1. The Naturall which hath wholly buried in her the senses all Philosophy and the strongest and most assured courage cannot hinder him from shutting his eyes at the suddaine surprise of a flash of lightning or at the feignednesse of a hand which unexpectedly approacheth our face or that we withdraw not or turne not our head from the sight of a fearefull precipice or that a suddaine crack or noyse doe not at first hearing terrifie or astonish us Primi illi motus non sunt hominis The first motions or terrours are not in our power 2. Corporall whereby wee naturally abhorre Death and feare to expose and cast our selues into danger 3. Mundane or worldly whereby we feare to lose our wealth honours and dignities but it is of neither of these sorts of feares which our Apostles speakes unto us but onely of Divine feare which likewise streames foorth in three rivolets 1. Servile whereby we feare God for the apprehension we have of the infernall tortures and torments of Hell and this degree and sort of feare is not good of it selfe because it hath no good object nor is made or formed to a good end neverthelesse it is held and termed good because it conduceth to good 2. Initiant which lookes two wayes 1. towards the torments wee feare 2. towards the glory we desire and it is also termed enterwoven or mixt because it is composed both of a good and bad feare 3. Filiall which is the last and best sort of divine feare whereby we love God not only for our owne glory or for the apprehension of tormenâ—s but for his goodnes excellâ—ncy pâ—rfection and in a word for and in regard of himselfe Saint Bernard lively describes and pertinently represents those three sorts of feare 1. Ne cruciemur à gehenna 2. Ne exclusi à visione tam inestimabili gloria privemâ—r 3. Replet animum sollicitudine ne deseratur à gratia Which is to say The first feare apprehends torments The second the privation of glory and the third wholly possesseth our hearts and â—indes with care and anxiety as fearing not to lose Gods grace and favour The servile feare is attributed to the wicked The filiall to the good I meane to those who are the children of God The Initiant or intermixed is proper as well to the good as the bad and also it is the most frequent and generall Those three sorts of feare are so many wingâ— which conduct elevate soare us up to heaven The Servile begins first which denounceth to sinners eternall death and damnation and that sharpe and sensible apprehension to be devoured with the flames of hell fire It opens him the gate to be sorrowfull for his offences which threaten to precipitate him in that unquenchable fire and afterwards entering into a firme and lively â—epentance for his former sinnes hee begins to conceive the future felicity and glory of Heaven for the love whereof hee partly resolâ—es to forsake and abandon sinne as Salomon saith By the feare of the Lord men depart from evill Prov. 16.6 Although neverthelesse that he doe it partly for feare of punishment which will infallibly follow him and afâ—er that it againe leades him into this perfect filiall feare whereby he so infinitely loves God that hee had rather dye then offend him in the least thing of the world so neerely he loves him so deerely he honoureth and adores him St. Augustine makes onely two sorts of feare to wit Filiall and Servile and makes them different in this That the Servile hath for object malum poenae the evill of punishment and the filiall malum culpae the evill of guiltinesse Illo timetâ—r ne incidâ—tur in tormentum sâ—pplicij isto ne amittatur gratia beneficij By the first wee feare the torments of hell fire By the second wee feare to lose the grace and favour of God It is this faire this sweet spirituall vertue which gives us admittance and entrance into the closet of God which openeth unto us the treasures of his favour and mercy and which makes us enter into the possession â—f life eternall For those who feare the Lord shall behold his face shall have prosperity and see good dayes saith the royall Prophet King David Psalm 34.11 It is this feare of the Lord which makes men prosper on earth as saith Salomon the Prince of wise men and the wisest of Princes The feare of the Lord prolongeth dayes but the yeares of the wicked shaâ—â— be shortned Prov. 10.27 This wise King in all his afflictions and troubles had still his recourse to the fâ—are of the Lord which was his fortresse his Sanctuary his comfort and consolation as wee shall read in the 14. Chap. of Proverbs In the feâ—re of the Lord is strong confidence and his children shall have a place of refuge The feare of the Lord is a fountaine of life to depart from the snares of death He againe teacheth us that wealth is unprofitable yea prejudiciall to us without this salubrious this sacred feare of God that poverty is to be preferred before fading and perishable riches Better is a little with the feare of the Lord then great treasure and trouble therewith This feare of the Lord is as it were Iacobs Ladder whereby the Angels of divine consolations descend upon us on earth and our holy prayers and religious thoughts and meditations ascend unto Heaven This Ladder hath three principall steps As the feare of the Lord makes us ascend unto Iesus Christ which is our wisedome for through and by God he hath made us wisedome 1. Cor. 1.30 Iesâ—s Christ leades us to God his Father and God receives and lodgeth us in Heaven and therefore we first feare him if ever we hope or thinke to enter into his favour This feare of God is the head spring and fountaine from whence weâ— draw and exhaust the sacred mysteries of our salvation and Dâ—vid tells us in formall and expresse termes That the feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome Psal. III. 10. Thereby to teach us â—hat all this knowledge and learning whereof men vaunt and glory is nothing else but pure folly if it derive not his Origen or beginning from the feare of the Lord. This feare is here taken for the principle of wisedome and Ieâ—us Christ himselfe in many places of Scripture hath assumed and taken the title of Wisedome because he is the wisdome of the Father as wee reade in the former alledged Chapter of 1. Cor. 1.30 But in the book of Genes Chap. 31.42 He himselfe is by Moses called the feare of Isaac Except thâ— God of my Father the God of Abraham and the feare of Isaaâ— had beene with me thou hadst sent me away empty But here the best Interpreters by this feare of Isaac doe undeâ—stand the second person of the Trinity Iesus Christ our Saviour who had not yet assumed and cloathed our humane naâ—ure and of whom Isaac was the true type and figure â—t is an excellent
spirits keepe their Sabaths and criminall Assises and Sessions a filthy sinke where wicked and impious men like Hogges continually wallowe And therefore Iesus Christ I say to bring his Apostles to perfection and to put them and all the faithfull in the way to heaven he exhorts them to keepe their hearts pure cleane and naked from all sinne filthinesse and iniquity to extirpate the thistles bryers from the fields of their soules to plow and till it carefully with the share and harrow of contrition and repentance for their sinnes In a word to make it a ground fit and fruitfull to receive the holy seed of the word of life and to make it beare fruites to immortality and eternall life As men would bee curious to sweepe and cleanse a house wherein a King resolues for a while to be resident and may justly accuâ—e him of impâ—udence and impudence who having advice and notice of his comming would not make hast to perfume it to adorne and enrich it with the fairest furniture to embellish it with all the rarities and most pretious jewels they could recover So alas the hearts of the faithfull are nothing else but the house of God the glorious throne of his beloved Sonne and the tabernacle which the holy Ghost hath chosen for his habitation where is then that heart of stone that soule so base and obstinately resolved to bee lost that knowing the happy and most honourable arrivall of the great King of Kings of the three divine persons of the ineffable and incomprehensible Trinity and trine-unity doth not sweepe and cleanse the house of his heart and doth not purifie it from all dirt and filthinesse who I say will not adorne it with the richesâ— treasures and with the rich ornaments that holinesse justice and innocencie abundantly affords purposely to receive with honour and reverence so magnificent a King who promiseth us to come unto us when hee saith in the 14. Chap. of Saint Iohn If a man love me he will keepe my words and my Father will love him and we will come in unto him and make our abode with him Our good Master Iesus Christ the Saviour of our soules teacheth us in the 22. Chap of Saint Mathew how much and how dearely purenesse is acceptaâ—le before him saying That the Kingdome of heaven is like a certaine King which made a marriage for his sonne and having invitâ—d many the banquetting roome was filled and the King himselfe being come in to see the guests hee there sawe a man which had not a wedding garment and said unto him Friend how camest thou in hithâ—r not having a wedding garment And hee was speechlâ—sse Then said the King to the servants bind him hand and foote and cast him into utter darknesse where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth for many are called but fewe are chosen Can we desire a more lively representation or an example more formall to shew us that God delighteth in the sincerity and purenesse of our soules and contrariwise that he abhorreth and detesteth the filthinesse of sinne the inke and coales of iniquity which blacks and defiles our consciences for it is impossible ever to tast of the dainty and delicious Viands served at the Lambs wedding at the sumptuous and magnificent feast of the onely Sonne of the great King of Kings before we have left off our working dayes cloathes the infected and stinking coate of our naturall corruption to put on the white roabe of holinesse purity and amendment of life and to use the very words of Scripture Colos. 3. Wee must cast off the old man with his deedes and put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him And Ephes. 4. concerning the former conversation Cast off the old man which is corrupted according to the deceitfull lusts of his heart and be renewed in the spirit of your minde and put on the new man which like unto God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse And in Rom. 6.6 Our old man is crucified with Christ that the body of sinne might be destroyed that henceforth wee should serue sinne no more but walke before him in renovation and newnesse of life The clearest waters are alwayes the best and therefore commonly see that the excellentest springs are derived from the rockes and fetch'd from the highest hills because that the water distilling through many narrow passages and strait places the farther it goes the more it is purified the most subtill and clearest springs seeke the highest places as approaching nearer to the nature of the ayre whose nature and propriety is still to ascend And contrariwise you may observe and marke that the thick and heavie waters are alwayes filthy and stinking and are conserved in pitts and deepe sinkes as participating of the nature of the earth and therefore are fit for nothing but to breed serpents and Frogges whereof some kill us by their mortall venome and the other trouble us with their unsufferable croaking These cleare and pure waters doe lively prefigure and set forth unto us the faithfull servant of the Lord who hath purified and as it were distilled himselfe at the fire of the love of God thereby to leave off what was earthly ponderous and troublesome in him as hatred ambition sensuality and vaine glory purposely to soare aloft and to elevate himselfe to the holy mountaine of Syon towards heaven which is the center whither the circumference of his desires designes and thoughts tendeth These black and muddy waters may expresse and set forth hell unto us where there is nothing but horrible darknesse and fearefull obscurity where that old serpent is iustly banished for his deserts and where the damned gastly and frightfull soules doe nothing else but vexe themselves and curse But to apply it to the subject of our text these stinking and corrupted waters may very fitly be compared to the wicked and to the men of this world who have Woolfes or Lyons hearts under the shape and forme of men who wallowe like Hogges in the mire and dirt of carnall security who runne not after pietie and vertue but remaine fast chained and bound to sensualitie and vice casting all their affections on the earth whereof their body is made and composed never ayming nor levelling their thoughts at heaven whence their soule had their originall True serpents in malice hatred and envie that with mortall venome infect the Lillies and Roses of the best consciences Frogges in prating and slandering that never open their mouthes but to utter unsufferable blasphemies oathes lyes and detractions Take yet this farther conceit upon the purity of the heart to wit that as the eyes ore-vayled with clowds or with carracts and webbs cannot clearely discerne the objects or colours which are exposed before them because their faculty is prevented and hindered by the interposition of these obstacles which are placed betweene the object and the sight whereas contrariwise good sound and well disposed
eyes as are these of Eagles who though soaring in the highest clowds doe neverthelesse see very plainely in the thickest bushes in the remotest furrowes of the farre distant field and which is most admirable is that her sight is so strong and powerfull that contrary to the nature and practise of other living creatures she can steddily behold and contemplate the Sunne without winking at all yea when shee is nearest him and standing on the highest branch of a tree planted on the top of the loftiest mountaine Now to appropriate this to our matter wee say That hee whose heart is incombred with the things of this world whose soule is ore-vayled with ambition with the clowds of vanity and vaine glory whose conscience is obscured and darkned with hatred envie and malice can never contemplate God nor see his face which is all the consolation all the joy and in a word the true center of our happinesse the fulnesse of all our felicity and the greatest delights which the faithfull can wish or desire But those that shall be carefull and diligent to keepe their soules pure and cleane from the filthinesse of sinne those like Eagles indeede alwayes soaring in heavenly and godly actions shall be perched and placed in the highest place of mount Syon from thence-forth ever to view the heavenly Sinne rising that beareth health in his rayes and wings to behold steddily and without winking the glistering and bright shining beames of the Sunne of righteousnesse without any feare of hurt being assured of his wonderfull favour manifested by his inviolable promises for he saith in our Text Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see GOD. By this purity of heart we may understand the simplicity of our lives and actions and so this sentence Blessed are the pure in heart may be thus interpreted Blessed are those that walke simple in their actions whose heart is voyd of fraud and of any thoughts of iniquity whose tongue speakes nothing but the hearâ—s meaning that shunnes vanity and the glory of this world that so they may be perfectly glorious in that which is to come St Augustine lib. 1. de Serm Dom. is of this opinion because that as St Iohn saith 1. Epist. chap. 5. ver 19. The whole worldlyeth in wickedness and that the Apostles were to take men and to bring them to the way of salvation neiâ—her by craft noâ— by force but by meekenesse and simplicitie And therefore Christ sending through all the world to publish the Gospell of the Kingdome of heaven the redemption of captive sinners from the chaines and torments of hell and to preach openly the acceptable yeare of the Lord saith unto them Behold I send you forth as sheepe in the midst of Woolves be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmelesse and innocent as Doves as we read in the 10. Chap. of S. Math. ver 16. And in the same Gospell Chap. 6. ver 22. The light of the body is the â—ye if therefore thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light This so excellent vertue of meekenesse and simplicity hath alwayes beene hated of the world as being contrary to the vanity and folly of it and the high way to mount Sinai there to see God face to face as Moses who preferred the simplicity of a Shepheards crooke to the honours riches and preferments which hee might justly have expected in Pharaohs Court as being reputed his daughters sonne This vertue cannot but be very pleasing to God since he himselfe hath put it in practise in appearing to Moses in a bush which is a base and abject plant despising the lofty Pine trees and Câ—dars of Libanus which in height and bâ—auty exceed all other trees of the earth The Angels also have practised it when having left the heavens to appeare unto men they have not taken the forme and majestie of Kings to be respected of all but rather the habit of Pilgrimes and men of base quality to teach us to shunne pride and vaine glory and to shew us by their cloathes that we are Strangers and Pilgrimes in this world that our houses are but Innes where we should stay onely as posts doe under a tree till the storme be past and so to continue our way as long as the day of our life shineth that the night envelloping and wrapping us up in her darke cloake wee may arrive at the heavenly Canaan which is our native Country from whence we first departed We read in the 18. Chap. of Genes That Abraham sitting at his tent doore saw three men passing that way whom heâ— called and desired to come and sit under a tree with him to eate a morsell of bread to comfort their hearts Now if it were god himselfe in the forme of three men to represent the three persons of the blessed Trinity or if they were Angels sent by him is a question out of the subject of our Text but because many Fathers of the Church are of the second opinion we also will hold it grounded on the 13. Chap. to the Heb. Be not forgetfull to entertaine Strangers for thereby some have entertained Angels unawares which is commonly referred to this action of the Father of the faithfull and of Lot his brothers sonne who also entertained in Sodome two Angels in the shape of Strangers and of men that were travelling further In the 5. Chap. of Tobit wee reade that the Angell Raphael appeared to the young Tobit and offered to bring him into Media which hee did afterwards performe But leaving many other examples which we could alledge of the humility and simplicity of Angels let us briefly runne over the lives of the Patriarks Prophets where the simplicity and innocent purity of their actions doe most lively appeare Abraham at Gods command without any further information goeth to the place appointed him to sacrifice on an Altar his onely sonne Isaack following the steps of his Fathers obedience to God runnes to his death never fearing the great torment that he was ready to endure layeth the wood on his shoulders and carrieth in his hand that fire that was appointed to burne him to ashes yea hee encourageth his poore old Father to execute Gods divine command restores unto him by his exhortation his strength already lost by reason of the extreame griefe which he endured to be the executioner of his owne sonne and to kill him to whome hee had lately given life But least we should be too tedious this example of simplicity shall serve us for all the Propheâ—s as being the most remarkable that can be ever rehearsed by man and indeed was it not a great and lofty mysâ—erie that God should give so resolute a courage so great a constancie to the Father of the faithfull and so admirable boldnesse to this obedient sonne for Abraham representeth unto us God the Father who to execute the irrevocable decree of his divine justice hath seised the sword of his terrible judgements to dip
mildnesse are the daughters of divine justice which thou lovest dearely which wee must embrace and practise if we will be honoured with the title of thy children and not onely be called so but also to be indeed children of God and heires of eternall and blessed life to the which the Father Sonne and holy Ghost bring us Amen The fourth way to Sion 1. PETER 2.17 Feare God and honour the King AS rayes or Sunne-beames follow and beare observaâ—ce to the Sunne As all rivers runne to the Sea and as many lines end and terminate in their center so there are many wayes to bring us to the Paradise of God to Ierusâ—lem above which is our heavenly and happy Country Neverthâ—lesse wee must herein uâ—e the Maxime of the Mathematicians who hold that the shortest line â—s still the rightest also in all thâ—se different wayes of new Sion the shortest is the best and surest When God gave his Law to Moses upon the Mountaine of Sinay he divided it into â—en commandements which are so many perfâ—ct wayes to conduct and bring us to heaven for IESVS CHRIST the sweet Saviour of our soules being himselfe descended from Heaven to shew and point us out this way hee drew a short Compendium and Abridgement of all these Ten Commandements of the Law and reduced them to two as wee shall finde it written in the 22. Chapter of St. Mathew where wee see him disputing against a Doctor of the Law who demanded of him which was the first and greatest Commaundement and Iesus answered him Thou shalt love God with all thy heart with all thy soule and with all thy minde which is the first and greatest commandement and the second is like unto it which is Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe and of these two Commaundements depend the whole Law and the Prophets as our Apostle Saint Peter in the imitation of his blessed Master Christ after hee had instructed and admonished his faithfull flocke in all their duties in the precedent verses of our Text hee drawes an abridgement of all which concerned their saluation when he said Feare God and honour the King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In these words we have all the instructions which we must practise in our soules and bodies concerning those divine and humane duties which wee must convert and reduce into practise which wordes naturally divide themselues into two severall branches or heads to wit 1. the feare which wee ought to beare unto God and 2. The honour which wee must obserue and give to the King The sweetest and most pleasingst sacrifice which we can offer up unto the Lord Almighty is a heart replenished and fraughted with the feare of his holy name a minde trembling before his sacred Majestie and a soule terrified with the sublimity and greatnesse of his fearefull judgements as the royall Prophet affirmeth in Psal. 2.11 Serue the Lord with feare and reioyce with trembling And againe Psal. 2.7 I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy and in thy feare will I worship towards thy holy Temple We can offer up no sacrifice so pleasing nor performe no action or duty so acceptable to God as when wee adore him in all feare and reverence him in all astonishment trembling which lively depaynteth and prefigureth his Greatnesse and Magnificence perfectly demonstrateth us our Duties and witnesseth our humility and obedience which is exceeding delightfull and pleasing to him That Romane Emperour perspicuously expressed and deciphered the excellent power and effects of this feare when he caried for his Motto and Devise Oderint dum metuant Let those hate me that will so they feare me shewing thereby what small account and esteeme hee made of the hatred and how dearely he prised and respected the feare which hee would have given and borne to him Morall Philosophers affirme and say That Love and feare are two sister germanes because the one is conjoyned to the other and both linked together produce one the same effects for still the Lover is in care and feare of the thing beloved whereas wee never feare to lose that which wee hate but that which wee love dearely and cherish tenderly and both of these together produce the conseruation of their object But this distinction takes no place but here on earth among creaâ—ures and doth neither regard nor looke up towards Heaven to God the Creator For God is all Love but he can never be capable of alteration or defect as is that feare which he hath left and given unto man for his portion and inheritance So he which is possessed with a perfect feare to offend his God or to lose his favour he is linked and joyned to God with the Gordian knots of his love which are then wholly made indivisible and inseparable and the Love of God conjoyned with the feare of man cauâ—e the conservation of the soule and this it is where the Apostle Saint Peter tells us in our text Feare God By which word feare wee must not understand a cowardize a pusillanimity or any irregular passion which freezeth our blood in our veines which causeth our hearts to pant and beat with an incessant motion which calls and attractâ— our blood from all parts of our bodies to come to assist and succour our heart which shutts and hood winkes our eyes against reason and imagineth that all objects whatsoever presented to us have all together conjured and conspired our ruine as those who fly from a battaile feare every bush which they see or meete with to be their enemies who purposely pursue them and runne every where to kill them Or else as those who are led to their executions and deathes whom feare doth so powerfully seize and surprise that by these passions and effects it in a manner deprives them of life before they think thereof the which wee can testifie and approve by many irrevocable precedents and examples No no It is not of this defect of judgement or of this cowardly apprehension and feare which our Apostle tells us of but it a holy just and commendable feare which we ought to have and retaine in bearing aâ— admirable respect and honour to the Creator and conseruer of our bodies and soules As to feare and tremble before the terrible throne of his divine Iustice and by not rashly abusing of his favours and mercies so liberally so bountifully extended to us because his presence is a consuming fire which devoures and consumes to ashes all those who unrevereâ—tly approach his sacred Throne his most holy hill as heretofore hee forbad the children of Israel not to approach mouth Sinay because hee was there purposâ—ly to spâ—ake with his sâ—rvant Moses But not to stay any longer on this point let us say with the Philosophers and Theologians that there is generally two sorts of fâ—are that is to say Divine and Humane which againe subdivide themselues every one into three severall parts â—nd branches The Humane feare compriseth and comprehendeth
King Hiram to build the temple of the Eternall 1. Reg. 5. That which Pagans have spoken without knowledge wee will speake with reason and knowledge That all sorts of feare is a fire in our soules which scorcheth and consumes us as long as it remaines there Bâ—t let us hâ—re endevour particularly to consider the Analogies and resemblances that there is betweene fire and the feare of God which is the subject of our text Fire is a furious hastie and active Element and â—o liâ—kewise are the points of apprehension and feare Fire is the cleanest the purest the wholsomest of all Elements Iâ— cleanseth it purifieth it drives out all filthinesse and corruption as being neither able noâ—â—apable to suffer in it selfe any impurity for it either consumes or expells it And all this agrees well with the feare of God which is the most wholsomest Physick that we can take to purge our selues of sinne and to purifie our heartâ— of all vncleanenesse for there is no viâ—e but it will purge and reject Fire is an Element which consumes and devoures all that is presented to it and the feare of God is a coale and flame which devoureth all our concupiscences To make straight a crooked peece of wood or timber wee use fire thereby to make it become more soft and flexible So to replace soules in the way of life when they are either crooked or gone astray in the by pathes of vice then the feare of God of all other remedies iâ—â—he best and most soveraigne Fire by Antiperistase as it heateâ— those who are cold so it refresheth and comforteth those who are â—ot The feare of God heates and enflames those soules to doe well who are most frozen in piety and contrariwise it cooleth those who are most enflamed with their burning sensualities and concupiscences To venemous Apostumes mortal Gangreens and desperate diseases wee for the last remedy apply Irons and fire to cure it To sinners inveterated in their wickednesse and as it were despairing of their salvation wee must apply the Iron and fire of the feare of God to make them apprehend and know his divine judgements if they remaine impenitent and vnrepentant Historians report that the Arabian Phoâ—nix the onely bird of his race is accustomed every five hundred yeares to build an Artificiall nest whereunto the rayes of the Sunne reflecting and darting it at one time reduceth to ashes both the worke and the workman So if wee desire to revive to the love of immortall beatitude and celestiall felicity wee must set fire to our vices by the art and flame of a true and lively repentance and burne them all together in the feare of God All the world is a field richly strewed and diapred with the miracles and wonders of God whereof man is the principall Master-peece and the chiefest workmanship of his hands and the sacred Scriptures are as it were the Eâ—itomie and Compendium thereof wherein I every way see nothing but Gods love of his side towards man and read nothing but subjects of honour and causes feare of man towards God But among divers other places I finde one exceedingly agreeable and concurring with our text which is Daniel Câ—ap 2.32 concerning the Statue which Nabuchadâ—nozer saw in his dreame The head of this Iâ—agâ— was of fine gold his brest and armes of silver his belly and thighes of brasse his legges of iron his feete part of iron and part of clay a stone was cut out without hands which smote the Image upon his feete that were of iron and brake them to peeces and having brâ—ken theâ— the Statue fell backwards and was reduced to Summer dust This Statue doth lively represent unto us a sinner By his golden head I understand Pride Vanity and Ambition which fumes and swims in the Head of a sinner who esteemes himselfe as pretious as gold and as rare as Pearles His brest and armes of silver markes unto us his affection to covetousnesse as having all his desires every way bent and levelled to rapine and extortion His belly and thigâ—es of brasse represents unto us his voluptuousnesse and insatiety His legges of iron shew us his cruelty His feete of earth depaynts us his weakenesse and fragility and this stone cut without hand from the mountaine of Sion is the feare of God which God casts and rolles at our feete to beat us to dust and to make us consider the nothing from whence we came The world the flesh and the devill the professed mortall enemies of our soule who will never want subtilty or malice to make us stumble in the way to life seeing that this feare of God is a soveraigne Antidote against all the diseases of the soule not being able to diminish its vertue by their artifice and deceipts at least they will make us lose the rellish thereof by their insinuations and perswasions figuring us out this feare of God to be so hard sharpe and bitter that it is impossible for us to enjoy any rest or tranquillity of minde as long as wee are possessed of that passion That the wayes to heavenly Sion are not so craggie and difficult but that they are all paved with silke with delights and contentments But the faithfull man fearing God ought to be as wise as a Serpent Hee must stop his eares to this false Imposter and Inchanter who would surprise him to strangle him Hee must remember the words which Christ Iesus spake and dictated to him by Saint Luke Acts 14.22 We must thorow much tribulation enter into the Kingdome of God And againe by Saint Matheâ— 7.13 Enter yee in at the sâ—raâ—t gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction No no let us not flatter our selues there aâ—e no Roses without prickles we shall never obtaine and carie away the incorruptible Crowne of glory before wee have first fought the good fight wee shall never put our foote in celestiall Canaan before wee have first past the red sea of the afflictions of this life and departed forth of the wildernesse of our sinnes and in a word before we have fought with the infernall Gyants and Devils who strive and endevour to prevent and hinder our entry thereinto For it is absoluâ—ely impossible ever to possesse or enjoy the love of God here belowe in Earth or much lesse above in Heaven befoâ—e we have first sworne to him a perfect feare honour and obedience Amoris Ianua timor est The feare of God is the entry and gate to his love as also Love is a feare entermix'd with care and anxiety Res est solliciti plena timoris amor In the 19. Chap. verse 4. of the 1. Booke of Kings the Prophet Elijah flying the persecution of Queene Iezabel being weary of his way hee sate downe slept under a Iuniper Tree where an Angell came and found him ouâ— and caried him a Cake baked upon coales which hee pleasingly eate and relished and so satisfied his heart and stomacke for forty
the fishes follow the Dolphin and the beasts are pliant and humble before the Lyon and should man that is made after Goâ—s image be worse then all other living creatures This is to be neither man nor beast but the off-spring of those abominable spirits which rebelled in heaven against God and therefore received the punishment due to their foolish ambition in hell but wee will no longer stay our contemplation about these deâ—estable men hoping that our age is not so unhappy as to be corrâ—pted by them But we will now speake of the reward profit and recompence which those shall certainely receive that obey this commandement of God in honouring the King All the Interpreters of the law of God with one consent agree that the first commandement of the second table to wit Honour thy Father and thy Mother is to be understood of all them that have any power or dominion over us and chiefely of Kings and Princes to whom wee are subject and to whom wee owe both our lives and goods and besides that all the Fathers are of that opinion yet we also see it proved in the 13. Chap. to the Romanes where the Apostle teaching the faithfull all the lawes which they must observe hee runnes over all the Commandements of God and yet speakes not of this word Father because hee comprehendeth it sufficiently under that of King because the Father is King in his Family and the King is the Father of his people As for that objection that thâ—re is no mention made of a King in the Decalogue the reason is cleare and manifest first the Israelites had no neede of it because God did every day appeare visibly unto them spake to them at all times and wrought coâ—tinually so many miracles among them that they could not be doubtfull of his presence secondly there is no mention made neither of Governour nor of Prince and yet it is unlikely that God had forgotten Moses who had delivered them before God wrote the Law with his owne finger on the mountaine of Sinai but the reason is that by the word Father God understandeth as well Kings and Princes as those that have begotten us all the curses made against the rebellious and disobedient to this commandement are common both to the rebellious to their Prince and to the disobedient to their Father as on the contrary those that are obedient to both shall bee equally rewarded with the same blessing and the promise made to them by God who doe honour their parents is also to be extended to those who honour their Kings and Princes which promise is happinesse and length of dayes upon the land Which promise though it often seeme otherwise is alwayes fulfilled for when an obedient sonne to his father or a faithfull subject to his Prince dieth young and in the flower of his age God neverthelesse accomplisheth his word and fulfilleth truely his promise for if it bee good for the faithfull to remaine in the land GOD will make him abundantly to prosper therein but if his admirable and incomprehensible providence see that hee should be sundry wayes grievously afflicted he ofâ—en times putteth him in safety and calleth him unto him in his mercy and yet hee is still as good as his word as if a man promised mee a hundred pounds and should give me three hundred hee thereby breakes not his promise so God having promised us here belowe the possession of this world and seeing that our dwelling in it is not for our profit bereaving us of this hee admitteth us into the incorruptible Kingdome of glory more excellent without comparison then the first and so whether hee let us dwell here belowe or whether hee call us above to himselfe we shall alwayes be in a most happy condition if we obey his commandement in Honouring the King This word and dignity of a King is so knowne and familiar to all kinde of nations that we should seeme to light a candle at noone day to see the light of the Sunne if wee should exactly seeke out the definitions and Ethymologies of it We will onely say with Saint Augustine in the Citie of God that the name of King is the auncientest title given to the Governours and Rulâ—rs of peoples yea when the earth devoyd of all ambition enjoyed the sweetnesse and felicity of an inestimable peace For as Non minor est virtus quà m quaerere parta tâ—eri There is no lesse vertue in conserving then in purchasing so you see that the peaceablest of the Auncients have provided for their conservation in chusing Kings and Princes under whose shadowe they enjoyed quiet rest for the Kingdome being as a body the King must alwayes be the head which being seated on the top and elevated over the rest of the members hee fore-seeth the dangers to avoyd them and conâ—idereth the advantages to embrace them Now as in the head is seene the glory and beauty of man according to these auncient verses Pronaque cum spectent animalia caetera â—erram Os homini sublime dedit coeluâ—que tueri Iussit erectos ad sydera tollere vultus All living creatures alwayes behold the earth but God hath made and erected mans face that he might behold the heaven and the starres even so must we consider the beauty of the subjects in the Kings face and Majestie as being the head thereof As you see that all the senses both internall and externall are seated and take their beginning from the head so all the counsells all the resolutions justice the lawes in a word all that is necessary for the Kingdomes conservation is all to be found in the King as in his center and in the place whence they take their beginning Let us then examine particularly since wee have a Royall subject in hand all the circumstances by which the King in comparison of his subjects is just as the head is over the rest of the members wherein reason holdeth her Assizes and Sessions the better to governe this Microcosme or little world The two chiefest and noblest faculties of the soule are the Vnderstanding and the Will the same which we note in the soule wee may also marke to be in the King which is as it were the soule of the people for as from the understanding proceede the counsels resolutions and enterprises needfull for the conservation of mans body even so from the King proceedes the meanes and inventions for the right and just government of his Realme As by the Will wee see that man accepteth those things which are good and rejecteth those that are hurtâ—ull even so the King by his wonderfull prudence and wisedome seeketh what is good profitable to his subjects contrarily rejecteth and preventeth whatsoever is hurtfull and dangerous to them In a word as all the parts of the body and all the appetites of the soule stirre according to the motion of the will so the people should never have any other desire thought or intention but the
that Sub imperio boni principis omnium fortunae moresque proficiunt Vnder a good Princes government the goods of all encrease and their manners are augmented and enriched in civility Now as in a faire meadowe enamelled and beautified with a thousand different kindes of flowers one may finde Serpents Vipers and Toades which defile and infect by their mortall venome the rich and naturall Tapistry the beauty goodnesse and vertue of an infinite number of Simples and wholesome hearbs wherewith it is richly diapred So wee see to our griefe that in the bosome and middest of the fairest richest and most illustrious Kingdomes the corruption of the age and the infection of vices are produced and propagated Some Ravens which goe about presaging and fore-telling their sinister and lamentable predictions who by their odious voyce to them at least that have good soules and generous heaâ—ts and affections cry out aloud That it is the facility weaknesse of men which hath brought in this ambition of mastering and governing the nations That it is more by usurpâ—tion then by election or by divine ordinance that they have takeâ— the rule and Empire over Kingdomes and they alledge for proofe of their saying that the first King that ever was in the world to wit Nimrod câ—me to the Crowne by force and violence and not by the ordinance of God That all Empires for the most part were gotten by the sword by force of Armes by deceit by iâ—juâ—tice by a foolish and desperate ambition that hath often covered the fields with slaughtered bodies and made them overflowe with blood when one Prince offended and angry with another sought to revenge himselfe with the lives of his miserable subjects That the establishing of Monarchs is simply humane alledging that of Saint Peter 1. Epistle 2. Chap ver 13. Submit your selues unâ—o all manner of ordiâ—ance of man for the Lords sake whether it â—e unto the King as unto the Superior or unto Governours as unto them that are sent of him But these both ignorant malicious Loyolites and Anabaptists stop for the nonce their eares that they may not heare this lowd resounding voyce from heaven which convinceth them of malice and would recall them from their ignorance Let us see if Salomon like them beleeved that Kingdomes fall by chance into the hands of men and that Kings are not expresly called and ordained of God to governe his people Now then saith he O yee Kings hearken learne ye that are Iudges of the earth heare yee that governe the nations for power is given unto you by the Lord and principality by the most high And as we have already observed Rom. 13. the Apostle resolveth so perfectly this question that it is impossible to say or adde any thing after him unlesse one bee resolved to sinne against the holy Ghost in resisting the knowne truth There is saith he no power but from God and those powers that arâ— be ordained of God therefore who so resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God ye must be subject to the Prince not for wrath onely but also for conscience sake Rom. 13.5 And as God sent such blindnesse on the Philistims thiâ—king to overcome and destroy the Armies of Israel that every one turned his sword against his fellow and so flewe one another the people of God being aâ— the most but beholders of their deliverance Even so our adversaries having marshalled a squadron of reasons against us before we thought upon our owne defence to enter into combat with them have cut one anothers throat and have left us their Armes to make trophees for this our victorie for â—hinking to make a buckler for their defence of that place of S. Peter wher he exhorteth us to beare the yoake and to submit our selves unto all manner of ordiâ—ance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King or Supreame 1. Pet. 2.13 This reason killeth them for if it be for the Lords sake that we must be subject it argueth that God liketh it delighteth in it and this order is by his command and speciall ordinance Although Nabuchadnezzer King of Babylon were one of the most wicked and impious men of the earth yet let us heare how the Prophet Daniel speaketh to him in the second Chapter of his Prophesies O Kiâ—g thou art the King of Kings for the God of heaven hath given thee a Kingdome power strength and glory But I would have these disturbers of the publique tranquillity these Adders swelled and suffocated with the venome of sedition and disorder tell me whether Moses the first Prince and Law giver of Israel the names change not the things for he was their King and Monarch since hee ruled them with an absolute power depending onely from God whether I say he entered by foâ—ce by craft or by art into the government of the people and if it was not God himselfe that spake to him out of the middest of the burning bush and commanded him to goe deliver his people from the hands of Pharaoh Exod. 3.2 If Saul thought to adorne his head with a Crowne when hee sought about the fields the Asses of â—is his father if he made suit to Samuel to anoint him King over all Israel If David when he fed his flocke meditated how hee might change his Shepheards crooke into a regall Scepter If Solomon his sonne the King of wise men and the wisest of Kings hath deceived or corrupted the people to enter by the windowes or back gate into the kingly Pallace But rather is it not God himselfe who by his sacred mouth commanded Samuel in the 9. Chapter of his booke as soone as he had seene Saul that went to enquire of him about his Fathers Asses at the same time God said unto him This is the man of whom I spake unto thee he shall rule over my people And in the 16. Chapter of the same booke God commaunded him to goe to Bethlehem to anoint David whom hee chose among all his brethren the Lord saying unto him Arise and anoint him for this is hâ— In the same booke God promiseth Daviâ— to confirme his sonne upon his Throne And in the 1. of Kings Chap. 3. God appeared to Salomon in a dreame in Gabaon presently after his Coronation and said unto him Aske what thou wilt that I give thee A sufficient testimonie that God was well pleased with his ascending to the Royall throne and Salomon asking of him onely wisedome to governe his people God said Because thou hast not asked of mee riches glory nor power I will give thee what thou askest me and other things besides Wee reade 2. Kings Chapter 9. that Heliseus sendeth one of the children of the Prophets to Iehu one of Ahabs Captaines to anoint him from the Lord King over Israel And Psal. 75.7 To come to preferment is neither from the East nor from the West nor from the South but God is the Iudge he it is that humbleth and exalteth And