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A02565
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One of the sermons preacht at Westminster, on the day of the publike fast (April 5. 1628) to the Lords of the High Court of Parliament and by their appointment published. By the B. of Exceter.
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Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.
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1628
(1628)
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STC 12692; ESTC S103757
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26,047
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120
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〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but God suffering and dying was so much more as death is more penall then birth The Godhead of man and the blood of God are two such miracles as the Angels of heauen can neuer enough looke into neuer admire enough Ruffine tells vs that among the sacred characters of the Egyptians the crosse was anciently one which was said to signifie eternall life hence their learneder sort were conuerted to confirmed in the faith Surely we know that in Gods Hieroglyphicks eternall life is both represented and exhibited to vs by the Crosse That the Crosse of Christ was made of the tree of life a slip the Angels gaue to Adams sonne out of Paradise is but a Iewish legend Galatine may beleeue it not wee but that it is made the tree of life to all beleeuers we are sure This is the onely scale of heauen neuer man ascended thither but by it By this Christ himselfe climbd vp to his owne glory Dominus regnauit a ligno as Tertullian translates that of the Psalme Father glorifie thy name that is saith he Duc me ad crucem Lift me vp to the tree not of my shame but of my triumph Behold we preach Christ crucified saith St. Paul to the Iewes a stumbling blocke to the Greekes foolishnesse but to them which are called Christ the power of God and the wisdome of God 1 Cor. 1. 23. Foolish men that stumble at power and deride wisedome Vpbraid vs now ye fond Iewes and Pagans with a a crucified Sauiour it is our glorie it is our happinesse which ye make our reproch had not our Sauiour dyed he could haue bin no Sauiour for vs had not our Sauiour dyed we could not haue liued See now the flagge of our deare Redeemer this Crosse shining eminently in loco pudoris in our forheads and if we had any place more high more conspicuous more honourable there we would aduance it O blessed Iesu when thou art thus lifted vpon thy crosse thou drawest all hearts vnto thee there thou leadest captiuity captiue and giuest giuest gifts vnto men Yee are deceiued O yee blind Iewes and Paynimes ye are deceiued It is not a gibbet it is a throne of honour to which our Sauiour is raised A throne of such honour as to which heauen and earth and hell doe and must veile The Sun hides his awfull head the earth trembles the rockes rend the graues open and all the frame of nature doth homage to their Lord in this secret but diuine pompe of his crucifixion And whiles yee thinke his feet and hands despicably fixed behold he is powerfully trampling vpon hell and death and setting vp trophees of his most glorious victory and scattering euerlasting Crownes and Scepters vnto all beleeuers O Sauiour I doe rather more adore thee on the Caluary of thy passion then on the Tabor of thy transfiguration or the Oliuet of thine ascension and cannot so affectuously blesse thee for Pater clarifica Father glorifie me as for My God my God why hast thou forsaken me sith it is no newes for God to bee great and glorious but for the eternall and euer-liuing God to be abased to be abased vnto death to the death of the crosse is that which could not but amaze the Angels and confound Deuills and so much more magnifies thine infinit mercie by how much an infinite person would become more ignominious All Hosannaes of men all Alleluiahs of Saints and Angels come short of this Maiesticke humiliation Blessing honour glory and power be vnto him that sits vpon the throne and to the Lambe for euer and euer Reuel 5. 13. And yee honorable and beloued as euer ye hope to make musicke in heauen learne to tune your harpes to the note and ditty of these heauenly Elders Reioyce in this reioyce in nothing but this crosse not in your transitory honors titles treasures which will at the last leaue you inconsolately sorrowfull but in this crosse of Christ whereby the world is crucified to you and you to the world Oh clip and embrace this precious crosse with both your armes and say with that blessed Martyr Amor meus crucifixus est my loue is crucified Those that haue searched into the monuments of Ierusalem write that our Sauiour was crucified with his face to the West which howsoeuer spightfully meant of the Iewes as not allowing him worthy to looke on the holy Citie and Temple yet was not without a mystery Oculi eius super Gentes respiciunt saith the Psalmist As Christ therefore on his crosse look't towards vs sinners of the Gentiles so let vs look vp to him Let our eyes be lift vp to this brazen serpent for the cure of the deadly stings of that old serpent See him O all ye beholders see him hanging vpon the tree of shame of curse to rescue you from curse and confusion and to feoffe you in euerlasting blessednesse see him stretching out his armes to receiue and embrace you hanging downe his head to take view of your misery opening his precious side to receiue you into his bosome opening his very heart to take you in thither pouring out thence water to wash you and blood to redeeme you O all ye Nazarites that passe by out of this dead Lyon seeke and find the true honey of vnspeakable and endlesse comfort And ye great Masters of Israel whose lips professe to preserue knowledge leaue all curious and needlesse disquisitions and with that diuine and extaticall Doctor of the Gentiles care onely to know to preach Christ and him crucified But this though the summe of the Gospell is not the maine drift of my Text I may not dwell in it though I am loath to part with so sweet a meditation From Christ crucified turne your eyes to Paul crucified you haue read him dying by the sword heare him dying by the crosse and see his morall spirituall liuing crucifixion Our Apostle is two men Saul and Paul The old man and the new in respect of the old man he is crucified and dead to the law of sinne so as that sinne is dead in him neither is it otherwise with euery regenerate Sin hath a body as well as the man hath who shall deliuer mee from this body of death Rom. 7. 24. A body that hath limmes and parts Mortifie your earthly members saith our Apostle Colos 3. 5. Not the limmes of our humane body which are made of earth so should wee bee hostes naturae as Bernard but the sinfull limmes that are made of corruption Fornication vncleannesse inordinate affection c. The head of sinne is wicked deuices the heart of sinne wicked desires the hands and feet of sinne wicked executions the tongue of sin wicked words the eyes of sinne lustfull apprehensions the forehead of sinne impudent profession of euill the backe of sinne a strong supportation and maintenance of euill all this body of sinne is not onely put to death but to shame too so as it is dead with
wofull Bedroll of wickednesse Yet alas were these the sinnes of Ignorance of Infirmitie they might bee more worthy of pittie then hatred But oh the high hand of our presumptuous offences wee draw iniquitie with the strings of vanitie vp to the head vp to the eare and shoot vp these hatefull shafts against heauen Did wee sit in darknesse and the shadow of death as too many Pagan and Popish Regions doe these workes of darknesse would be lesse intolerable but now that the beames of the glorious Gospell haue shined thus long thus bright in our faces Oh me what can we plead against our owne confusion Oh Lord where shall we appeare when thy very mercies aggrauate our sinnes and thy iudgements Why shouldst thou not expect fruit from a Vineyard so chosen so husbāded wo worth our wretchednesse that haue thus repayd thee Be confounded in thy selfe O my Soule bee confounded to see these deplored retributions Are these Grapes for a God Doe yee thus requite the Lord O foolish people and vniust Hath hee for this made vs the mirrour of his mercies to all the World that we should so shamefully turn his graces into wantonnesse Are these the fruites of his choyce his Fencing his Reforming his Planting his watch Towre his Winepresse O Lord the great and dreadfull God keeping the couenants and mercies to them that loue thee we haue sinned and committed iniquitie and haue rebelled by departing from thy precepts and from thy iudgements Oh Lord righteousnesse belongeth to thee but vnto vs confusion of faces as at this day wee know we acknowledge how iust it may bee with thee to pull vp our hedges to breake downe our Wall to root vp our Vines to destroy and depopulate our Nation to make vs the scorne and Prouerbe of all Generations But O our God Let thine anger and thy fury bee turned away from thy Ierusalem thy holy Mountaine O Lord heare O Lord forgiue O Lord harken and doe deferre not for thine owne sake O our God for thy Citie and thy people are called by thy Name But alas what speake I of not deferring to a God of mercie who is more forward to giue then we to craue and more loath to strike then wee to smart and when hee must strike complaines Why will ye dye O house of Israel Let mee rather turne this speech to our selues the delay is ours Yet it is not too late either for our returne or his mercies The decree is not to vs gone forth till it bee executed As yet our Hedge stands our wall is firme our Vine growes These sharpe monitions these touches of Iudgement haue beene for our warning not for our ruine Who knowes if he will not returne and yet leaue a blessing behind him Oh that we could turne vnto him with all our heart with Fasting and with Weeping and with Mourning Oh that wee could truely and effectually abandon all those abhominable Sinnes that haue stirred vp the Anger of our God against vs and in this our day this day of our solemne humiliation renue the Vowes of our holy and conscionable obedience Lord God it must bee thou onely that must doe it Oh strike thou our flintie hearts with a sound remorse and melt them into teares of penitence for al our sins Conuert vs vnto thee and we shal be conuerted Lord heare our Prayers and regard our teares and reforme our Liues and remoue thy Plagues and renue thy louing countenance and continue adde to thine old mercies Lord affect vs with thy fauours humble vs for our Sinnes terrifie vs with thy Iudgements that so thou maist hold on thy fauours and forgiue our Sinnes and remoue thy Iudgements euen for the sake of the Sonne of thy loue Iesus Christ the righteous to whom c. FINIS Post-script SInce it seemed good to that Great Court to call this poore Sermon amongst others of greater worth into the publike Light I haue thus submitted to their pleasure And now for that they pleased to bid so high a rate as their command for that meane peece I do willingly giue them this my other Statue into the bargaine This worke preceded some little in time that which it now followes in place not without good reason Authoritie sends forth that this will and my will hath learned euer to giue place to authoritie Besides my desire to saue the labour of Transcriptions I found it not vnfit the World should see what preparatiue was giuen for so stirring a Potion neither can there be so much need in these languishing times of any discourse as that which serues to quicken our mortification wherein I so much reioyce to haue so happily met with those Reuerend Bishops who led the way and followed me in this holy Seruice The God of Heauen make all our endeauours effectuall to the sauing of the soules of his people AMEN A SERMON PREACH'T TO HIS MAIEstie on the Sunday before the Fast being March. 30. at White-hall In way of preparation for that holy Exercise By the B. of EXCETER LONDON Printed by M. F. for Nath. Butter and are to be sold at his shop at St. Austins gate 1628. GALAT. 2. 20. I am crucified with Christ Neuerthelesse I liue c. HEE that was once tossed in the confluēce of two Seas Acts 27. 41. was once no lesse straited in his resolutions betwixt life and death Philip. 1. 23. Neither doth my Text argue him in any other case here As there he knew not whether hee should choose so here hee knew not whether hee had I am crucified there hee is dead yet I liue there he is aliue againe Yet not I there he liues not but Christ in mee there hee more then liues This holy correction makes my Text full of wonders full of sacred riddles 1. The liuing God is dead vpon the crosse Christ crucified 2. St. Paul who dyed by the sword dyes on the crosse 3. St. Paul who was not Paul till after Christs death is yet crucified with Christ 4. St. Paul thus crucified yet liues 5. St. Paul liues not himselfe whiles he liues 6. Christ who is crucified liues in Paul who was crucified with him See then here both a Lent and an Easter A Lent of mortification I am crucified with Christ An Easter of resurrection and life I liue yet not I but Christ liues in mee The Lent of my Text will bee sufficient as proper for this season wherein my speech shall passe through three long stages of discourse Christ crucified St. Paul crucified St. Paul crucified with Christ In all which your Honorable and Christian patience shall as much shorten my way as my care shall shorten the way to your patience Christs crosse is the first lesson of our infancy worthy to bee our last and all The great Doctor of the Gentiles affected not to fly any higher pitch Grande crucis sacramentū as Ambrose This is the greatest wonder that euer earth or heauen yeelded God in carnate was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉