A SERMON PREACHED BEfore His Maiestie At Whitehall on Easter day last 1614. ¶ By the Bishop of Elie His Maiesties Almoner ¶ Jmprinted at London by Robert Barker Printer to the Kings most Excellent Maiestie 1614. PHILIP II. 8HE humbled Himselfe made obedient vnto death euen the death of the Crosse 9 For this cause hath God also highly exalted Him and giuen Him a Name aboue euery name 10 That at the Name of Iesus euery knee should bow of those in Heauen and in Earth and vnder the Earth 11 And that euery Tongue should confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of GOD the Father The summe FOr this cause God hath exalted him saith the Text Him that is Christ And for this cause are wee now here to celebrate this exalting Of which His exalting this is the first day and the Act of this day the first step of it euen His rising againe from the dead Haec est clarificatio Domini nostri Iesu Christi quae ab Eius resurrectione sumpsit exordium saith S. Augustine vpon this place This now is the glorifying of our Lord Iesus Christ which tooke his beginning at His glorious resurrection Thus is the summe and substance of this Text set downe by that learned Father The diuision By him also is it likewise diuided to our hands Into Humilitas Claritatis meritum and Claritas humilitatis praemium Humilitie the merit of glory in the first verse of the 4. And Glory the reward of humilitie in the other three Which two here and euer are so fast linked together as there is no parting them I cannot but touch and I wil but touch the Merit in the first verse It properly pertaines to another day And so come to Opus diei The matter of this dayes exultation is called here His exaltation And is of two sorts By God in the 9. verse And by vs in the two last By God And that is double Of his Person Of his Name Two Super's either one Super-exaltauit Ipsum His Person there is one in the forepart of the 9. verse And Nomen super omne nomen His Name there is the other in the latter part of it And this is Gods Then commeth ours For God exalting it Himselfe He will haue vs to doe the like And not to doe it inwardly alone but euen outwardly to acknowledge it for such And sets downe precisely this acknowledgment how He will haue it made by vs. Namely two wayes By the Knee by the Tongue The Knee to bow to it verse 10. The Tongue to confesse it verse 11. And both these to be general Euery Knee euery Tongue And not in grosse but deduced into three seuerall rankes All in Heauen All in earth All vnder the earth which comprehends all indeed and leaues none out This acknowledgement thus but onely insinuated by the Knee is by the Tongue more plainely expressed And this it is That Iesus Christ is the Lord Lord of all those three This to be done and so done as it redound all to the glory of God the Father But then last take the vse with vs. That since in Him His humiliauit se ipsum ends in Super-exaltauit Deus His humbling Himselfe in Gods Exalting That Verse 5. the same mind be in vs And the same end shall come to vs. As his end was so ours shal be in the glory of God the Father The Prayer c. Propter quod Verse 8. For this cause WEe touch first vpon this word Propter It is the Axis and Cardo the very point whereupon the whole Text turneth First Propter A cause there is So God exalts euer for a cause Here on earth otherwhile there is an Exaltauit without a Propter quod Some Esay 12.15 Est 3.1 Nehem. 4.1 as Sobna Haman Sanballat sometimes exalted no man knowes wherefore With God there goeth euer with men there should go a Propter quod before Exaltauit For a cause for what for this cause And this now Propter quod casts vs backe to the former verse where it is set downe Humiliauit There it is for His Humilitie Now Humiliauit of all causes not for that if we goe by this world which as the prouerbe is was made for the presumptuous Not for that vertue of all others A vertue before Christ thus graced it so out of request as the Philosophers looke into their Ethiques you shall 〈◊〉 so much as finde the name of humilitie in the list of all their vertues Well this cast vertue of no reckoning is here made the Propter quod of Christs exalting As Luke 1.48 Respexit humilitatem the ground of His Mothers Magnificat And He that by Him 2. Cor. 4.6 brought light out of darkenesse at the first will by Him bring glory out of humilitie at last Or this booke deceiueth vs. With God it shall haue the place of a Propter quod how poore account soeuer we make of it here But this Quod is a Collectiue there bee in it more points then one I will but point at them Humiliauit Ipse Ipse 1. He humbled He which many times is idle but here a circumstance of great waight He so great a Person being in the forme of God Verse 6. and without any disparagement at all equall to God as he tels vs a verse before He humbled Vbi Maiestatem pâ—amisit vt humilitatem illustraret That discourse of His High Maiestie was but to set out to giue a lustre to His humilitie For for one of meane estate to be humble is no great praise It were a fault if he were not But in alâ—o nihil altum supere For a King as Dauid to say 2. Sam. 6.22 I will yet be more humble For the King of Kings for Him to shew this great humilitie that is a Propter quod indeede Humiliauit Ipse Then secondly that Humiliauit Ipse se Ipse se Se. and not alius ipsum that he was not brought to it by any other but of his owne accord He humbled himselfe There is a difference betweene humilis and humiliatus One may be humbled and yet not humble Pharaâ— was humbled Exod. 10.16 brought downe by his ten plagues Matth. 27.32 Simeon of Cyrene angariatus to humble his necke vnder the Crosse This was alius â—psos But Ipse se is the true humilitie For then it is â—audabils volâ—aâ—tate not miserabili necessitate or a willing minde and that is commendable not of force and constraine for that is miserable For this cause that Hee humbled himselfe And thirdly Humiliauit ipse se Obediens It was not Absaloms humilitie Obediens in shew and complement and his heart full of pride disobedience 2. Sam. 15.5 yea rebellion And yet it is a glory for humilitie that euen proud men take a pride to shrowd themselues in her mantle that pride weares humilities liuerie But it is not humble courtesie but humble
20.36.21.5 They in the Scripture They in the * Euse 4. â— l. 5 â— 5. Tertul. coâ—â— Marâ—â— l. â— c. 18. Decoron 〈◊〉 Athan. in vita Aâ—â—on Basil apud Oâ—â—um Naz or 2 de filâ—◠〈…〉 2. in c. 2. ad Eph. Aâ—gâ—â— de 〈◊〉 pro. 〈◊〉 gâ—â—end c. 5. Theoph Alex. Pasch 2. Casar Aril bow 30. Primitiue Church did so did bow And verily He wil not haue vs worship Him like Elephants as if we had no ioints in our Knees He wil haue more honor of men then of the pillars in the Church He wil haue vs bow the knees And let vs bow them in Gods Name Bow to His Name To bow the Knee And to His Name to bow it For This is another prerogatiue He is exalted to whose Person Knees do bow but He to whose Name onely much more But the case is here otherwise Acts. 1.9 For His Person is taken vp out of our sight Psa 16.2 all wee can doe will not reach vnto it But His Name He hath left behinde to vs that wee may shew by our reuerence and respect to it how much we esteeme Him how true the Psalme shall bee Holy and reuerend is His Name Psal 111.9 But if we haue much adoe to get it bow at all much more shall we haue to get it done to His Name 1. There be that do it not What speake I of not doing it There bee that not onely forbeare to doe it themselues but put themselues to an euill occupation to finde faults where none is and cast scruples into mens minds by no meanes to doe it Not to doe it at His Name Nay at the holy Mysteries themselues not to doe it Where His Name is I am sure and more then His Name euen the body and blood of our Lord Iesus Christ And those not without His soule Nor that without His Deitie Nor all these without inestimable high benefits of grace attending on them And yet they Casar Arelat bow 30. that would be glad and faine a pardon for this life or some other Patent with all humilitie to receiue vpon their knees This so great so high so heauenly a gift they straine and make dangerous to bow their knees to receiue it as if it were scarce worth so much But it hath euer bene the maner in Christs Church whether we * Matth. 2.11 Chrysost hom ad pop Antioch 61. Ambros in Ps 98 lib. 3.6 1â— de Spir. Sâ—o Augustâ—â—â— Ps 22. Ps 48. Ep. 120 c 27. offer to Him or receiue ought offered from Him in this wise to doe it But to keepe vs to the Name This is sure The words themselues are so plaine as they are able to conuince any mans conscience And there is no writer not of the Ancient on this place Aâ—â—brâ—s Hexa l. 6 c. 9. Hi. 〈◊〉 in Esa 45. Cyril in Esa l. 4 O 3. Theodores in Phil. 2. that I can find saue he that turned all into Allegories but literally vnderstands it and likes well enough we should actually performe it Yet will yee see what subtilties are taken vp to shift this duetie All Knees are called for and all haue not Knees Heere are three rankes reckoned and two of them haue none What is that to vs wee haue To vs it is properly spoken and wee to looke to it And if this were ought that the spirits in Heauen and Hell haue no bodies and so no Knees Why they haue no tongues neither properly and then by the same rule take away comfessing too and so doe neither But the Apostle that in another place giues the Angels tongues 1. Cor. 13.1 with the tongues of men and Angels might aswel in this place giue them Knees they haue one as much as the other And in both places humanum dicit hee speakes to vs Rom. 6.19 after the maner of men that we by our owne language might conceiue what they doe For sure it is the spirits of both kinds as they doe yeeld reuerence so they haue their wayes and meanes to expresse it by somewhat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Knee They doe it their way wee to doe it ours And this is ours let vs looke to our owne then and not busie our braines about theirs But for vs and for our sakes they are diuers times expressed in the Reuelation Reuel 4.10.5.8.14.7.11 euen doing thus falling downe before Him Secondly why to this Name more then to the Name of Christ The Name of Iesus There want not reasons why Christ is not cannot be the name of God God cannot bee anointed But Iesus is the Name of God and the chiefe Name of God as we haue heard The name Christ is communicated by Him to others namely to Princes So is not Iesus Esa 43.11 that is proper Ego sum praeter me non est alius And euer that which is proper is aboue that which is holden in common Christ is anointed to what end to be our Sauiour That is the end then And euer the end is aboue the meanes euer the name of health aboue the name of any medicine But when wee finde expressely in the verse this Name is exalted aboue all names â—nd this act limited to it in direct wordes â—â—d so this name aboue them in this very peculiar Why seeke we any further Thirdly What to the two syllables or 〈◊〉 the sound of them What needes this Who speakes of sound or syllables The Text saith doe it to the Name The Name is not the sound but the sense The caution is easie then doe it to the sense haue minde on Him that is named and doe His Name the honour and spare not Fourthly But it cannot be denied but there hath superstition beene vsed in it Suppose there hath And almost in what not In hearing of Sermons now is there not superstition in a great many What shall we doe then Lay them downe abandon hearing as we doe Kneeling I trowe not but remooue the superstition and retaine them still Doe but euen so here and all is at an end Indeed if it were a taken-vp worship or some humane iniunction it might perhaps be drawen within the case of the brazen Serpent 2. Reg. 18.4 But being thus directly set downe by God himselfe in vs there may bee superstition in it there can be none And if it bee in vs wee are to mend our selues but not to stirre the act which is of Gods owne prescribing It was neuer heard in Diuinitie that euer superstition could abolish a duetie of the Text. That we set our selues to driue away superstition it is well But it will be well too that we so driue it away as we driue not all reuerent regard and decencie away with it also And are we not well toward it Wee haue driuen it from our head for wee keepe on of all hands And from out Knees for Kneele we may not we vse not I am sure Sure heed
would be taken that by taking heed wee prooue not superstitious wee slippe not into the other extreame before wee be aware Which of the two extreames Religion worse endureth as more opposite vnto it For beleeue this as it may bee superstitiously vsed so it may irreligiously be neglected also Looke to the Text then and let no man perswade you but that God requireth a reuerent cariage euen of the body it selfe And namely this seruice of the Knee And that to His Sonnes Name Ye shall not displease Him by it feare not Feare this rather for the Knee if it will not bow that it shall be stricken with somewhat that it shall not be able to bow And for the Name that they that will doe no honour to it when time of neede comes shall receiue no comfort by it And so I leaue this point The tongue For the Knee is not all Hee further requires somewhat from the Tongue And reason That member of all other Psal 30.12.57.8 the Psalmist calls our glory a peculiar wee haue more then the beasts They will be taught to bow and bend their ioynts Wee haue Tongues besides to do something more then they And indeed the Knee is but a dumbe acknowledgement doeth but signifie implicitè but a vocall confession that doeth vtter our minde plainely And so is looked for at our hands To confesse This hee calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Three things are in it First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speake wee must say somewhat And secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe it together not some speake and some sit mute And thirdly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speake out not whispering or betweene the teeth but clearely and audibly And this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And it was the praise of the Primitiue Church this that ioyntly they did it and alowd that their Amen as S. Hierome saith was like a clap of thunder And their Alleluia as the roaring of the Sea And no praise it is to vs who as our ioynts are stiffe to bow so our voyces are hoarce to confesse We can neither see the former nor scarce heare the latter as if there beeing but two dueties in the Text we meant to suppresse them both Knee first and then Tongue The Knee and the Tongue Why the Knee first why begins he there They be marshalled right For hauing by our Knee bowed put our selues in minde of due regard of Him in feare and reuerence wee are then the fitter to speake of Him and to Him with that respect is meet And not bee so homely with Him as in their gesture and speech both some are as if they were haile fellow euen familiar with God And all forsooth as they call it to cast out the spirit of bondage From a heart possessed with the humble feare of God from such a heart Confession is euer most kindly Faith being as the heart and feare being as the kings so the Fathers compare them It will get an heate and an ouer-heate our saith if by feare as coole ayre it be not tempered But faith and feare together make the blessed mixture Euery Knee The Tongue and euery Tongue as the Knee and euery Knee they to bow all Euery Tongue and these all to confesse But for all that not all alike They in heauen cast downe their crownes Reuel 4.10 and fall downe themselues of their owne accord And confesse Him singing Luc. 2.14 a◠at His birth Reuel 15.3.4.8.5.9 and in the Reuelation diuers times They vnder the earth doe it too but not vltrò are throwen downe and euen made his footstoole So Psal 110.1 downe they goe though sore against their wills And confesse Him too though roaring Mark 9.26 and as it were vpon the racke They on Earth as in the midst partake of both The better sort with the Angels get them to their Knees gladly and cheerefully confesse Him The rest as Infidels and some Christians little better Iohn 18.6 are forced to fall backeward and made in the end to crie Vicisti Galilaee Reuel 16.10 though they gnaw their Tongues when they haue done So we see our lot One way or other we shall come to it all if not now in die illo Which is the reason that Rom. 14.11 the Apostle applieth this place in Esay to Christs sitting in Iudgement at the latter day Exalted He shal be with our good wills or whether we wil or no. Either fall on our Knees now or bee cast flat on our faces then Either confesse Him Cantando with Saints and Angels or vlulando with deuils and damned spirits For the Father will bee glorified in the Sonne by the glorious Confession of them that yeeld or the glorious confusion of them that stand out Euery Tongue The Tongue and euery Tongue that is euery Speach Dialect Idiome Language in the world stand charged with this Confession Omnis spiritus Psal 150. ◠euery spirit to giue breath and Omnis Lingua euery Tongue to be as a Trumpet to sound it forth And where are they then that denie any Tongue the facultie heere graunted Or barre any of them the duetie heere enioyned That locke vp the publique Confession the chiefe of all other in some one Tongue or two and send foorth their Supersedeas to all the rest No His Title here hath more Tongues then Pilat's on the Crosse That had but three this hath euery Tongue what where whose soeuer none except A Praeludium whereof was in the Tongues sent from Heauen whereby euery Nation vnder Heauen heard Acts 2.6 each in their owne Tongue spoken Magnalia Dei the glad tidings of the Gospel Confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord. But though thus many Tongues yet one Confession Euen this that Iesus Christ is the Lord. And a blessed Confession it is this that Iesus that is a Sauiour that He that such a one is the Lord that not a fleecer or a flaier but a Sauiour hath the place 2. That Christ that is one which saueth and cureth vnctione non punctione with anointing not with searing or pricking that wee acknowledge Him to be the Lord. Lord before by that He is Sonne And now Lord againe by vertue or His Propter quod Lord whereof Nay not qualified of such or such a Place Baronie Countie Segniorie but Lord in abstracto But it we will qualifie Him wee may Lord of these three rankes of Confessors here in the Verse and of those three places and Regions that contein them 1. Lord of Heanen He gaue the Keyes of it 2. Lord of Earth Matt. 16.19 Hee hath the Key of Dauid Reuel 3.7 and if of His of euery Kingdome else 3. Lord of Hell for lo the Keyes of Hell and of Death Apoc. 1.18 Of Death to vnlocke the graues Of Hell to locke vp the old Dragon Reuel 20 3◠and his crew into the bottomlesse pit A great Lord For whither shall one goe