that Christ is our Priest for euer Happie men are they who beleeue this promise for that is t Ioh. 17.3 eternall life but accursed are such as u Heb. 2.3 neglect so great saluation Hee that beleeues not God maketh him a lyar saith Saint x 1. Epist 5.10 Iohn Nay seeing God hath bound his word with an oath hee that beleeues not this record concerning his Son doth accuse God of periurie This ought to comfort vs in all our tentations at the houre of death and in the day of iudgment For albeit we haue sinned against heauen and against earth against God in heauen against our brethren on earth although our sinnes are great for their number and grieuous for their nature yet let vs go y Heb. 4.16 boldly to the throne of grace that we may receiue mercy For as much as wee haue such an high Priest as is touched with a feeling of our infirmities and saith z Mat. 9.13 I am not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners and sweareth a Ezech. 33.11 as I liue I desire not the death of a sinner let not any despaire b Ferus postil ser 5. in Dom. septuages though he haue denied Christ as Peter and betrayed Christ as Iudas and crucified Christ as Pilate And will not repent The passions of men are ascribed to God secundum effectum as c 1. part quaest 21. art 3. Aquine speakes but not secundum affectum And so the Scripture speaking d Rom. 6.19 grossely to mans vnderstanding saith that the spirit is e Ephes 4.30 grieued that the Lord f Gen. 6.6 repented he had made man and g 1. Sam. 15.11 Saul King and Ionah 3.10 God repented of the euil that he had said that he would doe to Nineueh The Lord in his secret counsell is yesterday and to day and the same also for euer Heb. 13.8 But vnto vs men in his reuealed word hee seemes to put on affections of anger and griefe h Placid parmen behauing himselfe as one who repents and grieues Againe God speakes in his reuealed word somtimes conditionally somtimes absolutely His sentence concerning the destruction of Nineueh was only conditionall if they did not repent according to that of the i Psal 7.13 Psalmist If a man will not turne then hee will whet his sword And therefore when the Lord saw the workes of the men of Nineueh that they turned from their euill waies he turned away his wrath from them Et sic Deus as one pithily non vertitur sed auertitur orationibus nostris But when Almighty God speakes absolutely thou are my sonne and as in our text categorically thou art a Priest for euer c. he will not repent nor k Psal 89.34 alter the thing which is gone out of his mouth See S. Augustine de diuersis quast ad Simplicium lib. 2. quaest 2. Rupert Caluin in caput 3. Ionae Augustin D. Incognit Bellarmin alios in loc Thou art a Priest for euer The Lord teacheth vs how wee should sweare by precept and paterne By precept Ierem. 4.2 Thou shalt sweare in truth in iudgment and in righteousnesse Where l Hierom. in loc Thomas 22â— quaest 89. art 3. Diuines obserue that these three vertues ought to bee the companions of all our oathes Iudgment forbids all rash idle swearing truth all lying and false swearing righteousnesse all blasphemous and vngodly swearing by the creatures God according to this precept sweareth himselfe heere hee sweares in righteousnesse as swearing by himselfe being both omnipotent and omni-scient in truth for that hee will not repent in iudgement saying to his Sonne thou art a Priest for euer m Agelsius in loc When he spake before of Christs kingdome he said onely sit thou at my right hand but now treating of Christs Priesthood hee sweares n Caluin in loc insinuating that the priesthood of Christ is of exceeding great consequence for the Lord instructing vs how we may sweare by his owne example sweares not in any trifling case but for the confirmation of a serious and necessarie truth of a most high nature Let vs examine therefore how Christ is a Priest for ouer An high Priest as the o Heb. 5.1 Scripture defineth is a person called of God from among men that hee may offer both gifts and sacrifices vnto God for the sins of men Such an high Priest is Christ immediately called of God in that he said thou art a Priest and hee gaue himselfe for vs to be both an p See epist 3. Sund in Lent offering and a sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauour to God Ephes 5.2 q 1. Ioh. 2.2 He is the reconcillation for our sins and as an aduocate with the Father in the Court of heauen euer pleading the merit of his oblation and obedience the sole mediator betweene God and man 1. Tim. 2.5 and he is a Priest for euer because with one offering hee consecrated for euer them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 The powerfull operation of his passion endureth for euer being the r Apoc. 13.8 Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world and bleeding as it were to the worlds end Saint Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrewes hath vnfolded this part of our text so fully that as Å¿ Jn loc Hierome speaks it is superfluous to bring an after or other interpretation I will here rest onely in his Commentatarie consisting of two points especially the 1. Shewing the difference betweene the Priesthood of Aaron and Christ 2. Describing the resemblance betweene the Priesthod of Christ and Melchisedech 1. The Priesthood of Aaron with all the sacrifices and ceremonies belonging thereunto was nothing else but a type of things to come the t Heb. 9. tabernacles and holy places were figures of the true Sanctuarie the diuers washings and other carnall rites were similitudes of heauenly things In a word the whole Law had the shadow of good things to come but not the very substance of the things Hebr. 10.1 But Christ is the u Coloss 2.17 body of the shadow and his Priesthood the truth of Aarons type Ioh. 1.17 The Law was giuen by Moses but grace and truth came by Iesus Christ as being our onely Priest appeasing the wrath of God and taking away the sinnes of the world for x Act. 4.12 among men there is giuen no other name vnder heauen whereby wee must bee saued And therefore the holy Fathers in their killing of beasts and sprinkling of blood had euer an eye to the sheadding of Christs blood on the Crosse beleeuing that his blood should y 1. Ioh. 1.7 cleanse them from all their sinnes and z Heb. 9.12.13 not the blood of goates and calues and buls And the Prophets in their Sermons vsually taxe their hypocrisie who neglecting spirituall deuotions and faith in Christ onely rested and trusted in outward oblations a Esay 1.11
men in the next rewarded amongst Saints and Angels in the kingdome of glory PSALME 113. Praise the Lord ye seruants O praise the name of the Lord. THis Hymne as both Text and Title tell vs in the very beginning is an exhortation to praise the Lord wherein 3. poynts are chiefly regardable quis who ye seruants quomodo how With all praise vers 1. Praise the Lord O praise the name of the Lord. At all times vers 2. from this time forth for euermore In all places vers 3. from the rising vp of the Sunne to the going downe of the same quapropter why for his Infinite power vers 4. Admirable prouidence both in Heauen Earth and that in Publique weales vers 6.7 Priuate families vers 8. The Prophet exhorts c Caluin all people to praise the Lord Young men and maydens old men and Children praise the name of the Lord Psalm 148.12 More specially Gods people which haue tasted of his goodnesse more then other as hauing his d Psal 147.19 statutes and ordinances and couenants and promises and seruice Rom. 9.4 e Wilcox most chiefly the Leuites and Priests as being appointed by the Lord for leaders and guides vnto the rest his seruants after a more special manner as it were in ordinarie All men owe this dutie to God as being the f Psal 95.6 workmanship of his hands Christians aboue other men as being the g Psal 100.2 sheep of his pasture Preachers of the Word aboue other Christians as being h Ephes 4.11 pastors of his sheepe and so consequently paternes in word in conuersation in loue in spirit in faith in purenes 1. Tim. 4.12 Yea but how must almightie God be praised for as not euery one that saith vnto the worlds Sauiour i Matth. 7.21 Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen k Basil Chrysost Euthym. so not euery one that hath in his mouth a bare the Lord be praised is a praiser of the Lord but he which is euer readie to suffer and doe the will of his Master and maker God is to be praised in thought and word and deede 1. Cor. 6.20 Glorifie God in your bodie and in your spirit The Lord as being high aboue all heathens and glorious aboue all heauens is blessed euer in himselfe but that hee may be blessed of other let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your father which is in heauen Matth. 5.16 A leaud life doth occasion enemies of pietie to reuile the Gospell and to blaspheme God Rom. 2.24 but honest behauiour on the contrarie to praise God in the day of visitation 1. Pet. 2.12 In one word l Tileman he doth praise God most who liueth best The Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Latin pueri may bee taken for children as well as seruants And therefore the translation of the Psalmes in meter aptly Ye children which doe serue the Lord. There is betweene little children and seruants so great affinitie that in Greeke and Latin seruants are called children and children seruants according to that of m Galat. 4.1 Paul The heire as long as hee is a childe differeth nothing from a seruant And so the translators in vsing the word pueri though aude in Hebrew properly signifieth a seruant n Placidus Bellarmine Dr. Incognitus insinuate that we should be like to little children in seruing of the Lord that is simple meeke pure Praise the Lord O praise the name of the Lord The doubling and tripling of this exhortation is to whet our o Caluine dulnesse and coldnes in executing this office p Placidus to shew that God is to be praised with an earnest affection and zeale For albeit Gods praise be the Christians Alpha and Omega the first and the last thing required at our hands as well in death as life yet such is our negligence that we neede q Esay 28.10 precept vpon precept and line vnto line to put vs in minde of our dutie Or this exhortation is doubled r Wilcox to shew that God alone is worthie al praise the kingdom is his and therfore the glorie frō him is all power therfore to him is due all praise And that not only for a little while but from this time foorth for euermore For the seruants of the Lord are to sing his praises in this life to the worlds end and in the next life world without end See before Psal 89. And as the Lord is to be praised at all times so likewise in all places from the rising vp of the Sunne vnto the going downe of the same ſ Bonauent Mollerus that is in and thorough all the world t Wilcox for he puts the two chiefe parts of the world for the whole world because these two quarters of East and West are most inhabited Many Christian Interpretors and some Doctors of the u Kimchi apud Genebrard in loc Iewes vnderstand this of our Lord Christ whose kingdome is without either limits or end Without limits as hauing x Psal 2.8 the heathen for his inheritance and the vttermost parts of the world for his possession his y Malac. 1.11 name is great among the Gentiles and incense shall be offered vnto him in euery place The which is all one with our text the Lords name be praised from the rising of the Sunne to the going downe of the same Without end for God the Father said vnto God the Sonne z Psal 110.1 sit thou on my right hand vntill I make thine enemies thy footstoole a Psal 89.35 His seate is like as the Sunne he shall stand fast for euermore like the faithfull witnes in heauen Yea though heauen be b Iob. 14.2 no more but perish and waxe old as doth a garment yet he is c Heb. 1.12 euer the same and his yeeres doe not faile The which is answerable to the words of our Prophet here Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time foorth for euermore The Lord is high aboue all heathen The most High deserues to be most honoured but the Lord is high aboue all heathen and his glorie aboue the heauen Ergo worthie to be praised more then all either Princes or people The greatest of all creatures in heauen is an Angell and the greatest of all men on earth is an Emperour but the Lord is greater then both as being their maker d Acts. 17.28 in whom they liue and moue and haue their being Higher then all Heathen infinitly greater then Alexander the Great Pompei the Great Mahumet the Great Higher then all Heauens ayrie where feathered fowles are for he e Psal 18.10 flyeth vpon the wings of the winde and f Psal 68.4 rideth vpon the cloudes as vpon an horse Higher then Heauens glorious where blessed soules are for the heauen of heauens is but his seate where hee reigneth a g Psal
to depend vpon the multitude for their number because the people mutinously rage together and imagine vaine things in their conuenticles nor vpon the mightie for their countenance because many Kings of the earth stand vp and Rulers take counsell together against the Lord and his Christ 2. We may know from hence c Bucer whether wee are the Lords annointed or no. The d John 15.19 world loueth his owne if then it hate Christ in vs it is an infallible signe that we are good e 2. Tim. 2.3 souldiers of the Lord and not seruants of the world f Bradford apud Fox Mart. fol. 1490. The way to heauen is to saile by hell if you will embrace Christ in his robes you must not thinke scorne of him in his ragges if you will sit at his table in his kingdome you must first abide with him in his tentations if you will drinke of his cup of glorie forsake not his cup of ignominie Can the head corner stone be reiected and the other more base stones in Gods building be set by You are one of Gods liuely stones and therefore be content to be hewen and snagged that you may be made more meete to be ioyned to your fellowes suffering the snatches of Satan and wounds of the world 3. From hence wee may be well assured that the sincere profession of the Gospell in reformed Churches is the most incorrupt and pure religion as being most opposite to the children of this world The Masse said holy g In a letter to his mother Bradford doth not bite them or make thē to blush as preaching And therefore the h Apoc. 17.2 Kings of the earth are drunken with the wine of the Babylonish whore's abominable fornication In i Relation of religion §. 13. Rome the humour of euery worldling is fitted and each appetite may finde what to feede on The mother of whoredomes is content to tolerate Iewes and other vngodly wretches of diuers and aduerse faiths in her Countrey but shee will not endure Lutherans All things are lawfull in great Babylon excepting this only to professe the Gospell after the manner of Protestants It is reported by reuerend k Martyr fol. 860. Fox that certain Lawyers and Aduocates in Prouince maintained openly that in a case of Lutheranisme the Iudges are not bound to obserue either right or reason order or ordinance for they cannot erre whatsoeuer iudgement they doe giue so that it tend to the ruine and extirpation of such as are suspected Lutherans Hitherto concerning the wickednesse of such as oppose themselues against the Lord and his annointed I am now to speake of their weakenesse implied in the word Why l Steuchus Genebrard for by this interrogation he doth admire their follie non enim tam interrogantis quà m deridentis as a learned m Agellius expositor vpon the place n Chrysost Placidus If they be derided as vnwise who shoote arrowes at the Sunne and barke at the Moone what errant fooles are they who fight against God dwelling in the heauen of heauens aboue Sunne and Moone o Acts 4.24 who made the heauen and earth and Sea and all things that are therein Alas all flesh is as the p Esay 40 7. grasse that withereth and God is a q Heb. 12.29 consuming fire readie to burne this stubble r Psal 144.4 Man is like a thing of nought but God is almightie measuring the waters in his fist and meating heauē with his spanne and weighing the mountaines in skales and the hils in a ballance Esay 40.12 Man is in the hāds of God his maker as the clay in the hands of the potter Ierem. 18.6 Now shall the thing formed saith ſ Rom. 11.20 S. Paul dispute with him who formed it or man imagine so vaine a thing as to stand vp and take counsell against his Creatour So that the Prophet here speakes as the t Virgil. Aenead lib. 10. Poet Quò moriture ruis maioraque viribus audes Quid tantum insano iuuat indulgere labori Or as u Epod. 7. Horace begins an Epod Quò quò scelestiruitis aut cur dexteris aptantur enses conditi He that dwelleth in heauen shall laugh them to scorne Note here the great oddes and difference between God and his enemies 1. He dwelleth in heauen x Caluin but his greatest opposites are Kings vpon earth vnsetled y 1. Pet. 2.11 pilgrimes in z 2. Cor. 5.1 earthly tabernacles and houses of a Iob. 4.19 clay 2. Whereas b Psal 39.7 man disquieteth himselfe in vaine raging running standing vp against the Lord and his annointed almightie God is said heere to sit in heauen at c Bucer rest and ease 3. Whereas men imagine vainly to breake his bonds and cast away his cords God in a moment is able to bruse them with a rod of iron and breake them in peeces like a potters vessell Albeit they fret and fume neuer so much he shall laugh them to scorne and haue them in derision As it is said of the monster d Job 41.18 Leuiathan He esteemeth iron as straw and brasse as rotten wood the archer cannot make him flee the stones of the sling are turned to stubble before him and hee laugheth at the shaking of the speare Now these things are said grossely for our capacitie because the Lord in deede can neither laugh nor crie yet the Scripture speaking after the manner of men affirmes plainly that God is grieued at our faults and that hee laugheth at our follies non secundum affectum as the Schoole distinguisheth aptly sed secundum effectum in that he carrieth himselfe toward his enemies as one that hath them in derision And this he doth in e Caluin two respects especially 1. For that he can at any time when he will as it were sportingly pull downe such as stand vp against him hee doth easily descrie their follie suppresse their furie 2. For that he suffereth his enemies in their rebelling and reuelling against his annointed only to play with his baite he hath as he told f 2. King 19.28 Esay 17.29 Senachorib an hooke in their nostrils and a bridle in their mouthes he can and he will at his good pleasure bring them back againe the same way they came g Psal 121.4 He that keepeth Israel howsoeuer hee seeme for a while to neglect his Church and kingdome of his Sonne shall neither slumber nor sleepe He will in his due time speake with al such as combine themselues against his annointed he will talke with them indeede h Bellarmine non verbis sed verberibus as it is in the text hee shall speake to them in his wrath and vexe them in his sore displeasure he shall bruse them with a rod of iron and breake them in peeces like a potters vessell and so shall hee make them a scorne to men and Angels hee derides them in that he sheweth
and Aaron as well Priests as people being assembled together gaue publike thanks vnto the Lord for that their good king Dauid was now fully deliuered from all his enemies and quietly setled in his princely throne So this text 〈◊〉 a very fit theame for the Coronation dayes of our late blessed blessed Queene and present gracious King as also for the Commemoration of our happie deliuerance from the Spanish Inuasion anno 88. and from the bloody Gunpowder plot on the fifth of Nouember 1605. ſ Augustin Arnobius Melancthon But mysticallie this day is the time of grace beholde now is the accepted time now the day of Saluation 2. Cor. 6.2 and this day is tearmed here Catexochen The day t Mollerus Dr. Jncognitus because the whole time wherein a man liues without Christ is called in holy Scripture The night and darkenesse as being full of terrours and errors of blindnesse and ignorance So Saint Paul Rom. 13.12 The night is past and the day is come And Ephes 5.8 Once yee were darkenesse but now light in the Lord your selues u Iohn 12.36 Children of light and your workes x Rom. 13.12 Armour of light y Bonauēt in loc Dominus est Dies Christ is the day or rather indeed the z Iohn 1.9 light of the world and a Mal. 4.2 Sunne of the day b Luke 1.78 springing on high to giue light to such as sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death This day did appeare to the world in some measure c Tileman from the beginning For the manifestation of Christ Iesus the supernaturall Sunne of righteousnesse arising with health vnder his wings to them that feare the Lord resembling a great deale the rising of the naturall sunne in our Horizon First the sunne being ready to rise sendeth forth a little glimpse of his brightnesse whereunto wee may compare the mystery of that Aphorisme The seede of the woman shal breake the serpents head Gen. 3.15 Then it doth inlarge the same brightnes with more splendour to which happily Noahs prophecie may bee likened Blessed bee the Lord God of Sem Gē 9.26 Afterward ascending higher approaching neerer vnto vs it putteth forth his glittering beames of clearer light whereto we may resemble the plainer promises concerning Christ communicated to the latter ages of Abraham Gen. 12.2 of Isaac Gen. 26.3.4 of Iacob Gen. 28.14 of Dauid 2. Sam. 7.12 At length it discouereth it selfe and appeareth openly whereunto Christs incarnation and liuing in the world answereth 1. Ioh. 1. That which was from the beginning which we haue heard which we haue seen with our eyes which we haue looked vpon and our hands haue handled c. Last of all it gloriously mounteth vp aboue the earth and d Psal 19.6 nothing is hid from the heat therof and to this accordeth our Sauiours resurrection and ascension whereby himselfe was glorified and hee drew other men vnto him Ioh. 12.32 and gaue them power beleeuing in his name to bee the sonnes of God Ioh. 1.12 Wherefore seeing the Messias of the world is now dead for our sinnes and risen againe for our iustification and sitteth at the right hand of God in heauen euer making intercession for vs and seeing the e Rom. 10.18 sound of his Gospell is gone through all the earth and the words of his Apostles vnto the ends of the world we haue good cause to sing and say this is the most acceptable time the day of saluation and grace f Ephes 3.5 which in other ages was not opened vnto the sonnes of men as it is now reuealed and therefore let vs reioyce and be glad in it Now for as much as the resurrection of Christ is the g Mollerus complement of all the promises concerning the Messias and as it were the h Church Hō for Easter day locke and key of faith on which all other Articles depend the Church of England and i Chrysost Euthym. Melanch Bucer other Diuines auncient and orthodoxe haue made this Hymne proper on Easter day for on this day Christ arising from the dead was heard at large on this day hee saw his desire vpon his enemies on this day hee did openly triumph ouer the diuell and death and hell albeit they compassed him round about and kept him in on euery side yet in the name of the Lord hee destroyed them On this day hee did not dye but liue to declare the workes of the Lord. On this day the same stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner it is the Lords doing and it is maruellous in our eyes and therefore let vs heartily sing This is the day which the Lord hath made we will be glad and reioyce therein God made the k Gen. 1.5 morning and euening the light and the darknesse are his How then is he said heere to make this day more then other dayes the l Chrysost Euthym. Placidus Doctours vpon the place answere that albeit all dayes are good in respect of themselues and God yet some be ioyfull and other dolefull in respect of the good and euill that happeneth in them vnto vs. For m Melancthon Mollerus the day wherein Adam fel and in him all his posteritie was an euil and a blacke day made so doubtlesse by the diuell and not by the Lord but this day wherin the second Adam arose from the dead and in him n 1. Cor. 15.22 all men are made aliue is a good day wherein the faithfull are ioyfull It is the Lords doing and therefore the Lords day The Lords doing that the same stone which the builders refused is now become the head and corner stone in the building that he who was a despicable man a worme rather then a man Psalme 22.6 should now triumphing ouer the diuell and death hell and the graue become the o Psalme 24.7 king of glory that p Phil. 2.10 at the name of Iesus euery knee should bow both of things in heauen and things in earth and things vnder the earth Now the Lord is said to make this day more then other as q Agellius honouring it aboue other exalting it and making it r Caluin memorable to posterity So the word making sometime signifieth as 1. Sam. 12.6 It is the Lord that made Moses and Aaron s that is exalted Moses and ſ Vatablus Aaron and so we say that a man aduanced in honour or riches is a made man in this sense the making of a day is the sanctifying and obseruing of a day Deut. 5.15 Exod. 34.22 how then is Easter day more magnified and hallowed then other dayes in the yeere to this obiection answere may bee that all Christians heerein imitating the patterne of the blessed t Acts 20.7 1. Cor. 16.2 Apoc. 1.10 Apostles in honour of Christs resurrection obserue their Sabbath vpon the eight day which is the first day of the weeke whereas the