Law were under the curse for it is written saith he i Gal. 3.10 Cursed is every man that confirmeth not all things that are written in the Law to doe them Now there is no commandement which is not written in the booke of the Law to which whosoever k Deut. 4.2 addeth is accursed To these plaine and evident passages of Scripture may bee adjoyned three like unto them The l Ezek. 18.4 Rom. 6.23 1 Cor. 15.56 soule that sinneth shall dye The wages of sinne is death and The sting of death is sinne These pregnant testimonies the Cardinall endeavoureth to elude with these and the like glosses The soule that sinneth that is mortally shall dye and the wages of sinne that is of mortall sinne is death and the sting of death is sinne that is deadly sinne With as good colour of reason in all Texts of Scriptures wherein we are deterred from sinne he might interpose this his glosse and say eschue evill that is all deadly evill flye sinne that is mortall sinne and consequently deny that veniall sinnes are any where forbidden But as when wee reade in the common or civill law these and the like titles the punishment of felony murder treason fimony sacriledge we understand the law of all crimes of the same kind so in like manner when the Apostle saith indefinitely the wages of sinne is death we are to understand him of every sin for Non est distinguendum ubi lex non distinguit we must not distinguish where the law distinguisheth not For he that so doth addeth to the law or taketh from it and thereby incurreth the curse pronounced by the law-giver And though other Texts of Scriptures might brooke the like restriction yet not those above alledged For what is the meaning of this phrase Death is the wages of sin but that sinne deserveth death which is all one as to say that sinne is mortall Now adde hereunto Bellarmines glosse The wages of sinne that is mortall sinne is death and the soule that sinneth that is that sinneth mortally shall dye and the propositions will prove meere tautologies as if the Prophet had said The soule that sinneth a sinne unto death shall dye and the Apostle sinne that deserveth death deserveth death What is it to deprave the meaning of the Holy Ghost if this be not especially considering that the Prophet Ezekiel in the selfe same chapter ver 31. declareth his meaning to be of sinne in generall without any restriction or limitation Cast away from you all your transgressions and make you a new heart so iniquity shall not be your destruction Here ye see no means to avoid death but by casting away all transgressions for sith the Law requireth m Jam. 2.10 Whosoever shall keep the whole Law yet offendeth in one point is guilty of all entire obedience he that violateth any one commandement is liable to the punishment of the breach of the whole Law To smother this cleare light of truth it is strange to see what smoaky distinctions the adversaries have devised of peccatum simpliciter and secundùm quid and peccatum contra Legem and praeter Legem sinnes against the Law and besides the Law Veniall sinnes say they are besides the Law not against the Law Are not they besides themselves that so distinguish For let them answer punctually Doth the Law of God forbid those they call veniall sinnes or not If not then are they no sinnes or the Law is not perfect in that it meeteth not with all enormities and transgressions If the Law forbiddeth them then are they against the Law For sinne saith Saint John is the n 1 John 3 4. transgression of the Law If then veniall escapes are sinnes they must needs be violations of the Law and so not onely praeter besides but contra Legem against it The Law as Christ expoundeth it Matthew the fifth forbiddeth a rash word a wanton looke nay unadvised passion and what lesser sinnes can be thought than sinnes of thought therefore saith o Moral p. 1. l. 4. Azorius the Jesuit we must say that veniall sinne is against the Law as Cajetan Durand and Vega taught we must say so unlesse we will reject the definition of sinne given by Saint Austine and generally received by the Schooles dictum factum vel concupitum contra Legem aeternam that sinne is a thought word or deed against the eternall Law unlesse wee will contradict the ancient Fathers by name Saint p Greg. l. 8. in Job In praesenti mortem carnis patior tamen adhuc de futuro judicio graviorem morte destructionis tuae sententiam pertimesco quantâlibet enim justiciâ polleant nequaquam sibi ad innocentiam vel electi sufficiunt si in judicio districtè judicentur Gregory In the morning if thou seeke mee thou shalt not finde mee Now I sleep in dust that is in this present I suffer the death of the flesh and yet in the future judgement I feare the sentence of damnation more grievous than death for the Elect themselves how righteous soever they are will not be found innocent if God deale with them according to strict justice And Saint q Ep. 14. Omne quod loquimur aut de latâ aut de anguttâ viâ est si cum paucis subtilem quandam semitam invenimus ad vitam tendimus si multorum comitamur viam secundum Domini sententiam imus ad mortem Jerome Whatsoever we doe whatsoever we speake either belongs to the broad way or to the narrow if with a few we find out a narrow path we tend toward life if we keep company with many in the great road we goe to death And in his second r Lib. 2. cont Pel. c. 4. Quis nostrûm potest huic vitio non subjacere cum etiam pro otioso verbo reddituri simus rationem in judicio si ita sermonis injuria atque interdum jocus judicio coucilioque gehennae ignibus delegantur quid merebitur turpium rerum appetitio booke against the Pelagians where rehearsing the words of our Saviour He that is unadvisedly angry with his brother shall bee in danger of judgement thus reflecteth upon himselfe and his brethren Which of us can be free from this vice If unadvised anger and a contumelious word and sometimes a jest bringeth a man in danger of judgement councell and hell fire what doe impure desires and other more grievous sinnes deserve And Saint ſ Chrys com in Mat. 5. Mirantur multi hominem qui fratrem levem aut fatuum appellaverit sempiternae morti condemnari cum tertio quoque verbo alti alus id dicere soleamus Chrysostome who thus quavereth upon the same note Many are startled when they heare that he shall be condemned to eternall death who calleth his brother giddy-braine or foole sith nothing is so common among us wee hardly speake three words in disputing with any man but we breake
all spirituall graces necessary to the salvation of the Elect some things conditionally as the blessings of this life so farre as they tend to the attaining of a better hereafter In like manner some judgements he denounceth absolutely as the destruction of the kingdome of Satan and Antichrist others upon condition expressed or understood as the subversion of Niniveh the present death of Hezekiah To apply these distinctions to our purpose and close upon the very point in question when any order set downe by God for a time altereth at the time the date being expired or any Prophesie depending upon a condition falleth with it God is said to repent though he indeed doe nothing lesse the change that appeares in the things themselves being nothing else but the execution of an unchangeable decree of God for their change The meaning then of this phrase will not repent is that the Priesthood of Christ is not like that of Aaron which was after a time to expire and is now actually with all the ceremoniall law abolished but a Priesthood never to be altered or changed The Lord sware and will not repent Thou art a Priest There are three things that especially appertained to the office of Aaron and his Successours 1 To keepe the originall and authenticall copie of the law together with the golden pot of Manna and the two tables written with the finger of God and the Rod that budded 2. To offer sacrifices both ordinary every day and upon their set feasts and sabbaths and extraordinary upon speciall occasions 1. Either to professe their thankfulnesse to God and magnifie his goodnesse which may be called gratulatory or eucharisticall 2. Or to confesse their sins and appease his wrath which are called expiatory or propitiatory 3. To present themselves before God for the people to assure on their part obedience to God by way of promise or stipulation and procure Gods favour to them by way of mediation All which parts of their Priestly function they performed but typically and imperfectly for neither did they keep the Law entirely nor so much as the copy of it in later times neither did their sacrifices purge thoroughly neither did their prayers prevaile effectually but our high Priest hath fulfilled all righteousnesse and by one oblation of himselfe hath made a perfect satisfaction for the sins of the whole world and he is in that grace and favour with God that he putteth up no petition on our behalfe but hee getteth it signed by his Father The Leviticall Priests laid up the true originall of the Law both written in the bookes of Moses and engraven in the two Tables in the Arke as a jewell in a sacred casket but our high Priest both kept the Law it selfe and perfectly fulfilled it and writeth it also in the tables of our hearts they presented offerings for the sin of the soule but he made his soule an offering for sinne Esay 53.10 they appeared but once a yeere in the Holy of holies for the people but hee being entred into the Sanctum sanctorum the Heaven of heavens sits at the right hand of his Father and perpetually by the merits of his passion intercedeth for us Now the reasons which moved him to take upon him this office of a Priest are conceived to be these 1. Because the salvation and redemption of mankind wrought by the sacrifice of his Priesthood being a most noble worke and not inferiour to the creation it was not fit that any should have the honour of it but the Son of God 2. Neither was it agreeable that any should offer him who was the only sacrifice that could expiate the sinnes of the whole world but himselfe therefore by offering himselfe he added infinite worth to the sacrifice and great honour to the Priesthood of the Gospel For as the gold sanctified not the altar but the altar the gold so it may be truly said without impeachment to the dignity of that calling that Christ was rather an honour to the Priesthood than the Priesthood an addition unto him For what got he by the Priesthood which cost him his life what preferment could it be to him to take upon him an office whereby hee was to abase himselfe below himself and be put to an ignominious and accursed death What were we vile miscreants conceived and borne in originall sinne and soyled with the filth of numberlesse actuall transgressions that to purge and cleanse our polluted soules and defiled consciences the second person in Trinity should be made a Priest It was wonderfull humility in him to wash his Disciples feet but in his divine person to wash our uncleane soules is as farre above humane conceit as it seemeth below divine majesty There is nothing so impure as a fowle conscience no matter so filthy no corruption so rotten and unsavoury as is found in the sores of an exulcerated mind yet the Sonne of God vouchsafed to wash and bathe them in his owne bloud O bottomlesse depth of humility and mercy other Priests were appointed by men for the service of God but hee was appointed by God for the service and salvation of men other Priests spilt the bloud of beasts to save men but he shed his owne bloud to save us more like beasts than men other Priests offered sacrifice for themselves he offered himselfe for a sacrifice other Priests were fed by the sacrifices which the people brought but he feeds us with the sacrifice of his owne body and bloud Lastly others were appointed Priests but for a time hee was ordained a Priest For ever The rod of Aaron was a type of the Priesthood of Christ which shooteth forth three buds or blossomes 1. Obedience the fruit whereof is our righteousnesse 2. Sacrifice the fruit whereof is our satisfaction 3. Intercession the fruit whereof is our confidence and bold accesse to the throne of grace The two first buds seemed to wither at our Saviours death though the fruit thereof be still preserved but the third though it put it selfe forth in his life time yet it more flourished after his ascension For although our blessed Redeemer now no more observe the ceremoniall Law to which he gave a period at his consummatum est nor offer any more sacrifice of his owne yet he still offereth up our sacrifices of praises and thanksgiving he still presenteth us unto God and laboureth to reconcile God unto us hee layes open before his Father his bloudy wounds and stripes and by them beseecheth him to have mercy upon us and in this respect as well because the dignity of his Priesthood still remaines in himselfe and the effect in us as because continually he blesseth us and mediateth for us he is stiled a Priest for ever not such a Priest as the Levites were who held their office for their life and after left it to their successors who were in the end to resigne it into the hands of a Mediatour but such a Priest as Melchizedek was a
to heale a time to breake downe and a time to build up A time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourne and a time to dance c. In which distribution of time according to the severall affaires of our life all actions and accidents all intents and events all counsels and acts all words and workes all motions and cessations businesses and recreations beginnings and endings inchoations and perfections yea affections also as joy and griefe love and hatred have some part and portion of time laid out for them sinne only is exempted that is never in season As the Apostle spake to Simon b Acts 8.21 Magus Non est tibi pars neque sors it hath neither part nor lot in this partition and yet it intrudeth upon us and usurpeth upon either the whole or the greatest part of our demised time We heare of a time to build and a time to pull downe a time to spare and a time to spend but not in like manner a time to doe good and a time to doe ill a time to live godly and a time to sinne a time well to imploy and a time to mispend neither God nor Nature hath bequeathed any legacie of time to sinne Sinne should have no existence at all and therefore no time no estate and therefore neither terme Sinne is none of Gods creatures nor the issue of nature therefore hath no just claime or title to time the best of Natures temporall goods much lesse to happy eternity which is the purchase of the Sonne of God to the price whereof Nature cannot come neere Moreover sinne mis-spendeth spoyleth maketh havocke of our time abridgeth it and often cutteth it off and therefore deserveth that not a moment of time should be given to it Will you have yet more reasons ye have them in the Text drawne from all the differences of time sin hath been unfruitfull is shamefull and will prove pernicious and deadly therefore no portion or part of time is to be allowed to it against which all times give in evidence The time past brings in against it all sorts of dammages and losses sustained by it What fruit had yee The present time layeth open the shame filthinesse of sinne Whereof yee are now ashamed The future produceth the great and grievous penalties which the sinner by the breach of the eternall Law incurreth The end of those things is death A wise man holdeth intelligence with the time past by memory with the present by prudent circumspection with the time to come by providence by re-calling that which was fore-casting what will be he ordereth that which is and therefore he cannot but be sufficiently advertised of those hainous and grievous imputations laid upon sinne by the Spirit of God in my Text. It is altogether unfruitfull and unprofitable good for nothing What fruit had yee It is shamefull and infamous Whereof yee are now ashamed Nay it is pestilent and pernicious For the end of those things is death If this forcible interrogatory of the Apostle so full of spirit of perswasion worke not in us newnesse of life and a detestation of our former sinfull courses we are not only insensible of our profit prodigall of our credit and reputation but also altogether carelesse of our life Nihili est saith the c Plaut in Pers Certè nihili est qui nihil amat quid ei homini opus est vitâ Poet qui nihil amat he is of no account who makes account of nothing Non spirat qui non aspirat he breathes not who gaspeth not after something What then is that ye desire How bestow ye your affections What object hath the command of your thoughts and soveraignty over your wills and desires Is it gaine wealth and affluence of all things flye then sinne for it is altogether unfruitfull and unprofitable Is it glory honour and reputation eschue then vice for it bringeth shame and infamy upon you and your posterity Is it long life nay with Melchizedek to have no end of your dayes abandon all wicked courses for they have an end and that end is death and that death hath no end That sinne is unfruitfull not only formaliter but also effectivè not only negatively by bringing forth no fruit but also positively by bringing forth evill corrupt fruit by making the soule of man barren of the fruits of righteousnesse yea and the earth also and trees barren of the fruit which they would otherwise have brought forth to our great joy and comfort hath been the subject of our former discourses spent especially in the proofe of these particulars That sinne eclipseth the light of our understanding disordereth the desires of the will weakneth the faculties of the soule distempereth the organs of our body disturbeth the peace of our conscience choaketh the motions of the spirit in us killeth the fruits of grace inthralleth the soule to the body and the body and soule to Sathan lastly depriveth us of the comfortable fruition of all temporall and the fruition and possessions of all eternall blessings All which laid together will make a weighty argument bearing downe and forcing our assent to this conclusion That sinne is sterill and barren and consequently that every sinner is an unthrift and in the end will prove bank-rupt how gainfull a trade soever hee seeme to drive with Satan for as Christ cursed the figge-tree in the Gospell so God curseth all trees that beare the forbidden fruit of sinne and therefore the Apostle truly tearmeth the works of darknesse unfruitfull saying d Eph. 5.11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitfull works of darknesse but reprove them rather The godly man whose delight is in the law of the Lord is likened e Psal 1.3 4. to a tree planted by the rivers of waters which bringeth forth fruit in due season but the wicked to chaffe which the winde scattereth abroad For although they may sometimes build palaces upon the ruines of the Church and fill their houses with the treasures of wickednesse and their coffers with the Mammon of unrighteousnesse yet in the end they will appeare to bee no gainers no nor savers neither by their trafficke with the Devill For if they gain wealth they lose grace if they gaine glasse they lose pearle if they gaine earth they lose heaven if they gaine an estate for tearme of yeares among sinners they lose an eternall inheritance with the Saints in light if they gaine a small portion of the world they f Mar. 8.36 lose their whole soule and what advantageth it a man to gaine the whole world and to lose his owne soule Alas what gained g Josh 7.25 Achan by his Babylonish garment and wedge of gold nothing but a heape of stones wherewith hee was battered in pieces What gained Gehezi h 2 Kin. 5.27 by his great bribe a leprosie that cleaved to him and his posterity after him What gained i Judg. 8.27 Zeba and Zalmunna by
out into such course language Yea but some will say What is the nodding at a Sermon the stealing a farthing the breaking of a jest such an hainous matter that it deserveth everlasting torments of body and soule in Hell I answer with Saint t Aug. l. 2. cont Donat. Non afferamus stateras dolosas ubi appendamus quod volumus quomodo volumus pro arbitrio nostro di centes hoc grave est hoc leve sed afferamus stateram divinam de Scripturis sanctis tanquam de thesauris Domini in illâ quid sit grave appendamus Austine in the estimation of sinnes we ought not to bring out deceitfull weights of our owne but out of the Scriptures golden weights sealed by God and in them see what is light and what is weighty In these scales wee shall find the least sinne to be heavie enough to weigh down to the ground yea to Hell for every offence committed against an infinite Majesty deserveth an infinite punishment every transgression of the eternall Law excludeth a man from eternall happinesse and deserveth eternall death Whosoever shall breake one of the least commandements saith our u Mat. 5.19 Saviour and teach men so shall be least in the Kingdome of heaven Here Bellarmine wisheth us to marke that Christ saith not simply hee that breaketh one of the least commandements but he that breaketh it and teacheth others to doe so We mark it well and that clause may serve to brand him and his fellow Priests and Jesuits for who teach men to break the least commandements if not they whose doctrine is that veniall sinnes are not against the Law nor simply and properly to be called sinnes but rather naevuli aspergines and pulvisculi that is dustings or spertings or small spots warts or blisters Yee all perceive how much this Text of Scripture maketh for us in our doctrine against Papists but I feare it maketh as much against us in our lives Doe we so live as if we were perswaded that the least sinnes inasmuch as they are committed against an infinite Majesty and are breaches of his eternall Law are exceeding great nay infinite Could we drink iniquity as the beast doth water if we thought it were deadly poyson Doe we make great account of small sinnes nay doe we not rather make small account of the greatest Who ever espyed an Adder thrusting his sting at him and started not backe Natures insensible of paine and ignorant of that danger doe no lesse For if any venemous thing be applyed to any part of our body the bloud as if it took notice of its deadly enemy flyeth back turneth it streams another way and shall not our conscience which hath knowledge and sense of the venome of sinne be much more fearfull of it It is no amplification of the malignant nature of sinne to compare it to a poyson it is rather a diminution For no poyson could ever yet be made so strong that the least imaginary quantity thereof was deadly the least thought of sinne yea the sinne of thought is so Poysons be they never so pernicious and deadly are pernicious and hurtfull to that part onely which of it selfe is mortall I meane our bodies but sinne killeth that part that naturally cannot dye it slayeth our immortall spirits There are many forcible arguments to deterre us even from small sins and to excite us to watch over them as 1. Quia difficiliùs caventur because it is a thing more difficult to avoid them than the greater Many are choaked with small bones of fishes but few with greater because they are usually felt in the mouth before they goe downe the throat Solinus writeth of a kind of * Polihist c. 8. Brevissima apud Amyclas vipera est ac propterea dum despectui est faciliùs nocet viper of a small quantity that doth much more hurt than the greater because the most part of men sleighten it 2. Quia difficiliùs curantur because the wound that is given by them is with more difficulty cured as a pricke made with a bodkin or a steeletto if it be deep is more dangerous than a wound given with a greater weapon because the flesh presently closeth up and the bloud issuing not forth runneth inwardly with greater abundance 3. Quia ad majora viam muniunt because they are a preparation and disposition to greater offences As the wimble pierceth the wood and maketh way for the auger so the smaller sinnes make a breach in the conscience and thereby a way to greater The least sins are as the little theeves that creep in at the windowes and open the doores to the greater that rifle the house and rob the soule of all her spirituall wealth whence is that observation of Saint x Lib. 9. mor. in Job Si vitare parva negligimus insensibiliter seducti majora etiam perpetramus Gregory If we sticke not at small sinnes ere we are aware we shall make no bones of the greatest 4. Quia parva peccata crebra ita nos praegravant ut unum grande because small sinnes with their multitude and number as much hurt the soule as great sinnes with their weight The Herrings though a weake and contemptible kind of fish yet by their number kill the greatest Whale What skilleth it saith Saint y Aug. ep 108. Quid interest ad naufragium an uno grandi fluctu navis operiatur an paulatim subrepens aqua in sentinam per negligentiam derelicta impleat navem atque submerguntur Et serm 10. de divers Quid interest utrum te plumbum premat an arena plumbum una massa est arenae minuta grana sunt nonne vides de minutis guttis impleri flumina minuta sunt sed multa sunt Austine whether a ship be over-whelmed with one great wave or drowned by a leake in the bottome unespyed in which the water entereth drop by drop What easeth it a man to be pressed to death with a heap of sands more than with a sow of lead Are not the greatest rivers filled by drops The sinnes we ordinarily commit minuta sunt sed multa sunt they are small but they are many and what they lose in the quantity they get in the number These indeed are important considerations yet mee thinkes there is more nay there is all that can be said in this clause of the Apostle The end of those things is death the smaller sinnes as well as the greater in their owne nature are mortall It is a more fearfull thing I confesse to be plunged into the bottome of a headlesse lake than to sinke a little under water yet he that is held under water how neere soever it be to the top till his breath is gone is as certainly drowned as he that is found dead in the bottome It is but a miserable comfort to bee put in hope of an upper roome in Hell and not to be thrust into the lowest dungeon Wherefore as yee
vivificabo impossibile est enim quod Deus semel vivificavit ab eodem ipso vel ab alio occidi I will make alive and I will kill but I will kill and I will make alive for it is impossible that what God once quickneth hee meaneth by spirituall grace should ever be killed or destroyed either by himselfe or any other Saint Cyprian secondeth Origen who will have e Cyp. de simpl prelat Nemo aestimet bonos de Ecclesia posse discedere triticum non rapit ventus nec arborem solidâ radice fundatam procella subvertit no man entertaine any such thought as if good men and true beleevers ever revolted finally from the Church Let no man conceive saith hee that good men can depart from the Church the winde blowes not away the wheat neither doth the storme overthrow a tree sound at root they are like empty chaffe which are scattered away with a whirlewind and weake and rotten trees which are blown down in a tempest Saint Chrysostome joyneth upon the same issue commenting upon the words of Saint Paul by whom also wee have accesse by faith unto this grace wherein we stand thus He saith well the grace wherein wee stand the phrase is worth the noting for such indeed is the nature of Gods grace f Chrys homil in ep ad Rom. c. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is stable and constant it hath no end it knowes no period but proceeds alwaies from lesser to greater matters Those whom grace maketh to stand and grow continually cannot fall totally nor finally Saint Ambrose accordeth with Saint Chrysostome in his observation upon the second Epistle to the Corinthians chap. 3.3 The words of Saint Paul are Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ ministred by us written not with inke but with the Spirit of the living God not in tables of stone but in fleshly tables of the heart St. a Amo Comment in 2. Cor. 3.3 Nunc legem veterem pulsat â—uae pâ—imum data in lapideis tabulis abolita est fractis tabulis sub Mâ—nte à Mose nunc autem lex in animo scribitur hoc est in corde non per calamum sed per spiritum quia fides aeterna res est à spiritu scribitu ut maneâ—t Ambrose his note upon this place is Here hee toucheth upon or striketh at the old Law which first being given in tables of stone is abolished the tables being broken under the Mount by Moses but now the Law is written in the mind not with a quill or pen but by the spirit because faith is an eternall thing it is written by the spirit that it may abide or still continue Saint Austin and Saint Gregory cleerly conclude on our side by excluding all from the number of Christs Disciples and Sonnes of God and Saints whose revolt and apostacy proveth their hypocrisie Saint b Aug de correp grat â— 9. Qui non habent perseveâ— antiam cut non veâ—è Discipuli Christi ita nec verè Filii Dei fueâ—unt etiam quando esse videbantur ita vocabantur Austin speaketh definitively Those who have not the gift of perseverance as they are not truly Christs Disciples so neither were they ever truly the Sonnes of God no not when they seemed to be so And Saint c Greg. moral in Job l. 34. c 13. Aurum quod pravis diaboli persuasioâ—ibus sterni sicut lutum potuerit aurum ante oculos Dei nunquam fuit qui seduci quandoque non reversuri possunt qua iâ—habitam sanctitaté ante oculos hominum videantur amittere sed eam ante oculos Dei nunquam habucrunt Gregory is as peremptory It may saith he peradventure trouble a weake Christian that this Leviathan hath such power that hee can trample gold under his feet like dirt that is subject unto himselfe men shining in the brightnesse of holinesse by defiling them with vices but wee have an answer ready at hand that the gold which by wicked perswasions of the Divell can be laid under his feet like dirt was never gold in the sight of God and they who may be so seduced that they never returne againe may seeme to lose the habit of sanctity before the eyes of men but before the eyes of God they never were endued with any such habit You see with a little blowing what a cleere light the smoaking flaxe in my Text giveth to this Theologicall verity viz. that regenerating grace and justifying faith cannot be utterly lost or totally extinct Feele I beseech you now what warmth it yeeldeth to our cold affections and sometimes benummed consciences and first to our cold affections Is the oyntment of the Spirit so precious that the least drop of it saveth the life of the soule Is the least seed of the Word incorruptible Is the smallest sparke of true charity unquenchable Cannot justifying faith be ever lost nor the state of grace forfeited Why then doe we not strive for this state why doe we not with the rich Merchant in the Gospel sell all that wee have to gaine this pearle of faith When we have got it why doe we not more highly value it in our selves and others Other pearles and precious stones adorne but the body or cover some imperfection in it this beautifieth the soule and covereth all the skarres and deformities therein Other Jewels be they never so rich are but presents for earthly Princes but with this pearle the King of Heaven is taken and it is the price of that Kingdome Other pearles have their estimation from men but men have their estimation from this pearle Other Jewels when they are got may bee lost and that very easily but this Jewell of faith if it bee true and not counterfeit after it is once gotten can never be lost All the thoughts of worldly men are employed all their cares taken up all their time bestowed all their meanes spent in purchasing or some way procuring unto themselves a fortune as they terme it as a beneficiall office or an estate of land of inheritance or lease for terme of yeeres or lives all which are yet subject to a thousand casualties Why do they not rather looke after and labour for the state of grace which is past all hazzard being assured to us by the hand-writing of God and the seale of his Spirit An estate not for terme of yeers but for eternity an estate not of land upon earth but of an inheritance immortall undefiled reserved in heaven an estate which cannot be spoiled or wasted by hostile invasion nor wrung from us by power nor won by law nor morgaged for debt nor impaired by publike calamity nor endangered by change of Princes nor voided by death it selfe S. a Chrysost in c. 5. ad Rom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostome his eloquence exspatiateth in this field A man saith he hath received rule glory and power here but enjoyeth it not perpetually
lib. 3. Pausanias the Lacedemonian Generall who at Platea when his Army was overtaken by the enemies horse and overwhelmed with flights of arrowes as thicke as haile quietly sate still not making any defence or resistance till the sacrifices for victory were happily ended yea though many were hurt and slaine before any good signe appeared in the enirals But as soon as he had found good tokens of victory he arose and with excellent courage received the charge of the Persians slew Mardonius that commanded in chiefe and many thousands of the Barbarians Did Heathen Religion put such courage and breed such confidence in the worshippers of Idols that they feared no danger while they were about their superstitious rites and shall not true Religion beget more noble resolutions in us who have God bound by promise to deliver us when we faithfully crave his succour and assistance Will he not glorifie n Psal 51.15 himselfe by delivering us in time of trouble who calleth upon us to call upon him to this end Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie mee Wherefore as the Athenians when they were in greatest danger at sea accustomably cast out the great anchor called the holy Anchor Whence o Eras adag ex Lucia Sacram Anchoram solvere dicimur quando ad extremum praesidium confugimus grew the Proverbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so when wee are tossed with waves of persecution and so overwhelmed with violence of tentation that wee are ready to sinke in despaire let us lift up our hands to God and cast anchor in heaven and though wee see no meanes at all to subsist yet still hang upon Gods providence It is scarce possible that wee should bee put to a greater plunge than David was in this wildernesse who having but a handfull of men and most of them hunger-starved or fainting for want of water to quench their thirst was surrounded by Sauls royall Army yet in this deplorate and almost desperate estate after parley with God by prayer shall I say he conceived hope of delivery nay hee assureth himselfe of the Crowne and in a manner insulteth over his enemies as if they were already under his feet saying They that seeke my soule to destroy it shall go into the lowest parts of the earth They shall cast him c. that is they that goe about to cast mee downe from my high throne of Majesty shall fall low themselves they who seeke to devest mee of my royall Purple and Diadem shall bee clothed with confusion as with a garment they who hunt after me and would make a prey of me shall be themselves a portion for Foxes they that seeke my soule to ruine it shall downe themselves They shall cast him downe Doctr. 3 These words in Hypothesi containe a prophecy of Sauls bloudy end and the desolation of his Army on the mountaines of Gilboa but in Thesi a generall judgement of God upon the wicked whom he entangleth in their owne malice and punisheth with their owne sinne and bringeth to confusion by their owne order a Hesiod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 1. Sibi ipsi mala fabricat homo qui alteri fabricat malum consilium consultori pessimum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which Verses of the prophane Poet may be thus translated and they become sacred Oracles The b Psal 7.15 16. ungodly shall be trapped in the works of his own hands he made a pit and digged it and is fallen into the ditch which hee made his mischiefe shall returne upon his owne head and his violent dealing shall come downe upon his owne pate For it is just with God to mete to the wicked their owne measure as he did to the accusers of Shadrach Mesach and Abednego who were burned in the fire of that furnace which they had caused to be c Daniel 3.22 heat seven times more than ordinary for those three noble Confessors And to the traducers of Daniel who were cast to the Lions which they kept d Daniel 6.24 fasting on set purpose that they might make but one morsell of the Prophet And to e Ester 7.10 Haman who had the honour to bee hanged on that high gallows to which he would have preferred Mordecai And to f Judges 1.7 Adonibezeck who when his thumbes were cut off by Judah beshrewed his owne fingers saying Threescore and ten Kings having their thumbes and great toes cut off gathered their meat under my table As I have done so God hath requited mee All ages yeeld examples in the like kinde insomuch that the Heathen themselves have taken notice of Gods using the wickeds mete-wand to measure out their own ruine Thraseus instructing Busirus how to expiate the wrath of the gods by the effusion of strangers bloud was first himselfe sacrificed and constrained to write a probatum est under that conclusion with his owne bloud g Ovid. de art l. 1. Cum Thraseus Busirin adit monstratque piari hospitis effusi sanguine posse deum Illi Busiris fies Jovis hostia primus inquit Aegypto tu dabis hospes aquam What Puny in the Schooles hath not read Ovids golden Motto upon Perillus his brasen Bull h Ovid ibid. Et Phalaris tauro violenti membra Perilli Torruit infoelix imbuit author opus nec enim lex justior ulla est Quà m necis artifices arte perire suâ There can be no juster law than that the devisers of mans ruine should rue their owne devices and that the inventers of new deaths should dye by their owne inventions Sciron i Plutarch in Theseo the Giant that sate upon the cleft of a high rocke and kicked downe all that scrambled up to it into the sea was himselfe served in the like manner by Theseus who comming behind him push't him downe with his foot into the deep And Termerus who had a strange fashion of beating out mens braines by playing at hard head with them in the end met with his match at that barbarous sport and lost the little braine he had his skull being broken by Hercules What should I relate the tragedy of an agent of Pope k Beno Cardinalis devita gest Hildeb Hildebrands who standing upon a planke in the roofe of a Church in Rome and taking up a huge stone to cast down upon the Emperour when he was at his devotion by the waight of the stone and his owne the planke brake under him and hee fell downe into the floore having his braines struck out by the rowling of that stone upon him Or of Laurentius Medices who having fitted a flesh-baite for l Bodin l. 4. de rep Alexander Medices and as he was greedily catching at it being naked and disarmed set a desperate villaine in the habit of a Masquer to stabbe him with a Stilletto and himselfe was shortly after stilletoed at Venice by a suborned Traitor
seemeth more secure than sitting in a chaire yet Judge e Aug de civit Dei l. 22. c. 22. Quid videtur sedente securius de sella cecidit Eli mortuus est Ely fell out of his chaire and brake his necke Wherefore since Judges themselves are as subject to the lawes of humane frailty as other men since for ought they know they are as neere death as the prisoner whom they have newly condemned to dye let them look above them not about them let them feare God not man let them deliver nothing at the bench which they are not assured in their consciences that they are able to make good before the Judge of quicke and dead from whose face heaven and earth fled away and their place could no where be found Judges may be considered either as of a particular circuit of the earth and so they must receive instruction from the King or Lord of that land or as Judges of the earth at large and in that regard must take their Commission and receive Instruction from the Lord of the whole earth who requireth in his Judges 1 Religion f Exod. 18.21 thou shalt provide out of all the people able men such as feare God 2 Moderation g Gal. 6.1 to restore such as are overtaken in a fault in the Spirit of meeknesse 3 Learning and knowledge in the lawes of which before 4 Integrity they must h Num. 11.24 hate covetousnesse i Exod. 18.21 Deut. 16.19 they may not take a gift c. 5 Indifferency they k Deut. 1.17 must not respect persons in judgement but heare the small c. 6 Attention and diligent enquiry they l Deut. 1.16 13.14 19.18 must heare causes and make search c. 7 Expedition m Zech. 7.9 to execute true judgement and not delay justice 8 Resolution and courage not to n Deut. 1.17 feare the face of man 9 Equity to o Deut. 1.16 Joh. 7.24 judge equally and righteously betweene every man and his brother 1 Want of Religion makes a prophane Judge 2 Want of Moderation an unmercifull Judge 3 Want of Learning an unsufficient Judge 4 Want of Integrity a corrupt Judge 5 Want of Indifferency a partiall Judge 6 Want of Attention a rash Judge 7 Want of Expedition a tedious Judge 8 Want of Resolution a timorous Judge 9 Want of Equity an unrighteous Judge Lastly Want of any of these an Incompetent Judge want of all these an unsufferable and execrable Judge 1 Religion is required in a Judge without which there will be no conscience of doing justice where injustice may be borne out and because even religious men are subject to passion to religion a Judge must adde 2 Moderation and governement of his passions and because a man of temper fit for a Judge may mistake his marke if he be not expert in the Law to moderation he must adde 3 Learning and knowledge in the Law according to which he is to give sentence and because bribes blinde the p Deut. 16.19 eyes of the wisest and learnedst Judges to learning he must adde 4 Integritie and incorruption a sincere heart and cleere hands and because where bribes cannot open the hand yet favour may enter at the eye to his Integrity he must adde 5 Indifferencie free from all kinde of partiality and because a Judge though never so religious temperate learned incorrupt and impartiall cannot yet give right judgement without a full hearing and exact discussing of the cause before him to indifferencie he must adde 6 Patient Attention and diligent q Deut. 19.18 inquisition and because the plaintife or defendant are nothing benefited by the Judges hearing of or searching into the cause if after examination there follow not a sentence to Attentition he must adde 7 Expedition for delayed justice oftentimes as much wrongeth the plaintife as injustice and because after enquiry and hearing though the Judge be expert and readie yet judgement may be stopped if a great person appeare in the cause to Expedition he must adde 8 Courage and Resolution and because if a Judge strike too hard with the sword of justice he may breake it as also because the sentence of the law may be just in generall yet in regard of difference in circumstances may wring and wrong a man in particular to all the former vertues a compleat Judge must adde 9 r Levit. 19.15 In equity shalt thou judgethy neighbour Equity and stayed discretion which holdeth steedily the gold weights of justice and addeth or taketh away a graine or more to make the piece and weight perfectly agree 1. Religion Alvares reporteth that the Aethiopians place many chaires about the Judges seat not out of State but out of Religion supposing that their Gods fit there with their Judges That which they suppose we certainely know that God and his Angels are present at the Assises and that he judgeth among the Å¿ Psal 82.1.7 gods that is the Judges or Princes How religious then ought Judges to be who are Almighty Gods Assessours So neere is the affinity betweene Justice and Religion that as Priests are called Judices sacrorum Judges of Religion and causes Ecclesiasticall so Judges are by Ulpian stiled Sacerdotes justitiae Priests of justice And not only the high Priests among the Jewes but also the Archontes of the Athenians the Archiflamines and t Cic prò domo suâ ad Pontifices Cum multa divinitus Ponâ—ifices a majoribus nostris in venta atque instituta sunt tum nihil praeclarius quam quod vos cosdem religionibus deorum immortalium summae reipublicae prae esse voluerunt Pontifices of the Romanes the Muphteyes of the Turkes the Brameres of the Indians the Druides of the ancient Brittaines were trusted with Justice as well as Religion and that for important considerations For sith mortall men cannot prescribe against God nor dispence with his commandements sith the divine law is the supreme law to which lyeth an appeale from all humane statutes and ordinances they who by their calling are Interpreters of that law might well be thought fit Umpires in all controversies concerning the equity of lawes and conformity to the divine especially in such points wherein the lawes trench upon holy things But I list not in the heat of modern oppositions to drink of the waters of strife let that question passe whether sacred persons expert in the divine law are not fittest to judge in secular causes of greatest moment this I am sure Judges must be if not in orders yet eminently religious and skilfull in the law of God for the judgement they are to give is u Deut. 1.17 Gods If a Judge be not religious he will never be zealous for Gods honour nor severely punish the breaches of the first Table If a Judge feare not God hee will feare the face of man and flye backe when he should stand out for a poore
how shall wee have Ministers at all without ordination and how shall wee have good Ministers or people without visitation Now for Presbyters or Ministers who are equall in degree to exercise authority one over the other and lay hands upon themselves so to become their own ghostly Fathers is to make order it selfe a confusion Therefore God in the law put a difference between the Priests and Levits and Christ in the gospell between the Apostles and Disciples and the Apostles after Christs death between Bishops and Elders Which the primitive Church kept so religiously that to oppose it in practice was accounted no lesse than l Act. Concil 1. Chalced. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sacriledge in doctrine flat heresie The first that I finde ever to have gone about to break downe the partition wall betweene Bishops and Presbyters was Aerius a man like his name light and aery easily carried away with the winde of ambition For as m Epiph. haeres 71. Cum episcopatus spe excidisset Eustathio posthabitus ut se consolaretur hanc haeresem excogitavit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epiphanius writeth standing for a Bishopricke and missing it hee invented this heresie to comfort himselfe and because hee could not raise up himselfe to the high ranke of Bishops hee sought to pull them downe to his lower ranke of Elders What difference saith he is there betweene a Bishop and a Priest none at all their order and honour and dignity is one and the selfe-same But for this his sawcy malepartnesse he felt the smart of the Crosier staffe and for ranking Bishops among Presbyters or Elders he was himself ranked among hereticks God who made greater lesser lights in the firmament and set Angels in ranks one above another hath erected an * See King James his Cygnea Cantio Bilson his perpetuall governement Bancroft his slavey of the holy pretended discipline c. de episc Downam his sermon at the consecration of the Bishop of Bath and Wells Andrew opus posthum Hallier defenc ecclesiast hierar l. 1. Aurelius vindiciae censurae tit 3. de epis curatis Hierarchy upon earth which as he hath ever yet so I hope he still will to the end of the world establish and support and propagate it as it hath wonderfully supported and propagated the Church The bounds therof extended by the preaching kept by the government of Bishops the Hereticks and Schismaticks in all ages suppressed by Councels and Synods of Bishops the Rubricks of Ecclesiasticall Kalendars coloured with the blood of so many martyred Bishops are sufficient evidence thereof And as the Church soone after her first plantation exceedingly prospered under the shade of James Bishop of Jerusalem Titus of Crete Timothy of Ephesus Marke of Alexandria Ignatius of Antioch Antipas of Pergamus Polycarpe of Smyrna and divers others ordayned by the Apostles or their immediate successors and in succeeding ages received her best sap and nourishment from the Greeke and Latine Fathers who for the most part were Bishops so n Beza de grad Min. evang cap. 18. Non tantum insignes Dei martyres sed etiam praestantissimos doctores pastores Beza himselfe acknowledgeth it to have beene the singular happinesse of the Church of England which he prayeth may be perpetuall that this reverend and sacred order hath yeelded not only famous Martyrs but also most excellent Doctors and Pastors As the Poet blazing the vertues of the Emperour then reigning said o Mart. epig. l. 1. Te volet invictus pro libertate Camillus Si Cato reddatur Caesarianum erit Brutus and Camillus and Cato the greatest sticklers for the liberty of the commonwealth if they were now alive would turne Royalists so wee may truely affirme that the greatest enemies of Episcopall jurisdiction could not but approve of such Bishops as now sit at the sterne in our Church And what if all are not such must the whole order suffer for their sake p Ovid l. 1. de art Desine paucorum diffundere crimen in omnes lay not upon all the fault of some If one or other budde of Aarons rod the bishopricke of Rome and the dependants thereon are turned into serpents shall the whole rod bee cast out of the Arke and Jonah's gourd put in the place thereof I meane the new sprung up mushrome the governement of lay Elders Elders whereof no elder age of the Church ever took notice and the younger cannot tell yet how to christen them because they are a kind of epicoens of both genders plant-animals partly animals partly plants like a sort of Nuns at Bruxels partly regular partly secular in the morning wearing the cowles and habit of Recluses in the afternoone the feathers and other attire of Gallants For they are Clergy-laickes and Lay-clerkes of their clergy they are for they together with their Ministers ordaine Ministers and inflict ecclesiasticall censures and yet laickes they are for they may not preach nor baptize Church-men they are for they beare rule in the Church yet church-men they are not for they may receive no maintenance from the Church They are the Elders that rule well and labour not in the word for such they will have intimated by S. Paul yet the honour which their owne Interpreters there expound honourable maintenance is not due unto them Spare me Men Fathers and Brethren if I spare not them who goe about to bereave us of our spirituall Fathers qui saeviunt in plagas vulnera ecclesiae who seeke to ruine the ruines and spoile the very spoiles of ecclesiasticall dignity and distinction left among us To place such Bats as these rather mice than birds must Christs Apostles and their successors be displaced and all rankes of ecclesiasticall order confounded is there any justice in this to breake all Crosier staves and tread all Miters under foot and teare all Rochets in pieces Unius ob noxam furias Ajacis Oilei for the usurpations and tyranny of one Bishop the Pope of Rome By this reason take away the reverend order of the Apostles for Judas sake take away the sacred order of Prophets for Balaams sake take away the soveraigne order of Princes for Julians sake take away the glorious orbs of starres for the starres sake called q Apoc. 8.11 wormewood in the Apocalyps nay take away the highest regiment of Angels for Lucifers sake and the rest of his faction somtime in the highest order in heaven but now reserved in chaines of darkenesse till the great day This may suffice to bee spoken of and for your calling two words of the two duties implyed in the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 feede and take the over-sight You are Pastors and Bishops make good your titles feede as Pastors take the over-sight of your Diocesse as Bishops The three orders in the Church Bishops Priests and Deacons resemble the three faculties of the soule the vegetative sensitive and reasonable For as the sensitive
that were served in at the Idols table Let them therefore beware of some fearfull judgement of God who without any calling or commission out of meere curiosity enter into the house of Rimmon and behold those Idolatrous rites wherewith Romish superstition hath corrupted the pure worship of God How can they bee there with them without offence If they joyne not with these Idolaters in censing bowing before offering unto and kissing their Images in calling upon Saints and praying for the releasing of soules out of Purgatory they give offence to them if they joyne with them they give greater offence to the Church of God and not onely receive a p Hom. against rebellion the Pope is called the Babylonish beast marke from the beast but a grievous wound The Corinthians whom S. Paul in these words plucks as it were violently out of the idols Temple had as colorable a pretence as these Naamans can have They pleaded that they went not to the idols temple to worship but to make merry with their neighbors and feede their bellies with the idols relicks these in like manner say that they resort not to places where Masses are said to worship the wafer or breaden god but to feede their eyes with their garish shewes and please their eares with their exquisite musicke They proceeded farther in their defence alledging that they knew the idoll was nothing and in their eating of things offered to it they had no relation to the Paynim deity nor purpose to worship it but the true God whose creatures they received with cheerefulnesse and thanksgiving And is not this the fairest glosse they set upon their foule and scandalous practise in pressing into Popish chappels that they know the sacrifice of the Masse is nothing neither doe they any reverence at all to image or picture but to God to whom they pray against those superstitions even when they are at them But what doth the Apostle answer to the Corinthians viz. That though the idoll bee nothing in it selfe yet sith it is a supposed Deity in the minde of the Idolater who intendeth a religious worship thereunto in keeping those heathenish feasts a Christian may not joyne with him in the outward action of his idoll service whatsoever the intention be without receiving a foule staine both in his conscience and in his good name To lift up the heart to God when they fall downe with their body before the Hoste or Image will no more acquit them from idolatry than it will cleare a woman from adultery to thinke upon her husband when shee prostituteth her body to the impure soliciter of her chastity Neither is it easie to sever the soule from the body in one and the selfe same act as q Aug. confess l. 6. c. 8. Alypius ab amicis violenter in amphitheat um adductus dicens si corpus meum in illum locum trahitis numquid animum adero itaque absens sic vos illa superabo ille diuclausis oculorum foribus interdixit animae ne in tanta mala procederet utinam aures obturasset nam quodam pugnae casu curiositate victus aperuit oculos percussus est graviore vulnere in animâ quam ille in corpore Alypius found by his woefull experience who being violently drawne by his friends into the Romane Theater thus reasoned with himselfe What though you have drawne my body into this place you shall not draw my soule seeing you will have it so I will stay with you but I resolve to be absent when I am present and so I will deceive you and them According to which his firme purpose hee kept the liddes of his eyes shut that his soule might not as it were goe out of them and gad after these vanities And it had beene happy for him saith Saint Austine if hee had locked up the gates of his eares also for on the suddaine hearing a great shout and applause ere hee was aware hee opened his eyes and by seeing that bloody spectacle received a deeper wound in his soule than the hurt Fencer in his body Is it not to bee feared that as the r Gen. 30.39 And the flockes conceived before the rods and brought forth cattell ring streked speckled and spotted sheepe which conceived before the coloured roddes brought forth spotted lambes so the prayers and meditations which are conceived before idols will receive some impression from the image and bee tainted with idolatry or spotted with superstition Was it unlawfull for the Corinthians to partake with idolaters in meats offered unto idols and can it bee lawfull for these men to communicate with Papists in prayers offered unto them If they answer they pray to Saints and before images and not idols let them know that any image or creature to which religious worship is given thereby becommeth an idoll If Saint Cyprians zeale transported him not too farre when hee peremptorily determineth there can bee no society betweene faith and perfidiousnesse or betweene the true and false worship of God If the ſ 2 Cor. 6.14 What fellowship hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse c. Apostle alloweth of no more communion betweene Christians and Idolaters than betweene righteousnesse and unrighteousnesse or light and darkenesse or t Ver. 15. Christ and Belial certainely all Interimists and Pseudo-Cassanders and catholike Moderators of these times who goe about to bring Christ and Antichrist to an enterview sodder unity and schisme piece faith and heresie and make the Whore of Babylon and Christs spouse good friends are like to have a hard taske of it For what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols but yee are the Temple of God Doctr. 3 Yee The light of the sunne is common unto all but not his influence in like manner there are certaine enlightning gifts which are not denied to the unregenerate but the sanctifying and saving graces of the spirit are peculiar to Gods children God forbiddeth in the Law the annointing any thing with the holy u Exod. 30.33 oyle save the things that are there specified he maketh it death to put that holy oyntment to any common use and shall wee thinke that hee will shed the oyntment of his spirit into any impure or prophane heart will hee cast his pearle before swine The piety of Paynims is Necromancy or Idolatry of Heretickes is Will-worship of Hypocrites is Formality of Schismaticks is Faction There can be no true devotion without illumination of the understanding and renovation of the will and purifying the heart by faith there is no Temple of God which is not built upon the corner stone Christ Jesus Ye and none but such as ye are The Church in the song of Solomon is compared to a * Cant. 4.12 A garden enclosed is my sister my spouse a spring shut up a fountaine sealed garden enclosed or a fountaine sealed The prophane and ungodly drinke not of the river of her pleasures they taste not of her
to the capacity of their nature and consequently all may truely and properly bee said to live how then is life appropriated to God and God by this attribute living distinguished not onely from fained deities which were no creatures but also from creatures which are not God I grant that other creatures live and that truely and properly For the Angels live in heaven the Birds in the ayre the Fishes in the sea Men and Beasts in the earth the Divell and damned ghosts in hell but none of them live the life of God their life differeth as much from his as their nature from his 1 His life is his nature their 's the operation of their nature the life of Angels is their contemplation of Divels is their torment of Men is their action of Beasts their sâ—â—e and motion of Plants their growth in briefe Hee is life they are but living 2 His life is his owne he liveth of himselfe and by himselfe and in himselfe their life is borrowed from him as all light is from the sunne 3 His life is infinite without beginning or ending their life is finite and had a beginning and most of them shall have an end and all might if he had so pleased 4 His life is entire altogether and perfect their 's imperfect growing by additioâ— of dayes to dayes and yeeres to yeeres 5 His liâ—e is immutable their 's mutable and subject to many alterations and changâ—s To drâ—w towards an end you heare what You are not prophane or common houses but the Temple not the Temple of Divels but of God yeâ— the living God marke I beseech you what will ensue upon it Use 1 If the â—â—â—thfull are the Temple of the holy Ghost to robbe or spoile any of them must needs bee sacriledge in the highest degree To assault and set open Gods house what is it but after a sort to offer violence to God himsâ—â—fe and commit a worse burglary than that which our lawes condemne â—â—th death 2 If 〈◊〉 Saints of God are the Sanctuaries of the most High what need they 〈◊〉 â—he ungodly pursue them fearefully to flye and basely to seeke to 〈◊〉 person for sâ—ccour oâ— place for refuge They carry a sanctuary about 〈…〉 of their bodies Why should they take sanctuary who are 〈…〉 sâ—nctuâ—ry oftentimes to save the greatest offenders from God◠〈◊〉 Such a sanctuary was Noah to the old world Lot to 〈…〉 Saint John to those that were in the house Saint 〈…〉 were in the shippe with him So soone as Noah left the 〈…〉 entrâ—â—â— into the Arke the world was drowned so soone as Lot lets God 〈◊〉 and â—led 〈◊〉 Zoar Sodome was burned with fire and brimstone from heaven so soone as Saint John left the bath where he met Cerinthus the Hereticke and got out of the house the house fell downe so soon as the Christians were safe at Pella out of Jerusalem Jerusalem was destroyed The house of Obed-Edom was blessed for having the Arke in it and thrice happy are those houses which have many of these Temples in them 3 If Gods chosen are his most holy Temple they must not admit Idolaters into their communion nor profane persons into their houses for this were to set open the Church of Christ to Belial and to entertaine Gods enemies in his owne house 4 Are our bodies and soules the Temple and our faculties and members the Chappels of the holy Ghost how holy then ought wee to be in our inward and outward man how pure in our soules and cleane in our bodies What a horrible and abominable thing were it for a man to doe any notorious villany or commit any filthinesse in the Church upon the Communion Table the savage Gothes and barbarous Infidels would not doe so wickedly Can we possibly beleeve that we are the Temple of the living God if wee bee so dissolute and impure and profane as some are Know wee not that so oft as wee sweare vainly and use curses and execrations wee profane Gods Temple so oft as wee draw bloud of our brother wee pollute it so oft as wee corrupt him wee destroy it so oft as wee defile our bodies with fornication or our soules with Idolatry wee commit filthinesse and practise wickednesse in the Temple of God in the presence of God even under his eye Men and brethren in this case what shall we doe for who hath not in some kinde or other polluted Gods holy Temple his soule and body Lactantius giveth us the best counsell that may bee d Lact. de ira Dei c. ult Mundemus hoc Templum Let us cleanse and purifie this Temple which wee have defiled You will say How is this to be done Gorrham answereth you out of the Law 1 The pavement according to the rites prescribed by Moses was to be broken up and all dead mens bones cast out let us in like manner breake up the ground of the heart and cast all dead workes out of our consciences 2 It was to bee swept all over and washed let us in like manner wash our inward Temples with tears and cleanse them with hearty repentance and godly sorrow for our sinnes 3 It was to be sprinkled with bloud let us in like manner through faith sprinkle our consciences with the bloud of the Lambe 4 It was to bee perfumed with sweet odours and incense let us in like manner perfume our inward Temple with zealous prayers and sighes for our sinnes When God shall see his Temple thus purified his house thus prepared for him hee will returne into it and dwell in it againe and take delight in it and enrich it daily more and more I will locke up the gates of this Temple with the golden Key of * Lact. l. de ira Dei c. ult Sit Deus in nobis non in templo sed in corde consecratus mundemus hoc templum quod non fumo nec pulvere sed malis cogitationibus sordidatur quod non cereis ardentibus sed claritate luce sapientiae illuminatur in quo si Deum semper crediderimus habere praesentem cujus divinitati secreta mentis pateant ita vivamus ut propitium semper habeamus nunquam vereamurs iratum Lactantius Let God bee consecrated or set up by us not in the Temple but in our hearts and let us carefully cleanse this Temple which is soyled and blacked not with smoake and dust but with impure thoughts and earthly desires which is not enlightned with burning tapers but with the light and brightnesse of wisdome in which if wee beleeve that God is continually present to the beames of whose divine eyes the inmost Closets of all hearts lye open let us so live that wee may ever enjoy his favour and never feare his wrath Gracious Lord who hast placed thy Tabernacle in the midst of us in our hearts consecrate them wee beseech thee for holy Temples unto thee sprinkle them with thy bloud cleanse them by thy grace enlighten them with thy
thirsteth for righteousnesse and therefore is satisfied The modest man hath no opinion of his owne wit or wisedome and therefore willingly bringeth every thought into captivity and every affection to the obedience of the Gospel The lowly in heart esteemeth more vilely of himselfe than the world can and therefore hee chearfully taketh up his crosse and followeth Christ Thus have I cleared the title of the poore in spirit to the Kingdome of Heaven which is so sure and unquestionable that our Saviour saith not Theirs shall be in the future but in the present tense Theirs is the Kingdome of Heaven And likewise Suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto mee for of such r Matth. 19.14 is the Kingdome of Heaven As we say of such an one that hath the advowson of a Benefice or reversion of an Office under seale or of an heire to a wealthy father such a Lordship or such a Mannour or such an Office or such a Benefice is his either because hee is as sure thereof as if he were possessed of it or because he hath actually jus ad rem though not in re a right to it though not in it so in regard of the poore in spirit their undoubted right to and their present interest in some of the priviledges and profits of their heavenly Fathers Kingdome that Kingdome is said here to be theirs already When Cyneas the Embassadour of Pyrrhus after his returne from Rome was asked by his Master what hee thought of the City and State he answered that it seemed to him Respublica Regum A State of none but great States-men and a Common-wealth of Kings Put the same question to Saint John concerning Jerusalem that descended from God he will answer you in like manner Videri rempublicam Regum that it is no other than a Parliament of Emperours or a Common-wealth of Kings For in the Kingdome of grace upon earth all Kings are subjects but in the Kingdome of glory in Heaven all subjects are Kings Every humble and faithfull soule is coheire with Christ and hath a robe of honour and a scepter of power and a throne of majesty and a crowne of glory If you peruse the records and evidences of Heaven exemplified in holy Scripture you shall finde no estates there but inheritances no inheritances but kingdomes no houses but palaces no meales but feasts no noyse but musicke no rods but scepters no garments but robes no seates but thrones no head ornaments but crownes these inheritances these palaces these feasts these songs these scepters these thrones these robes these crownes God bring us unto and possesse us with through poverty in spirit in the right and title purchased for us by our elder brother Christ Jesus To whom c. THE COGNISANCE OF A CHRISTIAN OR CHRIST HIS NEW COMMANDEMENT A Sermon preached in VVooll-Church THE TWENTIETH SERMON JOH 13.34 A new commandement give I unto you That ye love one another as I have loved you that yee also love one another Right Worshipfull c. ALL that by a Christian vocation are severed from the world and cut as it were out of the common rock of mankinde and by faith relye upon Christ are like so many hewen stones laid upon the chiefe a Eph. 2.20 corner stone rising to a spirituall building reaching from the earth to heaven The line by which they are built is the Word of God the cement wherwith they are held fast together is Christian charity the soder of mindes the couple of dispositions the glew of affections and the bond of all perfection which to fasten the more strongly among all that gave their name to Christ the Primitive Church in the daies of the Apostles added a double tye 1. Sacred 2. Civill The sacred was the frequent receiving of the Lords Supper the civill was the celebrating their Agapae's or keeping their love-feasts Which though they were in after ages taken away by reason of manifold abuses and disorders committed in them even in the place of holy assemblies yet it were to be wished that all our feasts were truly love-feasts I meane that the rich among us would imitate holy Job and not eat their morsels alone but invite those of the poorer sort to their Tables whom Christ bids to his board or at least that they would defaulke a great part of that charge which is spent in furnishing these luxurious feasts wherein this City exceedeth all in the Christian world and convert it to the refreshing of the bowels of poore prisoners or clothing the naked or redeeming captives or to some other pious and charitable use so should your City and Company feasts be true Agapae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 love-feasts and you testifie to all the world what account you make of Christ his new commandement in my Text Love one another Of all speeches we ought to give most heed to those of our Saviour of all speeches of our Saviour to his commands of all commands to this of Christian charity 1. Because it is a rare and choice one A new 2. Because it is a sweet and easie one To love 3. Because it is a just and reasonable one One another 4. Because wee have such a singular President for it As I have loved you c. Wee have all Athenian eares thirsting after newes behold a new Wee all professe obedience to Lawes behold a commandement Wee all acknowledge Christ to bee our supreme Lord who hath absolute power of life and death hearken then to his Proclamation I give unto you If hee had laid a heavie burthen and hard yoke upon us wee must have submitted our neckes and shoulders to it and wee have all reason so to doe For hee tooke b Esay 53.4 Surely be hath born our griefs and carried our sorrowes upon him our infirmities and bare our sorrowes how much more when hee layeth so sweet a yoke upon us as to love so light a burthen as to love one another Nothing more agreeable to our nature than to love nothing more needfull to our condition than to love one another Wee all stand in need one of another this need is supported by love this love is commanded by Christ this command of Christ is new As c M. Tul. Cicer. Orator Numerum verborum numero sententiarum complexus est Tully spake of Thucydides his stile that in his Orations every word was a sentence And as Saint Jerome observeth in the Apocalyps Quot verba tot sacramenta that there are so many mysteries in it as words so wee may say of this Text Quot verba tot argumenta so many words so many arguments so many notions so many motions or motives to this duty of mutuall love To which we ought to have a speciall eye and extraordinary regard First because it is a new commandement Secondly because it is Christs commandement I give unto you Thirdly because it is an amiable and easie one To love Fourthly because it is
must all appeare before his tribunall which is so certaine a thing to come to passe that Saint y Apoc. 20.12 13. John in a vision saw it as present And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the bookes were opened and they were judged according to the things wrote in those bookes Now for the terrour of that day I tremble almost to rehearse how it is described in holy Scriptures by S. z Apoc. 20.11 John I saw a great white throne and him that sate on it from whose face the earth and heaven fled away and by Saint * 1 Pet. 4.17 Peter The time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God and if it begin there what shall the end of them be that obey not the Gospel and if the righteous shall scarce bee saved where shall the ungodly and sinner appeare It is hard to say whether the antecedents are more direfull or the concomitants more dolefull or the consequents more dreadfull The antecedents are formidable The a Mat. 24.29 Sunne shall be darkened and the Moone shall be turned into bloud and the starres shall fall from the skies and the powers of heaven shall bee shâ—â—â—â— b Luk. 21.25 26. In the earth shall be distresse of Nations and perplexity and the sea and tâ—â— waters shall roare and mens hearts shall faile them for feare and for looking after those things that are comming on the earth The concomitants are lamentable Behold he c Apoc. 1.7 commeth in the clouds and all eyes shall see him and all kindreds of the earth shall mourne before him And yet the consequeâ—â— are more fearfull than either the antecedants or concomitants For the bookes of all mens consciences shall be spread abroad and every man shall answer for all the d Eccles 12.14 workes that he hath done nay for every e Mat. 12.36 word he hath spoken nay for every thought purpose and intent of the heart For when the Lord commeth he will bring to light the f 1 Cor. 4.5 hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the heart Having set up a faire light I will now take away some blockes and râ—â—â— that lye in the way of my discourse The first is that God executeth judgement in this world and therefore Salvianus hath written a booke Deâ—â—â—â—â— senti Dei judicio of Gods providence over his Church and present judgement Doth hee not open his treasures to the righteous and poure downe the vialls of his wrath upon the wicked in this life Doth not Saint Paul affirme that those that beleeve are g Rom. 5.1 justified already And Saint John that those that beleeve not are condemned h John 3.18 already What place then remaines for a future tryall Secondly immediately upon our death our soule is carried either by good Angels into Abrahams bosome or by evill into the dungeon of hell what then need they come to the generall assizes who have received their doome at the quarter sessions Thirdly if all mens consciences shall bee ripped up and all their secret sinnes be discovered in the face of the Sunne at the day of judgement that day cannot be but dreadfull to the most righteous man on earth yet Christ saith to his Disciples i Luke 21.28 When these things come to passe lift you up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh and they in this regard long for his second comming and pray continually Come Lord k Apoc. 22.20 Jesu come quickly The first rubbe is thus removed though Gods judgements overtake some yet not all in this life For the afflictions of the godly and the prosperity of the wicked were a great eye-sore to l Psal 73.12 David and m Jerem. 5.28 Jeremy Moreover God hath rewards both temporall and eternall the former he dispenceth in this life the later in that which is to come Hee that beleeveth is justified already before God and in the sense of his owne conscience for he hath peace with God And in like manner hee that beleeveth not is condemned already in Gods decree and hee hath received also the sentence of condemnation within himselfe as a fellon is hanged in the law and may know what his sentence shall be before it bee executed or pronounced against him This hindreth not but that the publike sentence shall passe upon both at the last day for eternall salvation or damnation The second is thus removed Immediately upon death every soule knoweth what shee is to trust to but this it not knowne to the world Besides the body must bee rewarded or punished as well as the soule therefore partly to cleare the justice of God in the sight of men and Angels partly to render to the body and soule that have been partners in evill and good their entire recompence after the private session at our death God hath appointed a publike assizes at the day of judgement The third rubbe is thus taken away The day of judgement is both terrible and comfortable to the godly terrible in the beginning comfortable in the end terrible in the accusation by Sathan comfortable in the defence by Christ our Advocate terrible in the examination but comfortable in the sentence Yea but their sores are laid open and they are fowle their debts are exhibited and they are very many their rents in their conscience are shewed and they are great It is true their sores are laid open but annointed with Balsamum their debts are exhibited but with a faire acquittance signed with Christs bloud their rents in their conscience are seene but mended and filled up with jewels of grace It is farre otherwise with the wicked their sores appeare without any salve their debts appeare but no acquittance their rent in their conscience appeareth and remaineth as wide as ever it was being never made up or mended by repentance therefore they cry n Apoc. 6.16 to the mountaines fall on us and to the hills cover us from the presence of the Lord and from the wrath of the Lambe This point of doctrine is not more evident in the proofe than profitable in the use which is threefold 1. To comfort the innocent 2. To terrifie the secure 3. To instruct all First to comfort the innocent For many that have walked sincerely before God have been censured for hypocrites many innocents have been falsly condemned many just men have suffered for righteousnesse sake and many faithfull Christians have been adjudged to mercilesse flames for their most holy profession To all these the day of judgement will bee the brightest day that ever shone on them For then their innocency shall break out as the light and their righteous dealing as the noone day then they shall have the hand of their false accusers and judge their Judges then they shall see him for whom they have stood all their life time and strived even to bloud Every losse they have sustained for his
sinkes of impurity to purge out the filth that is in the skirts of Jerusalem to reforme all abuses and to prevent Gods judgements upon this Realme by punishing all the violaters of his lawes Remember that thou who here sittest upon the bench shalt one day be called to the barre to be tryed for eternall life or death before the Judge of all flesh from whose face the heavens and the earth fled and their place could no where bee found O thinke in time to make a better reckoning before thy summons to give in thy last account in the words of my Text Give an account c. viz. of thy authority and commission After the Ministers of the Gospel and the Magistrate 3. To the rich and covetous come the rich of this world to be admonished to looke to their accounts Thou whom thy Master hath trusted with much of his goods and coine to beautifie his Sanctuary to maintaine them that serve at his Altar and to stay and silence the lowd cryes and deep sighes of the hungry thirsty naked oppressed imprisoned and captivated members of thy Redeemer doest thou bury thy mony under the ground or locke it up in thy iron chest till it rust Doest thou like the Gryphine in the naturall story keep others from the precious metall whereof thy selfe makest no use at all Thou g Cypr. de cleemos Servas pecuniam quae te servata non servat c. savest the mony which being saved will not save thee and losest by keeping it the blessing of God the prayers of the poore nay thine owne soule by preferring thy Mammon and setting it in thine owne affection before thy Saviour How canst thou give an account of thy Stewardship who hast laid out nothing for thy Masters use who yet will certainly question thee as well pro lucro cessante as pro damno emergente as well for not imploying his mony for his advantage as for that thou hast imployed to losse In which regard Saint h James 5.1 James ringeth them a sad peale after the passing bell hath gone for them Goe to now you rich men weep and howle for the miseries that shall come upon you your riches are corrupted your garments moth-eaten your gold and silver is cankered and the rust of them shall be a witnes against you and shall eate your flesh as it were fire 4. To the Prodigall Here let not the prodigall spender vainly flatter himselfe that his condition shall be easier at the day of judgement than that of the covetous because he suffereth not his mony to rust but rather causeth it to glissen in his plate glare in his jewells glitter in his apparrell shine in his gilt rooms cabbinets furnitures and hangings For all this lustre shall bee a cleare evidence against him of his wasting his Masters substance and if it shall goe hard with the hard and covetous man who layeth not out his Masters mony what may this exhauster expect if the Miser shall suffer as a i Cypr de elecmos Sacrilegium est rem pauperum non dare pauperibus sacrilegious person because he giveth not the poore their due what punishment is he like to endure who robbeth the Church racketh his tenants oppresseth the poore extorteth from or exacteth upon all to maintaine either his vain glorious pride or delicate pallate or idle sports or impure pleasures How many hunger and cold starved poore will have an action against this Steward for preferring his Hawkes and Hounds before them and riotously expending that in one luxurious feast which would have fed them for many yeeres and laying out that in one costly sute or rich jewell wherewith hundreds of them might have been clothed in the bitterest winter season and thereby their lives preserved how will they be ashamed and confounded at the great audit day to deliver in an account after this manner In vain sports thus much in satisfying my lust thus much to make ostentation of my greatnesse thus much to be revenged of my enemies thus much for maintenance of Gods worship not the tenth of my tenth nay not the hundreth part of my rapines for the reliefe of the poore a trifle in voluntary oblations nothing at all O thinke upon this in time that you may make better reckonings before you bee summoned to give in your last accounts in the words of my Text Give an account of thy Stewardship of thy wealth and worldly blessings 5. To all men in generall Are all dispensers of the Word and Sacraments are all in authority are all commanders have all the wealth of the world surely no yet all are accountants some for their trade and course of life others for their naturall parts and gifts and all for their time Few I perswade my selfe can give a good account of the first fewer of the second but fewest of all of the third It was spoken by a Heathen of the Heathen but I feare it may be truely said of many Christians in profession k Sen. ep 1. ad Lucil. Magna pars vitae labitur malè agentibus maxima nihil agentibus tota aliud agentibus that they spend a great part of their life in sinfull actions the greatest in idlenesse the whole in impertinent businesse The dearest losse of all is of time because if wee have imbezelled our estate by ill husbandry we may repaire it by thrift and industry if we have pawned our plate and houshold-stuffe jewells they may be redeemed againe if we have morgaged our lands the morgage may be satisfied and our lands restored but the time that we have idlely or lewdly or loosely spent can never bee recovered No man need Bellerophon like spurre a flying horse time posteth of it selfe yet many men not content to let time goe from them in her swiftest motions they drive her out and devise how they may set her packing and bee soonest rid of her like the l Aelian var. hist l. 1. Persian King who proposed a great reward to any that could invent any new pastime they highly value such companions with whom they may lavish out the flower and best of their time The account of these brave Gallants and noble Sparkes as they are termed is soone cast Halfe the night gamed and revelled and as much of the day slept out and the remainder indifferently shared between the Taverne and the Play and the worst of the three Neither can the other sexe give an account much better 6. To Women whose day after a ramisticall dichotomy being divided into forenoone and afternoone the former part is usually taken up in dressing trimming and I feare in that for which they have no colour in holy Scriptures nor the example of the best times painting the later in idle visits and seeking after the fashions They allow themselves little time for the contemplation of any thing save their face and dresses in their glasses nor trouble they their heads with any
us they may receive us into everlasting habitations 5. To seeke the Lord whilest hee may bee found and not to deferre our repentance from day to day 6. To be sure to provide for our eternall state whatsoever becommeth of our temporall and to preferre the salvation of our soule before the gaining of the whole world 7. To examine daily our spirituall estate and to informe our selves truly how we stand in the Court of Heaven in Gods favour or out of it 8. To observe to what sinnes wee are most subject and where wee are weakest there continually to fortifie against Sathans batteries 9. In all weighty occasions especially such as concerne our spirituall estate to aske counsell of God and take direction from his Word 10. To consider the speciall workes of Gods providence in the carriage of the affaires of this world and make use thereof to our selves 11. Lastly to meditate upon the Law of God all the dayes of our life and consider their blessed end that keep it with their whole heart and their accursed death that transgresse it And so I fall upon the second branch of my Text Observ 3 They would consider I have already proposed wisedome to your desires now I am to commend consideration to your wisedome The Schoole Divines make this the speciall difference between the knowledge of men and Angels that the knowledge of Angels is intuitive but of men discursive they see all things to which the beame of their sight extendeth as it were on the sudden with one cast of the eye but we by degrees see one thing after another and inferre effects from causes and conclusions from principles and particulars from generalls they have the treasures of wisedome and knowledge ready alwayes at hand we by reading hearing conference but especially by meditation must digge it out of the precious mynes where it lyeth In which regard Barradius alluding to the sound of the word though not to the Grammaticall originall saith meditatio est quasi mentis ditatio meditation is the enriching of the soule because it delves into the rich mynes of wisedome and maketh use of all that wee heare or reade and layeth it up in our memories Seneca fitly termeth it rumination or chewing of the cud which maketh the food of the soule taste sweeter in the mouth and digest better in the stomacke By the Law of God the u Levit. 11.3 7. beasts that chewed not the cud were reckoned among the unclean of which the people of God might not eate such are they in the Church that never ruminate or meditate upon those things they take in at the eare which is the soules mouth I know no difference more apparent between a wise man and a foole than this that the one is prometheus hee adviseth before the other is epimetheus he acteth first and deliberateth afterwards and * Hesiod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wardeth after hee hath received the wound the one doth all things headily and rashly the other maturely and advisedly A man that hath an understanding spirit calleth all his thoughts together and holdeth a cabinet councell in the closet of his heart and there propoundeth debateth deliberateth and resolveth what hee hath to doe and how before hee imbarke himselfe into any great designe or weighty affaire For want of this preconsideration most men commit many errours and fall into great inconveniences troubles and mischiefes and are often caught unawares in the Divels snare which they might easily have shunned if they had looked before they leaped and fore-casted their course before they entred into it It is a lamentable thing to see how many men partly through carelesnesse and incogitancie partly through a desire to enjoy their sensuall pleasures without any interruption suffer Sathan like a cunning Faulkner to put a hood upon their soules and therewith blind the eyes of the understanding and never offer to plucke it off or stirre it before hee hath brought them to utter darknesse O that men were wise to understand this cunning of the Divell Application and consider alwayes what they doe before they doe it and be they never so resolutely bent and hot set upon any businesse yet according to the advice of the x Cic. Orat. pro Pub. Quint. Si haec duo solùm verba tecum habuisses Quid ago respirasset credo cupiditas c. Orator to give their desires so long a breathing time till they have spoken these two words to themselves Quid agimus what doe we what are we about is it a commendable worke is it agreeable to the Word of God and sutable to our calling is it of good report and all circumstances considered expedient if so goe on in Gods name and the Lord prosper your handy-workes but if otherwise meddle not with it and put off all that the Divell or carnall wisedome can alledge to induce you unto it with these checkes of your own consciences saying to your selves Shall we offend God shall we charge our consciences shall we staine our reputation shall we scandalize our profession shall we despite the Spirit of grace shall we forfeit our estate in Gods promises and foregoe a title to a Kingdome shall wee pull downe all Gods plagues and judgements upon us in this life and hazzard the damnation of body and soule in hell and all this for an earthly vanity a fading commodity a momentary pleasure an opinion of honour a thought of contentment a dreame of happinesse Shall we bett with the Divell and stake our soules against a trifle shall we venture our life and put all the treasures of Gods grace and our crowne of glory in the Divels bottome for such light and vile merchandize as this world affordeth Is it not folly nay madnesse to lay out all upon one great feast knowing that we should fast all the yeere after to venture the boiling in the river of brimstone for ever for bathing our selves in the pleasures of sinne for an houre We forbid our children to eate fruit because we say it breedeth wormes in their bellies and if wee had the like care of the health of our soules as of their bodies wee would for the same reason abstaine from the forbidden fruit of sinne because it breedeth in the conscience a never dying worme O that we were wise to understand this and to Consider our later end I have proposed wisedome to your desires in the first place and in the second referred consideration to your wisedome now in the last place I am to recommend your later end to your consideration A wise man beginneth with the end which is first in the intention but last in the execution and as we judge of stuffes by their last so of all courses by their end to which they tend It is not the first or middle but the last scene that denominateth the play a tragedy or a comedy and it is the state of a man at his death and after upon which wee are to
opposed to vertues but to vices also Our way to heaven is like the course of a ship in the Sicilian sea betweene two rockes called the Symplegades the one lying on the right hand the other on the left betweene which the channell is so narrow that few seeke to decline the one but they dash on the other Incidit in Scillam qui vult vitare Charybdim As those that goe upon ropes or passe over a narrow bridge if they be not exceeding carefull when the body swayeth or the foot slippeth one way by hastily leaning too far the other way they fall irrecoverably so if we be not very watchfull over our wayes in declining one vitious extremity ere we are aware we passe the middle and are upon the other I need not goe farre for an instance this Corinthian before he fell into this snare of Satan was puft up in pride and sinned presumptuously but after the heavie censure of the Church for his incestuous marriage and the remorse of his owne conscience for it he fell into the contrary extreme took on so far and plunged himselfe into so deepe sorrow that he was in great danger to be swallowed up in the gulfe of despaire Demea offended not so much in rigour towards his children at the the first as afterwards in indulgency when he felt the smart of his own rod. None usually so exceed in mirth and run into that riot of pleasure as melancholy men when they are out of that humour This stratagem serves Satans turne as well in matter of faith as maners For as vices are in both extremes and vertue in the middle so oftentimes errours in doctrine are in both extremes and truth in the middle by over-reaching against one heresie we wrong the truth hurt our selves and fall upon the errour in the other extreme St. p Vâ—◠〈◊〉 tâ—â— Câ—gâ—â—â— caâ—â— Jâ— Regis Basil in his heat of opposition to Sabellius his heresie was transported so farre that he came within the Verge of the opposite heresie and uttered some inconvenient speeches concerning the Trinity St. Austine likewise in his zeale against the Pelagians who sleightned baptisme went too farre in urging the necessity thereof pronouncing all children that died unbaptized to be damned And how many are there among us who out of hatred of the Antichristian tyranny condemne all Ecclesiasticall Hierarchy out of detestation of superstitious rites dislike even decent ceremonies in opposition to garish and idolatrous trimming of Temples are brought to dis-allow all cost in adorning and beautifying Christian Churches 6 The sixt stratagem policy or device of Satan is to turne himselfe into an Angell of light and thereby to perswade the children of light that his suggestions are the motions of Gods holy Spirit This he attempteth and often effecteth by observing what gifts and graces are most eminent in Gods children and to what actions of piety or charity they are most addicted and subtilly under the colour and resemblance of these drawing them to those neighbour vices that seeme to have most affinity with their Christian perfections like as if a cunning Lapidarie should insinuate into the company of a rich Merchant and getting a sight of his cabbinet of Jewels should cheat him with counterfeit stones in stead of them To discover this plot of Satan more apparently 1 Religion is a true jewell Superstition a counterfeit 2 Humility a jewell Pusillanimity a counterfeit 3 Spirituall wisedome a jewell Worldly policy a counterfeit 4 Magnificence a jewell Prodigality a counterfeit 5 Tendernesse of conscience a jewell Scrupulosity a counterfeit 6 Severity a jewell Cruelty a counterfeit 7 Clemency a jewell Indulgence a counterfeit 8 Zeale a jewell Indiscreet fervour a counterfeit 9 Diligent search into divine mysteries a jewell curiosity a counterfeit 10 Inward peace a jewell Carnall security a counterfeit 11 Confidence in God a jewell Presumption a counterfeit 12 Constancy a jewell Pertinacy a counterfeit Here then is Satans masterpiece to rob us of our precious jewels of grace and deceive us with counterfeit in their roome by name to adulterate and sophisticate the former vertues by the later vices 1 Religion by Superstition 2 Humility by Pusillanimity 3 Spirituall wisedome by Policy 4 Magnificence by Prodigality 5 Tendernesse of conscience by Scrupulosity 6 Severity by Cruelty 7 Clemency by Indulgence 8 Zeale by Indiscreet fervour 9 Diligence by Curiosity 10 Inward peace by Carnall security 11 Confidence by Presumption 12 Constancy by Pertinacy Saul was most zealous for the law of Moses this his fervour Satan inflaming enraged him against the Apostles and Disciples whom he as then thought to be capitall enemies to the law in this his rage hee makes havocke of the Church of God deeming that he could not doe better service to God than to be an instrument to put to death the dearest servants of Christ The great love St. Cyprian the Martyr bare to the Orthodoxe faith and the Professours thereof bred in him a vehement detestation of Heresie and Heretikes upon this Satan works and draweth him by degrees to question then to condemn their baptism and lastly to presse the necessity of rebaptizing those that were baptized by them Theodosius his infinite desire of the Church's peace was a most commendable and Christian vertue in him yet Satan made his advantage of it working him to some connivence at the Arrians which much prejudiced the Orthodoxe Professours Who can sufficiently extoll Constantine the great his love to Bishops and Church-men yet Satan abused this his pious respect to the Clergie in such sort that when divers Bishops brought inditements one against another for adultery and other foule crimes he never so much as looked upon their papers but presently burned them saying that rather than any should espie the nakednesse of those his spirituall Fathers he would cast his Princely robe over them to cover them Whosoever readeth the story of St. Monica would thinke that a sonne could never doe too much for such a mother who took so much pains and shed so many tears for his conversion Neither was she more carefull for him than he thankfull to her and would you thinke that Satan could sucke poyson out of so sweet a flower as is filiall obedience to a gracious mother yet he doth by inducing St. Austine to pray for her soule after she was dead How was he brought to this Did he beleeve that his mothers soule was in Purgatory or that she needed any prayer That conceit he disclaimeth in the very same place where he prayeth for her Credo quod jam feceris quod te rogo sed voluntaria oris mei opproba Domine For p Aug. Confes l. 9. c. 13. my mother on her death-bed desired but this one thing of me that I would remember her in my devotions at thine Altar 7 The seventh stratagem policy or device of Satan is to make advantage of time not only by alluring every age to the peculiar vices thereof as children to
similitudes of true things similitudines auri with studs or points of silver id est scintillis quibusdam spiritualis intelligentiae that is points spangles or sparkles of precious and spirituall meaning For example Aarons mitre and his breast-plate of judgement engraven with Urim and Thummim and his golden bells were similitudines auri similitudes of gold or golden similitudes and the studs or points of silver that is sparkles or rayes of spirituall truth in them were Christ his three offices His Priestly represented by the breast-plate His Princely by the mitre His Propheticall by the bells Againe in the breast-plate of Aaron there were set in rowes twelve precious stones here were similitudes of gold or golden similitudes and the studs of silver that is sparkles or rayes of spirituall meaning were the l Apoc. 21.14 twelve Apostles laid as precious stones in the foundation of the heavenly Jerusalem that is the Church Take yet a third example in the Arke there were the two m Heb. 9.4 Tables and the golden of Manna and the rod that had budded these were similitudines auri golden similitudes and the puncta argenti that is the cleere and evident points of spirituall truth in them are the three notes of the true Church 1 The Word or the Old and New Testament signified by the two Tables 2 The Sacraments prefigured in the golden pot of Manna 3 Ecclesiasticall discipline shadowed by Aarons Rod. Thus I might take off the cover of all the legall types and shew what lieth under them what liquor the golden vessell containeth what mysteries the precious robes involve what sacraments their figures what ablutions their washings what table their Altars what gifts their oblations what host their sacrifices pointed unto The Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrewes observeth such an admirable correspondency betweene these things that in this respect the whole Scripture may be likened to one long similitude the protasis whereof or first part is in the Old Testament the antapodosis or second part in the New For in the Old as the Apostle testifieth there were n Heb. 9.23.24 similitudes of true things but in the New we finde the truth of those similitudes Which if our new Sectaries of the precisian or rather o Mr. Whittall Bradburn and their followers circumcision cut had seriously thought upon they would not like Aesops dog let fall the substance by catching at the shadow they would not be so absurd as to goe about to bring the aged Spouse of Christ to her festraw againe and reduce all of us her children to her p Gal. 4.2.3 nonage under the law they would not be so mad as to keepe new moones and Jewish Sabbaths after the Sunne of righteousnesse is risen so long agoe and hath made us an everlasting Sabbath in heaven These silly Schismatickes doe but feed upon the scraps of the old Ebionites of whom q Hay hist sac l. 3. Ebionitae pauperes interpretantur verè sensu pauperes ceremonias adhuc legis custodientes Haymo out of Eusebius writeth thus The Ebionites according to the Hebrew Etymologie of their name are interpreted poore and silly and so indeed they are in understanding who as yet keepe the ceremonies of the old Law Nay rather they licke the Galathians vomit and therefore I thinke fit to minister unto them the purge prescribed by the r Gal. 3.1 2 3. Apostle O foolish Galathians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath beene evidently set forth crucified among you This onely would I learne of you received yee the Spirit by the workes of the Law or by the hearing of faith Are yee so foolish having begun in the Spirit are ye now made perfect by the flesh Behold I ſ Gal. 5 2. Paul testifie unto you that if you be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing we may adde If you keepe the Jewish Sabbath or abstain from swines flesh out of conscience and in obedience to the ceremoniall Law Christs flesh shall profit you nothing if you abstaine from bloud in any such respect Christs bloud shall profit you nothing For I testifie againe saith St. Paul to every man that is circumcised that he is become a debter to the whole Law And will they not yet learne that Mosaicall rites and ceremonies were at severall times 1. Mortales or moriturae 2. Mortuae 3. Mortiferae They were mortales at their first constitution mortuae that is dead at Christs death and now mortiferae deadly to all that observe them Will they put off the long white robes washed in the bloud of the Lambe and shrowd themselves with the old rags or as St. Paul termeth them beggarly rudiments of the Law If they are so minded I leave them and fill up this Border with the words of Saint t Ser. 7. Antiqua observatio novo tollitur sacramento hostia in hostiam transiit sanguinem sanguis excludit legalis festivitas dum mutatur impletur Leo The ancient rite is taken away by a new Sacrament one host passeth into another bloud excludeth bloud and the Legall festivity is fulfilled in that it is changed The second exposition of this Scripture which understandeth the golden borders and silver studs of the glorious and pompous splendour of the Christian Church seemeth to come neerer unto the letter faciemus wee will make thee the verbe in the future tense evidently implyeth a promise or prophesie and the sense of the whole may be illustrated by this or the like Paraphrase O glorious Spouse of Christ and blessed Mother of us all who art compassed with a straight chaine about thy necke that suffereth thee not to breathe freely being confined to the narrow limits of Judea in the fulnesse of time the fulnesse of the Gentiles shall come in and in stead of a straight chaine of gold or small string of pearle we will make thee large borders we will environ thee with Christian auditories and congregations as it were borders of gold and these borders of gold shall be set out and supported with studs of silver that is enriched with temporall endowments and upheld by regall authority u Esay 49.23 King shall bee thy nursing fathers and Queenes shall be thy nursing mothers Nay such shall be thy honour and power that thou shalt binde Kings with x Psal 149.8 chaines and Nobles with linkes of iron who for their ransome shall offer unto thee store of gold to make thee borders and silver for studs Which prophesie seemed to have been fulfilled about the dayes of Constantine or a little after when such was the sumptuous statelinesse of Christian Churches and so rich the furniture thereof that it dazled the eyes of the Heathen Foelix the Emperours Treasurer blessing himselfe when hee beheld the Church vessels and vestments saying En qualibus vasis ministratur Mariae filio See what plate the sonne of Mary is served
wife embracing a stranger in bed so doth the wrath of God burne like fire and his jealousie breake out like a bright flame against such as Pigmalion-like entertaine an Idoll for him in the bed of their soule and commit fornication with it To commit fornication and to eat meat sacrificed unto Idols There is so neare affinity betwixt carnall and spirituall fornication that few defile their soules with the one but are defiled in body with the other as Jezebels scholars here who by eating meat sacrificed unto Idols were provoked to corporall uncleannesse One sinne as it breedeth so it feedeth another and as blindnesse of eyes was inflicted upon Elymas for his blindnesse of heart so God in his secret and just judgement here punished the Nicolaits spirituall with corporall fornication that as they provoked him to jealousie by familiarly and freely conversing with Idolaters so they were provoked to jealousie by their wives keeping company with adulterers Touching eating meats sacrificed unto Idols which the Spirit in this place and Saint k 1 Cor. 10.20 Paul and all the l Acts 15.20 Apostles in their decretall Epistle so strictly forbid you are to understand that the Christians in the Primitive Church in respect of their acquaintance and alliance with the heathen that dwelt among them did not sticke when they were invited by them to goe to their banquets and feasts which they kept in the Temples of their Idols when they sacrificed unto them and there they spent the remainder of such cates and wines as had beene offered to their Paynim gods The pretence which the Christians had for their resorting to these feasts was this that they knew the Idoll was nothing and therefore giving thankes to God for his creatures they did eat of all things without any scruple of conscience howsoever they had beene used and to whomsoever they had beene offered This our Saviour here reproveth the Thyatirians for and St. Paul the Corinthians in the place above alledged shewing that though the Idoll was nothing in it selfe yet sith the Gentiles did offer such things as were served-in at their Idols feast not to God but to Divels the Christians could not sit at the same tables with them rejoycing and feasting in the names of them but they must be partakers of their idolatry The maine argument he useth may bee thus reduced to forme They that eat of things offered unto Idols are partakers of the Divels table and are as it were in messe with him But none of Gods family may table with the Divell therefore all Christians ought to make conscience of accepting the heathens invitation to such feasts wherein they were to feed upon the Devils reliques Now that the servants of God may not meddle or make with the Divell or any of his instruments needs no proofe at all m 2 Cor. 6.14 For what Communion hath light with darkenesse or what fellowship hath Christ with Belial And that they that keepe gaudy dayes for the Divell and make merry with his reliques have fellowship with him the Apostle sheweth by the like examples They that eat of the sacramentall bread have their communion with Christ they that eat of the legall sacrifices are partakers of the Altar even so they that eat things offered unto Idols divide commons as it were with the Dâ—vell Thus have I glanced at all the parts of this Scripture but my principall aime was from the beginning at Jezebel set as a faire or rather foule marke in the midst of this verse I have somewhat against thee that thou sufferest Jezebel It is not onely evill to doe but also to suffer evill when it is in in our power to hinder it as I proved heretofore at large by arguments drawne 1. From the Law forbidding to plow with an Oxe and an Asse and punishing Idolaters with death 2. From the Gospell denying the service of two Masters and interdicting all fellowship and communion of light with darknesse or Christ with Belial 3. From the Spirits bill of enditement framed against the Angels of Pergamus and Thyatira for tolerating the Nicolaitans 4 From Gods threatning to cut off all such as sweare by him and by Malchim 5 From the Kings command in the parable to compell all the guests that were bid to come to his marriage feast 6. From the imputation which is laid by the Spirit upon many Kings of Israel and Judah for not taking away the high places 7. From the examples of Asa Josiah Ezechiah Nebuchadnezzar Constantine Jovian Theodosius and other religious Princes who by severe lawes restrained heresie and idolatry and constrained the true worship of God 8. From the verdict and depositions of the ancient Fathers Tertullian Cyprian Jerome Austine Leo Gregory Clemens Alexandrinus Epiphanius and Bernard who all strengthen the armes of the Magistrate and sharpen his sword against heretickes 9 From the lawes of the ancient Grecians Romanes and almost all the heathen who censured some way or other all innovation in religion and profanation of divine worship Lastly from the great danger of heresie which like a canker soone spreads over the whole body of the Church and if it bee not looked into killeth and that eternally thousands of soules breaketh the bands of nature and cutteth asunder all sinewes of humane society putteth enmity variance and implacable discords in families soweth seeds of sedition in the State reacheth dagges and daggers to subjects to assacinate the sacred persons of the Lords annointed layeth traynes in the deepe vaults of dislâ—yall hearts to blow up Parliaments and offer whole Kingdomes for an Holocaust It now remaineth that I appeach the Whore of Babylon of Jezebalisme and discover her filthy abominations and abominable filthinesse in the face of the sunne The Spirit here describeth Jezebel by three markes 1. Imposture She calleth her selfe a Prophetesse 2. Impurity She teacheth to commit fornication 3. Idolatry She alloweth eating meat sacrificed unto idols With these three crimes I dare more confidently charge the Romane Synagogue because with a whorish forehead shee seemeth rather to stand upon the justification of them than the deniall For among her religious practises shee reckoneth pious frauds as if shee verily beleeved that which heathen Varro writeth n Expedit falliâ—n religione civitates That it is expedient for men to be cheated in matter of religion And hereupon Vincentius Bellovacensis in the life of Saint Dominicke intitles one chapter De sanctâ ejus hypocrisi Of his holy hypocrisie And for impurity Casa the Archbishop of Beneventum layeth colours of eloquence upon that foule sinne which God punished in Sodome with fire and brimstone And for idolatry Gregory de Valentiâ the prime of the Schoole-men professedly pleads for it and endevours to prove it to bee lawfull out of the words of Saint Peter o 1 Pet. 4.3 Greg. de Val. de cult â—mag Quid attinebat ita detâ—rminatè cultus simulacrorum illicitos notarâ— si omnino nullos simulaâ—hrorum cultus
some of the reformed Churches with eyes sparkling like fire and stamping with his brazen feet to see these abominations of Jezebel winked at as they are in so many places I meddle not here with any deliberation of State fitter for the Councell Table than the Pulpit but discover to every private Christian what his duty is to refrain from the society of Idolaters I beseech them for the love of him who hath espoused their soules to himselfe and hath decked them with the richest jewels of his grace and made them a joynter of his Kingdome to beware that they be not enticed to spirituall fornication to forbeare the company of all those who solicite them in this kind nay farther to detect such persons to authority that they may learne not to blaspheme the truth of our Religion nor seduce his Majesties subjects from their allegiance to the Prince and conformity to his Lawes Pliny writeth of certaine m Plin. nat hist l. 8 c. 15. Indiginis innoxii peregrinos interimunt Efts in Tyrinth and Snakes in Syria that doe no hurt to the natives but sting strangers to death it may bee some have the like conceit of our English Seminary Priests and Jesuites who have done so great mischiefe beyond the Sea that they have no power or will to hurt any here at home and therefore dare more boldly converse with them because their outward carriage is faire But I beseech them to consider that the Panther hideth her ougly visage which shee knoweth will terrifie the beasts from comming neere her alluring them with the sweet smell of her body but as soone as they come within her reach shee maketh a prey of them Therefore as you tender the salvation of your body and soule your estate in this life and the life to come take heed how you play at the hole of the Cockatrice and familiarly converse with the great Whore or any of her Minions lest they draw you to naughtinesse and spirituall lewdnesse Have no part with them that have no part in God or have part with abominable Idols If the good Bishop Saint Ambrose being commanded by Valentinian the Emperour to deliver up a Church in his Diocesse to the Arrians gave this answer That hee would first yeeld up his life Prius est ut vitam mihi Imperator quà m fidem adimat shall wee give up our soules which are the Temples of the living God to Idolatrous worship If Saint John the Evangelist would not stay in the bath with Cerinthus the Hereticke shall we dare freely to partake with worser Heretickes in the pledges of salvation and wash our soules with them in the royall bath of Christs bloud o Ambros ep 37. Pollui se putabat si Aram vidisset ferendâ—mve est ut Gentilis sacrificet Christianus intersit Constantius the Emperour thought himselfe polluted if he had but seen an Heathenish Altar and Saint Ambrose proposeth it as a thing most absurd and intolerable that a Christian should be present at the sacrifices of the Heathen Our Saviour in this place and Saint p 1 Cor. 10. Paul in the first Epistle to the Corinthians would not have Christians to eate any of those things that were sacrificed unto Idols Nay the Prophet q Psal 16.4 David professeth that he will not so much as name an Idol Their offerings of bloud will I not offer nor make mention of their names in my lips I end and seale up my meditations upon these words spoken to an Angel with the words spoken by an r Apoc. 14.9 Angel If any worship the Beast and his Image and receive his marke in his forehead or in his hand the same shall drinke of the wine of the wrath of God and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone before the holy Angels the Lamb and the smoake of their torments shall ascend for ever ever And they shall have no rest neither day nor night which worship the Beast and his Image whosoever receiveth the print of his name Gracious Lord who gracest the Ministers of the Gospel with the title of Angels make them in their knowledge and life angelicall keep them not only from sinnes of omission and commission but also from sinnes of permission that all may see their works and their love and their service and their faith and their patience their love of thee and their service to thee and their faith in thee and their patience for thee and their growth in all these graces and that thou maist have nothing against them And sith thou hast displayed the Romish Jezebel unto us by her three markes of imposture impurity and idolatry breed in us all a greater loathing and detestation of her abominations preserve us by the sincere preaching of the Word and powerfull operation of thy Spirit that wee bee neither deceived by her imposture to beleeve her false prophesies neither defiled in our body by her impurity to commit fornication nor in soule by her idolatry to eate things sacrificed unto Idols SERMONS PREACHED AT OXFORD FOURE ROWES OF PRECIOUS STONES A Rehearsall Sermon preached in Saint Maries Church at Oxford Anno 1610. THE XXXV SERMON EXOD. 28.15 16 17 18 19 20 21. 15. And thou shalt make the breast-plate of judgement with cunning worke 16. Foure square shall it be being doubled 17. And thou shalt set in it settings of stones even foure rowes of stones the order shall be this a Rubie a Topaze and an Emrald in the first rowe 18. And in the second row thou shalt set a Carbuncle a Saphir and a Diamond 19. And in the third row a Turkeise and an Agate and an Amethist 20. And in the fourth row a Beril and an Onyx and a Jasper and they shall be set in gold in their inclosings or imbosments Hebrew fillings 21. And the stones shall bee with the names of the children of Israel twelve according to their names like the engravings of a signet every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve Tribes Right Worshipfull c. QUintilian a Institut orat lib. 1. cap. 1. instructing parents how to lay the ground-colours of vertues in the soft mindes of tender infants and acquaint them with the rudiments of learning adviseth Eburneas literarum formas iis in lusum offerre To give them the letters of the Alphabet fairely drawne painted or carved in ivory gold or the like solid and delectable matter to play withall that by their sports as it were unawares those simple formes might be imprinted in their memories whereby we expresse all the notions of our mind in writing even so it pleased our heavenly Father in the infancy and nonage of his Church to winne her love with many glorious shewes of rites and ceremonies as it were costly babies representing the body of her husband Christ Jesus and to the end she might with greater delight quasi per lusum get by heart the principles of saving knowledge
3.18 eye-salve of the Spirit and yee discover the workes of darknesse and cleerly see the filthinesse of your former unregenerate estate ye are now ashamed For now ye have some sense of the wrath of God ye have some remorse of conscience ye perceive what ye have lost ye see the marke of infamy burnt into your name and credit by the hot iron that hath scared your consciences To proceed from farther explication to a seasonable use and application The Apothecaries draw an oyle out of the Scorpion which overcommeth the poyson of that Serpent and applyed to the part that is stung giveth present ease Let us imitate them and of that which issueth from sin make a soveraigne antidote against it Let us lay open and naked before the eies of our mind the loathsome filthinesse and ougly deformity thereof that being agashed and confounded thereat we may turn away from it with greatest detestation Let us apprehend thoroughly as heretofore the unfruitfulnesse so now the odiousnesse loathsomenesse turpitude and shame of sinne A lewd conceit is an unconceivable pollution a profane or impure speech an unspeakable wrong to God a sudden joy a lasting griefe a tickling of the sense for a moment a perpetuall torment with a scar in the conscience and staine in our good name never to be fetched out The advice which e Epist 11. Aliquis vir bonus nobis eligendus est semper ante oculos habendus ut sic tanquam illo spectante vivamus c. Seneca giveth to Lucilius very sage and good Wheresover thou art and whatsoever thou art about suppose that Cato or Socrates is with thee or some such other reverend or grave personage before whom thou wouldest be ashamed to doe any thing that were unseemly Beloved Christians wee need not feigne to our selves or make in our thoughts an imaginary presence of any mortall man were he never so venerable grave or austere for we are alwayes in the presence of our Judge f Hesiod op dies l. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wheresoever we are whatsoever we goe about we have a thousand witnesses thereof within us and the blessed Angels without us and which wee are to take speciall notice of malignant spirits our ghostly enemies observers and noters thereof They who tender their credit and estimation saith the g Arist l. 2. Rhetor. Oracle of reason if they imbarke themselves into any dangerous or questionable action most of all shunne and avoid the company of Poets Stage-players Libellers Registers Notaries Promoters and the like because if any thing should bee done amisse these kind of men were like to blab it out act it upon the stage or make a by-word of it to their utter disgrace Such we have alwaies about us when we are about any wickednesse I meane the accusers of the brethren fiends of Hell who keep a register of all our secret and open sins wherewith they will often upbraid us in our life grievously burthen us with them at our death and which is worst of all rip them up all at the day of judgement and insult upon us for them No women among the Romanes might under a great penalty prostitute their bodies for gaine except they first made open profession thereof before the Aediles and the reason of this law was because they thought the very shame of making open profession of such lewdnesse would deterre and keep back all of that sexe from such infamous courses of life Likewise I reade in the ancient Greek stories of the Milesian women that upon some discontent divers of them laid violent hands upon themselves and could not bee restrained from this desperate practice till a law was made that all they that in such sort made away themselves should bee carried naked with a halter about their neckes before the rest of their sexe after which law none were sound to attempt the like villany Those with whom neither love of life nor feare of death could prevaile shame yet manicled and kept perforce from that unnaturall and execrable crime of felony de se or selfe-homicide Deare Christians were Adam and Eve so ashamed to see the nakednesse of their bodies and the Milesian women to behold the naked carkasses of their sexe how then shall we be confounded with shame when our soules and consciences shall be laid open naked to the eyes of the whole world that all may see all our deformities sores markes botches blanes gashes scarres spots and abominable pollutions and uncleannesses When a godly father amplifying upon that Text of the Apostle We must all appeare before the judgement seat of Christ pricked the veines of his auditory in this manner How many things are there which we know by our selves but would not for all the world that two or three should know as much besides how then shall we looke how shall wee be covered with shame and confusion when all these things shall be laid out before the eyes of all men At these words observing divers of his hearers to blush and hide their faces he thus growes upon them Nunquid nunc erubescitit What and doe yee now blush are ye now ashamed at the hearing of these things what will ye be when ye see them how will ye blush and hang downe your heads when the bookes of your consciences shall be opened and men and Angels shall see and reade what is written in them Men and brethren what shall we do to avoid the terrour and horrour the shame and confusion of that day Let us now be ashamed of our sins that we may not then be for as Dolor est medicina doloris So Pudor est medicina pudoris O let us not cast more blots upon the booke of our conscience but rather fetch out those which are there with the aqua fortis of our teares let us open our wounds and sores full of corruption to our heavenly Chirurgian by confession of our sinnes that he may heale them let us make uncessant prayers to our Saviour h Psal 32.1 to cover all our imperfections with the robes of his righteousnesse so shall we be truly blessed For blessed are they whose unrighteousnesse is forgiven and whose sinnes are covered from the sight of the world that they shame them not from the sight of their consciences that they confound them not from the eyes of God that they condemne them not God the Father make us all so blessed for the merits of his Sonne through the powerfull operation of the Spirit to whom three persons and one God be ascribed c. Amen THE WAGES OF SINNE THE XLIV SERMON ROM 6.21 For the end of those things is death Right Honourable c. TO every thing there is a season a Eccles 3.1 2 3 4. and a time to every purpose under heaven A time to be borne and a time to dye a time to plant and a time to plucke up that which is planted A time to kill and a time
danger of the Councell but whosoever shall say thou Foole shall bee in danger of hell fire Here say they wee may see that there are two punishments lesse than hell fire and that hee onely is in danger of it who breaketh out into that outrage to raile at his brothet and call him foole not hee who is unadvisedly angry Whereupon they inferre that the last of the three sinnes mentioned by our Saviour is mortall not the two former Their second allegation is out of z Mat. 7.5 Moat out of thy brothers eye Matth. 7. and a Luk. 6.41 Luk. 6. and 1 Cor. 3. and such other texts of Scriptures in which some sinnes are compared to very light things as to b 1 Cor. 3.12 Hay and stubble hay to stubble to a moat to a * Mat. 5.26 The uttermost farthing farthing Surely say they they cannot bee grievous and weighty sinnes which are compared to such light or vile things of no value Their third allegation is out of Saint James c Jam. 1.15 Sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death Marke say they not every sinne nor sinne in every degree but when it is come to its perfection bringeth forth death whereby hee insinuateth that no sinnes are mortall but those which are consummate brought into act and committed with full consent of the will The fourth is out of d Mat. 12.36 Matth. 12. I say unto you yee shall give an account for every idle word at the day of judgement Hee saith not wee shall bee condemned for every idle word but onely that wee shall bee called to answere for it as wee shall be for all sinnes Sol. 1 To the first allegation wee answere That no doctrine of faith may bee grounded upon a meere parable as the Schooles rightly determine Theologia parabolica non est argumentativa Now that which our Saviour here speaketh of three severall punishments is spoken by allusion to the proceedings in the Civill Courts in Judaea and all that can bee gathered from thence is but this That as there are differences of sinnes so there shall bee differences of punishments hereafter Secondly hell fire is no more properly taken for the torment of the damned than the other two the danger of the Councell and of Judgement which all confesse to bee taken figuratively and analogically Thirdly Maldonate the Jesuite ingenuously confesseth that by Councell and Judgement the eternall death of the soule is understood yet with this difference that a lesse degree of torment in hell is understood by the word Judgement than Councell and a lesse by Councell than by gehenna ignis that is the fire in the valley of Hinnom Sol. 2 To the second allegation wee answere First that though some sinnes in comparison of others may bee said light and to have the like proportion to more grievous sinnes as a moat in the eye hath to a beame a farthing to a pound yet that no sinne committed against God may bee simply tearmed light but like the talent of lead mentioned Zech. 1.5 Whereupon Saint e Super Ezek. l. 2. Omne peccatum grave est Gregory inferreth Every sinne is heavie and ponderous and Saint f Jer. Epitaph Paulae Ita levia peccata deflebat ut gravissimotum scelerum diceres ream Et ep 14. Nescio an possemus leve aliquod peccatum dicere quod in Dei contemptum admittitur Jerome writeth of Paula That shee so bewailed light sinnes that is such as are commonly so esteemed that a man would have thought her guilty of grievous crimes and hee elsewhere yeeldeth a good reason for it Because saith he I know not how wee may say any thing is light whereby the divine Majesty is sleighted Secondly admitting that some sinnes are to bee accounted no bigger than moats yet as a moat it it bee not taken out of the eye hindereth the sight so the least sinne hindereth grace and if it bee not repented of or pardoned for Christs sake is sufficient to damne the soule of the sinner Thirdly neither Christ by the farthing in the fifth of Matthew understandeth sinne nor the Apostle by hay and stubble lesser or veniall sinnes but Christ by farthing understandeth the last payment of debt Saint Paul light and vaine doctrines which are to bee tryed by the fire of the Spirit For in that place the Apostle by fire cannot meane the fire of Purgatory because gold and silver are tryed that is precious doctrines or good workes by the fire Saint Paul there speaketh of whereas Purgatory fire is for mens persons to cleanse and purge them from their lesser sinnes as the Papists teach Sol. 3 To the third allegation we answer That the Apostle is so farre from denying in that place that all sinnes are mortall that on the contrary he there sheweth how all sinnes become mortall and in the end bring the sinner to eternall death What lesser sinne than lust or a desire in the mind yet this as Saint James affirmeth hath strength enough to conceive sinne and sinne when it is finished to bring forth death Sol. 4 To the fourth allegation we answer That the same phrase is used concerning all kindes of sinnes yea those that are greatest and most grievous as we reade in Athanasius Creed All men shall rise againe with their owne bodies and give an account of their owne workes and if their account be not the better that dreadfull sentence shall passe against them Goe ye cursed into everlasting fire Let us lay all these particulars together and the totall arising out of them will be this That though there be a great difference of sinnes whereof some are lighter compared to a fescu or moate others heavier compared to a beame some smaller likened to gnats others greater to g Mat. 23.24 camels some easier to account for resembled to mites or farthings others with more difficulty as talents and in like manner although there are divers degrees of punishments in hell fire as there were divers degrees of civill punishments among the Jewes yet that we are accountable for the least sinnes and that the weakest desire and suddenest motion to evill is concupiscence which if it be not killed in us by grace will conceive sinne and that sinne when it is consummate will bring forth death We need no more fightings the truth hath already gotten the victory by the weapons of her sworne enemies and Goliah is already slaine with his owne sword yet that yee may know how strong the doctrine of our Church is I will bring forth and muster some of her trained band First we have two uncontrollable testimonies out of the booke of Deuteronomy h Deut. 27.26 30.19 Cursed is hee that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to doe them and Behold I have set before you this day life and good death and evill blessing and cursing The former is cited by Saint Paul to prove that all that hoped to be justified by the
yet not willing to bee put to an infamous cruell and accursed death he became obedient to death even the death of the crosse The repeating the word death seemeth to argue an ingemination of the punishment a suffering death upon death It was wonderfull that hee which was highest in glory should humble himselfe yet it is more to bee obedient than to humble himselfe more to suffer death willingly or upon the command of another than to be obedient more to bee crucified than simply to die Hee was so humble that hee became obedient so obedient that hee yeelded to die so yeelded to die as to bee crucified his love wonderfully shewed it selfe in humbling himselfe to exalt us his humility in his obedience his obedience in his patience his patience in the death of the crosse His humility was a kinde of excesse of his love his obedience of his humility his death of his obedience his crosse of his death He humbled himselfe According to which nature divine or humane In some sort according to both according to his divine by assuming our nature according to his humane by taking upon him our miseries And became obedient It is not said hee made himselfe obedient because obedience presupposeth anothers command wee may indeed of our selves offer service to another but wee cannot performe obedience where there is no command of a Superiour parere and imperare are relatives To whom then became hee obedient To God saith Calvin to Herod and Pilate saith Zanchius the truth is to both to God as supreme Judge according to whose eternall decree to Pilate by whose immediate sentence hee was to suffer such things of sinners for sinners To death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whether inclusivè or exclusivè whether is the meaning hee was obedient all his life even to his last gaspe or hee was so farre obedient that hee yeelded himselfe to the wrath of God to the scorn of men the power of darknesse the infamy of all punishments the shame of all disgraces the cruelty of all torments the death of the crosse The difference betweene these is in this that the former maketh death the limit and bound the latter an act of his obedience to which interpretation I rather subscribe because it is certaine that Christ was not onely obedient unto the houre of his death but in his death also and after his death lying three dayes and three nights in the grave Here then we have the sum of the whole Gospel the life and death of our Lord and Saviour his birth and life in the former words He humbled himselfe his death passion in the latter and became obedient unto death even the death of the crosse He humbled that is took on him our nature infirmities became obedient that is fulfilled the law for us by his active satisfied God for our transgressions by his passive obedience Obedience most shews it selfe in doing or suffering such things as are most crosse repugnant to our wil natural desires as to part with that which is most dear pretious to us and to entertain a liking of that which we otherwise most abhor Now the strongest bent of all mens desires is to life honor nothing men fear more than death especially a lingring painful death they are confounded at nothing more than open shame whereby our Saviours obedience appeares a non pareil who passed not for his life nor refused the torments of a cruel nor the shame of an ignominious death that he might fulfill his fathers will in laying down a sufficient ransom for all mankinde Even the death of the crosse As the sphere of the Sun or Saturn c. is named from the Planet which is the most eminent part of it so is the passion of Christ from his crosse the crosse was as the center in which all the bloody lines met He sweat in his agony bled in his scourging was pricked in his crowning with thornes scorned and derided in the judgement hall but all this and much more hee endured on the crosse Whence we may observe more particularly 1 The root 2 Branches 3 Fruit. Or 1 The cause 2 The parts 3 The end of all his sufferings on it 1 Of the cause S. a Aug. l. 3. de Civ Dei c. 15. Regularis defectio non nisi in lunae fine contingit Austin demonstrateth that the Eclipse of the sun at the death of our Saviour was miraculous because then the Moon was at the full Had it bin a regular Eclipse the Moon should have lost her light and not the Sun so in the regular course of justice the Church which is compared to the Moon in b Cant. 6.10 Scripture should have been eclipsed of the light of Gods countenance and not Christ who is by the Prophet Malachy stiled c Mal. 4.2 Sol justitiae the Sun of righteousnesse But as then the Sun was eclipsed in stead of the Moon so was Christ obscured in his passion for the Church he became a surety for us therfore God laid all our debts upon him to the uttermost farthing The Prophet Esay assureth us hereof d Esa 53.4 5. He bare our infirmities carried our sorrows He was wounded for our transgressions and broken for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him by his stripes we are all healed O the wonderfull wisdom justice of God! the just is reputed unjust that the unjust might be reputed just the innocent is condemned that the condemned might be found innocent the Conquerer is in bonds to loose the captive the Creditor in prison to satisfie for the debtour the Physitian taketh the bitter potion to cure the patient the Judge is executed to acquit the prisoner What did the welbeloved of his Father deserve that he should drink the dregs of the vials of wrath why should the immaculate Lamb be put to such torture in the end be slain but for a sacrifice why should the bread of life hunger but for our gluttony the fountain of grace thirst but for our intemperancy the word of God be speechlesse but for our crying sin truth it self be accused but for our errors innocency condemned but for our transgressions why should the King of glory endure such ignominy shame but for our shameful lives why should the Lord of life be put to death but for our hainous and most deadly sins what spots had he to be washed what lust to bee crucified what ulcers to bee pricked what sores to bee launced Doubtlesse none at all our corrupt blood was drawn out of his wounds our swellings pricked with his thornes our sores launced with his speare our lusts crucified on his crosse our staines washed away with his blood It was the weight of our sins that made his soule heavie unto death it was the unsupportable burden of our punishment that put him into a bloody sweat all our blood was corrupt all our flesh as it were in
sonne when it is ripe which he permitted to grow in the father without applying any such remedy outwardly unto it yet this is most certaine that he never visiteth the sinne of the father upon the children if the children tread not in the wicked steps of their father Thus much the words that follow in the second Commandement imply unto the n Exod. 20.5 third and fourth generation of them that hate mee He often sheweth mercy to the sonne for the fathers sake but never executeth justice upon any but for their owne sinnes The sinne of the sonne growes the more unpardonable because he would not take example by his father but abused the long-suffering of God which should have called him to repentance The Latine Proverb Aemilius fecit plectitur Rutilius Aemilius committeth the trespasse and Rutilius was merced for it hath no place in Gods proceedings neither is there any ground of the Poets commination o Hor. l. 3. od 6. lib. 1. od 28. Negligis immeritis nocituram postmodo te natis fraudem committer◠fo rs debita jura vicesque superbae te maneant ipsum Delicta majorum immeritus lues Romane For God is so far from inflicting punishment upon one for the sins of another that he inflicteth no punishment upon any for his own sinne or sins be they never so many and grievous if he turne from his wicked wayes and cry for mercy in time for God desireth not the death of a sinner but of sinne he would not that we should dye in our sinnes but our sinnes in us If we spare not our sinnes but slay them with the sword of the Spirit God will spare us This is the effect of the Prophets answer the summe of this chapter and the contents of this verse in which more particularly we are to observe 1. The person I. 2. The action or affection desire 3. The object death 4. The subject the wicked 1. The person soveraigne God 2. The action or affection amiable delight 3. The object dreadfull deprivation of life 4. The subject guilty the wicked The words are uttered by a figurative interrogation in which there is more evidence and efficacy more life and convincing force For it is as if he had said Know ye not that I have no such desire or thinke ye that I have any desire or dare it enter into your thoughts that I take any pleasure at all in the death of a sinner When the interrogation is figurative the rule is that if the question be affirmative the answer to it must be negative but if the question be negative the answer must be affirmative For example Who is like unto the Lord the meaning is none is like unto the Lord. Whom have I in heaven but thee that is I have none in heaven but thee On the other side when the question is negative the answer must be affirmative as Are not the Angels ministring spirits that is the Angels are ministring spirits and Shall the Son of man find faith that is the Son of man shall not find faith Here then apply the rule and shape a negative answer to the first member being affirmative thus I have no desire that a sinner should dye and an affirmative answer to the negative member thus I have a desire that the wicked should returne and live and ye have the true meaning and naturall exposition of this verse Have I any desire that the wicked should dye 1. God is not said properly to have any thing 2. if he may be said to have any thing yet not desires 3. if he may be said to have a desire of any thing yet not of death 4. if he desire the death of any yet not of the wicked in his sinne Have I As the habits of the body are not the body so neither the habits of the soule are the soule it selfe Now whatsoever is in God is God for he is a simple act and his qualities or attributes are not re ipsâ distinct from his essence and therefore he cannot be said properly to have any thing but to be all things Any desire Desires as Plato defineth them are vela animi the sailes of the mind which move it no other wayes than the saile doth a ship Desire of honour is the saile which moveth the ambitious of pleasure is the saile which moveth the voluptuous of gaine is the saile which moveth the covetous Others define them spurres of the soule to prick us on forwards to such things as are most agreeable to our naturall inclination and deliberate purposes Hence it appeares that properly there can be no desires in God because desire is of something we want but God wanteth nothing Desires are meanes to stirre us up but God is immoveable as he is immutable If then he be said to desire any thing the speech is borrowed and to be understood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in such sort as may agree with the nature of God and it importeth no more than God liketh or approveth such things That the wicked should dye A sinner may be said to dye two manner of wayes either as a sinner or as a man as a sinner he dyeth when his sinne dyeth in him and he liveth as a man he dyeth either when his body is severed from his soule which is the first death or when both body and soule are for ever severed from God which is the second death God desireth the death of a sinner in the first sense but no way in the latter he desireth that sinne should dye in us but neither that we should dye the first death in sin nor dye the second death for sinne He is the author of life p Job 7.20 preserver of mankind He is the q 1 Tim. 4.10 Saviour of all especially them that beleeve Hee would not that any should r 2 Pet. 3.9 perish but all should come to repentance If he should desire the death of a sinner as he should gain-say his owne word so he should desire against his owne nature For beeing is the nature of God Sum qui sum I am that I am but death is the not beeing of the creature No more than light can be the cause of darknesse can God who is life be the cause of death If he should desire the death of a sinner he should destroy his principall attributes of wisedome goodnesse and mercy Of wisdome for what wisedome can it be to marre his chiefest worke Of goodnesse for how can it stand with goodnesse to desire that which is in it selfe evill Of mercy for how can it stand with mercy to desire or take pleasure in the misery of his creature Doth he desire the death of man who gave man warning of it at the first and meanes to escape it if he would and after that by his voluntary transgression he was liable to the censure of death provided him a Redeemer to ransome him from death calleth all men by the Gospel to
the Prophet should have made an end of his exhortation This Sermon the Prophet Ezechiel now maketh unto us all here present f Ezek. 33.11 18.30.31 As I live saith the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that he turne from his wayes and live turne ye turne ye from your evill wayes for why will yee die Repent and turne your selves from all your transgressions so iniquity shall not bee your destruction Cast away all your transgressions whereby yee have transgressed and make you a new heart and a new spirit for why will ye perish Shake off the shackles of your sinnes and quit the companie of the prisoners of death and gally-slaves of Satan put in sureties for your good behaviour hereafter turne to the Lord your God with all your heart and live yea live gloriously live happily live eternally which the Father of mercy grant for the merits of his Sonne through the grace of the Spirit To whom three persons and one God be ascribed all honour glorie praise and thankes now and for ever Amen THE DANGER OF RELAPSE THE LVI SERMON EZEK 18.24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquity and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth shall hee live All his righteousnesse that hee hath done shall not bee mentioned in his trespasse that hee hath trespassed and in his sin that hee hath sinned in them shall hee dye Right Honourable c. SAint Jerome maketh a profitable use of the a Gen. 28.12 And hee dreamed behold a ladder set upon the earth and the top of it reached to heaven and behold the Angels of God ascending and descending on it Angels ascending and descending upon the ladder which Jacob saw in a dreame reaching from the earth to heaven The ladder hee will have to bee the whole frame of a godly life set upwards towards heaven whereupon the children of God who continually aspire to their inheritance that is above arise from the ground of humility and climbe by divine vertues as it were so many rounds one above another till Christ take them by the hand of their faith and receive them into heaven They are stiled Angels in regard of their b Phil. 3.20 heavenly conversation these Jacob saw continually ascending and descending upon that ladder viz. ascending by the motions of the spirit but descending through the weight of the flesh rising by the strength of grace but falling through the infirmity of nature and hereby saith that learned Father c Hieron ep 11. Videbat scalam per quam ascendebant Angeli descendebant ut nec peccator desperet salutem nec justus de suâ virtute securus sit wee are lessoned not to despaire of grace because Jacob saw Angels ascending as they fell so they rose nor yet presume of their owne strength for hee saw Angels descending also as they rose so they fell Presumption and desperation are two dangerous maladies not more opposite one to the other than to the health of the soule presumption overpriseth Gods mercy and undervalueth our sinnes and on the contrarie desperation overpriseth our sinnes and undervalueth Gods mercy both are most injurious to God the one derogateth from his mercy the other from his justice both band against hearty and speedy repentance the one opposing it as needlesse the other as bootlesse presumption saith thou maist repent at leasure gather the buds of sinfull pleasures before they wither repentance is not yet seasonable desperation saith the root of faith is withered it is now too late to repent The learned dispute whether of these two be the more pernicious and dangerous the answer is easie presumption is the more epidemicall desperation the more mortall disease Presumption like the Adder stingeth more but desperation like the Basiliske stings more deadly many meet with Adders which are almost found in all parts of the world but few with Basiliskes Presumption is more dangerous extensivè for it carrieth more to hell but desperation intensivè for those whom it seizeth upon it carrieth more forcibly and altogether irrecoverably thither and finall desperation never bringeth men to presumption but presumption bringeth men often to finall desperation To meete with these most pernicious evils God hath given us both the Law and the Gospel the Law to keepe us under in feare that wee rise not proudly and presumptuously against him and the Gospel to raise us up in hope that the weight of our sinnes sinke us not in despaire the threats of the one serve to draw and asswage the tumour of pride the promises of the other to heale the sores of wounded consciences and the Scripture as Saint Basil rightly calleth it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a common Apothecaries shop or physicke schoole wherein are remedies for all the diseases of the soule In these verses as in two boxes there are soveraigne recipes against both the maladies above named against the former to wit desperation vers 23. against the later viz. presumption v. 24. And it is not unworthy your observation that as in the beginning of the Spring when Serpents breed and peepe d Adrianus Chamierus in ep dedicat Eccles Gal. Pastor Sicut ineunte vere cùm primùm è terrae cuniculis prodeunt serpentes ad nocendum parati fraxinum adversus venenatos eorum morsus praesens remedium laturam educit out of their holes the Ash puts forth which is a present remedie against their stings and teeth so the holy Ghost in Scripture for the most part delivereth an antidote in or hard by those texts from whence libertines and carnall men sucke the poyson of presumption The texts are these God hath raised up an horne of salvation for us that we beeing delivered out of the hands of our enemies might serve him without feare f Rom. 5.20 Where sinne abounded grace did much more abound g Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus * Gal. 5.13 We are called to liberty Now see an antidote in the verses following Lest any man should suck poyson from these words in the first text Serve him without feare it is added in the next words in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our life Lest any man should abuse the second the Apostle within a verse putteth in a caveat What shall we say then shall we continue in sinne that grace may abound e Luk. 1.69 72 74. God forbid how shall wee that are dead to sin live any longer therein vers 1 2. Lest any should gather too farre upon that generall speech of the Apostle There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus h Luk. 1.75 there followes a restriction in the same verse who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Lest any should stumble at those words of the same Apostle Ye are called to libertie he reacheth them a
Joh. 6.10 11 12 13. multiplyed the loaves and fishes hee gave this sensible and undeniable proofe of the truth of this miracle both by saturitie in the stomacks of the people and by substantiall remnants thereof in the baskets When they were filled saith the Evangelist hee said to his disciples Gather the fragments that remaine that nothing be lost Therefore they gathered them together and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which remained over and above to them that had eaten Cloven tongues The holy Ghost which now first appeared in the likenesse of tongues moved the tongues of all the Prophets that have spoken since the world began For the l 2 Pet. 1.21 prophecie came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost Of all the parts of the body God especially requireth two the heart the tongue the heart whereby m Rom. 10.10 man beleeveth unto righteousnesse and the tongue whereby he maketh confession unto salvation the heart to love God the tongue to praise him Out of which consideration the Heathen as Plutarch observeth dedicated the Peach-tree to the Deitie because the fruit thereof resembleth the heart of man and the leafe his tongue And to teach us that the principall use of our tongue is to sound out the praises of our maker the Hebrew calleth the tongue Cobod that is glory as My heart was glad n Psal 16.9 30.13 57.9 Buxtorph Epit radic and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my tongue also Hebrew my glory also rejoyceth They who glorifie not God with their tongue may be truly said to have no tongue in the Hebrew language and verily they deserve no tongues who make them not silver trumpets to sound out the glory of God And if such forfeit their tongues how much more doe they who whet them against God and his truth whose mouths are full of cursing and bitternesse direfull imprecations and blasphemous oathes These have fierie tongues but not kindled from heaven but rather as S. o Chap. 3.6 James speaketh set on fire of hell and their tongues also are cloven by schisme faction and contention not as these in my text for a mysticall signification Cloven Some by cloven understand linguas bifidas two-forked tongues and they will have them to be an embleme of discretion and serpentine wisdome others linguas dissectas slit tongues like the tongues of such birds as are taught to speake and these conceive them to have beene an embleme of eloquence For such kinde of tongues p Hieroglyph l. 33. Pierius affirmeth that the Heathen offered in sacrifice to Mercurie their god of eloquence and they made them after a sort fierie by casting them into the fire ad expurgandas perperam dictorum labes to purge out the drosse of vain discourses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tongues parted at the top but joyned at the roote and they represented saith q In Act. Quia in proximo debebant dividi in omnes terras Gorrhan the dispersion of the Apostles which after ensued into all countries These tongues were not of fire but As it were of fire The matter of which these tongues consisted was not grosse and earthly but aeriall or rather heavenly like the fire which r Exod. 3.2 Moses saw in the bush for as that so this had the light but not the burning heat of fire It is not said of fires in the plurall but of fire in the singular number because as the silver trumpets were made all of one piece so these twelve tongues were made of one fierie matter to illustrate the diversitie of gifts proceeding from the same spirit And it sate Sitting in the proper sense is a bodily gesture and agreeth not to tongues or fire yet because it is a gesture of permanencie or continuance the word is generally used in the originall for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ſ Chrys in Act. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying to abide or reside and so it may expresse unto us the continuance of these gifts of the Spirit in the Apostles and may put us in minde of our dutie which is to sit to our preaching and continue in the labours of the ministrie Give t 1 Tim. 4.13 14 15. attendance saith the Apostle to reading to exhortation to doctrine Neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given thee by prophecie with the laying on of the hands of the presbyterie Meditate upon these things give thy selfe wholly to them that thy profiting may appeare to all Upon each of them Whether these tongues entred into the mouths of the Apostles as Amphilochius writeth of S. Basil or rested upon their heads as S. Cyril imagined whence some derive the custome of u Lorinus in Act. c. 2. imposition of hands upon the heads of those who are consecrated Bishops or ordained Priests it is not evident out of the text but this is certaine and evident that it sate upon each of them It sate not upon Peter onely but upon the rest as well as him S. Chrysostome saith upon the * Chrys in act c. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hundred and twentie that were assembled in that upper roome those who say least affirme that it rested upon all the Apostles For howsoever the Papists take all occasions to advance S. Peter above the rest of the Apostles that the Roman See might be advanced through him as Hortensius the Oratour extolled eloquence to the skies that hee might bee lifted up thither with her yet the Scripture giveth him no preheminence here or elsewhere for Christ delivereth the keyes of heaven with the power of binding and loosing into all x Matt. 18.18 Whatsoever ye binde on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever yee loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven of their hands he breathes vpon them all John 20.21 22. and sendeth them with as full commission as his Father sent him All their names shine in the y Apoc. 21.14 foundation and gates of the heavenly Jerusalem and here in my text fierie cloven tongues sate upon each of them And there appeared unto them c. As in the Sacrament of Christs body so in these symbols of the spirit we are to consider two things 1. The signes or outward elements 2. The thing signified by them Of the signes yee have heard heretofore hold out I beseech you your religious attention to the remainder of the time and yee shall heare in briefe of the thing signified by them Miracles for the most part in holy Scripture are significant the cloudie pillar signified the obscure knowledge of Christ under the Law the pillar of fire the brighter knowledge of him in the Gospell the renting of the veile at the death of our Saviour the opening of the way to the Sanctum Sanctorum into which our high
die quo fecerat sequenti die sabbatizavit in monumento Sabbaths rest in the grave Now above all the dayes of this holiest weeke this hath one priviledge that in it Christ made his last will and testament and instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist and administred it in his owne person delivering both the consecrated bread and cup of blessing to his Apostles with his owne hand Which mysterious actions of his were presidents in all succeeding ages and rules for the administration of that sacrament to the worlds end For Primum in unoquoque genere mensura est reliquorum the first action in any sacred or civill institution in respect of those that succeed is like the originall to all after draughts and the copy to all that write by it Such was the first institution of marriage in Paradise of circumcision in Abrahams family of the passover in Egypt of all the other types and figures of the Law on Mount Sinai and of the Lords Supper in this upper roome wherein all Christs speeches and actions may not unfitly bee termed Rubricks to direct the Christian Church in these mysterious rites For before the end of the next day they were all coloured in bloud What was done now in effigie was then done in personâ he that now tooke bread was taken himselfe he that brake it was broken on the crosse he that gave it to his Disciples was given up for our sinnes he who tooke the cup received from his Father a cup of trembling he who powred out the wine shed his owne bloud in memory of which reall effusion thereof unto death we celebrate this sacramentall effusion unto life For so he commanded us saying f Luke 22.19 Doe this in remembrance of mee and his faithfull Apostle fully declareth his meaning in the words of my Text As often c. As Christ g 1 John 5 6. came to us not by water only but by water and bloud so wee must come to him not by water only the water of regeneration in baptisme but also by the bloud of redemption which is drunke by us in this sacrament in obedience to his commandement and in acknowledgement of his love to us even to death and in death it selfe As a h Hieron in hunc locum Quemâ—dmodum si quis peregre proficisâ—â—ns aliquid pignoris ei quem diligit derelinquit ut quotiâ—scunque illud vid â—t possit ejus beneficia amicitias memorare quod ille si perfâ—ctè dilexit non potest sine ingente desidâ—rio videre vel â—etu man taking a long journie leaveth a pledge with his friend that whensoever he looketh upon it he should thinke upon him in his absence so Christ being to depart out of this world left these sacred elements of bread and wine with his Church to the end that as often as she seeth them she should thinke of him and his sufferings for her When Aeneas plucked a twigge of the tree under which Polydorus was buried the bough dropped bloud i Vâ—rg Aen 3. cruor de stipite manat so as soone as we plucke but a twigge of the tree of Christs crosse it will bleed a fresh in our thoughts shewing us to be guilty of the death of the Lord of life For though we never consulted with the chiefe Priests nor drave the bargaine with Judas nor pronounced sentence against him with Pilate nor touched his hand or foot with a naile yet sith hee was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities and the k Esa 53.5 6. chastisement of our peace was upon him and the Lord laid on him the sinnes of us all we cannot plead not guilty inasmuch as our sinnes were the causes of all his sufferings The Passover by the Law was to be eaten with sowre herbes and in like manner the Christian passover which wee are now met to eate must bee eaten with sowre herbes that is pensive thoughts and a sad remembrance both of our sinfull actions and our Saviours bloudy passion For as oft as yee eate c. The coherence or rather consequence of this verse to the former is like to that of the Eccho to the voice the words of institution rehearsed in the former verses are as the voice the inference of the Apostle in this verse as the Eccho For as the Eccho soundeth out the last words of the voice so the Apostle here repeateth the last words of Christs institution Doe this in remembrance of mee and in effect explaineth them saying to do it in remembrance of Christ that is as oft as ye do it ye shew forth his death 1. We are but once born and therefore but once receive the sacrament of Baptism which is the seale of our regeneration but we feed often consequently are often to receive the sacrament which is the seale of our spirituall nourishment growth in Christ and therfore the Apostle saith As often as 2. Whensoever wee communicate wee must make an entire meale and refection thereof therefore he addeth Ye eate and drinke 3. In making this spirituall refection wee must thinke upon Christ his bloudy passion and declare it to others therefore he addeth Yee shew the Lords death 4. This commemoration of his death must continue till hee hath fully revenged his death and abolished death it selfe in all his mysticall members therefore he addeth Till he come As oft as ye are bid to the Lords Table and come prepared eate of this bread and as oft as ye eate of this bread drinke of this cup and when yee eate and drinke shew forth the Lords death and let this annuntiation continue till he come If ye take away this band of connexion the parts falling asunder will be these 1. The time when 2. The manner how 3. The end why 4. The terme how long wee are to celebrate this supper 1. The time frequent As often 2. The manner entire Eate and drinke 3. The end demonstrative Shew forth 4. The terme perpetuall Till he come that is to the end of the world As often Wee never reade of any saith l Praef. institut Nusquam legimus reprehensos qui nimium de fonte aquae vitae hauserint Calvin that were blamed for drawing too much water out of the Wells of salvation neither doe we find ever any taxed for too often but for too seldome communicating which is utterly a fault among many at this day who are bid shall I say thrice nay twelve times every moneth once before they come to the Lords Table and then they come it is to be feared more out of feare of the Law than love of the Gospel Surely as when the appetite of the stomach to wholsome meat faileth as in the disease called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the body pines and there is a sensible decay in all parts so it falleth out in the spirituall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when the soule hath no appetite to this bread of life and food of