worse then nothing Let the Papists clothe themselues in the ragges of their owne righteousnesse and the Iewes trust to their Templum Domini and the Heathen bragge of their paynted vertues which Augustine calles splendida peccata but let vs onely tryumph in this loue of God and estéeme it the strength of our saluation Thus hauing discouered the rich treasure of Gods loue let vs know our duety that we may bee accounted worthy to winne and to weare it S. August Lib. de Anima Spiritu séemes to study for this duty saying Miser ego quantum deberem diligere Deum meum qui me fecit cum non erā redemit cum perieram c. O sinfull wretch how shall I requite the rare loue of God who created me of nothing and redéemed mee being worse then nothing c. And after hauing found this duty out he teacheth it to the world Si non impendere at rependere debemus If we will bestow no loue vpon God yet let vs repay his loue which hee hath shewed first The world cries shame vpon an vngratefull person If thou shouldest trauell into a strange Countrey and there fall into the hands of théeues and in méere compassion of thy misery the King of that Countrey should set thée frée againe giuing thee life liberty what would the world thinke yea what then wouldst thou estéeme of thy selfe if thou shouldst prooue vnthankfull to so good a Prince We are all strangers in the world and passengers from earth to heauen now in our iourny we méet with the world and the deuill and these rob vs of all grace these wound vs and leaue vs for dead now God of his excéeding mercy findes vs out sends his Sonne that good Samaritan to powre the oyle of Grace into our wounds to mount vs on the back of his merit and so carry vs to the Inne of our rest the ioyes of heauen O Loue beyond all loue how much thou art O blessed God teach vs the depth of thy Loue that we may know the debt of our thankfulnesse Thine endlesse blessing hath made vs bankrupts for we are not able to repay the interest of thy loue If we proffer our goods alas we receyued them of thée If we offer our liues they are redéemed by thée Surely this shall bee our thankes the remembrance of thy mercy and since thy blessed Sonne hath taught vs that the louing of thee is the keeping of thy Commaundements wee will labour to be all keepers as we haue spent our time in the seruice of the world the flesh and the deuill so will wee spend the remnant of our dayes in the rebuke of sinne and the recording of thy Loue. And since the loue of so worthy a creature as man is too costly a cyment to ioyne earth to earth wee abandon all earthly desires and freely giue thee our hearts and betroth our loue to thine Deare God by the fire of thy spirit draw vp our affections to thée diuorce vs from the liking of the world and marry vs to the loue of thy sonne Let vs light our candle at thy Loue learne by thy endlesse mercy neuer to end our thankfulnesse till death translate vs from this vale of teares to Mount Sion where our loue shal ioyne vs to thée eternally CHAP. III. Of the Gift CHRIST NOw are we come to the Gift it selfe the greatest that euer was whether we respect the bounty of God or the blessing of man for what could God giue greater then himselfe or what could man receiue better then his saluation He hath giuen his onely begotten Sonne This blessed Gift is it that made Abraham reioyce and the Angels sing and Iohn Baptist daunce in his mothers belly this is able to make the World waxe young agayns if Grace would open her eyes and Wisedome teach her to sée her owne nakednes and the riches of this Garment sent vnto her As the Saints in heauen follow the Lambe wheresoeuer he goeth so all the blessings of the earth follow Christ this Gift wheresoeuer he goeth for Habenti dabitur He that hath this Gift shall haue all other gifts yea he shall haue the Giuer too for Christ sayth He that receyueth me receyueth him that sent me And Ambrose sayth Omnia habemus in Christo si a vulnere curari desideras Medicus est si febribus aestuas fons est si grauaris imquitate Iustitia est si indiges auxilio virtus est simortem times vita est si tenebras fugis lux est si coelum desideras via est si cibū quęris alimentū est c. He hath giuen God did not lend his Sonne nor sell him but he gaue him to vs. Herein appeares the riches of his mercie and the greatnesse of our pouerty he did not sell him we were not able to buy him but he gaue him which shewes vs to be beggers bankrupts and that God must for pitty giue vs a Sauiour scanke frée when we had neyther meanes to deserue nor grace to desire him His onely begotten Sonne He gaue vs not an Angell nor a seruant nor a creature but his Sonne The name of a sonne is musike in the eare of a father the life of a child is more precious in the parents eye thē their owne salety Many parents to saue their sonnes life haue willingly spilt their owns Examples hereof we haue in profane sacred Scriptures we will take an handfull from a heape In Gen. 37. when good father Iacob heard of the supposed death of his sonne his wicked childrē giuing a false fire to his feare he was smitten with sorrow riuers of teares gushed out and his heart bled at his eyes for the supposed slaughter of Ioseph his affection to his sonne was too hot to admit the cold cōfort of his other children he that had wrestled with an Angell could not wrestle with this affection and therefore in the griefe of a father he sets downe this resolution Ioseph my sonne is surely torne in pieces and in my sonne my selfe was torne the claw of that beast hath rent my bléeding heart his cruelty hath killed two in one O my sonne my life was shut in thy lookes which now is shaken in thy losse I made thée a coate of many colours to shew the thou wast the Raynebow pledge of my peace but loe the beauty of my Raynebow is rent and in stead thereof this bloudy Meteor appeares shewing the death of my ioy the deuouring of my sonne The earth is made to couer the roote not to containe the branch I am the withered roote my sonne thou the branch whom vntimely death hath cropt Why should the graue bee deckt with gréene boughes that was made for gray haires If children predecease their parents we are their of spring they none of ours Wel since comfort wil not be my gheft griefe shal be my companion séeing my sonne forsakes me in my life I will ouertake him
in my death for nothing but sorrow shall bring my gray head to that graue Thus a good father mourned for a gracious sonne but will you heare a louing parents moane for a lewd child In the 2. Sam. 18. when God purposed to chastice Dauid he made the sonne to whip the father for Absolō that by name should haue bin his fathers ioy by nature proued a Parricide sought to depose his owne syre but God hauing sufficiētly humbled Dauid his child threw the rod in the fire and brought a iudgement vpon Absolom which cost him his life Notwithstanding Dauid being mooued with the good affection of a father more then the bad condition of his sonne was so far frō reioycing in Absoloms death that it almost cost him his own life O Absolom my sonne quoth he would God I had dyed for thee O Absolom my sonne my sonne But God héere is neither like Iacob lamēting a good sonne nor Dauid bewayling a wicked child he resembles good Abrahā who willingly sacrificed his sonne Isaak This was much to giue a sonne yet as if this were not enough to expresse Gods loue the holy Ghost addeth his only begottē sonne he gaue not an adopted sonne as Abraham offred a Rāme in stead of Isaac but his owne sonne And herein appeares his perfect iustice a blessed president to all Iusticiaries In all Gods actions this vertue swayes though his mercy be aboue all his works yet mercy and iustice must kisse together The dearest drop of Christs blood must be shed before GODS instice be left vnsatisfied Nay this was not enough to satissy Gods mercy his loue mounts a degrée higher and further it cannot ascend He gaue his only begottē Sonne When the world could not yéeld the price of our redemption he searched his owne bosome for a Sauiour gaue vs his only sonne If God had many sōnes his mercy had bene meaner his loue had séemed lesse but he gaue vs not one son of many but one all his only Sonne for whose sake he spared not his Angels his delight his bosome friēd the image of himselfe for the ransome of the world O loue beyond all loue how much thou art A holy father in admiratiō of this loue cries Quà m diues es in misericordia quà m magnificus in iusticia quà m munificus in gratia Domine Deus noster Againe Passio tua Domine Iesu vltimū est refugium singulare remediū deficiente sapientia Iustitia non sufficiente sanctiatis succumbentibus meritis illa succurrit cum enim defecerit virtus mea non conturbor scio quid faciam poculum salutaris accipiam c. The instruction that we must learne from the consideration of this vnspeakeable Gift Christ is two-fold First wee are taught to returne our loue againe as Aug. sayes Sinon am are saltem redam are debemus As GOD hath giuen vs his onely Sonne so we must show our reciprocall loue to God and for his Sonne giue him our selues as he hath giuen vs wealth we must bestowe our wealth on him agayne as he hath giuen vs liberty honour children long life knowledge wisdom courage c. these must all wayte on him and doe him honour and seruice Thus we must giue him loue for loue agayne The second vse of Gods vnspeakable boūty is to teach vs to loue our brethren Christ teacheth vs this lesson for his Loue saying I haue giuen you an example how to loue one another Brethren must be vnited in the bond of mutuall loue like Cyrus the Sythians Fagot for the vnity of brothers is Ecce quà m iucundā excéeding ioy to all the Saints But alas let vs see what Louers and what Giuers our wicked age doth afford When I study vpon this duty I find foure sorts of Giuers The first the worst sort haue the hand to giue but not the heart to graunt of whom I may say as Christ sayd Better this hand were cut off they were as poore as Irus then with their rusting riches to be cast into Hell These are the Mammonists of our age whose soule lies treasured w e their rusting pence who are more vnmercyful thē the deuill for he would haue Christ turne stones into bread but these men turne bread into stones euē the bread of the poore into stone walles or else spend it on their accursed lusts forgetting mercy therefore damnation attends thē The second fore haue the heart but not the hand whose myts God accepts aboue all the Mines of the wealthy takes their loue for their largesse The third sort are such as haue neither heart nor hand in this duty these are poore men euery way for he that can bring forth neither good work nor good wil is a dead mēber in Christs Body shall be cut off The fourth sort haue both hand heart these walke in brotherly loue these are they the walk worthy of this Gift Christ shal haue their déeds of mercy crowned with that swéete haruest song Come ye blessed of my Father possesse the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world for I was hungry and ye gaue me meate c. CHAP. IIII. Of the world NOwe it remaynes that we consider to whom this great Legacie is bequeathed The world What is the world some friend of Gods No. What is God indebted to the world No. What is the world The world is named and taken diuers wayes first pro soto creato Iohn 1.10 Heb. 11.3 secondly pro mundo damnato Ioh. 17.9 thirdly pro homine mundato Rom. 5.10 Col. 1.20.2 Cor. 5.19 and so it is taken in this place for the world here meant is a certaine small number of the sonnes of Adam which God of his vnspeakable clemency hath set apart to exercise his mercy vpon thē and hath chosen them out of the same lumpe masse that the damned world is of euen all alike firebrands of hell fellowes with the falling Angels all alike Traytours Rebels incarnate Deuils for Augustine sayth Quod tuum est Sathanas est Euery man is of himselfe a deuill Will you heare what Gods iudgement opinion is of the world as men are in themselues In the 145. Psalme God takes a view of man and then sayes Homo vanitati similis factus est Mā is become like vanity As if he had said Whē I made man I made him to mine owne likenesse I had a pleasure to looke on him againe and againe I held my workmanship excéeding good Gen. 1 But lo man hath mard what I haue made he hath befaeed mine Image hath made himselfe like vnto vanity nay he hath so lōg delighted in vantly the now he is vanity it self Psal 39.5 In Iob 1. It is writtē Naked I came out of my mothers wob yea saith a holy Father naked of all grace vertne In 1. Cor. 3. it 's said The wisdom of the world is foolishnes with God How is it then the God bestowes this great Legacy vpon
sooles we know no maÌ„ willingly leaues his land to a foole I answere This amplifyes the mercy of God who hath chosen the foolish things of the world c. Again 1. Cor. 2. Paul sayes The carnal man vnderstands not the things of â—od How then Why surely Ignoti nulla cupido what a man vnderstands not he neyther destres nor delites in Therfore the world was as worthy of this great present as swine are of pearles or the swinish Gergesenes were of Christs coÌ„pany when they willed him to depart out of their coasts Againe Iob. 15.16 it 's sayd The heauens are vncleane in Gods sight how much more is man abominable filthy which drinketh iniquity like vnto water Le here fiesh blood thou wretched offpring of Adam consider here thou vnworthy world tell me what thou wast when Gods mercy found thée out O Loue beyond all loue how much thou art Man abominable and filthy man is fit matter for Gods mercy to worke on Man that drinketh iniquity like vnto water is thought worthy to drink of the waters of Life In this saying Iob doth anatomize the world calling it abominable filthy But will you sée a more exact Anatomy of the world lym me by lymme Paul to the Gal. 5. rips vp the hody of the world there finds in it a whole den of deuils the works of the world saith he are Adultery fornication vncleannes wantonnes Idolatry witchcraft hatred debate emulatioÌ„s wrath conteÌ„tions seditions heresies enuy murthers drunkennes gluttony c Here are the deuils which God must cast out the world as he did the buyers sellers out of his Temple if he will reconcile the world to himself The Apostle brings theÌ„ in by ranks as if hel were broke loose or as if this later world were so wicked that eyther deuils séemed to be turned into men or men into deuils And this signifies S. Iohns saying Totus mundus in maligno positus the whole world is set on mischiefe To conclude this 4. poynt of the vnworthines of the world to whom God hath giuen this Legacy This Vnworthynes shall appeare most excellently if we consider the Iewes a choseÌ„ part of the world or rather a people chosen from the world let vs I say consider in theÌ„ what the world is how vnworthy of such a present WheÌ„ God had sent this vnspeakeable Gift of his onely begotten Sonne to the Iewes by the hands of his seruants the Prophets they tooke his seruants beat some and kild some and stoned others God sent againe his Prophets they vsed them likewise The louing mercy of God looke no vnkindnes at this but at last sent to theÌ„ this Gift by the hand of his only Sonne thinking surely Though they regard not my Gift yet they will reuerence my Sonne But how did they reuerence him This is the heire say they come let vs kil him the inheritance shall be ours Christ was no sooâ—◠〈◊〉 â—â—orne but they sought his life how was hee entertained reuiled blasphemed persecuted contemned hunted too fro haled before the Magistrate accused in 2. Consistories there reuiled smitten condemned at last most cruelly done to death Behold here the desert of the world behold here to whom God hath sent his Sonne consider this vprightly thou will cry out with Dauid Lord what is man that thou regardest him what is eyther Iewe or Gentile the thou respectest him If thou wilt néeds shew such Loue theÌ„ shew it to thy holy Angels who honour thée to thy goodly creatures the Sunne the Moone starres who neuer did offend thée onely man is the sinner in this world and he alone tastes of thy goodnesse I. this is mercy Lord to saue where thou mightest destroy to salue where thou findest sicke to helpe where thou findest néed to forgiue our sinnes while we forget our thanks to giue vs heauen who haue deserued hell As the starres shine clearest in the darkest night so thy mercy appeares whitest being coÌ„pared with the blacknes of our deserts Thou didst visit vs when we were nothing but banity thou didst clothe vs in the righteousnes of thy Sonne wheÌ„ we were al naked of grace thou didst instruct vs wheÌ„ we were fooles and heaie vs when we were abominable filthy thou didst séeke vs when we knew thée not find vs when we had lost our selues thou didst set thy hear◠〈◊〉 vs when our hearts were set on mischiese thou didst pray for vs wheÌ„ we persscuted thée dyed for vs when we hated thée thirst our saluation when we thirsted thy hlood thou hast ransomed vs from hell rewarded vs with heauen Therefore to thée Lord to thée will we sing a new song and reioyce in the strength of our saluation We are taught froÌ„ this 4. poynt the excéeding riches of Gods mercy And to come home to our selues what were we before this Gift was sent to vs by the most happy reigne of our dreas Soueraigne As Abraham sent not his seruaÌ„t without gifts when he went to take a wife for Isaac so God sent not Religion empty-handed into our Land but accompanied with a vertuous Prince and gracious Mother of this our Israel and all to woo and winne vs an vnspotted Spouse to our Isaac Christ But what were we I say to whom God hath shewed such mercy the this Text séemes to be spoken of vs So God loued England that he hath giuen c What were we when his Loue sought vs his mercy found vs out Were we not blinde Idolaters horrible back-sliders cruell murtherers of his Saintes For these sinnes he cast off his people the Iewes and yet with these sinnes hath he chosen vs. As a man taketh his wife with all her infirmities so the Lord 〈◊〉 taken vs with all our faults our blind Idolatry and horrible rebellion our wilfull ignorante and wicked resistance our prophane liues polinted consciences our hate of the fruth loue vnto lyes our following the Pope forsaking of Christ all this was but matter for Gods mercy to work on So that we may say with Dauid Lord what is man that thou regardest him Lord what is England that thou respectest it this poore frozen corner of the North that thou art mindful of vs We are frost-bitten Snakes wormes no men whom thou hast so pittifully cherished in thy bosome If hate deserue loue if cruelty merit kindnes if finne purchase pardon if murther require mercy theÌ„ Christ is our due then God is our debtor then heauen is our owne But Lord our hearts tels vs that we are this vn worthy world our liues witnesse that hell is our portion damnation is our due but eternall Life is the Gift of GOD in Christ To whom with thee and the holy Chost hee all prayse honour and glorie for euer and euer Amen FINIS