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A17051 The vvay to true peace and rest Deliuered at Edinborough in xvi. sermons: on the Lords Supper: Hezechiahs sicknesse: and other select Scriptures. By that reuerend & faithfull preacher of Gods word: Mr. Robert Bruce, for the present, minister of the Word in Scotland.; Sermons upon the sacrament of the Lords Supper Bruce, Robert, 1554-1631.; Bruce, Robert, 1554-1631. Sermons preached in the Kirk of Edinburgh. aut; I. H., fl. 1617.; Mitchell, S., fl. 1614. 1617 (1617) STC 3925; ESTC S105939 298,483 380

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led to their natiue countrie to the City that hath the sure foundations as they confessed themselues Then I say there is another lesson that we may reape of his similitude It teacheth vs that we haue no permanent being here and we ought not to settle our hearts nor cast our loue on any thing here but seeing we are subiect to flitting and remouing not knowing what houre we shall be warned to remoue there is nothing more sure then that we must remoue and nothing more vnknowne then the time Therefore it becometh vs now in time while we haue leasure to transport our goods and to send them before vs where we are to remaine to send our substance where we are to abide for euer For proofe hereof your owne experience teacheth you that there is none of you who haue warning and are certaine that ye are to remoue but ye wil transport your goods and send your substance where ye are to abide Therfore seeing that this is concluded principally in all your hearts that there is no remaining here but we must remoue and ye are vncertaine in what moment ye shal be warned to remoue it becometh vs to send our goods substance riches before vs. And if it be true that our Maister sayth that the heart followeth the treasure let both heart and treasure be sent thither surely this is a singular lesson if it were learned For he is a mad man more then mad that will place his felicity where he is not to remaine and where he knoweth not what houre he shall be warned to depart I am assured there is none here but they will say as I say Yet on the other side it is as true there is none here but he doth as pleaseth himselfe Therefore I will call onely one thing to your mindes I remember there is a parable set downe Luke 12.16 concerning a rich man who did cast downe his barns and inlarged them for his great abundance when all this was done he saith to his soule Take thy rest eate and drinke and take thy pleasure for I haue laid vp enough for thee This insatiable foole as our master calleth him there knew not that he was tenant at will and he knew not of the thing that was to come but as if he had had the times and seasons at his command he layeth this resolution with his soule But ye see in this parable how soone he is disappointed and his soule getteth not the vse of this conclusion for that same night it is taken from him Well I know there are none so grosse that in words will lay this conclusion with this rich man but I know againe there are none so wise but in effect they do it There are none but they say the same to their soule in deed Alwaies I say all these conclusions are false and proceed of a foolish braine and the wisdome that bringeth on this conclusion is plaine follie and their soules shall be disappointed There is no certaine conclusion but that which floweth from the truth This word is sure therefore thou must haue thy warrant out of the word of God this word saith thou hast no certainty no not an houre here Therefore this word admonisheth all to be readie And if ye would be rich seeing riches is the blessing of God be rich in good works and send your riches before you and be rich in God that ye and your riches may remaine together there for euer If I might obtaine of you this lesson and no more I would thinke this dayes exercise well employed Then let men take such a resolution with themselues that they may be so disposed that when the messenger of death cometh he cannot come amisse come when he will Thus far concerning the first similitude The other similitude is taken from a Weauer and his web And in the words he saith after this manner I haue saith he wrought my life or wouen the web of my life to the off-cutting As the Weauer weaueth his web so is my life wouen readie to be cut off as if he would say in effect I see I haue shortned my dayes there is no remaining for me I haue brought my life to the off-cutting I haue preuented the iust time by mine owne doing I haue procured my owne death In whi●h words he would teach vs that by his owne doings he hath procured hastened his owne death and by his euill life shortned his time It is true indeed that as by sinne death entred into the world so by the multiplying of sinne our death is hastened For that disease is not that striketh on bodie or soule but it floweth of sinne yea the death of soule and bodie floweth of sinne The thing that shorteneth our dayes is sinne the thing that maketh our daies euill and troublesome is sinne saith Iacob Sinne maketh our daies full of anguish and griefe full of trouble and sorrow Sinne wrappeth vs in a thousand cares and exceeding vanities whereby we are deceiued and sinne consumeth vs with vnprofitable labors and trauels which are not necessarie And what more Sinne weakneth this body of ours by deceiueable pleasures it vexeth our mind with such feare and terrors as I cannot expresse them Shortly all the euill that euer God inflicteth it floweth of sinne And if it be true that this good King had occasion to say that his sinne procured his death If so godly a King so good a youth had occasion to say this that sinne shortened his dayes what may the youth of this countrey say what may I pray you our yong Nobilitie say Surely if this King walked in such paths as made him to draw neare to his death it appeareth well that they haue taken post in this way euery one as appeareth contending who should runne the speediest course to an euill end except God preuent it The Psalmist saith that the bloudie man shall not liue halfe his dayes if this be true what shall become of the bloudie adulterer of the sacrilegious blasphemer much more the Papist and the Idolater In the which and infinite other vices they runne post If a man hauing this one vice shall not end the halfe of his dayes how much more shall his dayes be shortened in whom these vices concurre all in one this is sure it cannot faile I leaue the great men and come to the inferior sort Looke to the prophane multitude ye see in their behauiour how speedily they runne this post There are two sinnnes which are ioyned together in them to wit gluttonie and drunkennesse And there are none but they know that these two are the fountaines of all bodily diseases and of the chiefe diseases of the soule whereby they perish for euer Now what I pray you saith Salomon Prouer. 23. with whom saith he lodgeth feare sorow contention debate and strife with whom but with the drunken man and with him that loueth wine yet ye see how the greatest part in
whole world he bringeth him into such dangers that whereas nature and naturall meanes could haue no place he deliuereth him so miraculously by such wonders to make all the world to stoupe Another end was this that this good King might be honored of all the world whom God so honored For good reason it is that those whom God so honoreth they should honour These haue bene the two ends why God hath wrought so many miracles in the person of this King For ye heard how wonderfully in the night by his Angell he destroyed a hundreth and fourescore thousands of persons this is a wonderfull thing and now when he had fallen in the hands of a terrible plague so that there is none able to helpe it yet the Lord healeth him extraordinarily and he confirmeth it by such a wonder that the like was neuer heard of or seene before In deede we reade in Iehoshuashs time that the Sunne was made to stand in the firmament but to go backe by so many houres and degrees it was neuer heard of nor seene before Looke then if these signes serued not to the honor of God and vnder God to the honor of his seruant The profite that is to be gathered of signes properly called signes instituted by God stands in the representation for there cannot be a signe properly except it represent in some measure the thing signified by it There must be some conformitie and proportion or else it is not a signe as Augustine saith But this signe whereof we speake is miraculous and supernaturall and therefore hath no such relation as Sacraments haue But yet there may be a proper and secret relation espied in it which is this for it appeareth well that God would let vs see and let the King see by the working of this signe that looke how easie it was to him to bring backe the Sunne which had but two houres to his going downe to that same place where he rose in the morning as easie it is to him and farre easier to bring backe the Kings life which had but two houres to the time of death to a fresh morning of youth againe and to a ioyfull age It is as easie to God to worke the one as the other And so we may take vp the end why these signes and such like wonders was wrought by Christ in establishing of the new couenant The end no doubt was to strengthen our faith which we haue alreadie receiued by the preaching of the Gospel for signes are not giuen to create in vs faith they are not giuen to begin our coniunction with Christ it is the preaching of the Gospell that beginneth this coniunction Signes are giuen as seales to enlarge and confirme this our coniunction And as the Apostle saith well Heb. 2. signes serue to two two ends first to beare witnesse to the truth secondly to confirme the faith of the beleeuer This ye see clearely in our Sacrament the Sacrament of the Supper This Sacrament was not appointed to make our coniunction first with Christ we haue not entry vnto Christ by this Sacrament but it maketh vs to possesse Christ whom we had alreadie in some measure It maketh vs to possesse him more fully and extendeth the bounds of our narrow heart that he may be the more largely receiued of vs so of this signe the King hath great comfort I grant there is greater comfort to be had in the word then of the signe and greater comfort to be had of the working of the Spirit within then of either of them yet it is as true that euery one of these bringeth their owne comfort There is greater comfort to be had of the word then of the signe and yet the signe hath the owne comfort There is greater comfort to be had of the Spirit then of the word and yet the word hath the owne comfort And there is no word able to vtter and far lesse any heart able to receiue that comfort yea not halfe the quarter of that comfort which is prepared for them that loue God So this signe suppose there be not so great comfort vttered by it as by the word yet it hath the owne comfort Thus farre concerning the signe it selfe As to the third thing the manifesting of this signe it is not by the vertue or power that flowed out of Isaiah suppose he was an instrument for the text resolueth this clearely where it is said This is the signe of the Lord besides this it is certaine that there is no force nor vertue in any creature yea not in the diuell himselfe to worke any true wonder but in God himselfe onely For why there is no signe or wonder which is a true wonder but it passeth the force bounds and compasse of nature Therefore there is no creature able to worke any wonder For why they are bounded within the compasse and bounds of their nature and therefore as to all these wonders and miracles which are wrought by the diuell and the Pope his vicar they are false and lying wonders I say it not but the Apostle saith it 2. Thess. 2. that the coming of Antichrist shall be in the mightie power of the diuell in the which he shall worke false wonders and lying signes And as all the rest are false and lyes so these legs and armes which ye see in the entries and porches of their Churches are manifest lies and deceits of Sathan Now as to the manner of the working of this miracle it it is said in the 2. Kings 20. that it was procured by the Prophets prayer It is ●aid there that the Prophet prayed that the Sunne should be brought backe So the prayer of the Prophet preuented before it came to passe Now that same very thing which the Lord was purposed to do and promised to do yet he wil do it in such sort that he wil haue the Prophet first to aske it Now this letteth vs see clearely that there is no merit in our prayers there is no such force or worthinesse in our prayers as to merit any thing but the Lord promiseth freely and as he promiseth freely so he performeth it as freely Then wherefore will he haue vs to pray Because prayer is a part of the worship of God he will haue vs to feele what the want of benefits is he will haue vs exercised in this part of duty that when we get them we may vse them so much the more to his glory What the prayers of this Country specially the prayers of the Church of this towne haue purchased in the withdrawing of the Lords threatning and chiefly of the last threatning I meane that huge Nauie of ships I think now the manifest effects declare But what honour God hath gotten for it our manners since that time clearely testifie For if yee looke to the growth of sinne more ougly sinnes were neuer committed then since that fame ceassed So I say he is mad and voide of all