quenched that is saith the twelfth verse unquenchable fire A worme ever gnawing Mar. 9.44.46 and never dying So doth our SAVIOVR describe it a flame ever burning and never going out Esay 33.14 Now will I but aske the Prophet Esay's question Chap. 33. Who of us caâ—â— dwell in consuming fire That is our fire which as it consumes so will it be consumed it sâ—lfe But then he comes over againe But who is hable to abide in everlasting burnings That can none do Proferte fructus igitur This lo is the wrath the very dreggs of the wrath to come But who regardeth the power of this wrath They I feare me least that shall feele it most I have purposely stood upon this a little For that as upon this day they were wont by the ceremonie of giving ashes to put men in minde of this fire For ashes were not given to putt men in minde of their mortalitie dust had beene more proper to have done that Our mortalitie is grounded upon Pulvis es in pulverem But ashes they come not without fire where they are fire must have beene first And so they most meet to represent fire and make us thinke of it The ashes they be blowen away but not the memorie of them I hope Whatsoever becomes of the ceremonie the substance would not be blowen away after it Sure these ashes laid well to the root of the tree it hath beene thought will make it beare the sooner The present feare of future wrath for sinnes past will putt some force into this Igitur If this will not nothing will This or nothing make the sapp to ascend This or nothing bring them forth Tâ—e â—omfoâ—t of vertura it may be fled from a 2 Cor. 5 11. Scientes igitur terrorem hunc you have seene the terror Shall I open you a b Hos. 2.15 doore of hope in the valley of Achor All is not terror in ventura there is some comfort that it is but to come this wrath it is yet to come So while it is yet to come there is time given us to take order for it before it come That the fruit may come before the wrath and not the wrath before the fruit for then we are gone for ever There is another comfort That though the axe and the fanne shall come upon all and none fly from either of them so shall not wrath That shall not come upon all but all may and some shall flie from it Fly from it I say for there is no meeting it no abiding of it when it comes No standing it out but flie from it we must saith the Text and fly from it we may There is a right way if we may be shewd it and there is no right way but one and who will shew us that That will Saint Iohn teach us He prepares it and he 〈◊〉 hable and He knowes no way but by Proferte igitur But if there be a flight there is no flying it not with the wings of an Eagle not with the six wings of a Seraphin By Proferte Onely the wings of repentance will fly from it But there is no flight entended Proferte igitur will serve Onely stand and beare this fruit and it shall be a supersedeâ—s to all wrath to come You need not fly you need not stirr no more then a tâ—ee but keepe your standing and beare your fruit and it shall not come neere you but fly over you as did the destroying Angell their houses in Aegypt To come it is this wrath 〈◊〉 2 23. fly from it we may This the way to doe it Yea this is one Way but is there no way but this It seemes there was some body shewing some other way besides that Saint Iohn was a little stirred and asked Who hath shâ—wâ—d you it who Whosoever he was he had shewed them a wrong way So that even then even in CHRIST 's time and Saint Iohn's some there were that tooke a phansie they had found a neerer way to cutt betweene to fly this wrath and yet let tree and fruit alone and care for neither And as it followes by a dicentes intra se said within themselveâ— somewhat strange things men will say there Fruits are for them 〈…〉 that have not Abrahaâ— for their Father but we have him for our father and so tooke themselves priviledged from fruit-bâ—aring by that CHRIST shewes them their folie Have you so have you Abraham to your father then do the works of Abraham that is Bring forth the fruits that he did Ioh. â— 39 For Abraham himselfe brought forth these fruits went no other way but this by Proferte igitur The same may be said to another Dicentes intra se of
his oration to the States of his Realme before his first Parliament testifieth the Arke was not sought to in the dayes of Saul That Piller was not looked to Sought to it was after a sort Religion 1. Sam. 14.18.19 but nothing so as it should Come let us have the Arke saith he And then Goe to it skills not greatly carry it backe againe which what was it but to play fast and loose with Religion Act. 24.25 To entend Paul as Foelix saith at our idle time and not to redeeme time to that end Iudge of Religion 's case by the reverence of the Ephod 1. Sam. 6.20 A daughter of his owne bringing up Micall saw David for honor of the Arke weare it and despised him in her heart Iudge of it by the regard of the Priest the keeper of the Arke For very love to it that calling was kept so low and bare that they were tyed to the allowance of their Shew-bread 1. Sam 21 4. the High Priest had noâ— a loafe in his house besides This was the first rott of his kingdome The Arke not sought to The Ephod in contempt The Priest-hood impoverished Acts 18.17 Et Saulo nihil horum curae and Saul regarded not any of these things Such another indifferencie for Church matters we finde in Ieroboam Hos. 13.2 Tush saith he jestingly let them kisse the calves and spare not Let it goe which way it will But therefore GOD sends him word by Ahijah that Israël should be as a reed in the water bowing to and fro at the devotion of every wave and every wind 1. Reg. 14.15 without any steaddinesse And was it not so Search the Chronicles So GOD saw this minde in Saul to his Arke and was wroth withdrew from him His religious and good Spirit and sent upon him a prophane and furious Spirit which carried him on first to a sinfull life and never left him till it had brought him to a shamefull death And God was even saying his Disperdas to the Kingdome Deut. 33. â—â— but David heere intreated for a Ne perdas and promised a better care of Celebrabimus Iehovam Now where Religion thrives not the other of Iustice will not hold long when one staff is broken the other holdeth not whole long after Zach. 11.4 And surely his Iustice was suitable to the former to his weake regard of Religion That also was weake too 1. Weake toward the enemie It is said there was want of necessarie furniture of armor and munition in his daies And there had beene defect in teaching them to shoot which David supplied at his entrance 3. Weake at home too 1 Sam. 13.22 2 Sam. 1.18 where he did not justitias but injurias judicare The parts of Iustice are two as we finde in the tenth verse 1 To exalt the hornes of the righteous 2 and to breake the hornes of the wicked 1. For the first Reason was and so was promise too that David should have been rewarded with Meroë his eldest daughter's marriage I know not how 1. Sam. 18.17.19 one Adriel an obscure fellow never to have been nam'd but to shew such a one put David by had his horne exalted above him This for reward 2. And his Punishment was no better 1. Sam. 15.9 Mercifull to Agag whose hornes should have beene broken and in Abimelech's case too rigorous putting him and eightie foure more to the sword for a douzen of bread 2. Sam. 22 17. And whereas in kindly Iustice the rigour of frangam cornua commeth not at first but Clemencie giveth gracious warning with Dicam imprudentibus verse 4. So without regard heerof as upon any displeasure without any word at all 1. Sam 18.11.19.10.20.33 his Iavelin went streight to naile men to the wall they knew not wherefore Thus did Iustice decay after Religion and one Piller fall upon another whereof ensued his overthrow and the Land dangerously sick of the Palsey Whereof David complaineth and prayeth Heale the sores thereof for it shaketh Psal. 60.2 Now David as when he read Abimilek's mis-hap in the Booke of the Iudges he made his vse of it as appeareth 2. Sam. 11.21 So heere when he saw what had turned Saul to domage tooke warning by it Ruina praecedentium admonitio sequentium and to make the Land strong falleth to vndersett the Pillers And first of the first that is the stone which Saul and his builders cast aside For comming to the Kingdome he consecrates all his Lawes with his Act De Arcá reducendi whereat he would needs be present in his owne person 1. Chron. 13 2. because it touched Celâ—brâ—â—iâ—us Iehovam and that with some disgrace as Mical imagined but he was resolute in that point He could receive no dishonor by doing honor to God's Arke And when it was brought backe sett such an order for the Service of it by the Levitâ—s for maintenance so bountifull so reverend for regard so decent for order 1. Chron. 26. so every way sufficient as the care of the Temple might seeme to reigne in his heart As indeed it did and as he professeth he could not sleepe till he had sett a full order for God's matters and brought this Piller to perfection Psal. 132.3 Which his care was secunâ—um cor Dei and God would signifie so much by the ceremonie in the Coronation of the Kings of Iuda Wherein putting not onely the Diademe Imperiall but the Booke of the Law also 2 Reg. 11.12 upon the Kings head it was entended that Booke should be as deare to them as their Crowne and they equally studie to advance it And in putting the Scepter of Iustice in their hands Esay 22.22 and in laying the key of the house of David on their shoulders what els was required but as they executed the one with their hand so they should putt to the other arme and shoulder and all that is as David heere expresseth it two Celebrabimu's to one Iudicabo Thus was strengthened the first Piller and for the second the HOLY GHOST giveth him an honourable testimonie I speake not of his Militarie Iustice I need not 2 Sam. 8.15 Psal. 9 9.4 therein he was trained up but that in peace he exâ—cuted Iudgement and Iustice to all his people The Kings power saith he loveth Iudgement Not Power in injurie 2. Cor. 13.10 but Power in Iudgement saith David Power to aedification saith Saint Paul not to destruction that is to build up not to decay the Building Therefore Vertue and Valor wanted not their reward in his time He professeth after in this Psalme The wind should blow no man to preferment out of what Quarter soever it came but GOD Verse 6. by his graces should point them to it And sure the diligent description the HOLY GHOST vseth of his Worthies 1. Chron. 11. 2. Sam. 23. and men of Place sheweth him to have been most exact in this
asketh S. Philip I pray thee Of whom speaketh the Prophet this Act 8 3â— of himselfe or some other A question verie materiall and to great good purpose and to be asked by us in all Propheciâ—s For knowing who the Partie is we shall not wander in the Propheâ—'s meaning Now if the Eunuch had been reading this of Zâ—â—hâ—rie as then he was that of Esai and had asked the same question of S. Philip he would have made the same answere And as he out of those words tooke occasion so may we out of these take the like to preach IESVS unto them For neither of himselfe nor of any other but of IESVS speaketh the Prophet this and the testimonie of IESVS is the Spirit of this Prophecie Apoâ— 1â— â—â— That so it is the Holy Ghost is our warrant who in S. Iohn's Gospell reporting the Passion and the last act of the Passion this opening of the side and piercing the heart of our Saviour CHRIST saith plainly that in the piercing the very words of the Prophecie were fulfilled Respicient in me quem transfixerunt Ioh. 19.37 Which terme of piercing we shall the more clearely conceive if with the ancient Writers we sort it with the beginning of Psalme 22 the Psalme of the Passion For in the verie front or inscription of this Psalme our Saviour CHRIST is compared Cervo matutino to the morning Hart that is a Hart rowsed early in the morning as from his very birth he was by Herod hunted and chased all his life long and this day brought to his end and as the poore Deere stricken and pierced thorough side heart and all which is it we are here willed to behold There is no part of the whole course of our Saviour CHRIST 's life or death but it is well worthy our looking on and from each part in it there goeth vertue to do us good But of all other parts and above them all this last part of his piercing is here commended unto our view Indeed how could the Prophet commend it more then in avowing it to be an act of grace as in the fore-part of this Verse he doth Effundam super eos spiritum Gratiae respicient c as if he should say If there be any grace in us we will thinke it worth the looking on Neither doth the Prophet onely but the Apostle also call us unto it Heb. 12.2 and willeth us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to looke unto and regard IESVS the Author and Finisher of our faith Then specially and in that act when for the Ioy of our Salvation set before Him He endured the Crosse and despised the shame that is in this spectacle when He was pierced Which surely is continually all our life long to be done by us and at all times some time to be spared unto it But if at other times most requisite at this time this very day which we hold holy to the memorie of his Passion and the piercing of His precious side That though on other dayes we employ our eyes otherwise this day at least we fixe them on this object Respiciâ—ntes in Eum. This day I say which is dedicated to none other end â— Ioh. 3.14 but even to lift up the Sonne of man as Moses did the serpent in the wildernesse that we may looke upon Him and live When every Scripture that is read soundeth nothing but this unto us when by the office of preaching IESVS CHRIST is lively described in our sight and as the Apostle speaketh is visibly crucified among us Gal. 3.1 when in the memoriall of the holy Sacrament His death is shewed forth untill He come 1. Coâ—â—1 26. and the mysterie of this His piercing so many waies so effectually represented before us This Prophecie therfore if at any time at this time to take place Respicient in Me c. The Division The principall words are but two and set downe unto us in two points 1 The sight it selfe that is the thing to be seene 2 and the sight of it that is the act of seeing or looking Quem transfixerunt is the Object or spectacle propounded Respicient in Eum is the Act or duety enjoined Of which the Obiect though in place latter in nature is the former and first to be handled for that there must be a thing first set up before we can set our eyes to looke upon it OF the Object generally first Certaine it is I. The sight or obiect generally 1. CHRIST that CHRIST is here meant Saint Iohn hath put us out of doubt for that point And Zacharie here could have set downe His name and said Respice in Christum for Daniel before had named his name Dan. 9 26. Occidetur MESSIAS and Zacharie being after him in time might have easily repeated it But it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to Him rather to use a circumlocution and suppressing His name of CHRIST to expresse Him by the stile or terme Quem transfixerunt Which being done by choise must needes have a reason of the doing and so it hath First the better to specifie and particularize the Person of CHRIST by the kind and most peculiar circumstance of his death Esay had said Morietur Dye He shall and lay downe His soule an offering for sinne Esa. 53.10 2. Die but what Death a naturall or a violent Daniel tells us Dan 9.26 Occîdetur He shall die not a naturall but a violent death 3 But many are slaine after many sorts and divers kinds there be of violent deaths The Psalmist the more particularly to set it downe describeth it thus Psal. 22.10 They pierced my hands and my feet which is onely proper to the death of the Crosse. 4 Die and be slaine and be crucified But sundry els were crucified and therefore the Prophet heere to make up all addeth that he should not onely be crucifixus but transfixus not onely have his hands and his feet but even his heart pierced too Which very note severs Him from all the rest with as great a particularitie as may be for that though many besides at other times and some at the same time with Him were crucified yet the side and the heart of none was opened but His and His onely 2. Secondly as to specifie CHRIST himselfe in person and to sever him from the rest so in CHRIST himselfe and in his Person 2. CHRIST pierced to sever from the rest of his doings and sufferings what that is that chiefly concerneth us and we specially are to looke to and that is this daies worke CHRIST PIERCED S. Paul doth best expresse this I esteemed saith he to know nothing among you save IESVS CHRIST and Him crucified That is the perfection of our knowledge is CHRIST 1. Cor. 2. â— The perfection of our knowledge in or touching CHRIST is the knowledge of Christ's piercing This is the chiefe Sight Nay as it shall after appeare in this sight
and as much as in us lies Heb. 6.6 even crucifie afresh the SONNE OF GOD making a mocke of Him and His piercings These I say for these all and every of them in that instant were before his eyes must of force enter into and go thorow and thorow his Soule and Spirit that what with those former sorrowes and what with these after indignities the Prophet might truly say of Him and he of himselfe In Me Vpon Me not whose body or whose soule but whom entirely and wholly both in body and soule alive and dead they have pierced and passioned this day on the Crosse. 2. The Person à quibus Of the Persons which as it is necessarily implied in the word is very properly incident to the matter it selfe For it is usuall when one is found slaine as heere to make inquirie by whom he came by his death Which so much the rather is to be done by us because there is commonly an error in the world touching the Parties that were the causes of CHRIST 's death Our manner is either to lay it on the Souldiers that were the Instruments Or if not upon them upon Pilate and Iudge that gave sentence Or if not upon him upon the people that importuned the Iudge Or lastly if not upon them upon the Elders of the Iewes that animated the People And this is all to be found by our Quest of Inquirie But the Prophet heere inditeth others For by saying They shall looke c whom They have pierced he entendeth by very construction that the first and second They are not two but one and the same Parties And that they that are here willed to looke upon him are they and none other that were the authors of this fact even of the murther of IESVS CHRIST And to say truth the Prophet's entent is no other but to bring the malefactors themselves that pierced Him to view the body and the wounded heart of Him whom they have so pierced In the course of Iustice we say and say truly when a party is put to death that the Executioner cannot be said to be the cause of his death nor the Sherif by whose commandement he doth it neither yet the Iudge by whose sentence nor the Twelve men by whose verdict nor the Lawe it selfe by whose authoritie it is proceeded in For GOD forbid we should endite these or any of these of murther Solum peccatum homicida Sinne and Sinne onely is the murtherer Sinne I say either of the Party that suffereth or of some other by whose meanes or for whose cause he is put to death Now CHRIST 's owne sinne it was not that he died for That is most evident Not so much by His owne challenge Ioh. 8·46 Quis ex vobis a guit me de peccato as by the report of his Iudge who openly professed that he had examined Him and found no fault in Him No nor yet Herod for Luc. 23.14 15. being sent to him and examined by him also nothing worthy death was found in Him And therefore calling for water and washing his hands Matt. 27.24 he protesteth his owne innocencie of the bloud of this IVST MAN Thereby pronouncing him Iust and void of any cause in himselfe of his owne death It must then necessarily be the sinne of some others for whose sake CHRIST IESVS was thus pierced And if we aske who those others be or whose sinnes they were the Prophet Esai tells us Esa. 53.3 4. Posuit super Eum iniquitates omnium nostrûm He laid upon Him the transgressions of us all who should even for those our many great and grievous transgressions have eternally been pierced in bodie and soule with torment and sorrowes of a never dying death had not he stept between us and the blow and receiv'd it in his owne body even the dint of the wrath of GOD to come upon us So that it was the sinne of our polluted hands that pierced his hands the swiftnesse of our feet to do evill that nailed His feet the wicked devises of our Heads that gored his head and the wretched desires of our hearts that pierced his heart We that looke upon it is we that pierced Him and it is we that pierced Him that are willed to looke upon Him Which bringeth it home to us to me my selfe that speake and to you your selves that heare and applieth it most effectually to every one of us who evidently seeing that we were the cause of this his piercing if our hearts be not too too hard ought to have remorse to be pierced with it When for delivering to DAVID a few loaves Ahimelech and the Priests were by Saul put to the sword if David did then acknowledge with griefe of heart and say I 1. Sam. 22.22 even I am the cause of the death of thâ— Father anâ— all his house when he was but onely the occasion of it and not that direct neither may not we nay ought not we much more juâ—â—ly and deservedly say of this piercing of CHRIST our Saviour that we verily even we are the cause thereof as verily we are even the principalls in this murther and the Iewes and others on whom we seeke to derive it but onely accessaries and instrumentall causes thereof Which point we ought as continually so seriously to thiâ—k of and that no lesse then the former The former to stirre up compassion in our selves over him that thus was pierced the latter to worke deâ—pâ— remorse in our hearts for being authors of it That he was pierced will make our bowells melt with compassion over CHRIST That he was pierced by us â—hat looke on Him if our hearts be not flint as Iob saith or as the nether mil-stone Iob. 41.15 will breed remorse over our selves wretched sinners as we are II. The Act. To looke upon Him The Act followeth in these words Respicient in Eum. A request most reasonable to looke upon Him but to looke upon Him to bestow but a looke and nothing els which even of common humanitie we cannot denie Quia non aspicere despicere est It argueth great contempt not to vouchsafe it the cast of our eye as if it were an Obiect utterly unworthy the looking toward Truely if we marke it well nature it selfe of it selfe enclineth to this act When Amasa treacherously was slaine by Ioab and lay weltring in his blood by the waies side the storie saith that not one of the whole Armie then marching by but when he came at him 2. Sam. 22.12 stood still and looked on him In the Gospell the party that going from Ierusalem to Iericho vvas spoiled and wounded and lay drawing on though the Priest and Levite that passed neere the place relieved him not as the Samaritan after did yet it is said of them Luc. 31 32. they went neere and looked on and then passed on their way Which desire is even naturall in us so that even Nature it selfe enclineth us to
we shall not need to trouble our selves to know Mat. 8.10 how he knew it Not by any scripture he had it not from Moses but the same way that Moses had it he looked in the same myrror Abraham did Ioâ— 8.56 when he saw the same Person and the same day and rejoiced to see it Out of Scio his certaintie and out of Meus his peculiar as it were 2. His Proprietie Meus 1. Tim. 4.10 Ephes. 5.2 Gal 2.20 The Redeemer of the world would not serve him nor Saint Pauls maximè fidelium of the faithfull chiefly This of the Ephesians would not content him That loved us and gave himselfe for us Not but 2. Gal. That loved me and gave himselfe for me My Redeemer which they call Faith's Possessive In Tandem the third word his patient enduring For 3. His patient waiting Tandem Heb. 12.6 Tit. 2.13 Esay 28.16 Hab 2.3 patience is not onely shewed in suffering the Crosse but in waiting also for the promise It will not be done by and by this but Tandem at the last it will He shall rise againe at the last He shall and we shall Qui crediderit ne festinet He that beleeveth let him not be in all hast No Si moram fecerit expecta eum If he stay stay his leasure Tarry his Tandem And last all these Non obstante or Tametsi the resolute courage 4. His courage Tamâ—tsi or valour of his faith that this he saith being in case he was small likely-hood of it in apparance seeing and feeling that he saw and felt These sat he falling away by peece-meale Vivum cadaver For him then to talke of Scio and Meus thus having no better signes and arguments then he had in the sense of his anger to beleeve his favour brought to the day of death to promise himselfe so glorious an estate this is Abrahams faith Contra spem in spe credere faith without nay Rom. 4.18 faith against feeling His state in sense of miserie want of comfort his friends dismaying him for all that he keepes to his Scio and to his Meus still All els even all he hath his righteousnesse too they may take from him Salutem non auferent his REDEEMER they should never get non obstante he would hold him fast This for his Scio and now to his Spero which word leadeth us to the vse he did 2 Act. Spero His Hope and we are to make of this knowledge Not know to know or to be knowne to know but know to lodge in our bosomes true hope It is the generall vse of all our knowledge of the Scriptures whatsoever is written for our learning Rom. 15.4 that we by patience and comfort in the Scriptures may have hope Generally of all but above all of these of CHRIST our REDEEMER He is our hope and His rising that is Caput bonae spei our cape of good hope the most hopefull of all other The vse of hope is to expell feare No feare to the feare of death Spâ—s reposiâ—a Hope layed up what shall become of us after our short time heere which makes us never quiet but in the valley of Achor all our life long Hos. 2.15 Mar. 16.6 Luk. 24.38 The resurrection opens us a gate of hope Therefore this day Noli timere say the Angells Nolite timere saith CHRIST That our proper salutation of the day This a day of hope And this vse made DAVID of it my flesh shall rest in hope Psal. 16.9 though he were not in IOBS case but in all his royaltie For even Kings in all their royaltie sometimes have before them the hand-writing on the wall Numeravit Dan. 6.5.26 he hath numbred thy daies and even then they rest on this hope and read this inscription not unwillingly The same vse doe the Apostles Who hath regenerated us in spe to a livâ—ly hope by the resurrection of CHRIST it is Saint Peter Rest in hope saith DAVID a lively hope PETER Rest in hope of rising 1 Pet 1.3 and living againe And the terme that IOB heere gives hope is worth a note he calls it the kidneyes of the soule It made the Translator misse that knew not this idiome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For as in that part of the body is bred and from thence doth issue that same geâ—â—â—aâ—ivus humor whereby we propagate our kinde and live heere in a sort after we be 〈◊〉 In like manner by this hope saith IOB 1. Pet. 1. 1. Cor. 1â— and so saith Saint Peter we are 〈◊〉 a new we are sowen saith Saint Paul and of that seed rise againe in power 〈◊〉 aâ—d immortalitie Aâ—â— tâ—is is haec spes this hope For hope at large heareth evill hath no good â—â—me Many our hopes prove Vigilantis Somnia waking dreames we cannot lay tâ—em up and if we would they are not worth the laying up no more then our dreames be That the Heathen man made it his happinesse to say Vale spes farewell all hoping This is true where the rest of our hope is vanishing as man whose breath is in his nosthrills Psal. 146.5 and when that goeth all his thoughts perish But this hope is of another nature Rom. 5.5 Heb. 6.19 Luk. 6.48 Non confundet it will not make you ashamed Ther 's a realitie in it an anchor-hold it is built on the rocke it will endure as the rock on which it is built and on which it is graven heere There will come an end and his hope will not be cut of of all other You may make a Depositum of it lay it up Repone illam repone te in illâ 1. Pet. 1.3 you may rest on it it is spes viva a living hope in Him that liveth and shall restore us all to life Reposita in Sinu In my bosome Now the place is much where we lay it Every thing is best kept in his proper place IOB saith he bestowed it in his bosome and would have us doe the like Of that place he made choise of none without us behind us That we might ever carrie it about us ever have it before us and in our sight ever at hand not to seeke but readie and easie to be had when we call for it and these for the continuall vse we are to have of it in all the dismayes and discomforts of our life Beside there it will be safely that being the surest place as being within the fold of our armes where our strength lyeth and whence hardest to take it from us And there it will be best cherished in the warmth and vitall heate of the bosome There the nurse carrieth her childe Deut. 13.6 and the wife is called the wife of the bosome And what is deerer to us then these two But above all there it will be next the heart for the bosome is but the cofer of the heart and there IOB would have it
Breve's ready drawen and sent abroad and others in a readinesse to second them 〈◊〉 for all â—heir Brâ—ve's and Bâ—lls this Stone is the Heâ—d for all â—hat Factus made he is and made by GOD. Fo◠〈…〉 GOD'S doing it was evidently thaâ— after so much ploâ—â—ing so many 〈◊〉 togither at the very time GOD bowed the hearts of so many thousands as it 〈◊〉 beene the heart of one man to agree in one as that all that foresawâ— thought it had not been possible and all that saw it confessed it admirable and all men said This hath GOD done for they saw evidently Psal. 64.9 it was His worke The Head You were tâ—en made And Head not of One Angle as You were before for Caput Anguli I hold a King to be though he have but one Kingdome but Caput Triâ—ngâ—li Head now of three even of a whole Triangle So their titles were dashed their plotts disappointed and all their devises as the Potters clay Yours it was of right and GOD hath brought You to it So it is and our eyes doe see it Esa. 29.16 and our heaâ—ts doe ioy in it and our tongues blesse GOD for it and heer we are this day with all praise and thankes to acknowledge it that so it is It is a part of this Daye 's duty that so we should acknowledge it and give Him thankes for it that brought it to passe And may I not further put you in minde of another making yet And it is not impertinent neither to this day especially For after the first making or placing looke how many after attempts are made to un-make or displace the Head-stone againe so many times as it is heaved at to that end and those attempts defeated so many new placings so many new makings are we to reckon of David was made Head not onely when Saul and Abner sought to put him downe and were put downe themselves which was before he came to the Crowne but even after he had it and had worne it long when Absalon and Sheba refused Him being their Head and cried No part in David and so sought to set him besides the Throne 2. Sam. 20.1 15.30.9.30 And Builders there wanted not in that designe Absalon had Achitophel and Amasa two as principall Master-builders as then were any When GOD brought DAVID backe to his Seat againe and delivered him from them that sought to remove him from it He did as good as place him in it anew DAVID himselfe saith so before at the 13 Verse He was shrewdly lifted at and ready to turne over but GOD stayed him and set him right in his Seate againe And in verie deed the Verse next before the XXI where he saith GOD had heaâ—d him and was become his Deliverer makes the Writers to thinke this Psalme was endited rather for this Second then for his first placing Now a like Second making we may well remember and we cannot doe it better then upon this day This day as we shall see hath an interest in it That since Your setting in the Seat of this Kingdome Some there were Builders one would have taken them to be if he had seene them with their tooles in their hands as if they had been to have laid some foundation where their meaning was to undermine and to cast downe foundations and all Yea to have made a right Stone of you and blowne you up among the Stones You and Yours without any more adoe And Master-builders they had amongst them so they will needs be accounted that encouraged their hearts and strengthened their hands to the Worke. And that they might do there was no Seale to hinder it But disclose it that they might not for feare of breaking a Seale there was a Seale for that And thus did they aedificare ad Gebennam edifie their followers to Hel-ward to set them forward and send them to their owne place Acts 1.25 That Day which GOD undid that wretched designe and brought their mischiefe upon their owne heads That Day did GOD make you Caput trianguli the second time That Day that He brought You backe if not from death it selfe yet from death's dore from the very gates of destruction That Day was a very Easter day to You though it were in November And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after a sort a very Resurrection Heb. 11.19 as very a resurrection as Isaac's was which the Apostle there speaketh of That Day the destroying Angell I am sure past over You and so it was truely the Feast of the Passover Fit therefore to be remembred this Day 〈…〉 Diâ—s This is the day of the Passe-over This is Easter day the day of the â—â—â—â—â—rection Buâ— to returne to the first making of all By the true course of the yeare this 〈◊〉 being the very Moneth this day being the very day of that of the first laying of this Head stone we are as before in CHRISTO Domino so againe heer in CHRISTO Domini to prosecute it with David's cry of Hosanna and Benedictus and with Zacharie's acclamation of Grace Grace unto it even to this Head-stone Grace in His eyes that so made You And againe Grace in their eyes and hearts to whom He so made You But above all the Grace of all Graces that you may make Him ever Yours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Your stone of chief trust Your marke of highest regard in all Your Counsells and purposes that so made You And seeke to reduce the disjecta latera the sides and walls flyen of of this great Building for which the world it selfe was built His Church and reduce them to one Angle The greatest Service that can be done Him on earth And so He that this day made You the Head so make You and so keepe You long and many daies He that refused them that refused You refused them with reprobation still may He so doe toties quoties to their continuall confusion That the Head over the Triangle and the Triangle under the Head may many yeares stand fast and flourish in all peace plenty and prosperitie health honour and happinesse And after all He that hath crowned You heer with two Crownes already crowne You also with the third of Glorie and Immortalitie in His Heavenly Kingdome I have now done Onely I would move one thing and it shall agree well with that hath been said of the Corner stone and it shall serve to further our duty of thankes and be a good closing up of the whole Many waies was CHRIST our blessed SAVIOVR a Corner-stone among others especially in this saith Saint Hierome Quando agnum cum pane conjunxit finiens unum inchoans alterum utrumque perficiens in semetipso One chiefe Corner-point of His was when He ioned the Lambe of the Passe-over and the Bread of the Eucharist ending the one and beginning the other recapitulating both Lambe and Bread into Himselfe making that Sacrament by the very institution of it to be as it
three First Iona's whale death it was not it was but danger but danger as neer death as could be never man in more danger to scape it then he if not in death in Zalmaveth in the vale of the shadow of death it was Psal 23.4 Of any that hath beene in extreme perill we use to say he hath beene where Ionas was By Iona's going downe the whale's throat by Him againe comming forth of the whale's mouth we expresse we even point out the greatest extremitie and the greatest deliverance that can be From any such danger a deliverance is a kinde of resurrection as the Apostle plainly speakes of Isaac when the knife was at his throte he was received from the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though yet he did not Heb. 11.19 This for the feast of the Resurrection And thus was Ionas a signe to them of Ninive As he scaped so they he his whale they theirs destruction which even gaped for them as wide as Iona's whale And as to them a Signe this so to us And this use we have of it When at any time we are hard bestead this signe then to be set up for a token And there is no danger so deadly but we may hold fast our hope if we set this signe before us and say What we are not yet in the whale's belly why if we were there from thence can GOD bring us though as Ionas He did Iona's whale was but the shadow of death CHRIST'S was death And even there in death to be set up And we no not in death it selfe to despaire Iob 13.15 but with Iob to say yea though He kill me yet will I trust in Him My breath I may my hope I will not forgoe expirare possum desperare non possum Heer now is our second hope to come forth to be delivered from CHRIST'S whale from death it selfe But if the whale be or betoken the death of the bodie it doth much more the death of the soule So shall we finde another whale yet a third And that whale is the red dragon that great spirituall Liviathan Satan And sin Apoc. 1◠3 the very iawes of this whale that swoupeth downe the soule first and then the bodie and in the end both Ionas has been deepe downe this whale's throte before ever he came in the others The land-whale had devoured him before ever the Sea whale medled with him In his flight he fell into this land-whale's iawes before ever the Sea-whale swallowed him up And when he had got out of the gorge of this ghostly Liviathan the other bodily whale could not long hold him And from this third whale was Ionas sent to deliver the Ninivites which when he had the other of their temporall destruction could do them no hurt Their repentance ridd them of both whales bodily and ghostly at once Heer then is a third Cape of good hope that though one had been downe as deep in the entrailes of the spirituall great Liviathan as ever was Ionas in the Sea-whale's yet even there also not to despaire He that brought Ionas from the deepe of the Sea and David from the deepe of the Earth his bodie so He also delivered his soule from the nethermost hell where Ionas and He both were Psal. 71.20 Psal. 86.13 while they were in the transgression And now by this are we come to the very Signature of this signe even to Repentance which followeth in the very next words for they repented at the preaching of Ionas Ionas preached it Ver. 41. and indeed none so fit to preach on that theme on repentance as he as one that hath been in the whale's bellie in both the whale's the spirituall whale's too for Ionas had been in both One that hath studied his sermon there been in Satan's sive well winnowed cribratus Theologus he will handle the point best as being not onely a preacher but a Signe of repentance as Ionas was both to the Ninivites And as Ionas so Christ how soon He was risen He gave order streight that repentance as the very vertue the stamp of His resurrection and by it remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations Luc. 24.47 But indeed if you marke well there is a neer alliance between the Resurrection and Repentance reciprocall as between the Signe and the Signature Repentance is nothing but the soule 's resurrection Men are dead in sinne saith the Apostle their soules are Ephe. 2.1 From that death there is a rising Els were it wrong with us That rising is repenting And when one hath lien dead in sinne long and doth eluctari wrastle out of a sinne that hath long swallowed him up he hath done as great a masterie as if with Ionas he had got out of the whale's belly Nay as if with Lazarus be had come out of the heart of the earth Ever holding this that Marie Magdalen raised from sinne was no lesse a miracle then her brother raised from the dead And sure Repentance is the very vertue of Christ's Resurrection There it is first seen it first sheweth it selfe hath his first operation in the soule to raise it This first being once wrought on the soule from the ghostly Liviathan the like will not faile but be accomplished on the bodie from the other of death of which Ionas is heer Mysterium magnum dico autem in Christo. For in Christ this Signe is a Signe Ephe. 5.32 not betokening onely but exhibiting also what it betokeneth as the Sacraments doe For of Signes some shew onely and worke nothing such was that of Ionas in it selfe Sed Ecce plus quà m Ionas hîc For some other there be that shew and worke-both Ver. 42. worke what they shew present us with what they represent what they sett before us set or graft in us Such is that of Christ. For besides that it setts before us of His it is further a seale or pledge to us of our owne that what we see in Him this day shall be accomplished in our owne selves at His good time And even so passe we to another Mysterie For one Mysterie leads us to another this in the Text to the holy Mysteries we are providing to partake which doe worke like and doe worke to this Even to the raising of the soule with the first resurrection Apoc 20.5 And as they are a meanes for the raising of our soule out of the soile of sin for they are given us and we take them expressly for the remission of sinnes so are they no lesse a meanes also for the raising our bodies out of the dust of death The signe of that Bodie which was thus in the heart of the earth to bring us from thence at the last Our Saviour saith it totidem verbis Who so eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Bloud Ioh. 6.54 I will raise him up at the last day raise him whither He hath raised himselfe Not
would thinke to small purpose But sure to purpose it is The HOLY GHOST vseth no wast words nor ever speakes but to the point we may be sure His title The GOD of peace Let us see and beginne with his first title the GOD of peace GOD 's titles be diverse as be His Acts and His acts are as His properties be they proceed from And lightly the title is taken from the propertie which best fits the Act it produceth As Exod. 9.27 2. Cor. 1.3 Psal. 89 8. when GOD proceedeth to punish He is called the righteous GOD When to shew favour the GOD of mercie When to doe some great worke the GOD of power Now then this seemes not so proper Should it not rather have beene the GOD of Power which brought againe c To bring againe from death seemes rather an act of power then of peace One would thinke so But being well lookt into it will be found to belong rather to peace No power of His will be set on working will ever bring againe from death unlesse He be first pacified and made the LORD of peace Of His power there is no question Of His peace there may be some I shall tell you why For all the Old Testament thorough you shall observe GOD 's great Title is the LORD of HOSTS which in the New you shall never read but ever since He rose from the dead Rom. 15.13 Phil. 4.9 1. Thess. 5 23. 2. Thess. 3.16 it is instead of it the GOD of peace To the Romanes Philippians Thessalonians c and now heere to the Hebrewes and still the God of peace It is not amisse for us this change For if the Lord of Hosts come to be at peace with us His hosts shall be all for us which were against us while it was no peace So as make but God the God of peace and more needs not For His peace will command His power streight When His hosts were so about Him it seemed hostilitie How came He then to lay away that title of the Lord of Hosts to become Deus pacis That did He by thus doing He brought againe one from the dead and that bringing brought peace and made this change Stylo novo the God of peace â— The second Party Our LORD IESVS Pastorem The Shepheard This brings us to the other the second Party He is not named till all be done then He is in the end of the verse our Lord and SAVIOVR IESVS CHRIST But at first He is brought in as a Shepheard Thinke never the meaner of Him for that Moses and David the Founders of the Monarchie of the Iewes Cyrus and Romulus the Founders one of the Persian the other of the Romane Monarchie were taken al from the Sheepfolds The heathen Poet calls the great Ruler of the Graecian Monarchie but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the Shepheard of the people CHRIST gives it to himselfe and GOD doth not disdeigne it in the LXXX Psalme Psal. 80.1 And the name howsoever it falls to us of the Clergie now ab initio non fuit sic Secular men Ioseph Iosua and David were first so termed and are more often so termed in the Bible then we The terme of Shepheard is well chosen as referring to the God of peace Peace is best for Shepheards and for sheepe They love peace then they are safe then they feed quietly Yet not so but that Shepheards have ventured farre to rescue the Sheepe from the Beare and from the Lion as did King David and as the Sonne of David heere that ventured further then any who is brought in heere in Sanguine bleeding howsoever it comes But this Title was not so much for GOD as for us Pastorem ovium and in Ovium are we 1. Sam. 17.36 there come we in we hold by that word For so there is a mutuall and reciprocall relation betweene him and us that we thereby may be assured by this very terme relative whither and whensoever he was brought all he did or suffered it was not for himselfe For then an absolute name of his owne would have beene put All was for his Correlative for Ovium that is for us He is no waies considered in all this as absolutely put or severed from us His flock but still with reference and relation unto us But because others enter common in this and other his names with him Pastorem magnum the gâ—eat Shepheard he bears it with a difference Pastor Magnus the great Shepheard Not as Diphilus said to Pompeius Magnus nostrâ miseriâ Magnus es Great by making others little but Misericordiâ suâ Magnus by making Himselfe little to make us great The graduall points of his greatnesse in respect of others are these Great first For Totum is parte majus Greater is he that feeds the whole then they that but certain parcells of the flock All els feed but peeces So they be but petie shepheards to Him But he the whole maine entire flock He and none but he So He the great Shepheard of the great Flock Againe Greater is he that owes the sheepe he feeds then they that feed the sheep they owe not All others feed his sheepe None can say Pasce oves meas His they be Iob 21 16. Psal. 94.2.100.3 and reason For He made them they be the sheep of His hands He feeds them so the sheep of His hands and of his pasture both But this is not the greatnesse heer meant But Ecce quantam charitatem see the great love to his sheepe Others sell and kill theirs He is so farr from selling 1. Ioh. 3 1. or killing as he this Shepheard was sold and slaiâ—e for them though they were his owne Paid for them bought them againe and then he brought them againe It may be there were others had ventred thir lives but not lost them and so lost them as he did Which makes him not onely Great but Primae magnitudinis that is simply the Greatest that ever was Of which Greatnesse two great Proofes there are in the two words 1 Sanguis and 2 Testamentum Sanguis a great Price Testamentum a great Legacie Sanguis what He suffered Testamentum what He did for them The next word is in sanguine a Shepheard in His blood So In sanguine through the blood this Shepheard sweatt blood yer He could bring them back It was no easie matter iâ— cost blood and not any blood such as He could well spare but it cost Him His life-blood It could not be the blood of the Testament but there must be a Testament and a Testament there cannot be but the Testator must dye So He died He was brought to the dead for it This blood brought Him to His Testament which is further then blood We said there were two Acts 1 One exprest brought Him thence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The two Acts. 2 The other implied brought Him thether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But first
brought thither before brought thence We vvill touch them both 1 Why brought thither and how 2 and why brought thence and how If when He was brought thence it was peace when He was brought thither Bought thither it was none How came it there was none What made this separation That did sinne Sinne brake the peace Why sinne touched not Him He knew no sinne True it was not for Himselfe 2. Cor. 5.22 nor for any sinne of His. Whole then heere are but two 1 Pastor 2 and Ovium Pastor He Ovium we If not the Shepheard's then the Sheep's sinne if not His ours Esa. 59.2 And so it was peccata vestra saith God in Esay and speakes it to us No quarrell He had to the Shepheard nothing to say to CHRIST as CHRIST But He would needs be dealing with Sheepe and His Sheepe fell to straying and light into the Wolve's denne◠and thither He must goe to fetch them if He will have them For Ovium then is all this adoe and that is for us For all we as Sheepe had gone astray I may say further all we as sheepe were appointed to the slaughter So it was we should have beene carried thither Esa. 53.6 and the Lord layd upon Him the transgressions of us all and so He was carried for us This Pastor became tanquam ovis as a sheepe for His sheep and was brought thither and the wolves did to Him whatsoever they would As if God had said away with these sheepe Incidant in lupos quia nolunt regià pastore to the wolves with them seeing they will be kept in no fold But that the Shepheard endured not but rather then they should He would When it came to this who shall goe thither Pastor or Ovium the Sheepe or the Shepheard Sinite hos abire they be His owne words Let them goe their way let the Sheepe goe and smite the Shepheard Ioh. 18.8 Sentence Him to be caried thither The Sheepe were to be they should have beene but the Shepheard was In sanguine nostro it should have beene In sanguine suo His Blood it was So to spare ours He spilt His owne 2. Brought 〈◊〉 thence Thither now He is brought Brought thither by His owne bloodshedding We can understand that well but not how He should be brought thence by His blood Yet the Text is plaine how He was brought againe in sanguine by His blood First then let us make God the GOD of peace and when He is so you shall so one see Him bring Him back againe That which broke the peace as we sayd the very thing that carried Him to the Crosse tooke Him downe thence dead carried Him to His grave and there lodged Him among the dead was sinne Away with sinne then that so there may be peace But there is no taking away sinne but by shedding of blood Chap 9.22 the blood either of Pastor or of Ovium one of them 3. In Sanguine By the blood Why then heer is blood even the Shepeheard's blood and shedd it is and by the shedding of it sinne is taken away and with sinne God's displeasure It is the Apostle's owne word Ephes. XI XVI Hatred was slaine and so hatred being slaine Ephes. 2.14 Col. 1.20 peace followed of her owne accord He was our peace saith the Apostle in one place He made our peace or pacified all by his blood in another Now then upon this peace He that was before carried away was brought backe againe And so well might be For all being discharged He was then to be inter mortuos liber Psal. 88.5 no longer bound but free from the dead not to be kept in prison any longer but to come forth againe And by his very blood to come forth againe For it was of the nature of a Ransome which being layd downe the Prisoner that was brought thither is to goe thence whither He will For a Ransome hath potestatem eductivam or reductivam a power to bring forth or bring back againe from any captivitie 1. Sam. 2.6 In both these bringings God had His hand God bringeth to death and bringeth back againe True if ever in this Shepheard Brought him to the dead as the Lord of hosts brought him from the dead as being now pacified and the God of peace Out of His justice God smitt the Shepheard out of His love to His sheepe the Shepheard was smitten But quem deduxit iratus reduxit placatus whom of His iust wrath against sin He brought thither now having fulfilled all righteousnesse He was to bring thence againe And so brought back He was and the same way that He was carried thither Carried the way of justice to satisfie for them He had undertaken for And having fully satisfied for them was in very Iustice to be brought back againe And so He was GOD accepted his passion in full satisfaction gave present order for His raising againe And let not this phrase of God's bringing back or of CHRIST 's comming back of GOD 's raising Him or of CHRIST 's rising any thing trouble you The Resurrection is one entire Act of two joint Agents that both had their hands in it Ascribed one while to CHRIST Himselfe that He rose that he came back to shew that he had power to lay downe his life and power to take it againe Another while to God Ioh. 10.18 that he raised him that he brought him back to shew that God was fully satisfied and well pleased with it reacht him his hand as it were to bring him thence againe To shew you the Benefit that riseth to us by this his rising Brought thither he was to the dead so it lay us upon if he had not we should We were even carrying thither and that we might not he was Brought thence he was from the dead So it stood us in hand if he had not beene brought thence we should never have come thence but beene left to have lien there world without end Brought thither he would be he and not we he without us So carefull he was not to spare himselfe that we might be spared Brought thence he would not be not without his sheepe we may be sure he would bring us thence too or he would not be brought thence without us You may see him in the Parable comming with his lost sheepe on his shoulders That one sheepe is the image of us all So carefull he was Luc. 15.5 as he layd him on his owne neck to be sure which is the true pourtraiture or representation of his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That if the God of peace bring him back he must bring them also For he will not come back without them Vpon his bringing back from death is ours founded in him all his were brought back In his person our Nature in our Nature we all Thinke you after the payment of such a Price He will come back himselfe alone He will let the sheepe
be carried thither and not see them brought backe againe He did not suffer all this we may be sure to come away thence and leave them behinde Him It was never seene that any that paid after so high a rate for any be it what it will that when he had done would not see it brought away but lose all his labour and cost No as sure as Himselfe was brought so sure He will bring them whom He would not part from He will dye first Nothing shall part them now Pastor and Ovium sheepe and Shepheard now or no bargaine He with his flock and His flocke with Him it with him and He with it He and they or not he himselfe both togither or not at all Will you heare himselfe say as much Father my will is that whither I goe whence I come where I am thither thence and there these be also But when he had brought us thence 4. Sanguine Testamenti the blood of the Testament what shall become of us trow Will he leave us at randome to wander in the mountaines No but Vbi desinit Pastor ibi incipit Testator where the Shepheard goes out the Testator comes in Which we finde plainely in the word Testament For though peace be a faire blessing in it selfe if no more but it and bringing back be worth the while yet heere is now a greater matter then so There is more in the blood then we are aware of This is also meant that there is the blood of a Testament which bodeth some further matter There should need no Testament if it were for nothing but to make peace A Covenant would serve for that My Covenant of peace would I make with thee saith GOD. Ezek. 37.26 Sanguis foederis would have done that if there had beene no more but so But heer it is the blood of a Testament It is Sanguis cum Testamento annexo Blood with a Testament annexed Beside the pacification and back-bringing this Scripture offereth more grace even a Testamentarie matter to be administered for our farther behoof For I aske Every drop of this blood is more worth then many worlds Shall this blood then so precious of so great a Person as the Sonne of GOD be spent to bring forth nothing but pardon and peace Being of so great a value shall it produce but so poor an effect Pitie it should be shed to bring forth nothing but a few sheep from death There is enough in it to serve further to make a purchase which he may dispose of to them he will vouchsafe to bring againe from the dead For when he hath brought them thence how he will dispose them that would be thought on too I finde then ascribed to his blood a Price not onely of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a Redemtion or Ransome but also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of Perquisition or Purchase And I finde them both in one verse Ephes. 1.14 So that this blood availed as to pay our debt so over and above to make a purchase Served not only to procure our peace but to state us in a condition better then ever we were before Not onely brought us but bought us Nay not onely bought us and brought us backe but bought for us further an everlasting inheritance and brought us to it Two powers were in it 1 as Sanguis faederis the Blood of the Covenant the Covenant of Peace for in blood were the Covenants made that with Abraham in Gen. XV. that with Moses Gen. 15.9 Exod. 24.8 in Exod. XXIV in blood both And among the Heathen men never any Covenant of peace but in blood 2 Now for peace this were enough But it is Sanguis Testamenti too the blood of a Testament Which is founded upon better promises bequeathes legacies disposeth estates Matter farre of a higher nature then bare peace As the blood of the Covenant so it pacifieth and appeaseth As the blood of the Testament so it passeth over and conveigheth besides But say it did not it were for nothing els but our peace Yet it is much better for us that our peace goe by Testament rather then by a Covenant Leagues Covenants Edicts of Pacification have oft beene and are wee see daily broken Small hold of them A stronger hold then so behooved us A stronger hold there is not then that of a Testament That is holden inviolable never to be reversed Nothing in rebus humanis is held more sacred So as peace by a Testament is farre the surer of the twaine Testamenti at erni Of the everlasting Testamēt Mic. 5.2 Of which Testament and the greatnesse of it there is much to be said For it is not as other Testaments to be fully administred This shall never be so it is everlasting Everlasting For so is He that made it His goings out are from everlasting Everlasting For so is the Testament it selfe Though it be executed in time it was made ab aeterno and lay by Him all the while Everlasting For so is the blood where with it is sealed the vertue and vigor whereof doth still continue as a fountaine in exhaust never dry but flowing still as fresh as the very first day His side was first opened We that now live come to it of even hand with the Apostles themselves that were then at the opening And they that come after us shall not come too late but to full as good a match as either they or we Everlasting For the legacies of it are so Not as with us of things temporall Nor as of the former Testament of the land of Canaan now growen a barren wildernesse but of aeternall life and joy and blisse of aeternitie it selfe And lastly everlasting That we may looke for no more Our Gospell is Evangelium aeternum Revel XIV None to come after it This is the last and so to last for ever Revel 14.6 Now lay these together and tell me Was He not the Great Shepheard indeed that indured this carying thither whence this day He came that paid this great Ransome purchased this great estate made this great will disposed these great Legacies even His heavenly kingdome to His little flock was He not every way as good as Great which is the true Greatnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heere with us Men be good because they be great with GOD they be great because they be good For this His great Love His great Price His great Testament was He not worthy to weare His title of Pastor magnus of Pastor and of Testator both For so both He was And we not onely His sheepe but His Legataries both in His Pastor-ship and in His Testator-ship in His bringing forward and in His bringing backward No wayes to be severed from us He procured no peace shedd no blood made no Testament was neither brought to the dead nor from the dead for himselfe but for His flock for us still All He did all He suffered all He bequeathed
all He was He was for us And now when all is done then now loe he is the LORD IESVS CHRIST Till then a Shepheard wholy and soly The more are we beholden to him Then loe He tells us His name that He is the great Shepheard He that was brought back the blood His His the Testament Truely called the Testament There can no Inventarie be made of this It hath not entred into the heart of man to conceive what things GOD hath prepared for those that have their part in this Testament above all that we can desire or imagine Vpon earth there is no greater thing then a kingdome and no lesse then a kingdome it is His Father's will to dispose unto us But Luk. 12.32 a Kingdome eternall all glorious and blessed farre above these heere All this a good hearing Hitherto we have heard nothing but pleaseth us well II. The thing to be done by us 1 The fitting or doing GOD at peace The Shepheard brought to death that we might not and brought from death that we also might be brought from thence and not brought and left to the wide world but further to receive those good things which are comprised in his Testament This is done done by Him for us Now to that which is to be done to be done by us Not for Him I should not do well to say so but indeed for our selves For so for us in the end it will prove Both what He did and what we doe our selves That which on our part the Apostle wisheth us is that we may be so happy as that GOD would in effect doe the same for us He did for Him that is bring us backe backe from our sinfull course of life to a new given to doe good workes The Resurrection is heere termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a bringing backe So that any bringing backe from the worse to the better carieth the Type is a kind of a Resurrection referrs to that of CHRIST who died and rose that sinne might die and that good workes might rise in us Both the time and the Text lay upon us this duty to see if good workes that seeme to be dead and gone we can bring life to them and make them to rise againe The rule of reason is Vnum quodque propter operationem suam every thing is and hath his being for the worke it is to doe And these are the workes which we were borne and came into the world to doe The Apostle speakes it plainely we were created for good works to walke in them Ephes. II.X. And againe That we were redeemed to be a people zealously given to good workes Tit. II. 14. So they come doubly commended to us as the end of our Creation and Redemption both In this Text we see it is GOD 's will it is His good pleasure we doe them if we anything regard either His will or pleasure In this Text the Apostle prayes that we may be made perfect in them So unperfect we are without them unperfect we and our faith both For by workes is our faith made perfect I am II. even as Abraham's faith was And the faith Iam. 2 22. that is without them is not onely unperfect but starke dead so as that faith needs a Resurrection to be brought from the dead againe And whatsoever become of the rest in this Text it is that He hath not left them out nor unremembred in his Testament They are in it and diverse good legacies to us for them Which if we meane to be Legataries we must have a care of For as His blood serveth for the taking away of evill workes So doth His Testament for the bringing againe of good And as it is good Philosophie Vnumquodque propter operationem suam So this is sure it is sound divinitie Vnusquisque recipiet secundùm operationem suam At our comming backe from the dead whence we all shall come we shall be disposed of according to them Receive we shall Matt 16.27 every man according to His workes And when it comes to going they that have done good workes shall goe into everlasting life and they not that have done evill but they that have not done good shall goe you know whither Let no man deceive you the Root of immortalitie the same is the root of Vertue But one and the same root both When all is said that can be Naturally and by very course of kind good workes you see do rise out of CHRIST 's resurrection Make you perfect so we read it which shewes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make perfect We are as indeed we are in state of imperfection till we do them Nay if that be all we will never stick for that Cognoscimus imperfectum nostrum we yeeld our selves for such for un-perfect And that is well Psal. 51.4 But we must so find and feele our imperfection Chap. 6.1 that as the Apostle tells us in the VI. Chapter before we strive to be caried forward to perfection all we may Els all our cognoscimus imperfectum will stand us in small stead Why is there any perfection in this life There is Els how should the Apostle's exhortation there or his blessing heere take place I wote well Absolute complete consummate perfection in this life there is none It is agreed of all hands None may be out of it Phil. 3.13 Non puto me comprehendisse saith Saint Paul I compt not my selfe to have atteined No more must we not atteined What then But this I doe saith he and so must we I forget that which is behind and endeavour my selfe and make forward still to that which is before Which is the perfection of Travailers of way-faring men the farther onward on their journey the neerer their journeye's end the more perfect Which is the perfection of this life For this life is a journey Now good workes are as so many stepps onward The Apostle calls them so the stepps fo the faith of our father Abraham Rom. 4.12 who went that way and we to follow him in it And the more of them we doe the more stepps doe we make the further still shall we find our selves to depart from iniquitie the neerer still to approach unto GOD in the land of the living whither to atteine is the totall or Consummatum est of our perfection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To make fill or even But not to keepe from you the truth as it is The nature of the Apostle's word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rather to make fit then to make perfect Wherein this he seemes to say That to the doing of good workes there is first requisite a fitnesse to doe them before we can do them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are both in the Text. Fitt to do them yer we can doe them We may not thinke to doe them hand over head at the first dash In an unfit and indisposed subject
He leaves not us to our selves for the rest but to that outward application of ours joines His 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an inward operation of His owne inspiring His grace which is nothing but the breath of the Holy Ghost Thereby enlightening our minds inclining our wills working on our affections making us homines bona voluntatis that when we have done well we may say with the Prophet Domine universa opera nostra operatus es in nobis Lord all our good workes thou hast wrought in us Esay 26.12 Our workes they be yet of thy working And with the Apostle We did them yet not we 1. Cor. â—5 10 but the grace of GOD that was with us Both wayes it is true what He workes by us He workes in us and what He workes in us He workes by us For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 take not away one the other but stand well together This for the doing 2. The worke Now for the worke In every good worke we do His will yet it seemeth degrees there are For heer is mention of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 His will and besides it of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 His good pleasure and this latter sounds as if it did import more then a single will Ones good pleasure is more Chap 12.28 then his bare Will So in the Chapter before He wisheth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is we may serve and please that is may so serve as that we may please Acceptable service then is more then any such as it is There is no question but that as of evill workes some displease GOD more then other so of good workes there are some better pleasing and that He takes a more speciall delight in And if you would know what they be above at the XVI Verse it is said that to do good and to distribute that is distributive doing good It is more then an ordinarie service it is a sacrifice every such worke It is of the highest kind of service and that with that kind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our word heer GOD is highly pleased So doth S. Paul call the bounteous supplying of his wants from the Philippians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sacrifice right acceptable and pleasing to GOD and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a most delightfull sweet savour And that you may still see he lookes to the Resurrection he saith the Philippians had lyen dead and drie a great while as in winter trees do use But when that worke of bounty came from them Phil. 4.12 they did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is shoot forth waâ— fresh grow green againe as now at this season plants do That so the very vertue of CHRIST 's resurrection did shew forth it selfe in them So fitting Nature's reâ—urrection-time the time of bringing things as it were from the dead againe with this of CHRIST Which time is therefore the most pleasing time the time of the greatest pleasure of all the times of the yeare So we know how to do that is pleasing in His sight Yet even this pleasing and all els is to conclude as heer it doth with through IESVS CHRIST our LORD He is in heer too In at the doing In at the making them to please GOD Vt faciat quisque per CHRISTVM quod placeat per CHRISTVM that what by CHRIST is done by CHRIST may please when it is done In at the doing infundendo gratiam gratiam activam by infusing or dropping in His grace active making us hable and fitt to do and so to do them In at the pleasing affundendo gratiam gratiam passivam by powring on His good grace and favour passive as it might be some dropps of His blood whereby it pleaseth being done Gracing His worke as we use to say in GOD 's sight that so He of Ais grace may crowne it III. The sequele We have gone through with both points Now comes the hardest point of all the sequele to couple them and make them hang well together First then they be ascribed to the GOD of peace There are but three things to be done in the Text and Peace doth them all And if Peace then GOD by no other title then the GOD of peace 1 Peace bringeth from death For Warre I am sure bringeth to death many a worthy man There is little question to be made of this that the GOD of peace doth the one but the Devill of Discord doth the other Secondly Peace setts in joint Warre brings all out of joint Warre is not good for the joints as we see daily Peace doth them no hurt Thirdly Peace makes us fitt for good Warre for al manner of evill workes saith S. IAMES in the III. Chap. Ver. XVI Therefore the GOD of peace say we And if He take it from us for a time that He bring it quickly back to us againe For when He was first brought into the world among the living at His birth IANVS was shutt Luke 2.14 the Angeâ—s they soong Peace upon earth And when He was brought again from the dead this day He was no sooner risen but the first newes was the Souldiers ranne all away A signe of peace And indeed when He had slaine hatred it was most kindly then to bring peace As this evening with His owne mouth He spake it once and twise Pax vobis over and over againe Ioh. 20.19.21 Which is the Apostle's benediction heere So Resurrection and Peace they accord well Now for the sequele of good workes upon CHRIST 's bringing from the dead Being to inferr good works he would never put in all this of CHRIST 's bringing backe againe from the dead if there had not beene some speciall operative force to or toward them in CHRIST 's Resurrection If CHRIST 's rising made not for them had not some speciall reference to them some peculiar interest in them all this had not beene ad idem but idle and beside the point quite We must take heed of this error to thinke the Passion or Resurrection of CHRIST though it be actus transiens that with the doing passeth away that it hath not a vertue and force permanent that it left not behind it a vertue and force permanent to worke continually some grace in us as to thinke his Resurrection to be Actus suspensus an act to have his effect at the latter day and in the meane time to serve for nothing but to hang in nubibus as they say But that this day it hath an efficacie continuing that sheweth forth it selfe And as the rule is in the soule before it doth on the body We will leave the Heathen to their habits and habitualities But with us Christians this is sure Whatsoever in us or by us is wrought that is pleasing to GOD it is so wrought by the vertue of CHRIST 's resurrection We have not thought of it perhaps but most certaine it is it is so So GOD hath ordeined it Whatsoever evill is truly mortified
c Act. 17.34 Areopagite the Iudge at Athens as for the d Act. 16.30 Iayler at Philippos for the e 2. Ioh. 1. elect Ladie as for widow f Acts 9.36 Dorcas g Act 8.27 For the Lord Treasurer of Aethiopia as for the h Acts 3.2 Begger at the beautifull gate of the Temple i Phil. 4.22 for the houshold of Caesar as for the k 1. Cor. 1.16 houshold of Stepharas yea and if he will for l Acts 26.28 King Agrippa too But if you will have pauperibus a restringent you may but then you must take it for poore in spirit Mat. 5.3 with whom our Saviour begins His Beatitudes in the Mount the poverty to be found in all As indeed I know none so rich but needs these tydings all to feele the want of them in their spirits Rev 3.17 No Dicis quia dives sum as few sparks of a Pharisee as may be in them that wil be interessed in it III. The tydings of a Physitian for broken hearts Well we see to whom What may these newes be Newes of a new Physician 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Medicus cordis one that can give Physicke to heale a broken heart And newes of such a one is good newes indeed They that can cure parts lesse principall broken armes or leggs or limbs out of joint are much made of and sent for farre and neere What say you to one that is good at a broken heart make that whole set that in joint againe if it happen to be out So they understood it plainly by their speech to Him after Ver. 23. Medice 〈◊〉 teipsum Ecchis 15.17 The heart sure is the part of all other we would most gladly have well Give me any griefe to the griefe of the heart said one that knew what he said Omni custodia custodi cor saith Salomon keep thy heart above all Pro 4.23 if that be downe all is downe looke to that in any wise Now it is most proper for the Spirit to deale with that part it is the fountaine of the spirits of life and whither indeed none can come but the Spirit to do any cure to purpose that if CHRIST if the Spirit take it not 〈◊〉 hand all cures els are but poâ—â—sitive they may drive it away for a while it will come 〈…〉 then ever Now then to Medice cure as CHRIST after saith to this 〈…〉 〈…〉 cure our rule is first to looke to de causis morborum how the heart can be 〈…〉 then after de methodo medendi IV. Of the hearts 1 How they came broken the way heere to helpe it 〈…〉 comes the heart broken The common hammer that breaks them is some 〈◊〉 crosse such as we commonly call heart-breakings There be heere in 〈…〉 strokes of this hammer hable I thinke to breake eny heart in the 〈◊〉 1. 〈◊〉 They be captives first and captives and caitives 1 By being captives Psal. 137.2 in our speech sound 〈…〉 one It is sure a condition hable to make eny man hang up his harpe and 〈…〉 by the waters of Babylon There is one stroke 2. Thâ—re followes another worse yet For in Babylon though they were captives â— In a darke dungeen 〈◊〉 they abroad had their libertie These heere are in prison And in some 〈…〉 there as it might be in the dungeon where they see nothing That I take 〈◊〉 meant by blind heere in the Text Blind for want of light not for want of 〈◊〉 though those two both come to one are convertible They that be blind say they are darke and they that be in the darke for the time are deprived of sight have no manner use of it at all no more then a blind man Now they that row in the galleys yet this comfort they have they see the light and if a man see nothing els the light 〈◊〉 it selfe is comfortable And a great stroke of the hammer it is Eccles. 11.7 not to have so much 〈◊〉 that poore comfort left them 3. But yet are we not at the worst One stroke more For 3 And bruised with irons there one may be in the dungeon and yet have his limmes at large his hands and feet at libertie But so have 〈◊〉 those in the Text but are in yrons and those so heavy and so pinching as they 〈◊〉 even 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bruised and hurt with them See now their case 1 Captives 〈◊〉 not onely that but 2 in prison In prison not above but in the dungeon the 〈◊〉 darkest blindest hole there no light no sight at all 3 And in the hole 〈◊〉 many yrons upon them that they are even bruised and sore with them And tell 〈◊〉 now if these three together be not enough to breake Manasse's or any man's 〈◊〉 and to make him have cor contritum indeed They be but what is this to us This is no mans case heere No more was it eny â—heirs that were at CHRIST 's Sermon yet CHRIST spake to the purpose we 〈◊〉 be sure We may not then take it literally as meant by the body CHRIST 〈◊〉 no such captivitie dungeon or yrons That He meant not such is plaine He 〈◊〉 He was sent to free captives to open prisons But He never set eny captive free 〈◊〉 life nor opened eny gaole in that sense to let eny prisoner forth Another 〈◊〉 then we are to seeke Remember ye not we beganne with the Spirit the 〈◊〉 the Spirit comes about is spirituall not secular So all these spiritually 〈◊〉 understood As indeed they are all three appliable to the case of the Spirit 〈◊〉 plaine description of all our states out of CHRIST and before He take us in 〈◊〉 â— There is Captivitie there wherein men are held in slaverie under sinne and 〈…〉 than that we now spake of Saint Paul knew it speakes of it Rom. 7.24 Rom. VII 〈◊〉 he hath so crieth out Wretched man that I am who shall rid me of it Verily 〈◊〉 Turke so hurries men putts them to so base services as sinne doth her captives 〈◊〉 one that hath beene in her captivitie and is got out of it scit quod dico he 〈◊〉 it is true I say 〈…〉 is a prison too not Manasse's prison But aske David who never came 〈…〉 what he meant when he said I am so fast in prison Psal. â—8 8 as I know not how to 〈…〉 And that you may know what prison that was he cries Psal. 142.7 Matt. 4.16 O bring my soule out of 〈…〉 A prison there is then of the soule no lesse than of the bodie In which prison 〈…〉 of those that CHRIST preached heere to S. Matthew saith they sat in 〈…〉 and in the shadow of death even as men in the dungeon doe 3. 〈◊〉 are chaines too that also is the sinner's case He is even tied with chaines 〈…〉 sinneâ— saith Salomon with the bonds of iniquitie Saint Peter Pro. 5.22 Act
Law Lex lux saith Salomon totidem verbis Pro. 6. and his Father Pro. 6.23 Psal. 119.105 a lanterne to 〈◊〉 feet Nay in the nineteenth Psalme what he saith at the fourth verse of the Sunne at the eight he saith the same of the Law of GOD lights both 2. Pet. 1.19 3. The light 〈◊〉 prophesie as of a candle that shineth in a darke place 4. There is the wonderfull light of His Gospell So Saint Peter calls it the proper light of this day 1. Pet. 2 9. The tongues that descended so many tongues so many lights For the tongue is a light and brings in light what was before hid in the heart 5. And from these other is the inward light of grace whereby GOD which commanded the light to shine out of darkenesse 2. Cor. 4.6 Be it is that shineth in our hearts by the inward annointing which is the oile of this 〈◊〉 the light of his Holy Spirit chasing away the darknesse both of our hearts and 〈◊〉 6. There is the light of comfort of His Holy Spirit a light sowen for the â—â—ghteous heere in this life And 7. There is the light of glorie which they shall reape the light where GOD dwelleth and where we shall dwell with him Even the inheritance of the Saints in light when the righteous shall shine as the Sunne Col. 1.12 Matt. 13.43 Exod. 25. â—2 in the kingdome of their Father the Father of lights Moses's Candlestick with seven stalkes and lights in each of them Of all which seven lights GOD is the Father acknowledges them all for his children and to his children will vouchsafe them all in their order Now this onely remaineth why He is not called the Author 3 Why Pater not Author but the Father of these In this is the manner of their descending And that is for that they proceed 〈◊〉 Him per modum naturae as the child from the Father per modum emanationis as the beams from the Sunne So both Father and light shew the manner of their comâ—ing Proper and naturall for Him it is to give good Good things come from Him as 〈◊〉 as doe they therefore said to be not the Author the Lord and giver but 〈◊〉 the very Father of them It is against His nature to doe otherwise to 〈…〉 send forth ought but good his very loines his bowells are all goodnesse 〈…〉 darknesse He cannot be being Father of lights nor of ought that is evill For thâ—â— two darke and evill are as neere of kinn as light and good This is the message saith Saint Iohn that we heard of him and that we declare to you that GOD is light 1. Ioh. 1.5 and in Him is no darknesse at all Nâ—ither in Him nor from Him Nemo dicat let never any say it Let it never sinke into you Tempted He is not with evill Tempt He doth not to evill Verse 13. Ascribe it not to Pater luminum but to Princeps tenebrarum to the Prince of darknesse not to the Father of lights But ascribe all good from the smallest sparke to the greatest beame Ephes. 6.12 from the least good giving to the best and most perfect gift of all to Him to the Father of lights So we see 1 why light 2 why lights 3 why the Father of lights So much for the Praedicate and whole Proposition II. The Item And all this may be and yet all this being it seemes some replie may be made and stand with the Apostle's terme of lights well enough That what befalls the lights the children The VII error may also befall the Father of them The great and most perfect light in this world is the Sunne in the firmament and two things evidently befall him the two in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 variation He admitts declines and goes downe and leaves us in the darke that is his parallaxe in his motion from East to West And turning he admitts turnes backe goes from us and leaves us to long winter nights that is his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his motion from North to South One of these he doth every day the other every yeare Successively removing from one hemisphere to the other when it is light there it is darke heere Successively turning from one Tropique to another when the dayes be long there they be short heere And if we shall say any thing of the shadow heere that way we lose him too in part by interposing of the clouds when the day is over-cast So the night is his parallax the winter his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 darke weather his shadow at least Shadowes doe but take him away in part that is not good But darknesse takes him away cleane that is perfectly evill That it may be even so with the Father of lights as with this it is Good and evill come from him alternis vicibus by turne and as darknesse and light successively from them That it may fare with Him as with the Heathen Iupiter who had say they in his Entrie two great fatts both full one of good the other of evill and that he served them out into the world both of the good and of the evill as he saw cause but commonly for one of good two of evill at least It was more then requisite he should cleere this objection So doth he denieth both all three if you will That though of man it be truely said by Iob He nâ—ver continues in one stay Iob. 14.6 though the lights of heaven have their parallaxes yea the Angels of heaven Iob. 4.18 Exod. 3.14 Mal. 3 6· He found not stedfastnesse in them Yet for GOD he is subject to none of them He is Ego sum qui sum that is saith Malachie Ego Deus non mutor We are not what we were a while since nor what we shall be a while after scarce what we are for every moment makes us varie With GOD it is nothing so He is that He is He is and changeth not He changes not his tenor he changes not his tense keeps not our Grammar rules hath one by himselfe Not before Abraham was Io. 8.58 I was but before Abraham was I am Yet are there varyings and changes it cannot be denied We see them daily True but the point is per quem on whom to lay them Not on GOD. Seemes there any recesse Ierem. 2.17 It is we forsake Him not He us It is the ship that moves though they that be in it think the land goes from them not they from it Seemes there any variation as that of the night It is umbra terrae makes it the light makes it not Is there any thing resembling a shadow A vapour rises from us makes the cloud which is as a pent-house betweene and takes Him from our sight That vapour is our lust There is the apud quem Is any tempted it is his owne lust doth it that entises him to sinne that brings
not by some meer accident some that sitts by chance in the gate some that goes by the gate shall bring it out rather then it shall not be brought out 3. And may I not add this for a third that all this came out by occasion of that which they pretended for their occasion That very match which was so great a more in their eye that they so maligned at they must needs sweare the King's death for it that very match was the meanes that brought Mardochai thither to the gate for thither he came to hearken not for any such matter as this but how the new Queen his Neece behaved her self what report went of her And as it fell out this which he came not for there he heard his thither comming by this hap was the happie meanes for this happie discoverie happie for the King happie for the whole land But all came by his resort thither by meanes of the marriage So that they made their occasion was made the occasion of their ruine 4. And let this be the last that even from their owne selves He brought it They that go about the like Psal. 63.8 Pro 6.2 Luke 19.22 their owne hands shall make them to fall they shal be ensnared in the words of their owne lipps rather then it shall not come forth it shall come forth ex ore to serve nequam come out at their owne mouthes as heer it did Their owne tongues shall fall on babling their own penns on scribling GOD will have it out certenly even by themselves disclosed rather then not at all And this for GOD 's mercie he had heer and still hath to bring such plotts to light marveilous in our eyes Mardocai to be our example Now of Mardochai the meanes of all For though as this daye 's deliverie was we have no great use of him there was no Mardochai no discoverie there this daye 's was another manner of deliverie of a higher nature then so yet is there great good use of him for all that Indeed Mardochaeus exemplum nostrum he is our patterne Ours that be true men He set before us a mirrour of a faithfull good subject one according to GOD 's owne heart For this is a perfect Scripture we have in it both what to flie and what to follow As there be in it two bad so thanks be to GOD there is one good To avoid them to be like to him Like to him three ways 1 Like him in his innotuit 2 Like him in his nunciavit 3 But above all like him in that which was the ground of all That he was a faithfull subject to a strange and to a Heathen Prince 1 In his innotuit Like him first in his innotuit Not to turne the deafe eare to Bigthan and Thares as if we heard them not nor to looke through our fingers at them as if we saw them not None knew he understood the language they spake in He might have carried it slily made as if he had knowen nothing not knowen that he knew nothing to compell him but his conscience to take notice of it But Salomon ran in his mind Save him that is designed to death Wilt thou not deliver him that is ledd to be slaine Any but the King more then any Pro. 24.11 If thou saist I know not of it He that ponders the heart doth not He understand Pro. 24.12 He that keeps the soule doth not He know the contrarie And shall not He pay every man and so thee according to thy worke Well for innotuit since from the gate it came good therefore that Mardochai sitt there or which is all one that they which sit there have somwhat of Mardochai in them Be if not curious and inquisitive yet vigilant and attentive And yet curious and inquisitive I would allow in the case of a Prince's safety And the King and the Queen to have their eyes and their eares abroad both of them and all little enough We see for all the King 's Wise men that knew the times never a one of them knew this time This good we see came by Mardochai came on the Queene's side 2 In his nunciavit Like him in his innotuit to know Like him in his nunciavit to make it knowne Carefull to get notice faithfull to give notice of it in due time GOD whose will it was it should thus happily come to him His will it was it should as faithfully come from him He knew by the Law he was bound if he heard the voice of conspiracie and uttered it not Lev. 5.1 it should be sinne to him Leviticus V. He knew by the Psalme what it was to partake with other mens sinne what to have his part with a theife or an adulterer Psal. 50.18 and if with them with a traitor much more He knew by the Proverbs Pro. 24.12 he was now in as deep as they as good lay his hands on him and seek it as lay his hand on his mouth and not seek to prevent it keep it in and conceale it He knew for he told it Esther after that if he had not bewrayed it Chap. 4.14 GOD wanted not his meanes to have brought it out some other way And last he knew by the Prophet GOD would have sett his face against him for so cloking it and have rooted him out Ezek. 14.8 All this he knew but the mysterie of the seale of iniquitie the Seale of Confession it seemes he knew not It was not graven then that seale nor many hundred yeares after That shutts up treason as a treasure under a sacred seale at no hand to be broken no though all the King's lives in the Christendome lay on it This act of Mardochai's marres the fashion of that Seale quite And this may be said of him he would never have laid eny hands on himselfe for then he would have let it proceed and not hindred it by his bewraying as he did This also he that did thus disclose for a need would have taken an oath to disclose Sure I am would never have taken oath or Sacrament not to disclose it would never have stuck at the oath of Allegiance that is once but it may be would have stuck at the Seale of Confession for ever comming upon his lippes This for nunciavit And all this he did 3 In his loyalty to Assuâ—rus a stranger yea though himself were no Subject borne to Assuerus nor he his naturall Prince but borne out of his dominions farr of in Iewrie Did it not for Iosias or Ieconias or some King of his owne Did it for Assuerus King of Persia one that held him and his Country-men captive and thrall yet to him he did it Yea more then that yet this did he to Assuerus not onely a stranger A Heathen but more then so to Assuerus a heathen man an Idolater one that woâ—shipped the Sunne and the fire every day As that
make a danger dangerous two things are required 1 The surenesse and 2 the neernesse If it be uncertaine we reckon not of it nor though it be certaine if it be farre away Let us see both was it â— The certainty of the danger To make it certaiâ—e these aâ—e required 1 It be soundly resolved 2 surely bound and seriously put in execution First upon good resolution a sentence given quod eramus consumendi we were to be made away and rather then we should not their owne friends allies and kindred yea their owne deer Catholiques to go the same way to have been in the Consumpti as well as we This was to have it certaine to make sure worke Gravely resolved and fast bound as funiculus triplex the three immutable things of their Religion could bind it 1. Bound by oath their Sacramentum militare they ever tooke first never to discover never to desist 2. Bound againe by their Sacrament of Penance Thither they went in an error as if it had been some fault but they found more then they went for went for absolution received a flat resolution it was not onely no sinne but would serve to expiate their other sinnes And not onely expiate their sinnes but heape also upon them an encrease of merit In effect that our consumption would become their consummation 3. Bound last with the Sacrament of the Altar and so made as sure as their Maker could make it These three sure now past starting I trow But go to Oathes and Sacraments consume nothing True It was therefore not onely solemnly bound but sadly set upon They fell to their Pick-axes layd in their powder by ten and by twenty barrells at once and I know not how much yron and how many huge stones Fervebat opus in earnest they were Of all which we may say with Saint Iohn That which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked vpon and our hands have handled 1. Ioh. 1.1 that preach we in this point That very sure it is we were very farr gone in our consumption And all this while it may be it was in dies multos farre enough away to be done a good while after â— The neernesse of it we know not when How neer was it Nox una interposita but a night nor that neither neither a whole night nor a whole day but a few houres we had to spend The traine ready and the match three for failing They stayed but for the con for the time till all were con that is simul sumpti and then consumpti should have come streight upon all This was our case thus dangerous thus sure thus neer Insomuch as we were even given for dead The letter shewed as much Their being together and waiting for it at their meeting place shewed as much They made full reckoning we were little better then even consumpti in the preterperfect tense And neerer we cannot come It is well knowne David was never destroyed indeed finally yet often in the Psalmes he saith Psal 71.18.9.14.86.13 He was brought back from the deep of the earth againe from the gates of death yea even from the nethermost hell His meaning was he was exceeding neer it And so were we as neer as was possible and not be swallowed up of it And this is the meaning of consumpti And thus much for it 2. The deliveraÌ„ce Now are we to put Non sumus to it and we are safe streight Which two words conteine our deliverie So as though we were destinate as fewell to this fire though venerunt filij ad partum Esa. 37.3 though they were come to the point to be delivered of that they had so long travailed withall though like we were and sure we were and neer we were yet consumed we were not We were not for heer we are blessed be GOD. Heer and elswhere some few except which since be gone to their graves in peace The place standeth the persons still alive Non sumus consumpti this is ad oculum it admitts no further discourse But this it admitts that we may stay a little and lay our Non suâ—us to this of Ieremie in the Text and we shall find ours another manner of preservation by odds 1. The comparing of theirs and ours 1 In the Person Chap. 2. â—1 that so we may provide our selves of another manner of recognition Non sumâ—â— consumpti saith Ieremie when for all that in every corner of the streets they lay slaine Onely he and a handfull more in comparison were spared This 〈◊〉 him to say yet we be not all gone A cold comfort GOD knoweth This 〈◊〉 persons â—or things The gates of Ierusalem were burnt with fire 2 In the things and a great part of the Citie howbeit not all A remnant there was left though but a poore one GOD wott yet enough in his sense to say Non consumpti all is not consumed â— Will ye see now them with us With them some few left alive the most slaine with us not one slaine but all still alive 2 With them a part of the buildings left though the farre greater part consumed With us neither sticke nor stone touched nor burnt nay not so much as singed All safe all in toto and all in qualibet parte 1 Vpon the matter thus it is They were not consumed that is not all We were not consumed that is not at all All were not consumed with them None at all with us 2 Some were saved there Both all and some heere neither person nor thing miscarried 3 Ieremie could not say It is GOD 's mercie we are all safe He was faine to give it in the negative We are not consumeâ— We may say it and putt it in either both in the affirmative All safe and in the negative None consumed no not one There be indeed two Non consumpti's 1 One commeth after The Difference of ours above theirs after it is burnt a great while with water to quench it 2 The other goeth before and keepes it from taking fire at all and that is ours In which case Non consumpti is no terme diminuent Nay the precurrent negative is better by much Aske the speculative Divine if it be not so if Ne nos inducas be not better then Libera nos Leaâ—e us not in then Deliver us out Not to Sinne then to be forgiven it not to fall then to be lift up againe And to insist in this present not to kindle then to quench For the later is from Subsequetur me misericordia Mercie subsequent which is good Psal 23.6 Psal. 79.8 the former from Cito nos anticipènt misericordiae tuae from the anticipation of mercie which is farre the better of the twaine 2. One great difference we see betweene the two Non sumus's Another now no whit lesse For the greatest of all their miseries and which touched Ieremie neerest was the proud insolencie of their enemies the
speeches or libels of David that was all that Shemei 7. By harbouring or receiving them as the City Abel did Sheba and should have beene sacked for it 8 By furnishing them with money or supplyee otherwise as it might be contributing to the pouder Iud. 9.4 as the men of Sichem to Abimelech 9. By that which Salomon calleth hand in hand Pro. 11.21 that is digging with the pickaxe co-operating with them in the vault 10. By being if not partie yet privie to it and not opposing 1. Sam. 26.9 as David had beene to Saul's death if he had not hindered Abisai Non obstans Esther 2.22 11. Or at the least privie and not disclosing it which had beene Mardochai's case if he had concealed the Eunuch's treason Non manifestans 12. And last which I take to be full out as bad if not much worse then eny of the rest by speaking or writing in praise or defense either of the deed or the doers their case Num. 16.47 calling Core and his companie the people of the Lord for sure if the consenter be in the commender much more All these make up this medley To these or eny of these well may it be said Ne commiscearis Now I know degrees there be in mixture more or lesse but heere is no degree Onely Ne commiscearis simply Not in no great quantitie but not in the least scruple not at all It is ranke poyson the least drop of it is deadly Never so little is too much Therefore absolutely Ne commiscearis Medle not with them at all not with absolving them not with giving them the oath not with praying for them above all not with offering the unbloody sacrifice for so bloudy a treason Iacob's counsel is best In consilium eorum ne veniat anima tua Gen. 49.6 not to come once among them To separate your selves from the tents of Core touching whom you know what GOD gave in charge and what Moses proclaimed Away from them come not neere them touch not eny thing that is theirs Num. 16.26 It is infected they have the plague if you medle with it it will bring you to destruction II. The Pâ—â—naltie So are we come to the second Verse to the penaltie And it is not more then needs 1. For sure even good counsell enters but slowly into us we are so dull if it have not an edge given it be not seconded with some forcible reason to helpe it forward 2. Now no reason more forcible or of better edge to enter us then that which is taken from the feare of some great mischief or maine inconvenience which will surely take hold of us if we take not hold of the counseile 3. And as none more forciâ—â—◠〈◊〉 none more fit for the present counseilc It is to feare Now to enduce feare 〈◊〉 way more fit then to set before us some matter of terror some fearfull object or â—â—â—â—equent it will bring us to And what more fearefull then of all the five fearâ—â—â—â— things set downe by the Philosopher the most fearfull that is the feare of death 〈◊〉 Why it workes with beasts and even with the dullest of them Balaam's beast Num. 22.23 〈◊〉 him strike him lay on him with a staffe ye shall never get him to run upon the Aâ—gell's sword upon his own death that shall ye never Sure we are to think His first câ—mmandement God headed with the best head He had and that was Morte morieris He thought it the surest and most likely to prevaile And if eny thing hold us this will If ye feare neither God nor King yet feare this 1. But yet if we weigh the word destruction there is more in it then death 1. Dâ—struction To death we must all come but this it will bring you to an untimely end Not fall of your selfe but destroyed even plucked downe a great while before you would fall 2. Nay nor it is not untimely death neither 2. Nay Ruine there is more in it then so in destruction All that die before their time are not destroyed God forbid No there goeth some evill touch some shame some foule uncouth end ever with it that is it that makes it destruction 3. But what manner destruction Some may be restored and built againe This is ad ruinam that is added in the latter part of the Verse to ruine So that never built again never repaired more that is to utter destruction 4. And yet there is more still For these two 1 ruine and 2 destruction they be not used of a person properly but as the word gives of an house or structure Add this then that it will be the ruine and plucking downe not of your selfe alone but of your house too And indeed how many great Houses have beene ruined by it Then if this will not hold you from meddling that it is a sinne a double sinne against both Tables that it is a sinn of presumption if this will not let this that it is destructorie a destroying sinne one of those sinns that followes them that meddle with it hard at the heeles and never leaves them till it have brought them to destruction and utter ruine them and their whole House it eradicates it pulls all up by the roots Sinne it selfe is a Nimium yet is there a Nimium in sinne too O be not over-wicked saith the Preacher be not too too folish so very wicked so over-foolish as to shorten your owne dayes to make you die tempore non suo before your time come yea to be destroyed utterly you your house and all Sure if this come of it he bad you not feare for nought Nay this is not all he goes further Of all Retentives feare of all feares the feare of death death and destruction Now of all destructions this for all destructions are not of one size neither some more fearefull then other But this this is no common one it hath two attendants to make it more fearefull then the ordinary destructions or visitations of other men The former two as it were manacles for the hands not to have a hand in it These latter as fetters to the feet not to goe about it But still it runnes upon two as it were one for the King another for God still This is the first Their destruction it shall rise sodenly 3. And that sodenly Everie word hath his weight if you marke them It shall rise fitly For Sedition we call it a rising one rising he punisheth with another Rise it is not Surget but consurget as early up rise as soone as the Sinne it selfe From the first moment of sinne their destruction rises with it followeth it at the heeles is still hard behind it if they could looke backe and see it it is not an ynch from them 2. Rise and rise sodenly Psal. 55.15 Let death come sodenly upon them at unawares it is David's prayer and so shall it come it is Salomon's prophesie
indeed Psal 38.4 that would be looked into by us by reason of another Super Iniquitates nostrae supergressae sunt capita nostra Our sinnes are gone up over above our heads Over head and eares in sinne And another Super yet above them Even the phials of God's wrath hanging over our heads Apoc. 16.1 readie to be powred on us and them were it not that mercie is above them and staies them Were it not that Over whom miserie over them mercie Els were we in danger to be overwhelmed with them every houre We see then the comparison was well laid in Super. Our sinnes over us judgements over them but mercie over all Super omnia Alwaies where there is Super there is Satis Satis superque shewes Super is more then Satis Enough then there is and to spare for them all â— Above the workes of all His workes One more not onely above all ours but if it be above all His works then is it above all the workes of them that be His workes and so not to hold you above the Devill and all his workes For he also is one of them Of GOD'S making as an Angell of his owne marring as a devill Above his works I say and above the works and practises of his limmes and all they can doe or devise against them over whom His mercie is The Sonne of GOD saith S. Iohn in mercie therefore appeared 1. Ioh. 38. Vt solveret opera Diaboli that He might loose â—ndoe quite dissolve the works of the Devill No worke shall he contrive never so deepe under ground never so neere the borders of his own region but GOD 's mercie will bring it to light it and the workers of it His mercie will have a Sâ—per for their Subâ—er There shall be more in Mercie to save then in Sathan to destroy Psal 124 1. More dicat nunc Israël more may this Realme now say A notorious Work of His as ever eny Nay Super omnia as never was eny this day by His mercie brought to light and dissolved quite dissolved We heard it not with our eares our fathers told it 〈◊〉 not our eyes beheld this Super. Psal. 44.1 So we are come to our owne case â—er we were aware That is Super upon 3. Super upon 1 Vpon some more then others of his workes Over all 〈◊〉 yet not over all alike at leastwise not upon all alike upon some more then over 〈◊〉 some Aequaliter est Illi cura de omnibus but not aequalis Aequally a care â—f â—ll but not an aequall care though No His mercie over all in generall is no barre 〈◊〉 upon some there may be a speciall Super and so some have a Super in this Super too For if the reason why mercie is over all His workes be because they be His workes â—hen the more they be His workes the more workmanship He bestowes upon them the more is His mercie over them Whereby it falls out that as there is an unaequalitie of His workes and one worke above another so is there a diverse graduation of his mercie â—nd one mercie above another or rather one and the same mercie as the same Planet in Auge in the top of his Epicycle higher then it selfe at other times To shew this 2 Vpon Man more then other creatures Gen. 1.26 we divide His works as we have warrant into His works of Fiat as the rest of His creatures and the Worke of Faciamus as Man the master-piece of His workes upon whom He did more cost shewed more workmanship then on the rest the very word Faciamus setts him above all 1. GOD 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that He did deliberate enter into consultation as it were about his making and about none els 2. GOD 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Himselfe framed his bodie of the mold Gen. 2.7 as the potter the clay 3. Then that He breathed into him a two-lived soule which made the Psalmist Breake out Domine quid est homo c. Lord what is man Psal. 8.4 thou shouldst so regard him as to passe by the heavens and all the glorious bodies there and passing by them breath an immortall soule put thine owne image upon a piece of clay 4. But last GOD 's setting him Super omnia opera manuum suarum Over all the workes â—f His hands His making him as I may say Count Palatine of the world this shewes plainely His setting by Man more then all of them As he then over them so GOD 's mercie over him Over all His workes but of all His workes over this work Psal. 8.6 Over His chiefe worke chiefly in a higher degree And not without great cause Man is capable of aeternall either felicitie or miserie so are not the rest He sinnes so do not they So his case requires a Super in this Super requires mercy more then all theirs Vpon men then chiefly They the first Super in this Super. But of men though it be true in generall He hath shut up all under sinne that He might have mercie upon all Rom. 11.32 yet even among them a Super too a second Another workmanship He hath yet His workmanship in CHRIST IESV the Apostle calls it Ephes. 2.10 His new creature Gal. 6.15 which His mercie is more directly upon then upon the rest of mankind Servator omnium hominum the Saviour of all men saith the Apostle marie 1. Tim. 4.10 Auâ—em most of all of the faithfull Christian men Of all men above all men upon them They are His Worke wrought on both sides Creation on one side Redemption on the other For now we are at the worke of Redemption And heere now is Mercie right in kind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rahame rahama the mercie of the bird of mercie that is the Pelecan's mercie for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the Pelecan which hath her name of mercie as the truly mercifull bird For heer now is not the womb to hatch â—hem nor the wings to clocke them but the Pelecan's bill of mercie striking it selfe to the heart drawing blood thence even the very heart-blood to revive her young ones when they were dead in sinne and to make them live anew the life of grace This is Misericordia super omnes misericordias Shall I say it I may truly Mercie in all els abâ—vâ— His workes but in this above Himselfe For when it brought Him down from Heaven to Earth to such a birth in the manger such a life in contradiction of sinners Luk. 2.12 Heb. 1â— 3 Phil. 2.8 such a death on the Crosse it might truely be said then Misericordia etiam triumphat de 〈◊〉 You shall marke therefore at the verie next words when he comes to his thanks â—is Confitcantur Tibi opera Deus but Sancti tui benedicant Tibi Thy workes let them â—ay Confiteor Thy redeemed Thy Saints let them sing Benedictus Thy workes Verse 10. let them
neck of them with a non sunt vires and all is marrd Heer in the Text how many Countries wan Senacherib How neere was he let come to Ierusalem even to Libna within lesse then a dozen mile Newes came sodenly Verse 9. of the Blackmoore's invading his Countrie back he goes had not the power to stirre one foot further How farre was the Invincible Navie suffered to come sailing in LXXXVIII to cast anchor even before the Thame's mouth every houre ready to deliver her children ashore In an instant a fatall faintnesse fell upon them their strength and courage taken from them about they turned like a wheele fled and had not the power to looke behind them But non erant vires pariendi we all know God loves thus to do and then to do it cum venerunt ad partum His glorie is the greater He can let it come so nigh and then put it by let it alone till then and then do it 2. On our parts 2. There is another on our parts For easie account and but easie would have been made if they had been taken at first no great matter that That we might make no easy accompt we scaped not easily but hard and scant so to make our escape the stranger and our joy the more that it went so farre and came so neere and yet missed us Of it selfe it is best Vt malum ubi primùm contingit ibi moriatur Evill be crushed at first the Serpent's head troden at his first peeping in or putting it out But GOD doth not alwaies that which in it selfe is best to do but that which will best affect us and we take in best part And so did He this thereby to begett in us and bring forth of us a new birth of praise and thankes according 4. The infereÌ„ce For now we have done with this degenerate birth of theirs we are to stay a little and see if we can gett another a more kindly birth come from our selves For barren we may not be this deliverie from theirs is to make us delivered of another we to bring forth somewhat for their not bringing forth What is that The Text will leade us to it if we looke but over to the next verse For there when eny evill travaile threatens us we find by Ezechia the kindly birth then Verse 4. on our parts is Tu ergo leva orationem a levie of prayers Now that being turned away and turned away in a manner so miraculous the naturall kind yssue then is another Tu ergò Tu ergò leva gratiarum actionem a new levy of thanks a new leva quia levatus for His easing of us of so heavie a chance like to light so heavie on us At the present sure while it was fresh we were ravished with it for thâ— time we seemed to be even with child as if we would bring forth somwhat and somwhat we did bring forth even an Act that we would from yeare to yeare as upon this Day bring forth and be delivered of thanks and praise for this deliverie for ever And heer we are now to act that we then enacted even to traveile with this new birth God send us strength well to be delivered of it For so shall we double our joy 1 One ioy for the turning away of that miscreant birth of theirs 2 another for the welcomming this of our owne This birth we now traveile with is a good and a blessed birth Blessing and glorie and praise and thanks are in bonis all all good in us if any thing be good in us â—he best fruicts of our nature when it is at the very best And if they be brought forth it is as it should be and as God would have it But if which GOD forbid they should either not come or when they be come our strength faile and they not brought forth then are we at an after-deale againe then would not this day be so joyfull for the mis-going of the other as sorrowfull for the abortion of this Our joy at least not so entire but mixt with sorrow for there is sorrow even to death if we goe with so good a fruit and it come to the birth and there perish if we shall but make an Act and doe no act upon it We seeme to sorrow at nothing more then that many a good purpose there is and many a vow made in time of need sicknesse or adversitie so many as it is by Divines held There be mo good purposes and that by odds in hell then there be in heaven but abortive purposes and vowes all For ô that we were but the one halfe of that we then promise to be when we want and would have somewhat O then how thankfull we would be how never forget how fast the children come to the birth then And when we have what we would our vigor quailes presently our strength is gone from us non sunt vires pariendi For all the world seeth nothing we bring forth Alas how many aborcements are there daily of these Children No where may this Verse be taken up No where so oft so fitly applied No where so used upon better cause then this upon the failing of good desires and intents That this we may doe to take us to leva orationem let this be our last To lift up our prayer first against such unnaturall births as that was the Prophet Hosee's prayer Hosee 9.14 Give them ô Lord what wilt thou give them a barren womb and drie brests There was no strength for that birth of theirs It was well there was not Thanks be to GOD there was not Thanks be to GOD for non erant vires And Ne sint vires say I Never let there be strength for eny like this birth Never strength but weake hands and feeble â—nees for eny such enterprise Ne vires pariendi Nay ne veniant ad partum not thither not so farre Nay ne ad conceptionem Nay then ne ad generationem if it may be If it may not but they scape thither to the birth then lift up your last prayer and let this be it and let it come up to heaven into GOD 's presence and enter in even to His eares for the aequitie of it in all such designes that pariens may be sine viribus and partus sine vitâ the mothers no strength and the Children no life But child and mother perish both as this day they did And better so they perish then such a number then a whole countrie perish by their meanes This a Ne veniant and a Ne sint vires against theirs But for ours for our praise and thanks Veniant Let them come and Sint ô sint vires and let there be strength when they come for such for so good a birth Ever be there strength to kindnesse to thankfulnesse to the accomplishment thereof whereto we are in dutie so deeply bound Strength ever to all honest
six pounds Of which to Pembroke-Hall for the erection of two Fellowshipps and other uses mentioned in the Codicill a thousand pound to buy fiftie pound land per Annum to that purpose Besides a Basen and Ewer like that of their Foundresse and some Bookes To buy two hundred pound per Annum foure thousand pound Viz. for aged poore men fiftie pound per Annum for poore widowes the wives of one husband fiftie pound for the putting of poore Orphans to prentise fiftie pound to prisoners fiftie pound He was alwaies a diligent and painefull Preacher most of his Solemne Sermons he was most carefull of and exact I dare say few of them but they passed his hand and were thrice revised before they were preached and he ever misliked often and loose preaching without studie of Antiquitie and he would be bold with himself and say when he preached twice a day at Saint Giles he prated once And when his weakenesse grew on him and that by infirmitie of his body he grew unable to preach he began to goe little to the Court not so much for weakenesse as for inabilitie to preach After he came to have an Episcopall house with a Chappell he kept monethly Communions inviolably yea though himselfe had received at the Court the same moneth In which his carriage was not only decent and Religious but also exemplary he ever offered twice at the Altar and so did every one of his Servants to which purpose he gave them money lest it should be burthensome to them Now before I come to his last end give me leave to tell you that privately he did much find fault and reprove three sinnes too common and reigning in this later age 1. Vsury was one from which what by his Sermons what by private conference he withdrew many 2. Another was Simony for which he endured many troubles by Quare Impedit and Duplex querela as for himselfe he seldome gave a Benefice or preferment to him that petitioned or made suit for it he rather sent for men of note that he thought wanted preferment and gave them Prebends and Benefices under Seale before they knew of it as to Master Boys and Master Fuller The 3. and greatest was Sacriledge which he did abhorr as one principall cause among many of the forraine and Civill warres in Christendome and invasion of the Turke Wherein even the reformed and otherwise the true professors and servants of CHRIST because they tooke GOD 's portion and turned it to publique prophane uses or to private advancements did suffer just chastisement and correction at GOD 's hand And at home it had been observed and he wished some man would take the paines to collect how many Families that were raised by the spoyles of the Church were now vanished and the place thereof knowes them no more And now I draw to an end GOD 's House is truly called and is indeed Domus Orationis the House of prayer it accompanies all acts done in GOD 's House Of this Reverend Prelate I may say vita ejus vita orationis his life was a life of prayer A great part of five houres every day did he spend in prayer and devotion to GOD. After the death of his Brother Master Thomas Andrewes in the sicknesse time whom he loved deerely he began to foretell his owne death before the end of summer or before the beginning of winter And when his Brother Master Nicolas Andrewes died he tooke that as a certaine signe and prognostick and warning of his owne death and from that time till the houre of his dissolution he spent all his time in prayer and his prayer-booke when he was private was seldome seene out of his hands and in the time of his feaver and last sicknesse besides the often prayers which were read to him in which he repeated all the parts of the confession and other petitions with an audible voice as long as his strength endured he did as was well observed by certaine tokens in him continually pray to himselfe though he seemed otherwise to rest or slumâ—er And when he could pray no longer voce with his voice yet oculis manibus bâ— lifting up his eyes and hands he prayed still and when nec manus nec vox officium fâ—ciunt both voice and eyes and hands failed in their office then Corde with his heâ—rt he still prayed untill it pleased GOD to receive his blessed soule to himselfe And so hujus mortalitas magis finita quam vita his Mortality had an end and he died peaceably and quietly in the Lord but his life shall have no end yea then his life did begin when his Mortalitie made an end that was Natalis his birth-day September XXV being Moonday about foure of the clocke in the morning So dyed he aliâ—rum majore dâ—â—no quà m suo with greater dammage to others even to all this English Church and all Christendome then to himselfe And GOD grant that many Ages may be so happy to bring forth and enjoy such a Prelate so furnished with all endowâ—ents of learning and knowledge with innocence and holinesse of life and with such pittâ—e and charitie as he shewed in his life and death â—y conclusion is short I have spoken somewhat of this most Reverend Prelate but much short of his graces and worth In summe thus much In his life he was Concionator Scriptor potentissimus a most powerfull Preacher and Writer in his deeds and actions he was potentior diuturnior more powerfull and lasting Death hath bereaved us of him but his life and his works of learning and his workes of piety and charity I doubt not but GOD in his goodnesse will make them Monumentum aere perennius a Monument more lasting then brasse and stone even to the comming of our LORD CHRIST For no doubt while he lived he sowed the sincere Word of life in the soules of men and in his life and death posuit cleemosynam in sinu pauperis he put his Almes into the bosome of the poore and shall I say Oravit pro eo it prayed for him and by it he procured himselfe a strong Army and bellatores fortes valiant soldiers whose many prayers and blessings GOD could not resist the rather because they knew him not that is too short and the Text goes further Exoravit it shall pray and prevaile too and he and they have prevailed and he is now at rest and peace in heaven and followes the Lambe wheresoever he goes And after him let us al send this blessing which the voice from heaven uttered Write Blessed are the dead Apoc. 14.13 which die in the Lord. For the Lord there was no cause he should die but he died in the Lord because he alwaies lived to the Lord and a happy death must needs accompanie and crowne such a life From henceforth saith the Spirit they rest from their labours all teares are wiped from their eyes and all sighes from their hearts and their workes follow
bearing about us this bodie of flesh the stepps whereof are so vnstaied 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and walking in this world the waies whereof are so slipperie It is an Apostle that saith it Iam. 3.2 In multis omnes c. In many things we offend all and it is another that saith that whosoever saith otherwise not he is proud and there is no humblenesse 1. Ioh. 1.8 but he is a lyar and there is no truth in him Iam. 4.6 Our estate then as it is needeth some Scripture that offereth more grace And such there be saith Saint Iames and This is such That they which have not heard the Apostle and his counseile Qui stat c. may yet heare the Prophet heere and his Qui cecidit let him up againe That they which have not heard Esaie's voice Ambulate You are in the way turne not from it May yet heare Ieremie's voice Qui aversus est c He that is out let him get into it againe So that this is the summe of that I have read If we have not been so happie as to stand and keepe our way The Summe let us not be so vnhappie as not to rise and turne to it againe Best it were before we sinne to say to our selves Quid facio what am I now about to doe If we have not that yet it will not be amisse after to say What have I done GOD will not be displeased to heare us so say We should not follow those foules we should have no wings to fly from GOD but if in flying away we have followed them then that we follow them too in the retrive or second flight In a word Yesterday if we have not heard His voice Psal 95.7.8 To day if we will heare His voice not to harden our hearts when He calleth us to repentance This is the summe The manner of the deliverie is not common but somewhat vn-usuall and full of passion For seeing plaine poenitentiam agite doth but coldly affect us It pleaseth GOD hâc vice to take vnto Him the termes the style the accents of passion thereby to give it an edge that so it may make the speedier and deeper impression And the Passion He chooseth is that of Sorrow For all these verses are to be pronounced with a sorrowfull key Sorrow many times worketh us to that by a melting compassion which the more rough and violent passions cannot get at our hands This sorrow He expresseth by way of complain◠For all the speech is so Which kind of speech maketh the better nature to relent as mooved that by his meanes any should have cause to complaine and not find redresse for it That He complaines of is not that we fall and erre but that we rise not and returne not that is still delay still put of our Repentance And that 1. Contrarie to our own course and custome Verse 4. in other things We doe it every where els yet heere we doe it not 2. Contrarie to GOD'S expresse pleasure For glad and faigne He would heare we doe it Verse 8. yet we doe it not 3. Contrarie to the very light of nature For the foules heere fly before us and shew us the way to doe it yet we doe it not for all that Which three He vttereth by three sundry waies of treatie 1. The first by a gentle yet forcible expostulation Verse 4. Will you not Why will ye not 2. The second by an earnest protestation Verse 5. How greatly He doth hearken after it 3. The third by a passionate Apostrophe Verse 7. by turning Him away to the foules of the ayre that doe that naturally every yeare which we cannot be got to all our life long Of which passions to say a word It is certaine the immutable constancie of the Divine nature is not subiect to them howsoever heere or elsewhere He presenteth himselfe in them I add that as it is not proper so neither it is not fitting for GOD thus to expresse himselfe But that He not respecting what best may become Him but what may best seeme to move us and doe us most good chooseth of purpose that dialect that Character those termes which are most meet and most likely to affect us And because good morall counseile plainely delivered enters but faintly and of passionate speeches we have a more quick apprehension He attireth His speech in the habit vttereth it in the phrase figure and accent of anger or sorrow or such like as may seeme most fit and forcible to prevaile with us 1. Tertullian saith the reason this course is vsed is ad exaggerandam malitiae vim to make the haynousnesse of our contempt appeare the more 2. Act. war GOD indeed cannot complaine it falleth not into His nature to doe it But if He could if it were possible by any meanes in the world He might such are our contempts so many and so mighty that we would force Him to it 2. But Saint Augustine's reason is more praised Exprimit in Se vt exprimat de te In himselfe He expresseth them that from us He may bring them Sheweth himselfe in passion that He may move us and even in that passion whereto He would move us As heer now As in greefe He complaineth of us that we might be greeved and complaine of our selves that ever we gave Him such cause And so consequently that we might bethink our selves to give redresse to it that so His complaining might ceasse And from the complaint it is no hard matter to extract the redresse 1. The Division To yeeld to but even as much for Him for Him Nay for our selves as every where els we vse to doe 2. To speake that which GOD so gladly would heare 3. To learne that which the poore foules know the season of our returne and to take it as they doe Three waies to give redresse to the three former greevances These three and the same the three parts of this Text orderly to be treated of TO make His motion the more reasonable and His complaint the more iust He makes them Chancelors in their owne cause And from their owne practise otherwhere GOD frameth and putteth a Case and putteth it question-wise and therefore question-wise that they may answer it and answering it condemne themselves by a verdict from their owne mouth Will they this people themselves fall c Is there any that if he turne c In effect as if He should say Goe whither you will farre or neere was it ever heard or seene that any man if his foot slipped and he tooke a fall that he would lie still like a beast and not up againe streight Or if he lost his way that he would wittingly goe on and not with all speede get into it again I proceed then Men rise if they fall and sinne is a fall We have taken up the terme our selves calling Adam's sinne Adam's fall A fall indeed for it foules as as a fall
us to the shadow of death It is not GOD. No more then He can be tempted no more can he tempt any If we finde any change the apud is with us not Him 〈◊〉 39.6 we change He is unchanged Man walks in a vaine shadow His waies are the truth He cannot denie himselfe Every evill the more perfectly evill it is the more it is from below Either rises 〈◊〉 the steame of our nature corrupted or yet lower ascends as a grosse smoke 〈◊〉 the bottom lesse pitt from the Prince of darkenesse as full of varying and turâ—â—â—g into all shapes and shadowes as GOD is farre from both who is uniforme and constant in all his courses Shall we now cast up all into one summe the errors by them and the verities by themâ—elves and oppose each to each The first error to be all for having never speak of it The veritie that all is giving or gifts to be for it The second error to think great matters onely are given the meaner we have of our selves The veritie Perfect as well as good and good as perfect they be given both The third error to thinke they are from us not elswhere from others The veritie they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they grow not in us we spinn them not out of our selves The fourth error they be from below we gather them heer The veritie they be from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is above not heer beneath The fifth error to think that from thence they fall promiscuè catch who catch may hap-hazard The veritie they fall not by chance they descend by providence and that regularly The sixt error they descend then from the starres or planets The veritie not from them or either of them but from the Father of them The seventh and last errour to think that by turnes He sends one while good otherwhile bad and so varies and changes The veritie He doth neither The lights may varie He is invariable they may change He is vnchangeable constant alwayes and like Himselfe Now our lessons from these 1. And is it thus And are they given Then quid gloriaris The Duetâ— let us have no boasting Are they given why forgett you the Giver Let him be had in memorie He is worthy so to be had 2. Be the giving as well as the gift and the good as the perfect of gift both Then acknowledge it in both take the one as a pledge make the one as a stepp to the other 3. Are they from somwhere els not from our selves Learne then to say and to say with feeling Non nobis Domine quia non à nobis Psal. 115.1 4. Are they from on high Look not down to the ground then as swine to the acâ—rnes they find lying there and never once up to the tree they came from Look up the very frame of our body gives that way It is nature's check to us to have our head beare upward and our heart grovell below 5. Do they descend Ascribe them then to purpose not to time or chance No Table to fortune saith the Prophet â—sa 65.11 Ier 10 2. 6. Are they from the Father of lights Then never go to the children A signis coeli nolite timere Neither feare nor hope for anything from any light of them all 7. Are His gifts without repentance Varies He not Whom He loves Rom. 11.29 Ioh. 13.1 doth He love to the 〈◊〉 Let our service be so too nor wavering O that we changed from Him no more then He from us Not from the light of grace to the shadow of sinne as we do fâ—ll often But above all that which is ex totâ substantiâ that if we find any want of any giving or gift good or perfect this Text gives us light whither to looke to whom to repair for them To the Father of lights And even so let us doe Ad Patrem luminum cum primo lumine Let the light every day so soone as we see it put us in mind to gett us to the Father of lights Ascendat oratio descendet miseratio let our prayer go up to Him that His grace may come â—â—me to us so to lighten us in our wayes and workes that we may in the end 〈◊〉 to dwell with Him in the light which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 light whereof there is â—o even-tide the Sunne whereof never setts nor knowes tropique the onely thing we â—â—sse and wish for in our lights heer primum ante omnia But if we sue for any chiefly for the best the most perfect gift of all which 〈◊〉 day descended and was given This day was and any day may be but chiefly thiâ— â—ay wil be given to any that will desire Luke 11.13 as our Saviour promiseth Luke XI and wilb◠〈◊〉 good as His word Within us there is no Spirit but our owne and that lusts after envie Iam. 4.5 and other things as bad from beneath it cannot be had It is donum coeleste Simon if he would give never so largely for it cannot obtaine it It descended ad oculum this day it was seene to descend and so will Which descents from on high from the Father of lights there in the tongues of light light on us to giue us knowledge a gift proportioned to light and to give us comfort a gift proportioned to light By faith to lighten By grace to stablish our hearts A SERMON Prepared to be Preached on VVHIT-SVNDAY A. D. MDCXXII I. COR. CHAP. XII Divisiones verò gratiarum c. VER 4. Now there are * Or Divisions Diversities of Gifts but the same SPIRIT 5. And there are Diversities of administrations but the same LORD 6. And there are Diversities of operations but GOD is the same which worketh all in all 7. But the manifestation of the SPIRIT is given to every man to profit withall A TEXT readd at this Feast of the Churche's owne choise who I will ever presume best knoweth what Text will best fitt every Feast and so this It beginnes you see and it ends in the Spirit whose proper Feast this is The Spirit is in the first verse and againe the Spirit is in the last first and last heere we finde him And if we will looke well into it we shall in effect finde that which happened this Day though in other termes Heere have you in this Text gifts as it might be the tongues which came from heaven this Day For what were those tongues but gifts And heere have â—ou againe divisions as it might be clefts in the tongues For what is to cleave but to divide And if you lacke fire heere have you in the last verse manifestation which is by light For the use of light is to make manifest So have you the HOLY GHOST in cloven tongues of fire in some more generall termes the gifts the tongâ—es the division the câ—eft the manifestation the fire Those gifts first divided then made manifest and that by