fault where it is vpon our selues and vpon our owne Sinnes for though the many multitude say it was a good world with them When they sacrificed vnto the Queene of Heaven yet the King of Heauen knowes what a wofull time it was for Man when the Crucifixe was kissed with the kisses of their Mouthes and Iesus Christ was crucified againe with the workes of their hands and when they changed The trueth of God into a lye and Worshipped and serued the creature made a god with their owne hands Rom. 1.15 More then the Creator who is blessed for euer Amen And if we would be free from plagues free from punishments let vs free our selues from sinne I know that feare of Poperies comming againe with superstitions hath spread it selfe ouer the face of this whole Iland but alas Wee feare where no feare is for I dare confidently affirme that it neuer was his Maiesties minde nor the purpose of the State to bring in Idolatry and superstition into this land againe Cantic 5.3 for We haue washed our feete and shall we foule them againe But the secrets of State is more then either I can perceiue or most of you well vnderstand Or if they did yet were it vayne Quia non est concilium contra Dominum because no deuice of man can subuert the truth of God vnlesse our sinnes doe prouoke our God Reuel 2.5 Nulla nocebit aduersitas si nulla dominetur iniquitas Gregor Cyprian to remoue our Candlesticke and to take away our light and therefore though all the Iesuites of the world and all the Cardinals of Rome nay though all the Deuils of Hell should doe their worst against vs yet if we feare our God and forsake all Sinne the diuels may haue all their seruants before they all shall be able to hurt any one seruant of the Lord quia non plus valet ad deijciendum terrena paena quam ad erigendum diuina tutela 1 John 4.4 because He that is in vs is greater then he that is in the World and is more able to preserue vs then the Prince of darkenesse is to destroy vs. That wee should turne to the Lord our God And therefore if you thinke Poperie to be euill and would be free from superstition neuer feare the State nor lay the blame on others but leaue your sinnes and Turne to the Lord your God with all your hearts and with all your soules and you shall see the Saluation of the Lord which hee will shew vnto vs this day Exod. 14.13 for the Egyptians whom you haue seene and feare you shall see them againe no more for euer the Lord shall fight for you and you may be sure no euill shall happen vnto you it shall not come nigh your dwelling for the onely way to escape all punishments is to forsake all sinnes Neither doe I say this as if we could be cleane from sinnes for I know it was Nouatus his error and we must all know it for an error Hieron adversus Pelag. that a Christian after Baptisme doth not sinne and it was but a Pellagian conceite before him inuented by Pythagoras that the exercise of Vertue rooteth out all the seede of Vices Matth. 7.18 for a Bad tree cannot bring foorth good fruit and in some things sayth the Apostle I feare I may say as it is in our last English translation in many things wee Sinne all Iames 3.2 1 Iohn 1.8 And if wee say wee haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and there is no trueth in vs. But I say this that we should haue a feruent desire not to sinne and to say with the Prophet O that my wayes were made so direct that I might keepe thy Commandements and that wee would endeuor pro virili to the vttermost of our abilities not to sinne and labour alwayes with the Apostle Acts 24.16 to keep a cleere conscience in all things both before God and Man Thirdly Seeing all miseries death and damnation are as iustly inflicted vpon the sinner as the poore Souldier may iustly claime his little stipend we should not complaine against God Sueton. in vita Vesp C. 10. with Vespasian Immerenti sibi vitam aripi that he tooke away his life without any fault of his or without any fayling on his part but we should with the Leuites in Nehemiah with Daniel with Ieremie and with all the rest of the men of God commend the Lord and condemne our selues saying surely thou art iust in all that is come vpon vs thou hast dealt truely Nehem. 9.33 but wee haue done wickedly And thus I haue shewed thee O man quid sit malum what is euill and you haue heard a large discourse of Sinne and the most lamentable effect and wages of Sinne And now it is a thousand to one that the first thing many one of vs will doe is to goe home or perhaps afore wee goe home to sinne some to sweare some to their whores some to be drunke some to deceiue and most of vs to some sinne or other But if euer any of you doe for those sinnes receiue this pay remember I haue told you what you should haue Death for the wages of Sinne is Death and I can doe no more but pray to God that he would giue vs grace to forsake Sinne that we may escape Death through Iesus Christ our Lord To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost three distinct Persons of that one eternall in diuided Essence be giuen as is most due all prayse and glory for euer and euer Amen A Prayer O Blessed God which hast created Man we doe acknowledge that thou hast made him righteous but he sought out many inuentious and hath most grieuously sinned against thy diuine Maiestie and thereby hath most iustly pulled vpon himselfe and all his posteritie all miseries death and damnation But thou desirest not the death of a Sinner but rather that hee should turne from his wickednesse and liue And therefore we doe confesse our sinnes we doe detest our sinnes and we doe most humbly pray thee euen for thy mercies sake to bee mercifull vnto vs to deale with vs not according to our offences but according to thy Grace to giue vs Grace to serue thee that so we mâ—y be deliuered from our iust deserued punishment and be receiued into thine euerlasting fauour to prayse and magnifie thy blessed Name for euer and euer Amen A wearied loathed Life I leade content with onely Sadnesse To see my selfe opprest with Sinne and with this worlds Madnes I alwayes striue with wicked Sinne yet doth my Sinne preuaile I therefore hate my Selfe because my Sinnes I cannot quaile And I doe likewise wish for Grace that I might neuer offend But truely serue my Master Christ and please him to my end And yet I see this tyrant Sinne and wicked men doe wrong me To Hell the one to Miserie th' other still would throng me But reason bids
the Spirit had first taught him so when the Spirit said vnto Ezekiel Ezech. 2.1.2 Sonne of man stand vpon thy feet the Spirit himselfe did set him vpon his feete before he could stand and so the Prophet Ieremy saith Lam. 5.1 Turne vs O Lord and we shall be turned and so the Apostle after he had said Worke out your owne saluation with feare and trembling lest that any man should mistake him and thinke that he hath any manner of power of himselfe to doe the same hee sheweth immediately that all such power is from God Phil. 2.13 That we can doe no good but what God worketh in vs. because it is God that worketh in vs both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to will and to effect and so Saint Augustine saith Da domine quod iubes iube quod vis Giue vs O Lord power to performe what thou commandest and then command what thou wilt and so I might heape a cloud of witnesses to proue that neither this woman could nor any other man can turne to God or performe the will of God vntill God himselfe doth enlighten them assist them inable them and draw them to doe it That God compelleth not his seruants to doe any good And yet we must not so vnderstand it as that he doth it violently by way of coaction but sweetly and gently by way of insinuation for he draweth vs Leui spiritu non dura manu by an inward sweet influence and not by any outward extreame violence for the will is no will if it be compelled and therefore as Satan cannot force vs to sinne but onely by way of suggestion so God will not compell vs to grace but onely by way of inclination and a sweet secret operation of his Spirit vpon our wils and affections How God worketh our willingnesse to doe good without which notwithstanding as I shewed you before wee shall neuer be able to seeke for Christ to come to God and therefore to expresse both the necessity of such helpe and the manner of Gods working it in vs our Church excellently saith Lord haue mercy vpon vs and incline our hearts not to compell them but incline them to keepe this Law Why the wicked seeke not God And therefore hence it is apparant that the reason why all men doe not seeke for Christ and serue their God is because God in Iustice leaues them and doth not thus incline their hearts to seeke for him for if he did it how could they withstand it Rom. 9.19 for who hath euer resisted his will If then you will say the fault is in God Ob. that all men doe not seeke for God because hee doth not moue and incline their hearts to seeke after him I answere that this is a false conclusion Sol. laide vpon no good foundation for in the actions of the wicked he doth not driue them to sinne nor hath the least finger in their iniquity but he onely leaueth them to their owne inuentions and so the Prophet saith Thy destruction is from thy selfe Hosea 13.9 and he is a debtor to no man that he should be bound to sustaine him and therefore if to the one he sheweth fauour and doth incline his heart to leaue his sinnes and to seeke for Christ Illi facit indebitam misericordiam He doth it freely out of his mercy if to the rest hee doth not this he cannot be reprooued of any fault Quia illis facit debitam iustitiam because he doth but iustly leaue them And therefore I cannot sufficiently wonder at those men eminent in place and excellent for words that lessening this helpe and fauour of God which is the α and ω the beginning continuing and finishing of all the good things that are in the Saints of God would I know not for what cause ascribe more power and ability vnto man then is in any of themselues And yet I may cease my wondring because as the Sodomites groped for the doores in the cleere day Gen. 19.12 and the Iewes notwithstanding all the inuincible and vnanswerable apparant arguments to proue the comming of the Messiah would neuer beleeue it to this very day So that subtile Serpent still striueth to darken our eyes many times that we cannot see the cleerest light And so you see the action of these women and how they came to be so full of zeale and deuotion Two speciall obseruations from the former doctrine Out of which we may obserue these two speciall points for our instruction That many Women haue beene found most zealous and religious in the seruice of God First that many women were made Instruments of great goodnesse for though Sathan hath much blemished the beauty of this Sexe by making them his often Instruments to worke mischiefe as Eua to seduce Adam Dalila to intrap Sampson Iezabel to infatuate Achab and many others to further many Heresies so hath God much honoured them in making them partakers of great mercies and often instruments of his glory as Mary to conceiue him Elizabeth to prophesie of him Hanna to reioyce to see him Mary Magdalen to annoint him Martha to entertaine him and these three gracious Women to be the first seekers and the first seers of him after death and the first witnesses of his Resurrection vnto life I might reckon many other women that trusted in God and were famous in their generations and as Lampes shining in the world whereof some were faithfull Martyrs of Iesus Christ some bountifull entertainers of the seruants of Christ some able to conuert their vnbeleeuing Husbands and some to instruct their Housholds in the feare of God as that elect Lady vnto whom Saint Iohn writeth And I might speake of Sara 2 Ep. Iohn v. 1. Rebecca Debora Iudith Abigaile Bathsheba Hester Dorcas Loyse Phaebe Claudia Maxima Monica Pulcheria Gorgonia Trasilla and many more But seeing when it was granted to no man to be the father God vouchsafed to accept a woman to be the mother of Christ this onely thing is sufficient to shew how abundantly he loued and how worthily hee deserueth the loue of women Wherefore elect and blessed Ladies deare and Christian women let vs blesse that God which hath so honoured and blessed you let vs remember that honour is deceitfull and beauty is vanity Prou. 31.30 but the woman that feareth the Lord shall be praised and therefore imitate not that gracelesse Iezabel that painted her face with diuers colours Esay 3. and defiled her minde with haynous sinnes nor those daughters of Ierusalem which the Prophet Esay describeth and who tooke such delight in their tinckling ornaments and trumperies of vanities and did loue to sit at ease in Sion but imitate that good daughter of Sion whose beauty and glory is within Psal 45.14 and those Elect Ladies and blessed women whose praise is in the Gospell And if at any time heretofore you haue followed Iezabell and those dainty Dames in
therefore the Holy Ghost descended on Christ like a Doue Matth. 3.16 to shew these Doue-like qualities of this Lambe of God and to teach that we must be thus qualified like Doues if we would haue this heauenly Doue this Holy Spirit of God to remaine within vs for on them that are otherwise this Doue hath not yet descended Fourthly like a mighty winde Fourthly He appeared like the rushng of a mighty winde for a true winde it was not saith Oecumenius but the Spirit of God Qui à spirando flando dicitur which from blowing or breathing is called spirit is said to appeare First Like the winde and that for these fiue reasons Iohn 9. â— First As the winde bloweth where it listeth so the graces and gifts of Gods Spirit are giuen to whomsoeuer it pleaseth him for he will haue mercy on whom he will haue mercy Exod. 33.19 In what respect the Holy Ghost is like vnto winde Secondly As the winde scattereth the dust and driueth away the chaffe from the corne so the graces of Gods Spirit doth winnow the consciences of the Saints and driue away all wicked thoughts and cogitations from their hearts Thirdly As the winde carrieth away the ship against the maine streame so will the grace of Gods Spirit carry a man against the current of his naturall inclination for if Socrates by the sole helpe of morall instructions was able to bridle his loose disposition how much more shall those men bee restrained from all lewdnesse which are led by diuine inspiration Fourthly As the winde cooleth and recreateth all those that are scorched with the heate of the Sunne so doth the grace of Gods Spirit recreate all those distressed people that are scorched with the heate of afflictions or burned with the concupiscence of their sinnes Fiftly As the winde will passe vnresistably so will the grace of Gods Spirit worke it owne â—ffect and all the power of darknesse is not able to resist it and therefore Secondly It is said 1 Kings 10.11 that he appeared like the rushing of a mighty winde because that as the mighty winde in the first booke of Kings the 10. and the 11. did rend the mountaines and brake the rockes before the Lord so the grace of Gods Spirit and the Word of God is mighty in operation Why the Holy Ghost is compared to a mighty winde able to shake the stoutest and the proudest man and to breake in pieces the stoniest heart Indeed our people do esteeme our words none otherwise then winde which makes vs spend so much winde to little purpose to weary our selues and scarce to waken them but here let them know that the Spirit of God like Aeolus which shutteth vp the windes in his bagges can when he pleases let out the same in a mighty manner to amaze the consciences of the stoutest Peeres and either to driue away their sinnes Exod 10.19 Psal 1.5 as it droue away the Grashoppers and Locusts that ouerspread the land of Egypt or else to driue them away like the Chaffe from off the face of earth Fiftly He appeared like clouen tongues of fire First Like tongues for though the tongue Fiftly like clouen tongues of fire i. e. such a tongue as is set on fire from Hell as Saint Iames saith is many times the instrument of the Diuell to doe much mischiefe to blaspheme God and to abuse men yet Vt non debent oues odere pelles suas quia induunt eas lupi As the sheepe should not hate their skins because the Wolues doe many times put them on so ought none that is wise reiect that which is good because it is often abused by the bad therefore seeing as Pittacus saith the tongue as it is the worst member in a wicked man so it is one of the best members in a godly man Iames 5.6 Why the Holy Ghost appeared like tongues the Holy Ghost did appeare like tongues First Because as a Father saith Symbolum est lingua spiritus sancti à patris verbo procedentis The tongue is a symbole of the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Word of the Father for as the tongue hath the greatest cognation and the neerest affinity with the Word and is moued by the Word of the heart to expresse the same by the sound of the voyce saith Saint Gregory Iohn 16.14 so the Holy Ghost hath the neerest affinity that may be with the word God and is the expressor of his voyce and the speaker of his will that receiueth of him and reueileth all vnto vs. Secondly Because as the tongues are the sole instruments of knowledge which conuayes the same from man to man for though the soule be the fountaine from whence all wisedome springeth yet the tongue is the channell and the conduite pipe whereby this wisedome this knowledge is communicated and transferred from man to man so the Holy Ghost is the sole Author and Teacher of all truth Christ is the wisedome of God but the Holy Ghost is the Teacher of this wisedome vnto men 1 Cor. 1.21 and it pleased him by this onely way to conuay this wisedome of God vnto men for seeing the world by their wisedome knew not God in the wisedome of God it pleased God through the foolishnesse of Preaching to saue those that beleeue Why he appeared like clouen tongues Secondly He appeared like clouen tongues because all tongues and all languages are alike knowne and vnderstood of God and because this Spirit can teach all men all languages and the gift of tongues is a gift of God Why he appeared like clouen tongues Thirdly He appeared like clouen tongues of fire they were ignitae non politae fiery tongues and not fine polished tongues because the Spirit of God delighteth rather in the zealous and the feruent tongues of Saint Paul and Apollos that warme the heart then in those eloquent tongues of Cicero and Demosthenes that delight the eares for this is the desire of Gods Spirit to kindle the hearts of men and to set them on fire with the loue of God and our brethren So when our Sauiour preached vnto the two Disciples that trauelled towards Emaus they said Did not our hearts burne within vs Luke 24. while hee talked with vs by the way This is the effect of the tongue of the Holy Ghost to worke zeale and feruency in the hearers And so you see the thing wherewith they were said to be filled that is the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost CHAP. IIII. Of the filling of the Apostles with those gifts of the Holy Ghost and the signes of their fulnesse SEcondly They are said to be filled with these gifts and Dydimus saith that wee cannot be filled with any creature Quia deus solus implet creaturas Because nothing but God can replenish and satisfie his creatures Vnus pellaeo Iuueni non sufficit orbis The whole world is not able to content vs so large
of Empires because that this consideration doth illustrate and confirme vnto vs the song of the blessed Virgin and the Power of the great Creator Qui fecit Potentiam deposuit potentes Which raiseth the poore out of the mire and bringeth downe the high lookes of the proude because his hand is able both to exalt the one and to deiect the other as Aesope being demaunded what God did answered Exaltat humilia deijcit alta He exalteth the lowly and casteth downe the mighty Victor Strig in Iustin epit p. 296. and this may be seene as in all things and in all Ages else So especially in those Empires which wee call the foure Monarchies saith Strigelius And Poet Iuuenal saith Fortuna multis dat nimis nulli satis Si fortuna volet fies de consule rhetor Si volet haec eadem fies de rhetore consul Fortune we see doth giue too much to many The Heathens did falsely ascribe that to Fortune which is true indeed of God And yet alas giues not enough to any If Fortune will thou maist be a Consull made And if that will thou mâ—st vnto thy former trade And therefore Maro considering this admirable disposition of things doth positiuely pronounce Fortuna omnipotens ineluctabile fatum Virgil Aeneid l. 8. That Fortune is Omnipotent and destinies vncontroulable All which Mutato nomine If we change the name of Fortune which was their error to say Te facimus fortuna deam And to ascribe all to chance into the vnchangeable prouidence of God wee finde it to bee most apparantly true and therefore of an vnanswerable validitie to confirme and proue the power of God Secondly for the desperate men All wicked wretches How wicked sinners thinke God cannot forgiue there sinnes Deut. 32. when they are growne vnto the height of sinne or fallen downe into the depth of all iniquity and shall on the one side see God exceedingly angry with them for their sinnes and the fire kindled in his wrath which shall burne vnto the bottome of Hell and on the other side the deuouring Gulph ready to receiue them and to detaine them in euerlasting flames then doe these men not so much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Atheists without the Knowledge of God as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Infidels without Faith or Hope in God say with wicked Caine Our sinnes are more then can be forgiuen vs for that our iniquities which are so horrible and Gods Iustice which is so vncorruptible hâ—ue such a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 great Gulfe and distance betwixt them that Non bene conueniunt nec in vna sede morantur They can neuer be reconciled and therefore our iniquity can neuer be remitted Neither doe I truely finde these men to be much more stupid then the former whereof I haue euen now spoken for although I finde many men affirming the powerfull Creation of all Creatures others saying the conseruation of the said created things and others the Incarnation of the Sonne of God to bee the greatest worke and argument of Gods diuine Power yet I finde many Diuines not meanely learned most confidently to auerre That to forgiue sinnes is the greatest worke of Gods power the remission of our sinnes to bee simply and absolutely the greatest and most remarkeable worke of Gods power and not without reason neither because it is easier to create a thousand worlds of nothing then it is to forgiue one sinne that is committed for to the bringing forth of all creatures hee did but Speake the word Psal 33.9 and they were made hee commaunded and they stood fast But to obtaine for vs remission of our sinnes multa dixit magna fecit dira tulit hee spake many words he did grâ—at workes and he suffered grieuous wrongs as Saint Bernard sayth for Sinne is such a transcendent thing that as God himselfe in regard of his infinite beautie Heydelpheld C. 2. de deo p. 9. so sinne in respect of its infinite deformitie cannot be defined nor shewed how haynous a thing it is and therefore the Church in the Collect vpon the eleuenth Sunday after Trinity which also I found obserued by Aquinas sayth God which declarest thy Almighty power most chiefly in shewing mercy and pittie And so Christ himselfe Mar. 10.25 that knoweth all things shewing how hard it is for a rich Man to enter into eternall life doth seeme to shew as much and therevpon his Disciples were astonished out of measure saying among themselues verse 26. Who then can be saued Tantae molis erat caelestem condere gentem So hard a thing it was to pardon sinne though we poore blinded fooles That God is able to forgiue sinnes doe esteeme it nothing to sinne But yet against despaire that it is not impossible with God to remit all sinnes our Sauiour brings this reason because all things are possible with God Mar. 10. v. 27. and the blessed Apostle Paul disputing of the incredulous Iewes and saying that they also if they remained not in vnbeliefe should be ingraffed againe into the Oliue tree doth frame his argument from the power of God saying Rom. 11.23 That God is able to graffe them in againe for seeing that as a bough which is cut off cannot graffe it selfe into the tree againe so no more can a man dead through sinne reuiue himselfe any more nor an infidell cast off his infidelitie and poure faith into his owne heart againe therefore the Apostle confesseth this is not of our selues and sheweth that indeed all graces our Conuersion our Faith our Perseuerance and all else are scited in the sole Will and Power of God because he alone doth vinifie the dead and call those things which are not as if they were that is to cause those Men which are dead through sinne to be reuiued againe by grace and those things which are not at all in rerum natura to haue their existens and being his onely word without any labour or paynes but as easily or easier then we doe call the things that are whereof both is entis simpliciter ex non ente productio Parraeus in Rom. C. 11. a production of being out of nothing sayth Parraeus and therefore is vnpossible to bee effected by any created power but not with God because all things are possible with him and therefore is hee able Mar 10.27 Esay 1.18 to make our sinnes that are as red as Scarlet to become as white as Snow Thirdly For the Vbiquitaries they doe conclude that by the omnipotent power of God the man Christ Iesus by reason of the communication of the properties of the one nature vnto the other may be is omniscient omnipresent i. e. euery where in all places euen at one and at the selfe same time for thus Mentzerus reasoneth against Sadeel He that is omnipotent Mentz contra Sadeel p. 269. can be presente where he will but the Man Christ Iesus or Christ as man
was it not in the suffering though it was in the Body of Christs Passion yet was it not in the Passion of Christs Body but the humanity onely suffered and the omnipotency of the Deity sustained the impotency of the Humanity and while the flesh groaned vnder the anguish of his Passion Matth. 26.39 and cryed Father if it be possible let this Cup passe from me and so breathed out that mournfull complaint My God my God Matth. 27.46 why hast thou forsaken me Yet then the Deity triumphed ouer all the bitternesse of death and the enemies of our flesh Damasc l. 3. c. 26. de fide Orthodoxa And this is excellently expressed by Damascen saying Quomadmodum si quis ignito ferro superinsundat aquam Euen as if a man should poure water vpon a red-hot-iron that which is passible or capable to suffer by the water that is the heat fire is extinguished but the iron remaineth still sound and impassible because the water hath no power to corrupt it euen so the Humanity of Christ may suffer paine and death but the Deity inseperably vnited vnto the same can notwithstanding suffer no manner of Passion And Secondly As it is a thing incomprehensible and therefore may well haue a quis credidit who hath beleeued our report that God should be made passible so it is a thing more incredible Heb. 11.37 that he being iust being King being Priest being God should notwithstanding really suffer yea so suffer as to be destitute afflicted and tormented and so tormented that the Prophet Esay may fitly call him Virum dolorum A man of sorrowes as if he had beene wholly composed of miseries Lament 1.12 and the Prophet Ieremy truely demaund Si fuerit dolor sicut dolor suus if euer there was any sorrow like vnto his sorrow Jbidem yet behold he was oppressed and afflicted saith the Prophet and the Lord did afflict him in the day of the fiercenesse of his wrath And therefore let others wonder at the rising of this Sunne I admire his going downe let them maruell to see him layed in the cratch I much more to see him nayled vpon the Crosse The consideration of Christs suffering admirable and let them admire to see him sleeping betwixt two beasts and I will much more admire to see him suffering betwixt two theeues But he was wounded for our trangressions and he was bruised for our iniquities saith the Prophet and therefore let vs the rather giue the more heed vnto those things that he suffered for vs least the neglect and not regarding the same shall adde wrath vnto our soules in the day of wrath Well then seeing the Sonne of God was made passible apt to suffer and that he knew his time was drawing neere that hee must suffer he went out of the house out of the Citie Why Christ went out of the house before he was taken into the garden of Gethsemane saith the Euangelist First He went out of the house where they had eaten the Passeouer First Least his Hoste that had so kindly receiued him into his house should any wayes for his sake be vnkindly vsed of his enemies so sacred a thing was the law of guests among the ancients that neither the Lodger nor the lodged would hurt each other if they met in the open fields Valerius Maximus l. 5. 1. vnder the Colours of two deadly enemies and therefore Lot offered his owne Daughters vnto the Sodomites Gen. 19. rather then they should abuse those Strangers that were come vnder his roofe and the Poet notes it as an argument of the great perfidiousnesse of the most corrupted latter age Ouid. Met. l. 1. Non hospes ab hospite tutus That there was no truth betwixt the Hoste and his Ghest Plutar. in Sert. Secondly Least as Sertorius was found of Perpenna amongst his banquets he might be accused to be a Wine-bibber and bee said to be a boone-companion and be a president of ill example vnto others if he had beene found in the Inne amongst his Guests for it is a great deale fitter to finde a Scholler in his study then in the Tauerne Why Christ went out of the Citie Secondly He went out of the Citie out of that famous Citie Ierusalem Theophil in Mar. 14. First Least any commotion or tumult should be raised so dearely did this Prince of Peace affect and seeke to preserue the Peace of Ierusalem for they would haue taken him many times but they feared the people therefore he goeth out of the Citie that they may doe it without feare i. e. without feare of sedition Secondly To shew that as they had shut him out of their hearts so now he begins to depart out of their walls Egressus est à filia Sion omnis decor eius Lament 1.13 and so all the glory of Sion is departed from them and as the Poet saith of Troy Ruit Ilium ingens gloria Teucrorum We may say the same of Ierusalem Luke 19.44 the time of her desolation draweth neere and it must bee made an heape of stones Because Excessere omnes adâ—tis arisque relictis dij quibus imperium hoc steterat now God which had been the vpholder of them was gone out of their wals and departed from them and therefore wee should euer take heed that we shut not Christ out of our hearts least he will hereupon shut vs out of his fauour Thirdly He went into the Garden of Gethsemane First That as our fall was in a garden so the worke of our Redemption should first begin in a garden Secondly That his enemies might the more easily find him for it was a place that he had often frequented Why Christ went into the Garden of Gethsemane saith the Euangelist and therefore he went not there as seeking to hide himselfe but rather to expose himselfe and like a noble Champion to appeare first in the field and to expect his enemies for although they sought him like a Partridge vpon the mountaines yet noluit dolo teneri ne derogaretur praescientiae plenitudo Hee would not be craftily taken in a net by a guile least that might be derogatorie to his omnisciency and therefore knowing they were desirous to take him he goes to meete them into the garden of Gethsemane And as soone as euer he came into the Garden What befell vnto Christ in the Garden John 12.27 Mar. 14.35 Luke 22.42 Matth. 26.38 Prou. 18.14 Ecce hostem inuenit behold his enemy was there as soone as he for he began presently Cantristare pauere moestus esse To be troubled in soule saith Saint Iohn to be in anguish of mind saith Saint Marke and to be in an agony saith Saint Luke and to haue his soule exceeding sorrowfull vnto death saith Saint Matthew Alas what shall we say to this for the spirit of man will sustaine his infirmities but a wounded spirit who can beare
Satan and the lust of the flesh haue such power ouer vs as that the sinne is no sooner suggested How the wicked are still in their enemies hands but wee are presently delighted with it and are led by the same as an oxe vnto the slaughter carried as it were by a silken thred very easily to commit the same without resistance then certainely our enemies are not captiuated but doe still rule and raigne ouer vs. It is a fearefull and a dolefull case to liue vnder the gouernment and subiection of a Tyrant who Dionysius-like will giue men to be meate vnto his horses That it is a most lamentable thing to liue vnder the tyranny of sinne or Nero-like will cause his seruants to commit immane cruelties and yet sinne is worse then these because it causeth vs to doe fearefull and most odious Acts and then it giues vs as meate like fagots to be eaten and deuoured of Hell-fire And yet behold the wofull state of a sinnefull man for he is the slaue of sinne bound for Hell and subiect to the Diuell and yet for all this he reioyceth as a foole that goeth to the execution place and hee cannot indure the man that speaketh against his Master the Diuell but his desire is to liue still in his captiuity And this sheweth that his enemies are not captiuated for if the world were subdued vnto vs then could it not so easily command vs if sinne were captiuated then could it not so often ouercome vs and if Satan were bound then could he not so easily preuaile against vs and therfore though these enemies are so captiuated that they can no wayes hurt the godly because they haue no power ouer them to make them either to delight in sinne or to desire the vanities of this world yet they are still loose and they doe still rule ouer the children of disobedience And the beholding of the liues both of the Saints and sinners will sufficiently shew this truth vnto vs that they are captiuated as that they are not able to touch the one and yet so free and so powerfull The Saints are freed from all their enemies as that they doe raigne and rule as Tyrants ouer the other Behold an Vsurer and a Drunkard a Whoremonger and such like how Satan leads them as his slaues and transformeth them from men to be very beasts but if you look into the liues of the Saints you shal see that neither the pleasures of sinne nor the vanities of the world nor yet all the power of darknes can once moue them or at least remoue thē from their most holy purposes because Christ hath ouercome all their enemies and hath led captiuity captiue Secondly This phrase may be taken actiuely for them that were held captiue by Satan and were deliuered out of his hands by Iesus Christ and so freed from the bondage and the slauish seruice of sinne and reduced into the glorious liberty of the Sonnes of God Rom. 8. and thus Saint Augustine expounds it saying Ipsos homines qui captiui tenebantur appellauit captiuitatem Christ deliuereth vs from Satan and placeth vs in his owne seruice That by captiuity he vnderstandeth those men that were Captiues to the Diuell and so their captiuity is happy because they are taken for their good euen as Christ said vnto Saint Peter from henceforth thou shalt catch men Captiuati ergo quia capti they are therefore captiuated because they are catched and put vnder the sweet and easie yoke of Christ and so they are deliuered and made free from the seruice of sinne whose slaues and captiues they were before and they are made the seruants of Righteousnesse and therefore in this captiuity in this seruice and vnder this yoke Non sunt milia plorantium sed milia laetantium There is none that weepeth there is none that mourneth but we doe all reioyce and sing the songs of Sion Psal 68.17 Because the Lord is amongst vs as in the holy place of Sinai But they that are still so held by sinne and such slaues vnto their lusts as that they doe no workes of Righteousnesse they are not as yet freed by Christ nor taken away from Satan for they that are catcht by Christ and deliuered from the bondage of the Diuell haue taken vpon them the yoke of Christ and they doe finde that easie and light that as a man is able to runne which is vnloosed from his bands wherewith he was tyed and vnburthened from that waight wherewith he was pressed downe so they are able to runne the way of Gods commandements Psal 119. when God hath set their hearts at liberty And therefore they that finde themselues vnwilling or vnable to doe the seruice of Christ surely they are not yet rescued from Satan nor put vnder the yoke of Christ We are not so freed from Satan that wee may doe what we list for here you must note that they are not so deliuered from the captiuity of Satan as that being freed from him they may freely goe and doe what they list but as the very phrase sheweth Thou hast led captiuity captiue they are taken away from the captiuity of Satan and from the seruice of sinne and put vnder the yoke of Christ to doe seruice vnto God i. e. they are captiuated and taken for the seruice of Christ because this is the rule of warre Preserue thou me and I will serue thee saue mee from the tyrant and I will be thy seruant And therefore if they bee not captiues vnto Christ i. e. if they doe no seruice vnto God they are still captiues vnto Satan and Christ as yet hath not led this captiuity captiue And so all men may know hereby whether they be captiuated vnto Christ or not for if their vnderstanding be captiuated to yeeld vnto the diuine truth many times contrary vnto the rules of humane reason He that serueth not Christ is not freed from Satan and if their desires and affections bee onely placed on heauenly things to doe what pleaseth God and not what is pleasant vnto flesh and bloud then are they taken into the seruice of Christ but as that man can be hardly saide to be taken into the seruice of any one if he doth no seruice vnto his Master nor any thing that is pleasing or acceptable vnto him euen so they cannot be said to be taken into the seruice of Christ that apply no time to doe the will of Christ And thus you see how Christ hath vanquished and triumphed ouer all our enemies he ouercame the world he bound the Deuill he spoyled Hell he weakened Sinne hee destroyed Death hee walked vpon the Seas he rose out of his graue he contemned all honours he ascended into Paradise he opened the gates of Heauen and he sitteth on the right hand of God ruling and raigning vntill he hath put all his enemies vnder his feet 1 Cor. 15.25 And so much for the Victory or
our inward mindes but also outwardly with our bodies and as I said before meekely kneeling vpon our knees Secondly In faith Quia iuxta mensuram fidei erit mensura impetrandi because the more faith we haue the more grace we shall receiue and this is proued vnto vs out of the examples of them that came to Christ for the ruler of the Synagogue beleeued that if Christ came and layd his hands vpon his daughter shee should be healed the woman with the bloodie fluxe beleeued that if she might but touch the hemme of his garments she should bee healed but the Centurion said dic verbum doe but speake the word and my seruant shall be whole and so we finde that euery one of them receiued according as hee beleeued and therefore euery man that prayes to God should be like the Leper in the 8. of Mat. who though hee was weake in body yet was he strong in Faith for in regard of the Law hee ought not to haue come and in regard of his sicknesse hee was scarce able to come and yet venit hee came vnto Christ though non tam passibus corporis quam fide cordis not so much with the feete of his body as by the faith of his heart for had his heart bin no better then his legges Aug. hom 23. and his faith no better then his feete he would neuer haue troubled himselfe to come vnto Christ so ought euery man to draw neere vnto God in the assurance of faith quia irrisio dei est si quid illum ores quod exoraturum te non certe confidas because it is a mocking of God Pellic. in Math. saith Pellican to pray vnto him and to doubt that we shall not haue our requests therefore Christ teacheth vs to say Our Father to make vs confident of obtaining and concludeth with Amen significare indubitanter à domino conferri quod petitur to signifie that we shall vndoubtedly receiue what wee faithfully desire Aug. de temp ser 182. saith S. Augustine And therefore when we pray to God let vs draw neere vnto him with a true heart in assurance of Faith that we shall be sure to haue either what we desire of him or what he seeth good for vs. Thirdly In zeale and affection because the Lord respecteth not much babling sed ad cordis potius vocem quam ad corporis aures eius apertae sunt because he lookes rather into the desire of the heart then he doth to the voice of the tongue saith Saint Bernard for he heareth the desire of the poore when he stoppeth his cares against the prayers of the hypocrite and therefore we finde that the outward voice without the inward attention and deuotion of the heart will auaile vs nothing at all God neuer regarding the voice of the tongue talking with him when the thoughts of the heart are wandring in the world where-as many times wee finde that an earnest seeking with the heart That we ought to pray in zeal hath preuailed without any words vttered by the tongue as Moses when hee cried to God with his heart Exod. 14.15 and yet opened not his mouth for that is most true which Saint Gregorie saith tanto minus quis clamat quanto minus desiderat tanto fortius coelos penetrat quanto fortius desiderat the more earnestly we desire any thing the more loudly we doe crie vnto God and the colder is our desire the flower is our calling on him and the harder to obtaine it of him and therefore when wee pray to God O let vs not be like the Iewes Esay 29.14 who drew neere vnto him with their mouthes and their hearts were farre from him but as the Apostle saith that he will pray with his mouth 1 Cor. 14.15 and hee will pray with his vnderstanding so let vs pray with our hearts and affections and not suffer our wandring thoughts to walke about worldly vanities when our tongues are talking about heauenly things Fourthly with perseuerance because that good is done in vaine which is not continued vnto the end Resolution of Pilate page 145 c. and so I shewed at large in my Treatise of the resolution of Pilate and therefore our zeale herein should be like the fire that the Vestall Virgins kept in Rome Leuit. 6.13 or rather like the Sacrificing fire vpon the Altar that euer burnt and neuer went out Fiftly In charitie because God will not forgiue vs That we should pray in charitie nor giue vs any thing except we forgiue one another Sixtly In piety because God heareth not sinners but if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him hee heareth Iohn 9.31 and so Saint Iohn saith if our hearts condemne vs not That when we pray we should clense our selues from all sinne Gregor in moral then haue wee confidence towards God and whatsoeuer we aske we receiue of him because we keepe his Commandements and doe those things that are pleasing in his sight et tum cor nostrum fiduciam in oratione accepit cum sibi vitae prauitas nulla contradicit and our hearts haue then onely confidence towards God when there is no prauitie of our life nor any wickednesse of our conuersation to contradict it saith Saint Gregory and therefore Saint Basil saith that a prayer should be filled vp non tam syllabis quam operibus not so much with words as with workes because it is the prayer of a righteous man as the Apostle saith which auaileth much with God and not the prayer of sinners which as the Prophet saith shall be turned into sinne Psal 109.6 because hee taketh the name of God in vaine when hee vseth the same in his mouth and yet hateth to be reformed And therefore seeing the Lord himselfe saith Esay 1.15 that although wee should multiply our prayers vnto him at all times and in euery corner yet he will not heare vs if our hands be full of bloud or our hearts full of malice and enuie towards our neighbours let vs pray euery where 1 Tim. 2.8 lifting vp pure hands as the Apostle saith and let vs wash our selues from all sinnes and be readie to doe all good if we would obtaine any thing at the hands of God And so you see to whom when how and for what wee ought to pray CHAP. IIII. Of the motiues that should perswade and moue euery man to pray Psal 27.8 NOw there be many reasons that should moue vs to pray continually but especially the charge of God seeke yee my face and that in a double respect 1. Of God 2. Of our selues Prayer an essentiall part of Gods worship First because it is an essentiall part of Gods worship whereby we doe most chiefely honour God by acknowledging and professing him first to be euery where secondly to be the giuer of all goodnesse thirdly to be full of pittie fourthly to be almighty fiftly
to receiue and therefore prayer which is the onely grace whereby wee render vnto God that praise and glorie which is due vnto his name must needs be more excellent then all the other graces whereby we receiue blessings from god And is prayer so superexcellent a grace super alias caput extulit omnes that it surpasseth all other graces then surely I cannot choose but commend that great deuotion of our auncestors and fore-fathers that were so zealous so instant and so constant in continuall praying Indeede I bewaile their ignorance and their blindnesse that knew not well for what or to whom or how to pray but I know God will not breake the bruised reed and the smoking flaxe he will not quench and therefore How our forefathers exceeded vs in deuotion though their prayers wanted the true light of knowledge which no doubt would haue made them more acceptable vnto God more comfortable to themselues yet I doe assure my self God despised not the smoake of their deuotion nor reiected the desire of their hearts yea seeing that as Saint Augustine saith melior est fidelis ignorantia quam temeraria scientia an humble zealous ignorance is better then a rash proud and disdaineful knowledge I doubt not but they pleased God farre better with their deuout ignorant praying then many of vs doe with our negligent and neuer praying knowledge for they ascended to the highest steppe of all deuotion and pietie which is prayer and many of vs neuer goe beyond the lowest steppe which is hearing they did what was commanded and knew it not many of vs know it and doe it not they spent most of their time in praying and most of vs spend our time in hearing and so placing all religion almost in hearing wee are like those foolish women which are euer learning and neuer able to come to the knowledge nor willing to come to the practise of the truth But though the hearing of Gods Word bee the chiefest outward ordinarie meanes to beget Faith and Hope and all other graces in the hearts of Gods elect and therefore must not by any meanes be neglected if we would bee saued yet seeing that as the Apostle saith not the hearers of the Law but the doers of the Law shall bee iustified and that prayer is the chiefest part of Gods seruice yea and that it is First the onely request that Christ made vnto his Church when he tooke his last farewell of her on earth saying O let me heare thy voice Cantic vlt. the companions hearken to thy voice O cause me to heare it that is by thy continuall praiers and supplications vnto me Secondly the greatest comfort of a Christian man for we are all so full of miseries while we liue in this wretched world that there is no man liuing but if hee could haue knowne before he was borne what miseries must befall him in this life he would haue heartily prayed that the wombe of his birth might be the tombe of his buriall yet in all the calamities that man must vndergoe he can haue no greater comfort then he hath by praying to God for by this alone wee walke with Angels we talke with God we relate our griefe wee bewaile our sorrowes and being alone we haue the best and sweetest conference in the world O then beloued brethren as Nazianzen saith of Gorgonia that shee was giuen to pray Vt genua terra contreuerint that her knees seemed alwayes to stoope and grow to the ground by reason of her continuall kneeling in hearty prayers and as Eusebius saith of Iames the brother of the Lord that his knees by reason of his continuall kneeling in prayers became as hard Camels knees i. e. benummed and bereaued of all sense and feeling so let vs vse continually to pray and if wee would obtaine any thing at the hands of God or if we would ouercome the malice of men let vs pray and pray continually saith the Apostle or if wee be so full that wee want nothing yet wee haue need to pray for Christ prayed not only in deserto which was a place of distresse That wee haue as great neede to pray in prosperity as in aduersity Iohn 18.2 Iohn 6. but also in horto in the garden which was a place of pleasure not only in his agony but also in his dignity when he should be made a King to teach vs that we haue as much need to pray in prosperity as in aduersity to pray for help that we enter not into temptation and to pray for grace that we may rightly vse the grace of God and therefore in all estates and at all times pray and in your prayers pray for vs. And so I come to the last part which is the large extent of prayer PART IIII. CHAP. I. For whom we ought to pray generally for all men more especially for the Magistrates and most especially for the Ministers of Gods word SEcondly Hauing heard of the first part of the Apostles request the act that you should doe pray we are now to consider of the second part which is the extention for whom you should pray for vs pray for vs. You must therefore pray first for your selues it is of necessity included for nulli sapit qui sibi non sapit it is certaine that hee which seldome prayeth for himselfe will neuer pray for others neither is it enough for vs to pray for our selues but we must pray one for another for though the wicked fibi nati sibi vinunt sibi damnati are good for nothing and therefore will pray neither for themselues nor others yet the godly will pray for themselues and for all others First Propter vniuersalem vocationem That we ought to pray for all men because we outwardly call all men and preach to all men euery one that thirsteth come to the waters and therefore we must pray for all men Secondly Propter efficaciam gratiae because of the vnspeakeable efficacy of this grace of prayer which is able to obtaine of God of these stones and stony hearted sinners to raise vp children vnto Abraham for if the words of men be so powerfull to moue the affection as that the Poet saith quid facundia posset Repatuit fortisque viri tulit arma disertus then how much more powerfull is the word of God which is the power of God vnto saluation to all that beleeue Christus vim verbis vim gēmis vim dedit herbis Verbis maiorem gemmis herbisque minorem and is able to diuide the soule and the spirit and if the word preached bee so powerfull how much more powerfull is the word of prayer and therefore seeing we preach to all why should we not pray for all Thirdly Propter nostram ignorantiam because God onely knoweth who are his and we are none of his priuie Counsellers we know not whose names are written in the booke of life nor when God will call any man vnto his mercy whether