with that Vetus parsimonia so much heretofore esteemed and still exercised by all wise and sober persons After he had taken enough for himself his Friends and his poor Neighbours he carefully laid up the remainder wherewith he hath made a competent provision for his Family which being so honestly gotten and so honourably saved will doubtless carry Gods blessing along with it as it had his Nor was his Religion towards God less than his Loyalty to his Prince or his Charity to his Neighbour it lay not so much in the tongue as in the heart He manifested his Faith the surest way by his Works He was no Pharisaical Christian he did not blow a Trumpet when he gave Alms not tell the People by his looks when he fasted nor call for a witness when he prayed He had got such an art in Giving that one hand know not what the other gave He had a way to conceal his Fasts by the chearfulness of his Countenance and he cared for no other eye to behold his Devotions but Gods and his holy Angels And as he had God for his Father so he had the Church for his Mother which next to God he still respected and reverenced sympathizing with her in what condition soever she was in If she wept then did his eyes gush out with water if she rejoyced then was his mouth filled with laughter and his tongue with joy How have I seen him droop at the news of Gods Ark being in danger to be shaken and how would his spirits revive again at any good tidings of its peace and settlement how did he hate all those that had evil will at Zion yea he hated them as David did with a perfect hatred And how did he delight in all such as did seek the peace of Jerusalem In a word they that were friends to the Church were his friends and he had no enemies but her Adversaries As to his dealings amongst men they were all square and above-board He was a perfect lover of Justice and hated falshood more than death His love where he profest it was without dissimulation He was a true Nathaniel in whom there was no guile And have you heard of the patience of Job why such was his I can compare it to no other As they were both upright men and such as feared God and eschewed evil so was God pleased to afflict them much alike Job was cast out of his own house and so was he Job was plunder'd of his Cattel by the Sabeans and so was he of all that he had by worse than the Sabeans if possible by the rebellious Sequestratours Job lost his Children so did he only in this his misery was not so great Jobs Children were taken away rioting in a Banquetting-house but his died honourably in the service of their Prince Job was afflicted in his Wife too and so was he but in a quite contrary manner Job in having the worst of Wives He in losing the best But the manner of his losing her could not but add much to his sorrow for she was snatcht out of the world in a tempest and swallowed up quick by the merciless waves having all the remainder of the treasure he had about her to a very considerable value and a far greater treasure in her arms then that even his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his young and darling Daughter who chose rather to embrace Death than leave the embraces of her tender Mother and so both sunk together with a Maid-servant that attended her into the depth of the Sea There are some as I think at this time present who were then with her who remain the Monuments of Gods mercy in their deliverance and faithful Witnesses of the truth of what I speak Whose Courage whose Constancy but Jobs or His would not have stagger'd at such a shock whiles he like Job having the Anchor of his Hope both sure and stedfast stood like the Center unmoved And in the midst of all these Crosses and sad events that befel him he lookt upon the Divine hand invisibly striking with those sensible scourges against which he durst not either Rebel or Murmur All those extremities did but exercise his Faith not weaken it which like a well wrought Vault grew the stronger for the many pressures which were laid upon him In all this he did not sin against God by his Impatience nor charge God foolishly but with holy Job resigned himself wholly up to Gods will saying with him The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. Nor were they more unlike in their Deaths than in their Lives The Lord blessed the latter end of them both more then their beginning Job died being Old and full of daies and so did he so full of Daies that he was satisfied if not weary with long life desiring rather to be dissolved and to be with Christ And so he died with Moses at the mouth of the Lord God gently drew out the breath which he had breathed into him quietly impinn'd his Tabernacle and so took him to himself in peace And now I find my self like to that bad Orator who could not desinere knew not how to make an end which I cannot but be the more unwilling to do because I know that as soon as I have finisht my discourse he will be carried from us into the silent retirement of the Grave and will be no more seen And methinks 't is some comfort to enjoy him even thus But we must part The Grave beckens him and methinks I see him beckning us to follow him O my Father my Father Nature would speak more but Religion commands me silence Could our Prayers have prevented his death we should have sighed out our Souls to God to have begg'd his life and could our tears yet restore him I see by those watery planets in your eyes we could command a deluge like to that in the floor of Atan or that of Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddo But he cannot come to us and that 's his happiness but we shall go to him and that 's our comfort Let us not mourn for him therefore as men without hope 'T is but his Body that is dead his Soul is still alive as well as ours but far more happy being already free of the glorious Company of Saints and Angels And we shall meet again I trust in Glory both our Souls and our Bodies where all sorrow shall be wiped from our eyes where there shall be no more fear nor death nor sin but we shall be all as the Angels of God And so Lord thy Kingdom come so come O Lord Jesus come quickly In the hour of Death and in the day of Judgment good Lord deliver us Give us grace so to live in thy fear that we may die in thy favour that so after this mortal life ended we may be received by thee into those heavenly habitations where we trust the Soul of our Dear Father here departed together with the Souls of all them that sleep in the Lord JESVS enjoy perpetual rest and felicity Unto which GOD of his infinite mercy bring us all for Jesus Christ his sake Amen FINIS
use our best Means and yet in our greatest Extremities Lift up our eyes to the hills from whence commeth our Help Do our best but trust in God When all other helps fail then is God our Helper The Lord saw the Afflictions of Israel that they were very bitter For there was not any shut up nor any left nor any helper for Judah then he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam 2 Kings 14.26 Look on us say those two Disciples Acts 3. yet were they but the Instruments only and they confess it v. 12. Look on him who is both able and willing to help all those that faithfully call upon him Then may we say with David with Paul and that with confidence Heb. 13.6 The Lord is my Helper I will not fear what Man can do unto me 'T is taken out of 118. Psal v. 6. And 't is remarkable at the 10. v. All Nations compassed me about Philistines Syrians Ammonites Moabites Edomites and yet 't is but Quid mihi faciat homo a Man nay one Man Psal 90. A thousand Years are with GOD but as one day and a thousand Armies as one man So for St. Paul He was oppressed by men fought with Beasts 1 Cor. 15. wrestled with Devils Eph. 6.12 yet still 't is but Quid mihi faciat homo All these are but one man in comparison of him that made Man And therefore I speak confidently saith St. Paul I will not fear what Man can do unto me And this is Judahs Case Let his Enemies be never so many never so mighty and so malicious yet if GOD be his Helper he need not fear what Man can do unto him Nay let them be worse than men if ought can be worse for Homo homini lupus Let them be the worst of Beasts unreasonable indomitable and perversly violent yet Lysimachus was not the first that slew a Lion David will tell you so and others after him Heb. 11.33 Men Beasts and All will come under if GOD be our helper against those Enemies Let them be Devils too if they be yet with Devils must the Christian man encounter Et hoc genus Daemoniorum Let them be the worst of Devils Matth. 17.21 yet nought but Incredulity can retard our Victory over those most malicious and incarnate Devils Si Deus nobiscum Rom. 8.31 If God be for us who can be against us O therefore Hear Lord the voyce of Judah be thou his help against his Enemies All the Blessings which Jacob the Father bequeathed to this Son Gen 49. All those Blessings light upon our Judah Let his hands be in the neck of his Enemies verse 8. Let him be a Lion whom none durst rouz up v. 9. Let the Scepter never depart from him till Shiloh come again v. 10. All peace and plenty be to him and his v. 11.12 And that I may conclude with Moses's Words with Moses's Prayer Hear Lord the voyce of Judah His Prayers and our Prayers Let our Cries find entrance to the Throne of Grace Bring him back unto his People And they that will not be his People O let them not be a People at all Cut them off from the face of the Earth Bring him back unto his People that People who with us have born the burthen and heat of the Day Who cut of holes and Prisons peep out for a Redeemer and a Deliverer Who pray for Judah and will fight for Judah To this People bring him back O be his Hands his own hands sufficient for him Let no Forraign power say Ego restitui This is thy Title to make and un-make Kings O therefore strengthen those Hands of his Make all the World see that this is Thy work and that Thou LORD hast done it And therefore Be thou his help against his Enemies TV DVC TV REDVC And as the Vulgar reads it TV INTRODVC Bring him home Bring him in Give him Livery and Seisin His Kingdom here and Thy Kingdom of glory hereafter Propter JESUM CHRISTUM Dominum Nostrum AMEN A SERMON Preached before His MAJESTY King CHARLES the II. In the ISLE of SCILLY ACTS III. 17. And now Brethren I wot that through Ignorance ye did it as did also your Rulers LET it not seem strange that I bring Pascha and Advent so close together and speak of Sorrow so shortly after Joy But so ' t is Extrema gaudii luctus occupat And our Saviour was no sooner Agnitus quam Agnus A Lamb appointed for the slaughter And Herod sought the Babes life Yea the first moment of his Incarnation was also the first degree of his Exinanition The greatest Birth was followed with the greatest Murder The First was Opus Spiritus Sancti The Second had a Vos fecistis Men are the Actors In the first the Angels sing in the second Heaven and Earth and All did mourn The Temple rent The Sun obscured c. Of the first the Prophet saies Quis generationem ejus enarrabit of the second the Apostle Quis ad haec idoneus 'T were no wonder to hear of Murder but such a Murder and in Domo sua with Amon and by his Friends those friends whom he came to visit to serve to save And in so barbarous a manner with such a superlative Cruelty Be astonished ye Heavens And all you that pass by look and see if there were ever sorrow like this sorrow If ever Murther like this Murther Now If one man sin against another the Judge shall judge him but if a man sin against the Lord who shall intreat for him 1 Sam. 2.25 None to plead the Jews Cause Jer. 30.13 Their wound is incurable Yet here 's one found that dare plead their Cause and seeks to Cure by Compassion scio fratres by extenuation quod per ignorantiam by God's praeordination v. 18. 'T was foretold by all the Prophets and must be fulfilled Then follows a Resipiscite ergo the way to make it an absolute Cure by bathing their Sins in that Blood they had spilt But I must keep me to the 17 verse and see what Ignorance can do for take away Ignorance and the Sin must needs be incurable A sin against the Holy Ghost And therefore we must see what hopes this Door of Ignorance will open to us I know Brethren that through Ignorance ye did it as did also your Rulers Where you have First A Compellation or Title which St. Peter gives those Jews Brethren Secondly The Sin that he laies to their charge Fecistis ista ista praedicta Betraying Denying Killing the Lord of Life Thirdly A mitigation or extenuation of the Sin You did it of Ignorance Fourthly The extension of the Extenuation to the Rulers as well as to the Inferiour sort You and your Rulers did it through Ignorance There are two other little words in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which maybe referred either to what went before or to that which follows after First Et nunc after all this Those Sins of yours though they be
entertain every broken Cause for his Fee If a Toby who if he hear the bleating of a Kid cryes redde away with it restore it no stollen Goods shall come within his Doors If a Timothy who will be sure to keep his Faith and a good Conscience If a Licurgus who contra Gentes will restore the Crown to the right owner and be a faithful Subject rather than a perfidious Usurper Mark such considerate Behold them thorowly such just such upright men for the end of such men is peace Which is the second General Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace Here 's the Reward of his Integrity and Holiness Here 's David's Beatus vir Psal 1. As for the ungodly it is not so with them but they are like the chaff which the wind scattereth away from the face of the Earth Psal 73. Ponuntur in Praecipitiis They are set in slippery places and in a moment brought to desolation Cut off from the Earth and rooted out of it for their transgressions Prov. 2. the last Verse Their memory all shall rot But finis hujus hominis pax He may encounter with many difficulties in the course of his life and many miseries may intervene But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pax His last end is Peace In the ninth of St. Matthew you have one twelve years diseased at length a Physician was found who could and did cure In the fifth of John one lies impotent thirty eight years at the Pool Bethesda at length comes one who with a Surge makes him sound Another blind from his Nativity with an easie remedy came seeing John 9. So as I said the good man meets with many difficulties in the course of his life But Finis pax All 's well at last his end is happy I see Abraham driven from place to place at one time ready to starve another time his wife in jeopardy to loose her honour crossed in his Children unhappy in his Friends Kinred every way and yet his Bosome now a receptacle for the Saints of God As much might I say of Moses Elias and many others Yea John the Baptist whose head was smitten from his Body yet was not that his last end But that which was said of him Multi in ejus Nativitate gaudebunt afterwards came to pass the day of his Birth was made sacred to all Posterity and was solemnized by the very Heathen themselves in St. Bernards dayes Take heed therefore what Conclusions you draw from the present condition or success of things Thus did Shimei deal by David Nunc ad calculos redactus est Come out thou bloudy man thou man of Belial now thou payâ—st for all the blood that hath been shed 2 Sam. 16. Yet shortly after you have him on his knees and begging pardon The King is restored the Rebels perish Thus did the Barbarians pass sentence on St. Paul Acts 28. A murderer whom Vengeance suffered not to live Yet shortly after their minds are changed and they take him for a God Thus do our Adversaries who puffed up with their success and our misfortunes conclude thence as the Turk may do as much the goodness of their Cause But stay our last end is not yet come no nor theirs neither Ante obitum nemo c. You know what Solon said And though I undertake not to Devine yet I dare say with him Num. 16.29 If these men die the common death of all men then the Lord hath not sent me However there 's an end and a last end and that Balaam saw when he would have his last end like the Israelites Numb 23. And Amalek might die in his bed but his last end was to perish everlastingly Numb 24. And therefore in Moses's words and Mose's wish God make us wise and that we may consider our last end 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am sure 't will go well with the perfect and upright man at the last his end or his last end will sure be Peace There is a fourfold peace First a Peace from War and that is the peace of the Common-wealth Secondly the Peace of the Body the Eucrasie and temperature of the Humours A peace from Sickness and Diseases Thirdly The peace of Conscience a peace from sin and sins deserved punishments Fourthly A Peace supra pacem such a peace as never shall be taken from us in the highest Heavens eternal peace First The Peace of our Country and Common-wealth were a Peace much to be desired Pax optima rerum Quas homini novisse datum est pax una triumphis Innumeris potior Silius 'T is bonum desiderabile as she said of the Tree Gen. 3. O those blessed dayes when men might sit down under their own Vine and Fig tree and might eat the labours of their own hands When they were not awaked with the Drum and Trumpet nor terrified with the clashing of Armour and the violence of Souldiers Veteres migrate Coloni was not heard in our Streets But the Mountains did bring peace Psal 72. The barren Mountain requited the cost bestowed on them plentifully A blessed peace and this by Gods grace we shall have in the end And yet secondly Behold a better Pax Corporis The peace of the Body Abraham was much disquieted for want of Children Gen. 15. Ahab for his Neighbours Vineyard Haman at the very sight of Mordecai Hoster 5. So much troubled that neither his Riches Children nor Honour nought could do him good as long as he saw Mordecai the Jew sitting at the Kings Gate And if he had his purpose in this too yet what would all avail him if he could not have his health The gouty Cardinal would give his Cardinals Cap a thousand times that he might be freed of his Disease Let him speak who hath the Stone or Strangury nay be it but the Tooth-ach his courage strength appetite all is gone The Valetudinary man is like St. Pauls widow Vivens mortua 1 Tim. 5.6 as good as dead while he is alive So that Pax corporis the health of the body is no small blessing and God hath blessed the most of us with this And yet is not this Pax illa Thirdly there is another and a better peace The Peace of Conscience and this may he have who with Lazarus sits at Dives gate or with distressed Job lies stinking on a Dung-hill He fears not though the Earth be moved and the Mountains carried into the middest of the Sea This Peace had the Saints and Martyrs in the height of their Torments Now begin I to be Corn for my Saviour saith one And verte aliud latus saith another rosting on the Gridiron There was Justitia causae justitia personae both the Cause was good the Sufferers perfect and upright and therefore all went well whiles the Mind and Conscience was at peace This made David say I will lay me down in peace and sleep yea even then when his Enemies compassed him round