neer attendance vpon God Cypri serm de Nat. Chri. Saint Cyprian hath collected them and hath the Catalogue of them Abel Pastor outum fuit fuerunt et Patriarchae pastores suarum tandem familiarum principes Pastor fuit Moses Pastor Dauid c. In the beginning after the creation in the olde Testament God chose shepherds to be his seruants In the beginning of the time of redemption in the new Testament Christ chose fishers to be his disciples shepherds haue a solitary life fishermen a watry life In shepherds the ancients haue hierogkiphically obserued contemplation in fishermen lamentation A shepherds life saith Philo Phil. lib. 1. de vit Mois is praeludium ad regnum of which phrase Homer and other Grecians haue made vse and the old Testament hath none of more esteeme then shepherds Moses that kept Iethro his sheepe Iacob that kept Labans sheepe Ioseph was sent to Iacobs sheepe Amos a Prophet taken from the heard Moses a Priest and Prophet from the sheepe Dauid the Lords souldier and whoeuer had such victories as Dauid taken from the fold Elias the Lords Seer and you know what the spirit of Elias was yet he taken from the cattell But more then this God the Father is called a shepherd in the Psalmes Psal 80.1 Ioh. 10.11 O thou shepherd of Israell thou that leadest Ioseph like a sheepe God the Son doth name himselfe a shepheard in the Gospell God the holy Spirit is named a shepheard in Peter 1 Pet. 2. the Shepheard and Bishop of our soules I haue lead you so farre onely to shew in what honor the name function person of shepheards haue beene you may the more wonder at the words percutiam PastoreÌ„ Abel the first shepherd may be slaughtered but this shepherd by excellencie called the shepherd he that is bonus Pastor magnus pastor Princeps Pastorum Formosi pecoris custos c. He that was white and ruddy the fairest of ten thousand full of grace were his lips spetiosus suae filijs hominum he whose head was fine as gold whose lockes were curled who had cheekes as a bed of spices lips like lillies hands as rings of Crysolites legges as pillars of marble whose countenance was as Lebanon whose mouth as sweete things who was wholly delectable O my God is he striken yes and smitten with such a deadly blow that the Axeliree of heauen could not haue born it Esay called him vir dolorum and Ieremy expresseth his inexpressible griefe dolor non sicut dolor neuer sorrow like his sorrow Sorrow followed him from his birth to his buriall In his birth persecuted by Tyrants in his life tempted by diuels at his death apprehended by Traytors scourged spitte vpon by souldiers vile fied more then a murtherer crucified with Theeues a Crosse the curse of the Law to beare him and he to beare all the sinnes of the world his most blessed body to be mangled and goared his soule to drinke vp sorrow thus to giue vp the ghost Pastor Pellican Christus dilectus filius Populi Doctor super hunc excitantur persecutorum manus vpon Christ who was primogenitus nay vnigenitus the beloued son the Doctor of his people the Shepheard of his sheepe the Lambe of God the Lyon of Iuda the expresse Character of his Father the light of the Gentiles glory of his people Israel the hands of his persecutors are lifted vp and fall downe with this heauy heauy blow Obser 2 The obseruation hence is that the great height of sinnes bring downe so heauy weight of iudgements as that God will not spare his owne onely one his deare one his faire one his Son Christ Iesus I say no more in this but what Aquinas gathereth from that of Esay Aquin. in Esay Proptâ—r scelus populi mei percussi eum for sin he was smitten who had no sin and the blow was so heauy that the mountaines trembled Not onely was Christ taken away for sin but in fiercenesse of Gods wrath hee often giues the world such a shocke and stroke that it reeles and almost ouerwhelmes with the dart of vengeance that strikes into the heart of a kingdome by taking away the chosen seruants of God the chosen shepheards of the world such as are Kings Princes who as Christ communicated of mans miserie so these participate of Gods Maiestie yet in his furie he will smite these Witnesse Iosias the dearling of God the apple of his eye the signet on his right hand Prophecied of three hundred yeeres before his birth lamented among the posteritie of the Iewes after his death yet Iosias must be smitten Iosias Eccle. 49. whose remembrance is like the perfume that is made by the Apothecary sweet as hony in all mouthes and as musicke at a banquet of wine he that was a patterne of reformation to all succeeding Princes yet Iosias must be smitten he that destroyed the idolatrous Priests monuments of Baal the Sunne Moone Planets with all their high Places or Valleyes or Groues or Altars or Vessels and cut downe burnt to ashes beate to powder threw into the brooke and left no signe of them yet Iosias must be smitten 2 King 23. 2 Chro. 35 Iosias whose Epipoheneme and acclamation was like vnto him was no King before him whose Elegy and Lamentation was such as neuer the like before or after him all singing men and singing women lament him to his day and neuer the like mourning as that of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo yet Iosias must be smitten Non similis for his honorable reformation Non similis for his memorable lamentation yet the right hand of the Almighty spared not Iosias In the Chronicles of all the Kings from Saul to Zedekiah containing fourteene generations and forty Kings there was not one that gaue or tooke the like example of perfection For as among the bad Rehoboam did ill Ieroboam worse Omri worse then he Ahab worse then all so on the contrary though Asa did right in the eyes of the lord 1 King â—â— his son Iehoshaphat walked in the wayes of Asa his father Amasiah did vprightly in the sight of the Lord 1 King 22 and Azariah his son did according to all that his father Amasiah did 2 King 14 2 King 15 Dauid was a man after Gods owne heart Salomon his sonne for his wisedome honor riches and happines exceeded his father Dauid 1 King 10 yet euery one of these had some scarre some blots some blemishes an eclipticke line ranne through each of their Zodiackes onely Iosias is without any noted spot or wrinckle like him was no king before him What then was the reason that this Rose of the garland must be blasted the diamond of the Crowne be darkened the Paragon of all the Kings of Israel and Iudah must be smitten that percutiam the word of my Text serued his execution so violently vpon Iosias Why would he that breaketh the bow
Psalme knappeth the speare in sunder casteth the arrowes in the fire I say why would he let the Archers shoot at King Iosias 1 King 22 It was the voyce of the King of Aram to his Captaines concerning wicked King Ahab fight ye neither against great nor small but against the King but that the Lord should direct that fatall arrow to be the death of his darling Iosias this arrow strikes vs with admiration I cannot but beare part with those mourners in Megiddo Alas for this great day Alas for that good Prince Alas that Iosias is smitten When Dauid numbred the people the people dyed they suffered for his sinne 1 Chro. 21 plectuntur Achiui and Dauid cryeth What haue they done it is euen I that haue sinned Is it not I that haue commanded to number the people but these sheepe what haue they done O Lord my God I beseech thee let thine hand be on me and on my fathers house and not on thy people for their destruction There the people were plagued for the offence of the Prince but heere the Prince is smitten for the offence of the people I finde especially two causes why Iosias was smitten First for the sinnes of the time The first cause of the death of Iosias the sinnes of those dayes I collect out of Zephany to be strange and horride In the front of the Prophecie you may see that he prophesied in the dayes of Iosias Zeph. 1.1 in the second verse of that Chapter there is a fearefull destruction pronounced such as in so few wordes is not to be found in all the Prophets It is a generall obseruation that where we heare some strange desolation threatned there is some strange abhomination committed Obserue both here first the desolation thretned I will surely destroy all things from the Land Zeph. 1.1.2 saith the Lord I will destroy man and beast I will destroy the fowles of the heauen and the fishes of the sea and ruines shall be to the wicked and I will cut off man from the land saith the Lord c. It is so terrible as if that in the Psalm were fulfilled Destructions are come to a perpetuall end Psalm 9. a deluge and Cataclisme a deuastation desolation vnspeakable The greatest plagues that euer came on the world were either the particular in the Iudgements on Egipt or the generall in the drowning of the World In Egipt besideâ— flyes and lice and frogs and darknesse there was the killing of the first-borne Murraine of Beasts death of Fishes by the water turned into bloud but I find no where that their fowle of heauen were destroyed In the drowning of the World all mankinde was not destroyed eight Soules were preserued and although the beasts of the field and fowles of the ayre perished yet I can no way collect the destruction of the fishes those watry creatures kept their Colonyes In Egipt beasts and fishes were destroyed not the fowles In the floud beasts and fowles not the fishes but in this Man and Beast Fish and Fowle all things threatned to be destroyed from the earth Secondly therefore consider the abhomination committed in those times you may at first sight collect them out of the following verses In the 4. verse Zeph. 1.4.1 there was a remnant of Baall in the land resembling our Papists Secondly Priests and Chemarims fit parallels to our Priests and Iesuits Verse 5 Thirdly in the 5. verse there were some that sware by the Lord and sware by Malcham equalling the false-harted halfe hollow-harted Hipocrites of two Religions in these dayes Verse 6 Fourthly in the 6. verse some that turned backe from the Lord like to our Ephraimitall Apostaticall reuolters Fiftly some that sought not the Lord nor inquired after him shadowing the Atheists of our land Verse 8 Sixtly in the 8. verse such as were cloathed with strange apparell the characters of the guls and gallants of our dayes Verse 9 In the 9. verse some that daunced vpon the threshold so proudly the note of the quaint Crane-paced Courtiers of this time Lastly those that filled houses by cruelty and deceit the brand of the sinfull and couetous Citizens of this Citie Now measure with the cubit of the Sanctuary whether desolation be not fitted to abhomination Runne to and fro through the streete of that Chapter and see and heare and feare and tremble Sinnes were the cause of that threatned destruction sinnes were the Cart-ropes Engines Pioners the Earthquakes Whirlewindes Thunderbolts finall downefall and funerall and deuastation of that State In the time of the Iudges Iudg. 20.44 the Lord almost extinguished the Tribe of Beniamin eighteen thousand at one time 1 King â—2 In the time of the Kings ten Tribes fell from Israell But this misery is more Roote and Branch head and tayle as the Prophet sore-told Man Beast Fish and fowle are destroyed For sinnes he doth stretch out his hand vpon Iudah and vpon all the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinnes he doth worry the Sheepe and smite the Shepheard This is the first reason why Iosias is smitten The second cause of smiting Iosias The second reason that Iosias was smitten was that hee might not see the misery threatned to be brought vpon Israell his eyes should not see that euill Euill must come but not in the dayes of Iosias The word of the Lord is good saith Hezekias onely let peace be in my dayes The Israelites must be bond-slaues in the land of Egipt Genesis but not till the Patriarkes sleepe in peace Tenne Tribes shall be diuided from the twelue yet Salomons eyes shall first be shut Ierusalem shall be destroyed but not till they who mourne in Zyon be marked Ezek. 9.4 Al Italy grieuously troubled but Ambrose must first be at rest Africa shal be spoiled but not till Austine decease Germany was distracted but Luther first must peaceably honourably be buryed England was persecuted and fiered but blessed King Edward must first be receiued into Abrahams bosome God reserueth his iust determinate plagues and stayeth his Vyals till his appointed times All the States of the World haue their Criticall dayes and Climactericall yeeres beginnings setled stations declinations and dissolutions at Gods appointment Certo veniunt ordine Parcae Seneca It was a speech that commands admiration from vs that God should say to Lot Get thee hence I can doe nothing till thou art gone hence Was the power of God limited by himselfe he did actiuely limit his power it was not passiuely limitted by Lot God did limit his wil Genesis or rather both were determinated then limited or terminated It exceedes our thoughts that he in so fauourable a Compassion will forbeare for his loue to some particular Seruant the great wrath he hath laid vp in store for a Nation Gen. 39 5. Gen. 30.27 He doth not onely blesse Potiphar for Ioseph and Laban for Iacob but hold his hand stay his Vials forbeare his
vengeance vpon Israel for Iosias sake holy and reuerend be his name for euer I haue numbred and weighed the words hastily and in the Scales of sighes and sorrow let vs see what measure of them commeth to our share Vse And first was sinne the cause of smiting the Shepheard Indeede Sinne is the ouerthrow of Iudgement the staine of Conscience the roote of all peruersitie infection of all actions affections but is it so harmefull to vs so hatefull to him that is the all-seeing all-being all-pure and sacred Maiestie that not onely his owne Sonne blessed for euer and euer was smitten Esay propter scelus populi as Esay speaketh but also those excellent and choise and blessed Instruments of his glory Kings and Princes are often-times taken away for the sins of the people Let vs all then looke into the Calender of these dayes wee haue seene and found and felt their effects and let vs obserue whether the sinnes of this Land and especially this Citie and Court be not equall to any of any Land see whether the sins now be culpable or damnable winckt at onely by the eyes of men or crying in the eares of Heauen You shall finde them to be aspiring mounting towring sinnes Sinnes of the highest eleuation and those sins now committed which in times past durst not be named Men like women women like Diuels common to salute and stab kisse and betray common cheating whoring drinking swearing as common as breathing Neuer were such varnishes put vpon rotten causes or Lawes made such quirkes for mercenary wits or goodnes so deformed Iustice so guilty Vertue so needy Religion so scorned or Whoredome so painted In a word to let passe the Couetousnesse of the rich idlenesse of the poore want of age wantonnesse of youth prophanenesse of all I aske the honest Religious Soule that mourneth for the misery of Zyon Is it not strange that after so long preaching of the Gospel there should be such an inundation of Popery this generation of Vipers seeming to multiply in our time as the Arrians did encrease in the time of the ancient Fathers who preached and wrote against them Ezekiels Prophecie may seeme fulfilled the Idol of indignation is among vs there be some Ancient Idolaters some idolatrous women some idolatrous Priests in our Land These be causes why our Iosias was smitten our sinnes opened that Vena Basilica Secondly would no other Sacrifice serue but the death of Iosias No. Zeph. 1.7.8 The former Prophet Zephany maketh it plaine in his 1. Chapter 7. and 8 verses The Lord hath prepared a Sacrifice and in that day of the Lords Sacrifice he will visit the Princes and the Kings Children No other sacrifice will serue but the branches of the Oliue tree the blossomes of the Figge tree the beautifull young Cedar the glory of the Forrest the beauty of the Garland the Coronet of succession the Patron of Religion the ioy of the olde hope of young comfort of all Nothing would serue but that precious Iewell which Nature only shewed the world and so put vp againe that happy New Starre new eye of Heauen of whose station and influence while we argued it went out againe Nothing must serue but Iosias Si sic in viridi quid fiet in arido what shall become of the negligent ignorant windy emptie shadowy Creatures who liue to eate and eate to play the Beasts He was taken from the euill to come vpon such to the ioy he enioyes Hee is gone to rest with more tokens of Gods fauour then euer Iosias had his precious Soule is bathed in the precious bloud of his blessed Sauiour Patience did here comfort him Confidence did hence crowne him annointed Cherub blessed Angell gracious Master thou art now in glory though wee poore scattered sheepe haue lost thee Teares blind me and sighes chooke and here I cease sorrow doth silence me Correct vs no more in thy fury O Lord let not thine arrowes sticke so fast in vs northy hand presse vs so down lest we be consumed and brought to nothing Magnifie thy arme of Mercy as thou hast exalted thine arme of Iudgement and let neuer the like losse come vpon vs againe till thy Sonne our Sauiour come to vs againe Amen The second Sermon Matth. 26.31 The Sheepe of the flocke shall be scattered WHen Elias was departing the Whirlewinde mouing the fiery Chariot mounting and Elias in his transmigration neque inter viuos nec mortuos as Bias spake of Saylers being not gone vp into the aire as Moses on the Mount or rapt vp into the third heauens for a time as Saint Paul in his Vision but as Henoch before so he vnder the Law caught vp into the heauens for euer 2 King 2.14 Elisha the Prophet lamenteth Elias with the same wordes that afterwards Ioash the King lamented Elisha 2 King 13.14 O my father my father the Chariot of Israell and the horse-men thereof A lamentation sitting our losse who haue lost our Father our Maister the Cedar of Lebanon and Chariot of Israel In the 16. of Numbers it was an heauy Numb 16.49 weighty iudgement that in so small a time so great a number as 14700 should die Moses then cryeth out as if with sorrow shaking his head wringing his hands There is wrath gone out from the Lord the plague is begun Wee will borrow the words of him it is miserable men that we are I say it is our case Wrath is gone from the Lord the plague is begun Now is a time of mourning of cloathing our selues in sacke cloth and ashes nay in dust and ashes and in the shadow of death that as we spent our first dayes in sinne so wee may spend our last dayes in sorrow Is not wrath come from the Lord when our Lilly of the vallyes is blasted our Rose of the field is blemished I say not that our Oliue branch is cut off but the Doue with the Oliue branch is fled from vs. We are the men whom Ieremy mentioneth in his Lamentations we haue seene the affliction in the rod of indignation the breath of our nosthrils the blessed of the Lord is taken from vs our daunce is turned into mourning and the crowne of our head is fallen Lam 5.15 Woe vnto vs that euer we sinned our heart is heauy and our eyes are dimme because this Mount of Zion shall be desolate My Text doth epitomize what euer my sorrow can conuince The Shepherd is smitten and the sheepe of the flocke shall be scattered I haue gathered so much dew of Meditation from the first part as a day and night could yeeld my sorrowfull head and heart to receiue that was our Maisters part this next ours The sheepe shall be scattered In speaking whereof as that wonder of misery the vnhappy Mother in the besiege of Ierusalem hauing eaten one part of her Childe could not thinke of eating the other without vnspeakeable sorrow so assure your selues my sobs and throbs and throwes