THE DEVOVT SOVLES SEARCH With the happie issue of Comfort found IN A SERMON Preached at Paules Crosse Ian. 14. 1610. By Thomas Myriell Preacher of the word of God at Barnet Bonus es domine animae quaerenti te Si quaerenti quanto magis inuenienti Si tam dulcis est memoria qualis erit praesentia Bern. LONDON Printed by T. C. For Iohn Budge and are to be sold at his shoppe at the great South dore of Poules 1610. TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN God the Lord Byshop of Bath and Wells my very good Lord heauenlie grace and earthlie peace RIGHT Reuerend Father in God my very good Lord. THere is no such motiue to giue life nor meanes to preserue life in the affection of loue as loue it selfe Neither is anie thing so kindely to mans nature or so naturall to mankinde as to loue when one is beloued Therefore euen hee which is loue it selfe takes this course hee loues vs first that wee may loue him first and last Quid tam populare quam gratia saieth that generous Byshop Fauour and grace as we affect and desire nothing more So nothing so much affecteth and delighteth vs. Hence my Lord it is that as by dutie I must not but honor so by affection I cannot but loue your Lordship my selfe in particular hauiÌ„g receiued as good cause to doe this as you giue to others in generall iust reason to doe that Your Lordships promise that you would remember mee doth make me vowe neuer to forget you Your kinde affection in wishing you might do me good did me much good presently as soone as you wished it And certes I no wayes doubt such is your Lordships loue and respect with God himself in heauen and his vice-gerent vice-regeÌ„t in earth such your dignitie and eminencie in the Church and Court that anie reasonable matter is or can be so difficult that your Lordship may wish for it and yet not haue it I know your Lordship looke for no requitall and indeed I can make none Yet if I should not so much as once shew some willingnes I should more then make shewe of great vnworthinesse Aeschines a poore scholler to Socrates when hee saw manie of his companions bestow great gifts on their maister himselfe grieuing hee could not be a companion with them in giuing rewards as hee was in receiuing Learning thus said Nihil dignum te quod dare tibi possim inuenio Et hoc vno modo pauperem me esse sentio Itaque dono tibi quod vnum habeo meipsum Hoc munus rogo qualecunque est boni consulas cogiteâ—que alios cum multum tibi darent plus sibi reliquisse I can finde nothing to giue you which is anie way worthie of you and heerein onely I finde my selfe to be poore Therefore loe euen all that I haue I giue you that is My selfe This gift I desire you be it neuer so simple to take in good worth and to reckon of others that though they gaue much to you yet they kept more for theÌ„selues To whom Socrates made this answere Quidni tu mihi magnum munus dederis nisi forte paruo te aestimas Habebo itaque curae vt te melioreÌ„ tibi reddam quà m accepi Without doubt thou hast giuen me a great gift vnlesse thou accountest thy selfe little worth I will therefore endeuour that I may restore thee againe vnto thy selfe better worth then I tooke thee at the first The like gift my Lord I a poore Aeschines doe most willingly bequeath to your Lordship that because I verelie hope that with graue and wise Socrates you will ere long restore mee to my selfe againe now scarcely apud me through an Ocean of worldlie crosses much better then you now find me And for a pledge of this gift I beseech your Lordship to accept this rude sermon and to giue it your countenance to grace it and protection to defend it And then I doubt not but as it was once carefully attended from my mouth by honorable and religious hearers since earnestly requested from my hands by worshipful and deare friends So now much more it will be thankfully receiued in the hearts of all deuout Christians not because it is any longer mine but for that it is become whollie your Lordships And so humblie crauing pardon of your Lo for my boldnes I cease further to trouble you euer resting your Lordships humbly to be commanded Thomas Myriell TO THE READER DEare Christian Reader for deare I reade thee if thou be a Christian To thee I trust I need not Apologize for Printing this Sermon If it profit spoken it cannot but profit written For other if any complaine a Eccl. 12.12 There is no end of making many bookes I answere it is meant of many books made to no end But for a Sermon there is great reason as to make it out of a book in the pulpit so to make it into a booke in the Presse Euery good thing the more coÌ„mon the more commodious And it is no lesse griefe to the spirituall father to see that his ofspring bred of his braine and brought forth by his breath should die as soone as it begins to liue theÌ„ it is for the naturall mother to behold one and the selfe same day to be vnto her child dies natalis and dies fatalis a day of birth and a day of death And surely wee liue in an age where all knowledge abounds saue the true experimentall and practicall knowledge of Christ and therefore wee had need now with the Prophets of old to b Isa 28.10 adde praecept vpon praecept by speaking and line vnto line in writting These reasons with the importunitie of many friends haue made me yeeld to the publishing heereof Vse it and enioy it in the Lord in whom and to whome I leaue thee euer resting c August ad licent epist 41. Seruus tuus per ipsum conseruus sub ipso Thomas Myriell THE DEVOVT SOVLES SEARCH Mark 16.6 But he said vnto them Be not afraid Ye seeke Iesus of Nazareth which was crucified he is risen he is not heere behold the place where they put him THough the wisest of the Sonnes of men had not saide it yet the experience of the sonnes of men had long since prooued it that a Can. 8.6 Loue is as strong as death Cant. 8.6 As strong saith Augustine in a double respect b Siue quia nemo eam vincit sicut mortem siue quia in hac vita vsque ad mottem est meosura charitatis August ad Hieron Epist 29. Either because no man ouercomes loue no more then death or else because the measure of loue extendeth euen vnto death so as the partie louing shrinketh not at the sharpest sting of death to expresse his affection to the partie beloued Nay if we say loue is stroÌ„ger then death we say no more then reason will defend which telleth vs Death may extinguish life but
They haue smitten me but I was not sicke therefore will I seeke it yet still Pro. 23.25 Rather c Dei benefiâ—ium salutem suam scilicet memoria periculi honoreâ—t Tert. lib de poe honour Gods benefites with the memorie of thy perill and say My former danger shal be an afterwarning I haue bene praemonitus I will now be praemunitus once forewarned euer after forearmed And thus much touching the Angells consolation The next point is the womens inquisition in these words ye seeke Iesus of Nazareth which was crucified And this depends on the former part as a reason of it Be not afraid saith he Why Because ye seeke Iesus of Nazareth which was crucified Indeed they which seeke Christ and him crucified haue no reason to feare anie thing especially if they find what they seeke But they must goe through to Christ crucified or else their comfort is miserable and their seeking of no value For in this inquisition there are foure degrees and all good if they tend to Christ crucified but none good if they bend not thither To make this apparant I will relate the comfort and inferre the obiection Be not afraid saith hee For ye seeke There is one degree Indeed the scripture commaunds vs to seeke but it is the kingdome of God and maine seeke but fewe the kingdome of God therefore one may seeke and yet iustly he afraid He replieth againe Be not afraid yee seeke Iesus A second degree d Matt. 1.21 Iesus signifieth a Sauiour and he that findes the true Iesus findeth the true saluation but euery Iesus is not a Sauiour therefore one may seeke Iesus and yet iustlie be afraid He addeth in the next place Be not afraid ye seeke Iesus of Nazareth A third degree Nazaret signifieth a flower and he that findes the true Nazarite e Isay 11.1 findes the true Flower of Iesse But as euery Iesus is not a Sauiour so euery Nazarite is not a flower therefore one may seeke Iesus of Nazareth yet iustly be afraid The Angel coÌ„cludes Bâ— not afraid ye seeke Iesus of Nazareth which was crucified The fourth degree the degree of perfection against which nothing can be obiected to make a man iustly afraid For more instance in these points To seeke absolutely is not good but onely so farre forth as it tendeth to Christ and his Crosse True it is in this world wee are all at a losse and can neuer finde what we lost till we be found of him Who came to seeke and to saue that which was lost f Luc. 19.10 Lu 19.10 As all seeking is vaine vnles we seeke him so all seeking of him is in vaine vnles he finde vs and hee must be praised for both saith FulgeÌ„tius g Siue cum nos ad se quaerenduÌ„ dormientes exsuscitat seu cum se inuenienduÌ„â—obis quaereÌ„tibus donat Falg ad monim li. 1. Whether it be for stirring vs vp to seeke him when we are sleeping or for offering himselfe vnto vs when we are seeking Hee that seekes other thing then this or otherwise then thus shal be sure to loose as the prouerb saith opâ—ram oleum both his labour in seeking and his cost in labouring h Psal 24.6 This way onely seeking is good and seekers gainers This is the generation of them that seeke thee euen of them that seeke thy face Psal 24.6 All other seeking is vaine and finders losers Of which there are manie generatioÌ„s in the world and of whome Paul complaineth saying i Phil. 2.21 All seeke their owne not that which is Iesus Christ Phil. 2.21 For example Some seeke their owne wealth and riches Say I some I may say All for it is that which we seek for both All and Some k O ciues ciues quaerenda pecunia primum est virtus post nummos Haec Ianos summus ab imo per docet c. Hor. â—pist 1. Citizens giue eare to such as speake from about the tâ—niple of lanus Quaerenda pecunia primum est Seeke money aboue all things rather then to such as exhort them in the Temple of IESVS l Mat 6.33 Quaerite primum râ—gnum Dâ—i Seeke first the kingdome of GOD and then all these things shal be minittred vnto you Mat. 6.33 Hence it comes to passe that manie of them which be rich to the world are very poore to God For 2. heauy burdeÌ„s saith Chrysostome inuade the rich mans thoughtes m Chrysost in Matâ—h hom 45. Deliciarum putredo curarum magnitudo the vanitie of fleshlie delight and the greatnes of worldlie cares n Quorum vnum quod que ad subigeâ—dum nauigium suf ficit Ibid. of which the least is able to sinke a shippe Hence Christ compareth a rich man to a Camel o Ambro. Serm 4. Ille oâ—cratus est carâ—â—bus iste peccatis vterque habet propriaÌ„ sarcinam saith Saint Ambrose They haue each of theÌ„ a burdeÌ„ on their backs the one of flesh the other of fleshly lusts Not that riches of theÌ„selues are euil but the immoderate loue of riches Paul saith not They which are rich but they which will be rich fall into temptation p 1. Tim. 6.9 1. Tim. 6.9 In diuitijs cupiditateÌ„ reprehendit non facultateÌ„ saith S. q August de ciuit dei lib. 1. cap. 10. Augustine Reprehending indeed the wretchednesse of the mind not the richnes of the man Some seeke for vaine-glorie An intollerable drunkennesse of the mind saith Saint r Chrysost in Ioh. ho. 2 Chrysostome and such a disease as is not easilie cured Into this ranke of seekers I may put as I feare mee some of our brethren or rather for which I grieue they haue put theÌ„selues Who as some olde Monkes were wont to be proud of humilitie so these men striue to be accounted most learned by shewing no learning We with our learning may sift while wee will into the deepest questions but all the Flowre they say is of their boulting Great Clerks with their learned preaching doe nothing our their ignoraÌ„ce is the onely mother to breed and bring forth deuotion When we alledge a Father they say wee preach our selues whilst they being as much beholding to them as wee by concealemeÌ„t of their names father all vpon theÌ„selues Me thinks I may applie Iobs words vnto theÌ„ thogh they haue not halfe the eloquence of Iobs friends Å¿ Iob. 12.2 Because ye onely are the people learning must die with you Iob. 12.2 For they are the onely people now a dayes and onely the peoples to whome they suggest that like new Palaemons secum natae periturae literae learning hath her birth her death with theÌ„ Yea rather because they are the peoples they willingly permit all learning to die wth them because they see that learning the peoples loue no more theÌ„ Dagon the Ark can stand together And certes in my iudgment this is the time of fufilling that prouerbe
se totam integram according to it selfe whole intire the third SecuÌ„dum partem sui prima onely according to the former part thereof And what may be the reason of this hast may you say If any think he thus hasted away least his bodie should putrifie he thinkes amisse For seeing putrifaction is a punishment of sinne then surely there was no reason that Christ should feare corruption For as Augustine in another case saith a August de ciuit dei lib. 13.4 Cur esset vllo paena vbi non erant vlla punienda Why should there be any feare of punishment where nothing was found due to be punishment In verie deed therefore the causes were these First b Vt propheta fidelis inueniatur Bern in die Sanct. Pas Ser. 1. that the prophet might be found faithfull who saith Hos 6.2 c Hos 6.2 He that is the Messias shall quicken vs after two daies and the third day he shall raise vs vp and we shall come into his presence Wherein he signifieth the small time that Christ was to remaine in his graue No doubt but death as he was very greedie to deuour Christ so he was verie desirous to retaine him But Peter saith d Act. 2.24 It was impossible that he should be held of the sorrowes of death Act. 2.24 That which death did and doth to all other men swallow and deuour he was not able to do to the maÌ„ Christ Iesus but e O mors ero mors tua ero morsus tuus infâ—tâ—e Hos 13.14 was swallowed and deuoured himselfe And looke as Adams stomacke could brooke all the allowed fruits but when he came to the tree in the midst of the garden and tasted of it he set his teeth on edge and surfeited euen so death that feedes vpon all other flesh and can brooke it well enough when he would needs be feeding on this mediator of God man surcharged his stomacke surfeited of sweet meate within three daies vomitted him vp againe out of his bowells Secondly he arose within three daies that there might be a certaine resemblance and analogie betweene the two great workes of the creation of the world and the redemption of the world At the beginning in the sixt day of the weeke God created man The next day God rested from all his workes The third day he ceased from his rest Euen so Christ Iesus the sixt day of the weeke redeemed man on the crosse being the verie day wherein he made him at the first The day following f Bern in die â—anct Paul Serm. 1. sabbatizauit in monumeÌ„to saith Bernard he kept sabboth in the graue And the third day as the first fruits of the dead he appeared a new man in the face of the earth Yea not onely himselfe was then become new but euen all the creatures became new againe with him and the whole world seemed to begin afresh for ioy of the resurrection And as Lactantius saith the budding of plants blossoming of trees an springing of flowers sufficiently witnessed g Lactan. in carminibus Omnia cum domino dona redisse suo that all the creatures were returned from death with their Lord and wee may now fitlie with Paul and Isay sing h 2. Cor. 5.17 Is 43.19 Olde things are done away behold all things are now become new 2. Cor. 5.17 Thirdly hee arose within three dayes to be a type vnto vs of our condition after him There is not one of vs but hath and shall haue as Christ our three dayes First a day of suffering in this life Secondly a day of rest in the graue Thirdly a day of resurrection vp againe Now he hath instructed vs what wee must doe in those dayes and what those dayes shall be vnto vs. In this first day of ours wherein we liue i Mat. 16 24. we must take vp our Crosse and follow him Matth. 16.24 k Bern. in die sanct Pasch Serm. I. Neminem audiamus fratres saith Saint Bernard non carnem sanguinem non spiritum quemlibet descensum a Cruce suadentem Brethren if anie man in the world if our owne flesh and bloud if anie manner of spirit counsell vs to come downe from the crosse let vs heare none of them all Yea if our deerest friendes bid vs fauour our selues as Peter did Christ let vs replie to euery one as Christ did to Peter l Mat. 16.23 Get thee behino me Sathan thou art an offence vnto me Mat. 16.23 Thus if we spend the first day at the secoÌ„d day the day of our death we shall rest with Christ sweetly we shall sleepe quietlie in the graue For Christ hath gone to bed thither before vs as it were to warme it against our comming Therefore Ambrose saith m In Ambrose Sepultura Christi quies Christiani The buriall of Christ is the rest of a Christian By it Christ hath both abated the sting of the paine and also increased the strength of the patient For looke as the first Adam was content to be cast into a sleepe and to haue a ribbe or bone took from him to make a wife and to haue the place filled vp with soft flesh againe Euen so the second Adam CHRISTIESVS was content to be cast into the sleep of death to giue a bone that is strength and Fortitude vnto his Spouse the Church haue receiued nothing from her for it but onely the infirmities and weaknesse of the flesh Now if we be crucified with him the first day rest with him the second day the third day n Hos 6.2 he wil raise vs vp we shall com into his presence Hos 6.2 For saith Paul o Rmo. 8.17 If we suffer together with him we shall raigne with him in glorie Rom. 8.17 Indeed we also graunt the wicked shall rise but not by vertue of the resurrection of Christ but by the power of the iust iudgement of God They shall rise I say but not to life p Bern. super Cent. Serm. 26. Imo ad vitam saith Bern. vt vim in morte infoelicius moriantur yea to life too in some sort that liuing a dying life and dying a liuing death they may euer liue in most direful deadly damnation But the righteous shal be sure as they liued to Christ in this world so to liue with him in the world to come For Pauls rule is certaine q Rom. 8.11 If the spirit of him that raised vp Iesus dwell in you hee that raised Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you Fourthly he arose within three dayes that he might not any loÌ„ger perplex the hearts of his disciples When he died one sold him another foreswore him all forsooke him When he was dead and risen againe some belieued some doubted some were resolute in vnbeliefe If they were thus perplexed when hee tarryed from them but three dayes what would they