any it skilled not what Gen 4.26 So the posterity of Seth the people of GOD begoon at the Church Et coeptum est invocari at the worship of GOD and His Tabernacle as the point of principall necessitie in their accompt and as CHRIST reckoned it Vnum necessarium And truly if we be not Populus a people Luk. 10.42 but Populus Tuus GOD 's people we will so esteeme it too For as for iâ—stice and law and execution of them both Taliter fecit omni populo it is everie where to be had Psal. 76.1 even among the verie Heathen and Turkes themselves So is not GOD 's truth anâ— Religion and the way of righteousnesse No Natus in Iudaea Deus saith the Prophet in the last Psalme that is onely to be had in the Church and Non talitâ—r fâ—cit omni populo he hath not dealt so with every people â—very people have not knowledge of His lawes So that if the Governor be not meerely Pastor agrestiâ— a rurall shepheard such as are in the fields and the people of GOD in his eyes no better then Pecora campi so that if he keepe them one from goring another with their hornes and one from eating up the others locke of hey all is well and no more to be cared for of Gaâ—lio But that he be like the great Shepheard the good Shepheaâ—d the â—rince of Shepheards 1. Pet. 2.25 who was Pastor animarum as Saint Peter calleth him a Shepheard of soules to see also that they be in good plight that they be ledd in the way of truth It will easily be yielded to that per manum Mosis is no full point but needeth and Aaron to be ioyned to it Exod 4.14 Moses himselfe saw this and therefore in the fourth of Exodus when he had diverse times shifted of this sole leading while GOD stood still upon Ecce mittam te At last when GOD came further and saiâ— Ecce Aaron frater tuus mittam eum tecum that conteâ—ted him and â—hen he vndertooke it as knowing these were like hands maimed the one without the other but that Moses and Aaron make a compleat Government 3. And what should I say more They be hands and the bodie needeth them both They be hands and they neâ—d each other Moses needeth Aaron For Moses hands are heavy and need a stay and Aaron it is that keepeth them steddy by continuall putting the people in remembrance that they be subject to principalities by winning that at their hands by his continuall dropping his word upon them which Moses for the hardnesse of their hearts is faine to yeeld to By strengthening mainely Mose's Debita legalia duties of Parliament and common law by his Debita moralia duties of conscience and Divinitie And whatsoever action Moses doth imprison Aaron imprisoneth all the thoughts any waies accessarie to the action Which thoughts if they may runne at libertie the action will surely be bayled or make an escape and not be long kept in durance And so many waies doth Aaron support and make both more easie and more steadie the hands of Moses And Moses for his part is not behind but a most jealous preserver of Aaron's honour and right every where Every where mild save in Aaron's quarrell and with those only that murmured against Aaron and said he tooke too much upon him Take but his prayer for all because I would end his prayer made for Aaron by name in the 33. Deut. and these three points in it Deut. 33.11 Blesse O Lord his substance therfore he would never have heard Vt quid perditio haec that all is lost that is spent on Aaron's head Then Accept the worke of his hands therefore he would never easily have excepted to or with a hard construction skanned all the doings of Aaron Last of all Smite through the loynes of them that rise up against him therefore he would never have strengthened the hand of his evill willers 1. Sam. 22.18 or said with Saul to Doëg Turne thou and fall upon the Priests To conclude Moses and Aaron both have enemies as Aaron hath Coreh and Dathan 2. Tim. 3.8 that repine at him so hath Moses too Iannes and Iambres that would withstand him And he that at one time disputes about the bodie of Aaron may also hereafter for he hath done it heretofore dispute about the bodie of Moses Iude 9. It is good therefore they be respective each to other Aaron helpe Moses in his lott and Moses Aaron in his that they stand in the gap one for another that so their unitie may be hand in hand as the unity of brethren strong and hard to breake as the barres of a palace The LORD by whose Almighty power all governments do stand those especially wherein the people are led in the way of his Sanctuarie as he hath graciously begun to lead us in that way so leave us not till we have finished our course with joy Knitt the hearts of Moses and Aaron that they may joine lovingly Teach their hands and fingers of their hands that they lead skilfully Touch the hearts of the people that they may be led willingly that by meanes of this happy conduct surely without error and safely without danger we may lead and be lâ—dd forward till we come to the fruition of his promise the expectation of our blessed hope even the eternall joies of his coelestiall Kingdome through IESVS CHRIST our LORD To Whom c. A SERMON Preached before QVEENE ELIZABETH AT SAINT IAME'S on Wednesday being the XXX of March A. D. MDXCIII MARKE CHAP. XIV VER IV. V.VI Erant autem quidam indignè ferentes intra semet-ipsos dicentes Vt quid perditio ista unguenti facta est c. Therefore some disdeigned among themselves and said To what end is this wast of ointment For it might have beene sold for more then three hundred pence and been given to the poore And they grudged against her But IESVS said Let her alone why trouble ye her She hath wrought a good worke on Me. THIS action of wast which by some is brought and by CHRIST our SAVIOVâ— traversed was against a woman saith Saint MARKE thâ— verse before which woman as Saint IOHN hath it Chap. XI Ver. 2. was MARIE MAGDALEN now a glorious Saâ—nt in heaven sometime a greevous sinner vpon earth Saint AVGVSTINE noteth Of all those that sought to CHRIST She was the onely sinner that for sinne onely and for no bodily griefe or maladie at all sued and sought to Him Of whom being received to grace and obteining a quietus est for her many sinnes a benefit in-estimable Et quod nem◠〈◊〉 nisi acceperit which they onely know and none but they that haue received it as Luk. 7.47 much was forgiven her so much she loved And seeking by all meanes to expresse her multam dilectionem propter multam remissionem as CHRIST saith Verse 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nothing
contempt against Moses or Aaron 1. And the Rulers have their lesson too First That if they be God's hands then His Spirit is to open and shut them stretch them out and draw them in wholy to guide and governe them as the hand of man is guided and governed by the spirit that is in man Heavenly and divine had those hands need be which are to be the hands and to worke the worke of God 2. Againe they be not only hands but Manus per quam that is hands in actu Not to be wrapped up in soft furr but by which an actuall dutie of leading is to be performed Mose's owne hand in the fourth of Exodus when he had lodged it in his warme bosome Exod. 4.6 became leprous but being stretched out recovered againe Hands in actu then they must be not loosely hanging downe or folded together in idlenesse but stretched out not onely to point others but themselves to be formost in th' execution of every good worke 3. Thirdly Manus per quam ducuntur That is as not the leprous hand of Moses 1. Reg. 13.4 so neither the withered hand of Ieroboam stretching it selfe out against God by mis-leading His people and making them to sinne Leading backe againe into Aegypt a thing expresly forbidden either to the oppression and bondage of Aegypt Deut. 17.16 or to the ignorance and false worship of Aegypt from whence Moses had ledd them For as they be not entire bodies of themselves but hands and that not their owne but God's so the People they ledd are not their owne but His and by Him and to Him to be ledd and directed So much for God's hands Moses Aaron This Honorable title of the hand of God is heere given to two parties Moses and Aaron in regard of two distinct duties performed by them Ye heard how we said before The people of God were like sheepe in respect of a double want 1 want of strength by meanes of their feeblenâ—sse 2 and want of skill by meanes of their simplenesse For this double want heere commeth a double supplie from the hand 1 of strength and 2 of cunning For both these are in the hand 1. It is of all members the chiefe in might as appeareth by the diversitie of vses and services Psal. 20.6 it is put to In Potentatibus dexterae saith the Prophet 2. And secondly it is also the part of greatest cunning as appeareth by the varietâ— of the works which it yeeldeth by the pen the pencill the needle and instruments of musique Psal. 78.72 Psal. 137.5 In intellectu manuum saith the Psalmist in the end of the next Psalme and let my right hand forget her cunning This hand of God then by his strength affordeth protâ—ction to the feeblenesse of the fâ—ock and againe by his skill affordeth direction to the simplenesse of the flocke And these are the two substantiall parts of all leading These twaine as two armes did God appoint in the wildernesse to lead His people by Afterward over these twaine did He yet set another even the power and authority Regall 1. Sam. 15.17 in place of the Head as himselfe termeth it and to it as supreme vnited the regiment of both The consideration of which Power I medâ—le not with as being not within the compasse of this versâ— but oâ—ely witâ— the hands or regiments Ecclesiasticall and Civill Which as the tâ—o Châ—â—ubimâ— did the Arke over-spread and preserve every estate 2. Chron 19.6 One saith Iehosaâ—hat dispensing Res Iehovae the Lord's businesse the other dealing in Negotio regis the â—â—faiâ—es of Estate One saith David intenâ—ing the worship of the Tribes 2. Chron. 19.11 Psâ—l 1 22.4.5 the otâ—er 〈◊〉 tâ—rones for iustice One saith Paul being for us in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things perteiniâ—g to God the other in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 15.17 1. Cor. 6.3 matters of this present life The one Pro aris the other Pâ—o focis as the very Heathen acknowledge 1. These two are the hands necessarie to the bodie and necessarie each to other First they be both hands and the hands we know are payres Not Moses the hand and Aaron the foot but either and each the hand And as they be a paire of hands so be they also a payre of brethren Not Moses de primis and Aaron de novissimis populi Esay 22. Not Mosâ—â— the Head and Aaron the tayle Not Moses a Quis as Saint Hierome speaketh out of the twenty two of Esay and Aaron a quasi quis but both of one parentage both one mans children 2. Secondly being both hands neither of them is superfluous no more to be spared then may the hands but both are absolutely necessarie and a maymed and lame estate it is where either is wanting The Estate of Israel in the seventeenth of the Iudges without a Civill Governor prooved a very masse of confusion The very same Estate in the second of Chron. Chap. XV. Iudg. 17.6 2. Chron. 15.3 Sine sacerdote docente no lesse out of frame Miserable first if they lacke Iosua and be as sheepe wanting that Shepheard And miserable againe if they lacke IESVS Num. 27.17 Matt. 9.36 and be as sheepe wanting that Shepheard Moses is needfull in the want of water to strike the rocke for us and to procure us supplie of bodily releeâ—e Exod. 17.6 Aaron is no lesse For he in like manner reacheth to every one food of another kinde which we may worse be without even the bread of life and water out of the spirituall Rocke Ioh. 6.48.51 1 Cor. 10.4 Exod 17 8. Ephes. 6 1â— which is CHRISâ— IESVS Moses we need to see our forces ledd against Amaleck for safegard of that little we hold heere in this life and Aaron no lesse to preserve our free-hold in the everlasting life For the great and mightie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the legions of our sinnes the very forces of the Prince of darknesse are ouerthrowne by the spirituall weapons of Aaron's warfare Moses may not be spared from sitting and deciding the causes which are brought before him No more may Aaron whose Vrim giveth answer in doubts no lesse important and who not onely with his Vrim and Thummim giâ—eth counseile but by his incense and sacrifice obteineth good successe for all our counseiles In a word If Moses rodd be requisite to sting and devoure the wicked Aaron's is also to revive the good and to make tâ—em to fructifie If Mose's hand want with the sword to make us a way Aaron's hand wants too with the key to give us an entrance And thus much will I say for Aaron for the Divell hath now left to dispute about Mose's bodie and bendeth all against him that the very first note of difference in all the Bible to know God 's people by is that as Cain and his race begoon at the City-waâ—ls first and let Religion as it might come after
XCVI SERMONS BY THE RIGHT HONORABLE AND REVEREND FATHER JN GOD LANCELOT ANDREWES late Lord Bishop of Winchester Published by His MAJESTIES speciall Command ANCHORA SPEI LONDON ⧠Printed by George Miller for Richard Badger MDCXXIX TO HIS MOST SACRED MAIESTIE CHARLES By the grace of GOD KING of Great Britaine France and Jreland DEFENDER OF THE FAITH c. Most Gracious and Dread SOVERAIGNE WE here present to Your most Sacred Majestie a booke of Sermons We need not tell whose they are the Sermons are able to speake their Author When the Author dyed Your Majesty thought it not fit his sermons should dye with him And though they could not live with all that elegancie which they had upon his tongue yet You were graciously pleased to thinke a paper-life better then none Vpon this Your Majesty gave us a strict charge that we should overlooke the Papers as well Sermons as other Tractates of that Reverend and Worthie Prelate and print all that we found perfect There came to our hands a world of Sermon notes but these came perfect Had they not come perfect we should not have ventured to add any limme unto them lest mixing a penn farre inferiour we should have disfigured such compleat bodies Your Majesties first care was for the Presse that the worke might be publicke Your second was for the worke it selfe that it might come forth worthy the Author which could not be if it came not forth as he left it In pursuance of these two we have brought the worke to light and we have done it with care and fidelitie for as the Sermons were preached so are they published When he preached them they had the generall approbation of the Court and they made him famous for making them Now they are printed we hope they will have aâ— generall liking of the Church and inlarge and indeare his name to them that knew not him We know there is a great prejudice attends the after printing of dead mens workes For the living may make the dead speake as they will and as the dead would not speake did they live And many worthy Authors in all professions have had such unsutable peeces stitched to their former workes as make them speake contrarie to themselves and to their knowne Iudgement while they lived As if they had seene some vision after death to crosse or recall their Iudgement in their life We would be loath to suffer under the suspition of this And therefore in a full obedience to Your Maiesties Commanâ— as we have printed all that we could finde perfect and worthy his Name so have we not added or detracted in the least to alter or divert his sense That so the worke may not only be his but as himselfe made it And the honour Your Maiesties that so carefully Commaunded it And the faithfulnesse ours in our obedience to Your Maiestie and our love to his memorie And now will Your Majesty graciously be pleased to give us leave to commend this worke to Your Protection which would have needed none had not Your Majesty commanded it to be publike For publike view is as great a search as many eyes can make And many eyes can see what two cannot be they never so good And among many eyes some will ever looke asquint upon worth and maligne that which they cannot equall And if ever any mans patience and temper could prevent this evill Eye we hope his may And yet even whil'st we hope the best we humbly begge your Majesty's protection against the worst Eph. 5.16 because the day's are evill VVe have but two things to present to Your Majestie They are the Person to your memorie And this his worke to your eye For the person we can add nothing to him To name him is enough to all that knew him and to read him will be enough to them that knew him not And though Vertue have but ' its due when 't is commended yet we conceive not how praise may make vertue better then it is especially when â—he person in whom it was is dead to all encouragement or comfort by it And yet though vertue cannot thus be bettered Pateâ—c Lib. 2. Hist. it may be righted thus For Vivorum ut magna admiratio ita censura difficilis T is easie to admire the living and we doe it but 't is hard to censure them any way Both because there will be no preferring one before another without offence And because as we know not what may come upon them before death so the censure may be so good as they will ner'e deserve or so bad as though they doe deserve they will not beare T was Bibulus-his case The admiration of men had carried him up to heaven Ciceâ—â— ad Aâ—tic Ep. 19. Bibulus hominum admiratione in Coelo est nec quare scio no lower place would serve him Yet when it came to a wiseman's censure he professed he knew no ground for that admiration and lesse worth in him for such a height But when men have payd all their rights of nature to death and are gone into their silence then where admiration ceaseth censure beginns Now if the censure be heavy as it is too oft upon the best yet then it should be sparing for humanitie's sake For that humanity which forbids the rifling of a grave bidds forbear him that is shut up in it and cannot answere But if the censure be good you may be bold with the grave And you cannot prayse any so safely as the dead for you cannot humor them into danger nor melt away your selfe into flattery The Person therefore whose workes these are was from his youth a man of extraordinarie worth and note A man as if he had been made up of Learning and Vertue Both of them so eminent in him as 't is hard to judge which had precedency and greater interest His Vertue which we must still judge the more worthy in any man was comparable to that which was wont to be found in the Primitive Bishops of the Church And had He lived among those ancient Fathers his Vertue would have shined even amongst those vertuous men And for his Learning that was as well if not better knowne abroad then respected at home And take him in his Latitude we which knew him well knew not any kinde of Learning to which he was a stranger but in his profession admirable None stronger then he where he wrestled with an Adversary And that Bellarmine felt who was as well able to shift for himselfe as any that stood for the Roman party None more exact more judicious then he where he was to instruct and informe others And that as they knew which often heard him preach so they may learne which will reade this which he hath left behinde him And yet this fulnesse of his Materiall Learning left roome enough in the temper of his braine for almost all Languages learned and moderne to seat themselves So that his Learning had
Nam est quaedam sagina laudis saith the Heathen man Praise will feed and fill both And it is our meate and drink and so we call it that we take delight in And sure if Esay be right that one may be drunke and no cup come at his head it is like possible Esay 51.21 one may surfett and yet no meat come in his belly And with pride both As for meat and drinke the divell never takes any keepes a perpetuall fast for that matter but feeds on pride as one doth on his meale and surfetts that way as much as any Epicure And even so for ought I know one may eat and drink no more then the divell and yet be as proud as the divell why not So as upon the matter their fast is but even the divell 's fast and no better Fasting then being an act of humilitie if the divell can make it matter of pride habetur propositum he hath what he would he will give you good leave to fast and spare not And even matter of pride he makes it The Pharisees whom CHRIST would have us Non sicut they were in their owne conceits the Non sicut's of the world They tell it GOD Non sicut alij Not like other men Others did but fast once a weeâ—e Luk. 18.12 if that they twise and never missed And in the Ecclesiasticall storie there is a rare example of it He that same IOHN the Patriarch of Constantinople that first tooke vpon him the proud title of Vniversall Bishop that very man was called and knowne by the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ioannes Iejunator Iohn the great Faster So pride will grow of fasting Being then ordained to take downe the soule if he can bring it to puffe it up and so turne our fast into sinne that is even a Fast of the divell 's owne choosing One which he is sure GOD will never looke at The Prophet gives the reason Zach. 7.5.6 If we fast for men's eyes we fast for men not for GOD. If we fast for our owne praise we fast for our selves not for GOD neither Now what GOD should reward should be done for GOD. And with GOD a righteous thing it is to put men over to receive their rewards at their hands for whom they fasted that they pay them their wages that sett them on worke For at His hands they are like to receive none seeing for Him they did it not He was not the Vt of their fasting And this is the last point As before not like them in their Sicut So not heer in their Vt neither Neither in their manner nor in their end Suppose now one may be so in love with the praise of men III. The Danger of it Verily they have c. as he is altogether out of love with an invisible fast must needs looke a little that way what harme will come of it Amen dico vobis quia receperunt mercedem suam This must needs be their punishment for there is none other but this And sure as strange a punishment as you shall read of To say Amen to that one desires to say one shall receive a reward Can it be a punishment to receive to receive a reward and a reward of our owne desiring It is surely none You doe it to be seene you shall be seene to be praised why you shall be praised This is your end your end be it You hunger and thirst for mens praise faine you would have it you shall have it There it is take it to you much good doe it you with it Call you this a punishment to receive a reward to have ones desire Surely it seemes but an easy one if it be one True if the reward be worth the while first And secondly if by receiving it we forfait not one incomparably greater But in these two cases 1 If the reward be but some sleight thing little worth 2 And then if by getting it we lose another above all worth then have we no great cause to rejoyce at our receiving then insteed of a reward it is a punishment say I and that a heavy one whensoever both these cases meet I. 〈◊〉 Reward 〈◊〉 praise 〈◊〉 Now both these cases meet heer First it is but a poore thing they receive Shall we value it as it is I meane this goodly reward of popular praise which they so itch after What is the popularitie but a sort of men nothing judiciall Not one among a hundred Not praising but out of passion lightly if that and not constant in that passion neither 〈…〉 not iudicial Praise if it be judiciall is somewhat worth and so worth the desiring The popular is not so 〈…〉 6.26 CHRIST saith they have alwaies spoken all good of the false Prophets as for the true they have ever followed them with all disgrace And then what judgement is there in them CHRIST himselfe will ye heare their verdict of Him Some there was said He was a good man but some other and the greater summe said No but a very seducer 〈…〉 7.12 a coosener of the people And then who can thinke there is any judgement in them In the XIX of the Acts the whole multitude was together and when Demetrius had sett them in 〈…〉 19.28.32 for two houres together they never left crying Great is Diana and the most part of them never knew why they were come together nor why they cried so And then what iudgement is there in them No sure out of lightnesse of mind out of passion it is they praise or dispraise magnifie or vilifie a man for the most part 〈◊〉 Not durable But is this be it passion or what it will of any endurance will it hold No indeed Sicut luna mutatur Every new moone a new mind nay every quarter No better witnesse of this â— Chap. 21.9 â— Chap. 27 21 〈◊〉 18.40 〈◊〉 2â— 4.6 then our SAVIOVR himselfe who heard Hâ—sanna in the highest and Not him but Barabbas both within the space of a sevenight Saint Paul's was yet shorter for he was first a murtherer and sodenly a GOD and no lesse in a manner with one breath There is their constancie this the hold you can have of it No lock nor key to shutt up our reward in No tenendum to our habendum to hold it when we have it And who then would much esteeme it But say there were both lock and key yet what is praise but words and words but wind what is speech but breath breath but aire tennissimus fructus a thin reward GOD wott For what is more thin then aire This is sure no great reward Mihi pro minimo est â— Cor. 4.3 So Paul makes but a minim of it we make so much of And yet even this 2. 〈◊〉 is their finall 〈◊〉 Reward sleight as it is were it onely to receive it and that were all there were no great hurt in it
His and we I trust are His and more and more His He daily make us this verse is for us that is safe and quiet conduct Thou diddest lead thy c. The Summe In which verse there is mention of three persons 1. GOD. 2 GOD 's hand 3. GOD 's people 4. And of a blessing or benefit issuing from the first that is GOD conveighed by the second that is GOD 's hands Moses and Aaron and received by the third that is GOD 's people And it is the benefit of good guiding or government This is the summe of the verse The Division As for order I will seeke no other then as the HOLY GHOST hath marshalled the words in the text it selfe Which of it selfe is right exact every word in the body of it conteining matter worth the pausing on First in the formost word Tu GOD who vouchsafed this benefit And secondly in Duxisti The benefit it selfe of guiding from Him derived And thirdly derived to His people the parties that receive it And fourthly derived to His people by His hands which hands are Moses and Aaron the meanes that conveigh it I. Thou leadest thy people c. The firâ—t paâ—â— Thou TO beginn with GOD who beginneth the verse by whom and to whom we lead and are ledd and in whom all right leading both beginneth and endeth It is Thou saith the Psalmist that leadest thy people and in the next Psalme it is He thaâ— carried His peâ—ple in the wildernesse like a flocke who is that He or this Thou It is GOD saith the Prophet in the sixteenth verse That is whosoever be the hâ—nds GOD is the person He is the Tu. Whose 〈◊〉 soever we heare whose hands soever we feele whose countenance soever we behold we mâ—st yet looke up higher and see GOD in every Government To Him we must make our Apoâ—â—rophe and say Thou leaddest c. For He it is that leadeth properâ—y and in strict proprietie of speech Moses and Aaron lead not but GOD by the handâ— of Mâ—ses and Aaron And that thus it is that GOD is the person that leadeth and all other but hands under Him and unto Him the Prophet gâ—veth us in this same voâ—se matter of three markes of difference betweene Him and them The first is in Duxisti Thou diddest lead saith the Prophet diddest and doest lead diddest then and doest still But Thou diddest lead by Moses and Aaron so doest Thou not now The hands are changed Then Moses and Aaron after Iosue and Eleazar after Othoniel and Phineës after others Sed Tu idem es But Thou art the same still and thy yeares shall not faile As if he should say Psal 102.27 Their yeares indeed faile and come to an end within so many yeares they were not so ledd and within so many more they shall not be But GOD hath a prerogative that He is Rex a Saeculo and Rex in Saeculum Psal. 74.12.146.10 was our King of old and shal be our King for ever and ever The second is in populum tuum Thy people another limitation For this people are in the 15. verse before said to be the sonnes of Iacob and Ioseph so farr stretcheth Mose's line and no further But Tu duxisti GOD 's line ivit in omnem terram Psal. 19.4 goeth over all nations even to the uttermost parts of the world GOD 's leading hath no marches This people and all people are His and He by speciall prerogative is Rex universae terrae King not of one people or of one countrie or climate Psal 47 7. but of all the people of the whole earth The third is Permanus By the hands For as He guideth the people by the hands so He guideth the hands themselves by whom He guideth Ruleth by them and ruleth them ruleth by their hands and ruleth in their hearts Is both the shepheard of Israël leading them like sheep Psal. 80.1 and further leadeth Ioseph also their leader tanquam ovem like a sheep That is they be Reges gentium kings of the nations but He is Rex Regum King over Kings themselves 1. Tim 6.15 Moses and they with him be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb 13 24. Heb. 1â— 3 Guides as Saint Paul calleth them but IESVS CHRIST is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Arch-guide Aaron and his familie be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shepheards as Saint Peter termeth them but IESVS CHRIST is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the high and sovereigne Shepheard over all 1 Pet. 5.4 Why then Dicite in Gentibus Psal. 69 10· Tell it out among the Nations saith the Prophet that GOD is King that He is the Tu the Leader the perpetuall the universall principall Leader of His people From which plaine note that the LORD is Ruler the Psalmist himselfe draweth a double use conteining matter both of comfort and feare 1. Of Comfort in the 97. psalme Dominus regnavit exultet terra Psal. 97.91 The LORD is Ruler or Leader let the earth rejoice 2. Of feare in the 99. psalme Dominus regnavit contremiscat populus Psal 99 1. The LORD is Ruler or Leader let the people tremble First from GOD'S ruling matter of joy For if we wil be ruled by Him He will appoint over us a Ruler according to His owne heart 1. Sam. 13 1â— Psal. 21.4 Psal 132 18. Psal. 89 29. He will prevent her with the blessings of goodnesse He will deliver the power of Siâ—ara into her hands He will cloth her enimies with shame and make her crowne flourish on her head and set the dayes of her life as the dayes of heaven Secondly matter of feare too The Lord is Ruler let the people tremble For if they fall to be un-ruly He can vindemiare spiritum principum Psal. 99.1 Psal 76.13 as easily gather to Him the breath of a Prince as we can slipp of a cluster from the vine He can send them a Rehoboam without wisedome or a Ieroboam without religion or Asshur a stranger to be their King or which is worst of all Nullum Regem Hos 1â— 3 a dis-ordered Anarchie quia non timuimus Iehoâ—ah Therefore exultantes trementes in joy and trembling let us acknowledge GOD and His supreme leading that our parts may be long in DOMINVS regnavit exultet terra The LORD doth lead us let the Land rejoice Yet one point more out of this Tu. By comparing it with the verses before on which it dependeth that as it is the Person and Power of GOD that is chiefe in every Rule So not every power but even that very power of His whereby He worketh wonders For the Prophet in the foureteenth verse having said of GOD Verse 14.18.19 Thou art the GOD that doest wonders and so particularizing thou thunderest from heaven Thou shakest the earth Thou dividest the Sea at last commeth to this Thou Thou leaddest the people Very strange it is that He should sort the
have persecuted and killed the people of the Lord. Yet neither did Moses once touch them but GOD Himselfe from heaven by visible judgement shewed them to be as they were Neither were Coreh and his crew the people of GOD but the sonnes of Belial But that is their manner in despight of Moses if for ought they like him not presently to canonize Coreh and his complices and make them the Saints of GOD. That Aaron said truly of them This people is even set on mischiefe Lastly if ye will see their head-strongnesse look upon them in the eighth of the 1. of Samuci where having phansied to themselves an alteration of estate 1. Sam. 8.19 20. though they were shewed plainly by Samuel the sundry inconveniences of the government they so affected they answer him with No for that is their Logique to deny the conclusion but we wil be like other countreys about us and be guided as we thinke good our owne selves That of all other GOD 's saying is most true It is a stifnecked and â—ead strong generation And yet for all these wants so well weening of themselves as they need no leading they every one among them is meet to be a leader to prescribe Moses and controll Aaron in their proceedings So that where GOD setteth the sentence thus Thou leaddest thy people like sheepe by the hands of Moses Aaron might they have their wills they would take the sentence by the end and turne it thus Thou leaddest Moses Aaron like sheepe by the hands of thy people And this is the people Populus Tuum And surely no evill can be sayd too much of this word people if ye take it apart by it selfe Populus without Tuus The people and not Thâ— people But then heer is amends for all the evill before in this word Tuus Which qualifieth the former and maketh them capable of any blessing or benefit A common thing in Scripture it is thus to delay one word with another Mat. 18.15 Si peccaveriâ— in re frater tuus Peccaverit stirres our choler streight but then Frater makes us hold our hand againe Tolle festucam ex oculo Festucam a mote Luc. 6.41.42 our zeale is kindled presently to remove it but then Ex oculo the tendernesse of the part tempers us and teacheth us to deale with it in great discretion And so it is heer Populus so un-ruly a rout as Moses and Aaron would disdaine once to touch them but when Tuus is added it will make any of them not onely to touch them but to take them by the hand For it is much that lieth upon this pronoune Tuus indeed all lieth upon it and put me Tuus out of the verse and neither GOD respecteth them nor vouchsafeth them either Moses to governe or Aaron to teach or any heavenly benefit els For Populus is unworthy of them all But for Tuus nothing is too good For there is in Tuus Not onely that they be men and not beasts Freemen and not villains Athenians or Englishmen that is a civill not a baâ—barous people the three considerations of the heathen Ruler but that they be GOD 's owne people and flock and that is all in all Hiâ— people because He made them and so the lot of His inheritance Psal. 1â—0 3 His pâ—ople againe because He redeemed them from Aegypt with His mightie arme Verse 15. and so His peculiar people His people the third time because He redeemed their soules by His suffâ—rings and so a people purchased most dearly purchased even with the invaluable high price of His most precious bloud This is that that sets the price on them 1. Pet. 1.9 For over sâ—ch a flock so highly priced so deerly beloved and so deerly bought it may well beseem any to be a Guide Moses with all his learning Aaron with all his eloquence yea even Kings to be their foster-Fathers and Queens to be their Nourses No leading No leadâ—r too good for them Esai 42 2â— I conclude with Saint Augustine upon these words Quamdiu minimis istis fecistis fratribus meis fecistis mihi Audis minimis saith he contemnis Thou hearest they be the base people the minims of the worlâ— and thou settest thy foote on them Audi et fratribus Take this with thee too that they be CHRIST 's brethren thou leadest Et mihi crede non est minima gloria horum minimorum salus And trust me it is no poor praise to protect this poorâ— flocke but a high seâ—vice it is and shal be highly rewarded CHRIST will take and reward it as done to Himselfe in person Sicut Oves standeth doubtfull in the Verse and may be referred Sicut oves either to the manner of leading thus Thou leadest like sheepe Or to the persons ledd thus Thy people like sheepe There â—e touched it before in Duxisti in every of the foure manners of leading and here now we take it in againe with the people to whom it may have reference And indeed there is no terme that the HOLY GHOST more often sendeth for then this of His flocke to expresse his people by for in the estate of a flocke they may best see themselves As heer it is added respectively to Duxisti to let them see both what interest they have in it and what need they have of it I meane of government Lo-ammi First as a note of difference betweene Ammi and Lo-ammi Thy People and The People GOD 's People and strange children Every People is not Sicut Oves nor every one among the People Psal. 32.9 There is a People as the Psalmist speakes Sicut Equus Mulus like the untamed Horse or Mule in whom is no understanding And among the people there be too many such Surely by nature we are all so wilde and unbroken Iob. 11.12 as the Asse colt saith Iob. Which wildnesse of nature when they are untaught and taught to submit themselves to government to become gentle and easie to be led Sicut Oves led to feeding led to shearing to feede those that feed them tractable of nature and profitable of yeeld It is a good degree and a great worke is performed on them For by it as by the first step they become GOD 's people For His people are populus sicut Oves and they that are not His are populus sicut Hirci a people like Hee-Goates in nature intractable in use unseruiceable Now being Hâ—s people they come to have an interest in Duxisti the benefite For populus siâ—ut ovâ—s must be led gently but populus sicut hirci must be driven forcibly Duxisti is not for both It is a priviledge And if there be any retaine their wild nature or degenerate from sheepe into goates as diverse do daily for them Aaron hath a rod to sever them from the fold by censure of the Church And if that will not serve Moses hath another which he can
turne into a serpent and sting them Yea if need so require sting them to death by the power secular For Nachah is leading and the sound remaining Nacah is smiting and a necessarie use of both The one for thy people like sheepe who will be led the other for the strange children like goates who will not stirre a foot further then they be forced And this is the iâ—terest But now againe when they be brought thus farre to be like sheepe they are but liâ—â— sheepe though that is a wâ—ake and unwise cattell farre unable to guide themsâ—lâ—es Which sheweth them their need of good government and though they be the pâ—oâ—le of GOD yet that Moses and Aaron be not superfluous For a feeble poore beaâ—t we all know a sheepe is of little or no strength for resistance in the wâ—rld and therefore in danger to be preyed on by every Woolfe And as of liâ—tle strenâ—â—â— so of little reach None so easily straieth of it selfe None is so easily lâ—d awrie by others 〈…〉 2â— 2â— Everie strange whistle maketh the sheepe Everie Ecce hîc mâ—keth the pâ—oâ—le cast up their heads as if some great matter were in hand These two dâ—fâ—cts do mainly enforce the necessitie of a Leader For they that want sight as blind-men and they that want strength as little children stirre not without great perill except they have one to lead them And both these wants are in sheepâ— and in the people too If then they be sicut Oves like sheepe What is both their wisedome Sure to be in the uniâ—ie of a flocke and what is their strâ—ngth Truly to be under the conduct of â— Shâ—pheard In these two is their safetie For if either they single themselves and stâ—aâ— from the folâ— or if they be a fold and yet want a shepheard none more miseâ—aâ—â—e thâ—n they And indeed in the HOLY GHOST 's phrase it is the ordinarie nâ—te â—f a private mans miserie 〈…〉 to be Tanquam ovis erratica as a stray sheepe frâ—m the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 9 36. and of the miserie of every Estate politique to be Tanquam grex abâ—â—ue Paâ—â—oâ—e as a fâ—ocke without a Shepheard Therefore guiding they need both the 〈…〉 uâ—itie Bandâ— to reduce them from straying 〈◊〉 1â— 7 and the staffe of order Beautie to leaâ— them so reduced And would GOD they would see their owne feeblenessâ— anâ— shallownesse and learne to acknowledge the absolute necessitie of this benefit 〈…〉 Oves Ducti sumuâ— sicut Oves in all dutie recâ—iving it in all humility praying for the continuance of it that GOD breake not the fold and smite not the Shepheard for the flockes unthaâ—kfâ—lnesse By the hands of Moses and Aaron This part of the verse that is behind The fourth Part. Per manus MOSIS AARONIS and conteineth the Meanes by whom GOD conveigheth this benefit to His people had had no use but might well have been left out and the verse ended at populum tuum if Author alienae potentiae perdit suam had been GOD 's rule For He needed no meanes but immediatly from Himselfe sine manibus could have conveighed it without any hands save those that made us that is His almighty power but without any arme or hand of flesh without Moses or Aaron without men or Angells He was hable Himselfe to have ledd us And a principio fuit sic For a time He did so Of Himselfe immediately and of His owne absolute sovereigntie held He court in the beginning and proceeded against Adam Eve Cain the old world and there was none joyned in commission with Him He onely was our King of old saith the Psalmist and for a space the justice that was done on earth He did it Himselfe Psal. 74 12. And as He held court before all so will He also hold one after all Veniet Veniet qui malè judicata rejudicabit dies There will come a day there is a day comming wherein all evill judged eases shal be judged over againe To which all appeales lye even from the daies of affliction in this world as sometimes they be to the day of judgement in the world to come This estate of guiding being wholy invested in Him there being but one GOD and one Guide He would not keepe it unto Himselfe alone as He might but it pleased Him to send Moses His servant and Aaron whom He had chosen Psal. 105.26 to associate them to Himselfe in the Commission of leading and to make hominem homini Deum One man a Guide and God to another And those whom He thus honoreth 1 First the Prophet calleth God's hands Per manum by whom He leadeth us 2 and secondly telleth us who they be MOSES and AARON God's hands they be For that by them He reacheth unto us Duxisti and in it Religion and counseile and justice and victorie and whatsoever els is good He sendeth His word to Moses first and by him as it were Psal. 103.7 through his hand His statutes and ordinances unto all Israël And not good things only but if they so deserve sometimes evill also For as if they be vertuous such as Moses and Aaron they be the good hand of God for our benefit such as was upon Ezra so if they be evill such as Balaac and Balaam they be the heavie hand of GOD for our chastisement such as was upon Iob. But the hand of GOD they be both And a certaine resemblance there is betweene this government and the hand For as we see the hand it selfe parted into diverse fingers and those againe into sundry joints for the more convenient and speedy service thereof so is the estate of government for ease and expedition branched into the middle Offices and they againe as fingers into others under them But the very meanest of them all is a joint of some finger of this hand of GOD. Nazianzen speaking of Rulers as of the Images of GOD compareth the highest to pictures drawne cleane through even to the feet the middle sort to halfe pictures drawn but to the girdle the meanest to the lesser sort of pictures drawn but to the necke or shoulders But all in some degree carie the Image of GOD. Out of which terme of the hands of GOD the people first are taught their dutie so to esteeme of them as of GOD 's owne hands That as GOD ruleth them by the hands of Moses and Aaron that is by their ministerie so Moses and Aaron rule them by the hands of God that is by His authoritie It is His name they weare it is His seate they sitt in it is the rod of God that is in Mose's and Aaron's hands If we fall downe before them it is He that is honored if we rise up against them it is He that is injuried and that Peccavi in coelum in te must be our confession Luc. 15.27 against heaven and them but first against heaven and God himselfe when we commit any
satisfie the Prophet Nature doth and so doth Grace too For generally vve are bound to regard the worke of the LORD Psal 28.5 and to consider the operations of His hands and specially this vvork in comparison whereof GOD himselfe saith Esa. 43.18 the former workes of His shall not be remembred nor the things done of old once regarded Yea CHRIST himselfe pierced as he is inviteth us to it For in the Prophet heere it is not In cum but In me not on Him but on Me whom they have pierced But more fully in Ieremy for to CHRIST himselfe do all the ancient Writers apply and that most properly those words of the Lamentation Lam 1.12 Have ye no regard all ye that passe by this way Behold and see if there be any sorrow like my sorrow which is done unto me wherewith the LORD haâ—h afflicted me in the day of His fierce wrath Our owne profit which is wont to perswade vvell inviteth us for that Num 21.8 9. as from the brazen Serpent no vertue issued to heale but unto them that steddily bâ—held it so neither doth there from CHRIST but upon those that vvith the eye of faith have their contemplation on this object vvho thereby drawe life from him and vvithout it may and do perish for all CHRIST and his passion And if nothing els move us this last may even our danger For the time vvill come vvhen vve our selves shall desire that GOD looking with an angry countenance upon our sinnes vvould turne his face from them and us and looke upon the face of his CHRIST that is respicere in Eum which shall justly be then denied us if we our selves could never be gotten to do this duty respicere in Eum vvhen it was called for of us GOD shall not looke upon him at ours whom vve would not looke upon at his request In the Act it selfe are enjoined three things 1. That we do it with attention for it is not Me but in Me Not onely Vpon Him but Into Him 2. That we doe it oft againe and againe with iteration for Respicient is re-aspicient Not a single act but an act iterated 3. That we cause our nature to do it as it were by vertue of an Iniunction per actum elicitum as the Schoolmen call it For in the Originall it is in the commanding Coniunction that signifieth facient se respicere rather then Respicient First then not slightly superficially or perfunctorily but stedfastly 1 With Attention Respicient In Eum. and with due attention to looke upon Him And not to looke upon the out-side alone but to looke into the verie entrailes and with our eye to pierce him that was thus pierced In Eum beareth both 1. Vpon him if we looke we shall see so much as Pilate shewed of him Ecce Homo that He is a Man And if he were not a man but some other unreasonable creature it were great ruth to see him so handled 2. Among men we lesse pitie Malefactors and have most compassion on them that be innocent And he was innocent and deserved it not as you have heard his enemies themselves being his Iudges 3. Among those that be innocent the more noble the person the greater the griefe and the more heavy ever is the spectacle Now if we consider the Verse of this Text well we shall see it is GOD himselfe and no man that here speaketh for to GOD onely it belongeth to poure out the Spirit of grace it passeth mans reach to do it so that if we looke better upon him we shall see as much as the Centurion saw Matt. 27.54 that this partie thus pierced is the SONNE of GOD. The Sonne of GOD slaine Surely he that hath done this deed is the Child of death 2. Sam. 12.5.7 would every one of us say Et tu es homo Thou art the man would the Prophet answere us You are they for whose sinns the SONNE of GOD hath his very heart-bloud shed forth Which must needs strike into us remorse of a deeper degree then before That not onely it is we that have pierced the Partie thus found slaine but that this Partie whom we have thus pierced is not a principall person among the children of men but even the Onely begotten SONNE of the most High GOD which will make us crie out with S. Augustine O amaritudo peccati mei ad quam tollendam necessaria fuit amaritudo tanta Now sure deadly was the bitternesse of our sinnes that might not be cured but by the bitter death and blood-shedding passion of the Sonne of GOD. And this may we see looking upon Him But now then if we looke in Eum into Him we shall see yet a greater thing which may raise us in comfort as farre as the other cast us downe Even the bowels of compassion and tender love whereby he would and was content to suffer all this for our sakes For that whereas a Ioh. 10.18 no man had power to take His life from Him for he had power to have commanded b Matt 26.52 twelve Legions of Angells in his just defense and without any Angell at all power enough of himselfe with his c Ioh 18.6 Ego sum to strike them all to the ground He was content notwithstanding all this to lay downe His life for us sinners The greatnesse of which love passeth the greatest love that man hath for d Ioh. 15.13 greater love then this hath no man but to bestow his life for his friends whereas He condescended to lay it downe for His enemies Even for them that sought his death to lay downe his life and to have his bloodshed for them that did shed it to be pierced for his Piercers Look how the former In Eum worketh griefe considering the great iniuries offered to so great a Personage So to temper â—he griefe of it this latter In Eum giveth some comfort that so great a Person should so greatly love us as for our sakes to endure all those so many injuries even to the piercing of his very heart 2. With Iterasion Re-aspicient Secondly Respicient that is Re-aspicient Not once or twise but oftentimes to look upon it that is as the Prophet saith here iteratis vicibus to looke againe and againe Heb. 12 3. or as the Apostle saith Recogitare to thinke upon it over and over againe as it were to dwell in it for a time In a sort with the frequentnesse of this our beholding it to supply the weaknesse and want of our former attention Surely the more steadily and more often we shall fixe our eye upon it the more we shall be enured and being enured the more desire to doe it For at every looking some new sight will offer it selfe which will offer unto us occasion either of godly sorrow true repentance sound comfort or some other reflexion issuing from the beames of this heavenly mirror Which point because it is the chiefe
no Agent can worke Not GOD himselfe but by miracle Fitt then we must be Now of ourselves as of ourselves we are not fit so much as to thinke a good thought It is II. Corinth III.V. Not so much as to will For it is GOD that worketh in us to will Phil. II. XIII If not these two ◠Neither thinke ◠nor will then not to worke No more we are Neither to beginne Phil. I.VI. nor having begoon to goe forward and bring it to an end Fitt to none of these Then made fitt we must be And who to reduce us to fitnesse but this GOD of peace heere that brought againe Christ from the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To set in joint Now if I shall tell you what manner of fittnesse it is the Apostle's word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heere doth import It is properly the fittnesse which is in setting that in which was out of joint in doing the part of a good Bone-setter This is the very true and native sense of the word Set you in joint to doe good workes For the Apostle Ephes. IV. and Colos. II. tells us Ephes 4.16 Col. 2.19 that the Church and things Spirituall goe by joints and sinnewes whereof they are compact and by which they have their action and motion And where there are joints there may be and otherwhiles there is a dis-jointing or dis-location no lesse in things Spirituall then in the naturall body And that is when things are mis-sorted or put out of their right places Now that our Nature is not right in joint is so evident that the very Heathen men have seene and confessed it And by a fall things come out of joint and indeed so they did Adam's fall we call it and we call it right Sinne which before broke the peace which made the going from or departure which needed the bringing backe the same sinne heere now againe put all out of joint And things out of joint are never quiet never at peace and rest till they be set right againe But when all is in frame all is in peace And so it referrs well to the GOD of peace who is to doe it And marke againe The putting in joint is nothing but a bringing backe againe to the right place whence it slipt That still there is good cohaerence with that which went before The peace-maker the bringer-backe the bone-setter are all one The force or fullnesse of the Apostle's Simile of out of joint you shall never fully conceive till you take in hand some good worke of some moment and then you shall for certaine For doe but marke me then how many rubbs letts impediments there will be as it were so many puttings out of joynt yer it can be brought to passe This wants or that wants one thing or other frames not A sinnew shrinkes a bone is out somewhat is awry and what a doe there is yer we can get it right Either the will is averse and we have no mind to it or the power is shrunke and the meanes faile us or the time serves not or the place is not meet or the parties to be dealt with we finde them undisposed And the miserie is when one is got in the other is out againe That the wit of man could not have devised a fitter terme to have expressed it in This for the disease What way doth GOD take to set us right First by our Ministerie and meanes For it is a part of our profession under GOD this same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to set the Church in and every member that is out of joint You may reade it in this very terme Ephes. IV. XII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And that we do by applying outwardly this Testament the blood of it Two speciall Splints as it were to keep all streight Out of the Testament by the word of exhortation as in the next Verse he calls it Ver. 22. praying us to suffer the Splinting For it may sometimes pinch them and put them to some paine that are not well in joint by pressing it and putting it home But both by denouncing one while the threats of the Old Testament another while by laying forth the promises of the New if by any meanes we may get them right againe This by the Testament which is one outward meanes The Blood is another inward meanes By it we are made fit and perfect choose you whither and that so as at no time of all our life we are so well in joint or come so neere the state of perfectnesse as when we come new from the drinking of that blood And thus are we made fit Provided that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do end as heere it doth in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The first Agent all this fit making do end in doing and in a worke that some worke be done For in doing it is to end if it end aright if it end as the Apostle heere would have it For this fitting is not to heare learne or know but to doe His will We have beene long at Teach me thy will at that lesson There is another in Psalme CXLIII Psal. 143.10 Teach me to doe thy will we must take out that also Teach me thy will and Teach me to doe thy will are two distinct lessons We are all our life long about the first and never come to the second to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is required we should now come to the second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We are not made fit when we are so to doe never a whit the more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to end in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is doing and in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in a worke In worke and in every good worke We must not slip the collar there neither For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In all good workes if we be hable to stirre our hand but one way and not another it is a signe it is not well set in His that is well set he can move it to and fro up and downe forward and backward every way and to every worke There be that are all for some one worke that single some one peece of GOD 's service wholy addicted to that but cannot skill of the rest That is no good signe To be for every one for all sorts of good workes for every part of GOD 's worship alike for no one more then another that sure is the right So choose your Religion so practice your worship of God It is not safe to do otherwise nor to serve GOD by Synecdoche but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to take all before us But in the doing of all or any beside our part 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heere is also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The second Agent a Worker besides For when GOD hath fitted us by the outward meanes there is not all
habet Spiritum Christi bic 〈◊〉 He that hath not His Spirit is none of His. So CHRIST renounces 〈…〉 no part in him To receive CHRIST and not the Holy Ghost is to no 〈…〉 â—o conclude if we receive not Him we be but x Iud. 19. animales Spiritum non 〈…〉 men of soule having not the Spirit y 1. Cor. 2.19 Et animaelis homo the naturall 〈…〉 ever received the Spirit neither perceiveth nor receiveth the things of GOD 〈…〉 to do with them So that Spiritum non habentes is enough and there 〈…〉 more but onely that to condemne us All this layd together we see 〈◊〉 â—piritum is no more then needs and it must needs have an answer 〈◊〉 point is how to certifie our selves whither we have received this Spirit 2. If we have received how to know it 〈◊〉 say 1 Whither the Spirit first 2 And then whither that Spirit be the Holy 〈…〉 〈◊〉 Spirit the signes are familiar For if it be in us as the naturall Spirit doth 〈◊〉 Heart it will beat At the mouth it will breath At the pulse it wil be felt 1. Whither received the Spirit Some 〈◊〉 these may but all these will not deceive us 〈◊〉 the Heart we begin for that is first a Ezek. 36.26 Dabo vobis Cor novum Spiritum novum 1 The Heart 〈◊〉 heart and a new Spirit we shall find b Eph. 4.23 We shal be renewed in the Spirit of our mind 〈…〉 supervenisse Spiritum nova desideria demonstrant saith Bernard That a 〈…〉 is received no better way to know then by new thoughts and desires That 〈◊〉 watches well the Current of his desires and thoughts may know whither and 〈◊〉 it is he is ledd by old or new Therefore our Saviour CHRIST breathed 〈◊〉 when He first gave them the Holy Ghost that they might receive Him there 〈◊〉 even c Ier 31.33 in vis ceribus in the inward parts d Esa. 26.18 A timore tuo Domine concepimus 〈◊〉 salutis We shall know the Spirit is conceived by the feare of GOD in our 〈◊〉 it is as the Systole or drawing in to refraine us from evill And we shall know 〈◊〉 Charitas Dei diffusa est in cor dibus nostris the love of GOD there shed abroad e Rom. 5.5 〈◊〉 hearts Which is as the diastole or dilating it out to all that good is 〈◊〉 then this every one may say all is well within 1 The Speech and their word must be 〈◊〉 we cannot gaynsay them For no man knowes in so saying whither they say 〈…〉 no. Therefore we go yet further and say Idem est vitae vocis organon the 〈◊〉 that serves us for life or to live by the same serves us also for the voice or to 〈…〉 So that way ye shall know it For if f Psal. 115.7 in ore ipsorum non est spiritus no breath 〈◊〉 perceived in their mouthes if they g speak not through their throats they are but 〈◊〉 no better Will ye see it at the mouth h Psal 116.10 Credidi propter quod locutus sum 〈◊〉 And i 2 Cor. 4.13 habentes eundem Spiritum if we have the same Spirit saith the 〈◊〉 shall do no lesse This we know for certaine that upon this day the Holy 〈…〉 in shape of tongues and they are for speech And this likewise that upon 〈…〉 the Holy Ghost these heer in the Text and generally all other speak and 〈◊〉 new tongues not such as they spake with before The miracle is ceased but 〈◊〉 holdeth still where the Holy Ghost is received there is ever a change in the 〈◊〉 a change from k Eph. 4 31. cursed uncleane corrupt communication unto l 5.3 such as 〈…〉 â—hen againe because even birds too may be and are somtimes taught to speak â— The Worke. 〈…〉 holy phrases for a need therefore further yet to the pulse we go and 〈◊〉 to the hand to the worke and enquire of that The Holy Ghost was first 〈◊〉 received by the m Ioh. 20.22 breath inward for the Heart Then by n Acts 2.3 fierie tongues for 〈…〉 But ever after and heer in this place the Holy Ghost we know was given 〈◊〉 by o Acts 1.17 laying on of hands and that to admonish us that by imposita and 〈…〉 by lifting up and laying to our hands we may know we have received 〈…〉 we have had â—aying on of 〈…〉 laying or putting our hands to any goâ—d â—â—rke 〈◊〉 7.9 〈…〉 who knowes it Not we our 〈◊〉 our own 〈…〉 And there is a 〈…〉 virbiâ— confitentur confesse at 〈…〉 with the deeds and that deceives too But there 〈…〉 s Gal. â— 6 sides quae operatuâ— saith that worketh that is 〈…〉 shew it selfe by his working that is S. IAME 's saith 〈…〉 be â—he Spirit Iam. 2.18 But without workes there it may not 〈…〉 S. IAMES is â—laâ—â— it is but Iam. â— â—â— a dead faith the carcasse of 〈…〉 Spirit in it No Spirit if no worke For usque adeò proprium est 〈…〉 inâ—roperetâ—â— nec sit so kindly it is for the Spirit to be working 〈…〉 is not There is none to worke Spectrum est non Spiritus a flying 〈…〉 it is not if worke it do not 〈◊〉 yet I cannot denie workes there may be and motion and yet no Spirit as in 〈…〉 engins Watches and Iacks and such like And a certaine artificiall thing 〈◊〉 is in religion we call it Hypocrisie that by certaine pinnes and ginnes makes 〈◊〉 of certaine works and motions as if there were Spirit but surely Spirit there is none in them Vaine men they are that boast of the Spirit without the worke Hypocrites they are that counterfeit the worke without the Spirit You shall easily discover these works â— Ver. 20.12 that they come not from the Spâ—rit by the two signes in Psal. LI. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 constant and 2 free They that come from cunning and not from the Spirit ye shall know them by this they be every foot out they are not constant they conâ—inue not uniforme long â—es 6.4 and when the barrell is about or the plummets downe they stay But how soever long they will not hold but vanish like the cloud dry 〈◊〉 like the dew of the morning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no constancie And ye shall 〈◊〉 them againe by the other note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which makes the difference between the Creatures and the Spirit For the Creatures are produced from 〈◊〉 The Spirit doth emanare proceed from within So these they have principiâ—â— mâ—tus ab extra that that makes them go is something some engine without they sâ—ow not freely they come not kindly as from within 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no naturall motion â—â—genions but not ingenuous Ingenuitie and constancie the free proceeding the constant continuing of them will soone
〈◊〉 not so much as a drop of this ointment You shall smell them streight that 〈◊〉 â—he Myrrhe Aloes and Cassia will make you glad Psal. 45.8 And you shall even as soon 〈…〉 others Either they want odor Annointed I cannot say but 〈◊〉 with some unctuous stuffe goe to be it oyle that gives a glibnesse to the tongue 〈…〉 and long but no more sent in it then in a drie stick no odors in it at all Father 〈◊〉 they want I say or their odors are not layd in oyle For if in oyle you shall â—ot smell them so for a few set sermons if they be annointed not perfumed or 〈◊〉 for such Divines we have If it be but some sweet water out of a 〈…〉 sent will away soone water-colors or water-odours will not last But if 〈…〉 oyle throughly they will feare them not To them that are stuffed I know all is one they that have their senses about them will soone putt a difference But what If he be annointed then turne him of hardly with no more adoe without 〈◊〉 for any sending at all Nay we see heer onely annointing served not Christ Himselfe He was sent and outwardly sent besides Messias He was in regard of His â—â—â—ointing Shilo He was too in regard of His sending If you love your eyes wash them in the water of Shilo that is by interpretation Sent. Ioh. 9.7 Or to speake in the style of the â—ext as He was CHRIST for His annointing So was He an Apostle for His sending So is He called Heb. 3. the Apostle of our profession Hâ—b 3.1 with plaine reference to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heere the word in the Text. Vnction then is to goe before but not to goe alone Mission is to follow and no â—â—an though never so perunctus eo ipso to stirr nisi qui vocatus erit sicut Aaron Heb. 5 4. Vnlesse 〈◊〉 called as was Aaron unlesse he be sent as CHRIST heer was for feare of Curâ—â—â—ant non mittebam eos in the Prophet Or of How shall they unlesse they be sent Ier 23.21 Rom. 10.15 〈◊〉 the Apostle For his life he know not if neither Aaron nor CHRIST how any might step up without calling sending ordeyning laying on of hands all are one And marke well this that the Holy Ghost came upon Christ alike for both that there is the Holy Ghost no lesse in this sending then in the annointing They very 〈◊〉 it selfe is a grace expressly so called Rom. 12. Ephâ—s 3. and in diverse places els Rom. 1â—â— Ephes. 3. â— Every grace is of the Holy Ghost and goeth ever and is termed by the name of the Holy â—host usually And in this sense the Holy Ghost is given and received in holy Orders 〈◊〉 we doe well avow that we say Receive the Holy Ghost But we have not all when we have both these for shall we so dwell upon annoinâ—â—â—â— and sending as we passe by the super Me the first of all the three and sure not the last to be looked after A plaine note it is but not without use this situation of â—he Spirit that He is super For if He be super we be sub That we be carefull then to preserve Him in his super to keepe him in his due place that is above In signe â—â—â—reof the Dove hovered aloft over CHRIST and came downe upon Him And in siâ—â—e thereof we submitt our heads in annointing to have the oyle powred upon we submit our heads in ordeining to have hands layd upon them So submit we doe in signe that submitt we must That not onely mission but submission is a signe of one truely called to this businesse Somewhat of the Dove there must be â—eede meekenesse humblenesse of minde â—ut lightly you shall find it that those that be neque uncti neque loti neither annointed 〈◊〉 scarse well washed the lesse ointment the worse sending the farther from this submissiâ—e humble mind That above Nay any above Nay they inferior to none That 〈◊〉 and they under Nay under no Spirit no super they Of all Preposiâ—â—â—â—s thâ—y indure not that not Super all aequall all even at least Their spirit not 〈◊〉 to the Spirit of the Prophetts nor of the Apostles neither if they were now 〈◊〉 but beare themselves so high do tam altum spirare as if this Spirit were their 〈◊〉 and their Ghost above the Holy Ghost There may be a sprite in them there is no 〈…〉 upon them that indure no super none above them So now we have all we should Vnction out of Vnxit Mission out of Misit Submission out of super Me. II. The 〈◊〉 wheâ—eto 1 To bring good tydings Forward now Vpon Me. How know we that Because He hath annointed Me Annointed to what end To send Send whereto That followes now Both wheâ—eto and whom to 1 Whereto To bring good tydings 2 Whom to To the poore 1. Whereto If the Spirit send CHRIST He will send Him with the best sending and the best sending is to be sent with a message of good newes the best and the best welcome We all strive to beare them we all love to have them brought The Gospell is nothing els but a message of good tydings And CHRIST as in regard of His sending an Apostle the Arch-Apostle So in regard of that He is sent with an Evangelist the Arch-Evangelist CHRIST is to annoint this is a kind of annointing and no Ointment so precious no Oile so supple no Odor so pleasing as the knowledge of it 2. Cor. 2.16 called therefore by the Apostle Odor vitae the Savour of life unto life in them that receive it 2. To the poore 2. Sent with this and to whom To the poore You may know it is the Spirit of GOD by this That Spirit it is and they that annointed with it take care of the poore The spirit of the world and they that annointed with it take little keep to evangelize any such any poore soules But in the tydings of the Gospell they are not left out taken in by name we see In sending those tydings there is none excluded No respect of Persons with GOD Act. 10.34 None of Nations to every Nation Gentile and Iew None of Conditions to every condition poore and rich To them that of all other are the least likely They are not troubled with much worldly good newes Seldome come there any Posts to them with such But the good newes of the Gospell reacheth even to the meanest And reaching to them it must needs be generall this newes If to them that of all other least likely then certainly to all Etiam pauperibus is as if He had said Even to poore and all by way of extent ampliando But no wayes to ingrosse it or appropriate it to them onely The tydings of the Gospell are as well for a Act. 16.15 Lydia the purple seller as for b Act. 10.6 Simon the tanner For the
3 workes 〈◊〉 the 1 Father 2 Sonne and 3 Holy Ghost referendo singula singulis 1 Gifts they 〈◊〉 the Spirit 2 Offices they from CHRIST the Lord 3 Workes they from GOD the Father The Spirit He gives wherewith CHRIST He appoints 〈◊〉 The Father He workes where-about The Spirit gives all to all CHRIST 〈…〉 all for all GOD the Father workes all in all You are not heere to thinke these three so limited as that all and every of them 〈◊〉 of the three come not from all and every Person of the Trinitie They come all 〈◊〉 Our rule is the workes of the Trinitie all save those that reflect upon and 〈…〉 themselves inwardly all outward to any without them are never divided 〈…〉 doth all doe To make it plaine in these Gifts heere are ascribed to the Spirit But Saint Iames saith Iam. 1.17 Ephes 4.8 Every one of them come from above from the Father and Saint Paul he 〈◊〉 CHRIST when He 〈◊〉 up on high He gave gifts unto men So the gifts come from the other two Persons no lesse then from the Spirit Offices are heere assigned unto the Lord that is CHRIST yet by and by at the XXVIII verse it is said of GOD the Father that He ordained Apostles and so goes on there with other Offices of the Church And in Act. XX. XXVIII of the Holy Ghost it is said Posuit vâ—s Episcopos that He placed them Bishops and they are chiefe Offices So that Offices are from the other two as well as from CHRIST Workes they are heere appropriate to GOD that is the Father Ioh. 5.17 yet in Iohn V. with one breath CHRIST saith My Father worketh hitherto and so doe I worke as well as He and in this Chapter straight after at the eleventh verse following thus we read All these things worketh one and the same Spirit So workes as they are from the Father so are they from the other two And so all and every of the three Persons aequally interessed in all and every of the three How is it then How come they thus to be sorted Sure rather in a kind of apt congruitie then otherwise onely in a fitt and convenient reference to the peculiar and if I may so call it the personall Attributes which most properly suits with each Person whence they flow As thus The Spirit is the essentiall Love of the Father and the Sonne Love then is his personall propertie and love is bounteous and from bounty come gifts So the gifts they from the Spirit CHRIST He is the essentiall Wisedome of the Father and Sapientis est ordinare that is Wisedome's office saith the Philosopher So the ordering of Places or Offices falls to Him GOD we call Him the Father Almightie which sheweth Might or power is His proper Attribute and power it is that worketh So the worke is His peculiar And thus come they thus sorted And so well we may repaire to each severally for his severall Yet with no exclusive to the rest but to all for all jointly for all that This needs not trouble any No more needs their order in standing The Holy Ghost first and the Father last otherwise then in Baptisme or in the Doxologie The workes appropriate to the Father though they be in execution last yet are they in intention first It is as in a solemne traine novissimi primi the last goe first and primi novissimi the first come last and yet are first in order though last in place It is sure the worke is the end of both the rest and of all Vnumquodque propter operationem suam Every thing be it what it will gift or place is and hath his being for the worke it hath to do So the worke is the chiefe of the three and He the chiefe whose the worke is let His standing be where it will The Trinitie Reall To the doing whereof there be required three things And where there be more then one required our books teach us ever to consider them first conjunction joyntly altogether then seriatim each in order as they stand and lastly seorsim every one asunder by it selfe 1. Of them jointly Ioyntly then To the doing of ought there is requisite â— habilitie of the partie â— authoritie for the partie 3 and diligence in the partie 1 Meet and sufficient men â— they orderly calld and placed 1 diligent and paynfull at their businesse To supply these heer are â— A gift wherewith 2 a place wherein 3 a work whereabout to imploy both and none to take on him the worke except first in a calling nor to take on him a calling except he first have a gift meet for it The Spirit is free of His gifts by which habilitie CHRIST He invites us to some calling wherein authoritie GOD He calls upon us to be at worke wherein diligence is to be shewed Our duty it shall be to come to be at these three doles or divisions to have our 〈◊〉 in them Out of the first Every one to get himselfe furnished with some gift â— Out of the second to see himselfe bestowed in some calling â— Out of the 〈…〉 having both these to apply himselfe to some worke and namely that worke 〈…〉 to his calling In a word every one to find himselfe with a gift in 〈…〉 â—bout a worke Not having the gift not to affect or enter the calling nor 〈…〉 calling not to venture upon the worke 〈◊〉 â—ll meanes we are to avoide to frustrate this meeting of the Trinitie To do 〈…〉 honour to think all the three absolutely needfull and not any of the three 〈…〉 needs The wisdome of GOD as it is never wanting in any thing that 〈…〉 so neither is it lavish in any thing more then needs And indeed to hold any 〈…〉 superfluous is in effect to call in question whether some person in the 〈◊〉 be not superfluous namely that person whose division we seeme to sett so 〈◊〉 All three then are to be had We cannot misse any of them If we misse 〈◊〉 all wil be done unskillfully if the calling all disorderly if the worke all 〈◊〉 and to no purpose Then not to leave out or to leap over the gift that 〈◊〉 â—â—tempt of the Spirit Nor the calling that is a trespasse against CHRIST 〈◊〉 the worke that is an affront to GOD Himselfe So much for conjunctìm now 〈◊〉 Aâ— to be had and in this order to be had as heer they stand marshalled 2. Of them seriatim in their order The gift 〈◊〉 then the calling to authorise then the worke to make up all But the gift before the calling and the calling after the gift the gift and calling both before we be allowed to take any worke in hand The number not abated the order not inverted Neither the calling before the gift nor the worke before the calling and gift both be had But every and each in his order and turne This order kept the Church will flourish the Common-Wealth
and goe no further never meddle with the calling or worke But what if we have a gift may we not fall to work straight Not but â— calling is first to be had yer we put forth our hand to it Which memo sibi sumit nisi qui vocatus No man to take on him unlesse he be called Though a gift then though a good gift Heb. 5.4 not eo ipso to thinke himselfe sufficiently warranted to fall a working There goes more to it then so We must passe CHRIST 's hands too and not leape over his head For after the Holy Ghost hath done with us CHRIST will â—ppoint every one of us his calling Which are diâ—iâ—ed for 〈◊〉 Of which division the ground is That every man is not hand over head confusedly to meddlâ— with every matter but all is to be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 orderly Each to know 〈…〉 1. Cor. 14.40 The very word division implieth order Where we read divisions 〈…〉 diversities But it is not so well that Things that are diverse may 〈…〉 confusedly on heapes But each must be sorted to his severall ranke and 〈◊〉 els are they not divided So as division is the better reading and division is 〈◊〉 And order is a thing so highly pleasing â—to GODâ— as the three Persons in Trinitie we sâ—e have put themselves in order to shew how well they love it And order is a thing 〈◊〉 neerly concerning us as breake order once and breake both your staves saith GO◠〈◊〉 Zacharie both that of Beauty and that of Bonds The staffe of Beauty For Zach. 10.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no manner of decencie or comelinesse without it but all out of fashion Thâ— â—â—affe of Bonds For no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no kind of steadinesse or constancie but all loose 〈◊〉 it All falls back to the first Tohu and Bohu For all is Tohu empty Gen. 1.2 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 of the Spirit fill not with his gifts And all is Bohu a disordered rude Chaos of conâ—â—sion if CHRIST order it not by His Places and Callings Every body falls to 〈…〉 with every thing and so nothing done nothing well done I am sure Eveâ—y man therefore what ever His gift be to stay till he have his place and standing by CHRIST assigned him It is judged needfull this even in secular matters Write one never so faire a hand if he have not the calling of a publique Notarie his writing is not authenticall Be one never so deepe a Lawyer if he have not the place of a Iudge he can give no definitive sentence No remedy then there must be division of places of administration no lesse then of gifts Will you know what those places be What the 〈◊〉 Eight of them are reckoned up at the 28. Verse Not to trouble you with those that were erected as needfull at first but were not to endure but for a time Those that were to endure are reduced to three and stand togither 1 Teachers 2 Helpers 3 Governours A threefold division taught even the heathen by the light of nature in their Religion They had them all three in theirs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their Teachers 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their Helpers 3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their Governoâ—rs The very same prescribed by GOD to His people 1 their Tâ—achers the Priests 2 their Helpers the Levites 3 their Governours the Sonnes of Aaron called Nessjm as true and proper Hebrew for Praelates as Praelati is Latine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The same is knowâ—n in the Church of Christ through all antiquitie 1 Presbyteri to teach 2 Diaconi to help 3 Episcopi to governe And never any other All these three heere goe under the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the proper terme of the lowest oâ— the three We turne it Administration It is indeed ministerie or service and that on foote and through the dust For so is the nature of the word An ill word for pride who had rather heare of words sounding of dominion then of service specially this service For it is but the order of Deaconship and pride would be at least more then a Dâ—acon Yet so we are all styled heer and no other name for any The very highest are but so The King himselfe twise made a Deacon Rom. 13. Rom. 13. â— Act. 13.36 God's Deacon no other title The best King that was David is said but to have served his time Act. 13. Served that was all Dâ—ut 4.19 Heb. 1.14 The glorious lights of heaven are said Deu. 4. to be created in ministerium but for our service The Angels of heaven are but ministring spirits Heb. 1. Rom. 15.8 Nay CHRIST Himselfe is styled no otherwise Ro. 15. but that He was a Minister of the Circumcision He that is LORD of all and gives all the offices calls His owne but so These places we sayd before are divided for order Now I add further Dâ—vided they be not scattered they are â—ivided not scattered or let fall For that is casuall Dividing is not so but as it is in the XI ver prout vult a voluntarie act He that distributes knowes what and to whom He doth it Places therefore are to be divided by knowledge not scattered or scambled for by hap and hazard The Winde is to blow no man to preferment Psal. LXXV It is the LORD that is to dispose of them Psal. 75.6 And how to dispose or divide them According to the former divisions of the 〈◊〉 That these should first take place the second depend upon those first none 〈◊〉 to the second till he have past the first For Christ's Places are for the Holy Ghost's 〈◊〉 Without inspiring with the grace no aspiring to the place there should be The Holy Ghost is by His gifts to point out those that should be taken into these administrations And where Christ placeth so it is For He placeth none but whom the Holy Ghost commends Ioh. 10.7 Christ is the door of which door the Holy Ghost is the Porter No man passeth through the door but whom the Porter openeth to No man to CHRIST but by and through the Holy Ghost nor to the calling but by and through the gift They that come not that way by the door get in by some other back way per Pseudothyrum by some false posterne That marrs all This is the true order Mat. 25.15 Vocavit servos et talenta dedit so is the Ghospell whom He calls He gives talents to If He have none given Him he came un-calld at least by CHRIST He cald him not he came un-sent at least by GOD He sent him not Though he answer Heer I am CHRIST spoke not to him Though he came running never so fast GOD sent him not Esay asketh two quaestions Quis tu hic or Quasi quis tu hic Esa. 22.16 Quis if by CHRIST Quasi quis if otherwise And many a Quasi
place contrarie to the minde of CHRIST who would hâ—ve the degree of the place as neere as could be to the measure of the gift 〈◊〉 should be but one GOD. In the Text there is no more But heere is another The Apostle calls him the GOD of this world who hath his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who 〈◊〉 too and his workes tend to deface and damnifie the Church all he may 2. Cor. 4.4 â—or there is but one Lord heere to divide places But by a jure patronatus other Lords there are that make divisions and subdivisions of them Of whom the poore 〈◊〉 divided places may say with Esay O Lord Esay 26.10 other Lords besides thee have had the 〈◊〉 of us So there is but one Spirit But another Spirit there is abroad in the world He that carried CHRIST up to the top of the mountaine and talkt of Tibi dabo as if he had gifts too Matt. 4.9 I shall be sory to make any other division of gifts then those of the Holy Ghost Bâ—t made it must be which the world hath made and makes daily and makes more accompt of them then of these heere in the Text. And indeed such accompt as the Holy Ghost may sitt still and keepe his gifts undivided well enough The other Spirit divides other manner gifts then the Holy Ghost hath any The gifts of the Holy Ghost are dona pectoris come out of the breast You would thinke the others come out of the breast too but they come but out of the bosome And in speculation we say the Holy Ghost's gifts are farre above these but in practise they are daily found to be farre above them in power For the Wise-man saith Dilatant viam hominis Prover 18.16 these gifts have a power to make a way through never so thicke a prease power to make any doore fly open afore them They speake of graces They make any that come with them more gracious then these of Saint Paul Nay they will disgrace them and marre their â—â—shion quite But then those gifts hold not of this Feast not of Pentecost but hold of the Feast of Simon and Iude they The Church hath joyned those two Saints in one Feast And the Divell in many things els GOD 's ape hath made a like joyning of his too in imitation of the true His Simon is Simon Magus not Simon Zelotes and Iâ—de Iudas Iscariot not Iudas the brother of Iames no kin to him Simon he came of roundly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 offered frankly would come to the price And Iudas Act. 8.18 he would know what they would give how thankfull they would be and it was done aâ—d there goeth a bargaine These two are like enough to agree Matt. 26.15 And thus is the Holy Ghost defeated bought out He and his gifts by Simon still And thus is CHRIST betrayed in his places and that by Iudas still This wicked fraternitie of Simon and Iude are the bane of the Church unto this day Iudas that sold CHRIST like enough to make sale of CHRIST 's places Simon that would buy the Holy Ghost had he beene to be sold as like to buy out the Holy Ghost's gifts as the Holy Ghost himselfe And this fault in the first concoction is never after amended in the second For with such as these GOD will never co-operate never comes there any fruit of sâ—ch Enough if any thing were enough But thus CHRIST 's places goe against CHâ—IST 's will Thus have yee a calling without a gift What say you now to a gift without a calling Tâ—â—se are not for the Holy Ghost These care as little for CHRIST Some such â—â—â—câ—re no man must say but gifts they have such as they be But they care not 〈◊〉 for troubling themselves with any calling They are euen as well without Hop 〈◊〉 downe as grashoppers hither and thither but place they will have none yet their 〈…〉 and they cannot hold them doing they must be and if they have got but 〈◊〉 end of a gift have at the worke be doing they will of their owne heads 〈…〉 by any so that have right to call And for default of others even make no more adoe but call themselves lay their owne hands upon their owne heads utterly against CHRIST 's mind and rule And so over CHRIST 's head they come from the gift to the worke without any calling at all Well in these two they have somewhat yet Either a calling without a gift or a gift without a calling What say you to them that have neither but fetch their run for all that and leape quite over gift and calling CHRIST and the Holy Ghost both and chop into the worke at the first dash That put themselves into businesse which they have neither fitnesse for nor calling to Yet no man can keepe them but meddle they will and in Church matters specially there soonest of all And print us Catechismes and compose us Treatises set out prayers and new Psalmes as if every forreiner were free and might set up with us Good LORD what the poore Church suffers in this kind Yet have you a fourth no lesse ill then any of these And these be such as have gifts and callings both it cannot be denied yet fall short at the worke Worke not at all Luk. 19.20 Wrap up their talent fold it up fairely in a napkin and lay it by them Let their calling lie fallow get them into Ionas's gourd and sit gazing there or into Ezekiel's caldron Ion. 4.6 Ezek. 11.3 and lie soaking there Worke who will and worke GOD in whom He will in them He shall worke nothing Nothing so to any publique good These have great accompt to make to GOD for thus treading under their foot His division Nay to all three To CHRIST also for the contempt of His calling and to the Holy Ghost too for burying His gifts So have you 1 a calling and no gift 2 a gift and no calling 3 neither gift not calling but worke for all that 4 both gift and calling and no worke not for all that All awry all in obliquitie for want of observing the order heere established These obliquities to avoid The Trinitie actuall It is the will of GOD that this Trinitie Reall should meet and grow into Vnitie as the Personall it selfe doth that so this heere on earth beneath may grow and be conformed to that there 1. Dividing in heaven above The former three divisions in the former three Verses all meete in the Vnitie and manifestation in this fourth Verse which is the Spirit 's Vnitie And so come we now about to the Spirit againe For all this dividing is not enough But when the doles and divisions of all three is done 2. Manifesting then beginnes the Spirit anew For these must not be conceald but be all manifested And that must be by the tongues of this day Which is it that giveth the Holy Ghost a
he remembreth mercie Hab. 3.2 But we will not stand upon this we need not we shall find another Super for these anon For many are the Supers of Mercie Not in any one possibly but in one sense or other over all Then if it go by quò communius eò melius None so good for none so common I am sure And reason why Mercie should spread the wing of her mantle thus over all The Reason in Eius referred to Mercie Mercie the Maker of them all Psal. 136.5.6.7 c All are Opera Ejus Opera Ejus Ejus may be referred indifferently to Mercie as well as to GOD. Mercie hath the name from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the womb For she was the womb indeed in which all were conceived at first and she delivered of them all Plaine by the CXXXVI Psalme Who by His excellent Wisdome made the heavens Who layd out the Earth above the waters Who made great lights c And the cause of every one at the â—nd of every one and of twenty more For His Mercie endureth for ever That set all on work His Wisdome to contrive His Power to execute appointed all did all It was Mercie and nothing but Mercie sett the creation in hand For it is well knowne in non ente there could be no moving cause at all Nothing we were We and all his works In nothing there can be nothing to induce why it should be brought out of the state of being nothing So that His Mercie it was that removed that universall defect of non entitie at the first And having then made them it is kindly Mercie the Prâ—seâ—ver of all that Viscera misericordiae should be over those Opera that came de visceribus whom it brought from nothing to be over them and not see them cast away and brought to nothing againe Exod 19.4 Mat. 13.37 The Eagle saith Moses the poor Hen saith our Saviour will do it for their young ones stretch their wings over them to preserve them what they can The Reason 1. In Eius his possession Psal. 119 94. So that these very two words Opera Ejus conteine in them a reason why Mercie should do no lesse A reason Nay two 1 One for that they be Ejus His. I am thine ô save me a good reason His they be a part of His possession That alone is enough with us to preserve that is ours onely because it is ours though we never made it 2 But besides that they be His they be His handiwork 2. In Opera his handiworke Psal. 137.8 Another good inducement Despise not ô Lord the works of thine owne hands We see then why over all quia Ejus quia Opera because His all because His works all And it is well for us the reason is layd so large For what ever we be or do or what ever become of us His weare and His works we are still So still His mercie is over us and we under it It made me say at first This Super as it is highly to the praise of Mercie Super omnia 1 For Mercie 's praise 2 For the good of His works Eccles 8.9 that it is 〈◊〉 His works So is it every way as highly to the good of all His works which are under mercie The vanitie Salomon saw One set over others for their hurt hath no place heer That Mercie is over all is for the generall good of all and that is ever a blessed Suâ—â—r We shall not need to feare eny heart-burning any aemulation for this Super 〈◊〉 to aske what the works say to it they all say Amen Halleluja glad are they that Mâ—â—cie is in that place they would have none other if they might It followeth next Confiteantur tibi Opera His works are readie all to confesse to acknowledge this Supremacie without any scruple to take the Oath to it Ver. 18. For Super over there is no doubt that it is as the Cherubim's wings stretched from one side of the Temple to the other Over all for all to flie under and finde succour there Tutissimum est say they that can say least by it when all is done nothing whereto we may so safely commit our selves And therefore Super omnia that Super omnia we might trust in it But I say that even Super above it is not as a bare pole upright there is a brazen Serpent upon the top of it for us to looke up to and receive comfort by 1 For if above all his workes above his judgement I will touch two or three for thus we deduce First if it be above all his workes it followes then above every one of them And One will serve the turne Of all the works of GOD there is no worke we are afraid of but one that is His judgement the work of His Iustice. Above that it is for above all it is And that is to our comfort greatly For which besides this generall above all therefore above it we owe to Saint Iames that we have it expressed in particular even in termes terminant Misericordia Super-exaltat judicium Iam. 2.13 Mercie is exalted more then exalted Super-exalted above judgement nominatim That worke of His we most stand in aw of over that work by name Mercie triumpheth And in the very Decalogue there may you see the Super of a thousand to foure Exod. 20.6 in Mercie over Iustice. Even there even in the rolle of His Iustice the Law there would GOD have it extant upon record that Mercy is above it And if mercie be above it thither to mercie we may remove our cause as to the Higher Court. Heb. 4.16 Ther lieth an Appeale thither A Solio Iustitiae ad Thronum Gratiae from the Bench of Iustice to the Throne of Grace and Mercie There we may be relieved Now if it be above that Opus that worke of GOD 's for God's works we seeke no more 2 Above all our workes our sinfull works A second we deduce thus If it be above all His works shall it not much more be above all ours What are we to Him ours to His No work of ours then or to be done by us but the mercie of GOD is above it No sinfull worke I meane that we erre not Cain's error Gen. 4.13 His sinne was above GOD 's mercie No Mercie above it Grande est barathrum peccatorum meorum it is Chrysostome sed major est Abyssus misericordiae Dei Great is the whirl-poole of my wicked workes but greater is the Bethesda the wide and deepe gulfe of the mercie of GOD that hath no bottome And indeed it were not truely said It is above all his workes all His and much more then above all ours if eny of all our works were above it Ioh. 1.29 No more then There is a Lambe that taketh away the sinnes of the world if there were eny sinne in the world He takes not away And this is the Super
indeed Psal 38.4 that would be looked into by us by reason of another Super Iniquitates nostrae supergressae sunt capita nostra Our sinnes are gone up over above our heads Over head and eares in sinne And another Super yet above them Even the phials of God's wrath hanging over our heads Apoc. 16.1 readie to be powred on us and them were it not that mercie is above them and staies them Were it not that Over whom miserie over them mercie Els were we in danger to be overwhelmed with them every houre We see then the comparison was well laid in Super. Our sinnes over us judgements over them but mercie over all Super omnia Alwaies where there is Super there is Satis Satis superque shewes Super is more then Satis Enough then there is and to spare for them all â— Above the workes of all His workes One more not onely above all ours but if it be above all His works then is it above all the workes of them that be His workes and so not to hold you above the Devill and all his workes For he also is one of them Of GOD'S making as an Angell of his owne marring as a devill Above his works I say and above the works and practises of his limmes and all they can doe or devise against them over whom His mercie is The Sonne of GOD saith S. Iohn in mercie therefore appeared 1. Ioh. 38. Vt solveret opera Diaboli that He might loose â—ndoe quite dissolve the works of the Devill No worke shall he contrive never so deepe under ground never so neere the borders of his own region but GOD 's mercie will bring it to light it and the workers of it His mercie will have a Sâ—per for their Subâ—er There shall be more in Mercie to save then in Sathan to destroy Psal 124 1. More dicat nunc Israël more may this Realme now say A notorious Work of His as ever eny Nay Super omnia as never was eny this day by His mercie brought to light and dissolved quite dissolved We heard it not with our eares our fathers told it 〈◊〉 not our eyes beheld this Super. Psal. 44.1 So we are come to our owne case â—er we were aware That is Super upon 3. Super upon 1 Vpon some more then others of his workes Over all 〈◊〉 yet not over all alike at leastwise not upon all alike upon some more then over 〈◊〉 some Aequaliter est Illi cura de omnibus but not aequalis Aequally a care â—f â—ll but not an aequall care though No His mercie over all in generall is no barre 〈◊〉 upon some there may be a speciall Super and so some have a Super in this Super too For if the reason why mercie is over all His workes be because they be His workes â—hen the more they be His workes the more workmanship He bestowes upon them the more is His mercie over them Whereby it falls out that as there is an unaequalitie of His workes and one worke above another so is there a diverse graduation of his mercie â—nd one mercie above another or rather one and the same mercie as the same Planet in Auge in the top of his Epicycle higher then it selfe at other times To shew this 2 Vpon Man more then other creatures Gen. 1.26 we divide His works as we have warrant into His works of Fiat as the rest of His creatures and the Worke of Faciamus as Man the master-piece of His workes upon whom He did more cost shewed more workmanship then on the rest the very word Faciamus setts him above all 1. GOD 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that He did deliberate enter into consultation as it were about his making and about none els 2. GOD 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Himselfe framed his bodie of the mold Gen. 2.7 as the potter the clay 3. Then that He breathed into him a two-lived soule which made the Psalmist Breake out Domine quid est homo c. Lord what is man Psal. 8.4 thou shouldst so regard him as to passe by the heavens and all the glorious bodies there and passing by them breath an immortall soule put thine owne image upon a piece of clay 4. But last GOD 's setting him Super omnia opera manuum suarum Over all the workes â—f His hands His making him as I may say Count Palatine of the world this shewes plainely His setting by Man more then all of them As he then over them so GOD 's mercie over him Over all His workes but of all His workes over this work Psal. 8.6 Over His chiefe worke chiefly in a higher degree And not without great cause Man is capable of aeternall either felicitie or miserie so are not the rest He sinnes so do not they So his case requires a Super in this Super requires mercy more then all theirs Vpon men then chiefly They the first Super in this Super. But of men though it be true in generall He hath shut up all under sinne that He might have mercie upon all Rom. 11.32 yet even among them a Super too a second Another workmanship He hath yet His workmanship in CHRIST IESV the Apostle calls it Ephes. 2.10 His new creature Gal. 6.15 which His mercie is more directly upon then upon the rest of mankind Servator omnium hominum the Saviour of all men saith the Apostle marie 1. Tim. 4.10 Auâ—em most of all of the faithfull Christian men Of all men above all men upon them They are His Worke wrought on both sides Creation on one side Redemption on the other For now we are at the worke of Redemption And heere now is Mercie right in kind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rahame rahama the mercie of the bird of mercie that is the Pelecan's mercie for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the Pelecan which hath her name of mercie as the truly mercifull bird For heer now is not the womb to hatch â—hem nor the wings to clocke them but the Pelecan's bill of mercie striking it selfe to the heart drawing blood thence even the very heart-blood to revive her young ones when they were dead in sinne and to make them live anew the life of grace This is Misericordia super omnes misericordias Shall I say it I may truly Mercie in all els abâ—vâ— His workes but in this above Himselfe For when it brought Him down from Heaven to Earth to such a birth in the manger such a life in contradiction of sinners Luk. 2.12 Heb. 1â— 3 Phil. 2.8 such a death on the Crosse it might truely be said then Misericordia etiam triumphat de 〈◊〉 You shall marke therefore at the verie next words when he comes to his thanks â—is Confitcantur Tibi opera Deus but Sancti tui benedicant Tibi Thy workes let them â—ay Confiteor Thy redeemed Thy Saints let them sing Benedictus Thy workes Verse 10. let them
and none but this that failed them An easie strength one would thinke to hold ones tongue or to hold the fingers still That had he not but for lack of that must needs be scribling and that marred the fashion of the birth quite His not having the strength not to bring forth his made they had not the strength to bring theirs forth His putting his hand to the paper made there could be no fire put to the powder made the mid-wife was intercepted and so the birth though neere the deliverie yet never delivered And yet I cannot tell you neither for when this work of darknesse was brought to light the light was so dimme and the riddle so dark even then that for all that bringing to light the children were comming forward to the birth still Till strength was given to deliver us from this birth by another travaile For a travaile I will call it the studying and the bringing forth of the hidden mysterie of the burning of the paper the riddling of that riddle For so came out who the Children were and of what element they were made what and whereabout the womb was they lay in So by a birth and by that birth we were delivered from this That birth smote all dead For it was found even so and then came prostratio virium indeed Then all strength indeed was quite and cleane taken from them That being taken from them they were not delivered and by their not being delivered we were all delivered To the joy now Divide the Text Venerunt ad partum is their joy 1. The Ioy of Non eran◠vire◠Non erant vires is ours That theirs for a time this ours for ever To make their griefe the greater when it came they were for a while putt in joy Glad were they I dare say to see it go current kept close so long They even itched for joy at it and fell into a foolish paradise provided a Protector and all Comes me Non sunt vires all their joy was at an end and with that began their Sorrow We by their griefe shall best conceive our own joy taking the whole Verse intirely together A griefe it was and it went to their hearts these children that they came not A double griefe that when they held well so long and were so likely to come yet they came not had strength all the while had it not then Venerunt ad partum venerunt ad portum are much alike Eny wrack is a griefe but no griefe to the griefe of that wrack that is made even in the very haven's mouth To go the voyage well and arrive well and then before the very port to sinck and be cast away To bring the game to the upshot and then to lose it It trebled their griefe that so many Ladie 's Psalters and Iesus's Psalters were said for it and that neither Iesus nor our Ladie blessed the birth no better And last that the children perished and perished not alone but the mothers went too and some of the fathers for companie It should have been parientes pepererunt it was parentes or parientes if you will perierunt Now looke how many waies they were grieved and said Alas for venerunt ad partum Alas for non erant vires so many waies do we rejoyce and say It is well that venerunt ad partum Thankes be to GOD that Non erant vires 1. First for non erant vires by it selfe that defeated it was 2. Then for Venerunt ad partum non erant vires together that it prospered so long and yet defeated it was this was Gaudete with an iterum dico 3. Then that without eny leva orationem on our parts without eny on ours and against so great a levie of theirs of I know not how many prayers and processions and all for the prosperous successe of a businesse knowne to none but the Superiors 4. And to make it terque quaterque that we saw them come tumbling downe that made full account to have seene us flie up That we were delivered from a danger so neere brought to so narrow a point we not praying nor so much as once thinking on the matter but delivered as it were in a dreame Psal. 126.1 Our selves not onely delivered from but they that so sought ours delivered to their own destruction brought not forth but were themselves brought forth to Iudas's end the end of all traitors and their children not brought out but as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pulled out of the womb of the cellar piece and piece and never saw the Sunne alive or the Sunne them pitie it should 2. The Reasons of Non erant vires 3 Why they not suffered to come forth Gen. 35.18 1. Sam. 4.21 Shall I now tell you a reason or two why Non erant vires pariendi 1 one out of pariendi 2 the other from Non erant vires 1. This pariendi was indeed pereundi the bringing forth a quantitie of powder the perishing of a whole Parliament They were not but put case they had come forth it is well we are in case to put this case certainely they had been Benoni's Sonnes of Sorrow to this whole land Icabod's right Our glorie had beene gone cleane For what a face of a Common-wealth had heer beene left Exclusivè they came ad partum if inclusivè they had their inclusivè had been our exclusivè We had been shot of and that out of this life and this world every one Venerunt if they had come ad partum if they ad partum we ad perniciem Non erant vires If there had these vires had been virus to us and their pariendi our pereundi If those Children had not been lost many fathers had been lost many children had lost their fathers and many wives their husbands There had beene a great birth of Orphanes and Widowes brought forth at once What manner of birth should this have beene first in it selfe then to us In it selfe we said for Vipers there should be no strength to deliver them Were not these Vipers the womb they lay in must have beene rent for them to come forth were they not the brood of Vipers What talke you of a Viper that sometime it may be stings a child to death or an elder body if it be not looked to in time What are Vipers to them that at once would not have stoong but have sent up and torne in pieces a King a Queene a Prince and I know not how many of the Nobles Clergie Commons all the Estates of a Realme a whole Countrie their owne Countrie all at one blast We said for Monsters there should be strength to deliver them These were such monsters as not in Christendome alone but even in Afrique that mother of monsters the Turkes and Moores and all that heard of it were amazed that ever the earth should beare such a brood of miscreants For they should not as children have
in the booke of life in heaven have done before you in diverse workes of charitie to the maintenance of the Church the benefit of Learning and the reliefe of the Poore of the land This is to do good This I trust you understand This know that GOD hath not given sight to the eye to enjoy but to lighten the members nor wisedome to the honourable man but for us men of simple shallow forecast nor learning to the divine but for the ignorant so neither riches to the wealthy but for those that want reliefe Thinke you Timothee hath his depositum and we ours and you have none it is sure you have We ours in inward graces and treasures of knowledge You yours in outward blessings and treasures of wealth But both are deposita and we both are feoffees of trust I see there is a strange hatred and a bitter gainsaying every where stirred up against unpreaching Prelates as you terme them and Pastors that feed themselves onely and they are well worthy If I might see the same hatred begoon among your selves I would thinke it sincere But that I cannot fee. For that which a slothfull Divine is in things spirituall that is a Rich man for himselfe and no body els in things carnall and they are not pointed at But sure you have your harvest as well as we ours and that a great harvest Lift up your eyes and see the streets round about you the harvest is verily great and the Labourers few Matt. 9 37· Let us pray both that the Lord would thrust out Labourers into both these harvests that the treasures of knowledge being opened they may have the bread of aeternall life and the treasures of well-doing being opened they may have the bread of this life and so they may want neither I will tell you it another as easie a way Saint Augustine making it plaine to his auditorie somewhat backward as it should seeme was faine to tell them thus thus to define doing good Quod non vultis facere hoc bonum est said he that that you will not doe that that I cannot get you to do that is to doe good Shall I say so to you No indeed I will not I hope better things and partly I know them But this I will say that which the Papists with open mouth in all their books to the slander of the Gospell that which they say you doe not nay you will not doe that is to doe good One of them saith that our Religion hath comforted your force attractive so much and made it so strong that nothing can be wroong from you Another he saith that our Religion hath brought an hardnesse into the bowells of our Professors that they pitie little and the cramp or chiragra into their hands that they give lesse Another 〈◊〉 our preaching hath bredd you minds full of Salomon's horsleches that cry â—riâ—g in bring in and nothing els All of them say that your good workes come so from you as if indeed your religion were to be saved by faiâ—h onely Thus through â—ou and through want of your doing good the Gospel of CHRIST is evill spoken of â—mong them that are without They say we call not to you for them that we preach not this point that we leave them out of our Charges Libero animam meam I deliver heere mine owne soule I do now call for them I have done it elsewhere yer now Heere I call for them now I take witnesse I call you to record I call heaven to râ—cord Domine scis quia dixi scis quia locutus sum scis quia clamavi Lord thou knowest I have spoken for them I have called for them I have cried for them I have made them a part of my charge and the most earnest and vehement part of my charge even the charge of doing good Vnto you therfore that be rich be it spoken heare your charge I pray you There is no avoiding you must needs seale this fruit of well-doing you must needs do it For having wealth and wherewithall to do good if you do it not Inprimis talke not of faith for you have no faith in you if you have wherewith to shew it and shew it not Saint Iames saith you have none to shew Nor tell me not of your religion there is no religion in you Iam. 1.27 â— Pure religion is this as to very good purpose was shewed yesterday To visite the fatherlesse widowes and you never learned other religion of us Secondly if you do it not I warne you of it now you shall then find it when you shall never be hable to answer the exacting of this charge in the great Day where the question shall not be of the highnesse or lownesse of your mindes nor of your trust and confidence or any other vertues though they be excellent but of your feeding clothing visiting harbouring succouring and in a word of your well-doing onely This I say to you beare witnesse I say it Now to Them in your just deâ—ense I say for GOD forbidd but while I live I should alway defend this Honourable Citie in all truth to them whom the mist of envie hath so blinded that they can see no good at all done but by themselves I forbidd them the best of them to shew me in Rhemes or in Rome or any popish Citie Christen such a shew as we have seene heer these two daies To day but a handfull of the heape but Yesterday and on Moonday the whole heape even a mightie armie of so many good workes as there were relieved Orphanes the Chariotts of this Citie 2. King 2.12 I doubt not and the horsemen thereof They will say it is but one so they say Be it so yet it is a matchlesse one I will go further with them Spoken be it to GOD 's glorie Non nobis Domine non nobis Psal. 115.1 sed Nomini Tuo dagloriam Not unto us not unto us O Lord but unto Thy Name give the praise for the loving mercie and for thy truthes sake which we professe I will be able to prove that Learning in the foundation of Schooles and encrease of revenues within Colledges and the Poore in foundation of Almes-houses and encrease of perpetuities to them have received greater helpe in this Realme within these forty yeares last past since not the starting up of our Church as they fondly use to speake but since the reforming ours from the error of theirs then it hath I say in any Realme Christen not onely within the selfe same fortie yeares which were enough to stop their mouthes but also then it hath in any fortie yeares upward during all the time of Poperie which I speake partly of mine owne knowledge and partly by sufficient grave information to this behalfe This may be said and said truly And when we have said this what great thing have we said that time for time so many yeares for so many thirtie yeares of light
have made comparison with thirtie yeares of trouble But this is not as we would have it We would have it out of all comparison This that hath been said is strange to them I know and more then they reckoned of But I would have you in these times of peace and truth so farre beyond them as that you might 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 snafflle them in this So 1. Pet. 2.15 that they durst not once offer to enter into this theme with us or once to mention it more So it should be I am sure so the Gospel deserves to have it 2. The Quantitie Be rich in good works You have the substance of that you must do to do good Now heer is the quantitie Be rich in good workes that seeing you are rich indeed you would not be poore men but rich in good works Good works Saint Paul saith not good words Good with the goodnesse of the hand not with the goodnesse of the tongue and tongue onely as many now are well therefore resembled to the tree that Plinie speaketh of the leaves of it as broad as any targett but the fruict is no bigger then a bean to talke targetts and to do beanes It were better reversed 2. Tim. 3.16 if we were as Saint Paul saith perfect in all good workes then perfect in certaine curious and queint termes and sett phrases wherein a great part of many men's religions do now adayes consist plaine speech and sound dealing plaine speech and good works best And rich in them The Rich man in the Gospell would as he said build his barnes bigger to put in them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all his goods he had no good out of his barne Yes yes some in good workes too Saint Paul hath heere within the compasse of this Text two Rich men his desire is they may both meet together in every rich man Rich 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the world that now is so ye are Rich in the world that shal be after this be that too Rich in cofer so ye are Rich in conscience be so too Your consciences you shall cary with you your cofers you shall not Thus you are valued in the Queene's bookes what are you in GOD 's bookes So much worth in this land of the dying how much worth in the land of the living Saint Paul's advise is that you strive for both which you shal be if ye be rich in good workes The true riches are the riches of His glorious enheritance They be the true riches which except a man can assure himselfe of Eph. 1.18 after the lease of his life is out he shal be in a mervailous poor case as was the Rich man Luke 16.24 and begg of Lazarus there that begged of him heer Those riches must be thought of mary then you must be rich in good workes Not to give something to sombody at some time Why Who doth not so That is not to be rich To give 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sparingly a peece of bread or a draught of drink and that onely that belongeth to him whom GOD hath sparingly blessed to the brother of low estate it is not your worke Exod. 35. In the Law to the building of the Tabernacle the poore gave Goate's haire and Badger's skinns that was for them and that was accepted the rich they gave purple gold and Iewells to the Tabernacle they were rich in good works And in the Gospell to whom much is given Luke 12.48 of him proportionally much shal be required That is in a word as you are sessed in the Queene's bookes so are you in GOD 's bookes each one according to his abilitie And GOD will looke that according to that sessement they should be done Col. 1.10 2. Cor. 9.8 that you should 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abound in good works as you do in wealth that you should 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Go before and sit highest and have a precedence in works as you have in your places And in a word that you should be Lords Knights Aldermen Masters Wardens and of the Livery in good works as you be in your severall Wards and Companies And indeed to say the truth to commit so many sinnes as no Auditor can number them and to affoord so few good workes as a child may tell them to receive such profitts as great compt-bookes will not hoâ—d them and to yeeld so small store of good workes as a little paper not so broad as my hand may conteine them To lash out at a banquet you know what and to cast to a Captive's redemption all the world knowes what To cast your pride with pounds and your good works with pense what coâ—aerence is there in these This is not to be rich But that is a part of the charge too I pray you remember it Remember to be rich not onely to do good but to be rich in doing good That will make you in case well to die as now GOD be thanked you are well to live 2. The Qualitie Ready to distribute And with the quantitie take the qualitie too I pray you for the quantitie richly for the qualitie readily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with compulsion not willingly and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with grudging not cheerefully these are the faults contrary to this vertue GOD must have it done with a facilitie with a readinesse easily And good reason easily for easily you may We that want cannot without difficultie we would and we cannot we have a heart without a hand though we be willing nothing is done why we are not hable You are well hable GOD be thanked if you be well willing there is no â—ore to do it is done This readinesse is a necessary vertue in our dayes where yer â—enefitt come nay many times yer a debt so much ingenuitie is spent so many Roâ—'s such a Vade redi go and come such a time such a dauncing on the threshold such â— failing of the eyes yer it can be seene such a cleaving to the fingers Pro. 3.28 yet it will come of such instillation by now a dropp and then a dropp as to a liberall nature when it commeth it is like to breadfull of gravell for hunger a man must needs have it and out for needs must a man had as leef be without â—t O beloved marr not all you do before GOD and man for want of this one thing You love a faire seed time all of you Hilaris datio serena satio cheerfull giving is like a faire seed-time As you for your seed to burie it wish a seasonable time so and no lesse GOD desireth for His that His seed may not be sowen with an overcast mind but with gladnesse of heart and cheerfulnesse of countenance Even as He doth himselfe who what He bestoweth bestoweth so as He taketh as much yea more delight in giving then we in receiving So do and then this Charge is at an end Be
as it were in scorn of this Congregation and of all the Gods in it These go to the foundations for so are the Lawes undermine them and in a sort though after another manner seek to blow up all Great pitie but this Congregation heere should looke well to the foundations of all Great pitie that it should be overcome of their evill Rom. 12.21 but that their evill should be overcome of our Good and this of yours goe beyond them It is not to goe through all Generally Quid populo quòd flet 1. Sam. 11.15 what the congregations of men have just cause to complaine of the Congregation of Godds sit to redresse Whatsoever Synagoga Satanae per malos mores These to be helped with good lawes doth put out Synagoga Deorum per bonas Leges is to set in joint againe And that is the proper worke of this Assembly to make Lawes And that is properly the worke of GOD His worke at Sinai and at Sion both And in truth There is but one Lawgiver and that is GOD saith S. Iames Chap. 4. Ver. 12. As till Ego dixi till then there was but one GOD but togither with His Name He imparted also His power and made you a Congregation of Lawgivers and of Godds both at once A high Power the highest in earth save one Next to the Scepter in Iuda's hand is the Lawgiver betweene his feete even with Iacob Gen. 49.10 And so with Salomon After Per me Reges regnant Pro. 8.15 presently followes Et Legum conditores justa decernunt To this so high a worke a whole Synagogue of wisedome is little enough to bring into course that is out to set the foundations fast against this Synagogue of Satan And this lo is the ordinarie and continuall danger I spake of But for all this danger 2 Vpon special occasion By Synagoga inimicorum we might well enough stay a longer time and not come togither ther is no such present hast to meet with that There is another I take it more pressing as I sayd before upon a more speciall present occasion Will you but looke over into the next Psalme following into the beginning of it there you shall find another Congregation a second casting their heads and confaederate togither Psal. 83.3 Ver. 6. hable to putt foundations and all out of course And then he reckons up a rabble of them Edomites the Edomites first and you know what they cried Psal. 137.7 Exinanite usque ad fundamenta Vp with all foundations and all the Edomites and Ismaelites and Moabites and Agarenes Gebal and Ammon and Amalek And at last Assur also was joyned with them Assur that even then purposed and after did eat them all up one after another yet he was then joined with them Such a Congregation it is said there is now abroad and what will they do No harme bring nothing out of course they say But it will be the wisedome of this Congregation to be provided for them theâ— should not do as they saye This Psalme stands before that that this Congregation may be before hand with that 〈◊〉 â—nd perfect 〈◊〉 to be wished before all no man doubts of 〈◊〉 If it be possible is 〈…〉 us lieth 〈◊〉 12 1â— peace with all men But Peace wil be had with neâ—â—e 〈◊〉 lesse assurance and with never the worse conditions if the Câ—â—â—â—egation be well appointed that seeke it And this iâ— the second worke of this Congregation if not the first Thereforâ— it may be thought at this time called togither that there may 〈…〉 Consilij soundly to advise of it and Multitudo Auxilij 〈…〉 go through with it The Text intends this of helpe specially 〈…〉 some translations it is the Congregation of the Mighty but howsoâ—ver the very name is taken from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Name of GOD that is given Him for His Strength and Power Of those that are Mighty and so can shew themselves of those is this Congregation Ever remembring this that they who assemble for an End assemble also to devise how to furnish meanes to compasse that End and indeed of the End properly we consult not but of the meanes rather Our SAVIOVR CHRIST Luc. 14.31 spoke with His owne mouth Who will ever resolve upon Warre but they will sit downe first and set downe what forces wil be needfull and how much they will stand in and how that is to be had or levied that as the wise 〈◊〉 saith Respondit omnibus Answers takes order for all Eccles. 10.19 â— From Deorum Thus for the Synagogue What for GOD There is no doubt blessed be GOD for it but what Moses said of Iuda His owne hands shal be sufficient for him Deut 1â— 7 if thou LORD helpe him against his enemies may be said of this our Land If GOD helpe us sufficient enough And He will helpe Vs if we helpe Him Helpe GOD what a word is that Even the very word Iud. 5.23 the Angel used when he laid a curse upon Meroz for not comming to helpe the LORD againe lest we might thinke it scaped him upon deliberation he saith to helpe the LORD against the mighty that is Sisara and Iohn's mighty preparations Ever where the right is there GOD is when that in Danger GOD in danger they that helpe that helpe Him and He will help them If the congregation GOD GOD the congregation Iud. 5.20 They will fight from heaven then the starrs in heaven will fight in 〈◊〉 courses for us And then it will be an Auxiliarie warr right And in signe that he will so when they are mett togither about these matters GOD 〈◊〉 him selfe heere in person and stands among them GOD in the Congregation of Godds what more proper and kindly And so much for the Godds and for their Congregation III. 〈…〉 〈◊〉 for the two acts of GOD in and upon this Congregation His 〈…〉 Iudging 1. 〈…〉 〈◊〉 â—ointly After apart 1. Iointly They 〈…〉 first these two as two Correctors of the two former 〈…〉 lest the 〈◊〉 of the Congregation should be exalted above measure with this deifying revolution Secondly 2 To put a difference betwen them and God as two Markes of differenâ—e betweene the first GOD and the last Godds so to let them see what manner of Godds they be indeed how differing from Him GOD stands This may well referr to that in the sixth Verse But you shall fall A standing GOD He who onely stands and will stand God sâ—ands they fall when they all shall fall and fall even to dust every God of them And this could not be told us in a fitter place the place where we stand is compassed about with a Congregation of these fallen Godds these same Dij caduci with Monuments of the mortalitie of many a great Elohim in their times And let me tell you this that in the Hebrew tongue the Grave is called a Synagogue
à Domino Esa. 64.6 inherent in us by sanctification of the gifts and graces of the Lord is not worth remembrance for it is a defiled cloth and dung in it selfe and were it never so good God hath no need of it nay being offered to God he is nothing increased by it If thou do all good works Deus meuses et bonorum meorum non indiges Thou art my God saith David Psal. XVII II my goods and therein are his good works also are nothing to thee God is not increased or inriched by them If thou do commit all manner of sinnes with all manner of greedinesse thou canst not defile God nor take any thing from him thy evill cannot decrease or diminish him But it is Iustitia in Domino Righteousnesse in the Lord that is Christ's righteousnesse communicated or imputed to us for Christ is made to us wisdome from God and Iustice 1. Cor. 1. or righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption and he doth not say fecit nos he made us righteous in the concrete but factus est nobis he was made righteousnesse to us in the abstract because he communicates his righteousnesse to us and thereby covers our nakednesse as Iacob clothed in his elder Brother's garments received the blessing And therefore the name of the Sonne of GOD is IEHOVAH Iustitia nostra The LORD our righteousnesse Besides no man is accepted or well pleasing to GOD for his work 's sake Ier. 23.6 but rather the worke is accepted for the workeman's sake as GOD first Respexit Abelem he respected or accepted of Abel's person and then followes et sacrificium ejus and then his sacrifice For GOD cares not for Abel's lambe but because Abel the lamb offered it his heart and willing readinesse to offer a lambe was pleasing and he accepted the sacrifice As in the Father of the faithfull GOD could not accept the sacrifice of Isaac because he was not sacrificed facto sed voto or voluntate not in deed but onely in vow and will and purpose in him Voluntas reputatur pro facto his will was accepted for the sacrifice And in Cain's sacrifice God made no difference betweene the lambe and the sheafe of corne both which were after commanded aequally in the Law and the Panes propositionis were ever joyned with a lamb The difference was he offered his eares of corne but not himselfe and therefore the words be Ad Cain vero et ad munera ejus non respexit But to Cain and to his offering God had not respect he accepted not his person and therefore he regarded not his sacrifice And therefore the Antient say Rupert in Gen. Lib. 4. C. 2. That either of them offered parem cultu et religione hostiam an aequall sacrifice in respect of Religion and the worshipp of God Sed non rectè uterque divisit Cain made an ill division he offered the fruits of the earth to God Cor retinuit sibi seipsum non obtulit he reserved his heart to himselfe and he offered not himselfe to God but Abel first offered himselfe to God and then his lambe And so Saint Paul's words are true Abel offered a greater sacrifice to God then Cain Greater first Quia hostia copiosior because he offered a double sacrifice himselfe and his lambe but Cain onely offered his corne Secondly Quia excellentior he offered a more excellent sacrifice better chosen because de adipibus of the fattest and best of the flocke Cain carelesly tooke that came first to hand de fructibus of the fruict and no more Thirdly Quia ex fide by faith he offered it and that faith justified him and his sacrifice because he believed in the Seed of the Woman that should bruise the serpent's head And so it is true Dignitas operantis the faith and piety of the sacrificer and worker dignitatem confert operi conferrs all the worth to the worke For if an Heathen or Turke do the same worke of Almes or mercy that the faithfull Christian doth it shall passe without all regard whereas the faithfull heart and person makes the worke of the hand acceptable to the LORD So then sacrifices of goodnesse and Almes or distribution there must be they are necessary to Salvation in them that have time and opportunity and meanes and therefore sufficit ad paenam meritis carere It is sufficient to punish us if we want good works But there can be no trust or confidence placed in them for they are unperfect and defective and therefore merit nothing at God's hands out of justice but onely are accepted out of God's mercy and the infinite Merit of CHRIST which is aequall to his Person that is infinite as he is the aeternall Sonne of God and therefore Sufficit ad praemium de meritis non praesumere the greatest part of the dignity of the best workes of the best men is to renounce all trust and confidence in our selves and our best workes and to repose all our hope in the mercy and merits of CHRIST Now to returne to the use of the word Promeretur in Antiquity I remember Saint Cyprian useth it not for the dignity and merit of the best worke but onely for the way or meanes of obteyning For reading that place of Saint Paul I. Tim. I. XIII But I obteined mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbeliefe he reads it thus Sed Misericordiam merui But I merited Mercy what was Merui in 〈◊〉 Cyprian's sense Epist 73â— N. â— 1 but I obtained mercy and so the Vulgar reads that place Agâ—ine speaking of those that were baptized and signed in the fore-head with the â—â—gne of the Crosse he saith of Ozius the leper that he was maculated with leprosie in that part of his body in which they are signed qui Dominum promerentur which 〈◊〉 the Lord so would our Rhemists read it But the true understanding is they that promerited the Lord that is they that enter covenant with the Lord in Baptisme De vnitate Ecclesiae Num. 16. And I presume rather the keeping the Covenant then the entring should be meritorious if there be any merit at all And Saint Aâ—gâ—stine De gratiâ libero arbitrio Cap. 5. 6. speaking of Saint Paul saith Meâ—itum fuit in Paulo sed malum In Paul there was merit but evill merit when he persecuted the Church and received good for it And after Let us returne to the Apostle whom we find without any good merits Sine vllis bonis 〈◊〉 imo cum multis malis meritis yea with many evill merits to have obtaiâ—â—â— the grace of GOD and then he adds Vt post bona merita consequatur coronam 〈◊〉 post mala merita consecutus est gratiam that after his good merits obtained the crowne who after his evill merits had obtained grace 1. Here first it is plaine merit is joyned in both with obtaining 2. Againe Merits are good and Merits are bad the word is common to both 3.
into such request as no Feast ever without it without an Hosanna it grew so familiar as the very children were perfect in it Mat. 21.9 The summe and substance whereof briefly is no more but which we all desire that God would still save still prosper still blesse him that in His name is come unto us that is King David himselfe whom all in the House and all of the House of the Lord blesse in His name And to very good purpose doth he this for ioy hath no fault but that it is too short it will not last it will be taken from us too soon It is ever a barr in all ioy â—olleâ—ur à 〈◊〉 subject to the worme that Iona's gourd was It standeth us therefore in hand to begin with Hosanna so to ioy as that we may long joy to pray for the continuance that iâ— be not taken from us ever remembring the true temper of ioy is exulâ—ate iâ— trâ—â—ore not without the mixture of some feare For this day we see what it is Psal. 2.11 a ioyfull day we know not saith Salomon what the next day will be and if not what the next day Pro. 27.1 what the next yeare much lesse What will come we know not what our sins call foâ— to come that we know even that God should call to judgement if not by fire by somwhat els If it be but for this it concernes us neerly to say ouâ— Hoâ—â—nna that the next yeare be as this It is our wisdome therefore to make the meaneâ— for the continuance of it that God would still stablish the good worke 〈…〉 â—ay wrâ—ught in us still blesse us with the continuance of the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this that we may doe not faintly but cheerefully with the lifting up of our 〈◊〉 therefore as farre as art or spirit can do it he hath quickned his Hosanna that 〈◊〉 putt spirit and life in us to follow him in it with all fervor of affection foure 〈◊〉 twise with Anna and twise with Na either of them before and after Verse 25. but 〈◊〉 â—ords and foure of them interjections all to make it passionate and that so as 〈…〉 originall nothing can be devised more forcible and so as it is hard in any 〈◊〉 toâ—gue to expresse it which made the Evangelist lett it alone and retaine the 〈◊〉 word still But this as neere as I can it soundeth Now good Lord save us yet 〈◊〉 now good Lord prosper us yet still Be to us as last yeare so this and all the yeares to 〈◊〉 IESVS a Saviour yesterday and to day and the same for ever And three things doth he thus earnestly pray for and teacheth us to doe the like 〈◊〉 save 2 prosper 3 and blesse To save that should be first with us it is commonly last We have least sense 〈◊〉 soules To save us with the true saving health it is a word whereof our Saviour 〈◊〉 hath his name it importeth the salvation of the soule properly to that it loâ—â—â—geth and hath joyned to it Hosanna in the Gospell Hosanna in excelsis to shew Matt. 21.9 〈◊〉 â—n high and heavenly salvation 2. Then to prosper If He but grant us the former alone to have our soules saved though without prosperitie though with the dayes of adversitie it is sors Sanctorum the lott of many a Saint of His of farre more worth then we Even so we are bound 〈◊〉 thanke him if even so we may be but saved But if he add also prosperitie of the outward to the saving of the inward man that not so much as a leafe of us shall wither bâ—t looke what we doe shall prosper and that whatsoever men of evill counsells do Psal. 1.3 shall â—ot prosper against us if He not only vouchsafe us Hosanna in excelsis but Hosanna de â—â—â—fundis too from deep cellars deep vaults those that digg deep to undermine our 〈◊〉 If He add the shaddow of his wings to shelter us from perills to the light of his â—â—â—ntenance to save us from our sinnes then have we great cause to reioyce yet more 〈◊〉 both with exultemus from without and laetemur from within to magnifie His merâ—â—e and to say with the Prophet Praysed be the Lord that not onely taketh care for the safetie but taketh pleasure in the prosperitie of His servants 3. Lastly because both these the one and the other our future salvation by the continuance of His Religion and truth among us and our present prosperitie like two walls meet upon the Head-stone of the corner depend both first upon the Name of the Lord and next upon him that in His name and with His name is come unto us that is the King So do both the Evangelists Saint Luke and Saint Iohn supplie and Luk. 19.38 Ioh. 12.13.15 where we read Blessed be he there they read Blessed be the King that commeth so that neither of them sure unlesse He be safe that He would blesse him and make him blest â—hat in His blessed Name is come amongst us The building will be as mount Sion Psal. 125.1 so 〈◊〉 corner stone be fast so the two walls that meet never fall asunder If otherwise 〈◊〉 I will not so much as put the case but as we pray so trust it shall never be remoâ—ed but stand fast for ever This then we all wish that are now in the House of the Lord and we that are of the â—â—use of the Lord do now and ever in the Temple and out of it morning and evening â—ight and day wish and pray both that He would continue forth His goodnesse and blâ—sse with length of dayes with strength of health with increase of all honour and happinesse with terror in the eyes of his enemies with grace in the eyes of his 〈◊〉 with whatsoever David or Salomon or any King that ever was happie was 〈◊〉 with Him that in the Name of the Lord is come to us and hath now these foure 〈◊〉 stayed with us that he may be blessed in that Name wherein he is come and 〈◊〉 the Lord in whose Name he is come many and many yeares yet to come And when we have put this incense in our phialls and bound this sacrifice with cords 〈◊〉 altar fast we blesse you and dismisse you to eat your bread with joy and to drinke 〈◊〉 â—ine with a cheerefull heart for GOD accepteth your worke your joy shall please 〈◊〉 this Hosanna shall sanctifie all the joy shall follow it To â—nd then This Day which the Lord hath thus made so mervailously so merâ—â—â—lously and mercifully let us reioyce in the Maker for the making of it by His doing on it that deed that is so mervâ—ilâ—â—s in our eyes in all eyes returning to the beginning of the Psalme Verse â— â— 3.4 and saying with the Prophet O give thankes to the Lord for he is gracious c. Lett Israel lett the house of Aaron yea lett all that feare the Lord confesse that His
mercie endureth for ever Psal. 136.4.23.24.12 Who onely doth great wonders Who remembred us when we were in danger And hath delivered us from our enemies with a mighty hand and stretched-out arme And as for them hath turned their devise upon their owne head And hath made this day to us a day of joy and gladnesse To this GOD of GODS the LORD of heaven glorious in holinesse fearefull in power doing wonders be c. A â—ERMON PREACHED â—â—FORE THE KING'S MAIESTIE AT WHITE-HALL ON THE V. of NOVEMBER Anno Domini MDCVII PSAL. CXXVI 〈◊〉 convertendo DOMINVS captivitatem SION c. â—ER 1. When the Lord brought againe the Captivitie of Sion we were like them that dreame Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with joy Then said they among the Heathen The Lord hath done great things for them The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we rejoice O LORD bring againe our Captivitie as the Rivers in the South THE word Captivitie is enough to give us light when and why this Psalme was first indited namely upon their returne from the Captivitie Of which returne of theirs it may truely be said it was one of the greatest nay it was the very greatest Deliverie that ever God vouchsafed his people Their estate no where so miserable as there witnesse the booke of Lamentations Their case never so ioyfull as returning thence witnes this booke of Psalmes No benefit so much celebrated None so many Psalmes as it Divide the whole booke into foure parts one fourt part is for this returne either directly of set purpose as here are 〈◊〉 â—â—gether or recorded in Psalmes though made upon other purpose still as the 〈◊〉 â—elivery that ever they had Yet this I confesse unto you that this Deliverie of theirs such as it was falls short oâ— that of ours as on this day 〈…〉 shal be â—ain to match it But this I must tel you before hand to haue this 〈◊〉 patterned in all points we must not look for it The Scripture hath it not Theâ— had no powder then it was not found If they had 〈◊〉 they would have used it but for the murder of persons they knew no other murther But to 〈…〉 Eâ—â—ates of a Realme at a clap Facti sunt sicut somnianâ—â—s or rather 〈…〉 they neuer dream't of any such And what then is our case 〈◊〉 we that have received from GOD such a Deliverance as we can finde no match for it But well though these Psalmes of the Captivitie come not fully home be not altogether 〈◊〉 ours yet because thâ—re be none liker none that come neerer we 〈…〉 ourseâ—â—es with these and either take our Texts hence or take none at all In taking this then and applying iâ—to the present there shall need but one word to be altered that is the word Captivitie But for it all els would runne very cleere and 〈◊〉 if we might but change that one word and in stead of reading When the Lord turned away the Captivity of Sion we might thus read When the Lord turned away the blowing up of Sion all besides every word els would suite well and keep perfect correspondencie It is true it was not a Captivitie that was turned away from us And yet it is hard to say whether it might not have prooved to that too and whether GOD in turning it away did not happily turne away a Captivitie But if not a Captivitie that He turned away from us was worse then any Captivitie This Psalme sheweth it They that are Captives how miserable soever their case be yet have hope of returning as these had and did But if this of ours had taken place we had beene sure enough for ever returning we had beene all past singing In Convertendo This one word being changed and that without wrong to the Text for it is for a greater all els will fall in and follow of it selfe 1. As that of theirs so this of ours for all the world like a dreame 2. As they among the heathen then said of them So they of other Nations now said of us that GOD had beene our good LORD for bringing us againe if not from the captivitie of Babylon from Babylon I am sure that is from a horrible and fearfull confusion which He turned away from this land and from us all The Summe and Division To set then this Psalme first for them and then for our selves It is a Psalme of Degrees the title is so and two degrees there be in it No new ones but the vsuall which we must still fall upon if we deale with the Psalmes All the Psalmes are reduced to them even to those two words Halleluja and Hosanna Prayses and Prayers Halleluja prayses for Deliverance obtained Hosanna prayers for obtaining the like upon the like need 1. The Halleluja in the foure first verses 2. The Hosanna in the last I durst not sever them they prosper not where they goe not together The Halleluja or prayse hath two degrees which as in all other things so in this make it prayse worthy 1 The Stuffe and the 2 Workemanship The Stuffe or matter I call The turning backe the captivitie of Sion and two degrees in it 1. That Sion is suffered to goe into captivitie 2. That GOD turneth away the captivitie of Sion This is Halleluja for the Stuffe And againe Halleluja for the Workmanship That GOD did not deliver Sion Vtcâ—ngue but so deliuer her as the manner was memorable The manner is sett downe in two degrees Which two are as it were the 〈◊〉 of the other 1. Turneâ— it so strangely as when it was done it seemed rather a dreame then a thing done 〈◊〉 Facti sumuâ— c. 2. Againe turned it so memorably as the Heathen 〈…〉 Tum dicebant c. Whiâ—◠〈◊〉 diâ—ides it selfe â— into the sound amongst the Heathen in the second 〈…〉 Ecchâ— of it in 〈◊〉 in the fourth 〈◊〉 commeth the Conclusion the best conclusion of all Facti sumus c. This 〈…〉 â—heir Halleluja is no sooner done but close upon it commeth their Hosanna To 〈◊〉 knees they get them and pray Converte Domine And in this also two degrees 〈◊〉 they pray to turne it 2 And then so to turne it as the streames in the 〈◊〉 In the South that is the wildernesse likening their captivity to a desert and their 〈◊〉 to streames of water And what more needfull or what more welcome then 〈◊〉 the wildernesse These are the degrees and steppes in theirs The same 〈◊〉 will we tread in our owne to shew that we may with good right convert to our 〈◊〉 vse this Psalme In Conuertendo HAllelujah first for the worke then for the workemanship The worke is VER 1. I. Hallâ—luja 1. For the Worke. The LORD turned away the Captivitie of Sion 1 First of the Captivity of Sion 2 Then of the LORD 's turning it The Captivitie of Sion I aske first why of Sion 1 The Captivitie of