others that are said to be our aduocates but only he But it is obiected that the fathers taught and maintained this doctrine that the Saints doe intercede and pray Nazianz. orat de laude Basilij Aug. ser 17. de verbis Apostoli for vs as 1. Gregorie Nazianzene saith that Saint Basil was in the heauens offering Sacrifices for vs and praiers for the people 2. Saint Augustine saith it is an iniurie to pray for a Martyr by whose praiers we on the other side ought to be remembred and so many others and therefore they doe pray and intercede for vs. I answer first that whosoeuer will looke into that place of Nazianzen shall there finde that Nazianzen doth but thinke so And secondly he shall finde that he spake this Orator-like who many times speake to the absent as though they were present as Pliny saith vnto Cicero salue primus omnium parens patriae And thirdly I say that this place of Nazianzen and likewise that of Saint Augustine doe proue nothing We yeeld that the Saints doe after a sort pray for the whole Church but that in a generall manner they pray for vs as they doe for the whole Church which we doe not denie for that cannot be called an intercession but rather an approbation of the intercession of Christ and as it were clarkes vnto this high priest to say Amen to approue his will in heauen as we should in earth And so you see how Christ was annointed to be a Priest which I thinke should be sufficient to take away all contempt from the name of Priests And you see to what end he was annointed priest first to make satisfaction for our sinnes and secondly to make intercession for vs that we might regaine his fathers fauour And therfore this should teach vs 1. To cast away that deceitfull doctrine That we merit nothing at the hands of God of workes satisfactory or meritorie or call them what you will For this our Priest hath paid for all when we could pay for nothing and he merited all happinesse for vs when we merited destruction vnto our selues and therefore I say with Saint Bernard that sufficit ad meritum scire quod non sufficiunt merita herein we merit best when we know that we merit nothing but hell and when we crie with the Psalmist Enter not into iudgement with thy seruants O Lord for in thy sight can no flesh liuing be instified 2. Seeing Christ is our only mediator that praieth for vs we should only pray to him for Abraham hath forgotten vs and Isaack is ignorant of That we should pray to none but to God alone vs but this our Priest will neuer forget vs he doth at all times heare vs and can at any time helpe vs if we doe call vnto him for helpe And therefore though we loue the Angels and reuerence the Saints their names are sweet vnto vs and their memoriall is blessed yet we will pray to none of them for we haue neither precept from God nor practise in Gods Church to doe the same But we finde the same flarly forbidden in many places For Origen saith ne quis audeat Origen l. 5. contra Celsum praeces offerre nisi soli Domino Deo Let no man dare to offer praiers vnto any but only to the Lord God And the councell of Laodicea doth anathematise all those that leaue the Lord Concil Laâ—d c. 35. Basil in orat de 40. Martyr Ambros in l. de viduis Iesus to pray vnto any Saint or Angel But against this it may be obiected that Saint Basil exhorteth vs to haue recourse vnto them in our necessities and to pray vnto them And so Saint Ambrose likewise exhorteth the widowes to pray vnto the Saints and to the Angels when they were in their necessities I answer that Saint Basil doth not say confugiat oret but confugit orat i. he telleth vs what they did and not what they should doe And it is no maruell that people That we are faine to suffer many things that we doe not approue newly conuerted from Gentilisme to Christianity should retaine something of their old idolatry and that the godly fathers should be constrained for a while to tolerate those tares among the wheat lest the good seed scarce rooted should be indangered For Saint Augustine saith that he knew Aug. l. 1. c. 24. de moribus Eccl. l. 2. c. 21. contra Faust Manich. many that adored sepulchers and pictures and such like and many that drunke most excessiuely ouer the dead but he saith aliud est quod docemus aliud est quod sustinemus hoc tolerare compellimur donec emendemus It is one thing that we teach another thing that is suffered vntill it be amended And for the booke of Saint Ambrose concerning widowes I say with Molinaeus that it is one of Molinaeus contra Coefetau his first workes that he made after his conuersion and therefore sauoreth of infirmity and faileth of sound diuinity in many points For in the same booke he saith that the Martyrs if any sinne remained in them did purge the same with their owne bloud and this is a doating of the truth and an error plaine contrarie vnto all truth For first who knowes not that no man is void of sinne And secondly who knoweth not that no man can wash away his owne sins 1 Ioh. 1. with his owne bloud For the Scripture saith plainly that it is the bloud of Iesus Christ that washeth and cleanseth vs from all sinne And therefore Saint Ambrose recalleth this errour a Ambros in c. 1. Ep. ad Roman saith it is a miserable excuse to say we goe to God by the mediation of Saints as we goe to the king by his officers for therefore saith he doe we goe to the king because he is a man knoweth not to whom to commit himselfe or his affaires but God knoweth all things and is ready to receiue all men Ideo ad Deum promerendum suffragatore non opus est sed mente deuota and therefore we need not any other suffragan to goe to God but a deuout and pious heart And in his oration vpon the death of Theodosius he saith plainly Tu solus Deus es inuocandus turogandus Thou only O God art to be praied vnto thou only O God art to be intreated And so much for the annointing of Iesus to be a Priest 2. He was annointed to be a king That Christ was annointed to be a king For thy throne O Lord is for euer and euer the scepter of thy kingdome is a scepter of righteousnesse c. And this we may see in Psal 2. 6. Ierem. 23. 5. 1. Chron. 17. 12. 14. and in many other places of the Scripture And this point viz. that Iesus is a king how he differeth from all other kings and what lessons we might learne from this doctrine I haue handled at large in
liue among the wicked yet to choose the societie of the godly for good men will make thee better but euill men will make thee worse For such is the nature of men saith S. Gregorie Vt quoties bonus malo coniungitur non ex bono malus melioretur sed ex Greg. ho. 9. super Ezech. malo bonus contaminetur as often as the good is ioyned with the bad the bad will sooner corrupt the good then the good can conuert the bad S. Bernard therefore writing vpon Bern. in Cant. ser 48. those words of the Canticles as the lillie among the thornes so is my loue among the daughters saith vide quomodo caute ambules inter spinas be sure therefore to walke warily and then as Ioseph in king Pharaohs court Daniel in Nebuchadnezzars palace Mordocai in Ahashuerus house and these holy Christians among the wicked Romans did liue holily and vndefiled so may the seruants of Christ liue godly in the kingdome of Antichrist For as S. Ambrose speaketh non vtique Ambros ep ad Irenaeum transire in Egyptum criminosum est sed transire in mores Egyptiorum it was no fault to passe into Egypt but to follow the manners and sinnes of the Egyptians was reprouable Moses went to Egypt but he vsed not the Egyptian manners So may we liue in the world but we must not fashion our selues like vnto the world but as the children of Israel ambulauerunt per siccum in medio Greg. lib. 6. ep 23. maris did walke vpon drie ground in the midst of the sea so should we ambulare sanctè in medio mundi liue holily in the midst of the world saith S. Gregorie and indeed non est perfectè bonus nisi qui inter malos est bonus he is not perfectly good that is not good among the bad for no thankes to them that liue holy in heauen where there is no prouocation to euill but we must liue holily with deuils if we would liue blessedly with Angels This therefore condemneth all the pestilent broode of Donatists the Brownists and Barrowests of our time who leaue our Churches as prophane multitudes and run away to lawlesse places For as the brightest day hath his cloudes and the purest gold hath his drosse so the best Churches haue their imperfections and therefore the spouse Aug. de vera Relig. c. 5. l. 2. c. 22. cōtra Cresc of Christ confesseth her selfe to be blacke though comely and the Church of God is compared to a corn-field wherin there are tares as well as wheat and to a threshing floore wherein there is chaffe as well as corne quia intus foris Idem in l. De vnitate Ecclesia mali tolerandi sunt ne pacis compago soluatur and therefore within and without the wicked must be suffered that the peace of the Church be not disturbed licet zizania in Ecclesia esse cernimus Idem l. 2. ca. 28. retract ex Cypriane de Ecclesia tamen recedere non debemus and though we see the tares in the Church yet must we not therefore leaue the Church saith the same S. Aug. For if these beloued of God did not runne out of Rome that was nothing but tares but heathenish why should Why the Saints dwell among the wicked we forsake the Church vpon pretence of some imperfections And in very deed there be two especiall reasons saith S. Augustine why the godly Christians should liue with the vngodly Atheists 1. That the euill may be conuerted August in Psal 54. for 2. That the good may be exercised for 1. If all the godly should forsake the wicked how could the wicked be conuerted S. Peter was an apostata S. Matthew was a publicane Zacheus an oppressor Paul a persecutor Iustine Martyr a Gentile S. Augustine a Manichee Leo Affricanus a Mahumetane Luther a Monke Tremellius a Iew and so many others but by conuersing with good men they were conuerted vnto godlinesse 2. Oportet esse haereses there must be heresies among you saith S. Paul that they which are approued among you may be knowne for if Arrius had not beene borne qui posuit Trinitatem Thom. 1. p. q. 31. ar 2. substantiarum cum Trinitate personarum which maintained a Trinitie of substances or of Gods with the Trinitie of persons as Aquinas saith and Sabellius on the contrarie qui posuit vnitatem personae cum vnitate essentiae which held the vnitie of person with the vnitie of essence the truth of those questions about the blessed Trinitie had neuer beene so sufficiently determined by those great Doctors of the Church The afflicted estate of the Saints among the wicked Athanasius S. Augustine Hilarie And if the wicked liued not among the godly their patience should not be exercised their care and circumspection could not be seene their sanctitie not so excellent nor their victorie so glorious De 2. We may see heereby the estate of Gods Church inter impios tyrannos among wicked vngodly men Terra salutiferas herbas eademque nocentes Ouid. li. 1. de remed Nutrit vrticae proxima saepe rosa est The same ground beares wheat and tares and bryers grow round about the roses and many times as Christ was crucified betwixt two theeues so Iohn 19. may a godly man dwell betwixt wicked neighbours and what is worse then that for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesiod li. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A bad neighbour is hurtfull but he that hath got a good neighbour hath purchased an honourable commodity saith Hesiod And yet the godly must neede dwell among the wicked Lot among the Sodomites Abraham among the Canaanites Moses among the Egyptians and all the Ministers of Christ are sent forth as Lambes among Wolues what then can they looke for at the hands of such neighbours but vexations and afflictions this is the lot of Deut. 4. the righteous aske of the daies of old as Moses saith and you shall see that from her beginning the Church of God wanted not oppression and Christ himselfe telleth vs that to her ending she shall not be void of affliction Sanguine fundata est Ecclesia sanguine coepit Sanguine succreuit sanguine finis erit No age vnafflicted no Church vnassaulted no Saint vnattempted no time but too bad yet none so bad as this for S. Bernard tels vs that the afflictions of Bern. in parab Christi Ecclesiae the Church heretofore were like the waues of the sea that came one after another 1. Persecution when as alij flammi◠Euseb Eccl. hist li. 8. c. 11. 12. exusti alij ferro perempti alij patibulo cruciati Some were stoned as Steuen some crucified as Peter some beheaded as Paul some burned as Laurentius others banished and all persecuted 2. Diuision For terra Ecclesiae sanguine martyrum impinguata the ground of the Church being fatted and manured with the bloud
owne friends and the poyson that he had taken would not dispatch him out of life And aboue al we should all labour to preserue equity and piety amongst vs if we would haue peace to conitnue amongst vs. For Marcus Aurelius saith that king Boco made an oration to the Senate of Rome wherein among many other notable sentences he left The diall of Princes pag. 393. written the banes and the causes of the ruine of euery kingdome in these words viz. Woe to that realme where all are such that neither the good among the euill nor the euill among the good are knowne Woe The description of a wicked kingdome and the fearefull estate therof to that realme which is the intertainer of fooles and a destroyer of all sages woe to that realme where the good are fearefull and the euill too bold woe to that realme where the patient are despised and the seditious commended woe to that realme which destroyeth those which watch for the good and crowneth those which watch to doe euill woe to that realme where the poore are suffered to be proud and the rich to be tyrants woe to that realme where all doe know the euill and no man doth follow the good woe to that realme where so many euill vices are openly committed which in another country dare not secretly be mentioned woe to that realme where all procure that they desire where all attaine to that they procure where all thinke that which is euill where all speake that which they thinke and finally where all may doe what they will In such and so vnfortunate a realme where the people are too wicked let euery man beware that he be no inhabitant for in short time there must happen there either the ire of the Gods or the furie of men to the depopulation of the good or the desolation of the tyrants And therefore if we would haue peace we must root out vice and labour euery man to doe iustice to be true to our king to be obedient to the law and to loue one another with brotherly loue And so much for the meanes to procure all kindes of the ciuill peace 2. That ecclesiasticall peace may be preserued and that first among the Pastors Euseb Eccl. l. 8. c. 1. themselues we should all remember what Eusebius saith viz. that while the Ministers and Preachers of Gods That all ministers should liue at peace among thēselues word were at peace among themselues and did hold together the Gospell of Christ flourished and their owne happinesse increased haec nulla potuit invidia prohibere yet Satan with all his subtletie Tyrants with all their cruelty and the world with all his enuie could neuer hinder the prosperous estate of the Church But when the bond of peace was once broken and they began to war among themselues then the Lord darkned the glory of the daughter of Sion and the miseries that befell these ministers were most lamentable and so both themselues and their people did rue their discords for Nulla lues ouibus tantum non vlla venena Melancton in Epigram Quantum pastorum dissidia ipsa nocent Nothing can be so hurtfull or so poysonous vnto the people as the dissentions of their Pastors saith Melancthon And therefore wee should pray to God that he would keepe vs secretly within his tabernacle from the strife of tongues that wee may bee at peace among our selues Nam multi lupi velleribus Ignat. ep 9. ad Philad tecti sed in nostris concordibus animis nullus dabitur illis locus For there be many Wolues in Sheepes clothing but against vnanimous hearts they can haue none aduantage O then beloued brethren let vs imbrace this peace among our selues Formicae grata est formica cicada cicadae Rousner in Emblem Et doctus doctis gaudet Apollo choris The very bruite beasts doe loue those best that are of their owne kinde according to that ancient prouerb birds of a fether will flock together and yet alas I see too many of vs despising How the chiefe among the Clergy deale with their inferiours one another and contesting one against another the great ones doe contemne the poore aduance the wealthy suppresse the painefull and if any one making a conscience to discharge his dutie doth seeme to exceed the rest in paines he shall be the only mocke among the rest Proud enuy so his vertues doth deface It makes them foes to him they should imbrace But for mine owne part I shall be euer of S. Cyprians minde Non videndum Cyprian est quid aliqui ante nos fecerunt sed quid ille qui ante omnes est faciendum sit mandarit we are not altogether to looke what others haue done before vs or what others vse to doe among vs but we are especially to looke what he which is before all and aboue all hath commanded vs to doe And therefore quum periculosa res Anselmus est negligentia prelatorum seeing the negligence of the Ministers is most dangerons dangerous to themselues dangerons to their people as Anselmus saith I would aduise euery faithfull steward to goe on in all diligence like king Therous coursers that Pyndarus were neuer weary of running as Pyndarus speaketh and though he doe still continue vnregarded yet if he preach truly and liue vprightly merces eius apud Deum he shall not lose his reward Yet I say that this neglecting of painefull vpright men and the preferring of kinsmen allies-men and rich men all perhaps ignorant men hath caused many a man to start aside and in the height of discontent to disturbe the peace of the Church to ouerthrow themselues and many others And what shall become of the causers hereof Woe to him by whom offences come saith our Sauiour and I feare I may say woe to him that is the cause hereof Woe to him that breaketh peace and woe to him that causeth him to breake the peace Nam qui praesenti pace male vt untur futuram pacem non habebunt for they that abuse the present peace they shall neuer inioy the future peace saith Saint Augustine And therefore to conclude this point let vs abandon pride couetousnesse and contempt one towards another and let vs liue in loue and peace for we be brethren and as Melancton Melancton in Epigr. saith Sit procul à Christi discordia saeua Ministris Namque Deus poterit non nisi pace coli Let cruell discords and dissentions be farre from vs for the God of peace can neuer be serued but by the Ministers of peace for if we doe despise this peace we may feare that we qui prius Nazianz. Orat. 3. in princip f. 71. ex non populo populus ex non gente gens facti fueramus Which heretofore of no people were made a people shall yet againe be in that danger of a great people to become no people in
where I heare no Iesus no thing shall delight me where I finde no Iesus for he is the honie vnto my mouth musicke vnto my eares and all the ioy and delight of my heart And therefore sweet Iesus forsake me not and let not mine enemies triumph ouer me And so much for the second title that expresseth the goodnesse of God the Sonne Iesus Now followeth the third Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the first word Iesus the Apostle sheweth that he whom before he had called our Lord and Master is our Sauiâ—ur and in this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he sheweth how he was fitted for the executing of that office to saue vs viz. that he was annointed to be a King a Priest and a Prophet that he might guide vs redeeme vs and instruct vs. From whence we may obserue before we passe any further that those whom God intendeth to imploy in any That God furnisheth euery man that he sendeth of his businesse with sufficient gifts to discharge that dutie especiall office he maketh them sit and furnisheth them with gifts sutable to the nature of the businesse in which he mears to imploy them For when he sent Moses vnto Pharaoh I will be with thy mouth saith God because Moses said I haue a stuttering tongue and when he sent Esay to prophesie he touched his tongue with a burning coale from his Altar The very like we finde in Ieremie in Ezechiel and in all the Prophets and Apostles he filled them with the holy Ghost that they might doe the worke of the holy Ghost and so here of his owne Sonne he annointed him prae consortibus aboue his fellowes that he might be a Iesus to saue his fellowes And therefore let euery one take heed how he enters into any office in Gods businesse lest the Lord should say vnto him friend how camest thou in hither being no waies fitted for my seruice surely thou didst run before I sent thee thou didst thrust thy selfe before I called thee and therefore I will thrust thee out before thou art willing to goe take him binde him hand and foot and cast him into vtter darknesse there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth But because few consider how they are fitted for their places but only what gaine and profit they shall reape by their places therefore I wish that they who placed them vpon hope of their sufficiency would likewise displace them vpon the fight of their deficiencie and vnworthinesse of their places and calling for though some thinke the calling of the Ministers to be character indelibilis and therefore once a minister neuer to be depriued yet I say that herein they deceiue themselues because they doe not rightly distinguish betwixt the outward the inward character for there be foure sorts of men imployed in the businesse Ieron l. 1. c. 1. comment in Galat. Foure sorts of men in the ministerie of the Gospell as Saint Ierome saith 1. The first sort were sent immediatly by Christ as were the Prophets and Apostles 2. The second sort were sent of God but by the allowance and approbation of men and these two sorts are euer furnished with gifts sufficient for the discharging of their callings from God and therefore can no waies be discharged or depriued by man 3. The third sort are sent of men and not of God and these may be silenced and excluded from the ministery For as they had power to ordaine them when they thought them fit so they haue power to depriue them when they see them vnfit either in respect of their notorious crimes or erroneous opinions or some such other iust and lawfull cause 4. The fourth are those that are neither sent by God nor yet by men therfore should be prohibited and restrained by men else should we haue no order either in Church or common-wealth And so you see that those which are not called nor yet fitted for their callings from God may be restrained That vnworthy Ministers should be displaced by men and should be in mine opinion because the fitting and furnishing of men with gifts answerable to their callings are the chiefest signes that they are called by God For so we see the Sonne of God being appointed to be the Sauiour of men he was annointed of God and so fitted for the office of a Redeemer Now touching this annointing of Iesus for so the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vngo or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnctio for to fit him to be a Sauiour we must necessarily consider these two points 1. How he was annointed 2. To what end he was annointed De 1. There was a two-fold annointing 1. Inwardly with the 〈◊〉 of grace 2. Outwardly with materiall oyle In the first sense Abraham Isaac and Iacob were Christi Dei the annointed of God for of them it was spoken touch not mine annointed and doe my Prophets no harme but annointing with materiall oyle was not yet in rerum natura and therefore their annointing was with the gifts of Gods spirit In the second sense the Kings the Priests the Prophets were after the time of Moses annointed with materiall oyle and of this outward annointing some thinke there were two kinds 1. Either with the vulgar and common oyle or 2. With the holy oyle that hee commandeth Exod. 30. Moses to make And they say that the Priests only were to be annointed with the holy oyle because the Lord saith Whosoeuer shall make the like oyntment or whosoeuer shall put any of it vpon a stranger or any Israelite saue only the Priests saith the glosse euen he shall be cut off from his people But against this we may obiect that Sadocke tooke the horne of oyle from the Temple and annointed Salomon and Dauid saith of himselfe I found Dauid my seruant with my holy oyle haue I annointed him And so Euthymius and Genebrard doe affirme that Samuel and the rest of the Prophets That Christ was not annointed with materiall oyle did annoint the Kings with this holy oyle Now our Sauiour was not annointed with any materiall oyle for that his kingdome was not of this world nor his Aug. in Psal 140. Priest-hood after the order of Aaron but as the Patriarchs were Vncti ante vnctionem annointed with the inward vnction of the Holy Ghost so was our Sauiour Christ as S. Peter testifieth God annointed him with the Holy Ghost and with power And so Esay cap. 61. And so Saint Cyril Saint Augustine Cyril c. de fide Aug. de Trinit l. 15. c. 26. Naz. orat 4. de Theolog Nazianzen and others say quod vnxit eum Deus Spiritu Sancto non visibili oleo sed dono gratiae that he was annointed not with oyle but with grace But here you must vnderstand that Christ was farre otherwise annointed with the Holy Ghost then were the Patriarks or any other whatsoeuer For he was annointed with
my Treatise of The resolution of Pilate and therefore now I will but only desire all men to consider that seeing Christ was a king and yet refused all pompe of worldly vanities yea rex fieri noluit this king would not be made a king in this world because his kingdome was spirituall and so not of this world he was a king of righteousnesse then why should not we his subiects imitate this our king herein It is reported of king Alexander That we should not too eagerly seeke for the things of this world that his souldiers would imitate him euen in his stoopings And if they imitated him in his vices why should not we imitate our king Christ Iesus in his vertues His kingdome is spirituall and he is a spirituall king and therefore if we would be his subiects we must be spirituall men and we must vtterly despise these worldly vanities For it is possible we should doe both we cannot serue God and mammon we cannot be filled with temporall and spirituall things at once For if thy hand be full of counters thou must throw away the same before thou canst fill it with gold saith Saint Chrysostome euen so if thy heart be full of the riches of this worldly kingdome there can be no roome for spirituall riches Why then doe we not seeke to be rich Ieron de vita solit in ep ad Heliodor in Christ nam affatim diues est qui cum Christo pauper est for he is truly rich that is poore in spirit poore with Christ saith Saint Ierome and therefore seeing our kingdome is not of this world cibus potus sunt diuitiae nostrae meat and drinke food and raiment is all the riches that we should desire all other things we should willingly leaue vnto the subiects of this world apud quos solummodo splendor tectorum attenditur labes animorum non attenditur For they only respect the gainesse of their houses and the greatnesse of their lands but they neuer looke to the foulenesse of their soules And further I must desire you to note this one thing that Christ is an eternall king and his kingdome an euerlasting kingdome gloriosum imperium sine fine dabit and so shall all his subiects haue an euerlasting kingdome for that good is no good that wanteth perpetuity but our life in this How short is the life of man world is very short it is but a span long it is euen as nothing orimur morimur as soone as we are borne we draw to our end cùm vir crescit vita decrescit and while a man growes more and more in yeares his yeares grow fewer and fewer vnto him sic breuis vita ipsa breuitas semper incerta and so our life is but a very little little while and that little while is alwaies vncertaine for Irus erit subito qui modo Croesus erat There are twenty waies for the vanities of this world to vanish away and therefore Saint Augustine saith Si Aug. l. confess quid arisisset prosperum taedebat apprehendere quia pene priusquam teneretur auolabat If any worldly wealth did offer themselues vnto me I was euen loth to accept them for I saw they were ready to flie from me before I could lay hold vpon them But the kingdome of Christ is a kingdome vnshaken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it knoweth no Chrysâ—st in 5. Rom. That the kingdome of Christ is without ending end it hath no bounds and the riches of this kingdome are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 graces giuen without repentance neuer to be taken away I will therefore conclude this point with that sweet demand of Saint Augustine Quae maior est insania quà m pro momentanea delectatione perdere aeterna gaudia nosmetipsoâ— obligare ad aeterna supplicia O what great madnesse is it or what greater madnesse can there be then for a little momentarie delight to depriue our selues of an euerlasting kingdome and to cast our selues headlong to euerlasting destruction And so much for the kingly office of Christ and his kingdome 3. He was annointed to be a Prophet That Christ was annointed to be a Prophet for I will raise them a Prophet from the midst of their brethren like vnto thee him shall they heare And therefore he is called pacis annunciator Dei fidelissimus testis the proclaimer of our peace and Gods most faithfull witnesse And therefore the Lord saith that whosoeuer would not heare that Prophet that soule should be cut off from his people Now the parts of his Propheticall office are The true exposition of the law The ioyfull declaration of the Gospel The infallible prediction of future things All these he did himselfe while he was on earth and now likewise by his spirit inwardly by the preachers outwardly he informeth his Church of all truth vnto the end of the world for whosoeuer heareth you heareth me saith this great Prophet qui omnes Prophetarum prophetias signauit adimpleuit primo aduentu which sealed and fulfilled Tertull. l. contra Iudaeos all the prophesies of his precedent Prophets by his first comming saith Tertullian and now left none but his owne to be accomplished And thus you see first how Iesus That all Christians are annointed with the graces of Gods Spirit was annointed with the oyle of gladnesse aboue his fellowes In respect of the sweetnesse of which oyle the Church saith meliora sunt vbera tua vino fragrantia vnguentis optimi thy loue is better then wine it is sweeter then the sweetest ointment And with this ointment he annointeth all his members and from this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are likewise called Christians quia excellenter vnctus corpus suum perungit because he being most excellently annointed did annoint all his body saith Saint Augustine and so Saint Iohn Aug. in Psal 103. saith we haue an ointment from that holy one i. from Christ the annointed that is the sweet gifts and graces of Gods holy Spirit as Theodoret doth expound Theodor. in Cant. it and as the Prophet Dauid did meane when he saith that the pretious ointment was powred vpon the head and ran downe vpon the beard euen vnto Aarons beard and ran downe to the skirts of his clothing for this cannot be interpreted literally of any materiall oyle 1. Because we neuer read that Aaron Anton. p. 1. to 6. c. 2 §. 5. was so annointed that the oyle ran downe to the borders of his garments 2. Because the words immediatly following like the dew of Hermon that fell vpon the hill of Sion must necessarily bee spiritually vnderstood for the dew of Hermon cannot possibly descend vpon the hill of Sion 1. Because they are farre distant the one from the other 2. Because mount Sion is farre higher then mount Hermon as Hugo Cardinalis doth obserue And therefore this must bee vnderstood of that spirituall oyle of gladnesse the most