then if God looke upon you any way though with frownes in his brow rod in his hand menaces in his mouth plague-sores upon your bodies submit unto him and repent and turne from your evill wayes and God shall not onely turne from the evill which hee hath brought upon you but your trembling soule also shall no sooner cry out Why am I thus visited with the plagueÌ„ but your faith shall make a sweet reply from this Text Therefore hath God sent a pestilence to assure us wee are his people if wee will humble our selves That 's the ad quod 5ª 1 ae Ad quod The end the end why we are plagued To put an end to our sinnes But this end of the sicknesse is the beginning of the cure and therefore I say no more of it but Blessed be the name of God for calamitous dayes praised be the Name of God even for the plague since by this bee calles us to repentance and writes upon our doores Lord have mercie upon us And do thou O God in mercie looke upon us and send such a blessing with this punishmeÌ„t of plague as that we may humble our selves and pray and seeke thy face and turne from our wicked wayes that thou also mayest heare us and forgive us and heale our land through Iesus Christ Amen The Cure 1636. The second Sermon 2. Chron. 7.14 If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and turne from their wicked wayes and seeke my face I will heare in Heaven and forgive their sinne and heale their Land THE words are as I told you Pars. 2 a. the Cure of the Disease In the composition there are foure simples and seuerall ingredients and they are foure dosses of Pills The first is a preparing Pill It preprepares us to receive of God and prepares God to giue us Exaltation If we humble our selves hee will heare in Heauen and it is a great Exaltation that God in heaven should heare us vpon earth The second is an opening Pill it opens our lippes to pray and opens Gods eares to heare our prayers If my people pray I will heare The third is a purging Pill it purges us of sinne and God of wrath If my people turne from their wicked wayes I will forgive their sinne The fourth is an healing Pill 1 a 2 ae if my people seeke my face I will heale their Land I begin first with the 1. the preparing Pill Humility and in this I shall with Gods leave shâ—w you first Quid est and secondly Quid efficit First what Humility is and secondly what Humility does And first Quid est What is it Humility is the first Ingredienâ— that cures the plague for pr de is the first sinne that brought the plague and all other Judgements into the world Gen. 3. Eritis sicut Dij To be like God Oh it tickled Adam to the heart and therefore he made himselfe unlike a man hee made himselfe like to the beasts that perish In forma servi Philip. 2.7 To be like a servant this rejoyced Christ at the heart and for this cause hath God exalted him with a name above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow There is a Ladder of seven steps by which wee goe downe to Hell and the first of those steps is pride pride hath got the first place of the seven deadly sinnes and there is a Ladder of eight steps by which we goe up to Heaven And marke that seven to goe downe and eight to goe up for facilis descensus Averâ—i sed revocare c. We easier and with lesse paines goe to Hell downe-wards than to Heaven upwards but seven steps downe to Hell eight up to Heaven and the first of those eight is Humility Humility hath the first place of all Gods graces so Cromatius The eight Beatitudes are like Iacobs Ladder that reach from Earth to Heaven and the very first step as the foundation of the rest is Humility so Christ begins the Sermon of his Blessings Blessed are the poore in spirit blessed are the humble Matth. 5. for humility is a poverty in spirit that 's the Quid est and Definition of it 1ª 1 ae 3 ae What is Humility If any one askes you what humility is you answer him truely if you say It is a poverty in spirit and as poore men are in their attire ragged in their dyet course and hungry in their speech lowly and reverent so Humility hath a leanâ— body it keeps the body under anâ— many times empty a freeze coateâ— a coate of sackcloth and covering of ashes and a submisse language 〈◊〉 ever speaking in a low stile and phrase Looke else upon the Centurion for the speech of humility he hath an high conceit of God and a low conceit of himselfe lookeâ— else upon King David for the dieâ— of humility hee will neither eate nor drinke looke else upon the King of Niniveh for the dresse and garments of humility he will have no gay clothes in a time of destruction upon his grey heart The Centurion speaks the voyce of humility King David cookes the diet of humility the King of Nineveh cloths the back of humility and they all act the gesture of humility upon their knees 1. And first what sayes the Centurion for the voice of Humility Humilities voyce Math. 8.8 what but this Lord I am not worthy thou shouldst come under the roofe â—f mine house Non sum dignus I am not worthy is evermore Humilities â—anguage Non sum dignus I am not worthy saies Iacob not worthy of what de maximis of Gods Regaâ—ioes Gen. 32 10. it may bee so very likely no de minimis I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies Non sum dignus saies St. Iohn Baptist I am not worthy no not to carry Christ upon his shoulders as it is reported of St. Christopher not so but Non sum dignus calceamenta portare Mat. 3.11 I am not worthy to unty his shooe-strings a poore office wee would thinke Non sum dignus saies Daniel Dan. 9.7 We are not worthy of any thing but confusion Quis ego saies Gideon that mighty man of valour Who am I that I should save Israel Jud. 6.15 behold my family is poore in Manasseh and I am the least in my fathers honse I am not worthy to doe it I Quiâ— ego ut alloquar saies Abraham the Father of the Faithfull Who am I Gen. 18.17 that I should speake unto the Lord I am not worthy I. So low a value does the humble man ever set upon himselfe that no man lower proud men take it well if wee humble our selves lower than is cause so Iacob the Patriarch pleased his proud brother Esau with saying Thy servant and does not God take such submisse extenuations of our selves very well I am a worme and no man saies David and God made David
I doe give Almes ' 2. Quam facis Eleemosynam else I should put lesse into the pot and more into my purse but what good will the saving of the one or the filling of the other doe me if I lose my owne soule My soule is lost if I doe it not though I doe not doe it thereby to save my soule My salvation is thy gift and I begge it but I shall not obtaine it though I begge it unlesse I worke it out to obtaine it The Almes of my meat Ver. 16. WheÌ„ thou dost fast Ver. 33. Seeke first the Kingdome c. of my mony of my cloathes cannot purchase it for Christ purchas'd it by his blood yet for mee that purchase is not effectuall without these workes These workes will move thee to such a mercy as to turne away this Plague or some such temporall judgement These workes will make mee like thee for thou art the Father of Mercy and these are workes of Mercy These workes shall follow me to the grave hereafter are to me now an evidence and sure foundation of eternall life And yet none of these ends doe I looke upon in mine Almes all that I aime at in them is to glorifie thee to glorifie thee in my obedience to glorifie thee in my example to glorifie thee in my Faith and if thou pleasest to accept this Charity so well â—s to make it a light to shine so far as that others may thereby be stirred up to doe likewise Ver. 2. WheÌ„ thou dost thine Almes Ver. 5. WheÌ„ thou dost pray as to take it done by me because thou hast charged it upon me as by it to make my calling and election sure I blesse thee with my soule and shall evermore acknowledge my selfe created to good workes in Christ Jesus and walke in them and so carefully that my left hand of vanity and vaine glory shall not know what my right hand of sincerity and obedience doth for I doe give this Almes because thou hast commanded me so to doe and beseech thee to accept them as that they may abound to my account through Iesus Christ Amen And as I give Almes so I pray I pray Deaetically 5. Quam or as and I pray proseucetically and I pray Eucharistically and all these Exteuxetically I Deprecate and pray against evill Leade us not into Tentation Ver. 16. WheÌ„ thou dost Fast Ver. 33. Seeke first the Kingdome c. but deliver us from evill I supplicate and pray for good Hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdome come Thy Will be done in earth as it is in heaven give us this day our dayly bread and forgine us our trespasses as wee forgive them that trespasse against us And I gratulate and pray thee in praise and thank sgiving Thine is the Kingdome power and glory and in all these I intercede and pray for all men as for my selfe saying Our Father which art in Heaven In Faith I pray and dare say My Father as Thomas said and praid to Christ My God and my Lord but in Charity I dare not but pray and say as Christ taught St. Thomas to pray Our Father Father of us all all Creatures and things by Creation of all men by Redemption of all Christians by Regeneration of all Saints by Adoption and Obsignation still Verse 2. WheÌ„ thou dost thine Almes Verse 5. WheÌ„ thou dost pray Our Father and that so I may finde thee I pray that prayer in the same words Our Father which art in Heaven not that my thoughts limit thy Vbiquity in this place of residence or confine thee to Heaven but that this place may limit the Vbiquity of my thoughts and give them no other residence but in and confine them onely to Heaven to restraine my thoughts from roaving and ranging and to fixe them onely on heavenly things to levell them especially for heavenly blessings while I pray to a heavenly Father and principally for that which is the principallest of all things and all blessings the Hallowing of thy Name not onely for the knowing of thy Name to bee great not onely for the acknowledging of thy Name to be good not onely for the allowing thy Name to be good and great but for the hallowing of thy Name Ver. 16. WheÌ„ thou dost Fast Ver. 33. Seeke first the kingdome c. to thinke of it reverently to speake of it fearefully to sweare by it truely to call upon it confidently to use it in thought word and deed holily A good Name is preferred by men above all things and Thy Name is preferred by Christians above all Names and the Hallowing of thy Name is the chiefest of all Christian desires This I desire and desire that thy Name may be esteemed beleeved honoured obeyed and reverenced by all men as Holy And to effect this I desire againe Thy Kingdome come Thy Kingdome come into us powerfully to rule us justly to bridle us mercifully to pardon us graciously to sanctifie us and gloriously to change our vile bodies and make them like unto Thy glorious Body or rather like His glorious Body who hath taught us to pray Our Father which art in heaven Ver. 2. WheÌ„ thou dost thine Almes Ver. 5. WheÌ„ thou dost pray Hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdome come and that we may obey thee in the kingdome of Thy Grace and reigne with thee in the kingdome of Thy Glory I desire Thy Will bee done in Earth in the kingdome of thy grace as it is in Heaven in the kingdome of thy glory Thy Will that was delivered by thy Mouth written by thy Finger preached by thy Sonne revealed by thy Spirit expounded by thy Prophets and applied by thy Pastors This thy wil I wil desire be done as knowingly without errour as faithfully without hazard as fearfully without pride in earth by earthly men as it is in heaven by heavenly Angels iâ— carth by sinners as in heaven by Saints in the earth of the common-wealth as in the heaven of the Church in the earth of the outward man as in the Heaven of the inward man Vers 16. WheÌ„ thou doest ast Vers 33. Seek first the kingdome c. in the earth of the flesh as in the heaven of the Spirit in the earth of passion as in the heaven of action that wee may not blaspheme thee in suffering by too much adversitie and not doe thy will passively nor forget thee in action by too much abundance and not doe thy will actively I desire and pray unto thee Give us this day our daily bread give freely for we deserve it not give liberally for we stand in need of it Give perpetually for else our sinnes will abridge it give Vs thy unworthy servants Vs thy adopted sonnes Vs thy divorced Spouse Vs thy defaced Image Vs thy wandring sheepe Give us this day of the Sunne and delay it not this day of our life else wee enjoy it not this day
well but not well enough for they doe â—ut pierce Heaven whereas publicke scales it And as hee so wee we should not thinke it enough to be â—ood our selves but strive to make others good too As GOD hath â—â—fused Grace into us so should we â—ndeavour to beget Grace in others When we see a cholerick hasty man we should strive to make him a Iob a â—nne of patience when wee see a dissolute swearing man wee should â—rive to make him a Peter a sonne â—f Repentance when we see a false â—issembling man we should strive 〈◊〉 make him a Nathaniel a true Isâ—aelite a sonne of Sincerity when we â—â—e a naturall and unthankfull man a man that ascribes the Plague to the malignity of the Ayre onely and the staying of the Plague to the serenity of the Ayre onely we should strive to make him a David a man of Thankfulnesse both wishing and exhorting with a great deale of earnestnesse Oh give thanks unto the God of Heaven This we should doe indeed but indeed this we doe nor wee rather seeke to make men worse and worse than better and better We alas if we see a Drunkard we call him to the Taverne if an Adulterer to the Stews if a Glutton to the Ordinary if a coverous man to the house of providence the Vsurer or the Broker So forward are wee for sin that wee infect one another and therefore no wonder that the Plague hath beene amongst us so backward are we for Grace that a wonder iâ— is the Plague is stayed since we exhort not since wee wish not one another to give thanks unto the God of Heaven Were David living now or we that live now of Davids minde the Duty would be doubled and the desire would be ingeminated Oh give thanks oh give thanks It is my third Consideration and the second particular of my first part the Ingemination But what needs this what needed the Prophet to double an Exhortation of such consequence had not one beene enough can wee forget this To give thanks Can wee remember this yeere 1636 that so many have beene swept away swept away by the Plague and wee left behinde Can wee remember this and not give thankes to the God of Heaven though it were but once spoke of Such a Schoole master as David would not but wee we such Schollers as wee are have memories so labile and so fragile so brittle and so short that as St. Paul sayes we need Repetition upon Repetition Exhortation upon Exhortation else we shall and will forget to give thankes unto the God of Heaven So brittle are our memories this way God blesse us that wee need an In emination but so fast and strong another way God bee mercifull unto us that we need not so much as a single remembrance An injury we can remember a long time an ill turne nay an ill word from our Neighbour from our enemy Manet alta mente repostum we cannot easily remove it such a thing as this is soundly settled but benefits and good turnes how quickly alas doe we forget them So forgetfull were the Israelites this way Hosea 4.6 Ps 106.21 that they forgat the Law of God nay they forgat God that gave them that Law Ps 78.42 They forgat God their Saviour and the day when he delivered them And doe not our Soules leake as much as theirs His Day notwithstanding his Memento we forget even that Day which hee commanded to be sanctified whether the Seventh or the Eigth day or one in the seven we prophane them all That day wherein he made us whole from the horrour of Hell by the Resurrection of our Saviour and that day wherein he made us whole from the terrour of the Plague by commanding that destroying Angell to hold his hand And therefore blessed be his Name for this Ingemination of his servant David Oh give thanks ô give thanks unto the God of Heaven Deum Coelerum The God of Heaven This is the marke whither wee must ayme in shooting our Thankes and my fourth Consideration the third particular of my first part And herein you have three Directions First a Direction for the Object to God Secondly a Direction for the matter for heavenly blessings and thirdly a Direction for the manner with heavenly praises The Direction for the Object is directly against Papists the Direction for the matter is point-blanke against Mammonists the Direction for the manner is absolutely against Hypocrites First the Papist hee prayes to Saints but never gives thankes to Saints and yet Thanksgiving is a chiefe part of Prayer the first part the last part indeed all in all He that prayes prayes for what hee wants and so looks upon his owne necessity but he that gives thankes gives thankes for what he hath and so lookes upon Gods bounty Now by the rule of Order he to whom one part of Prayer is due to him is every part of Prayer due But the Papists by their owne Act deny Thanksgiving to bee due to Saints For where is the Papist that did ever give thankes to Saint Roch or Saint Sebastian for staying of the Plague yet they are their Plague-saviours where is the Psalter that hath any Benedicamus to any but to the God of Heaven But this is a matter of Dispute and this is not a place for Dispute I therefore say no more of it but this to the God of Heaven God grant that in the time of the Plague or any other calamity we may never betake our selves to any other refuge than Vmbra Altissimi The right hand of God nor give our prayses when we are delivered from the Plague than Nomen Altissimi The mercy of God as wee doe this Day give thanks to the God of Heaven who hath delivered us from the plague Secondly the Mammonist the worldling the covetous man the Vsurer and his pew-fellow the Broker he prayes for earthly blessings and he gives thanks for earthly blessings earthly blessings must not be forgotten no therefore the Church hath appointed Perambulations to give thankes to the God of Heaven for his blessings upon the Earth but for all that Heavenly blessings must especially be remembred for sparing us so long and giving us so large a time of Repentance for his Word and Sacraments for a religious King for a holy Clergy for a conscionable Magistracy and such other meanes of Grace for the forgivenesse of our sinnes and such heavenly blessings Ob give thankes unto the God of Heaven Thankfulnesse I confesse is a common duty for all blessings and a necessary duty for all blessings and yet sometimes the very doing of this duty is worse than the neglect of it When the Taylor lookes upon his cloaths which hee stole from the Gentleman he made the last suit for when the Vsurer lookes upon his Thousands which he hath gotten by Eight in the Hundred when the Shop-keeper beholds his bagges which hee hath filled by selling his Wares at unconscionable rates when the
Executor lookes upon his large revenues which hee hath couâ—ened poore Orphans of and such like as these shall give thankes to the God of Heaven for such like blessings is these it is as acceptable as the sacrifice of a Dogge or Whore and that 's abhominable You should first have made Restitution of such â—â— gotten goods and then come and offer the sacrifices of Thankfulnesse that the God of Heaven might and Salvation into your houses Thirdly the Hypocrite hee gives thankes to the God of Heaven but it is with lips his heart is farre off or if his heart and tongue bee sometimes friends yet his life is false and spurious because he is envious and malicious sometimes barking at the Churches Discipline sometimes detracting from his neighbors worth and so hee seemes to man to give thankes he cares not to abuse and mocke and dissemble with the God of Heaven But I might have spared these three last Notes for you are not superstitious Papists you give thankes to God onely you are not covetous Mammonists your blessings that you give thanks for came from Heavenâ— you are not dissembling Hypocrites give Heavenly praises for Heavenly blessings If I doe not now speakâ— truth you are too blame and if have done you any wrong in speaking too well of you I pray GOD make you such as you should bee and so direct you in giving thanks â—â— the God of Heaven that his mercy may endure for ever As in it selfe so â—o you It is my second part of my Text the Reason and perswasion to enforce us to performe the Duty Oh â—ive thanks unto the God of Heaven Why so for his mercy endureth for â—ver Were there no more but the precept Celebrate Deum Caeloâ—um Oh give thanks unto the God of heaven I were bound to doe it â—or I am bound to obey God but then God is pleased to wooe our bedience and to backe his Precepts with perswasions we are then much â—o blame if we obey not Give â—â—anks therefore to the God of Heaven â—â—e must because his mercy endureth 〈◊〉 ever It is a faire Reason that of all Creatures God made onely one reasonable if you looke upon your selves you may soone know who it is it is Man onely Man aâ—â— his fellow servants the Angeâ—â— Stones have Being Plants life Beast have Sence onely Men and Angel have Reason Nor was man maâ—â— Reasonable onely to have Reason and to use it but to be improved bâ—â— it and made better Scripture neeâ— no Reason to enforce it yet rathâ— than man should neglect Scripture and not obey it see the goodnesseâ— God Hee backes his Exhoration with such a Reason as is able 〈◊〉 turne the most rebellious heart iâ—â— Duty and Obedience Oh give than unto the God of Heaven for his merâ— endures for ever But I must not stand here for ever my time begins to fade and vanish before it quite ends I shall resole those foure Inquiries in this partâ— cluded I proposed but now the first whereof is What it is to endure for ever To endure for Ever and Everlasting are in opinione vulgi conversible and a thing is said to be Everlasting either first because it lasts â—ong as it is said of the Idolatrous City in Deuteronomy Deu. 13.16 It shall bee an â—eape for ever and so of Ai Joshua â—urnt it and made it an heape for ever Josh 8.1 â— And yet that heape is mouldred â—ong since into nothing or into dust which is as little and next neighbor â—o nothing and here it is Aeternum â—uia Diuturnum Or secondly a â—hing is said to be Everlasting because it lasts for ever for the time to â—ome so the fire of Hell is said to â—e Everlasting Depart yee hence into Everlasting fire Mat. 25.41 is the laft and lasting â—oome of the wicked and here it is AeternuÌ„ quia sempiternum or thirdly a thing is said to beeverlasting because it is continually and perpetually so God who is Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the Ending and yet hath neither Beginning nor Ending is said to bee Everlasting and here it is Aeternum quis extra Terminos Betwixt these you may distinguish Eternall is that which hath an Everlasting Fore-noone and an Everlasting After-noone so God onely can be said to be Eternall Diuturnall is that which lasts long though it hath both a Morning and an Evening it knew a Sunne-rising and shall know a Sunne-setting so the World may be said to be Diuturnall it was made in the Beginning and it shall be destroyed in Ending Thirdly Everlasting or Sempiternall is that which hath an Everlasting after-noone it shall never have a setting though it had a rising no Evening though a morning So mans soule and Angels may be said to bee Everlasting In a word man cannot define what Eternall is St. Augustine describes what it is not Aeternum est in quo non est praeteritum aut futurum non fuit aut fuerit sed solum est Eternall is that in which there is no Time past no Time to come nor hath beene nor none shall bee but onely â—s And yet other Tenses sensu composito absque presentis temporis exclusione may truely though not properly bee given to Eternity which is God Rev. 1.8 I am Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the Ending saith the Lord which is which was and which is to come Whereupon St. Austine Fuit quia nunquam defuit Erit quia nunquam deerit Est quia semper est God was because never Time was wherein God was not God shall bee because never Time shall bee wherein God shall not be God is because hee is Everlasting Eternall And who can define what God is The Angels enjoy it but they cannot define it for then they must perfectly know what God is who onely is Eternall and therefore can onely tell what Eternall is And yet that you may know how Gods Eternity differs from other things that are sayd to bee Eternall you may please to understand that things are sayd to be Eternall or Everlasting more plainely thus First that have both beginning and ending or secondly which have beginning and no end or thirdly which have no beginning yet an end or fourthly which have neither beginning nor end First things having both beginning and end are sayd to be for ever and of these are two sorts First things that have no determinate Date Deu. 13 16 〈◊〉 â— 2â— as the heaps before spoken of Secondly such as are immutable while their Date lasteth so those things which remaine inalterable for the time of a mans life are sayd to be for ever Exod. 21.6 Exod. 12.24 as the boaring of a mans eare made him a servant for ever so were the Passeover and Legall Rites called an Ordinance for ever Secondly things that have a beginning but no end as good and evill Angels mens soules Heaven and Hell all these had a beginning but none of all
did God command it saying by his Prophet 〈◊〉 2.15 Proclaime a fast This Fast is either corporall in abstaining from meat or spirituall in restraining the affections from sinne The corporall is not alwayes commanded by the State nor doe I meddle with it the spiritnall is evermore commanded by God especially in time of Plague and Famine and Warre And this from God I beseech you to observe Let your wanton eyes fast this time of weeping from the sight of vanity Let your curious eares fast this time of mourning from idle rumours and unsavourie talk Let your glibbe tongues fast this time of feare from evil speaking But what need I presse you to this The time presses you enough for let but your eyes imagine they see their eyes who are shut up by the plague watering and washing their bed bedewing their cheekes and then your eyes will have little list to roave upon forbidden flesh Againe by as strong a phansie let your eares imagine they heare their dolefull complaints O Lord thou hast justly restrained me of my liberty for I have abused my liberty I am worthily deprived of health These soares are deservedly upon my body for I have infected my soule more than once and often And then your cares will have little desire after newes and vanitie And with your tongues speake what they speake How long Lord how long shall thy iealousie burne like fire for ever O when shall I come into thy house O forgive my sinnes that brought this plague O remove this plague the iust scourge of my sinnes and I believe your tongues will not easily lye and sweare or talke idly In a word let your polluted soules fast and deny their owne wills to doe Gods so diet your bodies that you may fat your soules so feed your bodies so fat your soules that your Humility may have her perfect worke and that brings me to my second consideration Quid efficit What it doth what doth humility Exaltat it exalts 2a1 ae 2 ae what doez Humility Humilitas est Schola scala coeli He that desires to build high and seeke those things which are above must lay his foundation low for humblenesse of mind is the Schoole teaching and the Scale reaching Heaven so he and so the Poet Quo minor est quisquis maximus c. He that is least in his owne conceit Prov. 18.12 is highest in Gods so the Prophet Before honour is humility and so the Apostle Iam. 46. God giveth grace to the humble Pride is the beginning of sinne and Humility is the A B C of our Christian Ethicks and therefore sayes the Apostle againe Humble your selves under the mighty hand of God that he may lift you up Iam. 4.10 Humility mounts the soule that uses it to Heaven Pride keeps us downe for it is a plague The plague is Tumor in corpore and so pride is Tumor in mente That a swelling in the body this in the soule 〈◊〉 the plague be exalted and become Macula in corpore Tokens in the body then the body dyes so if prid◠be exalted and become Macula in anima Spots in the soule then the soule dyes And yet it is observed by some that though the Tokens doe appeare yet lying upon the earth and breathing into the earth may possibly cure it And so humility the lowest and lowlyest of all Gods graces will cure the plague of the soule pride O quantum crimen superbiae sayes St. Ambrose ut ei etiam adulteria praeferantur Oh how great a sinne is the sinne of Pride that even Adulteries are preferred and saved before it Noverca virtutum mater vitiorum The stepmother of vertue and the mother of vice The stepmother of Vertue because it hates them as many women doe those children their husbands had by former wives and the mother of Vice because there is not one vice in the world but therein is found the contempt of God and that is Pride Humilitati autem nihil aequale Tom. 5. p. 171. De Humilit sayes St. Chrysostome haec est bonorum mater radix altrix occasio simul vinculum What is comparable to humility Humility is the mother of all Graces the root the nurse the occasion and the bond of all Graces The mother of all Graces shee is for she conceives them God had respect unto the lowlinesse of his Hand-maiden Luke 1. The lowlinesse conceived a respect in God towards her The roote shee is for they grow upon her if they be not upon the stocke of humility they turne into vices Nothing more wicked than to cleanse the Leper than to heale the lame than to raise the dead sayes St. Chrysostome How nothing more wicked why these are good workes how then are they wicked Why the Father tells you Ibid. Si sit cum insolentia If it be done in arrogance and selfe-conceite if it be done without humility No fire of Charity if it be not raked up in the cindars of humility and the Nurse she is for the Graces of God if they suck not upon the Breasts of humility they waxe leane and starve He hath filled the hungry Humble with good things but the rich he hath sent empty away And the occasion of other Graces she is when Saul sought his Fathers Asses humbly hee found a Kingdome gloriously when hee sought himselfe vainely hee lost himselfe and his Kingdome foolishly And the Bond shee is for when the other Graces of God sever themselves from humility they become sinnes Luk. 1.51 God puts downe the mighty from their seate but exalts the humble and meeke You see what Humility does It exalts I could tell you much more that it doth for all that I could and would tell you I tell you it secures Socrates secured himselfe from death when the Tyrant threatned him with death saying volo mortem I would dye Nay but then sayes the Tyrant thou shalt live why saies he volo sive mortem sive vitam I will either dye or live as you please and so was safe And so is the Humble man as the Reed answered the Oake The Oake wonders why the strongest of all Trees should bee sometimes Eradicated rooted up by the Roots and sometimes blowne downe by the winde when the Reede the weakest of all things should never be hurt by the wind Why saies the Reede thou need est not wonder at this for thou art a proud and inflexible piece of wood and will not yeeld and therefore the winde that is stronger than thy selfe breakes thee whereas I yeeld to every winde and so no winde hurts mee but I am secure so saies the Humble man Now God hath sent a Plague I am willing to dye and if it please him to take it away againe I am willing to live If I live saies he I will live to thy glory in newnesse of life and ascribe it to thy mercy if this destroying Angel passe over my house
and if I dye I will dye to be glorified with thee through Iesus Christ my Saviour if I dye in Heaven I will praise thee and if I live in Earth I will pray unto thee And that is my second part I am to speake of 2 a 2 ae The second ingredient for the cure of the Plague Prayer It is an opening Pill it opens out hearts to conceive our lips to utter a Prayer and it opens Gods eares to heare our Prayer If my people shall pray I will heare In this I shall if God will shew you 1. Quid est what Prayer is 2. Cui to whom we must pray 3. Quid efficiat what Prayer doth And 1. Quid est What is Prayer Some have defined Prayer Comparatè 1 a. 2 ae 2 a. Prayer what and some Absolutè They that define it by Comparison tell us That Prayer is the sacrifice of a Dove that is a Peace offering and they that define it thus direct us to first Electio the choice of a cleane one by preparation they meane as the Psalmist saith That our hearts indite a good matter Psal 45. and secoÌ„dly Corpus a Body verba pura viz. good words not to speak to God as too many speake in this place to you Non sence by speaking Quicquid in bucc am vener it whatsoever comes next to hand but so to speake as God hearing may accept and man hearing may not pitty if not laugh not to complement with God in uncoth language nor yet to slight God with slovenly words nor yet to weary God with tedious bablings but with words well compos'd that it be neither a leane body nor a lame body And thirdly AnimaÌ„ A Soule viz. IntentioneÌ„ fixam a fix'd intention not to suffer our heart to roave wander while our lippes moove and speake but to observe what we pray for as we desire God to observe and grant our prayers Wee pray often and God heares us not and the reason is plaine because wee heare not our selves And fourthly Alas Wings viz. Fidem spem faith Hope Faith to deliver the message in Heaven and Hope to returne the answer upon earth beleeving hee doth heare them and hoping hee will grant them And grant them God will if fiftly this Dove have plumas and be not bare of feathers viz. Gemitum lachrymas sighes teares But last of all you must be sure they have pedes feete too opera Charitatis Workes of Charity And then when GOD sees your prayers so compleate he will questionlesse hee will accept it for a peace offering They that define Prayer absolutely tell us it is Expressio mentis ad Deum in Nomine Iesu Christi an expression of our desires in the Name of Iesus Christ to God An expression of our desires not that words are ever necessary for sometimes the heart may bee so overcharged with griefe as that the tongue cannot speake So we read of Hannah and so of Moses but that wee would make our tongues the Ambassadors of our hearts when there is not a greater occasion to keepe them at home For God made our Tongues so well as our Hearts and wee desire to have our Tongues in Heaven with our Hearts and therefore must glorifie the God of Heaven equally with our Tongues and Hearts So the Psalmist Psal 45. My heart is enditing of a good matter and my tongue is the pen of a ready writer I will speak of the things which I have made unto the King And so we we must utter utter with our Tongues what we desire with our Hearts But both our desire and expression must bee in the Name of Iesus Christ no promise but in him no purchase but by him Whatsoever you shall aske in my name God will give it you In nomine ejus it must be for without him we are like to have as course entertainment with God as Ioseph promised his brethren if they brought not Benjamin By the Princes favourite the subject obtaines the Princes favour and by Jesus Christ in whom and in whom onely God is well pleased Math. 3. we obtaine whatsoever we obtaine and therefore as the Apostle so I to you Let your prayers be made knowne by him viz. by Iesus Christ to God And being made known by him our prayers are sure of acceptance for he hath purchased Gods favour for us and that by a bloody rate Hebr. 5. By his owne blood By that hee entred into the holy place to make intercession for us this makes our Evangelicall sacrifices acceptable to God To God I say For as our prayers must bee offered By 2ª 2 ae 2 ae and in the name of Iesus Christ so they must be offered to God and to God onely for God onely is the Cui the object To whom we must pray Not to Patriarch or Prophet for no precept for that Not to Angel or Archangell for no promise to that Not to the Virgine Marie or any shee Saint for no example of this let Rome say what Rome can to the contrary But this is a matter of dispute and so disputed it hath been that it needs no dispute here for they are not able to reply And besides their owne Doctrine and Example choakes them for their doctrine never taught to offer their example never did offer any thanksgiving to any Saint or Angel whatsoever And yet thankesgiving is a part and a chiefe part of prayer and therefore where no thanksgiving is due there no prayer is due Nor the one nor the other hath any object but God I shall therefore conclude this with a prayer to God God grant wee may never betake our selves to any other shelter than Vmbra altissimi that of God for blessed be the people that bee in such a case yea blessed are the people which have the Lord for their God God make us Saints in Heaven and give us grace never to pray to any Saint and to pray to him so that when wee pray he may heare It is my third consideration in Quid efficit what does prayer 3 a 2 ae 2 ae And did I propose it so low What does prayer I should rather have proposed it thus What does it not It opens Heaven and it shuts Heaven 1 Reg. 18. Raine or no Raine are at the command of prayer It defeates our Enemies So David overthrew the counsell of Achitophel by Prayer 2 Sam. â— 31. It obtaines favour with Kings Neh 2.4 So Nehemiah wonne grace with Artaxerxes the King by Prayer It opens Gods hands and it shuts Gods hands Numb 11.2 So Moses when God was angry shut his hands by Prayer and when the people were hungry by prayer Moser opened Gods hands to give them Manna In a word Prayer is as Luther speakes though Hyperbolically yet Divinely Res omnipotentissima an Almighty power By this 2 Sam. 24 Psal 106. â—â— prayer David in his time and Phineas in his time stayed