in Chron. ad an c. 1. Calvisius his hote discordant from our purpose viz. that the yeere of our Lords birth was Annus Sabbathicus a yeere made of seven multiplyed or a yeere of Jubile For even by this very circumstance wee may bee put in minde that he who was borne in a temporall Sabbathicke yeere on earth procureth for us an everlasting Sabbath in heaven 3 Of the day of the yeere From the age in which our Lord was incarnate wee have already proceeded to the yeere now from the yeere wee will come to the day on which God hath set many glorious markes 1 First St. Matthew telleth us of a n Mat. 2.2 new starre that appeared to the heathen Sages which guided them in their way to Bethlehem 2 Secondly St. o Quest vet N.T. Hodâ—eâ—no die natus est Christus octavo Calend. Jan. ab illo die crescunt dies ecce à nativitate Christi dies crescit illo oriente dies proficit Austine and St. p Ambros Serm. 8. de temp Ambrose and q Prudent in hyâ—n ad Cal. Jan. Quid est quod Arctum circulum Sol jam recurrens deserit Christusne terris nascitur qui lucis augit â—ramitem Prudemius note that the day of our Lords birth fell precisely upon the winter solstice and from that day the dayes begin to lengthen 3 Thirdly this day in the vineyard of r Magdeburg ex Martino Vinca Engaddi quae balsamum ferebat horem fructum liquorem simul fudit Engaddi the Balsamum tree both blossomed and bare fruit and liquor also dropped from it Thus we see what golden characters God hath fixed upon the age yeere and day of our Lords birth in which we may read the benefits of his incarnation which are these First rest this seemeth to be figured by the Sabbathicke yeere Secondly peace this was shadowed by the temporall peace concluded through all the world by Augustus Thirdly libertie from spirituall thraldome this was represented by the law of manumission of servants Fourthly Knowledge this was shewed by the new starre Fiftly encrease of grace this was signified by the lengthening of the dayes from Christs birth Sixtly spirituall joy this was expressed by the oyle which sprang out of the earth Seventhly health and life this the Balsamum was an embleme of This peace this libertie this knowledge this grace this joy this health God offereth to us in this accepted time and day of salvation Behold now c. The Jewes had their now and that was from the day of our Lords birth to the time of the destruction of the Temple before which a voyce was heard at midnight saying Å¿ Joseph de bello Jud. l 7. Migremus hinc Let us goe hence The Gentiles now or day of grace began after Peters t Acts 10.11 vision and shall continue untill the fulnesse of all Nations be come in Our Countrie 's now for their conversion from Paganisme began when Joseph of Arimathea or Simon Zelotes or Saint Paul or some other of the Apostles planted the Gospell in this Island for our reversion to the puritie of the ancient doctrine and discipline was from the happie reformation in King Henry the eighth his time and Kings Edward the sixts and shall last till God for our sinnes remove our golden Candlesticke All your now who heare me this day is from the day of your new birth in baptisme till the day of your death Application Behold now is your accepted time now is your day of salvation make good use of these golden moments upon which dependeth your eternall happinesse or miserie Yet by a few sighes you may drive away the fearefull storme that hangeth over you yet with a few teares you may quench the fire of hell in your consciences yet by stretching out your armes to God and laying hold on Christ by faith you may be kept from falling into the brimstone lake While yee have the light of this day of grace t Phil. 2.12 Worke out your salvation with feare and trembling before the night of death commeth when u John 9.4 no man can worke If you reject this accepted time and let slip this day of salvation there remaineth nothing for you but a time of rejection x Mat. 7.23 Away from mee I know you not and a day of damnation y Mat. 25.41 Goe yee cursed into everlasting fire To apply this now yet once more Behold now in these feasts of Christmas is tempus acceptum an accepted time or a time of acceptation a time when wee accept and entertaine one another a time of giving and accepting testimonies of love a time of receiving the holy Sacrament a time when God receiveth us into favour biddeth us to his owne table Behold now is the day of salvation the day in which our Saviour was borne and the y Titus 2.11 grace of God bringing salvation appeared unto all men This day our Saviour will come into thy house and if with humble devotion godly sorrow a lively faith and sincere love thou entertaine him what himselfe spake to Zacheus the Spirit will speake unto thee z Luke 19.9 This day is salvation come to thy house Which God the Father grant for the merits of his Sonne through the powerfull operation of the holy Spirit To whom c. THE SPOUSE HER PRECIOUS BORDERS A rehearsall Sermon preached Anno 1618. THE XXXII SERMON CANT 1.11 We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver Right Honourable c. AS the riches of Gods goodnesse are set forth to the eye of the body by the diversity of creatures in the booke of nature so are the treasures of his wisedome exposed to the eye of the mind by the varietie of senses in the booke of Scripture Which in this respect is by reverend antiquitie compared to the scrole in a Ezek. 2.10 Vid. Hier. in c. 2. Ezekielis Ezekiels vision spread before him which was written Intus à tergo within and without without in the letter within in the Spirit without in the history within in the mystery without in the typicall ceremonies within in the morall duties without in the Legall resemblance within in the Evangelicall reference without in verborum foliis within in radice rationis as St. Jerome elegantly expresseth it The former sense resembleth the golden b Exod 16.33 And Moses said to Aaron take a pot and put an Omer full of Manna therein c. pot the latter the hidden c Rev. 2.17 Manna it selfe that is as the shell or mother of pearle this as the Margarite contained within it both together as d Nazianz ad Nemes Literalem comparat corpori spiritualem animae Verbum Dei geminam habet naturam divinam invisibilem humanam visibilem ita Verbum Dei scriptum habet sensum externum internum Nazianzen observeth make this singular correspondency betweene the incarnate and the inspired
the more humble the more grace because they more desire it and are more capable thereof For the more empty the vessel is the more liquor it receiveth in like maner the more empty wee are in our owne conceits the more heavenly grace God z Mat. 11.25 infuseth into us To him therefore let our soules continually gaspe as a thirsty land let us pray to him for humility that wee may have grace and more grace that wee may be continually more humble Lord who hast taught us that because thy Son our Saviour being in the forme of God humbled himselfe and in his humility became obedient and in his obedience suffered death even the most ignominious painfull and accursed death of the crosse thou hast exalted him highly above the grave in his resurrection the earth in his ascension above the starres of heaven in his session establish our faith in his estate both of humiliation and exaltation and grant that his humility may be our instruction his obedience our rule his passion our satisfaction his resurrection our justification his ascension our improvement of sanctification and his session at thy right hand our glorification Amen Deo Patri Filio Sp. S. sit laus c. LOWLINES EXALTED OR Gloria Crocodilus THE LIII SERMON PHIL. 2.9 Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him Right Honourable c. WEe are come to keep holy the solemnest feast the Church ever appointed to recount thankfully the greatest benefit mankinde ever received to celebrate joyfully the happiest day time ever brought forth and if the rising of the sun upon the earth make a naturall day in the Calendar of the world shall not much more the rising of the Sun of righteousnesse out of the grave with his glorious beams describe a festivall day in the Calendar of the Church If the rest of God from the works of creation was a just cause of sanctifying a perpetuall Sabbath to the memory thereof may not the rest of our Lord from the works of redemption more painefull to him more beneficiall to us challenge the like prerogative of a day to be hallowed and consecrated unto it shall we not keep it as a Sabbath on earth which hath procured for us an everlasting Sabbath in heaven The holy Apostles and their Successors who followed the true light of the world so near that they could not misse their way thought it so meet and requisite that upon this ground they changed the seventh day from the creation appointed by God himselfe for a a Ignat. epist ad Magnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athanas Homil. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aug. de verb. Apost ser 25. Domini resuscitatio consecravit nobis diem Dominicum Vide Homil. Eccl. Of the time of prayer Hooker Eccles polit l. 5. sect 70. p. 196. The morall Law requiring a sevent part throughout the age of the world to be that way employed though with us the day be charged in regard of a new revolution begun by our Saviour Christ yet the same proportion of time continueth which was before because in a reference to the benefit of creation and now much more of renovation thereunto added by him which was the Prince of the world to come wee are bound to account the sanctification of one day in seven a duty which Gods immutable decree doth exact for ever Sabbath and fixed the Christian Sabbath upon the first day of the weeke to eternize the memory of our Lords resurrection This day is the first borne of the Church feasts the Prototypon and samplar Lords day if I may so speak from whence all the other throughout the yeere were drawne as patternes this is as the Sunne it selfe they are as the Parelii the Philosophers speake of images and representations of that glorious light in bright clouds like so many glasses set about the body thereof With what solemnity then the highest Christian feast is to be celebrated with what religion the christian Sabbath of sabbaths is to be kept with what affection the accomplishment of our redemption the glorification of our bodies the consummation of our happinesse the triumph of our Lord over death and hell and ours in him and for him is to be recounted with what preparation holy reverence the Sacrament of our Lords body and bloud which seales unto us these inestimable benefits is to be received with that solemnity that religion that affection that preparation that elevation of our minds we are to offer this morning sacrifice Wherefore I must intreat you to endeavour to raise your thoughts and affections above their ordinary levell that they fall not short of this high day which as it representeth the raising and exaltation of the worlds Redeemer so it selfe is raised and exalted above all other Christian feasts Were our devotion key cold and quite dead yet mee thinkes that the raising of our Lord from the dead should revive it and put new life and heat into it as it drew the bodies of many Saints out of the graves to accompany our Lord into the holy City After the Sun had bin in the eclipse for three houres when the fountaine of light began againe to be opened and the beames like streames run as before how lightsome on the sudden was the world how beautifull being as it were new gilt with those precious raies how joyfull and cheerfull were the countenances of all men The Sunne of righteousnesse had been in a totall eclipse not for three houres but three whole dayes and nights and then there was nothing but darknesse of sorâ—ow over the face of the whole Church but now hee appeares in greater glory than ever before now he shineth in his full strength What joy must this needs be to all that before sate in darknesse and in the shadow of death In the deadest time of the yeere we celebrated joyfully the birth of our Lord out of the wombe of the Virgin and shall we not this Spring as much rejoyce at his second birth and springing out of the wombe of the earth Then he was borne in humility and swadled in clouts now he is borne in majesty and clothed with robes of glory then he was borne to obey now to rule then to dye now to live for ever then to be nailed on the crosse at the right hand of a theefe now to be settled on a throne at the right hand of his Father As Cookes serve in sweet meats with sowre sawces Musicians in their songs insert discords to give rellish as it were to their concords and b Cic. de orat l. 3. Habeat summa illa laus umbram recessum ut id quod illuminatum est magis extare atque eminere videatur Rhetoricians set off their figures by solaecismes or plaine sentences in like manner the Apostle to extoll our Saviours exaltation the higher depresseth his humiliation the lower he expresseth his passion in the darkest colours to make the glory of his resurrection appear the brighter
thing so much as their tiring In summe they spend all their time in a manner in beautifying and adorning their body to please their lovers but in comparison none at all in beautifying and adorning their soules to please their Maker and Husband Christ Jesus Of these Saint m James 5.5 James long ago gave us the character They live in pleasure in the earth and waxe wanton and are fatted for the day of slaughter I spare to rehearse other lavishing out of time lest the rehearsing thereof might seeme worthy to bee numbred among the idle expences thereof And now it is time to set the foot to the account of my meditations on this Scripture The Conclusion and draw neere to that which we all every day draw neerer unto an end The * 1 Pet. 4.7 end of all things is at hand be sober therefore watch unto prayer The day of the Lord will come as a theefe in the night in the which the heavens shall passe away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also and the workes thereof shall be burned up This great Doomes-day cannot bee farre off as wee see by the fearfull fore-runners thereof howsoever the day of our death which may be called little doomes-day will soon overtake us peradventure before the Sunne yet set or this glasse be runne Wherefore I beseech you all that heare mee this day in the feare of God by occasion of the summons in my Text to enter into a more strict examination of your life than ever heretofore bring out all your thoughts words deeds projects councels and designes and lay them to the rule of Gods Law and if they swerve never so little from it reforme and amend them recount how you have bestowed the blessings of this life how you have imployed the gifts of nature how you have increased your talents of grace wherein the Church or Common-wealth hath been the better by you consider how you have carried your selves abroad in the world how at home in your private families but how especially in the closet of your owne heart You know out of the Gospel that a mans n Mat. 12.44 house may be swept and garnished that is his outward conversation civill and faire and yet harbour seven uncleane spirits within If lust and covetousnesse and pride and envie and malice and rancour and deceit and hypocrisie like so many serpents lye under the ground gnawing at the root of the tree be the leaves of your profession never so broad and seem the fruits of your actions never so faire the vine is the vine of Sodome and the grape the grape of Gomorrah There is nothing so easie as to put a fresh colour upon a rotten post and to set a faire glosse upon the fowlest matters to pretend conscience for most unconscionable proceedings and make religion it selfe a maske to hide the deformity of most irreligious practices But when the secrets of all hearts shall be opened and the intents and purposes of all our actions manifested and the most hidden workes of darknesse brought to light As it is to bee hoped that many that are infinitely wronged in the rash censures of men shall be justified in the sight of God and his Angels so it is to be feared that very many whom the world justifieth and canonizeth also for Saints shall be condemned at Christs barre and have their portion with hypocrites in hell there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Wherefore sith we shall all one day come to such a publike such an impartiall such a particular tryall of all that we have done in the body either good or evill let us looke more narrowly to all our wayes and see that they be streight and even 1. Let us search our heart with all diligence let us look into all the corners thereof and see there lurke no wickednesse nor filthinesse nor hypocrisie there let us looke to our thoughts that they be pure to our desires that they be lawfull to our affections that they be regular to our passions that they be moderate to our ends that they be good to our purposes that they be honest to our intentions that they be sincere to our resolutions that they be well grounded and firme 2. Next let us take our tongue to examination and weigh all our words in the ballance of the Sanctuary and try whether they have not been light and idle but grave and profitable not crafty and deceitfull but simple and plaine not false and lying but true and faithfull not outragious but sober not filthy but modest not prophane but holy not censorious but charitable not scurrilous but ponderous not insolent but lowly and courteous not any way offensive and unsavoury but such as might o Ephes 4.29 minister grace to the hearers 3. Lastly let us lay our hands upon our handy workes and examine our outward acts and deeds 1. Whether they have been alwayes justifiable in generall by the Law of God that is either commanded by it or at least warranted in it 2. Whether they have been and are conformable to the orders of the Church and lawes of the Land For wee must obey lawfull authority for conscience sake in all things that are not repugnant to the divine Law as Bernard piously resolveth saying Thou must yeeld obedience to him as to God who is in the place of God in those things that are not against God 3. Whether they have been agreeable to our particular calling For some things are justifiable by the Law of God and man in men of one state and calling which are hainous sinnes in another as we see in the cases of Uzza and Uzziah 4. Whether they have been answerable to our inward purposes intentions and dispositions For though they are otherwise lawfull and agreeable yet if they goe against the haire if they are done with grudging and repining and not heartily they are neither acceptable to God nor man 5. Whether they have been all things considered most expedient For as many things are profitable and expedient that are not lawfull so some things are lawfull that are not p 1 Cor. 6.12 All things are lawfull unto me but all things are not expedient expedient and because they are not expedient if necessity beare them not out they become by consequent unlawfull For we are not onely bound to eschew all the evill we know but also at all times to doe the best good wee can else wee fulfill not the commandement of loving God with all our heart and all our soule and all our strength To summe up all I have discoursed unto you first of the Stewardship of the things of this life secondly of the account of this Stewardship thirdly of the time of this account The Stewardship most large the account most strict the time most uncertaine After the explication of these points in the application I arraigned foure Stewards before you first the sacred
mistaking of any other man should not take off the edge of our desires to gaine an invaluable jewell but whet our diligence the more to observe more accurately the notes of difference betweene the true and counterfeit stone upon which I shall touch anon after I have convinced our Romish sceptickes by evidence from the nature of faith the profession of Gods Saints the testimony of the Spirit and undeniable signes and effects that all that are called by the word effectually have this white stone in my text given unto them whereby they are assured of their present estate of grace and future of glory Doct. 1 The faith of Gods e Tit. 1.1 Elect is not a bare assent to supernaturall verities revealed in Scripture which may bee in a Reprobate and is in the f Jam. 2.19 Devils themselves Thou beleevest there is one God thou doest well the Devils also beleeve and tremble but a divine grace whereby being fully assured of Gods favour to us wee trust him with our soules and wholly rely on him for salvation through the merits of his sonne The sure promises of the Gospell are like a strong cable let downe to a man in a deepe pit or dungeon on which hee doth not onely lay hand by faith but hangeth and resteth himselfe upon it and thereby is drawne out of darkenesse to see and possesse the inheritance of the Saints in light To beleeve the communion of Saints is not onely to bee perswaded that there is a communion of Saints in the world remission of sinnes in the Church resurrection of the flesh at the last day and life everlasting in heaven but to bee assured by faith that wee have an interest in this communion benefit by this remission and shall partake the glory of this resurrection and the happinesse of life everlasting They who had beene stung by fiery serpents and were healed by looking upon the brazen serpent did not onely beleeve that it had cured many but that it would cure them Here the Logicians rule holdeth Medicina curat Socratem non hominem physicke is not given to mans nature to cure the species but to every man in individuo to heale his person and to every sicke soule that applieth unto it selfe the promises of the Gospell Christ saith g Mat. 9.22.29 Bee it unto thee as thou beleevest thy faith hath made thee whole goe in peace Hereupon Saint h Fides dicit aeternabona reposita sunt spes dicit mihi teposita sunt charitas dicit ego curro post ea Bernard bringeth in the three divine graces Faith Hope and Charity singing as it were a catch and taking the word one from another Faith beginneth saying everlasting treasures are layd up in heaven Hope followeth saying they are layd up for mee Charity concludeth I will seeke after them And verily no man by a generall Romish credulity but by a speciall faith in Christ can say with Job My redeemer with David My salvation with the Spouse My beloved with the blessed Virgin My Saviour with Thomas My Lord and my God much lesse can hee warrant these possessives with a scio i Job 19.25.26.27 I know that my Redeemer liveth and that I shall see him stand up at the last day upon the earth and though after my skinne wormes destroy this body yet in my flesh I shall see God whom I shall see for my selfe And k Psal 45.11.12 I know that thou favourest me thou upholdest mee in my integrity and fettest me before thy face for ever And l Rom. 8.28 Wee know that all things worke for the best to them that love God We know that when m 2 Cor. 5.1 our earthly tabernacle is dissolved wee shall have an eternall in the heavens n 1 Joh. 2.5 Wee know that wee are translated from death to life because we love the brethren Opinion and science a conjecturall hope and an assured beliefe as much differ as a shaken reed and a well growne oake which no winde can stirre To know any thing saith o L. 1 posterior c. 2. Scire est causam rei cognoscere quod illius causa sit quod res illa aliter se habere non posset Aristotle is to know the cause and that this cause is the cause of such an effect and that the thing it selfe cannot bee otherwise than wee conceive of it in which regard the Greeke Etymologist deriveth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because opinion waggeth and inclineth the mind by probabilities on both sides but science fasteneth it and maketh it stand unmoveable With these texts of scripture attributing knowledge of salvation to all beleevers our Trent Merchants are manifestly gravelled and sticke in the mud yet they endevour to boye up their sunke vessell by a distinction of a double knowledge 1 By common faith 2 By speciall revelation They yeeld that some who have been admitted to Gods privie Councell by speciall revelation have been assured of their crowne of glory but they will by no meanes grant that beleevers can attain to this certainty by their common faith yet such is the clearnesse of the texts above alledged for the point in question that they easily like the beames of the sunne breake through this popish mist For Job speaketh not of any speciall secret revealed unto him but of the common article of all our faith concerning the resurrection of the flesh I know that my Redeemer liveth and hee shall stand up and I shall see him with these eyes And what David speaketh of his knowledge of Gods favour and stedfast beliefe of his future happinesse p Ad Monim l. 1. â—ustus ex fide vivens fiducialiter dicit credo videre bona domini in terra viventium Fulgentius applyeth to every beleever The just man living by faith speaketh confidently I beleeve that I shall see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living And S. John ascribeth this knowledge not to any singular revelation but to charity the common effect of faith We know that we are passed from death to life because we love the brethren whereupon S. q Tract 5. in ep Joh. Nemo interroget hominem redeat ad cor suum si ibi invenerit charitatem securus sit quia transiit à morte ad vitam Austin giveth this sage advice Let no man enquire of man let him have recourse to his owne heart if he find there charity let him rest assured that he is passed from death to life And S. Paul joyneth all the faithfull with him saying We know that all things worke for the best to them that love God and There is layd up a crown of righteousnesse which the righteous Judge shall give mee at that day and not to mee onely but to all them also that love his appearing In like manner Saint r Ep. ex regist l. 6. Hac fulti certitudine de ejusdem redemptoris nostri misericordiá nihil ambigere
Carry-away as they called it that is some jewell or piece of coine with his name engraven on it or some speciall poesie Such entertainment is promised in my text and performed on this holy Table Christ who is both Hoste and feast biddeth you to his hidden Manna in the Sacrament and tendereth to every one of you a white stone with your new name written in it for your Apophoreton What remaineth but that by particular examination and fervent prayer and speciall faith and intention of devotion yee prepare your stomacks for these covered dishes and the hidden Manna and after you have fed upon it receive the white stone of absolution and keepe it safe by you and have it alwayes in your eyes Let not your importunate clients so trespasse upon your time but that you reserve alwayes some golden moments in every day and especially on the Lords day to bee clients to God So peruse other writings and Records that you forget not to search the deeds and evidences of your owne salvation before you give learned counsaile to others to secure and cleare their titles to their lands on earth aske you counsaile of the spirit and with David u Psal 119.24 make Gods statutes your counsailers to secure your title to a kingdome in heaven Make your election whereof the white stone in my text is a cleare evidence sure unto your selves by the markes which I have described unto you hatred of sinne and contempt of the world and desire of heaven secure it to your soules by the life of your faith and strength of your hope and ardency of your love and extremity of your hunger and thirst for righteousnesse and your earnest strife and most vehement fight against all your corruptions by your deepe sorrow for your sinnes carefull watching over all your wayes sonnelike feare of displeasing your heavenly father universall conformity to his will and humble submission to his rod with continuall growth in grace and mending your pace towards heaven the nearer you come to your journyes end So shall you overcome the devill by your faith the world by your hope the flesh by your spirituall love sinfull joyes by your godly sorrow carnall security by your watchfull care and filiall feare dreadfull crosses by your comfortable patience and dangerous relapses by your proficiencie in godlinesse and all sorts of temptations by your constant perseverance And thus overcomming Christ will make good his promise unto you set before you the hidden Manna and give you this white stone which none shall be able to take away from you and lay you all as so many pretious stones in the x Apoc. 21.19 foundation of the heavenly Jerusalem descending from God To whom c. THE NEW NAME THE XXVIII SERMON APOC. 2.17 And in the same stone a new name written which no man knoweth saving hee that receiveth it Right Honourable Right Worshipfull c. IN this close of a letter endited by the Spirit and endorsed to the Angell of the Church of Pergamus our Emperour Christ Jesus his donatives to his victorious souldiers are set forth to the best advantage of art To him that is to every one whosoever hee bee Jew or Gentile bond or free young or old Captaine or common souldier that overcommeth the flesh by subduing it the world by despising it the devill by defying him and quenching all his fiery darts on the buckler of his faith dipt in Christs blood I will give out of my bounty not for the merit of their service the hidden Manna of consolation the white stone of absolution and the new name of adoption which no man knoweth saving hee that receiveth it The hidden Manna I set before you when I first entertained your religious attention with the mysticall delicacies this text affordeth The last time I delivered unto you the white stone and now I am to spell and read unto you your new name and both declare what it is and why engraven in this white stone as also how so engraven that it can bee read by none save him who owneth it For my method I will take it from Masters of Musicke and dancing for as they first tune their instruments then finger the streines of some exquisite lessons on it finally teach their scholars how to foot the dance accordingly so the divine assistance concurring with your patience I will first by endevouring to accord the severall interpretations of the words as it were tune the strings next by delivering unto you the doctrines of this scripture set to the lessons and last of all by applying them to your lives and conversations direct you how you are to order your feet according to the heavenly musicke pricked by the Spirit in the rules of my text But because it is very hard to read letters or characters engraven in brasse or stone if the brasse or stone bee covered with dirt or blotted with inke before I proceed to spell your name I hold it requisite to rubbe out those spots and wipe away those blots which the ancient Pelagians and late Pontificians have cast upon this white stone I meane our Protestant doctrine concerning the assurance of our salvation in particular Object 1. They cast this blurre upon it That it hath no foundation in holy Scripture for where read wee say they thou William or thou John or thou Peter art assured of thy salvation 2. They cast this blurre upon it That it hath no place in the Apostles Creed and therefore in scorne and derision they tearme it the thirteenth article 3. They alledge against it That it hath no footing at all in reason For say they wee ought continually to pray for the remission of our sinnes which wee need not to doe if wee were assured of our justification and salvation 4. They article against it That it crosseth all such texts of Scripture wherein feare is commended unto us as a speciall helpe and furtherance to eternall salvation To what end doth David advise a Psal 2.11 Serve the Lord with feare and Saint Paul admonish b Rom 11.20 Be not high minded but feare and c Phil. 2.12 work out your salvation with feare and trembling and Saint Peter exhort d 1 Pet. 1.17 passe the time of your sojourning here in feare if all true beleevers are so assured of their salvation that they are in no danger of forfeiting their estate of grace here or losing their crowne of glory hereafter 5. They alleage against it That it dulleth the edge of industry and cooleth the heat of zeale and taketh away all care of walking exactly before God and uprightly before men care and watchfulnesse in their judgement are superfluous where salvation and eternall happinesse is secured The first blot is thus wiped out Resp ad 1. As all parts are contained in the whole body so all particulars and singulars are vertually enclosed in generals and universals and therefore as when wee read That all men are sinners and
eternity yet I deny that this is any good description of time because every description ought to be per notius by something that is more known whereas eternity is farre more obscure than time it selfe all men have a common notion of the one few or none of the other Neither doe they give any better satisfaction who define time by duration For albeit there is a time of duration of every thing and a duration also of time it selfe yet duration is not time duration is the existence of any thing in time not the terme or time it selfe They define time most agreeable to the Scriptures who affirme it to be the continuall fluxe of moments minutes houres dayes weekes moneths yeeres ages from the creation of the world to the dissolution thereof after which the u Apoc. 10.6 Angel sware that time should be no more But I need to speake no more of time at this time because the word in my text is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 time but season or as it is here rendered The accepted time The season is that in time which light is in the aire lustre in metals the flower in plants creame in milke quintessence in hearbs the prime and best of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now there being a threefold season 1. Naturall which Husbandmen observe in sowing Gardeners in planting and graffing Mariners in putting to Sea Chirurgians in letting bloud Physicians in purging c. 2. Civill of which the Poet speaketh Mollissima fandi tempora which all humble suppliants observe in preferring petitions to Princes and great Personages 3. Spirituall which all that have a care of their salvation must observe in seeking the Lord while he may be found The Apostle in this place pointeth to this third and his meaning is Behold now presse hard to get into the kingdome of heaven for now the gate is open now labour hard in Gods vineyard for now is the eleventh houre now put up your petitions to the Prince of peace for now is the day of audience now provide your selves of spirituall merchandize for now is the mart now cast your selves into the Bethesda of Christs bloud for now the Angel troubleth the water now get a generall pardon for all your sinnes under the broad seale of the King of heaven for now is a day of sealing When the King commeth saith St. x Chrys in hunc locum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostome there is no time for sessions or assises but for pardon and favour Behold now the King is come to visit his subjects upon earth and from his first comming to his last the day of grace continueth Behold now is this accepted time He calleth it an accepted time saith St. y Ib. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostome because now God accepteth them to favour who a thousand times incurred his displeasure It is called in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a time of good will and favour as Calvin rendereth the words who biddeth us marke the order first a time of grace is promised and after a day of salvation to intimate unto us that salvation floweth from the meere grace and mercy of God We are active in sinne to our owne damnation but meere passive to the first grace we draw on damnation with the cart-ropes of vanity but God draweth us to salvation with the cords of love The speciall point of doctrine to which this ecce or index in my text pointeth is that we ought to take speciall notice of the time of grace beginning at the birth of our Saviour and ending to us at the day of our death and to all men that shall be upon the earth at the consummation of the world As the celestiall spheres are wrapt one in another and the greatest which the Philosophers terme the Primum mobile invelopeth all the rest so the parts of time are enclosed the lesser in the greater houres in dayes dayes in yeeres yeers in ages and ages in the time of the duration of the world To explicate then to the full the time of our Lords birth it will be requisite to treat 1 Of the age of the world 2 Of the yeere of the age 3 Of the day of the yeere in which the true z John 1.9 light that lighteneth every man that commeth into the world first shined on the earth 1 Of the age of the world The Jewes according to an ancient tradition received from the house of Elias make three ages of the world as it were so many stages of time 1 From the creation to the law 2 From the law to the Messias 3 From the comming of the Messias to the end of the world To each of these they allow two thousand yeeres counting thus 1 a Carion in Chron. Duo millia vacuum 2 Duo millia lex 3 Duo millia Messias post mundi deflagratio Saint y Aug. de civit Dei l. 22 c 30. Post hanc tan quam in die septimo requi escet Deus cum eundem septimum diem quod nos erimus in seipso faciet requiescere Austine doubleth these files and maketh reckoning of sixe ages 1 From Adam to the Deluge 2 From the Deluge to Abraham 3 From Abraham to Solomon 4 From Solomon to the captivity 5 From the captivity to Christs birth 6 From Christs birth to the day of judgement after which in the seventh we shall all keepe an eternall Sabbath in heaven By both which computations it appeareth that the birth of our Saviour fell late towards the declining and end of time as b Maxin Taur hom 6 de nativ In fine temporum natus est ille cujus aeternitatem nulla saeculorum tempora comprehendunt Maximus Taurinensis observeth Here the wit of man which like the Sea will still be working though oftentimes foaming out his owne shame curiously enquireth why the desire and joy of all mankind was so long delayed why he was so late born whose birth was of more importance than of all the Potentates Princes Kings Emperours and Monarchs of the whole world Was not Christ the bright morning starre how came it then to passe that he appeared not till the afternoone if not evening of the world Was not he the bridegroome whose * Marriage song Epithalamium Solomon by the spirit of prophesie endited in the booke of Canticles how could hee then heare his dearest Spouse breathe out so many sighes and shed such abundance of teares in so many ages still longing for his comming and crying c Cant. 1.1 Let him come into the flesh and kisse mee with the kisses of his lips Was not hee the good Samaritan which healed the wounded man after Moses the Levite and Aaron the Priest passing by left him as they found him and did him no ease at all how then could this tender hearted Chirurgian suffer wounded mankinde to lie so many ages weltring in his owne bloud and
ardebat cor vestrûm in vobis cùm exponeret vobis Scripturas The second jewel was a Saphir according to the Hebrew derivation from Sepher a booke wherein we may reade both the doctrine and graces of the second Speaker Hic lapis ut perhibent educit corpore vinctos saith Vincentius and was not his doctrine a Jayle-delivery of all deaths prisoners It is a constant tradition among the Rabbins that the tables of stone Bellar. l. 2. de Verb. Dei wherein the ten Commandements were written with the finger of God were of Saphir For although Pliny affirmeth Nat. hist l. 37. that the Saphir is a stone altogether unfit for sculpture yet this can be no just exception against this tradition sith the engraving of the ten Commandements was done by the finger of God above nature Moreover it is cleare out of this Text that the name of one of the Patriarchs was written in the Saphir Such a Saphir was the second Speaker having the Lawes of God imprinted in his heart The third jewell is a Diamond in Hebrew called Jahalom because it breaketh all other stones in Greek Adamas that is unconquerable because it can neither be broken by the hammer nor consumed in the fire nay the fire saith Zenocrates hath not so much power as to stain the colour much lesse impeach the substance of this stone Call to mind among the vertues of a Magistrate conspicuous in this divine Oratour his unconquerable courage unstained integrity and the comparison is already made Pliny reporteth Adamantem sideritem alio Adamante perforari thinke you not that if a man could have a heart as hard as the Adamant this Adamant pointed with sacred eloquence could breake it and make it contrite Lastly Pliny addeth that the Diamond is a soveraign remedy against poyson Et ideò regibus charissimus iisque paucis cognitus in high esteem with Princes if as our gracious Soveraigne hath so all Christian Princes had such Diamonds as this if such Preachers were their eare-rings they should be free from the danger of all poysoned and hereticall doctrine If as the stones placed in the second row agree with the gifts of the Speaker so they sort as well with the doctrines of his Text I am sure you wil all say that this second order of stones is not out of order A most remarkable story of the Carbuncle we have that cast in the fire among live coals it seemeth to have no grace in it but quench the other coals with water it shineth more gloriously in the ashes than ever before so our Saviour in the brunt of his passion while he was heat by the fire-brands of hell Scribes Pharisees Jewes Romans seemed to be dead and lose all his colour beauty nay was indeed dead according to his humane nature his soule being severed from his body but after the consummation of his passion and the extinction of the fiery rage of his persecuters with his bloud in his resurrection he shewed himself a most glorious Carbuncle shining in majesty burning in love After his resurrection in the day of his ascension hee taketh possession of his throne in heaven which Chap. 1. V. 26. in Ezekiel is said to bee like a Saphir stone now sitting at the right hand of God the Father having conquered sin death hell made all his enemies his footstoole he is become the only true orient Diamond in the world whether you take the name from the Greek ἄδαμασ ab ά δαμαω or the Hebrew ×להי from ×לה being invincible himselfe and overcomming all adverse power breaking his obstinate enemies in pieces like a potters vessell with a rod of iron The embossment of gold in which these gems of divine doctrine were set was his Text taken out of A Sermon preached by Doctor John King then Dean of Christ-Church and Vicechancellor of the University of Oxford afterwards Lord Bishop of London upon Easter day in Saint Peters Church in Oxford ESAY 26.19 Thy dead men shall live together with my body shall they rise awake and sing yee that dwell in dust for the dew is as the dew of herbes and the earth shall cast up her dead IT would aske the labour of an houre to settle this one only member I finde such a Babel of tongues at odds about so few words Variae lectiones Whereas we reade terra projiciet or ejiciet the earth shall cast up or bring forth as it doth her herbs and winter prisoners Junius hath Dejecisti in terram Castalio terram demoliris the Seventy Terra cadet S. Jerome Dejicies in terram the Chaldee paraphrase Trades in infernum and for mortuos in Hebrew * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rephaim from a word signifying to cure per antiphrasin the Seventy reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wicked or ungodly S. Jerome Gigantes stout and robustious against God But to set you in a right and inoffensive way I reduce almost an infinity of distractions to two heads For all of them either speak of the resurrection of the dead indefinitely which they doe that say Terra ejiciet to wit postquam in terram dejecisti For the earth cannot cast up that it hath not and Manium terram demoliris or of the destruction of the wicked one only species of the dead which the Seventy call impios others Giants mighty to transgresse both senses as the Northern and Southern rivers running from contrary points meet in the Ocean so these from sundry and discrepant conceits run into one common place of the generall resurrection save that the latter adde a straine to the former of Gods vengeance and wrath prepared for the wicked Sense twofold Thus having set the letters of my Text together accorded the words it remaineth that their scope and intent be freed from question There is not one of the learned Scribes old or new Jew or Christian whose spirit and pen hath not fallen upon one of these two senses viz. that the Prophet either speaketh of the resurrection of the dead at the last day or of the restitution and enlargement of the people from their present straights in which say they calamity is a kind of death captivity as the grave Gods people as the seed in the ground Gods grace and favour as the comfortable dew to revive and restore them to their wonted being Of these two companies some goe after the literall grammaticall sense lending not so much as the cast of their eye toward the allegory as Strigelius Clarius Brentius Others on the other side of the banke standing for the shadowed resurrection are not so peremptory but si quis aliter sentire mavult per me liber hoc faciat and Calvin himself in his commentary layes out as it were a lot as well for the true as the typicall resurrection Falluntur Christiani qui ad extremum judicium restringunt Prophetatotum Christi regnum ab initio ad finem
Fathers of children Magistrates of cities and Kings of realmes who have received your authority from God bee ruled by him by whom yee rule take him for a president in your proceedings from whom yee have your warrant hee first convinceth then reproveth after threatneth and lastly chastiseth those all those whom he loveth doe yee likewise first evidently convince then openly rebuke after severely threaten and last of all fatherly chasten with moderation and compassion all those indifferently without partiality who deserve chastisement not sparing those who are most deare and neare unto you But to the bruised reed to the drouping conscience overwhelmed with sorrow and griefe both for sinnes and the punishment thereof the Spirit speaketh in the words of my text on this wise Why doe yee adde affliction to your affliction and fret and exulcerate your own wounds through your impatience It is not as yee conceive your enemy that hath prevailed against you it is not a curst Master or a racking Land-lord or a partiall Magistrate or an envious neighbour that wreakes his spleene and malice upon you but it is your heavenly Father that striketh you and he strikes you but gently and with a small ferular neither offereth hee you any harder measure than the rest of his children so hee nurtureth them all Neither are yee cast quite out of favour though cast downe for the present nay bee it spoken for your great comfort yee are no lesse in favour than when your estate was entire which now is broken and your day cleerest which is now overcast Yee are so farre from being utterly rejected and abandoned by your heavenly father that yee are by this your seasonable affliction more assured of his care over you and love unto you For hee never saith As many as I love I smile upon or I winke at their faults but I rebuke and chasten whom hee lesse careth for hee suffereth to play the trivants and take their pleasure but hee nurtureth and correcteth you whom hee intendeth to make his heires yea joint heires with his best beloved Christ Jesus Therefore submit your souls under his mighty hand in humble patience after that raise them up in a comfortable hope kisse his rod quae corpus vulnerat mentem sanat which woundeth the body but healeth the soule makes the flesh peradventure blacke and blew but the spirit faire and beautifull Arguite castigate vos ipsos convince your owne folly rebuke your bad courses chasten your wanton flesh with watching fasting and other exercises of mortification confesse your faults and grieve not so much because yee are stricken as that ye should deserve to bee so stricken by him then will the affection of a father so worke with him that hee will breake his ferular and burne his rod wherewith hee hath beaten you and the overflowing of his future favours will make it evident that whatsoever was said or done before was in love to make you partakers of his holinesse and more capable of celestiall happinesse Wherefore let all that mourne in Zion and sigh as often as they breath for their many and grievous visitations heare what the Spirit saith to the Angel of Laodicea I rebuke and chasten as many as I love Spices pounded and beaten small smell most sweetly and Texts of Scripture yeeld a most fragrant savour of life when they are expounded and broken into parts which are here evidently foure 1 The person of Christ I. 2 The actions of this person Rebuke and chasten 3 The subject of these actions As many 4 The extent of the subject As I love 1 The person most gracious I. 2 The actions most just Rebuke and chasten 3 The subject most remarkable Whom I love 4 The extent most large As many 1 In the person you may see the author of all afflictions 2 In the actions the nature of all afflictions 3 In the extent the community of all afflictions 4 In the subject the cause of all afflictions Of this extent of the subject subject of the actions actions of Christ by his gracious assistance and your Christian patience and first of the person 1. That in all afflictions of the servants of God God is the principall agent and hath i Isa 45.7 I make peace create evill the greatest stroake needeth not so much evident demonstration as serious consideration and right and seasonable application in time of fearfull visitations For what passage can wee light upon at all adventures especially in the writings of the Prophets where wee finde not either God threatning or the Church bewailing afflictions and sore chastisements k Amos 3.6 Is there any evill in the city which I have not done saith the Lord And l Lam. 1.12 Is there any sorrow like unto my sorrow wherewith the Lord hath afflicted mee in the day of his fierce wrath saith his captive Spouse What face of misery so ugly and gastly wherewith hee scareth not his disobedient people To them that have hard hearts and brazen browes that cannot blush hee threaneth to make m Lev. 26.19 the earth as iron and the heaven as brasse hee martials all his plagues against them sword famine pestilence stings of serpents teeth of wilde beasts blasting mildew botches blaines and what not And according as he threatneth in the law he professeth that he had done to the Israelites in the dayes of the Prophet Amos n Amos 4.6.7 8 9 10. I have sent you cleannesse of teeth and scarcity of bread in all your coasts and yet yee have not returned unto mee also I have withholden the raine from you and yet yee have not returned I have smitten you with blasting and mildew your gardens and vineyards the valmer-worme hath devoured and yet yee have not returned unto mee Pestilence I have sent you after the manner of the Egyptians and your young men I have slaine with the sword and yet yee have not returned unto mee I have overthrowne you as God overthrew Sodome and Gomorrah and you were as a fire-brand out of the burning and yet yee have not returned unto mee There being a double evill as the Schooles distinguish Malum 1. Culpae 2. Poenae the evill of sin and the evill of punishment to make him the author of the former and to deny him to be the author of the later is a like impiety For the former errour impeacheth his purity sanctity the later his justice and providence It is true that in the afflicting of his children God sometimes useth none of the best o Job 1.2 2 Cor. 12.7 Hieron lib. de vir illustr in Ignat. De Syria ad Romam pugno ad bestias in mari in terrà ligatus cum 12. Leopardis hoc est militibus qui me custodiunt quibus si benefeceris pejores sunt iniquitas eorum mea doctrina est instruments neither do they intend what God doth in laying heavie crosses upon his children yet he keepeth their malice within such
overthrow of the Jewish Nation by Vespasian and his sonne Titus Others deferre the accomplishment of this prophecy till the dreadfull day of the Worlds doome when by the shrill sound of the Archangels Trumpet all the dead shall bee awaked and the son of man shall march out of Heaven with millions of Angels to his Judgement seat in the clouds where hee shall sit upon the life and death of mankinde That day saith Saint d August l. 20. de civitate Dei Ille dies judicii propriè dicitur eo quod nullus erit ibi imperitae querelae locus Cur injustus ille sit foelix cur justus ille infoelix Austin may bee rightly called a Day of Judgement because then there shall bee no place left for those usuall exceptions against the judgements of God and the course of his providence on earth viz. Why is this just man unhappy and why is that unjust man happy Why is this profane man in honour and that godly man in disgrace Why doth this wicked man prosper in his evill wayes and that righteous man faile in his holy attempts Nay why for a like fact doth some man receive the guerdon of a crowne and another of a e Juvenal Satyr Sceleris pretium ille crucem tulit hic diadema crosse or gibbet the one of a halter the other of a chaine of gold These and the like murmurs against the justice of the Judge of all flesh shall bee hushed and all men shall say in the words of the f Psal 58.11 Psalmist Verily there is a reward for the righteous Verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth And then Christ may bee said properly to bring or send forth judgement when hee revealeth the secrets of all hearts displayeth all mens consciences and declareth the circumstances of all actions whereby all mens judgements may bee rightly informed in the proceedings of the Almighty and all men may see the justice of God in those his most secret and hidden judgements at which the wisest on earth are astonished and dare not looke into them lest they should bee swallowed up in the depth of them I speake of those judgements of God which Saint g August lo. sup cit Dies declarabit ubi hoc quoque manifestabitur quà m justo Dei judicio fiat ut nunc tam multa ac penè omnia justa Dei judicia sensus mentemque mortalium fugiant cum tamen in hac repiorum fidem non lateat justum esse quod latet Austin termeth Occuliè justa and justè occulta Secretly just and justly secret so they are now but at the day of Judgement they shall bee manifestly just and justly manifest then it shall appeare not onely that the most secret judgements of God are just but also that there was just cause why they should bee secret or kept hidden till that day Lastly then Christ may bee said properly to bring forth judgement unto victory because hee shall first conquer all his enemies and then judge and sentence them to everlasting torments Of which dreadfull Judgement ensuing upon the glorious Victory of the Prince of peace over the great Whore and the false Prophet and the Divell that deceiveth them all from which the Archangel shall sound a retreat by blowing the last trump and summoning all that have slept in the dust to arise out of their graves and come to judgement I need not to adde any thing more in this Religious and Christian auditory Wherefore I will fill up the small remainder of the time with some briefe observations upon the ruine and utter desolation of the Jewish Nation who even to this day wandring like Vagabonds in all countries and made slaves not only to Christians but to Moores Turkes and other Infidels rue the crucifying of the Lord of life and the spilling of the innocent bloud of the immaculate Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the World As according to the custome of our country Quarter-Sessions are held in Cities and Shire-townes before the generall Assises so Christ a little more than forty yeeres after his death at Jerusalem and ascension into Heaven held a Quarter-Sessions in Jerusalem for that country and people after which hee shall certainly keep a generall Assises for the whole world when the sinnes of all Nations shall be ripe for the Angels sickle Some of the wisest of the Jewish Rabbins entring into a serious consideration of this last and greatest calamity that ever befell that people together with the continuance thereof more than 1500. yeeres and casting with themselves what sinne might countervaile so heavie a judgement in the end have growne to this resolution that surely it could be no other than the spilling of the Messias bloud which cryed for this vengeance from heaven against them And verily if you observe all the circumstances of times persons and places together with the maner and means of their punishments and lay them to the particulars of Christs sufferings in and from that Nation you shall see this point as cleerly set before your eyes as if these words were written in letters of bloud upon the sacked walls of Jerusalem Messiah his Judgement and Victory over the Jewes 1. Mocking repaid 1. Not full sixe yeeres after our Lords passion most of those indignities and disgraces which the Jewes put upon him were returned backe to themselves by Flaccus and the Citizens of Alexandria who scurrilously mocked their King Agrippa in his returne from Rome by investing a mad man called Carabbas with Princely robes putting a reed in his hand for a Scepter saluting him Haile King of the Jewes Note here the Jewes mocking of Christ repaid unto themselves yet this was not all 2 Whipping repaid The Alexandrians were not content thus scornfully to deride the King of the Jewes they proceeded farther to make a daily sport of scourging many of the Nobility even to death and that which Philo setteth a Tragicall accent upon at their solemnest Feast Note here the Jewes whipping and scourging Christ upon the solemne Feast of Passover repaid unto them 3. Spitting repaid 3. And howsoever their noble and discreet Embassadour Philo made many remonstrances to the Emperour Caligula of these unsufferable wrongs offered to their Nation yet that Emperour because the Jewes had refused to set up his Image in the Temple was so farre from relieving them or respecting him according to the quality he bare that he spurned him with his foot and spit on his face Note here the Jewes spitting on Christ repaid them 4. The Jewes refusing Christ to be their King to flatter the Romane Caesar reveneâ—d on them by Caesar himself 4. In conclusion the Emperour sent him away with such disgrace and discontent that hee turning to his country-men said Bee of good cheare Sirs for God himselfe must needs right us now sith his Vicegerent from whom wee expected justice doth so much wrong us and contrary
to the law of all Nations most inhumanely insolently and barbarously useth mee employed as a publike minister of state for our whole Nation But all this in vaine these wrongs fell right upon them It was just with God that they who in disdaine of his Sonne cryed out Wee have no King but Caesar should finde no favour at Caesars hands and much lesse at Gods before whom they preferred Caesar Baron annal Noluerunt florem nacti sunt Florum praesidem They would none of the flower of Jesse they cast him away therefore God in justice after the former troubles sent them by Nero's appointment Deputy Florus 5 The Pharisces envie at the peoples crying Hosanna to Christ punished who robbed their Church treasury to raise a rebellion after put them to the sword for this rebellion received money of them to save them from spoile and spoiled them the more for it insomuch that the Scribes and Pharisees and chiefe Rulers who rebuked the people for bringing in Christ to Jerusalem with branches of palmes and happy acclamations of Hosanna to the sonne of David Hosanna in the highest are now forced to bring out all the treasures of the Temple and Priestly ornaments by them as it were to adjure the people and beseech them even with teares to march out of Jerusalem in seemliest order and with expressions of joy to meet and greet the Romane souldiers who requited their salutations with scornes and their gifts with pillaging them Note here the Jewes envie at Christs triumphant riding into Jerusalem punished 6. I beseech you observe the circumstances of time persons and place and you shall perceive that divine Justice did not onely make even reckonings with them in every particular of our Saviours sufferings but also kept the precise day and place of payment Galilee wherein Christ first preached and wrought so many miracles first of all suffers for her unbeliefe and is laid waste by Vespasian The infinite slaughter at Jerusalem began with the high Priest Ananus his death whom the Zelots slew in the Temple Sanguine foedantem quas ipse sacraverat aras A lamentable sight saith Josephus to see the chiefe Priest a little before clad with sacred and glorious vestments richly embroidered with gold and precious stones lye naked in the streets wallowing in dirt mud and bloud to behold that body which had been annointed with holy oyle to bee torne with dogges and devoured by ravenous and uncleane fowle to looke upâ—â— the Altar in the Temple polluted with the bloud of him who before had hallowed it with the bloud of beasts But so it was most agreeable to divine Justice that that order though never so sacred should first and most dreadfully rue our Lords death whose envie was first and malice deepest in the effusion of his most innocent bloud Who can but take notice of that which the Histories of those times written by Jewes as well as Christians offer to all readers observation viz. That the Jewes who escaped out of Jerusalem and fell into their enemies quarter because they were thought to devoure downe their money and jewels that the Romane souldiers might not finde them about them were in great numbers after they were slaine ripped 7 Their giving money to Judas to betray him repaid and bowelled and that besides those Jewes crucified by Flaccus whose death a Philo in legat Alii die festo mortuos de crucibus detraxerunt at hic non mortuos de crucibus sed vivos in crucem sustulit Philo so much bewailed because the execution was done upon them at their great Feasts without any regard to the solemnity of the day there were so many in this last siege of Jerusalem 8 Their crucifying him repaid with advantage crucified on the walls every day that there wanted in the end crosses for mens bodies and spaces for crosses Note here their price of bloud given to Judas to betray his Master as also their crucifying the Lord of glory was repaid with advantage Crucified they are in their persons for some of them that conspired Christs death might live till this time or in their children and nephewes by hundreds who cryed to Pilate when hee would have freed Christ Away with him away with him Crucifie him crucifie him Their bloud is shed for money who gave money to betray innocent bloud and shortly after thirty of them are sold for a piece of silver who bought his life at thirty pieces of silver As wee have compared persons and actions or rather passions so let us now parallel times and places Titus began to besiege Jerusalem as Caesar Baronius exactly calculateth upon the day in which our Saviour suffered hee surveyed the City on Mount 9 Their contempt of Christs teares Olivet whence our Saviour before viewing it wept over it And now the Jewes have their wish against their wills their 10 and their cursing revenged Matth. 27.25 owne curse is returned to their bosome viz. His bloud bee upon us and our children For so indeed it was in such a manner and measure as never before was heard or seene Besides those that fled out of the City which were either crucified upon the walls or slaine by the gates when Titus made a breach into the City hee saw all their streets paved in a manner with carkeises and caemented with bloud yea their channels ran with gore so full that the best meanes they could think of or use to quench the fire of the Temple was the bloud of the slaine And now Jerusalem which had been so free in 11 Their stoning Gods Prophets and spilling innocent bloud repaid casting stones at the Prophets and killing them that were sent unto her to exhort them to repentance unto life and shewed before of the comming of the Just One of whom these later Jewes had been the betrayers and murderers hath not one stone left upon another in her Acts 7.52 but is made even with the dust nay nothing but dust Sutton de Tiber. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dirt leavened with bloud the just temper of that Tyrants complexion in whose reigne the Lord of glory was crucified What other conclusion are wee to inferre upon these sad premisses but this that it is a most fearfull thing to provoke the Lion of the Tribe of Judah Who shall bee able to stand before him in the great day of his wrath from whose face the heaven and the earth fled away 1 Pet. 2.7 Mat. 21.42 44. and their place could no where be found The stone which the builders refused is now become the head of the corner Take heed how yee stumble on it or lift at it Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken but upon whomsoever it shall fall it shall grinde him to powder Vid. mag de burg sub finem Cent. prim Baron annal tom 1. as it did Herod and Pilate and Annas and Caiaphas and all that were
of the virgin conceived Christ quicke and accordingly brought him forth alive the wombe of the earth conceived him dead but brought him forth quicke uteri nova forma concepit mortuum parit vivum As we may behold the feature of a mans face either in the countenance it selfe or in a glasse set before it or in a picture drawne by it so wee may contemplate the resurrection either in the prophecies and types of the old law as in glasses or in the hystory of the new as it were in the face it selfe or in our spirituall resurrection from dead workes as in the picture A glasse sheweth the lineaments and proportion of a man but at a distance so wee may see Christ in the predictions visions and figures of the Old Testament as so many glasses but at a distance according to the words of that Seer c Num. 24.17 I shall see him but not neare So Hosea saw him insulting over death and hell and menacing them d Hos 13.14 O death I will bee thy death so Esay saw him risen from the dead and speaking to him sayd e Es 26.19 Thy dead shall live with my body shall they rise awake and sing ye that sit in dust So David in the Spirit saw the day of the resurrection and exceedingly rejoiced at it saying f Psal 16.9 my heart was glad my glory rejoyced my flesh also shall rest in hope For thou wilt not leave my soule in hell nor suffer thy holy One to see corruption So Adam saw him conquering death and triumphing over him that had the power of death to wit the Divell though more obscurely because at the farthest distance in the promise g Gen. 3.15 it shall breake thy head and thou shalt breake his heele the death and resurrection of Christ are mystically involved As the Poets fabled that Achilles after his Mother Thetis held him by the heele and dipt the rest of his body into the sea could bee hurt in no part but his heele so in a divine sense it may bee said of our Saviour that hee could be wounded by Sathan no where but in his heele that is in the lowest part of his humane nature his flesh This the serpent stung at his death but in his resurrection hee bruised the head thereof The Devill saith h Greg. Nyssen de resurrect ser 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nyssen in his sermon upon the resurrection going about to catch was caught for catching at the bait of Christs flesh hee was caught fast himselfe and wounded by the hooke of his divine nature Besides these predictions and promises wee have in the Old Testament the figure of our Lords resurrection in Adam a type in the scape goat a signe or embleme in Jonas and a vision in Ezekiel The figure may bee thus expounded As Adam rose out of his dead sleepe in which Eve was formed out of his ribbe so Christ after his slumber of death on the crosse in which his spouse the Church was formed out of his side as hath beene said awoke againe The type may bee thus exemplified as the scape-goate came neere to death being within the cast of a lot to it and yet avoiding it was presented alive to God to make an attonement so Christ who seemed to have beene conquered by death and swallowed up of the grave lying there three dayes and three nights yet escaped it and was presented on Easter day to his Father alive to make an attonement for all his brethren To the embleme of Jonas Christ himselfe giveth the word or Motto i Mat. 12.40 As Jonas was three dayes and three nights in the whales belly so shall the sonne of man be three dayes and three nights in the heart of the earth After three dayes Jonas came out of the bowels of the whale Christ out of the heart of the earth The vision of Ezekiel is so cleare that he that runneth may see in it a praeludium of the resurrection k Ezek 37.7 8 9 10. The Prophet saw in a valley a number of dry bones moving one to the other and suddenly they were tyed with sinewes and covered with flesh and the winde breathed into them the breath of life and they stood up like an army Wee have viewed the resurrection in the prophecies and figures of the Old Testament as so many severall glasses let us now contemplate it in the history of the New as it were in the face it selfe 1 Early in the morning while it was yet darke the Angel removed the stone that so Mary and the Apostles might looke into the sepulchre and unlesse the angell of the covenant remove the stone from our hearts wee can never looke into Christs sepulchre with an eye of faith nor undoubtedly beleeve the resurrection 2 Peter and John made hast to the sepulchre but they stayed not there Mary abideth there shee therefore seeth a vision of Angels the one standing at the head the other at the feet where Jesus had lyen either to signifie that the Angels of God attend as well on Christs feet the lowest members of his mysticall body as on his head that is the chiefest in the Church or that the angels smell a sweet savour from our workes of charity and therefore the one sate at the head the other at the feete where Mary had annointed our Lord. 3 A third Angell whereof mention is made in the Gospell of Saint l Mar. 16.5 Marke sitting on the right side appeared like a young man to signifie that in the resurrection our age shall bee renewed and our bodies shall bee in their full strenghth and vigor his rayment shined like lightning to represent the clarity and splendour of our bodies that after death shall be made conformable to Christs glorious body 4 Mary Magdalene hath the honour first to see our Saviour and to bee the first Preacher of the resurrection to the everlasting comfort of all true Penitents and as by the woman death came first so the first newes of life from death was brought by a woman 5 Till Christ called Mary by name shee knew him not but supposed him to have beene the Gardiner who indeed is the Planter of the celestiall Paradise neither can we know Christ till by a speciall and particular vocation hee make himselfe knowne to us 6 Christ appeared first to single witnesses as Mary apart and Peter apart and James apart then to double Cleophas and that other disciple afterwards to the eleven Apostles and last of all to more than 500. brethren at once If Maries testimony might bee excepted at because shee was but a woman what can they say to Saint Peter what to Saint James to whom Christ vouchsafed to shew himselfe in particular If they except against them as single witnesses what will they say to Cleophas and Saint Luke two contests of one and the selfe same apparition If their paucity be cavelled at what will they say to the
eleven Apostles or to more than five hundred brethren that saw him all at one time nay what to more than five millions of Confessors and Martyrs signing the truth of it with their blood and shewing the power of it as well by the wonders which they wrought in his name as the invincible patience wherewith they endured all sorts of torments and death it selfe for his name I might produce the testimony of Josephus the learned Jew and tell you of Paschasinus his holy Well that fils of his owne accord every Easter day and the annuall rising of certaine bodies of Martyrs in the sands of Egypt and likewise of a Phoenix in the dayes of Tyberius much about the time of our Lords resurrection rising out of her owne ashes m Lactant. in Poem Ipsa sibi proles suus pater suus haeres Nutrix ipsa sui semper alumna sibi Ipsa quidem sed non eadem quia ipsa nec ipsa Eternam vitam mortis adepta bono But because the authours of these relations and observations are not beyond exception I will rather conclude this point with an argument of Saint n De civit Dei l. 22. c. 5. Haec duo incredibilia scil resurrectionem nostri corporis rem â—am incredibilem mundum esse crediturum idem dominus antequam vel unum horuÌ„ fieret ambo futura esse praedixit unum duorum incredibilium jam factum videmus ut quod erat incredibile credeâ—et mundus curid quod reliquum est desperatur Austines to which our owne undoubted experience gives much strength The same Spirit of God saith hee which foretold the resurrection of Christ foretold also that the doctrine thereof should bee publickly professed and believed in the world and the one was altogether as unlikely as the other But the latter wee see in all ages since Christs death and at this day accomplished in the celebration of this feast why then should any man doubt of the former The Apostles saw the head living but not the mysticall body the Catholike Church of all places and ages We have read in the histories of all ages since Christ and at this day see the Catholike Church spread over the whole face of the earth which is Christs body how can wee then but believe the head to bee living which conveigheth life to all the members I have set before you the glasse of the resurrection in the figures of predictions of the Old Testament and the face it selfe in the history of the New may it please you now to cast a glance of your eye upon the Image or picture thereof in our rising from the death of sinne to the life of grace All Christs actions and passions as they are meritorious for us so they are some way exemplary unto us and as none can bee assured of the benefit of Christs birth unlesse hee bee borne againe by water and the Spirit nor of his death unlesse hee bee dead to sinne nor of his buriall unlesse hee have buried his old Adam so neither of his resurrection unlesse hee bee risen from dead workes and continually walketh in newnesse of life See you how the materiall colours in a glasse window when the sun-beames passe through it produce the like colours but lesse materiall and therefore called by the Philosophers intentionales spiritales on the next wall no otherwise doth the corporall resurrection of Christ produce in all true believers a representation thereof in their spirituall which Saint John calleth o Apoc. 20.5 the first resurrection Saint Paul p Heb. 6.1 repentance from dead workes Sinnes especially heinous and grievous proceeding from an evill habit are called dead workes and such sinners dead men because they are deprived of the life of God have no sense of true Religion they see not Gods workes they heare not his Word they savour not the things of God they feele no pricke of conscience they breath not out holy prayers to God nor move towards heaven in their desires but lye rotting in their owne filthinesse and corruption The causes which moved the Jewes so much to abhorre dead corpses ought to be more prevalent with us carefully to shunne and avoid those that are spiritually dead in sinnes and transgressions they were foure 1 Pollution 2 Horrour 3 Stench 4 Haunting with evill spirits 1 Pollution That which touched a dead corpse was by the law uncleane neither can any come nigh these men much lesse embrace them in their bosome without morall pollution and taking infection in their soules from them 2 Horrour Nothing so ghastly as the sight of a dead corpse the representation whereof oft-times in the Theater appalleth not onely the spectatours but also the actours and yet this sight is not so dreadfull to the carnall man as the sight of those that are spiritually dead I speake of foule notorious and scandalous offenders to them that feare God Saint John would not stay in the same bath with Cerinthus and certainely 't is a most fearefull thing to bee under the same roofe with blasphemous heretickes and profane persons who have no feare of God before their eyes 3 Stench The smell of a carkasse is not so offensive to the nostrils as the stench of gluttony drunkennesse and uncleannesse in which wicked men wallow is loathsome to God and all good men 4 Haunting with evil spirits We read in scriptures that the men that were possest of the divel came q Mat. 8.28 out of the tombs and graves and we find by dayly experience the like of these rather carkasses than men that the devill hankereth about them and entereth into their heart as he did into Judas filling them with all wickednesse and uncleannesse After they have exhausted their bodies with incontinency their estate with riotous living and have lost first their conscience and after their credit they fall into the deepest melancholy upon which Sathan works and puts them into desperate courses r Psal 73.19 O how suddenly doe they consume perish and come to a fearefull end Me thinkes I heare some say wee heard of places haunted by evill spirits in time of popery are there now any such not such as then were solitary houses ruined pallaces or Churches in which fearefull noyses are said to have beene heard and walking spirits to have beene met For at the thunder of the Gospell Sathan fell like lightning from heaven and hath left those his old holds but places of a contrary condition such where is the greatest concourse of people I meane profane Theaters disorderly Tavernes Ale-houses places of gaming and lewdnesse yea prisons also which were intended for the restraint of wickednesse and punishment of vice are made refuges of Malefactors and schooles of all impiety and wickednesse Quis custodes custodiet ipsos As in the hot sands of Africa where wilde beasts of divers sorts meet to drinke strange monsters are begotten which gave occasion to that proverbe Å¿ Eras
their sight in those darke roomes which they lost when they were suddenly brought forth into the open ayre by the over bright reflection of the Sunne beames from a wall new white-limed Which I speake not to detract from dignity or obscure glory or disparage nobility or dishonour worldly preferments or honours in them whose merits have been their raisers For these honourable titles and dignities are the lustre of eminent quality the garland of true vertue the crowne of worldly happinesse and to the lowly high favours of the Almighty The marke I aime at is to give some content to them whose places are inferiour to their vertues and advice also to those whom God hath or shall raise to great places and high preferments Let the former consider that there can be no obscurity where the Sunne shineth that he is truly honourable not alwayes whom the Prince putteth in high places but he upon whom God lifteth the light of his countenance that it is sufficient that hee seeth their good parts from whom they expect their reward that the more retired their life is the lesse exposed to envie and more free from danger that the fewer suters or clients they have to them the more liberty they have to be clients to God the lesse troubles they have about their temporall estate the better they may looke to their spirituall and secure their eternall lastly that the lesse they are trusted with the easier their account shall be at the great audit On the other side let those who have degrees accumulated and honours and preferments heaped upon them seeke rather to diminish their accounts than to increase their receipts and pray to God daily for lesse of his goods and more of his grace that they may make a better account at the last day and then receive a Kingdome in Heaven for a Stewardship on earth Beloved brethren you see your calling you are Stewards not Lords thinke upon it seriously that you may be every day you shall be one day called to a strict account for all that you have or enjoy This was the first point of speciall consideration I recommended to you from the nature of our office which is here called a Stewardship The second was that wee are not Gods Treasurers but his Stewards and that our imployment is not to gather up and keep but to expend and distribute our Masters monies for the maintenance and reliefe of his poore servants according to their severall necessities And looke whatsoever we lay out in this kinde shall be allowed upon our accounts and put upon our Masters score who acknowledgeth it to bee his owne debt o Mat. 10.42 Whatsoever you doe unto any of these little ones you doe it unto mee You clothe mee in the naked you feed mee in the hungry you relieve mee in the distressed you visit mee in the imprisoned you ransome mee in the captive you cure mee in the wounded you heale my pierced hands and feet with the oyle which you poure into their wounds Thrice happy Stewards wee if wee can so handle the matter that we may bring our Master indebted to us for the interest of his owne mony For he p Prov. 19.15 who giveth to the poore lendeth to the Lord and that which he hath given will he pay it him againe So exceeding bountifull is he that he giveth us aboundantly to pay our fellow-servants and payeth us double for giving it them After our Saviour had healed the man with a q Marke 3 5. withered hand to shew that it was whole he commanded him to stretch it forth in like manner if wee desire to shew and make a sensible proofe that the sinewes of our faith are not shrunke that the hands of our charity are not withered we must stretch them out and reach our almes to the poore which we will be more willing and ready to doe if we reflect often upon our office shadowed out under this Parable which is to bee Stewards not Treasurers of Gods manifold blessings Secondly if wee consider that wee lay out nothing of our owne but of our Masters purse And thirdly that whatsoever we lay out for him upon earth we lay up for our selves heaven according to that rule of Saint r Leo ser quod Thesaurum coâ—dit in coelo qui Christum pascit in paupere manus pauperis gaâ—aphylatium Christi Leo Hee layeth up treasure in heaven who feedeth Christ in the poore the poore mans hand is Christs boxe This branch of our duties which is to be alwayes fruitfull in good workes extendeth farther than the expending of monies or good usage of the blessings of this life For all the members of our body and faculties of our foule and graces of the spirit are paâ—â— of our Masters goods and must bee imployed in his service and occupied for his profit Besides all these wee are accountable to him for our time which wee may not wastefully and prodigally lavish out in sports and pastimes but so thriftily expend upon the necessary workes of our calling that we may save a good part to consecrate it to exercises of piety and devotion whereby wee may multiply the talent of grace committed unto us There is no covetousnesse commendable but of time of which yet most men and women are most prodigall Å¿ Senec. ep 1. Quem mihi dabis qui aliquod pretium tempori ponat qui diem aestimet c. spenders Any jewell that is lost may be found yea though it bee cast in the sea as Polycraâ—es his ring was which a fish in his mouth brought backe into his Kitchin Yea the treasure of grace and pearle of the word which the rich Merchant sold all that hee had to buy yea God himselfe after we have lost him may bee found if we seeke him in time onely lost time can never be recovered Wherefore that wee may not lose any moment of the time allotted which is so precious but put it to the best use for the increase of our talent of knowledge I passe from the Stewardship of the things of this life to the account we are to give of this Stewardship In which that we may more readily and safely proceed first I will set up a great light secondly remove some rubs out of the way The light shall bee a cleare confirmation of the truth of the point out of the Scriptures which are most evident and expresse both for the unavoidable necessity and strict severity of the last judgement Wee professe in our Creed that Christ who now sitteth at the right hand of his Father in heaven shall from thence come to judge the quicke and the dead and wee have sure ground in Scripture to build this article upon For t Acts 10 42. there wee reade that Christ is ordained of God to bee Judge of the quicke and the dead and that u Rom. 14.10 we shall all stand before his judgement seat nay that wee x 2 Cor. 5.10
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
City here present were wise then would wee understand this this spectacle of our nature this embleme of our frailty this mirrour of our mortality Applicat ad defunct and in it consider our later end which cannot bee farre off For our deceased brother is here arrested before our eyes for a debt of nature in which wee are as deeply ingaged as hee and if either the wealth of the world or gifts of nature or jewels of grace might have redeemed him if either skill of Physicians or love and care of his friends or prayers and teares of his kindred and his dearest second selfe could have bayled him hee had not been laid up as now you see him But let no man sell you smoake to dazâ— your eyes in such sort but that you may all see your owne faces in thiâ— broken glasse There is no protection to bee got from King or Nobles iâ— this case no rescuing any by force from this Sergeant of God death aâ—â— baile or mainprise from this common prison of all mankinde the grave all our comfort is that we may hereafter sue out an habeas corpus which the Judge of all flesh will not deny us at the generall Assizes that we may make our corporall appearance at his barre in the clouds and there have our cause tryed Doe you desire to know how this debt with infinite arrerages groweth upon us and all mankinde Saint Austin giveth you a good account the woman tooke up sinne from the Serpent as it were by loane consensu Adam fecit cautionem usura crevit posteritati Adam by consenting sealed the band the interest hath runne upon all his posterity and the interest that death had in him by sinne and upon us by him and the interest upon interest by numberlesse actuall sinnes eateth us out one by one till death that swalloweth us up all in the end be swallowed up into b 1 Cor. 15.15 victory and then shall be fulfilled that prophesie O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory At which Goale-delivery of all deaths prisoners wee that are living shall not prevent our brother that lyeth asleep before us in his winding sheet upon whose hearse after I have strowed a few flowers I will commit him to the earth and you to God 1. The first flower is a Rose the embleme of charity For a Rose is hot in nature it spreadeth it selfe abroad and after it is full blowne shattereth both leaves and seeds so charity is hot in the affection spreadeth it selfe abroad by compassion and scattereth seeds by almes-deeds Our deceased brother like a provence or double Rose for God doubled the blessings of this life upon him spread himselfe abroad every way by largesse and shed seeds plentifully but withall so secretly that his left hand knew not what his right hand did his Legacies by his death were not great because his will was in this kind to be his owne executor by his life time 2. The second flower is the Lilly the embleme of purity and chastity For the Lilly is perfect white in colour and cold in operation and thereby representeth pure chastity which cooleth the heat of lust this flower he kept unblasted in the time and place of most danger in the prime of his youth and in his travels beyond the sea where hee chose his consort out of pure love and ever loved his choice with a constant and loyall affection unto death 3. The third flower is the Violet the embleme of humility For the Violet is little as the humble is in his owne eyes and groweth neere the ground from whence the humble taketh his name humilis ab humo and of all other flowers it yeeldeth the sweetest savour as humility doth in the nostrils of God and man Of his humility hee gave good proofe in his lovely and lowly carriage towards all in his refusing places of eminency in renouncing all confidence in his owne merits at his death and forbidding that a Trumpet should bee blowne before his workes of piety or charity Wherefore I must be silent of the dead by the command of the dead with whose Christian and happy end I will conclude I was the happinesse of Homer to bee borne in Rhodes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rosa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viola a place taâ—â—â—g the name from Roses and to bee buried in Chios taking the name â—â—â—m Violets this was the happinesse of our brother who was borne and buried in the garden of Christs Spouse where he drew in his first and let out his last breath in the sincere profession of the Gospel which is the savour of life unto life which happinesse God grant unto us all for his Son Jesus Christ his sake To whom c. THE EMBLEME OF THE CHURCH MILITANT A Sermon preached in Mercers Chappell THE XXIII SERMON APOC. 12.6 And the woman fled into the wildernesse where shee hath a place prepared of God that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes Right Honourable right Worshipfull c. THe a Caussin parab hist Ceraunias in locis fulmine tactis invenitur Naturalists write of a precious stone called Ceraunias that it is found only in a day of thunder glistering when the skie is overcast with darknes With these gems the Spouse of Christ is adorned whose faith constancy and patience shine most brightly in time of adversity and persecution when all the earth is full of darknesse and cruell habitations As b Plin. nat hist l. 2. In Troglodytis fons solis circa meâ—idiem maximè frigidus mox paulatim tepescens ad noctis medium ferventissimus est c. 103. the fountaine of the sunne in the country of the Troglodytes is cold or lukewarme at mid-day but most extreme hot at mid-night such is the nature of zeale in the day of prosperity and high noone of temporall glory it is cold or at the best luke-warme but in the night of adversity and dead time of persecution it is most fervent and flagrant Then the sincere professors open their hearts most freely in prayer to God and their bowels of Christian charity and compassion to their afflicted brethren the feare of their enemies husheth their private differences their losse of goods and lands is an inducement to them to contemne the world and as having little or no comfort in this life to set their hearts wholly upon Heaven On the contrary peace usually breeds carnall security abundance luxury wealth pride honour ambition power oppression pleasure sensuality and earthly contentments worldlinesse the bane of Religion In which consideration especially we may conceive it is that our blessed Lord the Husband of the Church who loveth her more than all the world besides which hee preserveth onely for her sake yet seldome crowneth her in this world with worldly happinesse and eminent greatnesse but exerciseth her now under the crosse as hee did under the bondage of Egypt and captivity of
Babylon before his comming into the flesh and after his death first under the fury of the Heathen next the cruelty of the Arrian Emperours and since that under the insolency of the Turke in the East and tyranny of Antichrist in the West As hee is termed by the Prophet Esay Vir dolorum a man of sorrowes so we finde her Uxorem lachrymarum a wife of teares as he was crowned with thorns so she lyeth in the briars as he was laid in wait for at his birth so she at her new birth as he fled from Herod into Egypt so she from the Dragon into the wildernesse as he was tempted once so she is alwayes as he bare his crosse to Golgotha so she hath borne hers in all parts and ages of the world Indeed sometimes she hath had lucida intervalla times of lightsomenesse and joy when Kings have been her nursing fathers and Queenes her nursing mothers but for the most part she sitteth in darknesse as a close mourner yet solacing her selfe with c Micah 7.8 Rejoyce not against mee O my enemy When I fall I shall rise when I sit in darknesse the Lord shall be light unto mee hope of better times Hence it is that all the pictures that are drawne of her in Scripture are either taken from a d Apoc. 12.13 child-bearing woman frighted by a Dragon gaping to devoure her babe or a e Lament 1.1 widow making lamentation for her husband or a mother f Matth. 2.18 weeping for her children or a g Psal 39.12 pilgrime passing from country to country or an hermite lodged in the wildernesse as here in my Text. The Saints of God are described in holy Scripture clad in three sutes of apparrell different in colour 1. Blacke 2. Red. 3. White Blacke is their mourning weed Red their military ornament White their wedding garment They mourne in blacke for their sinnes and grievous afflictions They fight in red against their bloudy persecutours They triumph and sit at the marriage feast of the h Apoc. 16.11 And white robes were given to every one of them Lambe in white Two of their sutes they are well knowne by on earth the third is reserved in Gods Wardrob and shall be given them in Heaven The two former may be called their working day apparrell but the last their Holy-day or Sunday For they weare it not but upon their everlasting Sabbath in Heaven Their red and blacke vests doe not so much cover their bodies as discover their state and condition in this world where they alwayes either stand and fight with their bodily and ghostly enemies or sit downe and i Job 7.1 weep for their irrecoverable losses and incurable wounds Their life is a i Job 7.1 continuall warfare upon earth three potent enemies continually bid them battell 1 The World Without 2 The Flesh Within 3 The Divell Both within and without The Divell never ceaseth to suggest wicked thoughts the World to present dangerous baites the Flesh to ingender noysome lusts The Divell mainly assaulteth their faith the World their hope the Flesh their love and they fight with three speciall weapons 1 Temptations 2 Heresies 3 Persecutions Temptations I call all vitious provocations heresies all false doctrines in matter of faith and salvation persecutions all outward afflictions Temptations properly lay at the will heresies at the understanding persecutions at the whole person which though the Church of Christ for the most part in her noble members couragiously endureth and therefore is fitly compared to the Pyrausts which are nourished in the fire and to the Phoenix because she riseth againe out of the ashes of the burnt bodies of Martyrs yet sometimes especially in her weake and more feeble members to escape this fire she flies into some wildernesse or remote or obscure place where God alwayes provideth for her Division And the woman there is the frailtie of her nature fled there is the uncertainty of her state into the wildernesse there is the place of her retirednesse where she is nourished by God there is the staffe of her comfort a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes there is the terme of her obscuritie and the period of all her troubles And the woman c. Though all the prophecies of this booke are darkned with much obscurity yet by illustrating the vision set downe through this whole chapter and hanging it as it were a great light in the most eminent part of it we shall easily discover what divine truth lyeth hid in every corner thereof The holy Apostle and the Evangelist S. John in a divine rapture saw a most faire and glorious woman in travell and an ugly red Dragon with seven heads and ten hornes standing before her with open mouth ready to devoure her child of which she was no sooner delivered but her son was taken up to the Throne of God and she carried with the wings of an Eagle into the Wildernesse the Dragon thus deceived of his prey after which his mouth watered cast out of his mouth water as a floud after her to drowne her Such was the vision marke now I beseech you the interpretation thereof By the woman all that have dived deepe into the profound mysteries of this booke understand the Church whose beautie and glory is k Ver. 1. There appeared a great wonder in heaven a woman cloathed with the Sunne and the Moone under her feet and upon her head a crowne of twelve starres illustrated by the Sunne cloathing her and the Moone supporting her and the Starres crowning her The Sunne either signifieth the knowledge of Gods Word which enlighteneth the Church throughout or Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse who cloathes her with the robes of his righteousnesse Mal. 4 2. and exalteth her to his throne of glory above the Moone on which she standeth and thereby sheweth her contempt of this uncertaine and mutable world ruled by the Moone and subject to as many changes as that planet Thus it seemeth cleere what is meant by the Sunne and Moone but what shall we make of the crowne of twelve starres set upon her head It seemeth to represent either the number of the twelve Patriarkes the Crowne of the Jewish or the twelve Apostles the Crown of the Christian Church The man child which this woman had no sooner brought forth but he was caught up unto God in his Throne Ver. 5. and was to rule all Nations with a rod of Iron is undoubtedly our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as by comparing the fift verse of this chapter with Psal 2. v. 9. and Apoc. 2.27 and 19.15 appeareth most evidently As for the Dragon he is so set out in his colours v. 9. that any may know him there he is called the old Serpent the Divell and Satan which deceiveth the whole world The waters which he casteth out of his mouth are multitudes of people which he stirreth up to persecute the Church He is described with
of the Martyrs sepulchres when she had no Churches but caves under ground no wealth but grace no exercises but sufferings no crowne but of martyrdome yet then she thrived best then she spread farthest then she kept her purity in doctrine and conversation then she convinced the Jewes then she converted the Gentiles then shee subdued Kingdomes whence I inferre three corollaries 1 That the Roman Church cannot be the true Church of Christ For the true Church of Christ as she is described in the holy Scriptures hath for long time lien hid beene often obscured and eclipsed by bloudy persecutions but the Roman or Papall Church hath never beene so her advocates plead for her that she hath beene alwayes not onely visible but conspicuous not onely knowne but notorious And among the many plausible arguments of perswasion and deceiveable shewes of reason wherewith they amuse and abuse the world none prevaileth so much with the common sort and unskilfull multitude as the outward pomp and glory of the Papall See For sith most men are led by sense and judge according to outward appearance the Church of Rome which maketh so goodly a shew and hath born so great sway in the world for many ages easily induceth them to beleeve that she is that City whereof the Prophet speaks x Psal 87.3 Glorious things are spoken of thee thou City of God What more glorious and glittering to the eie than the Popes triple crowne and the Cardinals hats and their Archbishops Palls and their Bishops miters and crozures their shining images their beautifull pictures their rich hangings their gilt rood lofts their crosses and reliques covered in gold and beset with all sorts of pretious stones These with their brightnesse and resplendency dazle the eyes of the multitude and verily if the Queenes daughters glory were all without and the kingdome of Christ of this world and his Church triumphant upon earth all the knowne Churches in the Christian world must give place to the See of Rome which hath borne up her head when theirs have beene under water hath sate as Queene when they have kneeled as captives hath braved it in purple when they have mourned in sackcloth and ashes But beloved y Rom. 10 17. faith commeth not by sight but by hearing and we are not to search the Church in the map of the world but in the Scriptures of God where we find her a pilgrim in Genesis a bondwoman in Exodus a prisoner in Judges a captive in the book of Kings a widow in the Prophets and here in my text a woman labouring with child flying from a red Dragon into the wildernesse I grant that Christ promiseth her a kingdome but not of this world and peace but it is the peace of God and joy but it is in the Holy Ghost and great glory but it is within z Psal 45.13 The Kings daughter is all glorious within c. 2 That none ought to despise the Churches beyond the seas under the Crosse but according to the command of the blessed Apostle a Heb. 13.3 Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them and them that suffer adversitie as heing our selves also in the body Their turne of sorrow is now ours may be hereafter God hath begun to them in a cup of trembling it is to be feared it will not passe us but we and all the reformed Churches shall drink of it Our Church in Queene Maries dayes resembled this woman in my text theirs now doth both never a whit the lesse but rather the more the true Churches of Christ because they weare his red livery and beare his Crosse 3 That we ought not to looke for great things in this world but having food and raiment as the woman had here in my text to be therewith contented and as she withdrew her self from the eye of the world so ought we to retire our selves into our closets there to have private conference with God to examine our spirituall estate to make up the breaches in our conscience to poure out our soules in teares of compunction for our sins of compassion for the calamities of our brethren of an ardent desire and longing affection for the second comming of our Lord when he shall put an end as to all sinne and temptation so to all sorrow and feare Amen Even so come Lord Jesu To whom c. THE SAINTS VEST A Sermon preached on All-Saints day at Lincolnes-Inne for Doctor Preston THE XXIV SERMON APOC. 7.14 These are they that came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the bloud of the Lambe Right Honourable Right Worshipfull c. THe question which the Elder moved to Saint John in the precedent verse to my Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what are these mee thinks I heare some put to mee at this present saying What are these holy ones whose feast yee keep what meane these devotions what doe these festivities intend what speake these solemnities what Saints are they Virgins Confessours or Martyrs whose memory by the anniversary returne of this day you eternize 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence came they or rather how came they to bee thus honoured and canonized in our Kalendar My direct answer hereunto is my Text These are they c. and the exemplification thereof shall be my Sermon The palmes they beare are ensignes of their victory the robes they weare are emblemes of their glory the bloud wherein they dyed their robes representeth the object of their faith the white and bright colour of them their joy and the length of them the continuance thereof Yea but these holy ones you may object at least the chiefe of them had their dayes apart the blessed Virgin hers apart and the Innocents apart the Apostles apart and the Evangelists apart how come they now to be repeated why committeth the Church a tautologie in her menologie what needeth this sacred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or congeries of feasts blending of devotions thrusting all Saints into one day and that a short one in the rubricke It is that men may see by that which we doe what we beleeve in that Article of our Creed the communion of Saints Wee joyne them all in one collect wee remember them all upon one day because they are all united into one body admitted into one society naturalized into one Kingdome made free Denisons of one City and partakers of one a Col. 1.12 inheritance of the Saints in light In a word we keep one feast for them all upon earth because they all keep one everlasting feast in heaven the marriage b Apoc. 19.9 supper of the Lambe The Romanes beside severall Temples dedicated to severall deities had their Pantheon or all-gods temple See wee not in the skie here single starres glistering by themselves there constellations or a concourse of many heavenly lampes joyning their lights do we not heare with exceeding delight in the singing of our Church
Anthemes first single voices answering one the other and after the whole Quire joyning in one as it were tracing the same musicall steps hath not nature drawne with her pensill a perfect grasse green in the Emrald a skie colour in the Saphir the glowing of fire in the Carbuncle the sanguine complexion in the Ruby and the twinckling of the starres in the Diamond and all these together in the Opall which hath in it the lustre and beautifull colours of all these precious stones c Plin. nat hist l. 37 c 6. In Opale est Carbunculi tenuior ignis Amethysti fulgens purpura Smaragdi virens mare c. incredibili misturâ lucentes Such is this feast of all holy ones it is the Churches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Kalendars pandect as it were a constellation not of many but of all the starres in the skie in it as in the Opall shine the beautifull colours and resplendency of all those precious stones which are laid in the d Apoc. 21.19 foundation and shine in the gates and walls of the heavenly Jerusalem Upon it we celebrate the chastity of all Virgins the simplicity of all Innocents the zeale and courage of all Confessours the patience of all Martyrs the holinesse of all Saints Upon this day the Church militant religiously complementeth with the Church triumphant and all Saints on earth keep the feast and expresse the joy and acknowledge the happinesse and celebrate the memory and imbrace the love and set forth the vertues of all Saints in heaven Which are principally three shadowed by the allegory in my Text 1. Patience in tribulation They came out 2. Purity in conversation And washed their garments 3. Faith in Christs death and passion Made them white in c. The better to distinguish them you may if you please terme them three markes 1. A blacke or blewish marke made with the stroake or flaile Tribulation 2. A white made by washing their garments and whiting them 3. A red by dying them in the bloud of the Lambe 1. First of the blacke or blew marke They came out of great tribulation The beloved Apostle and divine Evangelist Saint John who lay in the bosome of our Saviour and pryed into the very secrets of his heart in the time of his exile in Pathmos had a glimpse of his and our country that is above and was there present in spirit at a solemne investiture or installation of many millions of Gods Saints into their state of glory and order of dignity about the Lambe in his celestiall court The rite and ceremony of it was thus The twelve e Ver. 5 6 7 8. Tribes of Israel were called in order and of every Tribe twelve thousand were sealed in the forehead by an Angel keeper of the broad Seale of the living God Ver. 2. After this signature Loe a great multitude which no man can number of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood before the Throne and before the Lambe and they had long white robes put upon them and palmes given them in their hands in token of victory and they marched on in triumph singing with a loud voice Salvation from or to our God that sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lambe at which words all the Angels that stood round about the Throne and the Elders and the foure living creatures full of eyes fell before the Throne on their faces and worshipped God saying Amen Praise and glory and wisedome and thankes and honour and power and might be unto our God for ever and ever Amen This glorious representation of the triumphant Church so overcame and tooke away the senses of the ravished Apostle that though he desired nothing more than to learne who they were that he had seen thus honourably installed yet he had not the power to aske the question of any that assisted in the action till one of the Elders rose from his seate to entertaine him and demanded that of him which hee knew the Apostle knew not but most of all desired to know and would have enquired after if his heart had served him viz. who they were and whence they came that were admitted into the order of the white robe in Heaven The answer of which question when the Apostle had modestly put from himselfe to the Elder saying Lord thou knowest the Elder courteously resolveth it and informeth him particularly concerning them saying These are they that are come out of great tribulation c. Thou mightest perhaps have thought that these who are so richly arrayed and highly advanced in Heaven had been some great Monarchs Emperours or Potentates upon earth that had conquered the better part of the world before them paving the way with the bodies and cementing it with the bloud of the slâ—ine and in token thereof bare these palmes of victories in their hands Nothing lesse they are poore miserable forlorne people that are newly come some out of houses of bondage some out of the gallies some out of prisons some out of dungeons some out of mynes some out of dens and caves of the earth all out of great tribulation They who weare now long white robes mourned formerly in blacke they who now beare palmes in their hands carried their crosses in this world they who shout and sing here sighed and mourned under the heavie burdens of manifold afflictions all the dayes of their pilgrimage on earth they whom thou seest the Lambe leading to the f Ver. 17. living fountaines of waters dranke before deep of the waters of Marah and full cups of teares in the extreme heate of bloudy persecutions and in consideration of the great tribulation which they have patiently endured for the love of their Redeemer he bestoweth upon them these glorious robes whited in his own bloud and hee taketh them neere to himselfe that they may stand before him for evermore g Mat. 5 11 12. Blessed thrice blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousnesse sake for great is their reward in heaven The heavier their crosse is the weightier their crowne shall bee their present sorrowes shall free them from all future sorrowes their troubles here shall save them from all trouble hereafter their temporall paines through his merits for whom they suffer shall acquit them from eternall torments and the death of their body through faith in his bloud shall redeeme them from death of body and soule and exempt them from all danger miserie and feare Which priviledges the spirit sealeth unto them in the verses following They h Rev. 7.15.16.17 are before the Throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them They shall hunger no more neither thirst any more neither shall the Sun light on them nor any heat For the Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them and shall lead them into living fountaines of waters and God shall wipe away all
blessed Virgin the babe a Luke 1.41 sprang in the wombe of Elizabeth so I doubt not but that at the reading of this text in your eares the fruits of your devotion which are your religious thoughts and zealous affections leap and spring for joy in the wombe of your soule for now is the accepted time the time of grace now is the day of salvation the day of our Lords Incarnation As the golden tongued Father spake of a Martyr Martyrem dixisse laudâsse est to name a man a Martyr is to commend him sufficiently so it may be said of this text to rehearse it is to apply it I need not fit it to the time for the time falleth upon this time and the day upon this day now if ever is this Now in season If any time in all the yeere be more acceptable than other it is the holy time we now celebrate now is the accepted time on Gods part by accepting us to favour now is the day of salvation by exhibiting to us a Saviour in our flesh let us make it so on our parts also by accepting the grace offered unto us and by laying hands on our Saviour by faith and embracing him by love and by joy dilating our hearts to entertain him with all his glorious attendants a troupe of heavenly Souldiers singing b Luke 2.14 Glory be to God on high on earth peace and good will towards men c Esay 49.13 Sing O heavens and be joyfull O earth and breake forth into shouting O ye mountaines for God hath comforted his people and will have mercy upon the afflicted Keepe this holy day above others because chosen by God to manifest himselfe in the flesh bid by an Angell and by him furnished both with a lesson and with an Anthem also Well might the Angell as on this day sing glory in excelsis Deo c. for on this day the Son of God out of his good will towards men became man and thereby set peace on earth and brought infinite glory to God in the highest heavens Well may this be called by the Apostle d Gal. 4.4 The fulnesse of time or a time of fulnesse which filled heaven with glory the earth with blessings of peace and men with graces flowing from Gods good will The heavens which till this time were as clasped boxes now not able longer to containe in them the soveraigne balsamum of wounded mankind burst open and he whose name is e Cant. 1.3 an ointment poured forth was plentifully shed upon the earth to revive the decayed spirits and heale the festered sores of wounded mankind Lift up then your heavie lookes and heavier hearts yee that are in the midst of danger and in the sight nay within the claspes of eternall death you have a Saviour borne to rescue you Cheare up your drouping and fainting spirits all ye that feele the smart and anguish of a bruised conscience and broken heart to you Christ is borne to annoint your wounds bruises and sores Exult and triumph ye gally slaves of Satan and captives of Hell fast bound with the chaine of your sinnes to you a Redeemer is borne to ransome you from spirituall thraldome Two reasons are assigned why festivities are religiously to be kept 1. The speciall benefits of God conferred upon his Church at such times which by the anniversary celebration of the dayes are refreshed in our memories and visibly declared to all succeeding ages 2 The expresse command of God which adjoyned to the former reason maketh the exercises of devotion performed at these solemnities duties of obedience It cannot be denied that in this latter consideration those feasts which are set downe in the booke of God have some prerogative above those that are found wrtiten onely in the Calendar of the Church But in the former respect no day may challenge a precedencie of this no not the Sabbath it selfe which the more to honour him whose birth we now celebrate resigned both his name place and rites to the f Athanas hom de semenie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lords day and if we impartially compare them the worke wrought on this day was farre more difficult and the benefit received upon it greater than that to the memory whereof the Sabbath was at the first dedicated It was a greater miracle that God should be made a creature than that he should make all creatures and the redemption of the world so farre exceeds the creation as the means by which it was wrought were more difficult and the time larger the one was finished in sixe dayes by the commandement of God the other not in lesse than foure and thirty yeeres by the obedience of Christ the one was but a word with God the breath of his mouth gave life to all creatures the other cost him much labour sweat and bloud and what comparison is there betweene an earthly and an heavenly Paradise Nay if wee will judge by the event the benefit of our creation had beene none without our redemption For by it we received an immortall spirit with excellent faculties as it were sharpe and strong weapons wherewith wee mortally wounded our selves and had everlastingly laid weltring in our own blood had not our Saviour healed our wounds by his wounds and death and raised us up againe by the power of his resurrection To which point Saint Austine speaking feelingly saith Si natus non fuisset bonum fuisset si homo natus non fuisset If hee had not beene borne it had beene good for man never to have beene borne if this accepted time had not come all men had beene rejected if this day of salvation had not appeared wee had all perished in the night of eternall perdition Behold now is the accepted time In this Scripture as in a Dyall wee may observe 1 The Index 2 The Circles Certaine Behold Different 1 The larger 2 The narrower The accepted time The day of salvation To man in generall it is an accepted time to every beleever in particular it is a day of salvation Lynx cum cessat intueri cessat recordari Because we are like the Lynx which mindeth nothing no longer than her eye is upon it the Spirit every where calleth upon us to looke or behold Behold not alwayes or at any time but now not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not time simply but season the flower of time not barely accepted but according to the originall well accepted or most acceptable not the day of helpe or grace but a day of salvation As in the bodies which consist of similar parts the forme of the whole and the forme of every part is all one for example the whole ocean is but water and yet every drop thereof is water the whole land is but earth and yet every clod thereof is earth the
whom that great Patriarch should doe homage and pay tythes save Sem. Lastly those prerogatives of Melchizedek without father without mother without beginning of dayes or end of life agree best to Sem who might be said to be without these either in the notice of the text or in the speech of men because he was now so aged and had lived so long after the Floud that no man then living remembred his Parents He might likewise be said to be without beginning of dayes in respect of the new world after the Floud and without end of life in respect of the old world before the Floud Refut 5 Notwithstanding all these allegations in the behalfe of Sem the truth goeth not so cleare for him but that it is encountred with many and great difficulties For there is no ground to beleeve that Sem left the East and set up his rest in g Calvin in Gen. 14. Neque enim virum aeternâ memoriâ dignum Dominus novo tantum obscuro nomine indicasset ut maneret ignotus neque probabile est Semum ex Oriente migrasse in Judaeam Judea neither is it likely that the Spirit would have described a man worth eternall memorie in such an obscure manner and under such a new name that he remaines yet unknowne Were he Sem why should Moses conceale his name Moreover the Apostle in the seventh of the h Ver. 6. Hebrewes saith in expresse words that the pedegree of Melchizedek is not accounted among men but Sems is as we reade in i Gen. 10.22 Genesis neither is it a solid answer which yet is given by many learned men to say that Sems genealogie is not accounted by the name of Melchizedek For no more is Jacobs accounted by the name of Israel yet none thereupon would say that Jacobs genealogie is not set downe by Moses The Apostles comparison standeth not in the bare name but in the person of Melchizedek whether by the name of Melchizedek or by the name of Sem his pedegree be set downe it is certaine hee cannot be that man whom St. Paul in this resembleth to Christ that he was without father or mother accounted among men for his Parents are upon record 6 What then shall we conclude Either that he was a Ruler of Canaan Confirm 6. whose genealogie is no where set downe nor the day of his birth nor death or that he was a man immediately sent from God and shewed onely to the earth and afterwards taken away after the maner of Enoch or Elias that he might be likened in all things to the Sonne of God or that the Apostle hath an eye onely to Moses his relation in that place where Melchizedek is brought in by him blessing Abraham and receiving tithes from him without any mention there of his Parents in the flesh or successour in his office or day of his birth or death So are wee to conceive of our high Priest who was without father according to his manhood without mother touching his Godhead and in his person which was meerely divine without beginning of dayes or end of yeeres 3 Touching his order or offices it is certaine that he was both King and Priest For he was King of Salem and Priest of the most high God the conjunction of which two offices was not unusuall in those elder times among the heathen for by the light of nature they saw such majestie in the person of a King and eminencie in the office of a Priest that they judged none so worthy of the Priesthood as their Kings nor any so capable of the Kingdome as their Priests and therefore in most places they either crowned their Priests and gave them power or sacred their Kings and gave them orders Right so doth Virgil describe Anius as Moses doth Melchizedek invested with both dignities k Virg. Aen. 3. Rex idem Anius Phoebique Sacerdos At this day the Kings of the East Indians are stiled Brameres that is Priests and by the law are to die in a holy place as persons sacred to God l Arist pol. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristotle remembreth such an ancient custome among the Grecians Res divinae committebantur Regibus and m Cic. pro dom ad Pontif. Cum multa divinitus a majoribus nostris inventa atque instituta sunt tum nihil praeâ—larius quam quod eosdem religionibus deorum immortalium summae reip prae esse voluerunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vid. Lips polit l. 4 c. 1. Tullie among the Romans and Stobeus setteth a faire colour upon it The best of all that is God ought to be honoured and served by the best that is the Prince and the service of God which is or should be in all well ordered States the chiefest of all cares ought to be the care of the chiefest that is the King which made Lycurgus the Law-giver of the Lacedaemonians ambitious of the title of the Priest of Apollo and Solon of Priest of Minerva and induced Mercurius Trismegistus Augustus Titus and Trajan to assume this sacred title into their stile and annexe the Priesthood to the Crowne n Ovid. Fast l. 1. l. 3. Et fiunt ipso sacra colente Deo Accessit titulis Pontificalis honos Wherein they may all seeme to have taken Melchizedek for their patterne who the first of all that ever we reade mingled both oyles and compassed the Mitre with a Crowne bearing a Scepter in one hand and a Crozure in the other more fully to represent the Sonne of God who remaineth a Priest and reigneth a King for ever This resemblance betweene them satisfieth not our Adversaries they straine this text hard to draw bloud from it even the bloud of Christ sacrificed in the Masse If say they Christ be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek then he must daily offer a sacrifice unto God under the formes of bread and wine as also did Melchizedek And this is the fairest evidence they bring out of Scripture for the sacrifice of the Masse Against which we object 1 That neither the Hebrew letter nor the vulgar Latine the authority whereof no Papist dare impeach importeth that Melchizedek offered bread and wine but o Gen. 4.18 brought forth protulit non obtulit 2 Admit of the word offered what say they to Rabbi Solomon Tertullian Ambrose yea Andradius also and other Papists of note who referre this offering to Abraham not to God the bread and wine he offered was a present to Abraham not a sacrifice to God Obtulit say they Abrahamo panem vinum and will they make no difference betweene an office of civility and a sacrifice of religion 3 Admit Melchizedek offered this bread and wine or some part of it to God yet doth not the Spirit of God recommend his Priesthood as being any way remarkable for the sacrifice he offered but for the blessing wherewith he blessed Abraham For so it followeth in the text ver
jewells but in the judgement and estimation of vertue doubtlesse they have more true honour done unto them whom the best reverence in their minds for their eminent gifts and graces how obscure soever their condition and place be than those of lesse or no worth to whose office and place they give the cap and knee When the Asse that carried the Idoll of Isis upon his backe saw all the people fall downe before the goddesse he lift up his head and kicked up his heeles and never left braying as being proud of so great honour done unto him which folly of the silly beast the people checked in such sort for the present that it grew afterwards for a Proverbe Non tibi sed r Eras chil Isidi Alas stupid beast the worship is not performed to thee but to the image which thou bearest I know ye prevent mee in the application and therefore I presse these things no further only give mee leave to offer to them who are out-stripped by men of inferiour quality in their way of preferment these considerations following That the coale which is healed in the ashes liveth when that which is raked out and blowne soone dieth the jewell in the casket is safe and most resplendent when that which is taken out and worne is soyled or lost Publike offices and eminent places in Church and Commonwealth expose those that hold them to the view of all as their good parts are taken notice of so their bad cannot bee concealed Now if any man or woman otherwayes faire or beautifull should yet have some one foule deformity in their face were it a cut or scarre or boile or botch or the like would they desire much to bee seene would they not either keepe in or by a maske or vaile cover this imperfection Beloved Christians there is none that hath not some or other greater imperfection in his minde than any deformity in the body can bee Privacie and places of small or meane employment cast a vaile over those infirmities and imperfections in such sort that none or very few espy them publike callings and places of great action discover them to the view of all In which consideration if wee compare one with the other the setting forth of their vices and imperfections with the blazing of their vertues and good parts if they have any I am perswaded that never any proud and worthlesse or vaine-glorious or ambitious person obtained their end the constant applause and praise of men For though for a time they are upon the tongue of all and entertained with greatest acclamations before their blinde sides and manifold imperfections are known yet after veritas temporis filia hath brought in her evidence against them their acclamations are turned into exclamations against them their name putrefieth even whilest yet they are alive If a Souldier that hath done good service in a countrey where there were no good coyne but brasse or lead pieces made currant by the Princes command for the present necessity should have this condition offered him that if hee would bee content with so much of his pay as might defray his necessary charge and forbeare the rest till hee returned to his owne countrey hee should receive so much in quantity in the purest gold as he might there in basest coine could hee except against it nay should hee not be very unwise to refuse so good an offer The like condition is propounded by God unto them that daily fight his battels for the good service they doe and the losses wounds infamy or disgrace they suffer glory and honour is due unto them at least by promise the glory of this world is of lesse value in comparison of celestiall than the basest coine in comparison of the purest gold yet the countrey wherein they serve this earth affordeth no better but if they forbeare till they returne to their owne home in heaven there they shall receive gold for copper pearle for glasse a massie crowne of gold for a gilt paper coronet glory from God and his Angels for glory from men Lastly the words of the Apostle Saint Peter are very remarkable to this purpose ſ 1 Pet. 5.6 Humble your selves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time they who are not yet may be exalted in due time if the due time fall by their life time no man shall be able to crosse them in their advancement nor defeat them of it if not they cannot commence any suit of unkindnesse against our gracious God for not exalting them sooner than he did the greatest instruments of his glory the Prophets and Apostles nay and his only begotten Son who became obedient unto death before he exalted him The belssed Apostle S. Paul expected not his garland before he had t 2 Tim. 4.8 I have finished my course I have kept the faith therefore is laid vp for me a crowne of righteousnesse run his race neither did any of the Roman Captains think it long to stay for their donatives till the day of triumph when they received a Crowne from the Emperour not below in the streets but above in the Capitoll Our day of triumph is the day of judgment when we are to receive a crown of righteousnesse not on earth but in heaven In the meane while if any preferments or honours bee cast upon us let us not esteeme them as our hire but take them onely as earnests but if wee lead our life ingloriously and breath out our last breath in silence and obscurity let this bee our solace that as there can bee no darknesse where the sunne shineth so neither is there any place to bee accounted private or inglorious where God and his Angels are present There needs no other proofe where God is an eye-witnesse of our labours and performance no applauders where his Angels are spectators I fill up this border therefore with a flower taken from Saint * Cyp. l. 4. ep 5. Nec minor est martyrii gloria non publicè inter multos periisse cùm pereundi causa sit propter Christum perire sufficit ad testimonium martyrii testis ille qui martyres probat coronat Et ib. Solus non est cui Christus in fugâ comes est solus non est qui templum Dei servat ubicunque fuerit sine Deo non est Cyprians samplar This Martyr understanding of the discontent taken by some Martyrs in his dayes that the Proconsull had so ordered that they should bee put to death privately and thereby made Martyres sine martyribus witnesses deposing for the faith of Christ without any to testifie their constancy or take example by their patience thus hee quieteth their mindes The glory of your martyrdome saith hee is nothing eclipsed by the privacy of your suffering so the cause be for the faith of Christ it will bee abundantly sufficient proofe of your patience and assurance to you of your reward that
complexa gremio jam reliquà naturà abdicatos tum maximé ut mater operiens nomen prorogat tiâ—ulis c. Pliny calleth the earth our tender mother which receiveth us into her bosome when wee are excluded as it were out of the world and covereth our nakednesse and shame and guardeth us from beasts and fowles that they offer no indignity to our carkasses Now because it is to small purpose to bestow the dead in roomes under ground if they may not keep them Abraham wisely provided for this for hee laid downe a valuable consideration for the field where the cave was Were laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a summe of money As Abraham here bought a field out-right and thereby assured the possession thereof to his posterity so by his example the Synagogue under the Law and the Catholike Church under the Gospel especially in dayes of peace secured certaine places for the buriall of the dead either purchased for money or received by deed of gift and after they were possessed of them sequestred them from all other and appropiated them to this use onely by which sequestration and appropriation all such parcells of ground became holy in such sort that none might otherwise use or imploy them than for the buriall of the dead without sacriledge or profanation As the holy oyle ran from Aarons head to his body and the skirts of his garments so holinesse stayeth not in the Chancell as the head but descendeth to the whole body of the Church and the Church-yard as the skirt thereof Mistake mee not brethren I say not that one clod of earth is holier than another or any one place or day absolutely but relatively only For as it is superstition to attribute formall or inherent holinesse to times places parcells of ground fruits of the earth vessell or vestments so it is profanenesse to deny them some kind of relative sanctity which the holy Ghost attributeth unto them in Scripture where wee reade expresly of holy ground holy daies holy oyle and the like To cleare the point wee are to distinguish of holinesse yet more particularly which belongeth 1. To God the Father Sonne and Spirit by essence 2. To Angels and men by participation of the divine nature or grace 3. To the Word and Oracles of God by inspiration 4. To types figures sacraments rites and ceremonies by divine institution 5. To places lands and fruits of the earth as also sacred utensils by use and dedication as 1. Temples with their furniture consecrated to the service of God 2. Tithes and glebe lands to the maintenance of the Priests 3. Church-yards to the buriall of the dead Others come off shorter and dichotomize holy things which say they are 1. Sanctified because they are holy as God his name and attributes c. 2. Holy because they are sanctified 1. Either by God to man as the Word and Sacraments 2. Or by man to God as Priests Temples Altars Tables c. Of this last kind of holy things by dedication some are dedicated to him 1. Immediately as all things used in his service 2. Mediately as all such things without which his service cannot be conveniently done and here come in Church-yards without which some religious workes of charity cannot be done with such conveniency or decency as they ought The Church is as Gods house and the yard is as the court before his doore how then dare any defile it or alienate it or imploy it to any secular use for profit or pleasure To conclude all Church-yards by the Ancients are termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dormitories or dortories wherein they lye that sleep in Jesus Now it is most uncivill to presse into or any way abuse the bed-chamber of the living and much more of the dead What are graves in this dormitory but sacred vestries wherein we lay up our old garments for a time and after take them out and resume them new dressed and trimmed and gloriously adorned and made shining and Å¿ Mar. 9.3 exceeding white as snow so as no Fuller on earth can white them These shining raiments God bestow upon us all at the last day for the merits of the death and buriall of our Lord and Saviour Cui c. THE FEAST OF PENTECOST A Sermon preached on Whitsunday THE LXIII SERMON ATCS 2.1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come they were all together with one accord in one place SAint a Hom. in die ascens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostome comparing the works of redemption with the works of creation observeth that as the Father finished the former so the Sonne the later in six dayes especially in memorie whereof his dearest Spouse the Catholique Church hath appointed six solemnities to be kept by all Christians with greatest fervour of devotion and highest elevation of religious affections These are Christ his 1. Virgin birth 2. Illustrious Epiphanie 3. Ignominious death 4. His powerfull resurrection 5. His glorious ascension 6. His gracious sending downe of the holy Ghost The day of 1. His incarnation by which he entred into the world 2. His manifestation on which he entred upon his office of Mediatour 3. His passion on which he expiated our sinnes 4. His resuscitation by which he conquered death the grave 5. His triumphant returne into heaven on which hee tooke seizin and possession of that kingdome for us 6. His visible mission of the holy Ghost in the similitude of fiery cloven tongues on which he sealed all his former benefits to us and us to the day of redemption This last festivall in order of time was yet the first and chiefest in order of dignity For on Christs birth day hee was made partaker of our nature but on this wee were made partakers after a sort of his in the Epiphany one starre onely stood over the house where hee lay on this twelve fiery tongues like so many celestiall lights appeared in the roome where the Apostles were assembled on the day of his passion he rendred his humane spirit to God his father on this hee sent downe his divine spirit upon us on the resurrection his spirit quickened his naturall body on this it quickened his mysticall the Catholique Church on the ascension he tooke a pledge from us viz. our flesh and carried it into heaven on this hee sent us his pledge viz. his spirit in the likenesse of fiery tongues with the sound of a mighty rushing wind After which the Spouse as Gorrhan conceiveth panted saying b Cant. 4.16 Awake O North wind and come thou South blow upon my garden that the spices therof may flow out let my Beloved come into his garden eat his pleasant fruits The wind she gasped for what was it but the spirit and what are the fragrant spices shee wishes may flow but the graces of the holy Ghost which David calleth gifts for men in the eighteenth verse of the 68. Psalme the former part whereof may furnish the feast we
lately celebrated with a fit antheme Thou hast ascended up on high thou hast led captivitie captive the later may supply this present thou hast received gifts for men yea for the rebellious also that the Lord God may dwell among them Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits even the God of our salvation for on this day Christ received gifts for his Church the gifts of faith hope and charitie the gift of prayer and supplication the gift of healing and miracles the gift of prophecie the gift of tongues and the interpretation thereof Verily so many and so great are the benefits which the anniversary returne of this day presenteth to us that as if all the tongues upon the earth had not beene sufficient to utter them a supply of new tongues was sent from heaven to declare them in all languages The new Testament was drawne before and signed with Christs bloud on good Friday but c Ephes 4.30 Grieve not the holy spirit of God whereby yee are sealed to the day of redemption sealed first on this day by the holy spirit of God Christ made his last Will upon the crosse and thereby bequeathed unto us many faire legacies but this Will was not d 1 Cor. 12.4 5 8. There are differences of administrations but the same Lord and diversitie of gifts but the same spirit For to one is given by the same spirit the word of wisdome unto another the word of knowledge by the same spirit administred till this day for the e And 2 Cor. 3.8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious ministration is of the spirit Yea but had not the Apostles the spirit before this day did not our Lord breathe on them John 20.22 the day he rose at evening being the first day of the weeke saying Receive yee the holy Ghost The learned answer that they had indeed the spirit before but not in such a measure the holy Ghost was given before according to some ghostly power and invisible grace but was never sent before in a visible manner before they received him in breath now in fire before hee was f Calv. in Act Anteà respersi erant nunc plenè imbuti sprinkled but now powred on them before they received 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before authority to discharge their function but now power to worke wonders before they had the smell now the substance g Aug. hom de Pent. Nunc ipsa substantia sacri defluxit unguenti cujus fragrantia totius orbis latitudo impleretur iterum adfuit hoc die fidelibus non per gratiam visitationis operationis sed per praesentiam majestatis of the celestiall oyntment was shed on them they heard of him before but now they saw and felt him 1. In their minds by infallible direction 2. In their tongues by the multiplicity of languages 3. In their hands by miraculous cures S. Austine truly observeth that before the Apostles on this day were indued with power from above they never strove for the Christian faith unto bloud when Satan winnowed them at Christs passion they all flew away like chaffe And though S. Peters faith failed not because it was supported by our Lords prayer Luke 22.32 yet his courage failed him in such sort that he was foyled by a silly damsell but after the holy Ghost descended upon him and the rest of the Apostles in the sound of a mightie rushing wind and in the likenesse of fierie cloven tongues they were filled with grace and enflamed with zeale and they mightily opposed all the enemies of the truth and made an open and noble profession thereof before the greatest Potentates of the world and sealed it with their bloud all of them save S. John who had that priviledge that hee should stay till Christ came glorifying the Lord of life by their valiant suffering of death for his names sake In regard of which manifold and powerfull effâ—cts of sending the spirit on this day which were no lesse seene in the flames of the Martyrs than in the fiery tongues that lighted on the Apostles the Church of Christ even from the beginning celebrated this festivity in most solemne manner and not so onely but within 300. yeares after Christs death the Fathers in the Councels of h Concil Elib c. 43. Cuncti diem Pentecostes celebrent qui non fecerit quasi novam heresem induxerit pumatur Eliberis mounted a canon thundring out the paine of heresie to all such as religiously kept it not If the Jewes celebrated an high feast in memory of the Law on this day first proclaimed on mount Sinai ought not we much more to solemnize it in memory of the Gospel now promulgated on mount Sion by new tongues sent from heaven If we dediâ—â—â— peculiar festivals to God the Father the Creatour and God the Sonne the Redeemer why should not God the holy Ghost the Sanctifier have a peculiar interest in our devotion S. i Serm. in die Pent. Si celebramus sanctorum solennia quanto magis ejus à quo habuerunt ut sancti essent quotquot fuerunt sancti si veneramur sanctificatos quanto magis sanctificatorem Bernard addeth another twist to this cord If we deservedly honour Saints with festivals how much more ought wee to honour him who maketh them Saints especially having so good a ground for it as is laid downe in this chapter and verse And when the day of Pentecost was come As a prologue to an act or an eeve to an holy day or the Parascheve to the Passeover or the beautifull gate to the Temple so is this preface to the ensuing narration it presenteth to our religious thoughts a three-fold concurrence 1. Of time 2. Of place 3. Of affections Upon one and the selfe same day when all the Apostles were met in one place and were of one minde the spirit of unity and love descendeth upon them Complementum legis Christus Evangelii spiritus As the descending of the Sonne was the complement of the Law so the sending of the spirit is the complement of the Gospel and as God sent his Sonne in the fulnesse of time so he sent the spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the fulnesse of the fiftieth day When the Apostles number was full and their desire and expectations full then the spirit came downe and filled their hearts with joy and their tongues with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Magnifica Dei facta the wonderfull works of God vers 11. That your thoughts rove not at uncertainties may it please you to pitch them upon foure circumstances 1. The time when 2. The persons who They. 3. The affection or disposition were with one accord 4. The place in one place 1. The time was solemne the day of Pentecost 2. The persons eminent the Apostles 3. Their disposition agreeable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. The place convenient in an
setteth them r Aug. serm de Pent. Tanquam duodecim radii solis seu totidem lampades veritatis totum mundum illuminantes forth twelve beames of the sunne of righteousnesse or twelve great torches of the truth enlightening the whole world They were as the twelve Patriarks of the new Testament to be consecrated as oecumenicall Pastours throughout all the earth they were as the ſ Exod. 15.27 twelve Wels of water in Elim from whence the chrystall streames of the water of life were to be derived into all parts they were as the twelve t Apoc. 12.1 starres in the crowne of the woman which was cloathed with the sunne and the moone under her feet and as the twelve u Apoc. 21.14 pretious stones in the foundation of the celestiall Jerusalem The present assembly in this upper roome was no other than a sacred Synod and in truth there can be no Synod where the Apostles or their successours are not present and Presidents For all assemblies how great soever of Lay-persons called together about ordering ecclesiasticall affaires without Bishops and Pastours are like to Polyphemus his vast body without an eye Monstrum horrendum informe ingens cui lumen ademptum But when the Apostles and their successours Bishops and Prelates and Doctours of the Church are assembled and all are of one accord and bend their endevours one way to settle peace and define truth Christ will make good his promise to be in the * Matt. 18.20 When two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them And middest of them and by his spirit to lead them into x John 16.13 When the spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth all truth With one accord All the ancient and later Interpreters accord in their note upon the word accord that Animorum unio concordia est optima dispositio ad recipiendum Spiritum sanctum that Unitie and concord is the best disposition of the minde preparation for the receiving of the holy Ghost The bones in Ezekiel were y Ezek. 37.7 8. joyned one to another and tyed with sinewes before the wind blew upon them and revived them so the members of Christ must bee joyned in love and coupled with the sinewes of charitable affections one towards another before the holy Spirit will enlive them Marke saith S. z Serm. de Temp. Membrum amputatum non sequitur spiritus cùm in corpore erat vivebat precisum amittit spiritum Austine in the naturall body how if a member bee cut off the soule presently leaveth it while it was united to the rest of the members it lived but as soone as ever it was severed it became a dead peece of flesh so it is in the mysticall body of Christ those who sever themselves by schisme or faction from the body and their fellow-members deprive themselves of the influence of the holy Spirit Peruse the records of the Church and you shall finde for the most part that faction hath bred heresie When discontented Church-men of eminent parts sided against their Bishops and Superiours Gods spirit left them and they became authours of damnable heresies This was Novatus his case after hee made a faction against Cyprian Donatus after hee made a faction against Meltiades Aerius after hee made a schisme against Eustatius and doe we not see it daily in our Separatists who no sooner leave our Church but the spirit of God quite leaveth them and they fall from Brownisme to Anabaptisme from Anabaptisme to Familisme and into what not The Church and Common-wealth like the * Plin. l. 2. nat hist c. 105. Lapis Tyrrhenus grandis innatat comminutus mergitur Lapis Tyrrhenus while they are whole swimme in all waters but if they be broken into factions or crumbled into sects schismes they will soone sinke if not drowne And so I passe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from their unanimitie of affection to their concurrence in place In one place The last circumstance is the place which was an upper chamber in Jerusalem The Apostles and Disciples stayed at Jerusalem after the ascension of our Lord partly in obedience to his a Acts 1.4 command which was not to depart out of Jerusalem till they were indued with power from above partly to fulfill the prophecie the b Esay 2.3 Law shall goe out of Sion and the word of God out of Jerusalem They kept all together out of love and for more safetie and they tooke an upper chamber that they might bee more private and retired or because in regard of the great confluence of people at this feast they could not hire the whole house or as Bernardinus conceiveth to teach us that the spirit of c Com. in Act. Ut discamus quod datur spiritus iis qui se ab imis attollunt rerū sublimium contemplatione ut cibo se oblectant God is given to such as raise up themselves from the earth and give themselves to the contemplation of high and heavenly mysteries Now to descend from this higher chamber and to come neare to you by some application of this text It will be to little purpose to heare of the Apostles preparation this day if wee prepare not our selves accordingly to discourse of their entertainment and receiving the holy Spirit if wee receive him not into our hearts It is a mockerie as Fulgentius hath it Ejus diem celebrare cujus lucem oderimus To keepe the day of the Spirit if wee hate his light If wee desire to celebrate the feast of the Spirit and by his grace worthily receive the Sacrament of Christ his flesh wee must imitate the Apostles and Disciples in each circumstance 1. Rely upon Gods promises by a lively faith of sending the spirit of his Sonne into our hearts and patiently expect the accomplishment of it many dayes as they did 2. Ascend into an upper chamber that is remove our selves as farre as wee can from the earth and set our affections upon those things that are above 3. Meet in one place that is the Church to frequent the house of God and when we are bid not to make excuses but to present our selves at the Lords boord 4. Not onely meet in one place but as the Apostles did with one accord to reconcile all differences among our selves and to purge out all gall of malice and in an holy sympathy of devotion to joyne sighs with sighs and hearts with hearts and hands with hands and lifting up all together with one accord sing Come holy Ghost so as this day is Pentecost in like manner this place shall be as the upper roome where they were assembled and we as the Apostles and Disciples and the Word which hath now beene preached unto us as the sound of that mightie rushing wind which filled that roome and after wee have worthily celebrated the feast of the Spirit and administred the
to an account to consider how deeply thou hast engaged Gods justice to poure down the vialls of his vengeance upon thee for thy rebellion against his ordinances thy corporall and spirituall fornication thy resisting the spirit of grace thy peremptory refusing of the meanes of salvation thy persecuting the truth even to the death and imbruing thy hands in the bloud of Gods dearest servants sent to thee early and late for thy peace Jerusalem had a day and every City every Nation every Church every congregation every man hath a day of grace if he have grace to take notice of it hath an accepted time if he accept of it and he may find God if he seek him in time It was day at Jerusalem in Christs time at Ephesus in S. Johns time at Corinth Philippi c. in S. Pauls time at Creet in Titus time at Alexandria in S. Markes time at Smyrna in Polycarps time at Pergamus in Antipas time at Antiochia in Evodius and Ignatius time at Constantinople in S. Andrew and Chrysostomes time at Hippo in Saint Austines time now in most of these it is night it is yet day with us O let us worke out our n Phil. 2.12 salvation with feare and trembling whilest it is o Heb. 3.7 13. called to day if the Sun of righteousnesse goe downe upon us we must looke for nothing but perpetuall darknesse and the shadow of death Although Ninevehs day lasted forty daies and Jerusalems forty yeers and the old worlds 120. yeers and although God should prolong our daies to many hundred yeeres yet we should find our day short enough to finish our intricate accounts That day in the language of the holy Ghost is called our day wherein wee either doe our own will and pleasure or which God giveth us of speciall grace to cleare our accounts and make our peace with him but that is called the Lords day either which he challengeth to himselfe for his speciall service or which he hath appointed for all men to appeare before his Tribunall to give an account of their own workes A wicked man maketh Gods day his owne by following his owne pleasures and doing his own will upon it and living wholly to himselfe and not to God but the godly maketh his owne daies Gods daies by imploying them in Gods service and devoting them as farre as his necessary occasion will permit wholly to him Wherefore it is just with God to take away from the wicked part of his owne daies by shortening his life upon earth and to give to the godly part of his day which is eternity in heaven I noted before a flaw and breach in the sentence as it were a bracke in a rich cloth of Tissu If thou knewest in this thy day what then thou wouldst weep saith S. p Homil. in Evang Gregory thou wouldest not neglect so great salvation saith q Comment in Evaâ—g Euthyrtius it would bee better with thee saith Titus Bostrensis thou wouldst repent in sackcloth and ashes saith r Brug in Evang Brugensis But I will not presume to adde a line to a draughâ— from which such a workman hath taken off his pensill and for the print I should make after the pattern in my Text and now in the application lay it close to your devout affections I may spare my farther labour and your trouble for it is made by authority which hath commanded us to take notice of those things that belong to our peace viz. to walke humbly with our God by fasting and prayer wherefore jungamus fletibus fletus lachrymas lachrymis misceamus let us conspire in our sighes let us accord in our groanes let us mingle our teares let us send up our joynt praiers as a vollie of shot to batter the walls of heaven let all our hearts consort with our tongues and our soules with our bodies what wee doe or suffer in our humiliation let it be willingly and not by constrant let our praiers and strong cries in publike be ecchoed by the voice of our weeping in private who knoweth whether God may not send us an issue out of our present troubles by meanes unexpected who knoweth not whether he may not have calicem benedictionis a cup of blessing in store for those his servants beyond the sea who have drank deep of the cup of trembling Christ his bowells are not streightened but our sins are enlarged else it would be otherwise with them and with us I have given you a generall prescription will ye yet have more particular recipe's take then an electuary of foure simples The first I gather from our Saviours garden Let your Å¿ Luke 12.35 loines be girt and your lamps in your hands Let your loines be girt that is your lusts be curbed restrained and your lamps burning that is your devotions enflamed Gird up your loines by mortification discipline and have your lamps burning both the light of faith in your hearts and of good workes in your hands The second I gather from S. John Baptists garden t Matth. 3.8 Bring forth fruits meet for repentance or worthy amendment of life let your sorrowes be * Cyp de laps Quam grandia peccavimus tam granditer defleamus answerable to your sinfull joyes let the fruit of your repentance equall if not exceed the forbidden fruit of your sin wherein ye have most displeased God seek most to please him Have ye offended him in your tongue by oathes please him now by lauding and praising his dreadfull name and reproving swearing in others Have ye offended in your eies by beholding vanity and casting lascivious glances upon fading beauty enticing to folly make a covenant from henceforth with your eies that they cast not a look upon the world or the flesh's baits imploy them especially from henceforth in reading holy Scriptures and weeping for your sins Have ye offended in thought sanctifie now all your meditations unto him Have ye offended in your sports let now your delight be u Psal 1.2 in the Law of God let the Scriptures bee your * Aug. l. 11. confes c. 2 Sint deliciae meae Scripturae tuae nec fallar in iis nec fallam ex iis delicacies with S. Austine meditate upon them day and night make the Lords holy-day your delight Esay 58.15 and honour him thereon not following your owne waies nor finding your owne pleasure nor speaking your owne words The third I gather from S. James his garden x Jam. 4.10 Cast down your selves before the Lord and he will lift you up The Lion contenteth himselfe with casting downe a man if he couch under him and make no resistance he offereth no more violence Corpora magnanimo satis est prostrâsse Leoni It is most true if we speake of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah for hee will not break a bruised reed much lesse grind to powder a contrite heart If Ahabs outward humiliation who notwithstanding had sold himselfe