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A10994
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Sermons preached before his Maiestie 1. The bridegromes banquet. 2. The triumph of constancie. 3. The banishment of dogges. By Francis Rollenson, Batcheler of Diuinitie.
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Rollenson, Francis, ca. 1565-1630.
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1611
(1611)
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STC 21264; ESTC S112081
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60,158
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83
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one be as foolish as Nabal and haue eares as long as Midas yet if he haue mount Carmel for his Lordship and as it is in the Prouerbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 swim vp to the eares in riuers of gold the world will honor him and bowe the knee vnto him as the idolatrous Iewes did to the golden Calfe of Horeb but Gods eie searcheth the hart and the reines he regardeth the poore and the needie for euer they be most religious most vertuous he chose Dauid from the sheepe-folde following the Ewes great with young to raigne ouer Israel and hee makes choise of one of the daughters of Dauid to be the Mother of his Sonne though she was so poore that the place of her Deliuerie was a Stable and her first begotten sonnes Cradle a Cratch Why should any man be proud of his wealth then seeing both she whom all generations call blessed and hee that is Lord of heauen and earth were both very poore why should any man like Ephraim be fed with winde and puft vp with his discent his alliance his worme-eaten antiquitie seeing Christ was the Sonne of a poore Virgin betrothed and married to a Carpenter and yet both hee and shee were of the royall line of Dauid h Psal 132. To whom the Lord had sworne in truth and he did not shrinke from it saying of the fruite of thy body will I set vpon thy throane Thus was the marriage consummate betwixt Christ and his Church in the Virgins wombe this wombe was the milkie way by which he came into his garden Oh blessed was that wombe of her that bore him and those paps that gaue him sucke The second generall branch is the Mariage feast of Christ in which first let vs see the Banquetting place secondly suruay his Banquet Christ makes his Banquet in a Garden but which of his Gardens is it for Christ hath three The first is Hortus potentiae the second Hortus gratiae the third Hortus gloriae His first Garden is the kingdome of Power and this is verie large and spacious stretching it selfe from the highest heauens to the nethermost parts of the earth for his power is infinite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Damascen He can doe all things that he will His second Garden is the kingdome of Grace in this world whereby hee raigneth in the faithfull by the holy Ghost of this Daniel speaketh saying i Dan. 7.13.14 As I beheld in visions by night behold one like the Sonne of man came in the cloudes of heauen and approached vnto the ancient of dayes and they brought him before him and he gaue him dominion and honour and a kingdome that all people nations and languages should serue him his dominion is an euerlasting dominion which shall neuer be taken away and his Kingdome shall neuer be destroyed His third garden is the kingdome of Glory which is alreadie in part begun because he is ascended into heauen and sitteth at the right hand of his Father but shall be complete at the generall resurrection when the Elect being gathered together shall raigne continually with Christ Neither the first nor this last Garden is the place where the Banquet is kept but onely the second in this the Bridegrome gathers his Mirrhe with his spice in this he eates his hony-combe with this honie in this he drinkes his wine and milke The kingdome of Grace is here called a Garden and this Garden is either shut vp or not shut vp The Garden not shut vp is the Church visible in which growes as well the fruitlesse Cedar as the fat Oliue the bitter Colloquintida as the sweet figge-tree the prickie Bramble as the cheerefull Vine for the Church visible is like vnto k Gen. 7.8 Noahs Arke in which were stabled beasts both polluted and impolluted it is like l Gen. 37.3 Iosephs Coate made of diuers colours for in it are men of diuers dispositions a Simon Peter and a Simon Magus a Iudas the brother of Iames and a Iudas Ishcariot a Priscilla and a Saphira good and euill Elect and Reprobates here onely is the difference the Wicked are weedes and grow without priuiledge they liue in the outward assembly of Christians yet are they not the true members of Christes body m 1. Ioh. 2.19 They went out of vs but they were not of vs saith Iohn n Dec. P. 2. caus 24. q. 3. cap. 8. Ad ecclesiam Dei non pertinent illi qui in eius vnitate corporaliter mixti per pessimam vitam seperantur They belong not to the Church which being corporally mixed in the societie thereof are seperated by an euill life In this Garden be diuers beds of Spices so saies the Spouse o Cant. 6.1 My welbeloued is gone downe into his Garden to the beds of spices to feede in the Gardens and to gather Lillies These Beds of spices be particular Churches as for instance ours in England it is a Bed of Spices a Societie of the Elect for here we haue p Cant. 4.14 Spikenard Saffron Calamus and Cinamon with all the trees of Incense Mirrhe and Aloes with all the chiefe spices We haue true Preachers whose tongues neuer cleaue to the roofe of their mouth Siluer trumpets and golden bels that ring out peales of Gods praises in Sion and sound out his wonders in Ierusalem We haue zealous professors in colour like white Lillies for their pure faith and as sweet as Incense for their charity which that they may still more and more encrease q Cant. 4.16 Arise O North and come O South and blow on our bed that the spices thereof may flowe out But alas how can they for the Enemie hath sowne three poisonous weedes in our Bed Atheisme Papisme and Simonisme which like Tares choke the wheate and hinder the growth of our better plants The first and the worst is Atheisme for are there not amongst vs whole kennels of r Apo. 22.15 Dogs whose foreheads are brasse and iron impudent audacious blasphemous and conscience-cauterized fooles s Psal 104. which in their hearts say there is no God holding t 1. Cor. 2.14 the Gospel of his kingdome to be meere foolishnesse and Scriptures fables coyned and stamped for currant onely to awe the world were there not such monsters why is the profession of Religion growne policie and Christians in name become Macheuillians in practise as mutable as Proteus as changeable as the Camelion temporizing their Consciences to day a Papist to morrow a Protestant the next day any thing for aduantage a Turke a Iew an Infidell u Psal 10.11 Tush if there be a God he hath forgotten he hides away his face and will neuer see Thus spoke their Tutor Auerrhoes denying Gods presence and prouidence herevpon earth Against the Iewes the Queene of Saba and against these Atheists the verie Gentiles shall rise in iudgement for they hauing nothing to direct them but the glimmering light of Nature would acknowledge
God onely hee is like Noahs Arke to the tyred and wearied c Gen. 8.9 Doue hee is that liuing stone vpon which onely d Gen. 28.11 euery elect Iacob must lay his head and sleepe hee is that e Heb. 13.10 Altar vnder which the Saints departed repose themselues resting from their labours f Heb. 4.9 and finding rest for their soules And thus by the writing of the Name of God three things by Christ are promised a heauenly Inheritance a life aeternall and a rest euerlasting And the name of the Citie of my God which is the new Ierusalem which commeth downe out of Heauen from my God c. As it is an honour to haue a good name so it is a glorie to be of a famous Nation or a Citizen of a famous Citie The g Ioh. 4.9 woman of Samaria wondered that Christ being a Iewe by birth would aske drinke of her being a Samaritan for the Iewes medled not with the Samaritans holding them as ignoble in comparison of themselues and wicked people as wee may gather by their blasphemous speech to Christ Say we not well thou art a Samaritan and hast the diuell There is a great difference in the Excellencie of Nations Quaedam gentes saith Iulius Maternus ita a coelo formatae sunt vt propria sint morum vnitate conspicuae Some nations are so framed of heauen that they may be knowne by the proprietie of maners what countrymen they be And this varietie commeth from the diuersitie of Climates Ptolo. 2. Quadripart Liuius Apulei Iul. Maternus and the influence of the starres The Iewes be naturally superstitious the Egyptians learned the Syrians couetous the Sicilians acute the Africans craftie the Scythians cruel the Grecians vnconstant the Italians generous the French-men rash the Spaniards vaine-glorious the h Tit. 1.12 Cretians liers euill beasts slow bellies the Germans and Brittanes valiant These stampes of nature being considered we may conclude that it is farre more honourable for a man to be of one Nation or one Citie then another Our Sauiour Christ then because he would demonstrate the Glory of the Elect saith that he will write vpon them the Name of the Citie of Ierusalem hee will enfranchise and make them free of a famous Citie but wee must not looke for this Ierusalem in Iudaea no for of that Citie not one stone is left vpon another but we must cast our eyes vpwards i Apoc. 21.2 For it comes downe from God out of heauen prepared as a Bride trimmed for her husband The old Ierusalem was a type of the Church Millitant this New Ierusalem is a figure of the Church tryumphant the Old was often besieged and sackt a shaddow of the afflictions of the Elect here vpon earth the New is said to be garnished with twelue seuerall precious stones k Apoc. 21.19.20 the Iasper the Saphire the Chalcedonie the Emerald the Sardonyx the Sardius the Chrysolite the Beril the Topaze the Chrysoprasus the Iacinth and the Amethyst by which are signified the glorious endowments of the Elect in heauen In the number of twelue there be foure Triplicities and this Citie being fouresquare the precious stones like those in l Exod. 28.17 Aarons Breast-plate are set three three in a square by which foure Triplicities foure things may be vnderstood which shall concurre meet together to make the Elect most glorious The first is the Glorification of the body the qualifie and state whereof may fitly be resembled by the three stones of the first Triplicitie namely the Iasper the Saphire and the Chalcedonie First the Iasper is greene and being worne dispelleth all Phantasmes and driueth away euill spirits saith Isodore the healthfull state of our bodies after the resurrection shal paralele this Iasper they shall be like greene Oliue trees neuer withering neuer fading here while wee liue Diseases the Purseuants of death are euer like Sauls euill spirits at our elbowes haunting vs Dauid had the stone for his reines chastened him in the night season Iob his boiles and botches Miriam her leprosie and euen the most righteous haue their infirmities but at the last day our bodies shall be so changed that sicknesse shall exercise no tyranny ouer vs. Secondly the Saphire is hard and blew of the colour of heauen it killes the Spider and driueth away poisonous serpents such like shall our bodies be heauenly and beautifull no deformitie shal come neere to blemish them m Phil. 3.21 for Christ shall change our vile bodie that it may be fashioned like vnto his glorious body according to the working wherby he is able euen to subdue al things to himself Thirdly the Chalcedony is so hard that no toole of yron can graue it euen so thogh now Sathan workes vs like waxe and makes vs receiue his marke by tempting and alluring vs to giue our members seruants to vncleannesse yet then our bodies shall be purified we shall tread vpon the Lyon and the Dragon the diuell shall haue no more any power to make our bodies his Synagogue for they shall be the aeternall Temples of the holy Ghost The second thine is the Sanctification of the Soule the condition whereof we shall see in the three stones of the second Triplicitie to wit the Emerauld the Sardonyx the Sardius First the Emerauld is in colour Greene delightsome to looke on and very soueraigne against the falling Sicknesse like vnto this precious stone shall the soules of the Elect be made all glorious within and full of grace being so confirmed in Righteousnesse that whereas now the most iust man hath the falling sicknesse seauen times a day then Sin shall haue no more dominion ouer vs. Secondly the Sardonyx is of three colours it is Niger in imo candidus in medio rubicundus in supremo the lower part of it is blacke the middle white the top of it red so our Soules shall be Nigrae in imo blacke below for they shall contemne the malicious disseignes and stratagems of the diuell and smile in scorne at the destruction of him and his angels They shall be Candidae in mediâ— white in the midst being clothed like the Lillies of the field in long white robes of righteousnesse lastly they shall be in Supremo rubicundae Red aboue that is to say all glorious in regard of the golden crowne of immortalitie Thirdly the Sardius is a red stone and the vertue of it is to driue away timorousnesse and feare this shewes our future boldnesse and confidence here vpon earth wee work our saluation in feare and trembling but hereafter we shall approach boldly vnto the throne of God with Palmes in our hands in signe of victorie hauing washt our long white robes in the blood of the Lambe The third thing is the consummation of Charitie the attributes whereof be three for Charitie must be pure good and true these three are set forth by three stones in the third Triplicitie First the Chrysolite is of