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A03640
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A sermon preached before the queenes maiestie at Hampton Court, on Sunday the 16. day of October: By I. Hopkins, one of his maiesties chaplaines in ordinarie
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Hopkins, John, fl. 1604-1609.
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1609
(1609)
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STC 13768; ESTC S114087
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13,139
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44
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perfection of contentation from continual discontentment into the hauen of assured safetie from the stormes of perpetual danger vndoubtedly had I the tongues of men and Angels I could not to perfection set out the greatnesse of this disparitie And that in the midst of his age for long life is but as a long warfare as a long winter as a long imprisonment as a long and tedious iournie at sea wherein all the hope of contentment stands on the safe arriuall in the harbour and returning home into our countrie Long life I say is not alwaies a blessing for how many liue long to their greater miserie in this life and further punishment afterward How much happier had it bin with Heli that hee had died young then to haue liued to see the impietie of his sonnes and their miserable end How much happier with Saul if hee had died in the prime of his yeeres then in liuing long to commit so many fearefull sinnes and at length to be his owne murtherer Ah how happie had it been with Zedekia if he had died in his cradle rather then to liue to see Ierusalem through his rebellion and periurie sackt that famous Temple burnt his owne children slaine before his face and then his eies being put out to liue yet longer in miserable captiuitie How much better had it been with Ioas to haue died in Iehoiadas time then in liuing after him 2. Chro. 24. of a religious King to become a prophane Idolater and bloody man and in the height of his sinne to bee slaine by the hands of murtherers On the otherside the Scripture saith of the death of Ieroboams sonne that died young 1. King 14.13 that hee only of Ieroboams house should come to his graue because in him there was found some goodnesse toward the Lord God of Israel So as this was the fauour that God bestowed on him to take him away a child before hee was corrupted with his fathers idolatrie or saw the disastrous ruine and desolation of his fathers house Was it not promised as a blessing to Iosiah that hee should bee gathered to his fathers and shuld not see the euill that came to passe immediatlie after his death To the vngodly indeed it is a punishment to bee taken from their heauen and pleasure which they haue in this world and to bee cast into eternall torment after their life is ended Eccles 41. and herehence it commeth that death and the remembrance thereof is and euer hath been so bitter to them because they haue no hope after this life is ended according to that of Salomon Prou. 11.7 When a wicked man dieth all his hope is gone Now what this benefit was that Henoch receiued is very briefly noted in one worde veennenu which the Vulgar translateth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non apparuit and hee appeared not Tremellius non extitit hee remained no more among men Montanus according to the Hebrew non ille hee was not and the Apostle to the Hebrewes hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee was translated that is taken from the societie of men not by the vsuall way of death the common ende of all flesh but as hee in his bodie liued a heauenlie life so was his bodie freed from ordinary corruption and receiued into a heauenly condition like those that shall be found aliue at the comming of Christ that in a moment shall be changed and caught vp into the cloudes And this translation and assumption of Henoch before the law 1. Cor. 15.1 Thes 4. and Heliah vnder the law did vndoubtedlie nourish the hope of the glorification of the bodies of the Saints as types prefiguring the ascensiō of Christ in whom the promise of all heauenly glorie should be performed and accomplished Into what place he was receiued the coniectures haue been diuers al the Diuines of the Church of Rome with some of the Ancients affirme that he with Eliah were placed in Paradise that garden of Eden whence Adam was expelled and that they shall come at the latter end of the world to preach against Antichrist which is a meere conceit without any warrant or authoritie Neither that place of the two witnesses in the eleuenth of the Apocalyps nor that of the 44. of Ecclesiasticus commonlie alleaged for the proofe hereof giue warrant to this imagination First Perceius is of this iudgement with manie others Gen. 7.20 for the place of Paradise it was vndoubtedly drowned in the great deluge of the waters which were 15. cubites aboue the highest mountaine And by the geographical description thereof by Moses Gen. 2.8 it is apparent it was planted vpon the earth on the East part of Mesapotamia Philo Iudaeus neere Babylon and not aboue the sphere of the Moone P. L. Sent. lib. 2. dist 17. as Peter Lombard and others doe imagine The two witnesses mentioned by S. Iohn vsing a certaine number for an vncertaine signifie nothing else but that the Lord should haue alwaies some that in a holy zeale should preach against the enemies of the truth whom though the wicked should kill and murther yet should they not so extinguished gods spirit but others should still bee raised vp as hath bin in al ages of the church to supplie their roomes in the Lords vineyard the Lord neuer left himselfe without witnesses of his truth And whereas they vrge a miracle in their raising to life againe the like manner of speaking is in the eight of Ecclesiastes Eccle. 8.10 I haue seene the wicked buried and they returned which no man euer vnderstood of those that were dead and buried but of others as wicked as they which succeedinglie supplied their places Eccles 44.16 The sonne of Sirach calling Henoch an example of repentance to the generations may with much more probabilitie be vnderstood of his translation then of any second comming of him to bee expected and of the generations that liued when he was so taken vp that they should bee mooued to repentance by the knowledge of so great an honor done to so holy a mā or made more inexcusable rather then of any other generations in the latter end of the world Others doe hold that Henoch was receiued vp into the highest heauens in coelum beatorum the place whither Christ did ascend and where the soules of the Saints rest in happines waiting for the resurrection But this opinion is contradicted by other Diuines very learned as Peter Martir Caluin P. M. vpon the assumption of Heliah Cal. Com. on this place and diuers more of the late writers against which opinion also is alleaged that place in the 10. Heb. vers 19.20 Wee may bee bold to enter into the holy place by the new and liuing way which hee hath prepared for vs through the vaile that is Theophylact vpon this place his flesh That is saith Theophylactus this our Captaine first entred hee went before and first made this passage for vs and therefore called a new way because Christ was the first that made it by his ascension To this end is also brought that place in the 1. Cor. 15.23 Euery man in his owne order the first fruits is Christ afterward they that are of Christ c. And also that place in Ioh. 3.13 where Christ saith No man ascendeth vp to heauen but he that hath descended from heauen that sonne of man which is in heauen which I am not ignorant is otherwise expounded but it is not my purpose to stand vpon it Omitting therefore all coniecturall opinions seeing the holy Scripture hath not made it manifest modest ignorance is better then curious inquisition Beza annot Heb. 11.5 For as a learned man saith Temerarium est de his statuere curiosum inuestigare It is rashnes to determine such doubtfull things and curiositie to search after them The secret things belong to the Lord our God Deut. 29.29 but the things reueiled to vs and to our children for euer that wee may doe all the workes of this law Melius est dubitare de occultis quà m litigare de incertis It is better to leaue hidden things in doubt then to contend of things vncertaine But howsoeuer this is certaine that Henoch was translated into vnspeakeable ioy and happines Ioh. 14.2 For the meanest of those glorious mansions whereof our Sauiour saith in his fathers house there are manie doe beyond all comparison exceed the most glorious palace or paradise vpon earth The Lord so guide our hearts and order our waies by his grace in our walking on this vale of miserie that we may like this holy man keepe that straite and narrow way that tendeth to eternal life that after our earthly pilgrimage is finished wee may bee receiued into that glorious rest which is purchased for vs by the precious blood-shedding of our blessed Sauiour Iesus Christ To whom with the father and the holy Ghost be all honor and glorie now and for euer Amen FINIS
other haue bin rich and yet walked with God as Enoch did and rich Abraham receiued poore Lazarus into his bosom to shew that neither of both the estates either of riches or pouerty stop vp the way to the kingdome of heauen But if riches were not a dangerous impediment our Sauior would not haue said It is harder for a Camel to passe thorow the eie of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of God Now for the curing of this sicknesse as Salomon calles it these remedies are to bee vsed First to remember we are stewards of these blessings and must giue account to God for the abusing of them Secondlie wee must know that this is not our heauen it is but as the passage thorow the wildernesse to the land of promise For if we will needs haue a heauen here wee may feare it will one day be said to vs as Abraham said to the rich man Luke 16. Sonne remember thou in thy life time receiuedst thy pleasures c. Thirdly we must vnderstand that pleasures are but like Eues Apple pleasant in shew taste but the cause of extreame misery like Esaus red broth pleasing his appetite but the losse of his birthright like the Israelites Quailes that made them fat bodies but leane soules like Ionathans honie that cleared his eics but had like to haue cost him his life like Ezechiels booke sweete in the mouth but bitter in the belly to conclude like Ionas gourd short slight momentarie dying in the birth and perishing in the cradle Fourthlie whereas there is a lawfull vse of pleasure which no sound Diuine euer denied yet wee must hearken to Salomon â—rou who saith Pastime is not meete for a foole meaning such as haue not godly wisdome to vse them for euen as children will surfet themselues with fruits and intemperat persons with drinke so wil fooles doe with pleasures Now pleasures and recreations are indeed ordained as sweete ingredients to abate the bitternesse of humane mortalitie and like as the immoderate vse of sweet meats cannot be healthfull to the bodie so is the daily following of pleasures as hurtfull to the soule Lastly for I may not be ouer tedious the meditation of our last end is a singular helpe to keepe vs froÌ„ being bewitched with these Circes cups of pleasures Qui considerat qualis erit in morte semper pauidus erit in operatione Greg. lib. 12. Mor. saith S. Gregorie He that considereth what hee shall bee in his death will neuer bee without feare in the workes of his life and most bitter will the remembrance of vaine pleasures be when death shal cease vpon vs. The second circumstance wee considered is the time when Henoch liued viz. in a declining age of the world Cal. in Gen. Exemplum singulare nobis in persona vnius hominis statuitur qui in horrenda dissipatione firmus stetit the children of Cain being many his time paralleling with Lamech that had corrupted the institution of mariage with polygamy was as by his owne boasting may appeare an insolent tyrant Now what an hindrance it is to godlinesse to liue among wicked men Gen. 4. Psalm 120. Dauids complaint Psalm 120. and our dailie experieÌ„ce will sufficientlie proue Gen. 19.23 Lots daughters could neuer haue deuised such a way for their incest if they had not seene the effects of drunkennesse in Sodom The Israelites by seeing the idolatrie of the Egyptians did learne to make the golden calfe in the wildernes Exod. 3â— Gen. 42. and Pharaoahs court taught Ioseph to call his brethreÌ„spies against his knowledge and so often to protest the same by the life of Pharaoh Neh. The children of Israel by liuing among the Heathen were readier in the speech of Asdod then in the language of Canaan and Peter neuer denied his Master Matth. 26. till he kept companie with the high Priests seruants Surely no contagion is more dangerous to the bodie then the wicked examples of the vngodlie are to the soule and who would make him his companion that is diseased with an infectious maladie A s therefore we must take heede we be not stained with the euill examples of the vngodly lest being like vnto them in their liues wee be made partakers of their plagues Apoc. 18.4 so must wee bee carefull to auoid their company and fellowship Eccles 13. lest touching pitch wee bee defiled therewith Dauid the King in setting downe the orders of his house Psal 101.7 saith There shall no deceitfull person dwell in my house hee that telleth lies shall not tarrie in my sight and S. Paul admonishing vs not to be deceiued nor corrupted with the words of the wicked addeth this caueat as a meanes Ephes 5 7â— Be not therefore companions with them Ieremies example is worthie to be remembred herein who sat not in the assembly of the mockers Ier. 15.17 But seeing so long as we liue in this world there will bee euer some darnell among the corne so that we cannot bee alwaies free from euill companie Let vs remember the holie man Lot who though he liued in Sodom became not like the Sodomits but his righteous soule was vext with seeing their vnlawfull deeds 2. Pet. 2.7.8 Eliah the Prophet Daniel with his fellowes and Henoch in this place that continued their soundnesse of religion and life without blemish notwithstanding all the euill examples of their time And thus much for the second circumstance in this example The third and last is his perseuerance viz. that he liued this holie life and continued this godlie course all his time which was more then three hundred yeeres A goodly perseuerance vndoubtedly and an argument of a sure building that in so many yeeres was not shaken many for a time haue runne well and yet â—re they came to their races end haue fallen foulie but constantly to perseuere hic labor hoc opus est The people at the first hearing of the law were very zealous and promised much but saith the Lord O that there were in them such an hart to feare mee and keepe all my commandements Alway that it might goe well with them and their children for euer Wherin the perseueraÌ„ce is noted to be the principal thing that the Lord looketh for at our hands For to bee sometimes mooued to deuotion and contrition may arise from sudden affliction of sicknesse imprisonment or such like peraduenture by hearing of a Sermon where the iudgements of God are zealouslie denounced as was Felix at the Sermon of S. Act. 24. Paul so haue I seene at sea many passionately affected with shew of repentance by occasion of a violent storme and yet hath all been like a morning cloud Hose 6.4 and as the morning dew hath vanished away And wee see how much corne is sowne as our Sauiour Christ teacheth which though it take some shallow roote Matth. 13. neuer abideth to bring