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A44950
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A sermon preached at Worcester on the 18th of April, 1686 being the second Sunday after Easter / by H.H., S.J.
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H. H. (Henry Humberston)
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1686
(1686)
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Wing H3365; ESTC R14501
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10,105
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29
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A SERMON Preached At VVorcester On the 18 th of April 1686. being the SECOND Sunday after Easter By H. H. S. J. LONDON Printed for Matthew Turner near Turn-Style in Holbourn 1686. THE PREFACE WHosoever reads the following Discourse will see by the beginning of it that it was not made for the Press but it having had the same hard fortune that many have now adayes to be generally condemn'd without being known it was judg'd convenient it should shew it self in Print to the end that those who think and speak Ill of it may see what it is they Blame For my part as I do not know its Crime so I cannot undertake to Defend it therefore I deliver it up to the judgement of the Reader without any thing but it s own Innocency to protect it against a Censure only one favour I beg at his hands which is that he would not presently upon sight of the Text as many have done at the Hearing it cry out without proceeding any further Here must needs be a Bloody Sermon for this is tacitely either to condemn the Word of GOD as being the principle of ill Doctrine or to say that the Preacher has Quoted it to a Malicious purpose The former of which would be a Blasphemy the latter a rash Judgement Therefore let him read it over first and then let him freely Condemn whatsoever he finds Amiss Now in confidence that no Immorality will be found in it I intreat those that find themselves deceiv'd in the Opinion they have had of it to reflect that perchance the same Popular Report that has Misinform'd them in This does also Abuse them in a matter of greater Importance and make them condemn a Religion which would be their Salvation if they Vnderstood it To avoid this Inconvenience they would do well to follow the advice of the Apostle 1 Cor. 4. 5. Do not judge before the time i. e. Before your self have examin'd and seen what you condemn If this counsel were follow'd I confide that by God's Grace we should soon be Vnited here in Faith and Charity and in Eternal Happiness in the next Life Which is the Hearty wish of c. Transite per Civitatem percutite non parcat oculus vester neque miseriamini Senem adolescentulum virginem parvulum mulieres interficite usque ad internecionem omnem autem super quem videritis Thau ne occidatis Ezec. 9. v. 5 6. Pass through the City and strike let not your Eye spare nor have ye mercy The Old the Young man and the Virgin the little One and the Women kill to utter destruction But every one upon whom you shall see Thau kill you not Ezech. 9. v. 5 6. IN my former Catechismes I explicated to you as well as I could the two principal Misteries of our Faith viz. the Unity and Trinity of Almighty God and the Incarnation and Passion of our Saviour Jesus Christ I call these the principal Misteries of our Faith and that you may understand why I must desire you to reflect that there be two things in this life which it mainly concerns a man to know viz. the last end whether he is going where all his desires are to be accomplished where he is to rest for ever And the way or means to attain to it Our end is God in him we are to find our eternal repose and out of him there is no true repose Our hearts were made for him and they can never be at quiet saith St Augustin till they rest in him The means to attain to this end is our Saviour Christ as he saith himself John 14. v. 6. I am the Way the Truth and the Life i. e. the Way by my Example the Truth by my Doctrine and the Life by my Grace No body comes to the Father i. e. to the beatifical vision of God in Heaven but by me i. e. by imitating my Life and Conversation by observing my Doctrine and Commandements and by the assistance of that Grace which I purchased at the price of my Blood This is the reason why these are called the principal misteries of our Faith viz. because in these two consisteth our whole Happiness the one being Happiness it self the other the Way to it he that knows these two Misteries as he ought knows enough tho' he knows nothing else because he knows all that is requisite to make him Happy and he that knows not these knows nothing tho' he knoweth all things besides tho' he knows all Philosophy tho' he knows how to heap together Mountains of Riches tho' he knows how to Conquer Kingdoms because he doth not know that which only concerns him to know i. e. wherein consists his Eternal Wellfare A Christian should have alwayes two things in his mind viz. God and Jesus Christ God in whom and Jesus Christ by whom he is to be Happy God who is his end and Christ who is his way The knowledg and due consideration of these two Points is the source of life everlasting as our Saviour tells us John 17. v. 3. This is life everlasting that they know thee the only true God and whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ On the contrary the want of this knowledg or which is the same the want of a true reflexion upon it is the cause of perdition to all those that perish Travellers must needs lose themselves that neither know their end nor their way These two Misteries do contain the greatest part of the Creed whether we regard the importance of the matter or the number of Articles for of the Twelve as I told you before these are Eight Therefore at present we will put an end to the declaration of the Creed and pass to another part of the Christian Doctrine but first I have one thing to do and that shall fill up the time we have left for this days entertainment It is to tell you how we may keep a perpetual memory of these two great Misteries which it so much imports us never to forget It is by making the Sign of the Cross a thing so much practised by Catholicks and with so much reason as by Gods help I will make appear presently For the sign of the Cross is a short abridgment of all that we are taught in the Symbole of the Apostles concerning the Unity and Trinity with the Incarnation Death of God the Son Observe a little and you shall see how When I make the sign of the Cross I put my hand first to my head and say In the name of the Father then under the breast saying And of the Son then to the right and left shoulder saying And of the Holy Ghost First I say singularly In the name that is to say power and authority Then I say plurally Father Son and Holy Ghost by which I signify that all Three have but one Name that is Power and Authority and consequently one Essence and Divine Nature here is Unity and Trinity Now the
that Julian the Apostate so called because he revolted from the Faith he had been brought up in and attempted by a sacrilegious vanity to wash out of his Soul the indelible Character of Baptisme by washing his body in the blood of Heathen Sacrifices we read I say that this wicked man by making the Sign of the Cross tho' inconsideratly and by force of a custom he had been inured to in the time of his Christanity did put to flight those wicked spirits which had caused to be raised by Art-Magick to learn of them the success of his future affairs In virtue of this Sign appearing in the Air Constantine the Great our Countryman and first Christian-Emperour was made Victorious over all his Enemies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. In this thou shalt Overcome And now you have the Fourth and last Argument for the Use of the Cross 'T is the Terrour of the Devils 't is our Protection against them by this all their attempts are made ineffectual at the sight of this they run away On the contrary those that will not make use of it those that bear no respect to it not even for his sake that Redeemed us by it how they disarm themselves and lay themselves open to be wounded by their ghostly enemies may be gathered out of those words of Ezekiel which I have taken for my Text. This Prophet saw in a Vision six men enter into the Temple each of them with an instrument of Death in his Hand to those Command was given to go through the City and to Kill without Mercy and without distinction of Age Condition or Sex all they met with excepting only those whom another Man sent before to that purpose had marked with the Tau upon their Foreheads Such another Vision was Revealed to St. John Apocalyps 7. in which he saw four Angels with power to execute the Divine Justice upon all that had not the Sign of the Living GOD. What is meant by Ezekiels Tau and what by the Sign of the Living God in the Apocalyps I have not authority to define But certain it is First that both the one and the other shall be a Mark of Distinction between the Elect and the Reprobate at the great discerning Day Secondly 't is no less certain that the Holy Fathers do take them both for the Sign of the Cross and Reason perswades into this belief otherwise I think no reason can be given why this Sign should have the name of Tau a letter which at that time the Prophet writ did represent the Cross as our Capital T doth at present And what Sign peculiar to the Living GOD besides the sign of the Cross and why it should be upon the Foreheads of those that are to be Saved by it unless it be a Cross I think no body can determine Hence I conclude That all that are found Markt with the Cross at the great Day shall be under the protection of Almighty GOD. But those that are found without it Shall they be abandoned to the fury of the Sword Shall they be left a prey to the Devils God forbid that Souls Redeemed by Christ should be left a prey to them But now I must desire you not to mistake me I do not say that the bare Sign of the Cross separated from Faith and other Pious dispositions of the mind shall be a protection to any body in the day of Revenge And therefore to perform what I promised in the Second place I must tell you what disposition of mind is requisite to the end the Sign of the Cross may prove Beneficial to those that make Use of it St. Paul Rom. 2. blaming the Jews for putting too much confidence in the outward Circumcision of their flesh as if it were sufficient to save them without the observation of the Commandements tells them 't is not the external Circumcision of the body that makes them children of Abraham but the inward Circumcision of the mind i. e. cutting away all vitious affections from their Souls The same I say in our case the outward sign of the Cross upon our foreheads does not make us Christians i. e. Children of God and Heirs of Heaven but the inward sign of the Cross in our Souls No body as a learned Father antiently said obtains any favour of God by making the sign of the Cross upon his forehead with his hand unless at the same time he make it inwardly in his heart by Faith Circumcision says the Apostle ibid. is a profitable thing if you observe the Commandements otherwise Circumcision is no better than Gentility So the Cross upon the forehead is good if it be joyned with a Cross in the heart if not we are but Heathens under the mark of Christanity But what is it you will say to make the sign of the Cross in our hearts It is to have in our hearts the virtues which Christ exercised upon the Cross of which the outward Cross is a sign and without which that outward sign can benefit nothing at all For example sake The sign of the Cross is a sign of Humility a sign of humility in Christ that dyed upon it and a sign of humility in those that make it now as I said it will benefit us nothing to carry the sign of humility without if we have a proud heart within 'T is a sign of Patience it will do us no good to have the sign of Patience upon our foreheads whilst our minds are full of Anger and Revenge It is a sign of Charity What will it avail us under the mark of Mercy and Love to have a heart replenished with Hatred towards our Neighbour and void of pitty and compassion towards the Poor 'T is a sign of Suffering To what purpose should we make profession of Suffering whilst we welter in Pleasures 'T is a sign of Victory we should be ashamed to wear the Lawrel having never yet fought against sin and being yet fettered with the Chains of the Devil In fine all making the sign of the Cross all coming to Mass all saying of Prayers and hearing of Sermons all outward signs of Christianity are but lyes and do but make us Hypocrites unless we have inwardly the Virtues we profess outwardly by these signes But to weary your patience no longer I will collect into a short sum all I have said that every one may carry something away I have given Four Reasons why we make the sign of the Cross First because it is a profession of our belief in one God who is Three Persons and in our Redeemer who dyed for us upon a Cross 'T is the Badg of a Christian and the Livery of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ Therefore we must not despise it now for fear he despise us another day It is a tacit invocation of the most blessed Trinity by the Merits of Christ 'T is the Seal of God the Son We must mark all our actions with it lest for want of it they be rejected by the Eternal Father It is a memorial of Christs conquest and our redemption let us carry it about us that we do not fall into oblivion of so great a benefit and by oblivion incurr the crime of ingratitude Fourthly 't is an Armor of defence that will shield us against all the strokes of our Ghostly enemies if we cast it away we expose our selves to their mortal wounds Finally whilst we carry the mark of Christian upon our foreheads let us endeavour to have Christian Virtues in our hearts Amen FINIS