insatiable auarè auarus as Chytraeus vpon our text Such an inordinate coueting is euill and goods so gotten are riches of iniquity yea filthy lucre 1. Tim. 3. 3. Ill kept is when a miserable wretch will not let his fountaine flow foorth and his riuers of waters in the street when he will not distribute to the necâ—…ssity of the Saints and share his goods among those which are of the houshold of faith according to the rules of charity Iustice mercy Ill spent as when a penny-father doth a good worke for temporall interest or to bee seene of men Mat. 6. 1. or when he doth expend his riches vpon bad workes as in giuing his neighbour drinke that he may make him drunken and so discouer his priuities verse 15. Or when hee drinkes so much himselfe that he is filled with shame for glory verse 16. All these kindes of couetousnesse are euill and as the blessed Apostle telleth vs expressely the roote of all euill whether it be malum culpae that euill a man doth or malum poenae that euill a man suffereth it is the roote of all sin and of all punishment for sin the termes of our text point at both at the sin in pronouncing it euill at the punishment in denouncing vpon it a woe For the first If the feare of God be the beginning of wisdome the Matrix of goodnesse and seed of vertue then on the contrary the loue of the world which is enmity with God is the roote of all offences against God our neighbours and our selues for as the roote giues nourishment to the whole tree so the disordinate loue of money doth administer occasions and meanes for euery sin according to that of Ecclesiastes siluer answereth to all or as it is in the vulgar Latin and old English all things obey money The most abominable sin committed against God is idolatry forbidden in the 1. commandement of the Law thou shalt haue none other Gods c. And in the 1 article of the creed I beleeue in God not in gods but as the Nicene creed in one God almighty maker of heauen and earth and in the first words of the Pater noster our Father which art in heauen God is our Father Ergo we must haue none other Gods in heauen Ergo we may not worship any grauen Image But couetousnesse as S. Paul teacheth is worshipping of Idols Ephe. 5. 5. for as cursed Idolaters either haue strange gods and not the true as the Pagans or else strange gods with the true as the Papists So the couetous person adores gold in stead of God or else God and Mammon together Nay coueting of an euill couetousnesse is so great a rebellion and disobedience to Gods holy law that as the scripture speakes it is like the sin of x witchcraft a very wretch is to himselfe a very witch and that is they height of Idola try For whereas Heretikes serue the true God with a false worship and Idolaters serue false gods imagining them to be true wi ches adore most impiously false gods knowing them to be false for the ground of that blacke art is either an open or a secret league with the deuill To speake more particularly the couetous person is an idolater in respect of his inward and outward adoring of Mammon for his inward worship he sets his heart vpoÌ„ riches as Dauid speaks he puts his trust in vncertaine riches as Christ and Paul speakes hee sacrificeth vnto his net as our Prophet speakes and as Iob speakes hee maketh gold his hope and sayth vnto the wedge of gold thou art my confidence Now then as hee is our master to whom wee submit our obedience Rom. 6. 16. So that is our God to which wee commit our selues trusting it most and louing it best As for an outward worship the miserable wretch is more grosse then either Popish or heathenish Idolaters for they worship aurum in imagine but he doth worship aurum in â—…rugine So S. Iames in plaine termes Your gold and siluer are cankered and the rust of them shall be a witnesse against you The Romanists hold that Images are the laye-mens Gospell and so Sculpture sayth Zanchius is the couetous mans Scriptura his pictures are his scriptures his bils are his Bibles and the bondes of other his security As for oâ—…her offences against God what is the cause why Simon Magus is desirous first to buy that after hee may sell the giftes of the holy Ghost is it not euil couetousnesse What is the cause why sacreligious persons spoyle God of his tithes a rent which is due to him and his for blessing the other nine parts of their goods Is it not euill couetousnesse What is the cause why Belshazzar carrowseth in consecrated vessels and takes delight in deuouring holy things is it not euill couâ—…tousnesse What is the cause why some take to themselues and their heires the houses of God in possession not only playing the merchanâ—…s in the temple but also making merchandize of the Temple defiâ—…ing holy places and making Hierusalem an heape of stoneâ—… is it not euill couetousnesse What is the cause why some Diuines in some parts of the land ly ing non-resident from their bâ—…nefices allow their curates and fellow labourers in the Lords worke so meane meanes to liue that as one sayd while they pray against other for taking ten in the hundred themselues euery yeere make an hundred for ten is â—…t not euill couetousnesse What is the cause why Neutralists and Hermophrodites in the businesse of religion are so cold like to Demas ready to forsake the Gospel and embrace the present world is it not euill couetousnesse It is sayd in the prouerbe shew mee a lyar and I will shew thee a thiefe So shew me a man giuen ouer vnto the world and I will easily shew you a man that turnes his backe to Gods altar and is ready r to make shipwracke of faith and a goâ—…d conscience The man of God who fleeth these things vseth the world as if he vsed it not vsing it only that he may the better enioy God But he that coueteth an euill couetousnesse on the contrary doth vse God that hee may the better inioy the world the penny-father is not Gods child For it is obserued that the deare Saints and children of God haue beene least branded with this of all other sinnes Noe was drunke Lot committed incest Dauid adultery Aron idolatrie Peter periury but wee doe not read that any holy Patriarch or Prophet or Apostle was ouermastered or infected notoriously with the base sinne of euill coueting among all Christs company Iudas only the sonne of perdition is blotted for couetousnesse but all the rest who were heires of saluation are sayd to leaue all things euen all they had and all they could desire to haue to follow Christ in his pouerty when he professed
our Prophet saith in the next words If thou deale thy bread to the hungrie then shall thy light breake forth as the morning and thy health shall grovve speedily For his Ciuill estate that is reputation and honour Learning and Valour are the vertues for which a man is most admired but humblenesse and bountifulnesse are the vertues for which a man is best beloued The loynes of the naked blesse him and the tongues of the poore praise him and the hearts of all men honour him his memoriall is blessed and had in an euerlasting remembrance sweet as hony in all mouthes and pleasant in all eares as musicke at a banquet of wine For this Spirituall estate the dealing of bread to hungry soules is acceptable to God for his almes ascend and come vp in remembrance before God Act. 10. 4. Where that he hath done faithfully to the least of Christes little ones shall be Construed as done to Christ himselfe and it is very comfortable to himselfe also which occasioned the blessed Martyr Tyndall to terme monday and Saturday which he vsually spent in visiting the sicke and relieuing the poore his owne dayes of pastime an happy recreation as Ambrose speakes in alieno remedio Vulnera sua curare To benefit our selues by helping other For his eternall estate the poore man is the Mercurit saith our Church set by God in the way to Hierusalem aboue whosoeuer will go thither must goe by his doore pointing at the path of Paradise directly Hee that Couers the naked shall put on Christ and bee Clothed with the long white robes of righteousnes couering all his sin hee that bringes the poore Cast-out into his house shall be receiued into euerlasting habitation he that hides not himselfe from his owne flesh shall enioy the presence of Christ and see God face to face He that deales bread to the hungry shal be satisfied with the plenteousnes of Gods house drinking of heauenly delights as out of the riuer he shal haue for a cup of Cold water which is the least almes a Crowne of glory which is the greatest of rewardes euen fulnesse of Ioyes and pleasures at Gods right hand for euermore GEN. 1. 26. And God sayd let vs make man in our Image after our owne likenesse THe Scripture considers man in a fourefold estate the first of his confection as being in his originall integrity created according to Gods owne likenesse The 2. of his infection as hauing by sinne defaced this imprinted Image The 3. of his refection as being renewed againe by Christ which is the brightnesse of Gods glory and expresse Character of his person The 4. of his perfection in the Kingdome of glory when he shall enioy Gods presence seeing him as the blessed Apostle speakes euen face to face Our present text is a briefe Chronicle reporting his first estate namely the creation of man wherein two poyntes are to be discussed especially 1. The mystery of the most high and sacred Trinity creating 2. The dignity of man Created The first is closely couched vnder these two words faciamus and Imago let vs make in the plural number noting the Trinity but in the singular Image not Images noting the vnitie the word our imports moe then one the word likenesse one and no moe this then in the Iudgement of all orthodoxe Diuines is meant of the three in heauen the Father the Word the Holy Spirit which three are one 1. Iohn 5. 7. Hereupon elswhere termed according to the Hebrew phrase God our makers Iob. 35. 10. psal 149. 2. Esay 54 5. and Eccle. 12. 1. Remember thy Creators in the dayes of thy youth If this note seeme to be forced and vnkind beside the streame of all antiquitie there be manifest and manifold reasons euidently demonstrating the same 1. Man is the workemanship of the whole Trinity Ergo these wordes of God let vs make concern the whole Trinity the antecedent is indeniable because opera Trinitatis quoad extra sunt cōmunicabilia that is all the works of the Trinity without it selfe are communicable the workes of the Trinity within it selfe are incommunicable So God the father is sayd only to beget God the sonne to bee begotten and God the holy Ghost to proceed but all the workes of the Trinitie without it selfe are common vnto three persons and therefore Moses saith in the beginning of this chapter according to the wordes originall in principio dij creauit intimating the creation of the world to bee the worke of the whole Trinitie Creauit dij three persons but one God It is bad latine yet good diuinitie for God the sonne did create so well as God the father Iohn 1. 3. by him al things were made and God the holy Ghost also aswell as God the sonne for the spirit moued vpon the waters Gen. 1. 2. where by spirit we neither vnderstand an Angel which is Caietans idle phansie nor yet the winde as Tertullian and Dauid Kimchi conceited nor the piercing aire as Theodorete imagined but it was Gods owne spirit whereby the creatures were fostered and formed Iob. 26. 13. His spirit hath garnished the heauens and so diuines ascribe the work of creation in the masse of the matter vnto God the father In the disposition of the forme vnto God the sonne in the continuance and conseruation of both vnto God the holy spirit the consultation or rather agreement in saying let vs make man is of the whole trinitie wherein God the father as the first in order speaketh vnto the sonne and holy Ghost and the sonne and the holy Ghost speake it and order it with the father the which because it is written for mans instruction is also spoken after the manner of men 2. To whom I pray sayd God let vs make man If not to God the son and holy Ghost vnto some Demi-gods as Philo Iudaus a scholler of Plato most absurdly coniectured or because the workes and actions of men are partly good and partly bad that God he spake to some Cacodamon as the Manichees impiously dreamed refering the making of that which is good vnto God but the making of that which is bad vnto some badspirit Ista referre est refellere the very repetition of these fantasies is a sufficient confutation of them vnto you who know that all which God made was good yea very good and that God in the beginning made man righteous but they haue sought many inuentions Eccl. 7. 31. Or did God speake this in the plurall after the maner of great Princes only for his honour Nos Radulphus Romanus Imperator mandamus As some Iewes haue fondly construed it nb vcb vbi Answere is made that the stately stile Nos is not ancient at the least not so gray headed and Christian interpreters obserue from Aben Ezra who was himselfe a Iew That the Scripture doth not afford such an example of any King
so for God and therefore when an earthly Prince commands against an heauenly trueth it is a Christians duty to be patient and not agent This humouring of the Chiefe Magistrate is a court sinne properly called adulatio quasi adaulatio but countrymen offend also sometimes in giuing too much vnto the subordinate magistrat giue me leaue to reprehend one fault in this kind which I haue noted in diuerse congregations among vs and that is your rising vp in the mids of your religious prayers vnto God to performe ciuill obeysance to men of worth and worship beloued there is a time for all things and a season appointed for euery purpose vnder heauen a time for your deuotions vnto God and a time for reuerence vnto men a time to fall downe before your maker and a time to bend vnto the magistrate Now what manners is it to neglect Gods owne businesse in Gods owne house to worship his Minister in our parts especially where gentlemen haue so learned Christ as that they neither expect nor respect any such vnseasonable duty from you To leaue those who giue too much vnto the Magistrate there be three sortes of people who giue too little 1. Anabaptists who deny the very calling of ciuill Magistrates 2. Papists who maintaine their calling but mangle their Iurisdiction 3. Traytors in actuall rebellion who both acknowledge their calling and Iurisdiction ouer al persons and in all causes and yet vnder pretence to reforme the Common weale with-hold their obedience Tumultuous Anabaptists affirme most absurdly that the Calling of Magistrates is vnlawfull and this they seeme to proue by Scriptures and by reasons The Scriptures wrested by them are chiefly two The first is Mat. 17. 25. Christ asked Peter of whom doâ—… the Kings of the earth take tribute or polle money of their children or of strangers Peter sayd vnto him of strangers then sayd Iesus vnto him the sonnes are free The second is Luke 22. 25 The Kings of the Gentiles reigne ouer them but it shall not be so among you To the first Orthodoxe Diuines answere that Christ in that place speakes of himselfe and so prooues directly that hee needed not to pay tribute for that hee was the Sonne of a King yea the Sonne of God which is the King of Kings Hee was not bound by the Law yet out of his obedience and loue that hee might not offend the receiuers of poll-money He commanded Peter to fish for a peece of twenty-pence saying that take and giue vnto them for mee and thee And it is well obserued that Christ neuer did any miracle about honour or moneys except this one in giuing tribute to Caesar and Mat 22. 21. Hee commands expresly to render vnto Caesar the things of Caesars and his Apostle S. Paul in this Chapter exhorteth vs to pay tribute to whom tribute custome to whom custome honour to whom honour is due To the second place the Kings of the nations reigne but yee not so wee say that Christ in saying so prohibited neither titles of honour nor ruling but only so ruling that is such a tyrannous kind of gouernment as the Gentile Kings vsed and that ambitious desiring of the same which reigned in them and that Christ ought to bee so construed is playne by three reasons collected out of the context it selfe 1. Hee saith Matth. 20. 25. and Matth. 10. 42. Yee know that the Kings of the Gentiles speaking of these Rulers they knew they were Tyrants and oppressours as Pontius Pilat who condemned Christ an innocent in whom he found no fault and Herod Antipas who beheaded Iohn the Baptist a lust and holy man whom hee reuerenced and in many things heard willingly at the request of his Minion and Herod the great who had butchered all the male children in Bethlehem and in all the coastes thereof from two yeeres old and vnder and out of a pretence to worship eagerly sought to worry Christ in his cradle Yee know that these kings now reigne but ye not so that is I would not haue you so to reigne 2. Catecurienemi vsed in Mat. ind Marke signifies not simply to gouerne but to tirannize so Musculus Erasmus Aretius Beza in their annotations and so the word is vsed in other places of the new Testament as namely 1. Pet. 5. 3. and Acts 19. 16. 3. Christ expoundeth himselfe thus in the words immediatly following Let the greatest among you bee as the least and the chiefe as hee that serueth As if hee should say the Kings of the natious are Tyrants in their gouernment making mischiefe their Minister and Lust their law But I would haue you to beare rule so moderatly that euen the Soueraigne may behaue himselfe as a seruant and the master as a Minister I would haue Princes among you to bee nursing Fathers vnto the Church and Prelats among you to be Pastours of my people Secondly the fond Anabaptists impugning the Magistrats authority that they might insanire cum ratione be mad as it were with reason argue 1 From examples affirming that most Princes abuse their authority to the dishonour of God and hurt of the common wealth as Nimrod Pharao Nabuchodonosor Saul Rehoboam and that after the diuision of the kingdome nothing of Israel was good Answere is made 1. That Princes are not generally bad Adam Noe Melchisedech Abraham Isaac Iacob Ioseph Moses Iâ—…sua were men of God and good gouernours So were most of the Iudges of Israel and many Kings of Iuda Now Christ in the new Testament who chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and the weake things of the world to confound the mighty things and things that were noâ—… to bring to nought things that are suuffered his deare people to bee persecuted by cruell Emperours for the space of 300 yeeres that his Church might appeare to bee the plant of his owne hand and not the worke of man in the Primitiue times as Augustine notes Christ would haue that part of the second Psalme to be fulfilled The Kings of the earth stand vp and the rulers take counsell together against the Lord and against his anoynted But in succeeding ages another part of the same Psalme to be verified Bee wisâ—… now O yee Kings bee learned yee that bee Iudges of the earth for hee raysed vp Constantine Gratian Theodosius Charles the great Ludouicus pius and many moe among which I may not forget Blessed Queene Elizabeth and our renowned King Iames to bee nurses vnto his Church by which hee defended his seruants as it were with a shield Psalme 47. 9. 2. Though it should bee granted that most abuse their authority yet that abuse proues not their calling either vnlawfull or vngodly gluttons and drunkards abuse dayly meate and drinke yet both are the good creatures of God Heretikes abuse dayly the Scriptures vnto their condemnation and yet the Gospell is the power of God vnto saluation adulterers abuse marriage
questioned for a non conformitant and entreated by the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury most meekly to subscribe in his priuat study saying that none were present there but only God and themselues and faithfully promising that hee would keepe his counsell answered stoutly that if his Grace could bring him into some roome where God was not present hee would willingly fulfill his desire but sayth he so long as God seeth I little regard who seeth not I report not in dis honour of subscription vnto the decent and commendable ceremonies inioyned by lawfull authority for this Doctour by seeking Gods face found in coâ—…clusion his owne errour and so reforming himselfe do henioye great preser ment in our Church at this day Diocles the monke among other instructions which he gaue to Palladius when he came to visite him vttered this â—…pothegme that a good man if he neglect to see Gods face becomes either a beast or a deuill a beast in hunting after carnall sinnes a deuill by rushing into spirituall wickednesse A valiant souldier fighting in his generals eye carrieth himselfe against all his enemies vndauntedly for that he knows he shal be worthily rewarded eafter victory how much more then ought euery Christian in the spiritual warfare beholding as S. Stephen did his Captaine Iesus standing at the right hand of God couragiously sight against the world the flesh and the â—…ill as being assured that after his good fight is finished a crowne of righteousnesse is layd vp for him and a most excellent and eternall weight of glory Christ pronounceth in the 5 of S. Matthew blessednesse not only to the pure in heart but also to the poore in spirit to those that mourne to the meeke to the mercifull to such as hunger and thirst afâ—…er righteousnesse to peace-makers to Martyrs enduring persecution in a iust cause all which blessednesses arise from this one roote the contemplation of Gods holy presence by this the faithfull are made humble Lord saith Abraham vnto God I am dust and ashes and Paul as clay in the hand of the potter By this the faithfull are mooued to shed teares both of denotion and contrition vnderstanding that all their righteousnesse is as filthy cloutes and that if God should enter into iudgement with them in his sight no man liuing shall be iust fied Psal. 143. 2. By this the faithfull are meeke as hauing their copie still in their eye Learne of mee for I am meeke and lowly in heart By this the faithfull are mercifull imitating as children their father in heauen which is mercifull By this the faithfull hunger and thirst after righteousnesse for the more they seeke Gods face the more they see and the more they see the more they desire to see By this the faithfull are peace-makers as hauing peace with God and in God peace with men and by both a peace with themselues By this the faithfull are more constant and couragiousâ—… in suffering persecution for righteousnesse sake because they beleeue that the Lord is their strength and that he is a rewarder of those that seeke him Heb. 11. 6. To seeke Gods face then is our greatest happines vtterly to neglect this duty the greatest vnhappines and folly it is our chiefe felicity so God to Moses as concerning his people My presence shall goe with thee and I will giue thee rest and Dauid vnto God I will behold thy presence in righteousnesse and when I awake after thy likenesse I shall be satisfied with it To despise this holy denotion is extreame folly for the feare of God is the beginning of wisedome and they that doe thereafter haue a good vnderstanding But such as haue not God in their thoughts and so runne head-long into grieuoâ—…s sinnes in the language of Canaan are fooles and mâ—…d men so foolishas the witlesse Ostrich which as Iob reports in Cap 39. of his booke leaueth his egges in the earth and makes them hâ—… in the dust and forgetteth that the fooâ—…e might scarter them or that the wild beast might breake the 〈◊〉 and as Plinie further addeth hee thrusteth his necke into the stumpe of a hollow tree and so woodcocke-like when he sees no body thinks no body sees him vnwise people when will ye vnderstand he that planted the eare shall not hee heare or he that made the eye shall not he see Whither then will ye goe from his spirit and whither can yee flee from his presence If yee climbe vp into heauen he is there If ye descend downe into hell he is there also If ye say peraduenture the darkenesse shall couer vs instantly the night shall be turned into day yea the darkenesse is no darkenes with him but the night is as cleare as the day the darknes and light to him are both alike The most impious cannot but walke with him in respect of his omni-presence filling heauen and earth and searching out their wordes and actions and the secret corners of their hearts in affectu habent abscondere saith Ambrose non in effectu Well may they before men play least in sight but before God none dwell at Hide etiam solus est praesens his qui longe sunt ab ipso God is nigh vnto those which are furthest off from him albeit their hearts seeke not his face yet his face seekes their hearts euermore Thinke on this all yee that forget God and tremble to consider what extreame madnes it is in the committing of a filthie sinne to shunne the sight of a seely man a wight a worme to shunne I say the dull eyes of a sonne of a seruant of a little child yet not to feare the face of God our Father in heauen our Master our Maker our Iudge which is able to destroy both our soules and bodies in hell â—…ire Thus I haue shewed at large what is to bee sought and in part also vpon the by how to bee sought one poynt only remaineth vntouched and that is in what measure to wit how much and how long the seede of Abraham ought to seekâ—… Gods face Touching the first Esay telleth vs in a word si quaeritis quaerite If yee seeke the Lord seeke him in deed eanrestly seriously sedulously Dauid insinuateth as much in repeating here the word seeke thrise seeke the Lord seeke his strength seeke his face quià saith Hugo Cardinalis Dominus quaerendus est sicut et diligendus As God is to bee loued so to be sought with all our heart and with all our soule and with all our mind that is saith Augustine with all our vnderstanding neuer thinking of him erroniously with all our will neuer contradicting him obstinatly with all our memory neuer forgetting him obliuiously Againe whereas our Prophet saith in the clause going before our text immediatly let the heart of them reioyce that seeke the Lord He doth intimate that God is to be sought not dully but fully not heauily but ioyfully For as God loueth a cheerfull giuer so likewise