Anna Simeon continued dayly in the temple praying the tēple then to those men was the conuenienst place to praier so thought the good so the bad so the beléeuer so the infidel so the Publican so the Pharisie what a strange Cockatrice egge hath the madnesse of certaine Scismatikes hatcht amongst vs they wil come forsooth to the church but not to prayer O how much impiety O how much profanenes hath the liberty licencionsnes of this our age brought forth we read of certen of the aūtient fathers that they made their knées as hard as Camels hoofes with continuall praying we read of S. Ierome in moderate fastings wonderfull humiliations of himselfe in watchings praiers we haue S. Austins meditations soliloquia solitary spéeches which he vsed vnto God we see oratoria not auditoria oratories churches Colleges chappels so many signes tokens of our parents manificence vneōparable deuotion these men thought these to be the godly exercises of religion to water their couch day night for the sins they had committed with Dauid to chastice the rebellions of the flesh with saint Paul to meditate vpon their fraile state miserable conditiō with holy Iob to intertain poore néedy naked distressed soules into their houses at their tables with faithfull Abraham al these are forgottē nay which I speake with the griefe of my soule they account them vanity superstition men thinke that they are come to the very mount Nebo the height of religion if so be they are come to the church turned ouer their bookes found the text looke on the preacher marke his diuision heard the sermon where is wounding of the conscience where is compunction of that heart where is mortification of the flesh where is detestation of sin where is satisfactiō for the wrong to thy brother where is pitty compassion where are sighes where are teares where are strong cries gronings where is the wish of the prophet Ieremy to haue riuers of waters in your heads to wéepe day and night for the manifold sinnes ye committed against the maiesty of god The end of preaching is to teach men to liue wel vertuous heare S. Paul The grace of God bringeth saluatiō vnto al men hath appeared reacheth vs there is the preaching what to do mary to deny vngodlinesse worldlines then we should liue soberly iustly godlily in dispraise of the world make not thy porch bigger then thy house it is a foolish kinde of building it is the property of an Athenian to know much and do litle it is the duty of a christian to heare often and do stil that is to pray stil for it is written pray continually This is the perfume made of the gal liuer of the fish in the tooke Iob. which driueth away al kind of diuels Exterminabit omne genus demoniorum al kind of diuels al Tob. 6. kind of plots al kind of practises al kind of treasons all kind of treacherers oh as the Angel acuised Toby in that place that you would giue vs leaue and so you do which stand vp in these pulpits as vpon the bankes and speake in your eares which lept too too many times beyond your bounds like to the great fish of Tybris vsed to deuoure to take hold of your soules to pack your affections from the fluxible watry cogitations of al worldly affaires vnto the immoueable centers of heauenly meditations to sette your gaules and your liuers and your bowels and your entralls that is your hearts and affections vpon the burning coals of the incomparable loue of God and Iesus Christ his Son vndoubtedly this wil not only make a persume which wil driue away all manner of diuels from vs but will make for your good to the good of Gods glory and the good of the Church and the good of this noble Kingdome a most swéete adoriferous sauour in the nosestrills of God I will speake what I intend more plainly Your sacred presence most dread and mightie Soueraigne at the morning and euening Sacrifice will induce others to present themselues they will come they will runne they will prostrate themselues they will worship they will adore in the holy Sanctuarie of God the swéete odor of the oyntments of this your gratious deuotion hath and doth and will drawe on others yea many others for to follow yea the strange children will be brought to follow vnto whom all that euer we could doe both our preaching and praying were the sauour of death vnto death euen an abhominatiō for this cause of set purpose haue I compiled this Sermon according to the measure of grace which is giuen vnto me haue preached the same in the eares of Maiestie the holinesse of holinesse which was ānointed with the fulnesse of all graces confirme continue your gratious heart in this most holy and Christian exercise of pietie and godlinesse that that may be spoken and written spoken to them that are liuing and written to the posterities to come of the most religious King Iames that was spoken and written of the most zealous king Iosias that 2. Reg. 23. you may match him in all things euen by being a king as young and yonger then he like vnto him was there not any before him neither arose there any after him which turned vnto the Lord his GOD with all his heart with all his minde and with all his soule to loue him and to feare him and to serue him and here imitating the wise gouernour reserued the best Wine for the last I end Now vnto God immortall inuisible and onely wise the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost thrée persons in trinitie one God in vnitie be rendred all power dominion glory maiestie and seruice for euer and for euer Amen FINIS
of siluer vpon which this was written and engrauen Bona Deorum I mary saith hee these are the goods of the Gods and you doe well to offer them vs great reason we vse the goodnes of the gods and so leauing a scoffe tooke the gold away cleane As he did then so haue some others done heretofore I cannot say iustly speaking the truth that it is done now the land and yeerely reuenues which our auncestors of renowned memory haue bestowed vpon churches fréely for the maintainance of good learning and lawes is now altogether taken away from vs the good vse of them for the euil abuse sake this pale of gold was too heauy for our shoulders a garment rather of Linsiwolsye must become vs better I would God they had giuen vs for it either linnen or wollen for then we should haue seene by the way of exchange to haue had something they haue taken away al stone timber lead yron glasse mannors and lands and haue left vs iust nothing by way of recompence Our Bishops which heretofore did weare long beards of Gold euen downe to their girdles haue béene if not altogether shauen yet so nearely cropt and shorne and wot you by whom forsooth by their shéepe there is one abuse added more to those 12. abuses which S. Augustine noted in his time Senex sine moribus c. The shéepe most monstrously and most vnnaturally haue flieced and shorne their shepheards The whole body of the Cleargie of this land whom our ancestors before vs had endued with very great and sufficient liuings for the maintenance of themselues and reliefe of others whom also these men might haue spared if it had beene but for this cause onely because the Lord hath chalenged as his and called them his owne portion towards them how haue these men behaued themselues some of them they haue polled and some of them they haue pilled and some of them they haue fleed and some of them they haue fléeced and some they haue impropriated from them and appropriated to them selues what by prodigality on way and Simony another way the 2. horsleaches daughters which crie out giue giue the faces of the poore cleargie of this land haue bene so grinded and grated that after so many years past that we haue had Kings to be our noursing fathers and Quéenes to be our Ioel. 1. noursing mothers we may begin with S. Paul in the Primitiue Church to make tents the residue of the palmer woorme hath the cankerworme eaten and the residue of the canker-worme hath the grashopper eaten and the residue of the Grashopper hath the Caterpiller eaten all men sées this to be most true which now I make bold to deliuer to this mightie presence many find it some féele it few will speake it no man goeth about to redresse it Only that most deuout and religious act against the deminution of the possessions of Archbishopricks and Bishopricks O King procéeding on from your most royall munificence and princely pietie and care hath made a stop and a stay against all future sacrileges alienations depredations honors hereditaments possession of the Church for this cause shall the holy Vrim and Thummim of Leui shine refreshed out of the most gratious heāes of the light of your charitie his deuotion shall ascend swéeter then any incense in the presence of God continually to entreat for you Habes enim multos intercessores his prayers shall be as so many Legions of angells euerlastingly to gard you against all plots and practizes against all treasons and treacheries the naked loynes of the poore shall blesse him I meane Leui being couered with his fléece the emptie bellies shall blesse him I meane Leui being filled with his morsells and wée all shall blesse the memory of you most dread Soueraigne which hath enabled Leui to giue and so by giuing to receiue a blessing He raigneth vnprofitablie which is horne and deserueth not to raigne saith the golden-mouthed Chrisostome but he that commeth vnto vs in a double right of nature and so much grace all the blessings of both the testaments rest on him rest on his euen so Amen And yet I giue my note in conclusion to this point Moses and Aaron are ioyned together in my text and in a 100. places besides of holy Scripture they should neuer be made base by any vile contempt or abiect beggery which follow kings so néere in the word of God It followes in the Text Remember what Balaac the King of Moab hath deuised As touching the deuise of Balaac it was on this wise After that he saw that he could not induce Balaim to curse Gods people he deuised a new stratageme by the daughters of Moab suborned some of them thorow their wanton allurements to entice the children of Israel to cōmit first fornication with them afterwards Idolatrie that in so dooing they might be brought to stincke in the nostrils of God and being cast out of his fauour and protection be made a present prey to their enimies the nations This was the deuise of Balaac the King of Moab the end of it was to make hauocke of the people of God the meane to effect it was first fornication and afterwards idolatry the instrument a strange woman The deuise of Balaac the King of Moab was a deuise comming from flesh and bloud and a deuise to bée wrought by a speciall instrument of flesh and bloud viz. a woman The deuise of this last trayterous Heathenish vncircumcized Moabites was a deuise not comming from flesh and bloud or any humane nature but from the deuill and his Angels for séeing their doctrine is a doctrine of deuils it followes accordingly that their deuises be the deuises of deuils as the trée such is the fruit a proper kinde of religion which dispenceth with Fornication and maintaines rebellions Of hell the Prophet Esay saith the nourishment of it is woode and much fire and the breath of the Lord like a streame of Brimstone Esay 10. doth set it on fire of this we may say the nourishment of it should haue bin gunpouder much fier the breath of the deuill like a streame of brimstone should haue set it on fire The Diuell when he threw downe the house vpon the children of Iob threw it downe when they were doyng il to wit eating drinking sporting pastiming these men worse then their father the deuill would haue blowne vp the Parliament house men being assembled together to do good the King the state the Cleargie the nobility the gentry the commonalty all beeing assembled together in one to set downe wholesome lawes for the good of Gods glory quietnes of the church and peace of the common-wealth what a strange monster is treason which diueth downe to hell and beneath hel the very bottomelesse pitte of hell for to hatch deuises for this is the resolution of treason Flectere si nequen superos Acharonta mouebo The Poets fayne of Cerberus the Dogge of hell
for that maiestie tooke vpon it humility power tooke vpon it infernitie The mightie GOD became the prince of peace the wounderfull became the councellor Ego dominus et ego dominus became misericors et miserator Dominus powred forth vpon men vpon Angles vpon Saints vpon sinners vpon bonde vpon frée vpon male and female powred forth from heauen vnto earth from the east to the west from the Iewes to the gentles from the Grecians to the Barbarians from the knowen word to the vnkowen world from Ierusalem to Tubal and Iapan the Isles a farre off powred forth like the oyle of the widowes cruse of Saâ—repta tooke greater aduantage for of one Christ is risen a whole world of Christians powres forth like the pretious oyntment which ranne downe Arons beard vnto the skirts of his garment for we haue all receiued of his fulnesse grace for grace powred forth for the holy oyntment of the Arke of Gods Testament the sauor and swéetnesse of that oyntment drew on all the Iewes to follow the Arke and the swéete sauor of Christs vertues had drawne on all the world in the name of the sonne to worship the father Petite in nomine meo Aske in my name a name of greatnesse a name of maiestie a name of saluation a name of glory a name of greatnesse his name shall be called wonderfull counsellor the mightie God the euerlasting father the prince of peace a name of Maiestie at the name of Iesus Christ euery knée shall bowe the things in heauen the things in earth and things vnderneath the earth a name of saluation there is no name giuen vs vnder heauen by the which we may be saued but only in the name of the Lord Iesu Christ a name of glory in him are hid all the treasures of wisdome knowledge and vnderstanding because it pleaseth the father that in him all fulnesse should dwell Petite in nomine meo aske in my name which hath bin derided by the Gentles scorned of the Iewes abused of the Heretickes persecuted by tyrants and trembled at by the diuels but within short time shall eate idolatry from the Gentles superstition from the Iewes the Church vsurped from the heretickes the fiercenesse to shed blood from tyrants and the very seates of heauen from the reprobate flocks of diuels Aske in my name and yee shall receiue and my heauenly father Dabit vobis shall giue vnto you You will say perchance yée haue asked many times in this name yet haue not béene heard but I say vnto you that yée were more then heard when as it séemed vnto you yée were not heard Foure wayes there bée by the which God imparteth his fauour and goodnesse and graces vnto vs. 1. By deferring grace 2. By changing grace 3. By denying grace And 4. by kindling our zeale to aske grace What saith the zealous man and woman that they haue praied for feruor of spirit and could not be heard yée but if God hath giuen vnto them to be sorrowfull with a godly sorrow for the wante of this feruour behold grace granted vnto them by deferring of grace 2. What say the sonnes of Zebedie that they haue asked dextram sinistram and could not be heard yée but if God hath giuen vnto them to drinke of the bitter cup of his passion that for this they might receiue a greater crowne of glory behold grace giuen by changing of grace 3. What sales the luxurious what say the wantons what say the ambitious what say the couetous that they haue asked pleasures and honours and riches and could not be heard I but if God had giuen them they would haue mispent them vpon the lewd shamefull lusts behold grace here giuen by denying of grace 4. What say the hipocrits the worldlings the Athiests that they haue prayed in his name and could not be heard I but they prayed faithlessely I but they praied coldly I but they prayed Kemissely when they shall pray faithfully and feruently and deuoutly they shall be heard behold grace here granted in quickning our zeale to aske grace And surely that oftentimes yée aske and do not receiue yée séeke and doe not finde yée knocke and it is not opened vnto you either it is because when yée pray yée curse and that is to say the Popes and deuils Pater noster or else it is because yée aske amisse as Saint Iames saith or else it is because although yée aske honest things enough yet not according to Gods will as Saint Paul did or else it is because yée pray vainly as Zebedeus the wise did or else it is because yée pray proudly as the Pharasies did or else it is because yée pray with your hands full of bloud as the Iewes did or else it is because yée pray ignorantly as the Papists did or else it is because yée pray faithlessely and coldly as the Athiests doe If any fault be the defect is on our side on Gods part this promise remaineth firme quicquid petieritis whatsoeuer yée shall aske the father in the sonnes name shall be giuen vnto you O most powerfull and profitable and holy prayer the comfort of the soule the key to grace the Ladder to heauen the entrie to saluation a most rich field of Manna a most endlesse fountaine of Paradice the heart of the spirit the spirit of the life the life of him that liueth well Now the reason why I haue thus magnified and extolled this holy exercise of prayer is to diminish and abate the credit of a certaine new-fangled and ouerlicentious opinion which is of late conceiued amongst men to wit that all the chiefe parts and points of the christian religioÌ„ consisteth in the reading of scriptures frequenting of Lectures and hearing of Sermons and here it is necessarie that I preface least I be mistaken Therfore as S. Iames is not to be vnderstood to dispraise faith when as he preferred charitie before it in respect of continuance nor almes déeds nor martyrdom when as he preferred charitie before them both in respect of the dayly vse nor the operation of great and mightie workes and the speculation of high knowledge when as he preferred charitie before them both in respect of pietie no more would I be thought to dispraise reading of Scriptures frequenting of Lectures and hearing of Sermons when as I preferred prayer before them all in respect of the vncessant vse we haue of it in the dayly seruice of God let euery thing be placed in his proper roome and order because they are giuen and procéede all from him which liketh so well of order that he vouchsalfeth to be called the God of order Surely as touching reading of Scriptures hearing of Sermons we must néedes confesse both these to be great helps vnto the man of God in that cause of saluatioÌ„ Whence is faith but of hearing whence is hearing but of the word howbeit let the vngenerate man heare the Apostles preach strange tounges he estéemes them as dronkennesse let