interruption of Parliaments and other great affaires toward his later time and at last his vntimely and much lamented death as it seemes put an end to that worthy and religious designe In the exercise of the Discipline of the Church hee carried himselfe so that by his own practice he wrought a great reuerence thereof euen in those who were otherwise not well affected thereunto For when any ennormous offender was censured in his Consistorie whose punishment and penance was fit should be performed in the Cathedrall Church as incestuous persons notorious Adulterers notorious Schismatickes or the like himselfe was vsually the Preacher at such times and this he did often and vpon diuers occasions and in such his Sermons sundry of which thou shalt find in this Worke did so open the grieuousnesse of those offences and the authoritie of the censures and discipline of the Church as for the most part wrought great contrition in the parties punished and after Sermon before the the whole Congregation himselfe gaue them absolution All which he performed with that grauitie learning and power as gaue great comfort to all and bred no doubt a generall reuerence and awe of the censures and authoritie of the Church And here by the way I cannot but acknowledge as himselfe often did what a helpe he found toward the ordering of his iurisdiction in the assistance of a wise honest learned and discreet r Doctor Dâ—â—k Chancellour whom as it was his happinesse to find there so it was his vertue euer to make much of his person and to vse his counsell as occasion serued By meanes whereof hee not only was neuer crost nor contested with in any cause wherein he thought fit to inter-medle but also for the legall and orderly carriage of such things as came before him no man could euer take iust exception to the formalitie of his proceedings His trienniall Visitations he alwayes kept in his owne person and kept them so that to say no more he was euer welcome where he came for indeed his comming was like Saint Pauls to the Corinthians not Å¿ 2 Cor. 12.14 burthensome but beneficiall to those he came too for he sought not theirs but them yea as occasion serued he did gladly spend and was spent for them though I cannot adde as it is in the same place that t Ibid. v. 15. the more he loued the lesse he was loued againe for surely it was a great argument of their loue that they resorted flockt to him in euery place u Senec. de Clem. Lib. 1 Chap. 3. tanquam ad salutare beneficum sidus as Seneca speakes of good Princes going their Progresses yea they brought their children and whole Families to receiue his blessing and to be confirmed by him which act being one of those that x Vide Hieronym aduers Luciferianos vbi tamen affirmat hoc factum esse ad honorem sacerdotij potiùs quam ad leg is necessitatem antiquitie hath euer reserued to the Episcopall power he performed not in a tumultuarie manner or as we vse to say hand ouer head but with aduised deliberation and choice admitting only those whom either by the certificate of their Minister or the examination of his owne Chaplaines hee found to be sufficiently instructed in the Principles of Religion and so by the intention of our Church y See the Common Prayer Booke in the. Order for Confirmation capable of the benefit of that sacred action Of his care of the Cleargie in generall I haue alreadie spoken yet it is not to be omitted heere how in those Visitations of his he particularly exprest it Wherein his fashion was to examine strictly all those of whose sufficiencie hee any way doubted as well touching their course of studie as of their preaching and as he would restraine those from preaching for a time whom hee found weake and ignorant so would hee with all direct them both for the Bookes they should reade and the method they should vse for the better enabling of themselues to that exercise and thereof would he take account as occasion serued by which meanes he alwayes quickned their industrie and drew many of them to such a commendable improuement of their talent that the Countrie was much edified thereby J will adde but one thing more of the cariage of this man in his Episcopall Function which though it were a thing small in it selfe yet J know not how it serued to increase much as well the peoples deuotion to God as their reuerence to his person In the Cathedrall Church of Welles whether it were so that himselfe preacht or no as indeed very often he did but though he did not after the Sermon done and the Psalme sung as the manner is himselfe standing vp in his Episcopall seat gaue the benediction to the people after the example of the High Priest in the Old Testament Numb 6.23 which thing as hee performed like himselfe that is to say in a most graue and fatherlike manner so any man that had but seene with what attentiue and deuout gestures all the people receiued it what apparant comfort they tooke in it and how carefull euery particular man was not to depart the Church without it could not but conclude that there is a secret r 〈◊〉 ò obserua◠〈…〉 quod saâ—erdotalis benedicâ—â—a non tantâ—m est simplex ena precatio sed etiam vâ—lâ—ti pigâ—us acâ—â—â—timonium sauo is Dei omninò habet quandam vâ—m ac efficacia clauis soluentis absoluentis â—llyâ—â—â— Clau. Script in verbo Benedicere vertue in the Prayers and blessings as of naturall so of spirituall Parents which as they are neuer the worse for giuing so those that haue the relation of sonnes vnto them are much the better for the receiuing and it is not for nothing that the Apostle saith Å¿ Heb. 7.7 The lesser vseth to be blessed of the greater By these few things which J haue set downe Christian Reader thou mayest easily perceiue what an eminent patterne of all vertue as well personall as pastorall God hath bestowed on our Church in the person of this one man whom as oft as J reflect on considering the rare integritie and synceritie of his life together with his singular pietie and Deuotion whereof no man that knew him but was a witnesse me thinkes J may well ballance him with any of those whom the Church of Rome boasteth of and whom she daily canonizeth among the Saints Neither doe J doubt but those of that Church that either knew him or shall read of these things are by this time ready to say Talis quum fuerit vtinam noster fuisset Yea who knowes whether they may not by some forged plea goe about to claime him after his death who liued in a Church opposite to theirs all his life time For such trickes haue they practised of late vpon some of our most eminent Prelates and it is no new art but that which
to cure with his Humility when he stooped vnto the ignominious death of the Crosse But it was not Hysop alone wherewith hee desired to be purged but Hysop dipt in the holy water and this doth intimate yet more fully that the expiation was to be made by Christ for to say nothing that the red Cow slaine whose blood was sprinkled directly before the Tabernacle was as all other sacrifices a Type of Christ those things that are principally to be marked in Christ were most liucly represented in the things that were burnt with the Cowe For there were to bee cast in Cedar wood Hysop and Scarlet The Cedar is the highest of all trees and well representeth the Deity of Christ 〈◊〉 4.33 Hysop in the History of Solomons knowledge in naturall things is opposed vnto the Cedar as the lowest of plants and may well note Christs Manhood the Scarlet is an excellent representation of his bloody death according to that in the Prophet Esay 〈◊〉 63.1 2. who is this that commeth from Edom with died garments from Bozra wherefore art thou red in thy apparell c. And indeed Christs blood is the Bath of purification it clenseth from all our sinnes if wee haue our hearts sprinkled therewith wee shall bee free from euill consciences Heb. 10.22 9 14 Zach. 13.1 our consciences shall bee freed from dead workes to serue the liuing God Finally his Spirit is that fountaine that is opened vnto the house of Israel Eâ—ek 36.25 and the cleane waters that in Ezekiel God promised to poure vpon his Church without Christ the vertue of his death and worke of his Spirit God purifieth no man The Heathen had their Aquam lustralem their holy water and so hath the Church of Rome also but the Heathen holy water had no respect vnto Christs blood the Romish would seeme to haue but sanctifying Ceremonies without Gods warrant are fruitles not only so but spirituall vsurpations If we expect purification from sinne wee must tye our selues vnto Christs death and not looke to partake the benefit of it but by such meanes as are ordained of God Mat. 15 9. for the Spirit breatheth where it will not where wee will so that in vaine shall we serue God if therein wee follow no better guide then the commandements of men And let this suffice touching the Person to whom King Dauid directs his Prayer Hauing thus seuerally considered What King Danid begs and Of whom by ioyning the points together wee must see with what confidence hee expects the successe of his Prayer The first point of confidence is implyed in the words purge wash for the Original hath it thou shalt purge thou shalt wash And indeed such future tenses are Propheticall wishes and why Faith in prayer hath an eye to Gods promise and therefore a hope of his performance 2 â—â—moth 2.12 and why God cannot deny himselfe hee euer will be as good as his word Numbers 19 hee commands the carnall purifying and promiseth the successe and shall hee deny successe vnto the spirituall if wee obserue it Certainly hee will not A second branch of Considence appeareth in the resolute affirmations I shall bee cleane I shall bee whiter then snow which import that as God will bee constant in keeping his word so hee will bee powerfull in accomplishing the deed no doubt of the Effect when hee is pleased to bee the Efficient 〈◊〉 19. Vos 1â— A cleane person saith the Ceremonie shall purge him that is vncleane and hee shall bee purified And who so cleane as God in comparison of whom the best of his creatures are vncleane If the carnall purification may be expected from a mortall man how much more may we expect the spirituall from our immortall God But marke here is not onely expected a freedome from sinne but also a furniture of grace not only innocency spirituall but Beauty also so saith Dauid I shall be cleane that is innocent yea I shall be white that is beautifull Parum est mundari a sordibus peccatorum Ruffin in huâ— locum nisi contingat decorari candore virtutum it is a cold comfort to bee freed from impurity except wee be beautified with sanctitie But where sinne abounded Rom. â— 20 grace abounded much more sinne stripped vs of our originall Righteousnes and wounded vs in our naturall power and grace doth not only heale vs againe but restore vs also to whatsoeuer we lost The same God that in the Law commanded that when a captiue Israelite was set free he should not goe away empty Detr 15.13 â— but be furnished liberally with whatsoeuer God had blest his Master is not fast handed towards vs when hee freeth vs from the death of sinne but adornes vs as beseemes the spouse of Christ White is the colour of Saints Mark 9.3 it appeares in the Transfiguration of Christ and in the apparitions of Angels in the Reuelation of Saint Iohn more then once as likewise in Daniel so that that phrase implyeth that the effect of Christs purifying is not onely Grace but Glory also yea vnspeakable Glory so the comparison will haue vs vnderstand it when Dauid saith that he shall be whiter then sâ—ow It was a gracious promise that was made Psal 68. though yee haue hen amongst the pots Vers 13. yet shall ye be as the wings of a Doue couered with siluer and her feathers with yellow gold yea when the Almighty scattered Kings for his Church shee was as white as snow in Salmon here Dauid goeth a step farther Vers 14. whiter then snow And indeed well may wee resemble spirituall things by corporall and eternall by temporall for that the one doth somewhat resemble the other but equall them we cannot we may not by reason of the many degrees wherby the corporall is exceeded by the spirituall and the temporall by the eternall I conclude Who can say I haue made my heart cleane I am free from sin Prou. 20. Lib. 1. c. 5. No man for Habet cor vniuscuiusque saith S. Austin in his Confessions quod offendat oculos Dominisscio fateor there is not the best of vs that hath not touched the dead that is not infected with dead works it beseemeth the best of vs to say with S. Austin scio fateor I know I acknowledge it but we must go on with S. Austin quis mundabit who shall make me cleane and resolue with him cui alteri praeter te Domine clamabo ab occultis munda me Domine Psal 19 12. O Lord I haue none to whom I may hopefully call but to thee Lord clense me from my secret faults or in the words of my Text Purge me with Hysop and I shall be cleane wash me and I shall bee whiter then snow AMEN GOd grant we may all so wash our garments white in the blood of the Lamb during these dayes of Grace that we may hereafter walk with him in white robes when we shal
Well done seruant faithfull and true enter into thy Masters Ioy. Πάντοτ◠δοξά Θηῶ. TEN SERMONS Deliuered on the nineteenth Chapter of Exodus contayning the Preface of GOD and the preparation of the people to the promulgation of the LAW BY The Right Reuerend Father in God ARTHVRE LAKE late Bishop of that See LONDON Printed by W. S. for Nathaniel Butter 1629. TEN SERMONS DELIVERED ON THE NINETEENTH CHAPTER OF EXODVS contayning the Preface of GOD and the preparation of the People to the promulgation of the LAW The first Sermon EXODVS 19. VERS 1 2. In the third moneth when the children of Israel were gone out of Egypt the same day came they into the Wildernesse of Sinai For they were departed from Rephidim and were come to the Desert of Sinai and had pitched in the Wildernesse and there Israel camped before the Mount YOu may remember that opening vnto you those words of our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell of Saint Matthew Chap 22. Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy minde with all thy soule and with all thy strength and thy Neighbour as thy selfe I told you they were the generall contents of the Decalogue whereof I then promised you a speciall and distinct explication I haue not forgotten that promise although I haue beene interrupted by interuenient texts occasioned by the times wherefore my purpose is this day to begin my performance of that promise And I could not doe it on a fitter day for this is Ascension day and it was an Ascension day that is mentioned in my text Moses being a type of that whereof Christ was the truth began vpon the day here mentioned to ascend into the Mount thence to bring the Law as our Sauiour Christ vpon this day which wee solemnize ascended into Heauen thence to send the Holy Ghost which as the Apostle telleth vs giueth life to the Law Adde hereunto that as Christ ascended into his glorie so Moses in his Ascension had a kind of Transfiguration for comming neere vnto God his face so shined that he was faine to put a vaile vpon it because the children of Israel could not endure to behold it There is then a good correspondencie betweene this Feast and my text Neither doe I only thinke so but our Church also which commandeth the tenth of Deuteronomie to be read this morning wherein is a report of this Ascension of Moses So that the time which I haue chosen is fit and I meane God willing not to bee scant in my performance I will pay you the principall with interest for I meane to vnfold not only the twentieth Chapter but also the nineteenth of this Booke though that more fully yet this competently And there is good reason why for the nineteenth containeth a remarkable preparation to the twentieth neither will the twentieth bee so well vnderstood or regarded so well if the nineteenth doe not make vs more docill and attentiue then vulgarly men vse to bee Wherefore what God thought fit at the giuing of the Law will not amisse be remembred at the expounding thereof it will bee behoofefull for you that I quicken your capacitie and raise your attention with these powerfull obseruations wherewith the Holy Ghost doth preface the promulgation of the Law You must then take notice of the forerunning Circumstances and Solemnitie which are recorded in this Chapter The Circumstances whereof only I shall speake now are two First the Time Secondly the Place of both which we haue here the two termes A quo and In quo Whence they take there beginning and where they haue their ending Of the Time the reckoning beginneth after the children of Israels going forth out of Egypt and it endeth on the third moneth the verie same day that is the verie same day that the third Moneth began As for the place the text teaceheth vs first whence they came immedately from Rephidim Secondly where they tooke vp their rest in the wildernesse of Sinai thereon the cloud pitched and they encamped before it These be the particulars which I meane to obserue in these Circumstances That you may the better vnderstand them I will resume them againe God grant that as I open them more largely so you may heare them more profitably The first Terme then of the Time sheweth vs whence the reckoning doth begin it beginneth at the children of Israels comming out of Egypt which words doe not only note a motion from a Place but also an Alteration of their State for they did not only come out of the Land but also out of Bondage wherewith they were oppressed in that Land And such a going out giueth the name vnto this Booke this Booke is called Exodus and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is nothing but a going out a going out of bondage into libertie There is a great mysterie in the word which concerneth Christ and his Church wee learne it in the Transfiguration of Christ therein Moses and Elias appeared vnto him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 9.31 and spake of the Exodus or departure which he should performe at Hierusalem The Apostle maketh it plaine Heb. 2. By death which is an exodus Verse 14 15. for wee vsually say that a man is departed when wee meane hee is dead he ouercame him that had the power of death that is the Deuill that hee might set them free or giue them an Exodus which all their life time werein feare of bondage And who are they but the Church Let this be the first note A second is That God did not giue his Law to Israel when they were in Egypt but when they were come thence when they were a Societie by themselues then he gaue them a Policie whereby they might be Distinguished and Ordered Distinguished first from themselues for though before they were a Church yet was it but Domesticall each Family at least each Tribe was left vnto it selfe but now they were to become a Nationall Church to bee knit into one Bodie which could not bee but by one forme of gouernment And this forme being of Gods Ordinance must needs distinguish them Secondly from others also whose Policie was but of humane institution Moses telleth them that the very heathen should acknowledge the difference especially if as God did them the honour to distinguish them by the Law so they should answere the Distinction in the good order of their Liues whereat the Law did principally aime There is a mysterie in this point also which Saint Paul doth obserue out of the Prophets Esay and Ieremie Come out from amongst them 2. Cor. 6. v. 17 18. and separate your selues saith the Lord and touch no vncleane thing and I will receiue you I will bee your Father and yee shall bee my sonnes and daughters saith the Lord Almightie So long as we are mingled with the heathen and learne their workes God will not vouchsafe vs his Oracles nor incorporate vs for his people the branch
Church according to that in the Prophet This people haue I formed for my selfe 〈◊〉 45. they shall bee to set forth my prayse And indeed of what regard the Church is with God we may gather out of that which God hath done for it he is become a father vnto it in Christ and tendreth euery member thereof as his deare childe hee hath giuen his only begotten sonne to death for the saluation of it and made him the Bridgeroome of the Church the Holy Ghost doth he send to guide to comfort it and the Angels are ministing spirits for their sakes that shall be heires of saluation Can any man beleeue this 〈◊〉 1. and not beleeue that wee are a pretious treasure vnto God Hee hath prouided for vs a Kingdome that cannot be shaken 〈◊〉 12.28 1. â—ct 5.4 an immarescible Crowne of glorie hee hath communicated vnto vs the Throne of his owne Sonne and giuen vs power ouer all our enemies and can wee doubt but we are Kings vnto him And as for our Priesthood Iames 5 16. that is as euident the prayer of the righteous auailes much their sufferings are to him sacrifices all their life is a sauour of a sweet smell and he is well pleased with the worke of their hands Feuci 7 14. Finally they haue washed their robes white in the bloud of the Lambe they are clothed with the righteousnesse of Christ God vouchsafeth to conuerse with them to dwell with them therefore they are to him an holy Nation We that account our selues happie if wee bee deare to great men great if we be but pettie Lords thinke not meanly of our selues if we be but Priests vnto Baal and looke bigge if we haue but the righteousnesse of a Pharisie how happie should wee thinke our selues that are vouchsafed to be the Fauorites of the King of Kings how should we esteeme our selues that are made Kings of Heauen how should we glorie in our diuine Priesthood and ioy in our true Holinesse when we consider our selues as we are in our selues dust and ashes weake and wicked ones wee may well crie out with Dauid who am I O Lord and what is my Fathers house that I O Lord should be such a one vnto thee and sing the Virgins Hymne My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit hath reioyced in God my Sauiour for he that is mightie hath magnified me c. And when vnder the Crosse wee find that in the eye of worldlings wee are reputed wormes and no men the reproch of men and the despised of the people when they oppresse vs with more then Egyptian bondage scoffe at the sighes and groanes which the Holy Ghost indites in vs and repute all our deuotion to bee but madnesse when they traduce vs as Samaritans as friends of Publicans and Sinners yea as instruments of Beelzebub and condemne vs to a shamefull death as pestilent fellowes traitours and blasphemers what greater comfort can we haue then this promise of God Eritis mihi You shall be to me a peculiar treasure a Kingdome of Priests an holy Nation But I goe on You haue heard of much good but what you haue heard doth not yet amount to a Prerogatiue that appeares in these words aboue all people When we haue good things that are not common to others especially if it be better then they haue any then haue we obtained a Prerogatiue and this was Israels case for the Church was not now Catholique as it had beene before Abrahams time and was to bee after the comming of Christ Gods promise was Catholique to Adam though Cain played the Apostata it was Catholique also to Noah but his children fell away therefore when Gods reuiues it vnto Abraham hee made it but particular and Israel only was his Inheritance In Iuda was God knowne his Name was great in Israel Athanas de Incarnat verb. not that others might not bee if they would become Israelites but ordinarily none but Israelites or Proselytes had part in the Promise Therefore the Law speaketh thus What Nation is there so great Deut. 4. who hath God so nigh vnto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call vpon him for And what Nation is there so great that hath Statutes and iudgements so righteous as all this Law that I set before you this day And the Psalmist God sheweth his word vnto Iacob Psal 147. his Statutes and Iudgements vnto Israel he hath not dealt so with any Nation c. This is often repeated by Moses Deut. 10. but especially Chapter 32. Seeing then God doth compare one Nation vnto all people and preferre it he doth extoll his owne grace and teach vs that the blessing is singular and if singular then a Prerogatiue and because singular and a Prerogatiue the more to be esteemed Surely in worldly things we thinke so for what is he that hath any gist or good which others haue not who doth not esteeme it as much for the rarenesse as for the greatnesse thereof I would wee did passe as true a iudgement vpon our heauenly Treasures surely the Church was wont to doe so Pone me vt signaculum Cant 8. saith the Spouse Set mee as a Seale vpon thy arme and in her Plea Populus tuus omnes nos Wee are thine enen the sheepe of thy pasture Esay 63. As God doth honour vs aboue others so will hee that we be mindfull of his speciall fauour Put now together the Greatnesse of the Good which God offers with the Singularitie of the fauour which God vouchsafeth Israel and they will yeild vs a definition of the Church for what is Ecclesia but a people chosen out of the world and preferred before it in that it is Gods peculiar treasure and to him a Kingdome of Priests and an holy Nation But I leaue that point to your priuate meditations which will bee the fuller if you adde the next particular vnto it for that also is considerable in your contemplations of the Church That which God offers is a Prerogatiue and such a Prerogatiue as is Gracious I gather it first out of Vos Deut 7 yee yee shall bee vnto mee a peculiar treasure c. And who are yee neither the most nor the best of people Moses from God telleth them so bondslaues in Egypt and much more bound to Satan for they were a rebellious nation more base in minde then in condition and therefore God biddeth them looke vnto his free loue the cause of their deliuerance Et dare non dignis res mage digna Deo the lesse worth there appeares in the receiuer the more grace doth there shine from the giuer As Israels want of worth made the gift gracious so also was it gracious in that God was not driuen to make the choice out of any want for all the earth is mine saith God All Nations they are the same by nature and it was free for God to make choice of any other
the Chaldie Paraphrase insteed of the Hebrew I come saith fitly to this purpose I will appeare and because God doth not alwayes appeare to men alike therefore when hee doth more notably appeare vnto them hee is said to come Touching the varietie of Gods appearing or manifesting himselfe to the world take a similitude from the Sunne The Sunne doth manifest it selfe first by daylight and that is common to all that dwell in the same Horizon vnto which the Sunne is risen some haue more then the daylight they haue also the Sunshining light which shining light of the Sunne is not in all places where the day light of it is finally the Sunne is manifest in the heauens in his full strength for the very body is present there which none can endure but the Starres which become glorious bodies by that speciall presence of the Sunne amongst them In like manner God in whom all things liue moue and haue their being doth manifest himselfe vnto some by the workes of his generall prouidence of which manifestation Saint Paul speaketh when he saith Acts 14. God left not himselfe without witnesse to all nations in that he did good and gaue vs raine from heauen and fruitfull seasons filling our hearts with food and gladnesse This manifestation of God is like the daylight Psal 145 v. 15. it is common to all it is an vniuersall grace The eies of all things looke vp vnto thee O Lord and thou giuest them their meate in due season There is a second manifestation and that is peculiar but to some it is like the Sunne-shine it is that manifestation which God vouchsafeth his Church of which Esay speaketh Arise shine Chap 60. for thy light is come and the glorie of the Lord is risen vpon thee but darknesse shall couer the earth and grosse darknesse the people for in comparison of the Church the rest of the world sitteth in darknesse and in the shadow of death The third and last manifestation is that which God maketh of himselfe in heauen to the Angels and Saints the cleerest and fullest whereof a creature is capable and those which partake this presence of God become thereby glorious Saints more glorious then the starres which receiue their resplendent lustre from the aspect which they haue to the Sunnes bodie The manifestation that we haue to doe withall is of the second sort it is not so cleare as that which the Saints enioy in heauen it is not so darke as that which is common to the world but it is of a middle temper proper to the Church militant to whom God is said to come when hee doth so manifest himselfe vnto her From hence we must take notice that as there are those who are in better case then we are so there are who are in worse case and therefore we must thanke God for our present aduancement and remember that wee make forward to that neerenesse vnto God which is reserued for vs in heauen This may suffice for our vnderstanding of this phrase I come The next point is the manner of his comming In the thick cloud Before I speake distinctly hereof I will giue you a note vpon the Cloud Some make a question whether it be the same Cloud which guided the children of Israel through the wildernesse or some other they thinke some other greater and thicker but they thinke so without great reason for after that the guiding Cloud once rested on the Tabernade we heare no more of any Cloud vpon Mount Sinai neither did Moses after that ascend vnto Mount Sinai but God deliuered his minde vnto him in the Tabernacle where the Cloud then rested and God promised to dwell amongst the people after the Tabernacle should be built by bringing the Cloud and his glorie thither which was accordingly performed Exod. 40.34 Exod. 19.43 â—â— before that the people remooued from Mount Sinai yet after that time wee reade of no other Cloud vpon Mount Sinai Insteed then of coyning a new Cloud obserue rather how by degrees God approched to his people at their first comming out of Egypt he kept aloft in the aire the people had not yet shaken off their Egyptian disposition neither were they sitted for any nearenesse to God When they rose higher in their thoughts and had contracted with him God descended lower and came neerer vnto them he descended to the top of Mount Sinai Afterward when they had yet better exprest their affection to entertaine God by building the Tabernacle God vouchsafed to come lower to them he chose to reside in the midst of their Campe. And let vs take this for an vndoubted lesson the better wee preuented by grace prepare our selues for God the nearer will God approach to vs. I now come to speake distinctly of the manner I told you that the manner of Gods appearance was first maiesticall because in the thicke Cloud in this Cloud that you may see the maiestie of God obserue first that God was in it for there was the Angell of God that Angell in whom is Gods Name so we reade Exod. 23. verse 21. and who is called Gods presence Exod. 33. verse 14 15. so that the Cloud was Gods chaire of State or his Chariot or Pauillion as the Scripture doth call the Clouds when God putteth them to this vse And as God was in the Cloud so was the Cloud enuironed with an host of heauenly Courtiers becomming the maiestie of such a King learne it out of the sixtie eight Psalme The Chariots of God are twentie thousand euen thousands of Angels the Lord is amongst them as in Sinai in his holy place And besides these attendants we find obserued two other Ceremonies of State As Kings giue notice of their comming by the sound of Trumpets so this Cloud was attended by the voice of a Trumpet exceeding lowd And as before Kings there is wont to bee carried the instrument of Iustice and Vengeance the Sword so was Gods appearance in this Cloud attended with those dreadfull Meteors Lightning and Thunder Lay together those particulars and you will confesse that God appeared in awefull maiestie when he came in the thicke Cloud The Israelites confessed as much Deut. 5.24 Behold the Lord hath shewed vnto vs his glorie and his greatnesse we haue heard his voice out of the midst of the fire Mortall Kings neuer put on greater state then when they goe to their Parliaments the reason that moueth them is the same that moued God that men should feare to offend them whom they see armed with so great power and the greater regard be had vnto their Lawes As the thicke Cloud doth set forth Gods maiestie so is it also full of mysterie The first mysterie to be gathered out of it is obserued by God himselfe he clothed himselfe with a thicke Cloud to put the people in mind that hauing seene no shape of him they should not presume to make any image Let our lesson be Voluntas Dei non essentia
euen so doth the Church consist of Saints that alwayes are the same and like themselues Secondly Ad preseruationem warre is more expedient for the Church then peace for peace maketh vs effeminate and cowardly but warres put strength and courage into vs This the Author of the Tripartite storie obserueth well speaking of the persecution of the Church And indeed Lib. 11 cap 33. Bernard In pace amaritudo amarissima we are neuer worse to God-ward then when we are most at ease in the world free from Tyrants and free from Heretickes Neither haue we only the benefit of Gods patience others haue it also facit ad propagationem it maketh for the increase of the Word Lactantius handleth this point very elegantly Lib 5 tom Instant cap. 23. Amongst those that are spectators of the Martyrs sufferings saith hee some wondring at their patience aske What that good thing is for the obtayning whereof they indure such losses and paines and so come to bee informed of the Gospel Othersome inquire What euill that is the forbearing whereof maketh them to be handled so oruelly and they come thereby to learne the vanitie of Idols Both wayes Sanguis Martyrum fit semen Euangelij by Martyrdome the Gospel getteth ground and Idolatrie doth lose it Neither only doth this patience propagate the Gospel it confirmes also the Professors thereof Phil. 1. Many of the Brethren in the Lord waxing confident by my bonds are much more bold to speake the word without feare wauering consciences are setled when they see Confessours and Martyrs indure so much for Gods Truth and seale it with their bloud Finally Christ will haue that appeare in the members which hath beene alreadie approued in the Head that they can breake the Serpents head and that they are built vpon the Rocke so that the gates of Hell cannot preuaile against them no winds or waues though they beate and blow can beat or beare downe their house because it is built vpon a Rocke Sic deferre inagnae est clementiae Chrâ—sostome Christ doth his Church a fauour in so delaying These are important Reasons of Gods suffering long And yet God stayeth not so long as to come too late for Gods permissiue Prouidence is alwayes followed with an effectiue he suffereth not the enemies of the Church to passe their bounds hee alwayes holdeth the bridle that is fastened vpon their nostrils 1 Cor. 10. Psal â—8 No temptation befalleth vs which is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufferable by man and with the Lord are alwayes the issues of death when the wicked haue filled vp the measure of their sinne when the number of the Elect is fulfilled then is it seasonable for God to auenge Gen. 15. then behold he commeth quickly That is no speed that preuenteth this season and wee must hold that quicke enough which God holdeth quicke with whom a thousand yeares are but as one day And this the rather we must thinke because the time which we suffer is nothing to the time wherein we shall raigne for our light afflictions which are but for a moment are rewarded with an exceeding eternall waight of glorie The time in which the wicked reuell and riot is as nothing in comparison of the time wherein they shall suffer for they shall be bound in euerlasting chaines of darknesse fed vpon by a Worme which neuer dieth and burning in a fire which neuer goeth out Adde hereunto that when God beginneth hee will quickly make an end he hath laneos pedes but ferreas manus tarditatem vindictae grauitate compensat though God come slowly to it yet hee payeth home and the wicked goe downe in a moment into Hell And yet see our weaknesse Eccles 8. Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the sonnes of men is fully set in them to doe euill yea Psal 116. Dauid himselfe said in his haste that All men are liars so languishing was his deuotion and so much did his impatienâ—i prâ—uâ—nt Gods season But we must learne to possesse our soules in patience If God tarrie wait for him Habacuck 2. for he will surely come and will not tarrie behold his soule which is lifted vp is not vpright in him For the iust must liue by his faith which is a vertue not very lasting as you must now heare in the next point Neuerthelesse c. Though religious deuotion be very powerfull yet it is strange to see how short liued it is had we a friend vpon whom our welfare depended how diligently would wee attend him How often would we remember him of our case How earnestly would wee importune him for his helpe And yet the best men are not alwayes alike kindly affected neither are they alwayes alike able to steed vs. God is alwayes like himselfe Almightie Al-mercifull and yet who plyeth him for his eternall defence so much as we vsually plie men for their temporall But marke here how the word is changed for before it was Crying here it is Faith The reason of the change is very good for our Crying must be endited by and vttered from our faith And indeed how shall they call on him in whom they haue not belieued Hâ—e that asketh any thing of God saith Saint Iames must aske in faith nothing wauering and Let not a wauering man thinke that he shall receiue any thing from the Lord. But Faith is here vnderstood not as it is Scientiall but as it is Conscientiall not as it entertaineth Gods Truth but as it putteth it in practice and turneth a Sermon into a Prayer such faith doth Christ meane often in the Gospel when being sued vnto to worke a miracle hee answereth one Marke 10. Goe in peace thy faith hath made thee whole saith vnto another Matth 15. Mttah 8 O woman great is thy faith and of another I haue not found such faith no not in Israel Of this faith the rule is true Si deficiâ— fides deficit oratio our deuotion and this faith will liue and die together And the point which my Text teacheth is that this Faith and so Deuoion is not long-liued But here obserue two things first That it faileth secondly When it sayleth First That it saileth We should all hold out but few doe being vnder Gods permissiue Prouidence we should expect his effectiue but Aduersitie maketh wisemen mad and in time of aduersitie many fall away men doe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shrinke in the conflict like Cowards both in soule and bodie There is not a more sensible decay in the Great then in the Little World in our bodies then in our soules there are periods of Pietie aswell as of Policie and Conuersions of Churches aswell as of States witnesse Arrianisme Mahumetisme Papisme yea and Atheisme too which haue brought practicke Faith and religious Deuotion vnto an irrecouerable consumption The Papists will needs bee an exception to this decay of faith but whether you
temporall Iurisdiction should be swallowed vp in the Ecclesiastical State sauour not of the things of God but of the things of this world yea they sow dangerous seeds of discord betweene Princes and Pastors and seeke to breed iealousies vpon which what will follow but that the one will seeke to ruinate the other Christs Kingdome then is of his Church and it is a spirituall Gouernment of his Church Notwithstanding these words must not bee vnderstood exclusiuely as if Christ were so confined to his Church as that he had nothing to doe with those that were without the Church As King Dauid ruled in Israel but so that the Philistines Ammoniâ—es Moabites and all the bordering Countries were subiect vnto his Scepter and hee layd tribute vpon them and commanded them at his pleasure Euen so our Sauiour Christ not only ruleth in his Church but commandeth them also that are without it not onely men but euen the powers of Hell also He hath the keyes both of death and hell and euery knee boweth to him at of things in heauen and of things in earth so euen of things vnder the earth also And it is our comfort that hee which is our King hath so great a Power ouer our Foes the more power hee hath ouer them the lesse wee neede to stand in feare of them the more securely may wee obey him And so haue you heard of what sort Christs Gouernment is The next Point is Wherewith he sustaines this Gouernment it is here said that it shall be vpon his shoulders Morall Princes vnburden themselues vpon the shoulders of others the wits the power of their Officers in peace and warre doe beare vp the greatest part of their state It is not so with our King he beareth all himselfe euen when hee vseth meanes those meanes are but Instruments whose abilitie and efficacie are both from him The Minister speaketh words and dispenseth Elements but in vaine doth he both except Christ bee with him and his spirit make effectuall that which is done by him if there bee not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it will be indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And what likelihood was there that a few Fishermen and those vnlearned should euer haue subiected the crownes of Princes the wits of Philosophers the stomacks of the Mighty the desires of the Ambitious finally all kinde of dispositions vnto the Scepter of Christ had not Christs spirit wrought with them A second thing that is to bee obserued in this Word is that as Christ is highest in degree so is hee deepest in care and so should Kings bee The Great world the Little world both preach this Lesson vnto temporal Kings The Great World hath many parts whereof it doth consist and of them one is placed aboue another The higher any part is placed the more it laboureth for the rest by motion and influence Witnesse the Sun the Moone the Starres compared to the inferiour Bodies all which labour for the Earth the basest of all In the Little World of our Body is not our Head set aboue our Hands and our Feete And how painefully doth the Eye watch the Eare heare and euery sense employ it selfe for the direction and preseruation of the Hands and Feete If it bee so in the Creatures that are destitute of Reason betweene reasonable Creatures it should bee much more so The Gouernour must lesse take his ease and lesse be idle than those which are gouerned nay his care his paine must farre exceede theirs he must partake of euery one of theirs Doe wee not see it so in our Body The hand hath his peculiar worke so hath the foote and euery other in feriour part employes it selfe about some particular function but the directiue and commanding parts in man are Architectonicall they resemble the Master of the works in a Building whose presence and guidance runneth through all the seuerall kinde of Labourers appointing what they must doe and caring that they doe it well whether they hew stones or lay them square timber or coâ—ple it whatsoeuer other worke is to bee done the Master hath though not his hand yet his head working with them No otherwise should the Magistrate carry himselfe in his charge nor be lesse prouident in the Common-weale the influence of his care must quicken must order must further whatsouer functions of the people and make them tend to the common good The 72. Psalme compares our Gouernour I meane Christ of whom this Text speaketh vnto a showre of raine and wee see that a showre of raine waters carefully all the plants of the fields the rose the lilly the violet the cedar and the pine all of them do fare the better for the watering of the raine And the grace of Christs spirit is no otherwise showred downe vpon euery member of the Church euery one is nourished therewith Malachie compares him to the Sunne he calleth him The Sun of Righteousnesse And who knoweth not how common the warmth of the Sunne is and how effectuall it is also The Raine yeelds matter to the earth but that it may become prouing matter the earth is beholding to the Sunne which workes the moisture and distributeth it through the whole body of the herbs and plants Christs grace supplyeth both Rain and Sunne from him wee haue both Posse and Velle nay the Apostle saith He worketh in vs both to will and to doe euen of his own good pleasure So that we may well say The Gouernment lyeth vpon his shoulders Vpon his shoulders Princes on earth beare the Ensignes of their Gouernment some in their hands as Scepters some on their heads as Crownes but Christ weareth his on his shoulders The Fathers generally vnderstand this of Christs Crosse some looking to the History related in the Gospell that Christ was made to bear his own Crosse vpon his shoulders when he went vnto his death which they say was prophesied of in the 95. Psalme Dicite in gentibus quia Dominus regnauit à ligno So saith St. Austin it was anciently read though it be not found so read now ordinarily in the Septuagint The Iewes in malice razed it out as hee thinkes But because the Hebrew Text hath it not wee neede not stand vpon so vncertaine a ground Wee may take a better eyther from the type of Aaron bearing the twelue Tribes ingrauen vpon his shoulders when he went into the Temple or from Eliakim Esay 22. vpon whose shoulders the key of the house of Dauid was layd or from the shepheard bearing the lost sheepe vpon his shoulders or if you will haue it of the Crosse take it from Christ himselfe speaking to the Disciples that went to Emmaus Ought not Christ to haue suffered these things and so to enter into his glory or from St. Paul also Christ triumphed ouer Powers and Principalities in his person but then when this Person suffered vpon the Crosse So that Christ reigned in his passion and because in his passion therefore had he his Gouernment
any man it bethinketh it selfe whether hee can if he would or whether hee would if he can if it can cleare these two then it resteth secure but if it cannot bee satisfied in eyther or both it doubts and distrusts Now in both these doth the holy Ghost here satisfie vs touching Gods Word in that it maketh God of a mighty power so that none can resist his will he is the Lord of Hosts and of a stedfast will which is inseparable from so high a degree of Loue as is zeale Touching the first of these Pillars that support Gods Word I obserue vpon this phrase The Lord of Hosts that there is in God a double Power an internall noted by Iehouah and an externall noted by the Hosts The first is coessentiall to the nature of God and is as infinite as God is But though this Power be yet it is not apparant and it is that which is apparant that must satisfie vs therefore God hath manifested his power as it were in his creatures which come within our reach and whereof wee haue daily experience these are all termed Gods Host We look vpon them and consider nothing farther in them than what they are according to their kind the Sun we take to be a Star that ruleth the day and the Moone a Starre which ruleth the night wee thinke the Aire was made for our breath and the Earth to beare vs fruits finally what Creature is there from which wee expect not some such seruice The seruice they doe vs wee take notice of and our eye is vpon it but it is not vpon that seruice which they doe vnto God though it should be vpon that principally and it is that which is intimated by this word Hosts So that as Christ is set forth to be a King so also that he wanteth not an Armie all the world is his armie there is no creature in heauen and earth that fighteth not vnder his banner And this title is very ancient for euen in the second of Genesis when the world was made the whole receiued this name it was called an Host And God did before hand giue man to vnderstand that it was good for him to obserue his allegeance otherwise there was no possibility of escaping seeing he was enuironed with the souldiers of God As likewise that he need not feare if he did well because he had so great a guard These two Lessons should we reade in in this title of the Creatures which may also be applyed to correct their errour that suppose a confusion in the affaires of this world Gods prouidence so ordereth all things that they neuer cease to be a well martialled Armie True it is we cannot perceiue it as long as we stand in the leuell of the world but if we ascend into Gods Mount and from out of his Sanctuary behold the occurrents of this life we shall see how euery creature marcheth vnder his colours and euery one keepeth his ranke Another thing that wee must marke is that at first there was but one Armie for we reade Tzebaam Genesis 2. but after the Fall then we read Tzeboath that one is become two euer since God pronounced Ponam inimicitias Michael and his Angels haue contended with the Dragon and his Angels and two Armies haue beene on foote in the field But though they be two and two so opposite yet is their Generall but one for my Text maketh but one Lord of Hosts The reason is cleare The wicked may subducere se felicitati but they cannot subducere se potestati diuinae though like Rebels they march against their Generall yet doth this Generall not only retaine his right vnto them but also his power and authority ouer them he hath his bridle in their nostrils and but when he will and no farther than he will can they stirre or preuaile And this hand wherewith God so ordereth and stinteth their malice is a iust ground why he is termed The Lord of Hosts And fitly in this place doth he receiue this title because mention is before made of difficulties which sprang from the enemies of the Church by which it might seeme vnlikely that the Church being brought so low should euer recouer it selfe so well But all of them are not to be regarded seeing he that promiseth is The Lord of Hosts The word Hosts may also be referred only to the Church which though it be but one Catholicke one yet hath it many particulars parts of that whole one So that as all the Romane Souldiers of the Empire were but one Army in relation to one Emperour whose they all were and by whom they were alike commanded though in regard of the particular Generals by whom they were conducted in seuerall parts of the world they were named seuerall Armies Euen so doth the Scripture speake of the Church sometimes as of one sometimes as of more Armies as of one Reuel 12. as of many Psalme 110. or Psalme 48. In the Leuiticall seruice it vseth the very word Tzaba and the Apostles continue that metaphor speaking of the spirituall seruice of God And if you so restraine the word Hosts then is this branch of the warrant very apt also for it implies a reason of the Churches growth and of Christs employing his royall endowments in ordering and stablishing thereof And why euery Church is his Host and what doth a Generall more delight in than the perfection of his Armie the double perfection as it is both militant and triumphant by grace and glory You haue heard the first branch of the warrant the second branch is the remouall of the second impediment to wit The changeablenesse of Gods will he can no more vary in himselfe than he can be resisted from without and why this Lord of Hosts hath zeale and zeale is the height of Loue which Loue if once it possesse the will it maketh it an vnchangeable will Zeale is an affection proper vnto men who ouer and aboue their will whose obiect good is and to which belongeth the choyce thereof haue two attendants thereon the concupiscible and the irascible part whereof the first is that which moueth towards the obiect the other encountreth whatsoeuer difficulties hinder our attaining or enioying of it when these two come to a height they become zeale for zeale is compounded of them both The nature of it seemes to be described in the eighth of the Canticles where the Church desireth to be set as a seale Set mee as a seale vpon thy heart as a seale vpon thine arme for loue is strong as death iealousie is cruell as the graue the coales thereof are coales of fire which hath a most vehement flame Many waters cannot quench loue neyther can the flouds drowne it If a man would giue all the substance of his house for loue it would vtterly bâ— contemned This affection being properly in man is by the holy Ghost ascribed vnto God but not ratione affectus but effectus and in reference to that
will I seeke thee early O yee heauens aboue drop downe the dew and yee clouds raine righteousnesse let the earth open let instice and saluation grow forth let them both grow forth together But the longer we liue commonly the worse we are aetas parentum peior auis and our children will be worse than wee are as wee are worse than were our fathers The Scripture witnesseth that Christs desire is vnto vs his delight is to bee with the sonnes of men yea he spreads his loue as a banner ouer his Church to make himselfe more desirable to her And how kinde hearted was he who being to eate the Paschall Lambe a type of his bitter passion and that immediately before his death could say Desiderio desideraui I haue earnestly desired to eate this passcouer with you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this indeed argued vnspeakeable loue of Christ to man And should it not bee answered with the like affection of man towards Christ it should yea and indeed it would be if we did know what want we haue of him if we did feele the burden of our sinne if wee did see how little wee haue of heauenly grace This sense this sight would set an edge vpon our dull appetite and Christ which is here stiled the desire of all Nations would be to euery one of vs our desire But let vs take heede who when we may haue him doe not desire him lest the time come when wee shall desire him but may not haue him Christ may remoue our Candlesticke and his Kingdome and then the Iewes doome may be ours and wee may desire to see one of the dayes of the Sonne of man and shall not see it This God forbid and that he may forbid it HEe poure the grace of his holy Spirit into our soules that may so illighten our mindes and warme our hearts that discerning clearly and ardently affecting that soueraigne good which God is pleased should be common to vs all we may not only during this feast but euer congratulating our happinesse sing Hosanna blessed is hee that commeth in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest THE THIRD SERMON And I will fill this house with glory THE description of Christs presence in that temple which was built by Zorobabel Iosua and others doth set before vs first his Person then his Workes Of his Person I spake last it followeth that I now come on to his Workes They are two Bounty and Security The Bounty is set forth first absolutely then comparatiuely Of the comparison hereafter if God will my purpose is now God assisting me to open so much of the Text as sets forth Christs Bounty absolutely it is comprehended in these words I will fill this house with glory Wherein obserue what is conferred and on whom The gift is glory the receiuer the house both are amplified the house by the meannesse this house the gift by the greatnesse I will fill it with glory Out of both is made manifest the exceeding grace of Christ who honoured that so much that had so little to make it honourable That God who is pleased that we all should bee his houses may so honour vs let vs listen attentiuely that wee may entertaine affectionately the honour which he vouchsafeth to vs. Come wee then to the particulars the first is the thing conferred Glorie Glorie if it be true glory is a resplendencie of some Good solid and eminent The foundation of glory must bee that which is good for where there is no true good there can be no glory shame there may bee according to that of the Apostle Rom. 6. What fruit had yee then in those things whereof yee are now ashamed and St. Iude The wicked fome out their owne shame But of good things some are transitorie and vaine some heauenly and eternall not the former but the later kinde is the foundation of Glory Caboth Calal The Hebrew mother of tongues which speaketh of things most properly by one word noteth waightinesse and glory as likewise with them one word signifieth things vile and light The Apostle seemes to allude hereunto 2 Cor. 5. Our momentanie affliction doth worke vnto vs an exceeding eternall waight of glory Waight of glory that is waighty glory glory that hath some substance or solidnesse in it whereunto he opposeth light afflictions though they seeme grieuous yet doe they consist of no enduring substance nubecula sunt they quickely passe and vanish away Esay 40. And indeed of such shadowes or dreames rather are all worldly things made All flesh is grasse withering grasse the glory thereof is as a flower Psal 93. a fading flower The sonnes of men are vanity the sons of noble men are but a lye if they were put in the scales together they would weigh lighter than vanitie it selfe But of faith hope and charitie the Apostle speaketh better Heb. 3. Heb. 11. 2 Cor. 8. 1 Cor. 13. he giues them the title of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of substance and he telleth vs that wee are made partakers of Christ if wee hold fast the substance finally the Wise man tels vs that righteousnesse is full of immortality So that in those lasting not these fleeting things must we seek the foundation of true glorie The Apostles rule is we may not glory in the flesh not in the flesh as it is the good creature of God Ier. 9. I meane in the mortall state thereof the strong man may not glory in his strength the wise man in his wisedome the rich man in his riches how much lesse may we glory in the lusts of the flesh sinfull lusts which are the workmanship of the diuell No such boasting can be good 1 Cor. 5. as St. Paul tels the Corinthians in his censure of the incestuous person Psal 53. and Dauid checketh Doeg in those words why boastest thou thy selfe thou Tyrant that thou canst doe mischiefe But yet if we looke vpon the face of the world we shall finde that not onely transitory things but also wicked lusts are the foundation of most mens glory and wee may renew the Apostles words mourning words There bee many which walke Phil. 3. of whom I haue told you often and now tell you weeping whose God is their belly whose glory is their shame which minde earthly things But our glory must haue a better foundation it must be a solid good Neyther is it enough vnto glory that the Good be solid it must be also eminent An ordinary good may bee laudible it cannot bee honourable it may make a man accepted but not admired no man is thought worthy of glory that is not more than an ordinary man For glory is an attendant vpon heroicall vertue and that is vertue in the highest degree such as was the chastitie of Ioseph the patience of Iob the fortitude of Iosua the pictie of Dauid and the wisedome of Salomon A man must partake of the diuine nature and draw as neare as
the law of the Lord thy God and the Kings law let him haue iudgement without delay whether it be to death or banishment or confiscation of goods or imprisonment THese words that I haue read vnto you are the close of a Commission granted by Artashasht King of Persia at that time also King of the holy Land vnto Ezra a religious Priest and learned Scribe of the Iewes This Commission consisteth of manie branches the last commands the creating of Iudges in the Territorie of Iewrie concerning whom it is expressed How they ought to be qualified and Whereunto they are authorised Their quality is set downe vers 25. their authority is the argument of my Text a great authoritie because it is of the Sword the King giues this power that biddes them giue Iudgement But that their power may be as good as it is great they must vse it against malefactors so saith the King against them that will not doe the law and against them they must vse it so that first they frustrate not the end of the law A iudgement vnseasonable is vnprofitable they must therefore giue iudgement without delay Secondly they must not sway the indifferencie of the law to haue respect of persons in iudgement is not good they must then giue iudgement against whomsoeuer whomsoeuer will not doe the law But there are lawes diuine and humane the Iudges must proceede against the violaters of both against them that will not do Gods law against them that will not do the Kings law but with two cautions they must take heed that the God be the God of Ezra the true God they must no maintaine false religion and they must not forbeare to giue iudgement against them that violate the kings lawes though he be a king of Persis a false religion doth not hinder him from being a lawfull Soueraigne the Iudge must not foster seedes of rebellion They that violate the lawes of that God of this king the Iudge must draw his sword against them But how farre may he draw it and how deepe must he strike with it Surely so farre as the Magistrate is Gods instrument for the peoples weale so farre may he be his instrument for their woe His prouidence reacheth to their liues liuings and libertie so farre may his vengeance reach also thus farre he may draw his sword But he must giue no deeper wound therewith to offenders than offenders giue to the law the degrees of punishment must answer the degrees of offences some must dye some be fined some restrayned euery one as he deserues You see the substance of this Scripture withal conceiue that theron we must consider of these two points The power the vse of the sword the vse two-fold lawfull full I speak to them that haue vnderstanding therfore need I touch these particulars but briefly but that I touch them not vnprofitably I beseech you in the feare of God to iudge what I say And first some may demand why being to speake in the name of God vnto Iudges sent from a Christian king I remember vnto them the instruction of a king indeede but a heathen king such an author as may much lessen your regard of the matter It may but not except it be mistaken For besides that it is correspondent to the like in Moses and the Prophets Ezra acknowledgeth in the next verse that this Commission was indited by diuine inspiration God put it into the heart of the King And were it not so yet it is of no small moment to heare reason concord with religion The vse of this power is the more obseruable when it is enioyned by the pen not onely of God but also of man yea the lesse likely a Heathen King is to write it the more faulty a Christian Iudge if he set light by it Heare then what is your power it is to giue iudgement But iudgement is either of Discretion or Iurisdiction the first is common to all the second belongs but to a few all may discerne right from wrong but all may not right them that suffer or correct them that doe wrong He that takes the sword vngiuen shall perish with the sword as Christ told Peter Mat. 26. and told it him when hee was too busie with his sword it is not giuen to euery man And it is well that it is not giuen our affections do with such a false light delude our iudgements that where there are scarce moates we see great beames in other mens eyes but beames in our owne are so insensible Matth. 7. as if they were not so much as moates And as wee apprehend so would wee proceed Our strength would be the law of vnrighteousnesse Wisd 2. and as Tacitus well notes Malice the more vniust it is the more violent How many Cains would there start vp in the world that would kill their owne brother Abel onely because his deedes were good and theirs euill And if some would not be so vnnaturall yet would they be so vnreasonable as Simeon Leni of whom their own father pronounced Cursed be their wrath for it was fierce and their rage for it was cruell Genesis 48. we are so partiall and impotent when we haue the law in our owne hands and may satisfie our own lusts that wee will proceede without cause or at least aboue measure God knowing this vnbridlednesse of our nature hath laid this charge vpon all priuate men Auenge not your selues but giue place towrath for vengeance is mine and I will repay saith the Lord Rom. 13. Whatsoeuer therefore they pretend of the lawes of honour that apologize for Duels in a ciuill in a Christian common weale they should be reputed no better and it were good if they did fare no better than murderers they would not be so common if they were branded with their true name and had their iust reward Priuate men may not reuenge But who may It is only his right that is the Law-giuer or theirs that hold from him to recompence euery man according to his deeds Gods law is Deut. 19. that when two striue together they shall stand before the Lord euen before the Iudges where the Iudges are there the Lord is Psal 82.1 God standeth in the assembly of Gods he iudgeth among Gods the Apostle therefore calleth them the Ministers of God Rom. 13. So that a Iudge doth not only represent the person of a King but is in part with him the Deputie of God When the burden was too heauie for Moses God assisted him with the Seuentie but marke how he inaugurated them He took of the Spirit of Moses and conferred it on the Seuentie intimating his immediate presence and concurrence with them Wherefore what Shecaniah spake to Ezra cap. 10. when he lamented the disordered liues of the Iewes that must I say vnto you Arise for the matter belongeth vnto you bee of good comfort yea and courage too for this age moues more than teares and do it Giue
vntill the tenth Generation but against Incest he is more seuere Deut. 271 for he would not onely haue a generall curse pronounced against it whereunto he commanded all the people to say Amen but touching the Moabites and Ammonites the first spawne of Incest that we find in the Scripture though they were the posteritie of LOT whom GOD loued for AERAHAM's sake Deut 23. yet doth he command that they shall not enter into the Congregation of Israel for euer Israel is forbidden to seeke their peace at any time RVBEN is a second example marke what his owne Father IACOB said of him when he blest the Patriarkes Ruben thou art my first borne my might Gen. 49. the beginning of my strength the excellencie of digniâ—â—â— and the excellencie of power these were the preeminences of his birth-right but he forfeited them all for Incest as appeares in the verie next words of his Father Vnstable as water thou shalt not excell because thou wentest vp to thy Fathers bed then defiledst thou it He went vp into my couch A third example is ABSALON he abused his Fathers Concubines therefore he came to an infamous end he was hanged by the haire of his owne head he dyed childlesse and so his name did rot Leu. 8. The Land of Canaan spued out the old Inhabitants for Incest and GOD threatneth the destruction of Israel for that a man and his sonne would goe in to one maid Amos 2. By GODS Law no lesse then death was the punishment of Incest Leu. 10. The Lawes of the Land are more mercifull vnto you the Penitent that suffer you to breathe and leaue you to the censure of the CHVRCH But if you mind what you haue heard touching that censure and drinke in St AVSTINS conceipt therof you shall find cause enough to feare and freedome from death may seeme vnto you worse then death But yet your case is not desperate for there yet remaines one point in the Text which may yeeld a mitigation to your feares and a consolation to your Soule The censure is not mortall but medicinall as appeares in the end whereunto the censure serues Now a medicine you know doth first paine then it doth ease yea it doth therfore paine that it may ease so doth this ghostly censure it serues for the destruction of the flesh there is the paine but there followeth ease vpon it the spirit shaâ— be saued First of the paine As the flesh signifieth sometimes the substance sometimes the corruption of the outward man so may the destruction signifie either the mortalitie or the mortification thereof mortalitie if the censure proceed from the power which is proper to an Apostle but if it signifie the power which is common to Bishops with the Apostles it noteth mortification it signifieth the crucifying of the flesh with the lusts thereof the putting off the old man and the dying vnto sinne And indeed this we intend by our Ecclesiasticall censures We intend that you should root out the sinne for which you doe penance and so destroy your flesh This is painfull to flesh and blood but vt valeas multa dolenda feres you must brooke the paine that you may enioy the ease that followeth thereupon the spirit shall be saued The spirit noteth the soule or the grace thereof the sauing of the soule is the preseruing of grace therein if the soule loose grace it looseth it selfe in regard of all well-being and it were much better for it not to be at all then to be without grace so that the saluation of our spirit is no small part of our happinesse Which must the rather be esteemed because if our spirit fare well it will make euen the flesh that is destroyed in regard of the corruption to be farre better in regard of the substance for it shall be purged from dead works to serue the liuing GOD. But when shall we reape this easâ— out of paine In the day of our Lord Iesus Christ Though a peniten euen in this life shall find some case in his Conscience yet the full benefit of Ecclesiasticall censure is reserued to the day of the Lord because all this life we must be mortifying our flesh especially enormous sinners must be so imployed the greatest of their ease in this world must haue a mixture of paine but in the day of the Lord they shall haue ease without all delay But what day of the Lord is meant here Euerie mans particular day of death or the generall doomes day An account must be made at both and if we vse the Ecclesiasticall censure well we shall find that this Iudgment preuents that this temporall the eternall For as CHRIST at his first comming came not to destroy but to saue so his Ministers that dispense the Gospel vse their power not to destruction but to edification But I thinke the day of the Lord signifieth properly the last day CHRIST will publikely manifest before the CHVRCH tryumphant the effect of the Keyes which he hath committed to his Ministers to be exercised publikely in the CHVRCH militant he will then reueale how all stand bound in Heauen which were neuer loosed on Earth and all whom the CHVRCH hath loosed in Earth shall then appeare to be loosed in Heauen I end The successe which St PAVL had when he inflicted this sentence was that the Corinthians became verie sensible of their fault and the Incestuous person of his St PAVL himselfe doth witnesse this 2 Cor. 7. where he amplyfieth both their godly sorrowes and his congratulating indulgence towards them both Oh that like successe might blesse my paines that I may giue as good a testimonie to this Congregation for their hatred of sinne as St PAVL gaue to the Corinthians and to this Penitent the like mittigation of his Censure as St PAVL to that Incestuous person So may this penitentiall sheet of his be turned into a white robe of righteousnesse his teares into ioy and all we that are humbled for him in the Church militant be with him exalted in the Church tryumphant Amen A SERMON PREACHED IN THE CATHEDRAL CHVRCH OF WELS AT WHAT TIME TWO DID PENANCE FOR INCEST A MAN AND HIS WIVES DAVGHTER LEVIT 20. VERSE 14. Likewise if a man taketh a wife and her mother this is wickednesse they shall burne him and them with fire and there shall be no wickednesse amongst you NO sooner doe you heare this Text but I am ure you vnderstand this spectacle you vnderstand what sinners these persons are what doome this Law doth passe vpon them And indeed their sinne and Gods doome are the maine parts of my Text. But more distinctly In the sinne we must note first the fact then the haynousnesse thereof The fact is vnnaturall adulterie Adulterie because one man taketh more women then one that is plaine adulterie And this adulterie is vnnaturall because there is the neerest reference betweene the women the one a Mother the other her Daughter to take two
lest the place of their habitation should be polluted by them The same GOD that would not indure that persons though but ceremonially polluted should abide in the Campe could much lesse endure the flagitious amongst his people Num. 5. his Tents are holy and onely for holy persons And we that beleeue in our Creed that the CHVRCH is holy should remoue from amongst vs all profane all blaspheming persons Whereby you the Penitent must vnderstand what you deserue at the hands of the CHVRCH And let this suffice for the spirituall punishment I come now to the Temporall And that I told you is vltimum and ignominiosissimum supplicium Vltimum for it is no lesse then death the partie must be put to death GOD held him vnworthy to breathe whose impious mouth breathed out such hellish contumelies against GOD. By GODS Law seuerall sinnes haue seuerall punishments and the punishments are proportioned to the sinnes we may argue strongly when GOD is the Law-giuer that if the punishment be great vndoubtedly the sinne is haynous GOD doth often punish citra but neuer vltra condignum Blasphemie therefore is indeed a deadly sinne that must be so accounted by GODS Iudgements not onely in foro poli in case of conscience but also in foro soli at the Tribunall of a mortall Iudge whose eye cannot discerne as doth the eye of GOD surely that must needs be verie foule which must be so foule in his eye Euen in this also may you the Penitent take the scantling of your sinne The punishment is not onely vltimum but ignominiosissimum most ignominious and that whether you looke vpon the Execution or the Executioners The Execution for the malefactor was to be stoned to death and that was mors not cominus but eminus illata the Executioners stood aloofe as if they did abhorre to touch the person with their hands and therefore pursued him with stones Adde hereunto the circumstances wherewith they were to doe it no sooner did they heare the Blasphemie but they rent their cloathes stopt their eares gnashed with their teeth threw dust in the ayre cryed out with their voyces and ran against the malefactor with a kind of furie yea and they afflicted their soules with fasting also these circumstances shall you find in the execution of St Stephen and Naboth misaplyed indeed but yet I suppose they set forth the right manner of proceeding because we find some of them in the storie of Hezekiah Ier. 36. when he heard the blasphemie of Rabsache and the Princes of Iudah are taxed for that they neither sorrowed nor rent their cloathes when Iehoiakim the King burnt the Prophesie of Ieremie In the storie of Naboth it appeares that if the Father were stoned for blasphemie all his children also dyed with him But that seemeth to be a straine beyond the Law because by the politike Law of the Iewes the child was not to dye for the sinne of his father and yet in the storie of Achan you haue a precedent of a larger extent for his sacriledge was punished not onely in his owne person but also in his whole Family all the liuing were stoned to death and their dead bodyes with all their goods were afterward consumed by fire A fearefull Iudgement and yet was his sinne lesse then Blasphemie for Blasphemie is the highest degree of Sacriledge There is no proportion betweene earthly things consecrated to GOD and the Nature the Attributes the Workes of GOD of how much sorer punishment then is he worthy that robbeth GOD of the latter then he that robbs him of the former Heare this and tremble you that stand here guiltie of that great Sacriledge Surely if the Execution doe not make you tremble at the ignominie that is due vnto you the Executioners may Let vs come then to them And who are they We haue here set downe their number all the Congregation Prince and people none must thinke himselfe too good when the case so neerely concernes GOD not onely the most but euen the best also must stoope to that which is otherwise thought to be base as it is but an ignoble profession to be an Executioner when GODS glorie must be vindicated and the wrong done thereunto must be reuenged all must shew that they are sensible of GODS dishonor GODS did I say yea their owne which is enwrapt in GODS for all are wronged by a Blasphemer because GOD which is reproacht is honoured by them all And can any man be patient to heare him so blasphemed whom himselfe doth honour Adde hereunto that this multitude of Executioners was to strike the greater horror and confusion into the Blasphemer for when he saw himselfe conuicted of all iudged of all how could he but giue glorie vnto GOD and confesse that his sinne was most haynous of a truth Finally the number was to be a bridle vnto all GOD would haue euerie one really obliged neuer to dare to commit the same sin for which he had so publikely punished another and that with his owne hand Out of all that hath beene said concerning the number of the Executioners we learne this good lesson That though it be a pious thing for a man to forgiue his owne disgraces and reproaches yet it is impious to forgiue GODS GOD is well pleased with the former because he can make vs amends for our patience and is able to blesse when others curse vs but patience in GODS wrongs can haue no excuse for what amends can be made him or what Superiour is there that can counteruaile that wrong Though this be an vndoubted truth see notwithstanding the peruerse disposition of the world how sensible are we of our owne wrongs how eagerly doe we endeauour to right our selues and our reputation by Law yea and against Law pretending the Lawes of honour we pursue euen but seeming yea and oftentimes fained disgraces with duels vnto death to the vtter ruine of those which haue disgraced vs But of GODS honour we are most senselesse let Varlets and miscreants for they deserue no better name that haue such foule mouthes profane the sacred Name of GOD hellishly rent in pieces as a vile thing the precious ransome of the CHVRCH the sacred person and parts of our Sauiour CHRIST how many be there that laugh at them but as mad fellowes and where is he that thinketh that the reuenge of this doth concerne him Certainly farre off is our Congregation from ioyning altogether to stone him But lest you should thinke that this was a tumultuary proceeding I must supply out of former words the order which was obserued therein For the witnesses that heard the Blasphemie were to be Leaders in this proceeding they were first to impose their hands vpon him and set their hands against him This ceremonie though practised in other Iudgements as appeares in the 13 and 17 Chapters of Deuteronomie yet seemeth to haue its originall here and imports two things first the truth of their testimonie so that if the
man dyed innocently not the whole Congregation which followed but they which led the Congregation were to be guiltie of his death Secondly The imposing of hands vpon the Malefactor was the making of him as it were a politicke Sacrifice for mundi expiatio est malorum occisio as the Priest so the Prince hath his Sacrifice to offer as the CHVRCH so the Common weale the execution of Malefactors is a propitiating of GOD. And GOD in the Common-weale of Israel in cases wherein he refused the Ceremoniall was well pleased to haue this Sacrifice and to admit it as expiatorie of the Common-weale I told you of the thing before but of the deuoting of the person to pacifie GOD I could not speake till I came to this place You the Penitent may hereby see how zealously the State should be bent against you and how much it concernes vs to see Iustice done vpon you Hauing thus sufficiently opened the punishment I come now to shew you vpon whom it must be executed Quicunque vpon him whosoeuer he be that curseth or blasphemeth here must be no respect of persons high or low rich or poore be he what he may be he is liable to punishment if he curse his God Though it be a false-one yet if it be his the Law saith plainly he shall beare his sinne The words may be vnderstood either as a relation or as a commandement As a relation what other Nations doe how zealous they are for the honour of their Gods In the Storie of the wonders which GOD wrought in deliuering the children of Israel out of Aegypt we find that when Pharaoh would haue the Israelites sacrifice to their GOD in the Land of Aegypt Exod. 8. Loe said Moses shall we sacrifice the abhomination of the Aegyptians before their eyes and will they not stone vs How did Nebuchadnezzar cause the Furnace to be heated to consume those that would not worship his golden Image What a doe kept Demetrius the Siluer-Smith when St Paul was thought to blaspheme Diana Protagoras was banished Socrates was put to death for disgracing the gods of Athens The Mahumetans lay on many stripes vpon them that disgrace their Alearon I will omit the solemne Bellum sacrum of the Graecians Thus the words may be conceiued by way of relation and then see how GOD argues Doe the Heathen punish those who dishonour or curse those that are onely gods in their erroneous reputation Much more then ought he to be punished that blasphemes the true GOD. Thus doth GOD oftentimes shame his owne people for their Impieties by setting before their face the Pietie that is in Infidels Hath a Nation changed their Gods which yet are no Gods Ier. 2. But my people hath changed their glorie for that which doth not profit And againe Mal. 3. Will a man rob God Yet ye haue robbed me So that the punishment cannot be denied to be iust by true Religion which is held most iust by the glimmering light of Reason But the words may haue in them more then a bare Relation they may containe a commandement also a commandement that whosoeuer curseth God though it be but his God that is a false God shall be punished for conscientia erronea ligat so long as any man in his conscience is perswaded that he is the true God he must worship him as if he were such It is true that when he commeth to the knowledge of his error Esay 8. Esay 2. he may then curse his false gods he may cast them to the Bats and to the Moles But so long as his vnderstanding is clouded with error his Reuerence must follow the Rule of his Conscience It is good Diuinitie that is deliuered in the Booke of Wisdome touching Idolatrous periured persons They shall be iustly punished Cap. 14. both because they thought not well of God giuing heed vnto Idols and also vniustly swore in deceit despising holinesse â—or it is not the power of them by whom they sweare but it is the iust vengeance of sinners that punisheth alwayes the offence of the vngodly And no maruell for were it a true GOD they would vse him so their ignorance is not antecedent but concomitant and such ignorance doth not excuse the quantitie much lesse doth it excuse the qualitie of sinne But to leaue his God and come to the Name of the Lord. Here Quicunque must be repeated againe we may lesse admit exception of persons amongst them that blaspheme the Name of the Lord then amongst them that curse their God But here we meet with a markable distribution of quicunque whosoeuer Whether saith the Text he be a Stranger or borne in the Land Though morally all men are bound and may be perswaded by Ministers and others to acknowledge and worship the true GOD yet politickly Infidels cannot be compeld And why It is a worke that needeth the assistance of supernaturall grace which is not annext vnto the Sword Notwithstanding the Ciuill Sword may take vengeance vpon all euen Strangers Infidels that openly blaspheme the Name of the Lord though they may be tollerated in their false yet may they not open their mouthes against the true Religion Quicunque whatsoeuer Stranger doth so he must be stoned And if a Stranger much more he that is borne in the Land for he is tyed to honour GOD by a double obligation a natiue a votiue as a man as a member of the Church Now the more obligations the more guilt the more guilt the more iust the punishment therefore Quicunque whosoeuer borne in the Land blasphemeth the Name of the Lord he must be stoned to death I must carrie Quicunque a little farther the root of Blasphemie may be without vs or within vs Without vs the Diuel who may suggest it and then it is no sinne of ours though a sinne except we consent vnto it and delight in it Within vs it may be three-fold First Ignorance Secondly Infirmitie Thirdly Malice There is great odds betweene these to GOD-ward St Paul blasphemed but he did it ignorantly he did not beleeue that IESVS was the CHRIST St Peter blasphemed but he did it of infirmie he did it being ouertaken with feare of death The Pharisees they also blasphemed but they did it out of malice they did it against their owne conscience Now of these three Rootes the two first leaue place for repentance St Peter and St Paul are ensamples thereof Math. 12. Not so the third it is the sinne against the Holy Ghost not to be forgiuen in this world nor in that which is to come But howsoeuer there is this odds to GOD-ward yet in regard of the Magistrates sword there is no difference Quicunque be the root ignorance be it infirmitie be it malice he must be stoned to death his body must be made an expiatorie Anathema or Sacrifice by the State whose Soule notwithstanding vpon repentance may be saued in the day of the Lord. And verily the Blasphemer
worke and the reward without any other respect but merit of congruitie there might haue beene seeing GOD was pleased freely and graciously to propose to the worke so great a reward and to bind himselfe by promise to performe his Couenant of life if man did performe his couenant of obedience And this congruitie carrieth with it a Iustice for GOD is no lesse iust when he keepes his word then when he equalleth a reward to a worke But his first word was Legall the word wherewith we haue to doe is Euangelicall a word published by the Prophets and Apostles wherein there is mercie not onely in that GOD proposeth a reward to the worke but also for CHRISTS sake bestoweth the reward notwithstanding our defects in the worke for touching the worke of our passiue obedience St Pauls rule is true Non sunt condignae passiones c. Saint St Bernard openeth St Pauls meaning fairely and fully lest any man should restraine it out of a vaine conceit of any worth of his owne Non sunt condignae saith he vel ad praeteritam culpam quae remittitur vel ad presentis consolationis gratiam quae immitticur vel ad futuram gloriam quae promittitur our momentaine afflictions which are but for a little time doe worke an exceeding eternall weight of glorie Vsura sortem excedit Away then with all pride and let no Romanists presume of more then GODS free mercie for all our title is concluded in The Lord hath promised And what he promiseth shall be performed that appeares in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there must be no distrust no distrust if the person be not mistaken to whom the promise is made that is to the patient man he shall be sure of it There is a question An iustus possit excidere a gratia but of this which is in my Text there is no question Papists Lutherans Protestants all are agreed that he that perseuereth to the end shall be saued shall be glorified And I would to GOD the world did take more care to perseuere then to dispute of the certaintie of perseuering Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the future tense intimates that Beatitudo hic parari potest possideri non potest we must stay our time and in due time we shall not faile Nazianz. trat 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let vs not be wearie of well-doing for in due time we shall reape if we faint not The last point that I note is that whereunto St Iames applyes both the nature of patience and also the description of the end thereof it is to resolue rich-men humbled that they must reioyce and I doubt not but by this time you will say they must reioyce Let affliction be vnsauourie yet temptation rellisheth well for what generous nature doth not affect to haue his vertue most conspicuous especially that vertue which is the life of all vertue I meane the loue of God There is then matter of Ioy included in the nature of the Crosse If in the Nature much more in the End for this end is blessednesse and this blessednesse is the Crowne of life looke how many words so many seeds shall I say nay clusters of ioy The Moralist teacheth that pleasure is inseparable from blessednesse and how sweet life is aske but the Naturalist whose axiome that is Skin for skin and all that a man hath he will giue for his life And as for a Crowne all Histories will teach vs that there hath beene no kind of Festiuitie amongst the Ancients whereof one token was not the wearing of a Crowne But if we consider moreouer that the blessednesse here mentioned is entire the life heauenly the Crowne eternall then I am sure there will be no question made of the ioy the ioy that attends the end of patience Let Iulian seeke to disgrace the Crosse and not endure it vpon his Standard he shall find it in the verie entrals of beasts crowned to his confusion Let all the enemies of the Church crowne vs here with thornes as they did our Sauiour CHRIST yet let vs be of good courage as his so ours shall be changed into a Crowne of glorie Affliction is not destructiue nay that which is the path of death in the eyes of men is vnto the godly the path of life The wicked thinke to doe vs hurt as Iosephs brethren did when they sold him but as Ioseph answered GOD meant it vnto good and so doth he worke our good out of the malice of all our Foes Sicut non minuitur patris dilectio quod Christus passus sit ita neque nos minus diligimur quod tentamur If we suâ—â—er with CHRIST we shall raigne with him GOD will bring vpon Dauid a blessing for Shimei his curse and all that suffer for CHRIST shall one day haue occasion to sing that part of the eighth Psalme which belongs to you no lesse then to CHRIST Lord what is man that thou art so mindfull of him Thou hast made him a little lower then the Angels by affliction but hast crowned him with glorie and honour The conclusion of all is Kings are not free from nay they are most subiect vnto the Crosse they must not be the worse for it nay their vertue must become the more resplendent by it so shall they be twice happy happy here on earth in that they beare the Crosse vpon their Crownes and happy in Heauen where GOD shall set the Crowne vpon all their Crosses GOD grant all states according to their degrees this Patience that they may euerie one in Heauen receiue his measure of the Recompence Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnesse sake A SERMON PREACHED AT WHITE-HALL IOHN 2.16 16 Make not my Fathers House an house of merchandize THE whole Chapter is a portion of this dayes Liturgie and the latter part thereof containeth a preparation against Easter for that Feast drew neere as we read at the 13 verse and we read there also that CHRIST then went vp to Hierusalem First He went vp to be a good example vnto others of obeying the Law Secondly to giue a solemne beginning to that Function whereunto he was not long before inaugurated at his Baptisme When for these ends he came into the Temple at the verie entrance he perceiued the prophanation thereof and therefore the first worke that he vndertooke was to reforme that place In this Reformation he manifested potentiam potestatem power and authoritie power in his deed and in his word authoritie but a Miracle in both His deed was a miracle St Hierome commenting vpon the like reported Math. 21. affirmeth that it was the greatest Miracle that euer CHRIST wrought If that much more this for CHRIST was now lesse knowne and worse attended therefore it was the more strange that being but one man in shew a meane man he should not onely set vpon but expell also out of the Temple so great a multitude and that of no meane ones yet such was
one whose t Ma. â— 7. lips did preserue knowledge and men did seek the law at his mouth But it is required of a Bishop that hee should pascere cibo too as well as verbo and therefore Saint Paul among other things sayes hee should bee u â— Tim 3. giuen to hospitalitie So was this man in a very extraordinarie and remarkable degree For to omit his house-keeping first at Saint Crosse where hee made it his studie and profession to refresh the bowels of the poore not with drie Pensions as his Predecessors for the most part had done either for the sauing of trouble or charges or both but as became the honour of that place with constant solide and substantiall meales and then afterward at his Deanerie of Worcester where he entertained the better sort with that splen dour and the meaner with that bountie and munificence that the whole Countrie rings of it to this day to omit these J say the list of his ordinarie Family which he kept in diet after hee came to the Bishopricke of Bath and Welles did commonly consist of at least fiftie persons a great part whereof hee kept not so much for any state or attendance vpon his person as out of pure charitie in regard of their owne priuate needs Besides all which his gates were the daily refectorie of his poore neighbours and for superuenient strangers be was another h 1 Gen 18 5. Abraham a i Gen 19.3 Lot neuer suffering any man of fashion Schollers especially that came to him vpon businesse or otherwise to depart emptie away Now in this rankenesse of housekeeping I know it is a disease that commonly fals vpon great Families that they grow disorderly and riotous abusing oftentimes the bountie of a good Lord or Master to their owne hurt and the scandall of others Which fault lest any man should suspect to haue beene in his house I cannot but remember another vertue of his which Saint Paul commends also in a Bishop and that is the k 1 Tim. 3.4 ruling of his house well and hauing those that are vnder him in subiection with all grauitie Surely this man had so For notwithstanding his large allowances of all things fit for the entertainment of strangers you should see no footsteps of riot or excesse in his house No tipling or carowsing of healths no casting of the childrens bread vnto dogs not so much as any hawkes or hounds kept vnlesse it were l Hi sunt catuâ— quibus venor regnum Coelorü those wherewith hee hunted after the Kingdome of Heauen And the reason of all this J take to haue beene first his owne example who was indeed a patterne of sobrietie and of all good conuersation as Saint Paul wisheth m 1. Tim 4.12 Timothie to be then the choice of his seruants wherein he imitated Dauid Psal 101.8 and lastly his training them vp whom he entertained in true pietie and deuotion For besides his ordinary Chappell houres which he saw duely and by all frequented hee caused many of his household to assist euery morning at the sixe a clocke Prayers in the Cathedrall Church adioyning Hee neuer sate downe to his meales but he had according to the ancient fashion of Bishops a Chapter of the holy Bible read by one whom he kept for that purpose and lastly at the close of the night he called his whole Family into his ordinary dining roome and there in his owne person most deuoutly commended them by his prayers vnto Almightie God Which thing though it be no more then euery Christian housekeeper in his particular charge doth or should doe yet I account it the more memorable in a man of his place because the multitude and different qualitie of their attendants seemes ordinarily vnto such a sufficient pretence to remit that dutie to their Chaplaines if not to lay it quite aside Now as the Philosopher sayes that each priuate Family is the modell of a Common-wealth so may I say that each Christian Family is the modell of a Church and therefore no wonder if he that was so good at the ordering of the one proued no lesse excellent in the administration of the other The care of his Diocesse as it was of all other his greatest and that which most tooke him vp so did it bring forth in him fruits of exemplary diligence and such as deserue not to be concealed from the World For first whereas the foundation of all good order in a Church is the planting of an able and learned Ministery which thing appertaines to the care of the Bishop and hath euer beene accounted a chiefe o 〈◊〉 this Cauâ—â—ut I the 〈◊〉 creete that thou shouldst ordam Fliers c. Trus 1.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 75. Qâ—id facit excepâ—d erdination◠〈…〉 non â—aciat Hicâ—â—â— ad â—â—utgrâ—um branch of his supereminent power in the discharge hereof he was so carefull and precise that he neuer conferred holy Orders vpon any person whom he did not first examine strictly according to the Canons of the Church neither did hee trust herein any Chaplaine or other Deputie but himselfe personally performed the office for the satisfaction of his owne conscience as one that meant to giue an account to God for what hee did A worthy example doubtlesse which if it were imitated by all the rest of that Venerable ranke neither on the one side would they bee troubled with so many clamours of the Laitie against the vnsufficiencie of their Clergie nor on the other would they haue such cause as oftentimes they haue to p Maâ—â—ianies Bishop of the Noâ—tatians at Constantâ—â—â—â—â— hammâ— ordained â—abbatius a 〈◊〉 Priest 〈◊〉 him afterward to hee a turbulent man wished he had laid his hands on the briars rather then on such a maâ—â—â—â—ad See Secrat lib 〈…〉 1.20 beshrew their owne fingers for ordaining them who are no sooner put into the Ministerie but they become the ring-leaders of faction and schisme against that very authoritie which ordained them As he was thus prouident to plant a good Ministerie in his Diocesse so was hee no lesse carefull to cherish those who were alreadie planted His care of them all in generall was most tender and fatherlike The most eminent among them for Pietie and Learning he did not only vse most familiarly but studied to draw them nearest to himselfe by prouiding them of Prebends in his Church wherein it was his want of opportunitie rather then of desire and forwardnesse that he did no more And lastly to the weaker sort of them he spared not to giue his aduice and direction vpon all occasions how they might enable themselues for the better discharge of their calling to which purpose he had both intended and begun a plaine and familiar explanation of the Doctrine of the Church of England contained in the Catechisme and thirtie nine Articles which he meant to haue communicated to them for their proper vse and instruction but the
liue amongst Beasts and vpon his acknowledgement of the Lord of Heauen and Earth was restored againe maketh this cleare Canutus a King of this Land when flatterers magnified his power and did almost deifie him to confute them caused his chaire to bee set by the Sea shore at the time of the floud and sitting in his Maiestie commanded the waues that they should not approach his Throne but when the tyde kept his course and wet his garments Lo saith hee what a mighty King I am by Sea and Land whose command euery waue dareth resist Though then they are mighty yet there is much weakenesse ioyned with their might Not so Christ It appeares in the Epithite that is added vnto El which is Gibbor importing that he is a God of preuailing might In Daniel he is called El Elim The Mighty of mighties whereupon Moses magnifying his might saith Who is like vnto thee Exod. 15. O Lord amongst the gods Which words abbreuiated the Maccabees in their wars against their enemies did bear in their standard and therehence as the learned obserue did take their name of Maccabees Certainely this Epithite is a lust ground of that which King Dauid perswades Psalme 29. Ascribe vnto the Lord O yee mighty ascribe vnto the Lord glory and strength But there are two Eminences in Christs might by which hee is aduanced aboue all Creatures The first is that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mighty of himselfe The second is that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 almighty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 other Creatures haue their power from him and therefore their power depends vpon him so that he can at his pleasure intend or remit theirs but his owne continueth euer the same Secondly they can doe but euery one so much as is permitted him and neuer was there any creature to whom God imparted all his power I speake not of the degree but the parts thereof some things he committeth to Angels which Men cannot doe and some things to Men which Angels cannot doe the earth hath not the power of the heauens nor the heauens of the earth but God is the fountaine of all power there is nothing done by any of these which without these he cannot doe Ier. 23. Nothing is hard vnto him and the Angel Luke 1. Nothing is impossible vnto God therefore hee hath wrought the same effects without these creatures What he doth by his Angels ordinarily he extraordinarily hath done by himselfe and what doth hee by Man which without Man hee hath not done And as for the Sunne and the Starres he hath illightned the ayre without them and without the earth hath he prouided both bread and flesh yea at his pleasure he hath stript all those of their power in an instant in a word He doth whatsoeuer he will both in heauen and earth he cannot will that which he cannot doe nothing resisteth his will but all things readily do serue him If this title be carried through the Gospell euery point of the Gospel will witnesse the truth thereof in Christ it will witnesse that hee hath a preuailing power and that he is therefore worthily called a mighty God When God promised him hee promised him in these words I haue layd helpe vpon one that is mighty Psalme 89. When God exhibits him Luke 1. Zacharie proclaimes him thus God hath raised vp a mighty saluation vnto vs in the house of his seruant Dauid Christ himselfe Mat. 28. All power is giuen to mee both in heauen earth to say nothing of like titles that are remembred in the Reuelation But I chuse rather to obserue vnto you out of both Christs Regall titles how well they fit vs what comfort they doe yeeld vnto vs. Our enemie the Diuell is compared to a Serpent to a roaring Lion hee is full of craft and of great strength and so are his instruments the wicked subtill and violent but wee are silly and we are feeble If we compare our selues to them how can we but feare to be deceiued to bee opprest See how God hath prouided for vs see how hee hath furnished Christ whom hee sendeth vnto vs Hee is a Counsellour and it was a Counsellour that wee needed that â—ight discouer vnto vs the Serpents policie in his end and Sophistrie in his meanes wherewith he setteth vpon vs He pretends that we shall be like vnto Gods when he meaneth to make vs Diuels and by setting an edge on our desire of the Tree of the knowledge of good and euill he would depriue vs of the Tree of life but Christ is at hand to discouer his purposes and to giue vs timely caueats that we bee not abused by them Secondly he still compasseth the world seeking Whom he may deuour and is mighty to destroy And certainely none should escape him were it not that we haue on our side a mighty God the seed of the Woman that shewed himselfe so much mightier than the seed of the Serpent by how much breaking of the head is more than bruising of the heele Wee haue a Dauid for that Goliah and a stronger man that hath entred that strong mans house bound him rifled him and diuided his spoyle So that if now it be doubtingly asked Shall the prey be taken from the mighty or the lawfull captiue bee deliuered we may answer with the Prophet Esay 49. Thus saith the Lord Euen the Captiues of the mighty shall be taken away and the prey of the terrible shall bee deliuered for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee and will faue thy children and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Sauiour and thy Redeemer the mighty One of Iacob Wherefore seeing Christ is become our Counsellour let vs not leane vnto our owne wisedome but be counselled by him It is the second degree of wisedome when wee cannot aduise our selues to bee aduised by others if we faile herein the Philosopher himselfe will censure vs for fooles And remember withall that of the Sonne of Syracke Bee in peace with many neuerthelesse haue but one Counsellour of a thousand cap. 6. hee giues the reason at large cap. 37. And well may we rely vpon the iudgement of this Counsellour who much better than Elizeus can detect vnto vs the plots of the King of Aram of all our Enemies that we may prouide against them yea he can take them all in their owne wilinesse and infatuate their Counsels as he did Achitophels Reade Esay 19. 8. So did Christ deale with the old Serpent and with the broode of the Serpent in all ages our age our country hath had proofe thereof As this must encourage vs to rely vpon his Counsell so must the other title encourage vs to rely vpon his power his preuailing power We walk in the middest of our enemies and they vse the vttermost of their strength to ruine vs yet though we are in the middest of the valley of the shadow of death let vs feare none euill
for they that trust in the Lord are like vnto mount Sion which shall neuer be remoued LOrd guide vs by thy Counsell support vs by thy Power that wee be neyther circumuented nor quelled but by thy direction and protection we may escape both the craft and the force of all our Enemies So shall we euer glorifie thee as our admirable Counsellour and our most mighty God THE FIFTH SERMON The euerlasting Father the Prince of Peace THe Excellencie of Christs Person consists in the indowments thereof which are Regall but Spirituall That they are Regall appeares in his two first titles whereof I haue already spoken and that they are Spirituall it will appeare by the other two whereof I am now to speake Whereof the first sheweth that Christs Kingdome is not of this world He is the Father of eternity the second sheweth that the condition of his people is not worldly Christ is Prince of Peace To begin with the first In the Originall the first of these two titles is so exprest as I haue read it The Father of eternity And the words beare a double sense for either Aeternity is made the Attribute of the Father and so by an Hebraisme The Father of eternity is no more than the eternall or euerlasting Father so some Translations reade it or Aeternity may note that which is subiect to the Father and so the title imports that he is a Father of eternall things and so some Translations reade The Father of the world to come We need not to bee troubled with this variety for the words will beare eyther Translation and both these things concurre in the same person He that is the euerlasting Father is a Father of euerlasting things We will therefore handle both and first shew you that Christ is an euerlasting Father The phrase doth distinguish betweene our Father and our Father the Father of our flesh and the Father of our spirits of whom St. Paul speaketh Heb. 12. Of these two the first is Temporall the other is Aeternall that the first is but temporall wee may gather out of the fift of Genesis where are reckoned vp the longest liued Fathers that euer were in the world but of them all it is said that they begat children and then they dyed they left their children to the world And as they so their posterity come within the compasse of that of Iob Man that is borne of a Woman is but of a short time or as Dauid speakes His dayes are but a spanne long When he hath serued his course he goeth the way of all flesh and sleepes in his graue Neyther is he temporall only in regard that he must dye but also in regard that his affection is mutable Some parents destitute their children inforced by death but not a few put off the affection of Fathers euen in their life and they in that respect also may be termed but temporall Fathers Our Sauiour Christ speaking of the later times telleth vs that the Father shall rise against the Sonne as the Sonne against the Father Saint Paul speaking of former times Rom. 1. amongst other wicked ones reckoneth vp persons that were without naturall affection and it were an easie matter out of Histories to report that many haue dis-inherited many haue murdered many haue deuoured their own children so farre vnnaturall haue they beene In opposition vnto these two cases which apparantly conclude that the Parents of our flesh are temporall temporall in regard that they are mortall in their nature and temporall in that they are mutable in their affections our Sauiour Christ is termed an euerlasting Father death cannot take him from vs for euen in his death wherein notwithstanding his abode was so little that hee saw no corruption the hypostaticall Vnion which made him a father did not cease And as for his affection it is immutable Whom he loueth hee loueth vnto the end of the perpetuitie of his being excellent is that place Esay 63. Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of vs and Israel acknowledge vs not Thou O Lord art our Father and our Redeemer thy name is from euerlasting And touching the perpetuity of his louing the Church there speaketh also Looke downe from heauen and behold from the habitation of thy holinesse and of thy glory where is thy zeale and thy strength the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercy towards me 〈◊〉 9. â—â—al 27. are they restrained No they cannot bee restrained For as God in this Prophet speaketh elsewhere Can a Mother forget her child If she can yet will not I forget thee saith the Lord And King Dauid When my father and my mother forsooke me the Lord tooke me vp This is the reason why our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell biddeth vs Call none father vpon earth for that we haue but one father which is in heauen hee liueth when the other dye and when the other hateth he continueth his loue and therefore is deseruedly called the euerlasting Father Two good Lessons are implyed herein the one teaching Piety the other Charity We are taught Piety when we are taught that he whom we obey is our Father for if I be a Father saith the Lord where is mine honour Mal. 1. and Moses to Israel Deut. 32. Doest thou so reward the Lord O thou foolish people and vnwise is not he thy Father that made thee c. And as the very name of Father teacheth Piety so doth the name of Euerlasting teach it much more St. Paul argueth so Heb. 12. If so bee wee honoured the fathers of our flesh which are mortall as is our flesh how much more should we honour the father of our spirits which is immortall as is our spirits Great reason haue we to reuerence this Father that neuer ceaseth to be our Father that hath prouided that euen when we lose our fathers we should yet stil haue our Father haue him for our Father which is the Father of Orphanes It is no small comfort nor weake pillar of our faith that we neuer want a Father yea our double birth readeth vs this Lecture For as we come out of our mothers wombe by the help of our mortall Parents so to signifie that we haue immortall parents we are then borne againe in the Churches wombe Neither doth this title teach vs only Piety but Charity also charity one towards another For whereas our mortall parents extend their consanguinity and affinity but to a few this euerlasing father extends his vnto all Malachy worketh vpon this Haue we not all one Father Cap. 2. wherefore then do you iniury one to another The blood should neuer be cold seeing wee are all kinne in the first degree all brethren sonnes of one father euen of him that is here called the euerlasting father But how commeth Christ to be called father who otherwise is called our brother he being the sonne of God and God being his father as hee is ours If you respect the Communion of
a commendable highth than by profitably reading of those places You shall learne thus much also that factus Christianus is much more pious than is natus he that out of a forlorne state is by the mercie of God brought to the state of grace when he is come to the yeares of discretion doth abound much more in the fruits of righteousnesse than he that is borne in the state of grace and so will euerie true conuerted sinner abound more than he that neuer tooke a grieuous fall But I must hasten to the preheminencie of Grace a preheminencie beyond St. Pauls preheminency euen by the testimonie of St. Paul himselfe Not I but the grace of God that is with me he correcteth himselfe as if he had presumed too farre Where marke that though a man worke with grace not only per effectum but also per consensum not only to the producing of the effect but also vnderstanding and willing it for hee is instrumentum rationale and God doth not deale with men as with blockes and bruit beasts yet is a man but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Instrument the principall Agent is the grace of God And although there be two workers yet must they not be reputed coordinate but subordinate neither doth man worke otherwise than as hee is moued by grace and the children of God are led by his spirit Whereby you may gather how wicked a doubt that is which now doth perplexe the Church Whether forsooth our will determines Gods grace or Gods grace determines our will in the point of iustification Certainly St. Paul thought the point out of question when he vsed this correctiue Not I but the grace of God that is with me mecum or quae in me The grace of God doth not cooperate with our free will except it bee first regenerated by grace Therefore the defence of free will is idly gathered hence seeing Papists meane it in actu primo and St. Paul speakes here de actusecundo He is most vnthankefull then and so vnworthy of grace that doth not giue the preheminence to the grace of Adoption cooperant in all his workes of pietie And so to the cooperant grace of Edification must we giue the glorie of all the workes of our Ministrie Paul planteth and Apollo watereth it is God that giueth the increase wee haue heauenly treasures but we conuey them in earthen vessels the foolishnesse of preaching is ours the demonstration of the Spirit is from Heauen Non vos estis qu◠loquimini sed Spiritus Patris Matth. 10. wee speake the words God openeth the heart wee wash with water Christ with the Holy Ghost we giue the bread and wine Christ his body and blood Ros coelestis sacit messem terrestrem wee may not thinke better of our selues than of Ministers the power of whose worke dependeth on the Spirit of our Master wee are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but Christi a second grace is the cause why our first is not frustrate so was it before the fall much more is it so now I haue done with the particulars of my text two things I gathered out or the whole bodie of it which I will note in a word The first is St. Pauls sinceritie who giueth the glorie vnto God of the originall of the gifts and of the vse of the gifts wherewith he was endowed condemning all sacriledge of this kinde What God told Zorobabel re-edifying the Temple of the earthly Hierusalem the same is fulfilled in the restauration of our heauenly neyther by armie nor strength but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts men shall bring forth all the stones thereof with shouting crying grace grace Zach. 4. Therefore let vs say Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy name giue the praise for of thee and through thee and for thee are all things all things that belong to the being of thy Church the being both of Pastor and People Let him that glories glorie in the Lord. As St. Paul dealeth sincerely in regard of Gods glorie so doth he also modestly in regard of himselfe as he extolleth God so doth he abase himselfe witnesse the extenuation of his endowment of his employment and the correction of that speech wherein hee might seeme to value himselfe at too high a rate I cannot stand to amplifie this vertue of his though the pride of our nature deserues to haue it amplified that it may be admonished thereby I will onely commend vnto your meditation King Dauids Psalme Lord I am not high minded I haue no proud looks c. and Christs exhortation to vs to become as little children hee that exalteth himselfe shall bee humbled and that humbleth himselfe shall bee exalted Let vs not therefore bee ashamed to cast downe our selues that the Lord may lift vs vp and seeing our helpe standeth in the Name of the Lord and without Christ we can doe nothing for quis te discreuit and what hast thou that thou hast not receiued because it is hee that worketh in vs both to will and to doe let vs continually pray Lord make speed to saue vs Lord make haste to helpe vs saue and helpe both Pastor and People that both may truly say with St. Paul By the grace of God I am that I am and euery one may haue this sweet repose of conscience Gods grace was not bestowed on me in vaine Finally the Apostle ascribing before his sinnes to himselfe and his vertue to God doth teach that we are sufficient to our owne ruine not so to our rising according to that of Hosea Destructio tua ex te c. Therefore the Minister must with meeknesse teach the contrary minded 2 Timothie 2. I haue set before you an exact patterne of a good Pastor and Christian wee should all endeauour to conforme thereto but this is rather to bee wished than hoped because of the frailtie of our nature Wherefore a timely suruey of the Church is requisite to make such a suruey is the reason of this meeting The world hath many Saules blasphemers oppressors wicked liuers but you vse to present All as Pauls you say All is well when euery man may see that much is amisse Remember that this is Iudicium ante iudicium a medicinall Iudgement before a mortall the iudgement of man to preuent the iudgement of God Doe not by cruell indulgence exempt any from the iust censure of the Church to expose your selues and them to the intolerable vengeance of God Rather let vs all ioyne of Saules to make Paules that so wee may repaire the decayes of the Church and heare a comfortable doome when we all come before the Tribunall seat of Christ THe Lord giue vs all this effectuall grace the vndoubted pledge of eternall glorie Hee that hath begunne in you a good worke perfect it till the day of the Lord. Amen IHS A SERMON PREACHED IN TRINITY CHVRCH IN WINCHESTER AT An ASSIZES 1610. EZRA 7. vers 26. And whosoeuer will not doe