in the hearts of the faithfull and consuming all our spirituall sacrifices who this day diddest descend and appeare in the likenesse of fiery tongues be a fire in my heart and tongue that I may be fervent in my meditations and prayers and zealous in the profession and defence of thy truth Inlighten the darknesse of my understanding inflame the coldnesse of my affections purge out the drosse of my corruptions direct me in all affaires of this life assist me in all exercises of devotion strengthen me in all assaults of temptations comfort me in all miseries of affliction seale all the gracious promises of thy Gospell unto me and seale me unto the day of redemption So be it Amen Into my minde descend O Dove gall purge cleane out of me With silver wings raise me above my Saviour Christ to see The STARRY HEAVEN OR a Meditation on All-Saints-day IN the generall survey of this work I compared this latter part to the beauty of Sanctum Sanctoâ—um in Solomons Temple for as King Solomon set the Arke of the covenant in that place which Ark was covered with the propitiatory or Mercy-seat and made two Cherubims in the said roome so I likewise in this work have placed the resemblance of the Arke as on this day the Cherubins on S. Michael the Archangell and the propitiatory on Trinity Sunday But properly this Metaphor belongs to the middle part which treats of the meritorious actions of our blessed Saviour For he and he only is the Holy of Holies and Saints as Stars receive and derive all the light of sanctity that is in them from Christ the Sunne of Righteousnesse Therefore seeing I have raised this worke to this hight I will not fear to show that as Noahs Ark was a manifest symbole of the Church before and since the Law upon the troublesome waters of persecution and affliction so this Ark likewise may be a figure of Christs Church in the haven of prosperity and peace since the Gospell for first as the Law of God was put into the Ark for a memoriall of Gods covenant betweene him and the children of Israel so the Law or Gospell of Christ hath beene preserved in his Church for the confirmation of the faith and direction of the lives of us Christians Secondly as Manna was kept in the Ark for a remembrance of Gods mercy and power in preserving the lives of the Children of Israel forty years in the wildernesse with Angels food so likewise the blessed Sacrament of the Lords Supper as chosen Manna hath beene kept in Christs Church for the spirituall livelyhood of the worthy receiver for ever And lastly aâ— Aarons fruitfull rod was kept in the Arke for a testimony of the chosen Priesthood so the fruitfull examples of the Saints lives is annually kept in the Church as on this day which I compare to the starry firmament for as poore way faring men receive a great deale of comfort and direction in the light of the starres in a darke night when the Sunne and Moone are extinct so a poore Christian in the pilgrimage of this world receives a great deale of solace and jâ—y in the consideration of those glorious Saints that have walked in the said steps before him And therefore the Church knowing the power of examples upon mens nature that they are more apt to be led by example then by precept or reason and are more apt to follow a multitude in sinne then the light of any one Saint in vertue hath set this day apart to let us understand that it is better to follow one Noah in the race of righteousnesse then a whole world drowned in sin and wickednesse and that for our soules salvation it is better to be like one just Lot then a City full of wicked Sodomites but it is a very hard matter to walk uprightly in the midst of a crooked generation Now as the number of fixed Starâ—â—s are past all Arithmeticall expression so the totall of all the Saints that are and have beene in the Church of God are without number Yet as Astrologers note a certaine number of Stars for an uncertaine in affirming that there are 1205 in the Northerne Hemisphere the Zodiack and Southerne Constellations besides the Seven Planets so S. Iohn in his Revelations notes a certaine number of Saints for an uncertaine in saying that in every Tribe were sealed 12000 besides the 24 Elders and 4 Beasts which by expositors are the 24 writers of the Old Testament and the foure Evangelists writers of the New But it is not for their number but for their vertues that we commemorate their lives on this day Therefore I will pray to God that it would please him to grant that I may seriously call to minde and wisely consider on this day the sincerity of Abel in my sacrifice of Praise the piety of Enoch in my walking with God the righteousnesse of Noah the faith of Abraham the chastity of Ioseph the meeknesse of Moses the zeale of Phineas the patience of Iob the devotion of David the wisdome of Solomon all the rare graces of Gods Spirit in the holy Patriarchs in the sweet fellowship of the Prophets the constancy and fortitude of the Noble Army of Martyrs and all those imitable vertues in my blessed Saviour that I endeavouring my selfe to walke after their godly example in the Church militant upon earth may after this life ended together with them in the day of the resurrection reigne for ever in the kingdome of heaven which is the Church triumphant Amen The North Hemisphere OR a Meditation on Twelfe-day AS I am enforced to alter the name of the North pole on this day and call it the Easterne Hemisphere because the Magi came from the East and not from the North so I am compelled to write little of this dayes commemoration because it is so excellently performed by M. Austin in his divine Meditations But as in the North Hemisphere there are 21 Constellations and in every one of them a certaine number of Starres in all 332 so for ought I know being it is not set downe in the Gospell there might be 21 Wisemen as well as 3 12 or 14 as some conjecture which came to worship our blessed Saviour by every one of them a certain number of converted Saints brought into the Hemisphere of the Christian Church But because I am ignorant in all these things I conclude with this divine prayer saying Father of light who didst guide the Heathen Sages by a Starre to seek after and finde thy Sonne the true light which enlightneth every man that commeth into the world give me grace to give eare to the more sure word of prophecy in the Scripture till the day dawne and the day starre arise in my heart As thou calledst the Wisemen observers of the starres by a staâ—re the Shepheards lying abroad by an apparition in the fields Zachary the Priest by a vision in the Temple Peter the Fisher by a draught of
thou cursedst and it withered without naturall affections bemoane thee as the stones that clave the veile that rent and the earth that quaked at thy Passion without wil voluntarily offer thee service the Foale to beare thee the Dove to manifest thee the Fish to discharge thee the Sunne to hide thy ignominy among men and here the Cloud to veile thee from mortall eye and transport thee into heaven O Lord my Redeemer how excellent is thy Name in all the world Thou makest the Light thy Garment the Angells thy Messengers the Aire thy race the Clouds thy Chariot and flyest upon the wings of the wind into heaven Thou art ascended up on high thou hast led Captivity captive In thy Passion thou wast Deaths death and killedst it In thy buriall thou wast the Graves grave and destroyedst Destruction And now in thy Ascension thou conqueredst Conquest it selfe and ledst Captivity captive and receivedst Gifts for men for the whole Church and every beleever O Lord bestow these Gifts liberally upon me that I may grow in grace and the knowledge and love of thee This day thou liftedst up thy body from the earth lift up my heart from it This day thou transportedst thy body to heaven transport my desires thither This day thou setledst thy self in thy Throne at the right hand of thy Father fix my thoughts and settle mine affections on thee in heaven and on heaven for thee Amen VENVS OR A Meditation on Whitsunday IN the old Testament I find that two several times fire descended from heaven upon sacrifices prepared for offrings of a sweet smelling savour unto the Lord. The first was when Manoah the father of Sampson at the commandement of the Angel offered a Kid upon a stone Then did he whose name is marvellous do wondrously and ascended in the flame up into heaven for the strengthning of Manoahs faith and for the confirmation of the truth of his promise The other was when Eliah for confirmation of the true religion and extirpation of idolatry called for fire from Heaven which consumed the sacrifice and licked up the water in the Trench round about the Altar Then did the Lord manifest himself to be the only God that all superstitions and will-worship is the invention of mans braine And in the New Testament I reade that as on this day the Holy Ghost the third person in the blessed Trinity descended from heaven and sate upon the heads of 120 men and women assembled and prepared as a sacrifice acceptable to God with unity charity and devotâ—on in the likenesse of cloven fiery tongues then did God the Sonne worke wonderfully in performing his promise by sending his dejected Disciples a holy Comforter by whose comming besides the internall joy and incredible alacrity and exultation of minde they received also fortitude and audacity to goe forth into the world They received the gift of tongues enabling them to converse and deale with all sorts of people They received wisdome and learning with most powerfull illumination in highest mysteries whereby to preach to teach and convince their adversaries They received the gift of prophesie to foretell things to come together with the power of working signes and miracles whereby the whole world remained astonied and for a taste or earnest penny of that which should ensue concerning the infinite increase of that little congregation they saw 3000 of their adversaries converted to them in one day by a Sermon of S. Peter But all the parâ—iculars of this story is so divinely performed by M. Austin that in his work as in a glasse I perceive my gifts of learning and devotion are as farre inferiour to his as the frothy filthy and carnall love in Venus is inferiour to the holy Spirit of Gods love Yet because I have oft found in Scripture that the Lord is pleased for the illumination of mans dark understanding to speake of himselfe as of a man attributing to himselfe eyes nose mouth armes hands feet c. And affections also as anger zeale joy love c. whereas these qualities are not properly in God for he is voide of corporeall habit being of an infinite and incomprehensible essence Therefore I was so presumptuously bold as in my former expressions to demonstrate the meritorious actions of our blessed Saviour by those forenamed Planets so in this day to write of this blessed spirit of Gods love as it hath correspondency with mans but finding my ability to be insufficient for such a work I conclude with the prayer for the day in these words Incomprehensible Spirit the third person in the blessâ—d and glorious Trinity who after the Father had manifested himselfe to the world in the works of creation and the sonne in the works of Redemption finished in the flesh diddest manifest thy selfe on this day in a wonderfull manner by the sound of a â—ushing winde and the light of fiery tongues manifest thy self most powerfully and gloriously in the universall Church by enlarging her bounds and making up her breaches by hallowing her assemblies and furnishing her Pastors and knitting the hearts of all her members in true love the bond of perfection perfect the work of sanctification in thine elect manifest thy selfe also gloriously this day declare thy gifts in the tongues of thy Preachers and eares of the hearers and the hearts of all the congregation Direct the mouthes of thy Preachers that they may skilfully sow the seed and open the eares and mollifie the hearts of the hearers that they may receive it profitably bring forth the fruits of the Spirit abundantly which are love joy peace long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse temperance c. O eternall and infinite Holy Ghost the love of the Father and the Sonne who diddest descend upon our Saviour in the likenesse of a Dove without Gall purge out of my conscience all gall of malice and bitternesse and grant that with meeknesse I may receive the ingrafted word which is able to save my soule O holiest Spirit eternall breath of the Father and the Sonne and former of the word in the womb who camest with a sound come downe upon me in the sound of thy word preached though not in extraordinary gifts of Prophesie tongues and he ling yet in the ordinary graces of faith hope and charity the spirit of supplication and prayer of wisdome and spirituall understanding of power and ghostly comfort O heavenly Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Sonne who descendedst from Hâ—aven like a mighty rushing winde throw me downe to the ground inhumility and prostrate my heart soule before thee Bâ—at downe all strong holds of 〈…〉 nall maginati 〈…〉 and worldly thoughts resisting thy grace chase away all clouds of error out of my understanding cleare my wil from all fogs of noisome desires coole and refresh me in the heat of persecution fill the sailes of my affections and drive me speedily into the faire haven where I would be O divine fire burning continually
sonne But what became of him after all these bloody Tragedies by him committed Eusebius out of Iosephus relates a most loathsome and shamefull disease of which hee most miserably dyed From which I observe that miserable and wretched is their condition that for obtaining of a little fading and transitory honour in this world which indeed is but the shadow of true honour trouble and perplex both their bodies and mindes while they live in this life loose the true substantiall and everlasting felicity in the world to come and sometimes receive double punishment both here on earth and hereafter in hell for ever as Herod and others But leaving him now I will once more take a view of these blessed innocents these Protomartyrs these first fruits of martyrdome these seeming Christs of the same age of Christ these that suffered for him while he was safe in his cradle or in his mothers armes The cause was his and these silent advocates make answer he was the agent and they the patient hee was sought for and they were found for his fact they were slaine he the Isaac that was intended for the sacrifice and these the innocent lambes that were sacrificed in his stead O Lord in what had these offended how had they broken thy statutes that could neither go nor speake their hearts had no knowledge to thinke their hands too feeble to work and their tongues unable to utter any thing that was ill Now they were bewailing the miseries that their originall sinne did expose them unto and thou by the hand of Herod sent the messenger of death to invite them to eternall joy Grant I beseech thee that as they were two yeares bewailing their miseries and thou thy selfe two dayes in the bed of the grave and in the third raisedst thy selfe and restoredst them to joy in the third yeare so I likewise having been in the bed of sin for the time past of my life bewailing my sin for the time to come may now live the life of grace and hereafter partake of eternall joyes in glory for ever Amen The Zodiake IN which Astrologers note 12. Constellations or houses for 280. Starres which they call the twelve signes And in the yeare we commemorate the lives and vertues of the twelve Apostles and with them the day Star Saint John the Baptist the evening Stars Saint Paul and Barnabas and three other Stars of like splendor Saint Marke Saint Luke and Saint Steven That the Saints and especially these spred the light of their heavenly doctrine over the whole world is evident by Dan. 12. 3. where the Prophet affirmes that they which be wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and they that turne many to righteousnesse shall shine as the stars And they are not only stars which enlighten the spiritual Jerusalem the Spouse of the Lambe Christs Church on earth which Iohn in a vision saw come downe from heaven but precious stones are rare jewels to adorne and beautifie her as is excellently paraphrased upon the twelve foundations of that City which were the twelve Apostles in these words The first Apostle from the Indies gathered in all these green Iaspers who abode ever greene and unwithered from the true faith to found with these the first foundation of this heavenly habitacle another Apostle to make up the second course of this foundation brought in those celestiall Saphires who indued with heavenly hewes and qualities respected no earthly showes The third Apostle for the third course of this foundation gathered in from among the Aegyptians the victorious and fiery Chalcedonies even the zealous Professors and victorious Teachers of the Truth Some fourth Apostle to build the fourth foundation even from the Scythians and Bactrians brought in the greene and glancing Smaragdes even the flourishing unwithered and sincere Christians of those Countries For the fifth course of this foundation some Apostles gathered in from among the Arabians their meeke lowly and chast people comparable to the simple and chast nature of the Sardonyx The sixth Apostle gathered in these mollified people in whose soft hearts are engraven the seales of salvation even the continuall memory of Christs Passion represented by the bloody and fleshly colour of the Sardius The seventh Apostle for the seventh ground and foundation the wise and constant Chrysolites The eighth Apostle for his course and foundation gathered in all diligent Christians and peace-makers comparable to the precious Berill The ninth Apostle to found his course with gathered in the patient people and restrainers of their affections represented by the nature of the Topaze The tenth Apostle brought into the tenth course of this foundation the golden greene Chrysoprasus even those Christians that renouncing avarice glory in that golden Treasure of heaven that never withereth nor decayeth The eleventh Apostle to found his eleventh course gathered in the golden purple and princely Hyacinths even those magnificent and princely professors who being richly decored with spiritual blessings overcame all temptations Finally for the twelfth course and to compleat the foundation of this holy worke the last Apostle brought in even from Armenia the pure and temperate Amethysts to wit those Christians who detesting gluttony and drunkennesse are endued with Sobriety and temperance O Lord grant that in the day thou makest up thy Jewels I may be found a precious stone in this building having in this life shined as a wandring Star in grace I may for ever rest a fixed Star in glory Amen A short Meditation of the Feast of Saint Iohn Baptist THis glorious Starre was the first that appeared in the Evangelicall Hemisphere At the lustre whereof the shadow of the Law began to withdraw and vanish that the spirituall sense might appeare through the literall He concluded the Law and the Prophets and prepared the way for the Sunne of Righteousnesse the day spring from on high And now the letter of the Law spiritually understood is turned into Gospell yet the owle-eyed Jewes that loved darknesse better than light when Iohn shone in the Pulpit like a taper on a candlesticke could scarse endure him burning longer than a farthing candle an houre was the utmost of their patience This is that Star that gave an heroicall rise of jubilation in the wombe of his blessed Mother At the first approach of this Sun or at the first dawning of the day of Salvation as the glorious Sunne entred into the blessed Aequator the Virgin Mother and began to shew forth his spirituall rayes by heavenly ejaculations in Hymnes Psalmes and spirituall Songs from Mary the Mother of our Lord from Zacharias the father of his Harbenger and old Simeon that wayted for his Salvation This is that Elias that was to come the Prophet of the Highest and more than a Prophet so much the more that a greater than hee was not borne of a woman in naturall generation The voyce of the Cryer in the wildernesse such a voice as David speakes of in the 29. Psalme
such like should all have been comprehended under that fearfull Chaos and so the Earth as it were opened should have sent forth such sulphur'd smoke furious flames and fearfull thunder as should by their diabolicall doomesday have destroyed and defaced in the twinkling of an eye not only our then living Princes and people but even our insensible Monuments reserved for future ages And so not only we but the memory of us and ours should have beene thus extinguished in an instant O Lord what wonderfull distractions and dismall confusion would have beene then in the Land when they who alone could set order in such a time were all on the sudden swept away when the blame of so horrible a Massacre should have beene laid upon the most zealous professors of the truth when the Popes Buls should have been fixed upon the Gates of our chiefest Cities exposing the lives and estates of all that had not the mark of the Beast in their forehead to spoile ruine and destruction How would Atheists Papists Banckrupts and all kind of male-contents have made havock of all things how would they have triumphed in the downefall and danced in the ashes of the Church and Common-wealth How soone would they have turned this most flourishing Island into a desert Our ancient River the river Thames into the dead Sea our land into Acheldama a field of blood our strongest Towers and most magnificent buildings into a Babel of confusion our chiefe Cities into Golgotha's places of dead mens sculs Cursed bee the wrath of all traiterous Papists for it was fierce and their rage for it was cruell nay monstrous and prodigious to cut off the root and all the branches at one blow to remove and overthrow the foundation of Religion and Policy with one lift to offer up the royall stem and the flower of all the Nobility and Gentry the Lords Spirituall and Temporall the Bishops Earles Barons Judges Knights and Burgesses as a Holocaust or whole burnt offering to the Moloch of Rome O let it not be told in Gath nor published in Askalon lest the Heathen and Infidels abhor the name of our Nation that bred up such Vipers or blaspheme the holy profession of Christians for their sakes Or if the report of such a crying or rather thundring sinne cannot but be heard to the uttermost parts of the Earth let the authors and actors be descried to be no true beleevers but Hereticks and Miscreants no servants of Christ but factors for Antichrist and let the Turks Mores and Indians and all Pagans together with seduced Papists in the world know that thou O Lord whom we worship in spirit and truth didst miraculously detect and graciously prevent this bloody design intrapping the wicked devisers in the work of their own hands and taking the Incendiary in his own traine The waters saw thee O God the waters saw and swelled against the proud Spanish Fleet the winds saw thee O God the windes saw thee and furiously blustered at it and both windes and Seas obeyed thee in dissipating and overwhelming it in the narrow Seas And now the fire and Powder saw thee O God and it flew in the eyes and faces of them that would have put out all the eyes of this Island and defaced the whole beauty of this Kingdome for ever Death received the word and destruction observed Law confusion it selfe kept order in blowing up their estates and carrying up their quarters and fixing them for a terror to all Iesuited traitors over that house and in the very place which they would have with Gunpowder sent up all the principall Members of our body Politique every eye may now see that dreadfull judgement denounced in thy Word fallen upon the eyes that waited for the destruction of our Church and Commonwealth The young Ravens of the valley peck at them and the fowles of heaven have eaten them Thus hast thou hitherto fought for thine anointed and thy dearest Spouse and thou art still the same God with whom there are Issues even out of death it selfe Wherefore we beseech thee set our affiance in Thee and fashion our love more and more unto thee imprint the memory of this wonderfull deliverance in our hearts and the hearts of our seed with the point of a Diamond that the children that are yet unborn may in succeeding ages praise thee for it Give us a sight and sence of our crimson and skarlet sinnes that brought us so nâ—ere even to the brink of so bloody a destruction and utter desolation and open the eyes of the Seens of Israel that they may in this our day looke to those things that belong to our peace and prevent the danger and hinder the growth of that Romish weed which if it be not cut off by the execution of wholesome lawes in that kinde provided in time will overrunne the Garden of thy Spouse and destroy all her pleasant plants and flowers Stir them up seriously to consider that though the match by thy providence be taken out of the hand of the Traitors that the danger is not yet past but that they must follow the traine and search the lowest and darkest corners of the Vault and dig into the Barrels of Powder and finding that it was digged out of the rock and foundation of the Iesuits Trent faith that they ought to bend all their forces and by armes and lawes suppresse it and keepe out the grand enemy of the Truth and our peace that he never get footing in this Kingdome Let no such mysts of faire glosses and pretences be cast before their eyes but that they may cleerly see that the Bishop of Rome is the Engineer of these workes Iesuiticall doctrines and perswasions are the traine disloyall hearts the Vaults seditious councels practises the Powder and idolatrous blinde zeale is the fire that hath heretofore and is alwayes ready to set all Kingdomes and States professing the truth of the Gospell in a combustion Discover O Lord more and more the man of sin and make him seeme as odious to us as he is abominable in thy sight Alter their temper or spew them out of this kingdome who are neither hot nor cold among us O let the joyfull Mattens on our fifth of November and the dolefull even-song on theirs convince all enemies of the truth that thou mightily supportest the frame and fabrick of our Sion but hast pulled downe the floore and wilt in due time the wals of their Babylon So let thine enemies perish O Lord but let them that love thee be as the Bunne that goeth forth in his full strength Amen A description of the Aequator Or A Meditation on the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary AS opposite to the foregoing Rainbow you may behold the Aequinoctiall which I have placed as in the North side of this Court. Now the Reasons why I name this dayes commemoration a description of the Aequator are first because as the Aequator or Aequinoctiall is a line drawne in
of Christ that he was suffred to leane on Christs bosome when he was at Supper He his brother and Peter were permitted to see Christs Transfiguration on Mount Tabor and they three were taken from the rest to behold his Agony in the Garden Wherefore the Mother of John dreaming that Christ should bee a temporall King presuming so much upon the love which shee saw in Christ towards her children boldly asked That they might have the greatest honour viz. one to sit at the right hand and the other at the left in his Kingdome Yet though this is noted by Saint Matthew to be the Mothers desire Saint Marke relating the same story Chap. 10. 35. saith That it was the desire of Iames and Iohn for which the other Disciples disdained them two to shew that it was their ambition to solicite their Mother to make such a petition which Gospell though it touched Saint Iohn who then lived and had the perusall thereof never denyed it nor took it il but approved that the other two Evangelists to be true so sincere simple and without all art of flattery or rhetorical amplification was all their writings that they do not spare Christ himselfe whom they adore and acknowledge to bee their God and Saviour but shew the infirmities of his flesh as he was a man as his hunger and thirst his being weary and how hee wept his passions of feare anger love c. therefore much lesse would they favour the Apostles or themselves And last of all Christ upon the Crosse to expresse the great love that hee bare this Apostle called the blessed Virgin his Mother and him her sonne And from that day to her death she lived with him Presently after the feast of Pentecost when hee with the rest had received the holy Ghost he with Peter was cast into prison for healing the cripple Acts 4. And a while after he with Peter was sent by the Apostles to preach the Word of God in Samaria Act. 8. Foure yeares after the death of the Virgin Mary he was present at the Apostolicall Councell in Jerusalem Now Iames his brother who was called the elder was beheaded two yeares before for this Councell was celebrated in the presence of Iames the younger Peter Iohn Paul and Barnabas c. about sixteen yeares after the Resurrection of Christ and fourteen after the Conversion of Paul Gal. 2. Act. 15. After the death of Paul he governed the Churches of Asia minor where he wrote his Gospell And in the 86. year of his age being cast into a vessell of boyling oyle and comming out unhurt by the command of Domitian the Emperour he was banished into the I le of Pathmos where he wrote his Revelation to the seven Churches in Asia It is related of him that hee turned certain peeces of wood into gold and stones by the sea side into Margrits to satisfie the desire of two whom he perswaded to renounce their riches and after they repenting that for worldly treasure they had lost heaven changed them into the same substance againe That he raised up a widow and a young man from death to life That he drunke poyson and it hurt him not and raised up two to life which had drunk the same before and that he called a young man to repentance that was captaine of theeves After the death of Domitian he came to Ephesus whâ—re as Saint Austin relates he caused his grave to be made and in the presence of divers went in alive and being no sooner in and to their seeming dead they covered him which kind of Rest saith he was rather tearmed a sleepe than death for that the earth of the grave bubbleth or boyleth up after the manner of a Well by reason of John resting therein and breathing a signe of his slumbering therein And thus he dyed when hee was as some relate an hundred and twenty years old others say ninety nine and some ninetie one the truth of all which I leave to the diligâ—nt search of the learned and conclude with the prayer for the day saying Mercifull Lord I beseech thee to cast the bright beames of light upon thy Church that it being lightned by the doctrine of thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint Iohn may attaine to thy everlasting Gifts through Jesus Christ my Lord Amen Saint Peters day HAving made a briefe relation of the lives and deaths of the foure Evangelists who writ the Gospell of our Lord and Saviour Now I should set forth the glorious lustre of those Stars which were equall and some before them in the order of Apostleship The first in order is Simon whose surname was Peter the son of Iona of Bethsaida in Galilee The order of his precedency is noted by three Evangelists in four places where all the Apostles are nominated viz. Matth. 10. Mark 3. Luke 6. and Act. 1. But whether he were the first that was called to be an Apostle or no I cannot certainly determine for though Saint Matthew and Marke make relation that hee with his brother Andrew were first called yet Saint Iohn affirmes that two of Iohn's disciples followed Christ of which one was Andrew who went and told his brother Simon that he had found the Messias But whether he were first or second that was called to the Apostleship I leave to the learned The Evangelists make more mention of him than of any one Apostle besides as first they shew that Christ comming to his house healed his wives mother of a fever Then they shew how ready he was to walke on the sea at the command of Christ and yet because of a little tempest his strong courage failed him and he ready to sincke Then againe his noble confession that hee made of Christ for which Christ so highly commended him but presently after they shew his carnall feare for which Christ checked him Then they shew Christs love to him in making choise of him and the two sonnes of Zebedeus to be spectators of his glorious transfiguration and bitter agony in the Garden and in the first they say hee spake hee knew not what being overcome with joy and in the second they shew his carelesnesse for which Christ checked him by name because hee could not watch one houre Then they shew how inquisitive he was to aske questions how oft shall I forgive my brother in one place dost thou wash my feet in another and what shall this man doe in a third c. And last of al before his PassioÌ„ they declare his strong resolution Though all men foâ—sake thee yet will not I. And yet presently after they shew how basely hee denied his Lord Christ All the particular relations that the Evangelists make of this Apostle are so many that it would make a little volume to make rehearâ—all of them And I have intended brevitâ— Therefore will I make a short story of his life after the Passion of Christ as it is related in the Acts and other Authors After the
write they and Iames the younger were the sonnes of Mary Cleophas and Alpheus Of the first which is Simon called by Luke Zelotes and by Matthew and Marke Simon the Canaanite Dorotheus maks this short story that he preached Christ throughout Mauritania and Affrick the lesse at length was crucified at Britannia where he was buried but others affirme him to be that Disciple which was called Cleophas and was one of the two that Christ met going to Emaus and according to Dorotheus one of the 70 Disciples who succeeded his brother Iames in the Bishoprick of Ierusalem After he had preached Christ in divers places being 120 yeares of age he was by some Hereticks accused to be lineally descended of the stock of David a Christian unto Atticus the Consull under Trajan the Emperour for which he was cruelly scourged so that his persecutors wondred that a man so old could endure so much torment and at last was crucified And so according to the opinion of some he dyed at Bethania neer Ierusalem and not in this Isle of Britan as others would have it neither as others that say he and his brother Iudas were slaine together by a tumult of people in Suanyr a City of Persidis For Iude whom S. Matthew cals Lebbeus whose surname was Thaddeus and S. Marke termes him only Thaddeus wrote the Epistle which beares his name where he termes himselfe as Luke in his Gospell and Acts of the Apostles doth the Brother of Iames. But whether hee was that Thaddeus which S. Thomas sent to cure King Agbarus I am not able to determine yet it is very likely that it was this Judas For the learned do write that he preached to the Edesseans and throughout Mesopotamia and was slaine at Berytus where in the time of Agbarus King of Edessa he was honourably buried But whether this be true or false I only take it as a historicall description of this starre as I doe of the rest and leave the further search thereof to the learned concluding with the collect for the day saying Almighty God which hast builded thy congregation upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ being the head Corner stone grant me so to be joyned together in unity of Spirit by their doctrine that I may be made a holy temple acceptable unto thee through Jesus Christ our Lord. S. Matthias WHile Christ was in his ministeriall Office Iudas Iscariot Simons sonne seemed to beare the lustre of an Apostolick starre followed Christ was numbred with the twelve and was intrusted with the bag of which he was so good a steward and saving a husband that he was very unwilling that any thing should fall out or passe beside the same for any charitable or pious use as appeares plainly by the text Iohn 12. and so covetous was he of money that he betrayed his Master for thirty pieces of silver And Christ knew what he said when he uttâ—red those words that he had chosen twelve and one was a devill for it is reported of this Iudas that he slew his father maried with his mother and betrayed his Master and in the end hanged himselfe and falling downe his bowels gushed out But he ought to have no place in this Apostolick Zodiake except as an Airy Comet or signe of wonderment and caution to feare us from following his steps Therefore instead of him Matthias one of the 70 Disciples was chosen by lot cast betweene him and Ioseph called Barsabas whose surname was Iustus This Apostle first preached the Gospel in Macedonia then in Aethiopia about the haven called Hyssus and the River Phasis unto barbarous nations and ravenous of flesh He dyed at Sebastopolis where he was also buried neer the Temple of Sol. But others write that he afterwards came into Iudaea where the Iewes stoned him and beheaded him with an axe after the Roman manner Therefore I conclude with the prayer for the day saying Almighty God which in the place of the traitor Iudas didst choose thy faithfull servant Matthias to be of the number of the twelve Apostles grant that thy Church being alway preserved from false Apostles may be ordered and guided by faithfull and true Pastors through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen S. Stephen HAving thus briefly described the lustre of the twelve Apostles and three prime starres annexed unto them I should in the last place shew the lustre of three other famous lights that bare them company And the first is the Protomartyr S. Stephen who was ordeined the first of the seven approved men that were chosen Deacons for they through prayer and imposition of the Apostles hands for the publick administration of the Church affaires were joyned with Stephen and he as the ringleader of all the rest as soone as hee was ordeined as though he was appointed for this purpose was stoned unto death of them that slew the Lord. And for this cause as the first triumphing martyr of Christ according to his name he beareth a Crowne A Crowne of grace full of faith and power and filled with the Holy Ghost A Crowne of Martyrdome and in the midst of a showre of stones grace broke out of his lips in a heavenly prayer for his persecutors Lord lay not this sinne to their charge And a Crowne of glory having in this life time received the first fruits of a glorified body his face did shine as it had beene the face of an Angell and the first fruits of a glorified soule in the vision of the blessed Trinity for he saw the glory of God and Iesus standing at his right hand Wherefore I will pray to God to fill me with the Spirit of grace that I may love mine enemies and pray for them that persecute and despitefully use me after the example of this blessed Martyr that having received a Crown of grace here on earth in this life I may for ever weare a Crowne of glory in the Kingdome of Heaven Amen S. Paul ALthough our Astronomers in their Almanacks note not this Saint in golden or red letters as they doe the former and although our Church hath not expresly observed a festivall day to be kept holy in memory of him yet I hold it not fit that I should exclude him out of this starry heaven for he was as glorious a light as ever shined in the Firmament of the Church and as himselfe confesseth was not inferiour to the chiefe of the Apostles neither hath our Church quite excluded him out of her Liturgie for there is an Epistle and Gospell with a Collect appointed for this day And to shew that he was a chosen vessell a glorious starre he was called to his Apostleship after a wonderfull manner for he was cast downe to the earth and a light shone about him and he heard a voice from Heaven became three dayes blind till Ananias laid his hand upon him He was as himselfe relates of the Tribe of Benjamin and as others report he was borne in a