desired that he might die For he thought he could neuer with the sparrow finde him a house and with the swallow make him a nest in a better place thē where he was ouershadowed with that Iuniper tree which shadowed out the tree of the crosse of Christ. Of which the Church say's Vnder his shadow had I delight and sat downe and his fruite was sweete vnto my mouth So that if Simeon holding the child in his armes desired to die how much more blessedly then might Elias haue departed now in peace when as beeing wearied with the world he was shadowed with the tree of life and not onely held the child in his armes but also was held himselfe as a child in the wounded and naken armes of Christ. Notably also doth the storie of Noah declare what singular comfort the faith full finde in Christs woundes For onely Noah saued all onely Christ redeemeth all Noah signified rest Christis our rest and peace Noah saued all by the wood of the arke Christ redeemeth all by the tree of the crosse Noah was tossed vp and downe vpon the waters Christ saith to his father Thou hast brought all thy waues vpon me Noah saued all by the doore in the side of the arke Christ redeemeth all by the doore in the side of his bodie Noah the fortieth day after the decreasing of the flood opened the windowe Christ the fortieth day afer his r◅surrection ascendeth vp and openeth heauen Lo ye how all things agree together None but Noah none but Christ Noahs rest Christs peace Noahs arke Christs crosse Noahs water Christs woe Noahs doore Christs side Noahs windowe Christs kingdome The Prophet Hose foretelleth that Ephraim shall flie away like a bird This is fulfilled not only in Ephraim but euen in all mankind All haue gone astray all haue flowen away from God as a hauke which takes a check and giues ouer her pray wherefore Christ holding out his wounded and bloody hands as meate to reclaime vs calleth vs as it were and saith Re◅urne returne O Shulamite returne returne that we may behold thee Prudentius writeth that vvhen Asclepiades commanded the tormentors to strike Romanus on the mouth the meeke martyr answered I thanke thee O captaine that thou hast opened vnto me many mouthes vvhereby I may preach my Lord and Sauiour Tot ecce laudant ora quot sunt vulnera Looke hovve many vvounds I haue so many mouthes I haue to praise and laud the Lord. And looke hovv many vvounds Christ hath so many mouthes he hath to call vs to himselfe so many lures he hath to make our soule flie for comfort onely vnto him Manna vvas a most comfortable meate vvhich God gaue the Israelites It vvas like to coriander seede and the tast of it vvas like vnto vvafers made vvith honey This our holy Saniour applieth to himselfe For vvhen the Capernites said Our fathers did eat Manna in the desert Iesus ansvvered Your fathers did eate Manna in the wildernesse and are dead I am the liuing bread which came downe from heauen Therefore as then there was a golden pot of Manna kept in the Tabernacle that the posteritie might see the bread wherewhith the Lord fed them so there is yet a golden pot of Manna kept in heauen that the faithfull in allages may tast and see how sweete the Lord is which feedeth them with his owne bodie and blood the least droppe whereof though it be as small as a coriander seede yet it is as sweete as a wafer made with honie Hard it is to giue a reason wherefore Christ when he came to the citie of Sichar in Samaria where was Iacobs well sat downe vpon the well about the sixt houre But certainely he did this not so much for himselfe as for vs. That hereby we might learne when the sunne is hotest about the sixt houre of the day whē we are most exercised with afflictions whē we are sorest grieued for our sinnes alwaies to haue recourse vnto Christ alvvaies to goe with the king into the wineseller alwaies to sit dovvne vpon Iacobs vvell Of which the Prophet Zacharie sai's In that day there shall be a fountaine opened to the house of Dauid and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and for vncleanenesse Whereupon S. Austin saith verie diuinely In all aduersities sai's he I could neuer yet sind any remedie so cōfortable and so effectuall as the vvounds of Christ. Christ is not vnlike to the poole in Ierusalem called Bethesda hauing fiue porches vvhich beeing troubled by an angell healed any man that vvent first into it vvhatsoeuer disease he had Bethesda signifieth the house of effusion or povvring out in vvhich house Christ dvvelt vvhē he povvred out his blood and his soule for our saluation Therefore hee alone is the angell vvhich came dovvne at a certaine season into the poole and troubled the vvater because vvhen the fulnes of time was come he came into the world to be troubled himselfe and to be crucified that he might heale not onely that one man which had bin diseased eight and thirtie yeares but euen all mankinde with the troubled water and blood which issued out of his side So that there is nothing so comfortable for sicke and sinnefull men as to sit in the seats and porches of this poole Wonderfull are the words of the Prophet concerning Christ He shall feede his flocke like a shepheard he shall gather the lambs with his armes and carie thē in his bosom Which was prefigured in the high Priest who did beare vp with his shoulders a breast-plate wherin were the names of the twelue tribes written in twelue precious stones That which the shepheard doth with his armes and bosom that which the high Priest doth with his shoulders breast that doth Christ with his hands and side He is the good shepheard which bringeth home the lost sheepe vpon his shoulders Yea he writeth the names of all his sheepe in his pretious wounds which are the pretious stones vpon his breast-plate that both declare his loue to vs also allure vs to loue him This makes Dauid say in great deuotion The Lord is my shepheard therefore can I lacke nothing He shall feede me in a greene pasture and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort For as the henne gathereth her brood vnder her wings so God gathereth his children together And as an eagle stirreth vp her nest flo◅ereth ouer her birds taketh them and beareth them on her wings so Christ carrieth vs vp in his hands to the high places of the earth and causeth vs to sucke honie out of the stone and oyle out of the hard rocke Butheius an excellent painter painted an eagle carrying Ganymedes into heauen so nicely and tenderly that her talents did not hurt him but onely beare him vp And in like sort Christ beareth vs vp in his hands that we dash not our foot against a stone yea his right hand is vnder our
Lord giue me goodnes and knowledge But first goodnes and then knowledge Because indeede one heartfull of goodnesse is worth a hundred headfulls of knowledge one handfull of doing is worth a hundred tongue-fulls of teaching For what is the hand else but the very seale of the tongue So that as a writing is not pleadable by the law of man without seales no more is a word warrantable by the law of God without works And theresore if they which serue the beast receiue the marke os the beast not onely in their foreheads but also in their haâ—…ds how much more theâ—… ought we which serue the huing God to receiue the marke of God not onely in our foreheads by open professing of him but also in our hands by faithfull â—…sing that which we professe Therefore it is a vsuall phrase well-nigh in all the Prophets to say The word of the Lord by the hand of Amos by the hand os Zacharie or such like I know indeede it is an Hebrevve phrase vvhere the hand of the Prophet signifieth the ministerie of the Prophet But yet this phrase may giue vs thus much to vnderstand that if the Prophets dealt so as euery vvord of God passed not only thorough their mouthes but also through their hands that then vve also must so deale in hearing handling the vvord of God as vve may bring vnto God saies Agapetus not onely a profering of vvords but also an offring of vvorks Wherefore deare brethren let your light so shine before men that they not onely hearing your good vvords but also seeing your good vvorks may glorifie your father vvhich is in heauen For then I assure you if vve glorifie our father vvhich is in heauen he vvill glorifie vs his children vvhich are vpon earth and in the ende make vs great in the kingdome of heauen O remember therefore that golden saying in the Scripture The seare of the Lord is the beginning of vvisedome a good vnderstanding haue all they that doe thereafter the praise of it endureth for euer A good vnderstanding haue all they that doe thereafter Why so Because an ill vnderstanding haue all they that doe not thereafter They that haue vnderstanding and doe not thereafter that is according to it haue an ill vnderstanding But they that haue vnderstanding and doe thereafter according to it haue a good vnderstanding A good vnderstanding haue all they that doe thereafter the praise of it endureth for euer It shall be eternally rewarded O how richly are the Apostles rewarded how highly are they nowe honoured in heauen because when they were vpon earth they had a good vnderstanding They had clouen tongues Clouen tongues What 's that I 'le tell you Doe you not see how our hands are cloauen and diuided into fingers So were the Apostles tongues They in a manner if I may so say had fingers vpon their tongues as well as we haue vpon our hands It was but a word and a worke with them They had no sooner taught others any good thing as O Lord what good thing did they not teach vs all but by and by they were readie to practise it and to performe it themselues Therefore they are alreadie great in the kingdome of heauen yea and much more shall be The twelue Apostles shall sit vpon twelue thrones iudging the twelue tribes of Israel And if we can happely obtaine so much grace and goodnes of God as that we may haue a care and a conscience as well to doe as to teach then as sure as God's in heauen we likewise shall be great in the kingdome of heauen We shall be enstalled with Christ and his Apostles in the throne of glorie when we shall heare him say vnto vs Come ye blessed of my Father inherite the kingdome of heauen prepared for you For ye haue not onely professed but practised ye haue not onely taught well but wrought well ye haue not onely said well but done well therefore now you shall be great in the kingdome of heauen To the which kingdom of heauen we beseech thee O Lord to bring vs euen for Iesus Christs sake Amen A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE the Kings Maiestie at Drayton in Northhamptonshire August 6. 1605. Psal. 132. 18. As for his enemies I shall cloath them with shame but vpon himselfe shall his Crowne flourish THe Royall Prophet hauing setled himselfe in his kingdom according to his owne desire and besides hauing after many wandrings to and fro at length brought backe the Arke againe to Ierusalem maketh here his most zealous and deuout praier to God for the continuance of his fauour both to the Church and Common-wealth committed to his gouernement Returne O Lord to thy resting place sai's he thou and the Arke of thy strength Let thy Priests be cloathed vvith righteousnesse and let thy Saints sing vvith ioyfulnesse For thy seruant Dauids sake turne not avvay the face of thine anointed Novv that he might apparantly see hovv neere the Lord is to all them that call vpon him in faithfulnesse and truth he vvaiteth not long for an ansvver but carries it avvay vvith him before he depart For to Dauids petition Returne O Lord vnto thy resting place thou and the arke of thy strength Gods ansvver is this This shall be my resting place here vvill I dvvell for I haue a delight therein I vvill blesse her victualls vvith increase and vvill satisfie her poore vvith breade To Dauids petition Let thy Priests be cloathed vvith righteousnesse and let thy Saints sing vvith ioyfulnesse Gods ansvver is this I vvill cloath her Priests vvith saluation and her Saints shall reioyce and sing Lastly to Dauids petition For thy seruant Dauids sake turne not away the face of thine anointed Gods answer is this There shall I make the horne of Dauid to flourish I I haue ordained a light for mine anointed As for his enemies I shall cloath them with shame but vpon himself shal his crown slorish As if he should haue said Turne away the face of mine anointed Nay that will I neuer doe I will indeede turne away the face of the enemies of mine anointed Their face shall be couered with confusion and cloathed with shame But contrariwise I haue ordained a light for mine anointed He euer shall haue a light in his face and a crowne vpon his head As for his enemies I shall cloth them with shame but vpon himselfe shall his crowne flourish These words are principally to be vnderstood of Christ. For neuer were any so cloathed with shame as his enemies the cursed Iewes which murthered him There eitie was sacked not one stone of it beeing left vpon another and they themselues as stubble or chaffe were scattered ouer the face of the earth So that they are the very shame of men and the out-cast of all people Insomuch as when we would signifie we hate a man deadly indeede we commonly vse to say we hate them worse then a Iewe. On the other side
is able to saue our soules It is strange what is reported of Constantine the great in this kinde Eusebius writeth of him that when di◅ine seruice was said he would helpe the minister to begin the praiers and to read the verses of the Psalmes ◅changeably And when there was a Sermon if any place of speciall importance were alleadged that he would turne his Bible to imprint the place in his minde the better both by hearing seeing it He addeth besides that the Emperour many times beeing as it were rauished with those things which he heard rose vp sodainely out of his throne chaire of estate and would stand a long while to heare more diligently and though they which were next him did put him in minde to remember himselfe yet he heard the word so attentiuely that he would not heare them How wonder◅ully do's this confound vs that are sarre inferiour euery vvay vvhen vve heare and see that Emperours and mightie Kings and Potentates of the world shew such a good heart in hearing the word we in the meane time haue lumpish and dul spirits and affections and are neuer a whit mooued Certainly ye honourable children of God now Christ talketh with vs by the way therefore let our hearts burne within vs now Christ putteth his hand to the hole of the doore therefore let our hearts be affectioned towards him now our welbeloued speaketh therefore let our soules melt now the blessed virgin yea a greater then the virgin euen the virgins Sonne saluteth vs and wisheth vs all haile out of his word therefore let the babe spring in our hearts for ioy now the Almightie vttereth his voice therefore let our wings fall downe and let vs wholly submit our selues to be taught of God Euen as Cornelius the Centurion thought when he heard Peter preach that he stood not before a man but before the Lord and Constantine the Emperour could neuer satisfie himselfe with reuerent attention of his good heart to the word Then indeede shall we be good ground as all they are which with a good and a very good heart heare the word and keepe it and bring forth fruit with patience The second propertie of the good ground is this that they keepe the word with a very good heart In our English translation it is read thus with a good and an honest heart But I follow the vulgar Latin which readeth thus With a good and a very good heart And I referre the good heart to hearing the very good heart to keeping As if the words stood thus Which with a good heart heare the word and with a very good heart keepe it and bring forth fruit with patience To the matter then It is to no purpose that the seede be sowne except it be couered in the earth Neither that the word be heard except it be kept Therefore saith the Prophet In my heart haue I hidde thy word that I may not sinne against thee So that to keepe the word with a very good heart is to hide and couer this holy seede in the fallow grounds of our heart beeing plowed vp by the preaching of the Gospel Whereupon the kingdom of heaue◅ is likened to a tre◅ sure hid in a field And this very field i◅ a faithfull heart which keepeth and hideth in it selfe the word which is the direct way to the kingdome of heauen According to that of our Sauiour Th◅ kingdome of heauen is within you Ye◅ a faithfull heart not onely is a sield wherein is a treasure but also is it selfe a treasure wherein are both old and new things For euery Scribe which is taught vnto the kingdome of heauen is like vnto a housholder which bringeth forth out of his treasure things both new and old His heart is filled with a treasure of comforts gathered out of the olde and new Testament The wise woman by whome is meant the spouse of Christ keepes her candle a light all the night long Clemens vnderstandeth this light to be the heart and he calleth the meditations of holy men candles that neuer goe out S. Austin writeth among the Pagans in the temple of Venus there was a candle which was called vnextinguishable whether this be true or no of Venus temple it is vncerten onely Austi◅s report we haue ◅or it but without all doubt in euery faithfull hearer and keeper of the word who is the temple of the holy Ghost there is this candle or light that neuer goes out For so we read that the word of the Lord illuminate◅h the heart there 's the light And that this light goes not out at any time appeareth by that which is written else-where O Lord how doe I loue thy statutes they are my meditation continually In the old law those creatures onely were accompted cleane which did chew the ◅ud No otherwise shall we be accōpted vncleane in the sight of God if we chew not the cud as it were and ruminate and meditate of those things which we haue heard out of the word For euen as it is not auaileable to eate except the meate be inwardly digested and diuided to all the parts of the bodie so hearing is vnprofitable vnlesse the word heard be kept in minde and memorie and shewed and set forth in all the parts of our life Therefore they of Berraea were esteemed more noble then they of Thessalonica because they after Paul had preached to them conferred among themselues and searched the Scriptures not onely to see whether the Apostles doctrine were warrantable by the word but also to confirme their owne memorie and to exercise their meditation in the Law of God Now then ye holy ones of God if we would be good ground indeede as the Patriarch Iacob noted his sonne Iosephs dreames so let vs not onely heare but also note the word For this is proper to the child of God to haue the law of his God in his heart Not noted in writing tables or written in tables of stone but noted written in the fleshie tables of the heart And euen as the holy virgin kept all those sayings and pondered them in her heart which were by the Shepheards reported and published abroad concerning her sonne Iesus in like manner they that are wise vvill heare nay they vvill ponder and keepe those things vvhich they haue heard that so they may the better vnderstand the louing kindnesse of the Lord. Especially seeing those things vvhich vve heare are no dreames but vnsearchable mysteries of our saluation neither are vve that publish and preach them such shepheards as the Angel spake vnto but vve are appointed to vvatch ouer the flocke vvhich Christ hath bought vvith his blood Therefore if you vvould shevv your selues to be good ground your very good heart must be as a field that hath a treasure hid in it yea it must be as a treasure it selfe that hath old and nevv things hid in it it must