to our purpose Cyrill Alex in Oseam caâ— 9. Nouells abortiui puâ—abantur Hieron Deus vocandâ— Gentiles â—udaeos maxima melestia â—ffecit Theod in Rom. 10. that they did most insolently despise all other nations S. Hierome Ecclesiastes the sixth that the Gentiles were reputed but vpstarts and abortiues yea this pride was so rooted in them that the crossing of it was their greatest heart-breaking Theodoret obserueth it in Rom. cap. 10. for neither their seruitude nor their dispersion nor the ruine of their Temple and Countrie doth so much vexe them as the glorie of the Gentiles Church And there is good ground for this note both in rule and practice God foretold it should be so Deut. 32. Because you haue prouoked me to iealousie by those that are no Gods I also will prouoke you to iealousie with that which is no people by a foolish nation will I anger you The Gospell telleth vs it was so when Christ went into Zacheus did they not murmur Luke 19. Were they not filled with indignation when a whole Citie of the Gentiles came to heare the Word of God 〈◊〉 13. 1 〈◊〉 2. Did they not forbid the Apostles to preach to the Gentiles All these are proofes in what estimation they had the Gentiles And doe not the Romanists in the like manner glorie now in Saint Peter and thinke none built vpon the rocke of Saint Peters confession but themselues Syrians Armenians Ethiopians Graecians Protestants all are Heretickes but themselues they are not so eloquent in any argument as in their inuectiues against these but nothing so galleth them as the glorie of the Reformed Churches which is a spice of their Iewish pride Saint Iohn shall correct them in the Iewes Let vs come then to the Correction Saint Iohn disproueth the Iewes appropriating of Abrahams Family to themselues shewing that there is no impediment in Gods Power but that Abraham may haue yea rather there is faire euidence in his Couenant that Abraham shall haue other children euen those that seeme vnlikely to become chilren though all the Iewes saile Both these Propositions are contained in Saint Iohns answere the Fathers obserue both and I will shew you what ground there is for both But because the latter doth presuppose the former the former must first bee vnfolded vnto you Some then take the name of stones properly though they also differ amongst themselues some vnderstand the twelue stones that were by Ioshuah pitcht in the middest of Iordan when the children of Israel passed it vpon the drie ground other vnderstand common stones such as lie by the Riuers side But the difference is not worth the standing vpon those which Ioshuah pitcht were common stones and to the working of the Miracle it skilleth not whether they were those or any other for it must be an Almightie Power that must worke this alteration of any By Gods Power then you must vnderstand his absolute abilitie to doe what he will and can there be any question but that the same God which out of the dust of the earth made man of the rib of man made woman can raise vp children vnto Abraham to take away all doubt from the Iew and to make it out of all question that God can doe this see how he speaketh in the Prophet Esay Looke vpon the rocke from whence you were hewen and the pit out of which you were digged Looke vpon Abraham that begat you and Sarah that bare yee The Fathers thinke that Saint Iohn in his phrase alludeth to this place of the Prophet And if out of the withered bodie of Abraham and Sarah God could draw Isaak why cannot other children by the same power bee giuen vnto Abraham There should bee no doubt with vs the first Article of whose Creed is I belieue in God the Father Almightie and yet a doubt is made of this 〈◊〉 â—nim â—i lapidem râ—â—ente 〈…〉 homâ—nem 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈◊〉 11 caâ— 24. a double doubt one Impious another Curious The Impious is made by Galen for thus hee saith Were God neuer so willing he cannot make a man of a stone and in this doth our opinion and the opinion of Plato and other Greeke Philosophers which haue written aright of the nature of things differ from Moses for God thinkes Moses is Almightie and can doe what he will although it be of Ashes to make an Horse or an Oxe But wee thinke not so But afsirme that there are somethings which nature cannot doe and that God neuer attempts any such thing but of that which is in his power he chuseth to doe that which is best The weaknesse of so worthy a mans iudgement I censure not as it deserueth because it was a fault of his infidelitie only I answere him as Christ did the Saducees He erred not knowing the Scripture Mat. 21 2â— nor the power of God he equalled Nature vnto God whereas God is the God of Nature and therefore many things which nature cannot doe Aliud est naturae possibile 〈◊〉 liud naturd Ephes 3. God often doth the instances are many that may be giuen hereof in the Old Testament and in the New the Apostles Rule is Hee can doe aboue all that we can thinke according to which words we must vnderstand those of our Sauiour That which is impossible to men that is not only aboue their power but also aboue their conceit is possible to God Potentiae Dei nullus neque numerus neque terminus Bern. pag. 1253. for as Saint Bernard There is neither number nor boundarie of those things that come within the compasse of Gods Omnipotencie But here the Papist commeth in vnseasonably with his Transubstantiation thinking this a faire ground to prooue the possibilitie of it but they racke Gods power too farre For as God simply hath no Passiue Power because he can faile in nothing So in his Actiue Power he is dissinabled by their owne confession vnto some things namely to make contradictories and they cannot with all their sophistrie free this their Tenent from manifold contradiction But to shut vp this first dispute Rom. 4. Heb. 11. Abraham had an eye to this Almightie Power both when hee expected and also when hee would haue offered his sonne and so must wee in our faith and in our obedience Gods Almightie Power must make vs resolute in both The second dispute is Curious the Schoolemen moue it they inquire how these men which God by his Almightie Power can make of stones can possibly bee the children of Abraham whereas Abrahams children must spring from Abrahams loines A question vnworthy of Diuines But to the purpose In hominem Physicum Theologicum A man is distinguished into naturall constitution and supernaturall condition In this dispute we haue not to doe with man as a man but as a member of the Church that it is so you may gather out of the very phrase it is not said God shall raise children of Abraham
but it is also a word which the Prophets doe vse in foretelling the miracles of Christ for he was amongst other things to open the mouthes of the Dumbe and in the Gospell working such a cure hee vseth the word Ephata 〈…〉 be thou opened loosing the tongue by the eare But we must vnderstand that in the corporall cure there was an intimation of the spirituall and indeede Christ had neuer come into the world to cure the corporall had it not beene thereby to bring vs to an higher conceite of him that he was the Physitian of our soules and came to enable them to speake the language of Canaan And this is the opening of the lippes which King Dauid here desires This is a great worke great in regard of the difficultie that is in the thing 〈◊〉 6 or the inabilitie that is in vs. There is a difficultie in the thing for we cannot praise God farther then we know him but how little a portion is heard of him 〈…〉 We may speake much saith the sonne of Syracke yet come short when we glorifie the Lord exalt him as much as wee can for euen yet will he sarre exceede and when you exalt him put forth all your strength and be not wearie for you can neuer goe farre enough There are yet hid greater things then these be Psal 14â— 13 for we haue seene but a few of his workes Dauid in few words tels vs that his praise is aboue Heauen and earth that is the conclusion which he sets downe after he had summoned all creatures to praise the Lord. Seeing God then is aboue all praise it is certaine that he cannot bee worthily praised of vs by reason of the difficultie of the worke But were there lesse difficultie in that yet is there great inabilitie in vs inabilitie from our Affections inabilitie from our Conscience From our Affections there are two preualent ones that hinder vs in this worke first Spes Lucri secondly Metus periculi the wages of iniquitie will hire a Balaam a Iudas ro curse Gods people the subiect of Gods praise and though he be the top of Gods praise to betray the Sauiour of the world how many in all Ages haue beene so farre bewitch with worldly honour and profit Haue fallen downe and worshipped the Idoll of mens fancies and blasphemed God and his truth The hopc of gaine is a great tongue tie The feare of danger is a greater the verie Apostles themselues fot a time felt the strength thereof and after their time it made many Renegadoes and Apostata's Iob 2.4 Skin for skinne and all that a man hath will he giue for his life he will redeeme that though it be with cursing of God himselfe the world hath had had too many spectacles of such feare of danger But if we can master both these vnruly Affections yet will the conscience of sinne be a bridle to our tongues it will make vs silent In Leuit. c 13. or put vs to silence Cyril of Alexandria moralizing those words of Moses that he that is a Leaper shall haue his mouth couered saith that he which is in the leaprosie of sinne hath lost all authoritie of speaking for how should he teach another that hath not taught himselfe Comment in Nazian Psal 137.3 And Nicètas to this purpose wittily allegorizeth those words of the Psalme How shall we sing the Lords song in a strange land A sinner is truely a stranger and hee that is in the state of sinne is farther from God then Babylon from Hierusalem therefore doth his conscience tell him that he is in no case to make melodie to the Lord. Certainely Chap. 6. Esay when in a vision he heard the Seraphins sing the Lords song Holy Holy Lord God of Hoasts heauen and earth are full of thy glorie was thereby put in mind of the fault of his owne lippes and the lippes of the Iewes which made him crie out Woe is me that am a man of polluted lippes and dwell in the middest of a people of polluted lippes neither was he quiet vntill a Seraphin touched his lippes with a coale from the Altar But put the case some man may be so foole-hardie that though he be a sinner yet will he not be silent he shall bee put to silence the vncleane spirit gaue glorie vnro Christ when he said I know thee who thou art the Holy one of God But Iesus rebuked him saying hold thy peace Marke 2. and Saint Paul refused the testimonie of a spirit of diuination Acts 16. though hee spake honourably of him and of his followers these men are the seruants of the most high God which shew vnto vs the way of saluation yet did hee command him out of the Damsell and suffered him to speake no more Neither is this checke giuen onely to wicked spirits but euen vnto euerie wicked man saith God What hast thou to doe to declare my statutes Psal 50. or that thou shouldest take my Couenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction Eccles 15.9 and hast cast my words behind thee Praise is not comely in the mouth of a sinner for he that is vnholy doth defile that which is holy Hagga 2.82 therefore no man may presume to touch sacred things with prophane hands nor with a prophane tongue to speake sacred words By this time you perceiue that the shewing forth of the praises of God is a great worke and whether wee looke vpon the difficultie that is in the thing or the inabilitie that is in man Dauid had reason to pray Aperilabia open my lippe But to whom doth he pray To the Lord Lord open thou my Lippes And he hath a good ground to pray so Proueth 16 1. Solomon teacheth that the preparation of the heart is from man but the answere of the tongue is from the Lord he is the key-keeper of our mouth if he shut no body can open and if he open no body can shut â—â—â—d 4. God tels Moses that this is his power Who maketh mans mouth or who maketh the dumbe haue not I the Lord And verily were it no more but our naturall speech that we desire wee must seeke it of him Acts 17 2â— in whom onely we liue moue and haue our being and who in the person of Zacharie sheweth Luke 1 that hee giueth and taketh away euen that speech at his pleasure How much more must we accompt him to be the fountaine of our supernaturall speech Certainely Christ giueth the glorie thereof vnto him 〈◊〉 50. Actâ— 2 the Lord saith he hath giuen me the tongue of the learned and it was from God that the fierie tongues descended vpon the Apostles Psal 8.2 and inabled them to speake it is God that out of the mouthes of babes and sucklings hath perfected praise Men may be otherwise satis loquaces of eloquent of free speech who when they come to the seruice of God seeme to be
may learne it of the Pharisee in the Gospell Luke 18.11 I thinke God I am not like other men so doth he vaunt in his Prayer to God And indeed they thought themselues too good to conuerse with the vulgar sort But the ground of this conceit is worth the marking for by that time they tooke vnto themselues this name the forgerie related in the Apocryphal Esdras began to be current Lib. 2. ca. 14. ver 6.14 It began to be beleeued that Moses in mount Sinai receiued not only a Law which he writ but another also which he deliuered by word of mouth that Ioshua receiued it from him and others from Ioshua that so it continued by Succession vntil it was conueied into the Talmud The new Testament calleth it the traditions of the Elders the Iewes themselues Mishne which the Fathers render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yea they are not ashamed to enter into a blasphemous comparison of the written Law with the vnwritten giuing the preheminence to the vnwritten aboue the written The Church of Rome hath dream't the verie same dreame in the new Testament as they did in the old and hath fained a traditionarie Gospell as the other fained a traditionarie Law And she commeth fairly after them in the blasphemous comparison the time will not suffer me to inlarge the Parallel others haue done it you may reade it in them I will insist no longer here vpon the Story of the Pharisee I shall meete with him againe Onely if you compare the Sadducee and the Pharisee and obserue how one did pare from the other patch to Gods Word how the one bent to Atheisme and the other to Superstition you will see how hardly men keepe a meane either in knowledge or conuersation some ouer-reach some reach not home But wee must hold it the truest Piety to confine our wits and conforme our liues to that will of God which we haue of record Hauing sufficiently described the Persons we must now consider their taking of the occasion When they heard they came together A strange thing for what was that which they heard was it not the making good of their Tenent against the Sadduces the prouing of the Resurrection of the dead A man would expect that they should congratulate Christs victory and reioyce in the refutation of the Sadduces Haply they would haue done so if there had beene nothing else but Christ got credit by the Sadduces silence the people wondred at it this was a corasiue to the Pharisees they were â—ealous that what Christ gained they lost Therefore they maligned his successe and malice hath no eyes to see good turnes or to bee moued with them Nay see Christ was taking their part against the Sadduces and they reuenge the Sadduces quarrell vpon Christ Malice doth not onely not see good turnes but it can forget also ill turnes to doe a mischiefe vnto those that are good The Sadduces and Pharisees were profest enemies yet both of them agree to take part against Christ so were Pontius Pilate and Herod made friends to crucifie him The extreames though most opposite yet doe either of them impugne the meane in morality couetousnesse indureth not prodigality nor prodigality couetousnesse yet both concurre to ouerthrow liberality As it is in the Abstract so it is in the Concrete men carry themselues according to the qualities wherewith they are seasoned And this is the reason why as in the time of Christ so in our times the orthodoxe Christian is assaulted and battered as well by the superstitious as by the prophane I haue not yet shewed you the depth of their malice it was much that it would not let them see Christs well-deseruing more that they did not see the ill-deseruing of the Sadduces but I wonder at neither of these blindnesses malice suffereth them not to see their owne desperate aduenture for they had not long before as it appeareth in this Chapter set vpon Christ and went awy with disgrace if they would not take warning from the Sadduces foyle they might from their owne But it is a true rule Malitia Ambitio nutriunt temeritatem impudentiam where a mans heart is possest with ambition or malice hee will bee commonly foole-hardie and past shame hee will venture without fore-sight of his present ruine and hee is shamelesse and senslesse though hee haue neuer so much cause to blush and take heed The Diuell tempted Christ and though he were twice repulsed yet he set on him the third time his schollers haue the same resolution Which must make vs not to wonder at the replications Chryâ—ost 16. in Math. and triplications of the Aduersaries of our Church Audi homo sidelis saith an ancient Father hearken to me O whosoeuer faithfull man thou art that willingly dost encounter an Hereticke if the Pharisee could be quiet then is there hope thou mayst quiet an Hâ—reticke but it is no more possible for to quiet an Hereticke then it was to quiet a Pharisee For what art thou stronger then Christ that thou shouldest quiet them whom Christ could not quiet No we must still beare in minde that the Church is militant when we haue put off one storme we must look for another Christ was so exercised and so hath his Church euer beene and shall bee vntill the end of the world Finis vnius cruciâ— est gradus alterius Christian men by one conquest doe but make way to another conflict Chrysost Hom quae supra And the Enemie of the Church saepe confunditur nunquam placatur though often confounded will neuer be appeased And let this suffice for the Occasion I come now to the Conference whereof the first part is the Question moued Here I told you wee were first to see Who moueth it Laying the words together I found there were two sorts of Actors many plotted for Conuenerunt in vnum all the Pharisees laid their heads together and they repayred all to Christ all their wits did hammer it and all their Persons countenance it they were not vnaduised vpon that which they spake and they did afford it their best assistance which maketh much for the amplifying of Christs wisedome and his constancie that could reply so sodainly to that which so many heads had premeditated and was not daunted with the presence of so many great Rabbines What Grace hee gaue to his disciples he wanted not himselfe Ma. 10.19 dabitur in illa hora his spirit did suggest in an instant what he should speake and he had a mouth giuen vnto him which the aduersaries could not resist As many plotted the Question so there was but one that did propose it S. Chrysostome and other of the Fathers obserue a policie herein for the Pharisees had reason to doubt of the successe vpon their former proofe therfore they handle the matter so that but one should speak if he preuailed they would all triumph because he was of their Sect but if he were foyld
description of God you must obserue that of his Prouidence there are two parts the first is the blessing of his creatures especially man the second is the Inquirie how these creatures vse his blessings this later point concerneth my Text. As then no Husbandman is so carelesse as hauing planted an Orchard not to looke into it and see the successe of his paines no more is God Esay will teach vs that the Husbandmans discretion commeth from the Lord of Hosts which is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working neither is there any perfection in man which is not much more eminent in God Wee may not then dreame that wee hold of God without account or impeachment of waste wee owe our apparence both at his Court and at his Audit hee taketh his times for both or not to goe from our Parable the sonnes of Adam haue no exemption seeing their Father had none God placed him in Paradise and came into Paradise to suruey him and the Fig-tree that grew in the Vineyard was surueyed by the Lord thereof And let this suffice touching the first Person and the resemblance that is made of him The second Person is Man But as the description of God doth shew vs rather what God is to vs then what hee is in himselfe so in the description of man the chiefest consideration is what hee is to Godward not what he is Wee haue here then to doe with not simply a man but a member of the Church the Law speaketh to them that are vnder the Law Now of a member of the Church wee haue here an excellent resemblance hee is resembled to a tree bearing fruit 〈…〉 73. 〈◊〉 5. The Church is likened to a Paradise which is full set with fruitfull trees As God in the Creation made the whole world but of a part of the whole made Paradise so hath hee selected his Church out of a whole masse of the sonnes of Adam and calleth it his Orchard and of this Vineyard or Orchard the members of the Church are trees euery member is a tree though he be called sometimes by the name of a branch for euerie branch is potentially a tree a tree growing in a tree You may perceiue it by the litle shoots that wee take to inoculate and many branches that bored or otherwise planted take root in the ground although while they are but branches they doe not immediately root in the ground euen so euery member of the Church seeing he hath no communion with God but by the mediation of Christ is but a branch yet seeing Gods promises are made both to him and his 〈…〉 Cap. 52. and others may spring from him he is not vnsitly compared to a tree But it is to a tree that beareth fruit whose inward vertue manifesteth it selfe by outward workes As a tree that sucketh nourishment from the ground spendeth part of it in sustayning it selfe and when it is sufficed therewith worketh the rest of the juice vnto fruit so should the members of the Church themselues bee the better for the Grace which they receiue and doe good to others also they must beare fruit Fruit is significantly expressed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Athanas Tom. 1. Serm. de 〈◊〉 ment Gen. v. 9. for the likenesse of leaues doth often deceiue the ouer-seer but when the profit of the doctrine doth shew it selfe in workes then it appeares who is a sincere faithfull man and who is an Hypocrite Adde hereunto that though great is the ornament of leaues yet their best commendations goeth no farther then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pleasure it doth not come so farre as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meat But out of the ground of Paradise God made to grow euery tree that was both pleasant to the sight and good for sood and such a tree must our tree be But euery tree by nature is a fruit tree Gen. 1. v. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God that made all made no other Saint Basil hath obserued it and because some trees make shew of the contrarie he giueth vs a distinction of secret and open fruit with one of which euerie tree is furnished And indeed seeing euerie tree hath seed according to his kind it hath fruit because naturally the seed is included in the fruit and followeth the condition of it being as that is either secret or open Seeing then euery tree beareth fruit to beare fruit is not enough wherefore there is another word added it must beare good fruite there are trees of the field and trees of the Orchard both beare fruit but the fruit of the field tree feedeth only beasts and birds only the fruit of the Orchard-tree yeildeth sustenance for man There must bee some difference betweene them that are within the Church and them that are without as betweene Orchard and Field trees the fruit of the one and the fruite of the other they without the Church fructifie for the Deuill and the World but the members of the Church beare fruite to God and good men as it is intimated by the Vine Indges 9. by the Figge by the Oliue vnto which trees the godly are compared Marke then that the difference betweene the trees of the Field and of the Orchard is not the bearing and not bearing of fruit in bearing fruit the natiue and the satiue both agree but it is good and bad fruit that doth distinguish them And this distinction is necessarie because it is possible that trees of the Orchard should become as bad as the trees of the Field and why since the fall of Adam they are all grafted trees and you know that a grafted tree may shoot out either out of the wild stocke or out of the sweet graft and it is a speciall care of a good Husbandman to cut off still all the shoots of the stocke that the graft may prosper the better Origen obserueth well wee haue inward trees a Good and a Bad we haue the flesh and the Spirit Habemus aâ—bores internas bonam malam â—nâ— cuit Gal. 5. and Saint Paul telleth vs that both these haue their fruits To beare good fruit then is to walke in the spirit and not to fulfill the deeds of the flesh Here is no species of good workes set downe neither intend I at this time to fall into the common place of good workes a former clause of my text gaue mee occasion to speake heretofore of them Nazian Zen hath a good Epitome of that argument 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tom. 1. p 555. in two words of good workes there must be Varietie and Plentie But I may not forget that there were two speciall trees in Paradise the Tree of the knowledge of good and euill and the Tree of Life Lib. 2. ad Autoluc God forbad the one and permitted the other Theophilus Patriarch of Antioch giueth the reason and it is that God would haue vs captiuate our wits to his wisdome and for knowledge bee
both to our faith and to our manners and from our most wise and most holy GOD nothing could proceed that was not most righteous and most true Out of this Principle doth MALACHI worke the reparation of a breach which the Iewes had made vpon the seuenth Commandement The breach was Polygamie or multiplying of wiues whereof the reparation is a reducing of them to the first institution of marriage and this is done in those words that now I haue read vnto you Herein we haue first a Text of the Law And did he not make one Then a Sermon of the Prophet made thereon yet had he the residue of Spirit And wherefore one Because c. But more distinctly In the Text of the Law we will consider First the matter that is contained in it then the manner how the Prophet doth vrge it The matter sets before vs a Worke and a Workmaster The worke is the making of one the Workmaster was he both clauses are darke because the words are short To cleere them we must supply out of Genesis and there we find that this one was one Adam and the he that made him was the Lord God GOD made one out of one male he made one female by creation and by coniunction he made that female to be one againe with that male out of which he tooke her This is the matter The manner of the Prophets arguing the Text is powerfull that which in Genesis is a plaine narration is here turned into a question and in such questions the Holy Ghost doth report himselfe vnto the Consciences of those that heare whether to their knowledge he speake not truth So must you vnderstand those words did he not make one Hauing proposed his Text the Prophet maketh a short but a full Sermon hereupon for it consists of a doctrine and an exhortation The doctrine openeth the reason of GODS worke and the Prophet argues in effect thus GOD made but one was it because he could make no more or because he would make no more Certainly not because he could not for he had aboundance of Spirit then it was because he would not And indeed all GODS workes ad extra as the Schooles call them the workes of Creation Prouidence Redemption are all arbitrarie they come from his Will but such a Will as is not blind it is guided by his Wisedome and his Will prescribes nothing whereof his Wisedome cannot yeeld a reason and sometimes he is pleased to shew that reason to vs who otherwise are bound to rest satisfied with the signification of his holy Will Therefore the Prophet goeth on in his arguing wherefore one What is the reason of this Will of GOD And he answereth by the direction of GODS Spirit that it was expedient it should be so two wayes expedient First Expedient in Nature God sought for seed he would haue men multiply and increase which could not be except he had made one and if he had made more then one it could not well haue beene Secondly It was expedient in Grace also for though GOD would haue men multiply yet would he not haue them multiply otherwise then beseemed the children of GOD he sought a holy seed For these ends was GOD pleased thus to order his workes and vpon this doctrine of the ends doth the Prophet ground an exhortation it consists of two parts because in the case of mariage we owe a double respect one to our selues another to our mate The respect we owe to our selues is that we must watch ouer our better part take heed to our Spirit The respect we owe to our mate is we must not violate the faith plighted to her let no man deale treacherously with his wife especially if she be the wife of his youth that is he married her when he was young the longer they haue beene marryed together the more back-ward should they be from dealing falsely one with the other You see the particulars of the Text and of the Sermon that we may better vnderstand them and their fitnesse for this occasion I will open them a little more fully I pray GOD I may doe it profitably also Come we then to the Text of the Law to the matter contained therein I will not trouble you with the diuers translations and varietie of interpretations suitable thereunto leaue that to the Schooles our CHVRCH hath made a choyce and that choyce agrees well with the Originall we will rest contented with that and according to it frame our obseruations I told you that the words set before vs a Worke and a Workemaster yet neither doth plainly appeare they are onely pointed at here but exprest Gen 1. whence I supplyed the name of ADAM and the name of GOD whereof the first is the Worke and the second the Workmaster so that then the words will sound thus God made one Adam Let vs take these parts asunder The name of ADAM is not to be vnderstood vulgarly but as the Holy Ghost vseth it and so it comprehends both sexes so we read Gen. 1. GOD created ADAM male and female made he them in the 5 of Genesis more plainly God made man male and female and called them Adam so that the name ADAM being but one is commonly two the male and the female As they are one in name so are they in nature also we read Gen. 2. that GOD made the female out of the rib of the male for he would haue her to be like him De Paradiso Cap. 10. and he confest her to be bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh Nec illud otiose saith St AMBROSH it is worth our marking that GOD did not make the woman of the same Earth whereof he made man but he made EVE of the rib of ADAM to giue vs to vnderstand that there is but one body in them both and that one body the onely Fountaine of all mankind Plat. Do Conuiuio Leo. Heb. The Platonists Androgunos is but a corruption of this truth As man was by creation made two but of like substance and so continued still one both in name and nature so by a second work they were made yet more one that is by marriage Gen. 2. for that maketh two one flesh two I say the Septuagint adde that word vnto MOSES his Text and CHRIST approues it in the Gospel Math. 19◠1 Cor. 6. Eph. 5. St PAVL therein followeth CHRIST and the words of marriage are the man shall cleaue to his wife therefore doth the Apostle call the wife 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the husband 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 7. Lesse then one there could not be and be a naturall propagation and more then one there should not be and that propagation be orderly But this onenesse is principall or accessorie the principall is onenesse of coniugall power and coniugall affection Coniugall power for though in other things the man is superiour to the woman the husband to his wife Rom. 7.1
shew the dignitie of the Soule of man Beasts haue soules no lesse then men but theirs compared to ours are verie base our soule comes from Heauen theirs from the Earth we must not vnderualue this precious guift of God nor let any vnruly lusts tell the world that the Soule that dwelleth in vs is not much better conditioned then that of a Beast You that are the Penitent take notice of this take notice how your fact hath debased your Soule It is cleare then that God did not make but one because he could make no more whereupon it will follow that the reason why he made but one was because he would not And indeed all Gods outward workes are arbitrarie they depend vpon his Will neither could any thing haue forced them against his Will whether they be workes of the Creation of the Prouidence or of the Redemption whatsoeuer outward worke he doth commeth freely from him Hauing found out this generall cause a man would thinke the Prophet might haue rested here for who should aske an account of Gods Will which prescribes to all things and whereon our Faith may securely rest because it is a most holy ground it is the rule of righteousnesse a man may boldly securely submit to it without disputes obey it in the greatest Articles of our Faith as the Mysterie of the Trinitie of the Incarnation we rest vpon his bare word and we should doe ill if we did enquire beyond it such busie curiositie in the highest straines of Religion bred the old Heresies and is the Mother of many controuersies that now disquiet the CHVRCH But yet this we must hold that in all outward workes GODS Will is guided by his Wisdome Eph. 1. and he doth all things according to the counsell of his Will as the Apostle speaketh And although sometimes he is pleased to try our Faith by his absolute commands yet oftentimes especially in moralities he vouchsafeth to condescend to our infirmity and cherish our obedience by yeelding a reason of his doings and so settles our disputing wits as he doth in this place by the Prophet whose resolution of the doubt is verie full for he not onely refutes Error but declares the Truth wherein he goeth so farre as to set downe not onely the generall but the particular cause also of GODS making one and so maketh our vnderstanding happy for felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas farther our vnderstanding cannot goe and when it commeth so farre if euer it will be quiet and obey readily Let vs come then vnto the reason which GOD is pleased to yeeld it is in effect this It was expedient it should be so in regard both of Nature and Grace In regard of Nature quaesiuit semen GOD would haue mankind propagated In regard of Grace quaesiuit semen sanctum he would haue mankind propagated as beseemed his children for these ends was God pleased so to order his Worke to make one and but one But let vs take these branches asunder First He sought seed and is that hindred by many wiues A man would thinke it is farthered rather for the more wiues a man hath the more children may he haue A man would thinke so but it is not so for God hath proportioned the strength of one man to the vse of one woman and if he so confine his lust he shall haue more strength of body and length of life to propagate his seed such seed as may be fit for propagation But the man that is giuen to many women doth sooner decay the state of his body becomes barren before his time or begetteth children that are naturally Eunuches for the children of lustfull persons doe seldome proue fruitfull As for women that communicate their bodyes to many men their case is much more such looke into the Stewes and you shall see that those common Harlots are as barren of children as they are excessiue in lust neither are they more fruitfull that carrie their sinne more closely Adde hereunto Cap. 15. that saying of the sonne of SYRACH Bastard plants take no roots if two become one and that one be not of Gods making they cannot looke for Gods blessing the more of such ones the more vnhappy ones Therefore that Gods blessing which in the Creation he gaue to man saying Multiply and increase might be poured out vpon man in full measure he made but one As he said a seed so he said a holy seed he would haue men multiply but so as beseemes the children of God as was most expedient for the state of Grace And here the phrase is to be obserued that which we render holy seed is in the Originall the seed of God it may allude to diuers stories First To that of the Creation Gen. 1. God made man after his Image after the Image of God made he them both male and female Cap. 3. therefore St LVKE fetcheth ADAMS pedigree from GOD GOD eleuated the nature of man whom he made answerable to the Couenant whereinto he entered and man became not onely a sociable Creature but also a member of the CHVRCH and GOD would haue them multiply as such bring forth children after his Image answerable to the honor which in the Creation he hath done them A second allusion of this phrase may be to the storie of the Separation which after the Fall was made betweene the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent the seed of ENOS and of CAIN The seed of ENOS that continued in the Couenant Gen. 6. and had the seed of God as St IOHN speaketh abiding in them were called the sonnes of God and they were to continue on a posteritie like vnto themselues partakers of the same Grace heires of the same Promises the CHVRCH was to be perpetuated in their seed But as ADAM tooke a fall and then brought out children after his owne Image not GODS so these sonnes of GOD coupled themselues with the daughters of men and of them were borne Giants such Mongrels such Monsters as lost the seed of GOD and therefore were swept away with the Flood GOD reuiued his seed a third time by NOAR in SEM and of SEMS posteritie chose ABRAHAM Exod. 19. whose posteritie he made a Kingdome of Priests a holy Nation and forbad them to profaine the holy off-spring of the Lord in mingling themselues with the cursed off-spring of CHAM to continue their prerogatiue The storie of EZRA and NEHEMIAH shew how the Iewes transgrest this Commandement and how much those good men were offended therewith and prest the reformation thereof our Prophet that liued about those times may allude thereunto But whatsoeuer did occasion the phrase the issue of Polygamie must needs be an vnholy a bastard a cursed seed GOD in his Couenant promiseth to be our GOD and the GOD of our Seed but it is of our seed lawfully begotten Deut. 23. therefore in the Law he commandeth that a bastard shall not come