to the testimonie vnto Israel to praise the name of the Lord. Neither was it onely sedes Religionis but Imperij also it was the Kings royall Chamber and there he kept his residence there were the Thrones of iudgement euen the Thrones of the house of Dauid as it followeth in the same Psalme By the way Out of that which you haue heard you may gather the reason why when the ten Tribes reuolted from the house of Dauid Beniamin and the Leuites continued stedfast to it Beniamin had a great interest in Ierusalem and the Leuites maintenance depended on the Temple whereunto their seruice was confined To goe on Fiftly you must obserue that though these two places onely are named yet the whole Kingdome is vnderstood for this was the mother Citie though the honour of the prerogatiues belonged vnto her yet from her was the benefit both of Pietie and Policie to be deriued vnto the whole land yea vnto the whole nation for in whatsoeuer Countrie an Israelite dwelt he was free of Ierusalem you may perceiue it by the answere made by the Reubenites â—shua 22. Gadites and halfe Pribe of Munasses when they were challenged for idolatrie because they erected an Altar vpon the bancke of Iordan before they passed ouer into their owne in heritance It is more cleare Acts 2. where we reade that there were Iewes dwelling at Ierusalem of all Nations vnder Heauen there are reckoned some of Africa some of Asia some of Europe And further to make good this assertion Philo Iudaeus in his embassie to Claudius the Emperour maketh this a motiue why he should be good vnto Ierusalem because in so doing he should preserue many nations amongst whom the Iewes liue dispersed Finally these places as it hath been by many Diuines obserued were seated in the midst not only of the holy land but also of the whole world the whole world I say that was then known Gent. 2. so that as the tree of life in the middest of Paradise so Ierusalem in the midst of the whole World might easily bee repaired vnto by those that did desire it and it had fit opportunitie to spread it selfe into the knowledge of all the world These things are to bee obserued in those places according to the Historie But all things came to the Iewes in types therefore wee may not thinke that King Dauid had an eye onely to the corporall places his eye pierced farther euen to that which was figured therein hee looked to the Kingdome of Christ And indeede the Church is in the Scripture called by these names I might referre you to the vision of Ezekiel which taketh vp the last eight Chapters wherein all agree that the Church is delineated or the vision of Saint Iohn in the last of his Reuelation wherein there is more perspicuitie but both of those places are darke I will point you out plainer one in Saint Peter 1. Pet. 2. Behold I put in Sion a chiefe corner stone c. hee alleageth the words out of Esay and sheweth it was a plaine prophesie of Christ and his Church Saint Paul affirmeth as much of Ierusalem Ierusalem saith he that is aboue Gal. 4. or from aboue is mother of vs all and in the Epistle to the Hebrewes both places are conioyned in this signification Chap. 12.22 You are come saith he to mount Sion to the Citie of the liuing God to the heauenly Ierusalem c. I will not trouble you with more places there are store in the Prophets I come to more profitable matter Ecce typum Ecclesiae behold the correspondencie that must bee betweene the Church and those places Those places were Hilly and had the valley of Gehinnon vnder them Chap. â—5 I cannot giue you a better Morall then is contained in that Prouerbe of Solomon The way of life is aboue to the wise that hee may depart from Hell beneath or if you will take that of Saint Paul Coloss 3.7 Set your affections on those things that are aboue not on those things that are below thoughts groneling vpon the earth bend towards Hell God will haue vs raise our thoughts and testifie that our treasure is in Heauen The second correspondencie is taken from Moriah where the Church is there is God to be seene Psal 76. In Inda is God knowne his name is great in Israel in Salem is his Tabernacle and his dwelling in Sion without the Chureh though God bee yet he is not by any gracious reuelation not by that transforming reuelation whereby God shining vnto vs in the face of Icsus Christ doth transforme vs into the same image both of Grace and Glorie 2. Cor. 3.18 The third correspondencie standeth in the Vnion wherevpon S. Austen and others obserue the incorporation of the Gentile into the Church of the Iewes it may bee Saint Paul meaneth as much when he speaketh of Christs taking downe the partition wall Ephes 2.14 for while Sion and Ierusalem were diuers Cities there was no open passage out of the one into the other as afterwards there was Cap 3. v. 6. howsoeuer to the Ephesians hee teacheth that they became 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one body and partaked of the same prerogatiues I meane the Iewes and Gentiles The fourth correspondencie stands in the prerogatiues of this Citie for it was sedes Regni Religionis the Citie of God and of the King and what is the Church but Regnum and Sacerdotium Exod. 19. Reuel 5. first a Kingdome of Priests or a royall Priesthood The Church beareth a Kingly mind free from Coertion yet following the Direction of the Law whereunto accordeth that of Saint Paul Lex non est posita iusto 1. Tim. 1 9 Righteous men are not led with the spirit of bondage to doe things out of feare but they are led by the spirit of adoption they will doe well though they haue no Law And indeed this is a true Kingly mind But as our mind must be Kingly so must it be Priestly also all our seruices must be Sacrifices we must prefent them at Gods Altar and wee must offer them with the fire of heauen for therefore doth God separate his Church from the world that hee may deuote it vnto himselfe neither would God euer doe vs the honour to make vs Kings except he did expect honour from vs as we are his Priests The fifth correspondencie standeth in the extent of these prerogatiues though they were bestowed vpon Ierusalem yet they were to redound vnto the whole Land yea the Nation of the Israelites Act. 10. Saint Peter hath moralized this to our hand Of a trueth I perceiue that there is no respect of persons with God but in euerie nation whosoeuer feareth him and worketh righteousnesse is accepted of him wheresoeuer we liue we may bee of the Israel of God and partake the prerogatiues of the Heauenly Ierufalem The last correspondencie standeth in the situation Ierusalem was in the
the pitie there are but few that answere it but let vs take heed this is our danger hee that is not a King in grace shall neuer bee a King in glorie You see the first aduancement of the Churches state which is to bee Kings The second aduancement is to be Priests and a Priest was he that offered sacrifice and euerie member of the Church must offer hee must offer at both the Altars At the Altar of Incense Prayers and Prayser Prayers Psal 141. Dauid prayeth that his Prayers may come vnto God as the Incense Prayses Psal 50. we are willed to sacrifice praises And as they must offer at the Altar of Incense so must they at the Atar of Burnt offerings also Psal 51. a sinner repenting becommeth a Priest because a broken and contrite heart is the sacrifice of God such an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sacrificing of mans owne selfe is a speciall act of Christian Priest-hood And so is in generall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 well doing Heb. 13. Cap. 12. Be not wearie saith Saint Paul of well doing for with such sacrifices God is well pleased and he exhorteth the Romanes to offer vp their bodies a liuing sacrifice holy and acceptable vnto God which is their reasonable seruice of him A Priest saith Origen is mens Deodicata and he is called a Leuite which doth continually attend God In Leuit. 25. and minister to his will in this sense Esay saith of the Church you shall be called the Priests of the Lord and they shall say vnto you the Ministers of God This second title of honor putteth vs in mind religiously to serue God for it is a plaine contradiction for a man to be a Priest and not to attend the Altar he that neuer prayeth vnto God neuer praiseth him for his benefits hee that neuer repenteth of his sinne nor crucifieth his sinfull flesh he that doth not exercise himselfe in good workes doth really renounce the Christian Priest-hood And here by the way let me obserue vnto you how senselesly they cast durt into their owne faces that vilifie Gods Ministers in the name of Priests forgetting that it is one of the honourable titles which themselues are vouchsafed of God and it is their dignitie in Gods word to be stiled Priests But happily they would be such Kings as are no Priests absolute in themselues and acknowledge no superiour which was the head-long pride of Angels and of Adam Put this title of Priest to that of King and then you shall find that this doth temper that for it teacheth that our Eminencie is subordinate for a King is he that hath inferiours a Priest is he that hath a superiour for a Priest doth honour those aboue him as a King is honoured by those that are below him the name of a King must not make vs thinke so highly of our selues but the name of a Priest must teach vs to bee humble we must so carrie our selues Masters of our selues as that in all things wee be the dutifull sernants of God Well then Kings we are and Priests but how in Christ The name of Christ is as much as anointed and Christ was anointed to bee the the King of glorie and a Priest after the order of Melchisedecke and we in Baptisme put on Christ we are grafted into him Aug de Ciuit. Dei lib. 10 c 10. and so become Christians partakers of his vnction and if of his vnction then of his Kingdome and Priestood Whosoeuer therefore doth seperate himselfe from Christ doth withall depriue himselfe of his Royaltie and his Priesthood for we are not Kings nor Priests but in him and by him who is the soueraigne both Priest and King so Saint Iohn teacheth in the first yea all the Saints professe in the fift of the Reuelation You haue heard hitherto much of a King and a Priest but these titles must not be misconstrued they fauour not the rebellion of Corah Numb 10. Dathan and Abiram nor Anabaptisticall anarchie not the wrest of those words in Daniel The Kingdome shall be giuen to the Saints Cap 7. as all are Kings so are all Priests and as all are Priests so are all Kings all are both spiritually without preiudice to Ciuill or Ecclesiasticall gouernment The case is cleere both in the Old and New Testament Deut. 33.5 for notwithstanding this promise Moses continued a King so hee is termed in Israel and Aaron with the Leuites did minister in the Tabernacle and the rebels against both were fearefully swallowed vp by the earth that cleft vnder them And though the Apostles giue vnto Christians the same honourable title that God by Moses giueth to Israel yet doe they require them to be subiect to higher Powers Rom. 13. Heb 13. and obey them that watch for their soules and threaten vengeance and damnation to such as are disobedient Wherefore that we be not carried away with the errour of the sonnes of Belial let vs obserue First touching our Roialtie that regnum Dei est intra nos the kingdome here spoken of is a kingdome within vs and Rex est qui se regit the King in this kingdome is he which ruleth himselfe well the sphere of this soueraigntie extendeth not farther then a mans owne person wee may not confound it with the kingdomes of this world with those Powers that are ordaind of God for the peace and benefit of Church and Common-weale if we doe we doe misconstrue Gods words and are vsurpers of the Ciuill Sword So likewise must we conceiue of the Priesthood for there is Sacerdos in persona sua a Priest that acteth only his owne person and there is Sacerdos in persona aliena a Priest that doth act the person of another Lay men are Priests if they bee Christian men but they act no bodies person but their owne they performe no other sacred duties but such as euery man doth owe to God the Cleargie they are Priests but they are so in persona aliena they represent the persons of others you may perceiue it in their forme of speeches they speake in the plurall number We beseech thee O Lord Wee praise thee O God c. and all the people saith thereunto Amen confessing in that word that the Minister is but their mouth not that hee deriueth his power from them as if they had it habitually and communicated it actually to him for neuer can it be proued that Holy Orders were at any time in the multitude it hath euer beene either Natiue or Donatiue still by the appointment of God who made it Natiue only to the first-borne at first and then to the seed of Aaron and after their Priesthood determined it became Donatiue Christ gaue it to his Apostles and by his Apostles tooke order to continue a succession but so as to deriue the power of Holy Orders still from them that were in Holy Orders so that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in vse it was euer the whole Churches as the
to the Legall Sacrifice God did testifie it to the corporall Sion and Ierusalem by fire from heauen which consumed the Sacrifice but vnto the spirituall Sion and Ierusalem 1. Chron 7. he doth testifie it by the sensible comfort which by his Spirit he doth infuse into their soules while they are Militant and hee will testifie it more plentifully by the light of his countenance which shall shine vpon them when in the Church Triumphant they shall stand before his Throne Marke here a Correction of that which was said before you heard that Sacrifices and burnt offerings were neither required nor accepted here you find the contrarie And yet not the contrarie for there they bee refused in Casu in a Case wherein no sacrifice was allowed and they be also refused opposite if the Morall be not ioyned with the Ceremonial but here wee haue no such case no such opposition God did accept them vnder the Law as exercises of faith and he will accept the truth of them for euer for that is most agreeable vnto his nature a spirituall seruice to God which is a Spirit And let this suffice for King Dauids first vndertaking I come now to the second his vndertaking for the Kingdome The Kingdome is vnderstood in this word they it referreth to Sion and Ierusalem mentioned in the former verse they that haue the benefit are they that shal make the acknowledgement Before it was Ego the King spake in his owne person I will shew forth thy praise I will teach the wicked c. Now it is Illi my Kingdome Priest and people both shall be as religions as my selfe And indeed the Kingdome as well as the King ought to be thankfull vnto God when God is good to both Dauid vndertaketh for his Kingdome that it shall be very thankfull for they shall offer Bullocks A Bullocke is a faire Embleme of a spirituall Sacrihce for it fignifieth an heyfer that is come to the age of beng fruitfull or it commeth of Parah and yet it hath not borne the yoake nor beene put to any drudgery And such should euery one bee that serueth God he should be fruitfull and not seruile abounding in good workes but not be the slaue of sinne There are two other things to be obserued in this word first it was the fairest of Offirings Secondly it was the fittest for the Offerers Amongst the Sacrifices the fairer were the Beasts and of the beasts the fairest was the Bullocke God commanded no Sacrifice thet was greater then that S. Paul out of Hosea doth moralize this Sacrifice Heb. 13. Hos 19. calling it the Calues of our lippes for by Calues are these Bullocks meant We may adde that seing Bullockes were the greatest of Sacrifices we must thinke that nothing we haue is too good for God and we must make our Offerings of the best The Bullocke was not onely the fairest Offering but the fittetst for these Offerers you shall read Leutt. 3. that whether it were the whole Congregation or the Priest that had offended either of them was to reconcile himselfe to God by the oblation of a Bullocke and seeing they are meant in this place such a Sacrifice doth best beseeme them but that the propitiatorie is turned into a gratulatorie But to whom shall they be thankfull surely to him that doth deserue it to God they shall offer vpon his Altar he that fulfilleth the Desire hath iuterest in the Promise they shall confesse that it is He that doth good to Sion that it is He that butldeth the wals of Ierusalem Secondly note that he saieth not that they will offer vnto him but vpon his Altar the Altar that was erected by his appointment For though it be true that where the Altar was there was God yet it followeth not that where God is there is his Altar God is pleased to confine not onely the substance but the circumstance of our seruice also Deut. 12.33 hee would not bee worshipped euery where The Ceremoniall Altar is gon but the Morall thereof abideth where Christ is thither must we bend our seruice he is the Altar that halloweth our Sacrifice on him and by him must we present it vnto God Againe the Altar doth note that it is not enough for vs priuately to recount Gods blessings we must divulge them publikely though the Heathen had their priuate Altars yet God had none but in a publike place therfore the setuice must needs be publike that is done vpon the Altar Adde the Bullocke and the Altar together and then you shall find that this was Operaria gratitudo the hand should testifie the thankfulnesse of the heart and the Kingdome would be thankfull not in word onely but indeed also And indeed God doth good to Sion and buildeth vp the wals of Ierusalem that they may offer him such Sacrifice To conclude this poynt as Dauid in his owne Vow made Gods praise the vpshot of his promise so doth hee in the Vow of the People And indeed the Church must not desire prosperity otherwise then that God may haue the glory of it God made all things for himselfe and we must subordinate all things vnto him otherwise we substitute the Creature in stead of the Creator and cannot excuse our selues from Idolatry from which Dauid doth free his Kingdome in saying They shall offer at Gods Altar You haue heard of Gods acceptance and the Kingdomes thankfulnesse that these things shall bee performed Dauid vndertakâ—th for both he vndertaketh to each of them for the other for marke how resolutely he speaketh Thou shalt be pleased They shall offer Vox fidei fiduciae hee beleeueth it assuredly and therefore doth confidently affirme it Neither can their be any doubt but if our seruice be the sacrifice of righteousnesse God will accept it for he will neuer refuse what himselfe commanded And it can as little be doubted that the Kingdome will bee thankfull if God doe it that good for it is a speciall effect of Grace to make vs so thankfull so that we may not doubt of either I haue sufficiently opened the Promise vnto you one thing remaineth the circumstance of time when this Promise shall take place it is exprest in this word Then which is set before either of the vndertakings Then shalt thou be pleased Theu shall they offer c. except God fulfill the Desire there is no hope of the Promise but the performance of the Promise will not be farre behind if the Desire bee fulfilled Touching the Ceremonie wee find it in the Dedication of the Temple when many thousands of Bullocks were offered 1. King 8. and God appearing vnto Solomon told him how well he was pleased therewith And touching the morall though in figuratiue termes yet it is fairely set downe Ezek. 20. and Malac 3. you haue it in a short sentence Psal 110. The people shall be willing in the day of thy power Math. 18.20 and the beauties of holinesse And Christ is as briefe
perfection of that Loue wherewith wee must loue the Lord our God secondly the degree of that perfection wherhence will arise a third point and that is the iust reason why this first Commandement is called great I begin with the perfection In the question of vertue Diuines require a double perfection one partium the other graduum there is a perfection of the parts in man which must bee seasoned with the virtue and the vertue in those parts must arise vnto it's full pitch This Text requireth both these perfections in Charitie the perfection of the parts of man are intimated in the enumeration of the heart minde soule strength vnto these all our inward and outward abilities may bee reduced so that there is no power nor part of man that must not bee qualified with the loue of God But of this perfection I haue spoken when I shewed you the Seat of Loue I made it plaine vnto you that there was to be in our Charitie a perfection of parts That with which wee haue now to doe is the perfection of degrees the Text will tell vs that it is not enough for euery of those parts to haue the loue of God in them they must also be wholy taken vp therewith and this perfection is noted by the word All which is added to Heart Minde Soule Strength Let vs come then to it A Commandement is the sooner admitted if the reasonablenesse of the ground thereof be first discouered I will therefore first discouer the ground vpon the reasonablesse whereof this great Measure is required The ground is twofold there is one in God and another in Vs. The ground that is found in God is taken from the preface of this Text as Moses hath deliuered it and Saint Marke hath repeated it the preface is Hearken O Israel the Lord thy God is but One but One therefore the intire Obiect of our Loue he will not giue this his glorie vnto any other neither will he indure any Corriuall herein the beginning the middle and the end of this Obiect is only He that is Alpha and Omega first and last Had we many Lord-Gods then might wee haue many obiects of our Loue the Obiect can no more bee multipliced then he can Take all the parts of his Title asunder and you shall sind Onenes and Intirenes therein He is first called Lord which importeth the fountaine of Being and Goodnesse which doth accompanie the same Now there is no other fountaine but He for as he is that which he is so are are all things of him yea and in him also no one shareth with him herein As he is the only fountaine of Being of all being so is he of Goodnesse Math. 1◠17. of whatsoeuer thing is good Our Sauiour telleth vs there is none good but he and Moses that all which he made and he made all was exceeding good Gen. 1. Euery good and perfect gift commeth from him and if from him then it is in him be it honestum iucundum or vtile so that we can seeke nothing without him Iames 1.17 which wee may not find in him and find it much more eminently Neither can we forsake any thing for him but in hauing him wee shall haue more then an abundant amends for as he is One so he is All Aug. Manual cap. 33. all good is contained in this One Lord bonorum totum totaliter diligendum wee can doe no lesse then bee wholy his that doth vouchsafe to be wholy ours As for the name God which I told you importeth the three Persons what euery one is called that he is Only and Graciously Call no man Father on earth saith Christ for you haue but one Father euen your Father which is in Heauen Math. 23 9. and he is a most louing Father no such tender bowels to bee found no not in most naturall and indulgent Parents As for the second person which is God the Sonne he is Vnicus Vnicè dilectus an only Sonne only begotten most dearely Beloued we can find no meanes of our being adopted being accepted but in him and by him Iesus is not diuided how often doth hee proclaime it in Isay Beside mee there is no Sauiour Isey 43. neither is Christ diuided he is the only Prophet that can acquaint vs with the counsels of God the only Priest whose sacrifice can pacifie God finally the only King that can subdue all the enemies of the Church and make it partaker of his Kingdome Neither is the third person lesse Vnus Omnia the Apostle telleth vs that there is but one Spirit and he deriueth all graces from him 1. Cor 11. be they graces of Adoption or graces of edification hee worketh all and hee workes in all he is our Leader our Comforter our Sanctifier our Supporter Ours I say for which is the last note in the name whether it bee Lord or God that is One they are that which they are vnto vs vnto vs haue they appropriated their Onenesse for they are to no other what they are to the Church and the Church as heretofore I haue told you is meant by Thou and to the Church they communicate their All all the treasures of their common and seuerall Good so farre as the Church is capable thereof I suppose that if you haue well heeded what I haue said you will acknowledge that there is a faire ground in the Lord our God why hee should challenge all our loue Let vs come now and looke vpon our selues and see what ground thereof we can find there When the question was moued vnto Christ whether the Iewes ought to pay tribute vnto Caesar or not hee called for the Coine and asked whose image and superscription it bare and when they answered him Caesars he replyed Giue vnto Caesar those things which are Caesars but he addeth to our purpose that vpon the same ground they must giue vnto God those things which are Gods If the image and superscription were a iust ground why Coine should be paid vnto Caesar where Gods Image is found there is as good a reason that that should be rendred vnto him Now Gods Image is found in vs by Nature for we were made according to his Image so that all which we receiue from him we owe vnto him by the Law of Creation A second way is Gods Image in vs by Grace for our Regeneration is but a second Creation wherein we are reformed vnto that Image according to which God at first created vs. All then is due vnto God a second time by the Law of our Redemption so that whether we looke vpon our heart our minde our soule or strength it may well be demanded of vs Quid habes quod non accepisti What hast thou which thou hast not receiued and if we haue receiued it all the exaction is but reasonable Si totum exigit à te qui totum fecit refecit te surely Saint Paul thought so when he willeth
directed hereby will returne a true verdict and indict vs of no lesse sinne then we haue committed Thirdly as a man must conuict himselfe according to the Law so according to the Law must hee doome himselfe acknowledge whatsoeuer is due to a wretched sinner what place what state what worme what fire what losse what paine that all these are due vnto himselfe this Intrinsecall consideration of the Law must euery one haue that will obserue Gods Couenant But he must not rest here he must come on to the Extrinsecall the supernaturall Power of the Law whereat the Lawgiuer did finally aime man finding no innocencie in himselfe must seeke it in Christ hee must vnload his conscience vpon the propitiatorie Sacrifice and wash his garments white in the bloud of that Lambe through confidence in Christs death hee must insult against that death which is the wages of his sinne Rom 6. Finally what was impossible for the Law by reason of the weaknesse of his flesh Rom. 8. this must be his comfort that God sending his owne Sonne in the likenesse of sinfull flesh and for sinne condemned sinne in the flesh that the righteousnesse of the Law might bee fulfilled in vs who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit You see what it is to keepe the Couenant of God I may not omit the reason why God calleth it his Couenant and the reason is twofold First because we being inferiours and enemies could not prescribe any Articles to God but were to take such as he was pleased to prescribe both to himselfe and vs so that though there be two parties to the Conenant yet is there but one that proscribes And we may well be content with it for being in that case that we were in wee could not haue wisht for so much as God hath done for vs. A second Reason is because in point of Religion couenanting with any other is forbidden God brooketh not that he hauing appropriated himselfe as it were vnto vs wee should communicate vnto others the honour that is due to him The Couenant of God is of the nature of those leagues which require intire offensiue and defensiue seruice we must haue to doe with no others but for the Lord and in the Lord. I draw to an end Let vs lay together the two parts of the Text and so you may learne two good lessons That which in the former part is called Gods voice is in the later part called Gods Couenant the later name sweetens the former the first is imperious the second is gratious and who would not heare that voice the argument whereof is nothing but Gods wonderfull fauour though the pride of our nature be impatient to be commanded yet can it not chuse but take it for a great honour that wee are contracted with by the Soueraigne Lord of Heauen and Earth that we are contracted with about our heauenly aduancement and our euerlasting emolument Our second Lesson is That seeing to heare Gods Voice is to keepe his Couenant the breach of our dutie is not only Sin but Persidiousnesse our euill deseruing of God is aggrauated by Gods well deseruing of vs which we should well obserue for if we haue not lost all ingenuitie the due consideration hereof will worke in vs the deeper remorse for sinne past and be vnto vs the stronger preseruatiue against sinne to come Adde a third Lesson that hearing the Voice is put before keeping the Couenant because that is a meanes vnto this for we cannot keepe Gods Couenant but by the grace which we receiue by hearing his Voice I will end with the Prayer of King Dauid TEach me Psal 119 33 34 O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it vnto the end giue me vnderstanding and I shall keepe thy Law yea I shall obserue it with my whole heart The fourth Sermon EXODVS 19. VERS 5 6. Then shall yee be a peculiar treasure vnto mee aboue all people for all the earth is mine And yee shall be vnto me a Kingdome of Priests and an holy Nation IN the message which God sent by Moses to Israel testifying vpon what tearmes he would couenant with them there are as heretofore I haue obserued two remarkabe points the first teaching What God doth require the second What God doth offer And these points must be considered first in themselues wee must see what they meane then betweene themselues we must see how the one depends vpon the other I haue handled the first of these points I haue shewed you what God requires of Israel he requires their absolute obedience and their constant fidelitie that they heare his voice indeed and that they keepe his Couenant It followeth that I now come on to the second point that I shew you what God offers and that which he offers vnto Israel is a gracious Prerogatiue A Prerogatiue is some great good vouchsafed vs wherein wee exceed others and in Gods offer there is a manifold good contained This good is first specified then it is amplified In specifying it God doth first resemble it he telleth the Israelites they shall bee a pecullar treasure Then he brancheth it into a double blessing an eminencie of their state They shall be a Kingdome of Priests and a Sanctitie of their persons They shall be an holy Nation These blessings so specified are also amplified in the words Eritis mihi yee shall be to me It is a great blessing to be a peculiar treasure to be a royall Priesthood to be an holy Nation but to he any of these how much more to bee all these vnto God doth not a little improue our blessing You see the Good is great which they are vouchsafed But wee doe not yet see that the hauing of it is a Prerogatiue It becomes then such if it be not a common good and if therein wee goe beyond others and such is Israels blessing that which God will vouchsafe them to be they shall be aboue all other Nations The offer you see doth containe a Prerogatiue But this Prerogatiue is moreouer Gracious gracious whether you respect the Receiuer or the Giuer the receiuer vos yee persons of no worth the giuer God that hath no want all the earth is mine in so litle worth of theirs and lesse want of Gods to honour them so farre must needs be a worke of Grace I haue laid before you Gods offer All Saints day it deserues your attentiue listning vnto it the day which we solemnize putteth vs in mind of our interest therein and wee may become all Saints because this gracious Prerogatiue is offered to vs all Wherefore that we may partake it let our diligent eares quicken the desire of our hearts to entertaine these particulars which I shall now vnfold vnto you briefly and in their order I begin with the Prerogatiue The Good therein offered is first resembled vnto a peculiar treasure Of the goods which a man hath if a man haue much goods
sight of the eye is the sight of the whole bodie but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in possession it was neuer Basil lib â— de Baptismo Aug de Ciuit Deiliâ— 20 cap. 10. Leo de anniuersaria assumptione Serm. 3. no more then the whole bodie could euer see Wee must not then confound the Hierarchicall and the Mysticall Priesthood no more then we may the externall and the internall Kingdome each must keepe within his bounds And as we must in our priuate be religious as Priests in seruing God so wee must not without a lawfull calling and a mans lawfull calling is not as Anabaptists dreame his owne conceited abilitie but a Mission and Commission from lawfull Superiours without such a Calling I say we may not intermeddle with Pastorall Functions Finally the publike Kings and Priests must neither of them abuse these titles neither of them must wrest this place The Romanists are carefull to remember Kings that they play not Priests they amplifie Vzziahs example that was stricken with Leprosie for being so presumptuous I would they did aswell remember Christs speech whose Vicar the Pope claymes to be Iohn 18.36 Luke 12.14 My kingdome is not of this world and that Man who made me a Iudge to diuide inheritances they would not so often being Priests vsurpe vpon the sword But let them take heed Christ told Saint Peter Math. 26.52 and they will find it one day true The Priest that medleth with the sword shall perish by the sword the Kings ouer whom the Pope hath long tyrannized shall one day worke his ruine And thus much of the Eminencie of the Churches state I come now to the Sanctitie of their persons Israel shall be an holy nation and indeed Kings who are Priests such as you haue heard described how can they chuse but bee Holy especially seeing the persons that communicate in those titles are the First-borne Exod. 13. for the First-borne by the Law were holy to the Lord. And what is the oyle wherewith they were anointed Exod 30. Cap. 2 Cap. 1 18. but oleum sanctitatis holy oyle what are their persons but Temples of the Holy Ghost Ieremie calleth them Gods first-fruits and Saint Iames telleth vs that all Christians are a kind of first-fruits to God 2 Cor. 11.2 Ephes 5 27. The Church is by the Apostle said to be a chast virgin without spot or wrinkle in the Reuelation the Spouse is clothed in fine white linnen Reuel 19 8. Esay 26. which is the righteousnesse of Saints in the Prophet she is called The land of righteousnesse finally in our Creed the holy Catholike Church â—sal 101. King Dauid required vertue in his seruants He that walketh in a perfect way he shall serue mee how much more God To whom the Psalmist speaketh thus Lord who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle who shall abide vpon thy holy hill God answereth Hee that leadeth an vncorrupt life c. But what is Holinesse Origen will teach vs the holinesse of a man must be conceiued as the holinesse of a beast a vessell a vestment now those things were separated from prophane vses and dedicated to sacred so must a man be first seperated from earth and earthly things he must not set his affections vpon them though he be in the world Col. 3.2 Iohn 17. yet hee must not be of the world hee must not loue the world nor the things in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life 1. Iohn 2.15 Ephes 5.11 he must haue no fellowship with the vnfruitfull workes of darknesse This is his separation the first branch of Holinesse The second is Dedication his life must be deuoted vnto God Christianitie is an imitation of the Diuine Nature a reducing of himselfe to the Image of God in which he was created 2. Pet. 1. Ephes 4. 1. Pet. 2. to righteousnesse and holines of truth a shewing forth of the vertues of him that hath called vs into his maruellous light If a man professe himselfe to be a Painter and take vpon him to make the picture of a King and mis-shape him doth hee not deserue iust blame yes surely for hee occasioneth strangers to thinke meanly of the Kings person because of his ill fauoured portraiture and shall a Christian escape punishment whose life is to be a visible representation of Christ if Infidels blaspheme Christ while they iudge of him according to his counterfeit hee shall not Wherefore faciamus de terra coelum faith Saint Chrysostome In Matth. 12. Tem. 2 p. 332. let vs represent Heauen in earth let vs so liue as that men may say that God is in vs of a truth Let our light so shine before men that they may see our good workes and glorisie our Father which is in Heauen Holinesse is the true characterizing qualitie of a Christian it distinguisheth betweene the faithfull Iust Martyr ad Diognâ—t p. â—97 〈◊〉 in Apolog. p. 61. and infidell they differ not in place in apparell in diet c. but in charitie in pietie in obedience in patience in euery Christian vertue whatsoeuer shew a man make if he want these vertues he is but like the Iuglers Ape which being attired like a reasonable creature and dancing curiously to his Masters instrument deceiued the people of Alexandria vntill one espying the fraud threw a few Dates vpon the Stage which the Ape no sooner espied but he tore all his vizard and fell to bis victuals to the scorne of his Master which gaue occasion to the Prouerbe An Ape is an Ape though hee bee clad neuer so gaily Nyssen applies it vnto men that call themselues Christians professe that they know God Tom. 2. de professione Christiana and that their hope is in Heauen but no sooner doth any vanitie come in their way but their heart doth betray where there treasure is but let them remember the Prouerbe It is a snare for a man to deuoure that which is holy Origen applies it to the sacriledge that a man committeth that vowed himselfe in Baptisme to the Lord and giueth himselfe vnto the World I conclude this point with Gods words in the Law Lenit 11.44 Math. 5 4â— Be yee holy for I am holy and with Christs words in the Gospell Bee yee perfect as your Father in Heauen is perfect sinne must not raigne in our mortall bodies because we are an holy Nation You see how the Good which God offereth to Israel is specified you must next heare how it is amplified that appeares in the words Eritis mihi As the Proprietarie is so doth the value of a thing rise hee addeth to the worth at least to the esteeme thereof though man only to the esteeme yet God also to the worth for hee can proportion the creatures worth answerable to his esteeme he whose glorie shineth in the heauens and handie worke in the firmament doth declare his glorie much more in the
the more choice God had the more grace hee vouchsafed to them whom hee chose so that wee must resolue the words thus Although all the world be mine yet thou shalt be to me and so the Offer will appeare absolutely free What shall we say then vnto these things Surely as God hath little cause by reason of our vilenesse to ioy that wee are His so wee haue great cause by reason of our happinesse to ioy that God is ours who would be ambitious after any woddly thing that may be partaker of this gracious prerogatiue And all Nations may partake of it It is true that these words were spoken to Israel and therefore the Iewes at this day count all Nations slaues beside themselues appropriating vnto themselues this Prerogatiue but their pride should blush when it considers that God hath so many hundred yeares stript them of their spirituall ornaments and made them corporall slaues to all the World 1 Epist 2. Saint Peter applies this very text vnto Christians and the foure and twentie Elders confesse thus vnto Christ Reuel 5. Thou hast redeemed vs to God by thy bloud out of enerie kindred and tongue and people and nation and hast made vs vnto our God Kings and Priests These words then belong to Vs Rom. 11.20 yet must wee not bee high-minded but feare Gen 49. if Israel lost his primogeniture so may we God may say to vs as Iacob said to Reuben for his sinne Non excelles thou shalt bee disinherited Hos 1.9 Gnammi may become Lo-Gnammi they are Gods people may cease to bee his people What is the way to preuent it Surely dutie to consider of this gracious Prerogatiue and indeuour carefully to partake thereof If we esteeme it as it deserues and desire it as we ought we shall not faile to haue it and by it be entred into the houshold of Saints those Saints whose memory wee solemnize this day for they became such by this Prerogatiue and this Prerogatiue will make vs such if wee bee Gods peculiar treasure here on earth wee shall be it much more in the kingdome of heauen by how much our gold shall be freer from drosse and no cloud shall dimme our precious jewels If we be Kings here in the state of grace our kingdome is but like that of Dauid full of warre but when wee come to heauen our kingdome shall be like that of Salomon it shall bee a kingdome of peace And our Priest-hood which is now often interrupted and neglected often shall neuer depart from before God and wee shall sacrifice to him day and night Finally holy wee are now rather in the good purpose of our minde then in the performance of our life but then we shall bee Trees of life euer laden with kindly fruit fit to honour to cheare both God and men LEt vs all pray for and God grant vnto vs all such a beginning of this gracious Prerogatiue in this life that we may haue the full consummation thereof with all the Saints departed in the life to come Amen Remember me O Lord with the fauour of thy people visit me with thy saluation That I may see the felicitie of thy chosen and reioyce in the ioy of thy people and glorie with thine inheritance Psal 116. The fifth Sermon EXODVS 19. VERS 5. Now therefore if yee will obey my voice c. Then shall yee be c. IN the first message which from mount Sinai God sent by Moses vnto Israel I haue told you heretofore that there are contained two remarkable points the first sheweth what God requires the second what God offers I told you then also that the Text leadeth me to consider these two points first seuerally then ioyntly I haue already considered them seuerally I haue shewed you what they meane it remaineth that I now consider them ioyntly that I shew you how they depend one vpon the other And this Obseruation I draw from the reference of these two particles If and Then If yee shall obey my voice c. Then yee shall be vnto me c. But to deale more distinctly Out of this reference we may draw too good Obseruations The first Wee must not exspect what God doth offer except we performe what God doth require for thus speaketh the Text If yee shall heare my voice and keepe my Couenant Then shall yee bee vnto me c. The second We may not slicke at that which God requires because that which God offers doth infinitely exceed it that will be euident if wee compare them as they are laid downe in the Text Yee shall be vnto me a peculiar treasure aboue all people a Kingdome of Priests an holy Nation If you heare my voice and If you keepe my Couenant Now there is no comparison betweene these Out of these two Obseruations doe arise two other for this reference will teach vs that Our faith and our Charitie must goe before our Hope for wee must heare Gods voice which is the worke of faith and keepe Gods Conenant which is the worke of Charitie before we can exspect to be Gods peculiar treasure a Kingdome of Priests an Holy Nation which blessings are the matter of our Hope And backe againe Our Hope must keepe in heart both our Faith and Charitie for he that is thus resolued that he shall bee Gods peculiar treasure a King to him and his Priest finally Holy to the Lord no doubt no danger will stay him will quell him from hearing Gods voice and keeping Gods Couenants he that so hopeth will beleeue and loue God These are the particulars wherewith I will endeauour God willing to order and quicken yours and mine owne faith hope and charitie I pray God wee may all so listen to them as those that meane to liue by them But before I open them vnto you I must acquaint you with a difference of Gods spirituall promises of them some are Absolute some are Conditionals wee may not confound them Absolute are all those prophecies of the Messias to come and the worke of Redemption foretold and presigured in the Old Testament whereof in the New we read the full accomplishment they take vp the first part of our Creed and of all these absolute promises Gods saying in Esay is true My counsell shall stand and I will accomplish all my will Cap 46. mauger all the infidelitie of man and the machinations of Satan without great absurditie yea impietie cannot these promises bee conceiued to depend on the will of any ereature Angell or man Conditionall promises are those which concerne particular persons or states participation of Christ incorporation into the Church fruition of crernall life of all these the rule of Saint Austin is true Quifecit te sine te non saluabit te sine te euerie person euerie state must put their hands to this worke or else it would neuer goe forward My Text doth containe a Promise of this later sort a Conditionall not an Absolute
senselesse a subiect Lib. 22. Moral Cap. 13. Gregorie the Great parallels Dauid in his Sinne with Lazarus in his Graue Christ cried with a loude voyce Lazarus come forth and it was not a weake voyce that could rouse Dauid out of his so dead a Sleepe and it is the common disease of all sinners nothing lesse then Gods Spirit can worke a spirituall remorse in them But the power of the Ministrie will appeare better in the successe wherefore I come vnto that The Successe was a speedie and a Sollemne Conuersion a Speedie he did not outface the Prophet he did neither denie nor extenuate his fault but presently acknowledged it and desired to bee vnburdened of it In Psal 37. gustauit tantùm peccatum saith Saint Ambrose vt ostenderet quomodo posset aboleri he tasted of the poyson but did not digest it he did not so take in sinne Dedoct Christian Iab 3. Cap. 21. but he could vomit it vp againe Saint Austin wittily obserues the word Hospes in Nathans Parable and shewes that sinne in the Children of God is but a stranger well may it be entertayned it cannot haue in them any perpetuall abode because it is not of the Houshould yea seeing they accompt this stranger to be an enemie they make hast to be rid of him we see this in Dauid and we must learne by him when we are roused to see that we are out of the way to make hast and not deferre the time to turne our feete into the way of Gods Commandements Psal 119. As Dauids Conuersion is Speedie so it is Solemne it appeares in two points in that hee penned this Psalme and that hee committed it vnto the Chiefe Musician Iames 5.13 First he penned the Psalme Saint Iames his Rule If any man bee merry let him sing holds not backward therefore euery man that singes is merrie There are mournefull aswell as there are ioyfull songs Gracelesse persons when they haue sinned are so shamelesse as to make ioyfull songes thereof witnes the impure Sonets whereof euery Age hath vented some none more then this our sinfull Age and they are accompted the fittest Musicke for their most riotous Feasts But Dauids Song made of his sinne is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adolefull Elegie a verie Lamentation But what needed this after Nathan had absolued him yes there was great neede of it first His Confession to Nathan was very succinct and though praematura venia arguebat profundam Poenitentiam God knew he repented heartily whom hee forgaue so speeedily yet so short a Text needed a larger Commentarie least men should conceaue too shallowly of Repentance and performe it perfunctorily Secondly the Conscience is not so soone quieted as it is pardoned though our Faith doe rest vpon Gods Truth yet desire we to haue it confirmed by a liuely sense therefore a godly man newly recouered though he be safe is not secure which maketh him plie God with his prayers vntill he haue recouered againe his former Peace Finally God released all the punishment of sinne vnto Dauid but not all the Chastisement as it appeares by Nathans Absolution Dauid might desire to bee eased of that also and to that end hee might importune God with his passionate Prayer And it beseemes vs well when wee are free from the Flames of Hell to deprecate the calamities wherewith God may iustly visit vs in this life I come to the last note This Psalme when Dauid had penned it was deliuered to the chiefe Musician or Master of the Quire not onely to bee kept but also to be sung hee would haue the Church to witnesse to his Conuersion and take a good Patterne from him yea so it was made a part of the Cation and is to goe for a Rule amongst vs The Septuagint intimate as much when they translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they intimate thereby that not onely Dauids Case must bee remembred therein but others also must be conformed thereto But I must end 1. As Nathan was sent to Dauid saith Saint Austin so is Dauid sent vnto vs we may nay we doe goe in to our Bath-sheba commit spirituall corporall fornication and God knowes we haue litle sense of our sinne As we tread Dauids steps in sinninge so in Dauids senselesnes let vs reade our owne 2. God doth not forsake vs when wee will not we cannot helpe our selues we haue many Nathans that are neither vnlearned nor idle they deale as discreetly as vnpartially it were to bee wished that as they are Needefull and Powerfull so they might speede with vs as Nathan did with Dauid and worke in vs a Speedie and a Solemne Repentance 3. If King Dauid were not ashamed so to humble so to afflict his Soule which of vs should be ashamed wee should not but as Saint Ambrose in his dayes Apolog. Dauid 1 c. 2. wee so may wee complaine in ours there are fewe men bee they but of meane substance that doe not thinke themselues too good to be so abased yet he that will not submit himselfe to this painfull impression of the Law shall neuer feele that more comfortable that springs from the Gospell GOd grant that seeing the best of vs shall euer carrie about vs a Bodie of sinne we may neuer want Nathans if it may be to prevent at least to make vs see our slips and that wee may bee as tractable as King Dauid submitting our selues to the voyce of the Law that wee may haue the benefite of the Gospell so may Pastors and People haue mutuall Comfort in the Church Militant and in the Triumphant be ioyntly blest for Euermore Amen PSAL. 51. VERS 1.2 1. Haue mercy vpon me O God according to thy louing kindnesse according vnto the multitude of thy tender Mercies blot out my transgressions 2. Wash mee thoroughly from mine iniquitie and cleanse mee from my sinne THis Penetentiall doth teach vs touching Repentance whence it springs and what it is Whence in the Title and What in the Psalme Of the Title I haue alreadie spoken It followeth that I now come on to the Psalme which when I haue ript vp and laid open before you you will haue iust Cause to say that it is the goodliest Picture of true Repentance that euer was drawne by the pen of the Holy Ghost The whole is a Prayer but of that kind which we call a Vow And as King Dauid did sustayne a double Person so is his Vow double Hee was a Child of God a deare one Hee was a Member of the kingdome the cheifest one he was a man after Gods owne Heart and hee was the King of Israel therefore he vowes not onely for himselfe but his Kingdome also But in setting downe his Vowes he obserues a good Order the first is for Himselfe the second for the Kingdome And why The Kingdome was wounded by his Fall and the Cure thereof depended vpon his Recouerie therefore doth he first take care of the Head from whom the same health was
to streame afterwards into all the Body For though the Vowes be two yet are they both resolued into the same parts there are in effect the same Contents in either votiue Prayer Let vs take them asunder and see it In that either is a vow you must find in either the parts of a vow they are a Desire and a Promise you may see them euidently in either Vow First in the Vow that King Dauid maketh for Himselfe hee doth expresse a desire to be restored vnto and preserued in the state of Grace and if he speede hee doth Promise a religious Seruice vnto God These two Poynts are enlarged in the seauenteene first verses in the personall Case of King Dauid and being contracted are repeated againe with a speciall Application to his kingdome in the two last You see the breife of the whole Psalme but it is too scant it will not yeeld you a full view let vs then goe backe againe and vnwrap these particulars that we may take more feeling notice of the spirituall riches that are contayned therein The first Vow is made for King Dauid the first branch of that Vow is his Desire and the first Petition in that Desire is That he may be restored vnto Grace In this Petition there are two remarkable things the Matter which hee presents vnto God and the Manner wherewith hee doth ingeminate the same Matter and presse God with it The Matter is contained in these two first verses which in effect sound onely this Miserable King Dauid desires reliefe from the effectuall Mercie of God in Iesus Christ. Where there is Sinne there is Miserie behold here varietie of Sinne Transgressions Iniquities Distortions all cleauing to Dauid for Mee and Mine confirme asmuch and make him a Wretch though hee were a King Now what is the Remedie of such Miserie but effectuall Mercie and this we finde here Mercy by Name in the entrance of the Prayer Haue Mercie But whereas there is Mercy in Affectu or in Effectu Mercy in God or Mercy from God King Dauid doth desire not onely that God would bee gratiously affected towards him but also that hee would worke powerfully vpon him 1. Vpon the Guilt of his Sinne Dele quit me thereof 2. vpon the Corruption of his Sinne Laua wash me therefrom Yea because Guilt is sooner remoued then Corruption clensed keeping correspondencie with Gods Course in working therein he adds Multùm laua Munda neuer giue ouer washing vntill thou hast made mee throughly cleane thus doth Miserie seeke vnto Mercy But where is Mercy to be found surely in God to Him he directs his Prayer Haue Mercy vpon me O God There is no remedie for a sinfull Man but in God whom he hath offended with his sinne and therefore hee saith Secundum Tuam Misericordiam according to Thy Mercy It is Gods propertie to haue Mercy but it is Gods in Christ so much is meant by the next words according to thy louing kindnesse according to thy tender Mercies God shines Graciously to none but in the Face of Iesus Christ and in him is God become a tender harted Father to all penitent Sinners To all I say for hee hath not onely tender Mercies but there is also in them to bee considered the Measure Rob is the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wee translate it Multitude but it signifies also Magnitude and giueth vs to vnderstand that bee our sinfull Miserie neuer so great neuer so diuerse wee shall not want releife in Mercy which is more great and manifold Finally the Text doth tell vs that as our Miserie must seeke for Mercie in God onely in whom it may be found so we must not dreame that any thing without God can obtaine this at Gods hands therefore wee must pray Secundum according to thy louing kindnesse O Lord let that be not onely the Measure of the Mercy which I seeke but the inducement thereto also And so haue you the Contents of that portion of King Dauids Desire which I haue read vnto you I will now resume them and to your and my farther edification enlarge the exposition of them First then though Mercy stand formost in the Text yet I will begin with the Miserie for Miserie is first in Nature and were it not for that there were no neede of Mercie add hereunto that the sense of Miserie sets the best edge vpon the desire of Mercie and he wil more eagerly long after it that perceiueth throughly in what need hee stands of it I told you that Dauid was miserable though he were a King were there no other proofe there is enough implyed in the first word hee that cryeth Miserere haue mercy doth plainly confesse that he is in Miserie for one Correlatiue cānot subsist without the other But to put it out of al doubt here is enough exprest to proue him a Wretch Pro. 14. Peccatum facit populos miseros wheresoeuer there is Sinne there is Miserie yea and there only for sinne only is simply Euill Malum Paenae Calamitie and Woe though we call them Euills yet indeed they are not so simply but onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Person is and as God intends for that otherwise they are good it is plaine by two vndoubted grounds the Efficient and the Finall Cause That which is Properly Euill hath onely Causam deficientem it springs from the fayling of a reasonable Creature but Woe hath Causam Efficientem it springs from the almighty Hand of God Hee is the Creator of this Darkenesse aswell as the opposite Light As it hath an Efficient so hath it a Final Cause that is the Recouerie of a sinner God iudgeth vs temporally that he may not iudge vs eternally therfore Dauid saith Pal. 119.71 Bonum est Domine quod humiliasti me it is good for me Lord that I haue bin in trouble but that which is truly Euill is destitute of a Finall cause aswel as it was of an Efficient as it comes from weak enes so it ends in vanitie It is true that God doth often times draw light out of darkenesse Good out of that which is simply Euill but that is don by his Transcendent Prouidence it will neuer proue that that which is truly Good truly Euill can haue any naturall habitude the one to the other or that they haue any Cognation betweene themselues Wherefore onely Sinne being simply Euill is that which properly maketh a Wretch And verily wee that beholding Beggers Lazars men any waies afflicted confesse them miserable si adspici possint lanitatus if we had eies to see the spirituall wounds and sores the wantes and the Woes of Adulterers Murderers Blasphemers any other wicked liuers wee would confesse them to be much more miserable My Text doth occasion me to giue you a tast thereof by opening the three words wherewith Dauid doth expresse his sinne The first is Peshang 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is well rendred a Transgression that is
vnto vs confusion of faces to our God also belonge Mercies and forgiuenesse though we bee plunged deepe in Miserte and Sinnes Cause thy face O Lord to shine vpon vs thy seruants and let not our sinnes seperate betweene thee and vs remit the Guilt purge the Corruption of vs miserable sinners which doe not present our supplications before thee for our owne Righteousnesse but for thy great Mercies though our sinnes witnesse against vs yet deale with vs according to thy Name for great are thy Mercies AMEN PSAL. 51. ver 3. For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sinne is euer before mee THis Psalme as heretofore you haue heard consists of two Vowes both were made by King Dauid one for himselfe another for his Kingdome the first doth expresse his Desire and his Promise his Desire to bee restored vnto and preserued in the state of Grace his Promise if hee speede hereof to performe religious seruice vnto God In the former Petition of his Desire there are two remarkeable things the Matter contained in it and the Manner of King Dauids redoubling it of the Matter I haue already spoken wherefore I now come on vnto the Manner And herein we must obserue first the Inference then the Amplification that is how that which followeth is brought in vpon that which goeth before and how King Dauid enlargeth himselfe in vnfolding the Confession of his owne Miserie and Petition for Gods Mercy In the Inference we shall learne that as God hath Mercy so it is for such as are sensible of their Miserie in the Amplification we shall learne that hee which is sensible must shew himselfe not onely ingenious in displaying his owne wretchednesse but bee assured also of the Remedie which is prouided by Gods Goodnesse But to looke more particularly into the former branch of the Amplification behold therein how King Dauid doth rip vp his sinnes the Branches the Root thereof the sinne which himselfe hath committed and the sinne which hee hath deriued from his Parents hee layeth open both both the Debt and the Vsury so Saint Chrysostom calls them Homil. ad Neophytos Hee beginneth at the sinne which himselfe hath committed he vseth not the querulous Prouerbe of the Iewes the fathers haue eaten sowre Grapes Ier. 34.29 and the Childrens teeth are set onedge the remembrance of his wofull Inheritance doth not make him forget his owne graceles Purchase no hee mindes this first hee first amplifieth the Debt which himselfe hath contracted In laying open this he obserueth two things the naturall Properties thereof and the supernaturall Euent which followeth thereupon the naturall Properties are two a Malignity and an Impiety he handles the Impietie in the next verse the Malignitie in this that I haue now read vnto you Malignity is a vexing euill first there is euill in his sinne hee toucheth a double euill euill of the Heart and euill of the Head of the Heart noted by the word Peshang which signifieth a rebellious inordinatnes of the will of the Head noted by Chata which noteth an erring Iudgement or misleading aduise these two euills are in sinne enormous sinne and where they are there they vexe for they are Coram or Contra before vs or Against vs the word beareth both significations and therefore it is translated both wayes and if we couple them as well we may then you shall finde that enormous sinne committed doth haunt our thoughts and afflict our wills Neither onely doe they so but they doe so incessantly so saith the Text they are Semper Coram Semper Contra Alwaies before vs and Against vs alwaies vexing both our Head and our Heart Of this King Dauid is ingeniously feeling and testifieth the truth of it in his owne Case in his owne Case I say for the sinne which he remembreth is his owne My transgressions My sinnes the disease of mine owne Head and mine owne Heart therefore saith King Dauid I am feeling feeling in my Head and feeling in my Heart for Agnosco I Acknowledge it Acknowledging importeth a worke of the Head which is Noscere to know and a worke of the Heart which is Agnoscere to Acknowledge the vse of knowledge the applying of it to our Liues Neither is King Dauid only feeling hereof but ingenious also in publishing the same for he did Acknowledge it in this Psalme These bee the particulars which offer themselues in this Text and whereunto God willing I shall now speake more fully and answerably vnto this * The 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈◊〉 of Welles Occasion But I must first touch at the Inference and shew you how these and the following words are brought in vpon those that goe before Haue mercy vpon me O Lord c. saith King Dauid for I acknowledge my transgressions c. Obserue then Mans deuotion must follow Gods direction neither may we hope otherwise to speede then we are waranted by his Promise Now God doth not promise Mercy but to those that are feeling of their Miserie in the beginning of the Leiturgie we heare daily out of Ezek. Eâ—c 18.21.22 At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sinne from the bottome of his Heart I will put al His wickednesse out of my remembrance saith the Lord Ioel. 2.13 and therefore out of Ioel we are called vpon to Rent our Hearts and not our Garments and turne vnto the Lord our God because hee is gentle and mercifull patient and of much mercy and such an one as is sorric for our Afflictions Mâ—t. 5.6 to this purpose doth our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell pronounce them Blessed that hunger and thirst after righteousnes saying Mâ—â— 11. â— they shall be satisfied and inuiteth those that Labour and are heauie laden saying he will refresh them Although then wee doe yeeld that the Mercy of God is infinite and that it is readie to releiue all wretches yet wee may not forget that in obtayning it there are Partes nostrae as Chrysostom speaketh there is some thing that God requires on our part hee requires that we approue vnto him our Repentance Saint Austin sets it forth in a prettie Dialogue betweene God and King Dauid Quidergo quaeris miserecordiam pecatum impunitum remanebit what saith God vnto King Dauid doest thou seeke for mercy so that thy sinne may remaine vnpunished Respondet Dauid respondeant Lapsi King Dauid replied and all sinners must ioyne in this answer with King Dauid Non Domine Nay Lord my sinne shall not bee vnpunished I know his Iustice whose mercy I implore my sinne shall not passe vnpunished but therefore would not I haue thee punish it because I doe punish it my selfe and so Chrysostome I see my sinne O Lord therefore doe not thou see it I register it in this Psalme therefore doe thou blot it out of thy Booke Agnosco ignoscas therefore pardon because I am penitent 1. Cor. 11. And indeed it is the Apostles Rule That if we would
there is neuer a particle that I haue insisted vpon that is not fit to augment the grieuousnesse of the iudgement the iudgement which casteth a sinner out of the presence of God I should here take leaue of this point but that I cannot leaue out a good note of Cassiodores Cuius faciem timet eius faciem inuocat a strange thing two verses before he prayed Hide thy face c. and here he prayeth Cast me not out from thy presence hath the King forgot doth he contradict himselfe by no meanes marke his words and see a difference in the things wherof he speaketh Russinus the same difference which before I obserued out of Ruffinus when hee prayeth Hide thy face he limited his petition to his sinnes but here hee commeth to speake of his person and conceiueth a contrarie prayer Hide not thy face from me we must euer pray that our selues may be still in Gods gracious eye and we must pray also that his reuengefull eye be neuer on our sinnes I haue done describing the first punishment which is the Reiection I come now to the second which is the Depriuation And here wee must obserue first whereof we are depriued of the holy spirit and what is that that which maketh all Saints All Saints day this very day is a sacred memoriall of the gift If I said no more you might reasonably conceiue it but it is sit I speake more happily you will vnderstand the day better The Holy spirit as I told you is Gods Liuerie his Cognizance Iohn 14.16 none haue it but they that are his Christ tels vs so I will pray the Father and hee shall giue you another Comforter euen the spirit of Truth whom the World cannot receiue because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but yee know him for he dwelleth in you and shall be in you But to what end there are two principall vses of the Holy spirits inhabitation he is vnto vs the Oracle of God leading vnto all truth without whom we cannot perceiue the things of God yea they will be foolishnesse vnto vs but if we haue him 1 Ioh. cap. â— 1. Cor. 2. wee haue an vnction that will teach vs all things yea we can search the deepe things of God King Dauid had him in a double sort an Ordinarie vnuailing his eyes that hee might see the wonderfull things of Gods Law an Extraordinarie illightning him to fore-tell secrets of the Kingdome of Christ which were then yet to come The Chaldee Paraphrase and many of the Fathers vnderstand the holy spirit in this later sense for the Spirit of prophesie That is true which they say but it is not enough King Dauid had also the spirit of adoption and he doth not forget that in his prayer against depriuation Yea he must be thought principally to ayme at that for by the other gift wee may serue God on earth but without this we shall neuer goe to Heauen for so saith Christ Mat. 7.24 Many shall say in the last day haue we not prophecied in thy Name but they shall be answered depart from me you workers of iniquitie I know you not Therefore no doubt but King Dauid had an eye to that oracle which wrought in him a sauing faith and did as wee must feare to be depriued of that As the Holy spirit is an heauenly oracle in our Heads so in our Hearts it is an heauenly fire God who instituted sacrifices to be offered by the Church would haue them offered with no other fire but that which should be sent by him from Heauen yea the vsing of strange fire was capitall as appeares by the storie of Nadab and Abthu That type doth informe vs of a greater truth it teacheth vs wherewith spirituall sacrifices must be offered vnto God The first sacrifice spirituall must be a patterne to all the rest Christ by his eternall Spirit offered himselfe vnto God wherewith his propitiatorie therewith must our Eucharisticals be offered Saint Iude speaketh it plainely we must pray in the Holy Ghost The gift you see what it is but you doe not yet fully see what is the worth of it that I gathered out of tuus it is not onely a holy spirit but also the spirit of Gods holinesse or Gods holy spirit Our soule in vs is a spirit and we loue it so well that Sathan said not vntruely skinne for skin and all that euer a man hath will he giue for his life the Angels are yet better spirits 2 Pet cap. 2. higher in dignitie then Men their titles as Saint Peter affirmes confirme it Psal 103. and the Psalmist saith that they exceede in Power and we haue reason to respect them because they pitch their Tents about vs Psal 91. yea God hath giuen a charge vnto them ouer vs to carrie vs in their hands that we dash not our feete against a stone But there is a spirit beyond both these euen the spirit of spirits without whom the former cannot bee and from whom they receiue whatsoeuer good they haue hee is the fountaine of being and wel-being to them both If wee loue our owne soules and the safegard of Angels be deare vnto vs how should we loue Gods holy spirit that is so farre beyond them in infinitenesse of power and excellencie of being yea without whom they cannot be nor stirre without his command The phrase doth not onely import that the Spirit is Gods but also that it is the spirit of that which is most desireable in God that is his Holinesse which doth much improue the gift when the liuerie that it giueth vs and whereby he would haue vs knowne to be his doth make vs partakers of this Diuine attribute wherein to resemble him should bee the highest ambition of a reasonable soule But I will not wade farther in vnfolding the gift what hath beene said is able to make vs sensible of their losse that are depriued thereof especially when I shall haue added thereunto the Manner of losing which I called a depriuation The word is rendered vulgarly take not away But this taking away hath two remarkable things in it it is a taking backe of that which was giuen and a leauing vs not so much as any relique of the gift In regard of the first some render it Ne recipiaâ— take not home againe in regard of the other Ne spolies strip mee not altogether so the Arabicke I will touch a little at both of them First at the Taking backe Hee that loseth what good he had is much more sensible of the losse then if hee neuer had it hee that was borne sickly and hath a long time languished in a disease is not so much pained as hee that being healthy and strong is shaken with a feauer or tortured with some ache Pouerty and disgrace are more bitter heart-breakes to them that haue liued in plenty and honour then they can bee to him who was neuer of better condition then a begger or
a drudge Miserum est fuisse foelicem the memory of a better doubleth the misery of a worse estate it doth so corporally and it will doe so spiritually if euer we be put to the triall of it yea we shall find it will doe it so much the more by how much the touch of conscience is more tender then any other sense and the gift which we lose is infinitely more precious then any other gift The taking backe doth much amplifie the depriuation but how much more doth it amplifie that nothing is left behind Though the haruest be caried away yet if there be some gleaning behind though a Tree be cut downe yet if there bee a roote left in the ground though the Sunne goe downe yet if it be twilight these small remainders of greater goods are no small refreshings to a loser It doth a man some good to keepe some monuments of his better estate especially when they are pledges of some sparkle of good will towards vs continuing in him vpon whose iust displeasure we forfeited all As God in fauour giueth the holy spirit so in displeasure doth hee take him away and we cannot guesse better at the measure of his displeasure then by the measure of the depriuation If he take it but in part then mercy tempers iudgement but if he leaue no sparkles of grace that may be kindled again then we become Loruhama Hose 1. we are cleane shut out of the bowels of his compassion And this is that which King Dauids trembling conscience doth deprecate in these words Ne auferas Take not away I haue opened vnto you the nature of spirituall Reiection and Depriuation and I doubt not but by that which you haue heard you conceiue that they are grieuous iudgements but the bottomes of them are not sounded except we also take notice of the Consequents two wofull consequents The first if man be reiected of God as before you heard hee must looke for a cleane opposite condition hee loseth the place of Gods presence and whether shall he goe but euen to the pit of hell Hee loseth the state of that blessed place and hee shall fall into the state of the cursed God doth disgrace him dares any creature yeeld a good looke vnto him God layeth him open to danger and whose indignation then will not burne against him Whose hand will spare him vpon whom God layeth his heauie hand Guesse what will become of them that are reiected by the King of heauen by that which you see befall them who are reiected by Kings on earth The first consequent of reiestion is bad neither is the first consequent vpon depriuation better he that loseth the holy Spirit shall be possessed by an vncleane Spirit 1. Sam. 16. it was Sauls case the Text is plaine The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an euill Spirit troubled him where God is not Satan will be Some would bee Neutrals in the World but indeed none are Man is either a Temple of God or a Synagogue of Satan yea and looke how much God taketh from vs of his Spirit so much wee shall be sure to haue of the vncleane Spirit as Darknesse taketh vp all the roome that is not filled with Light if we haue no portion of Gods Spirit those vncleane Spirits will possesse vs wholy A miserable exchange and yet is this the inâ—uitable consequent of depriuation You would thinke I had brought the iudgement to the height but I haue not there is another consequent a consequent worse then the former Omnis spes veniae tollitur so sayth Gregorie the Great the case is not only very bad but it is past all recouery and why Is a man reiected No other man may intercede for him See this in the case of a King How long saith God vnto Samuel wilt thou mourne for Saul seeing I haue reiected him from raigning ouer Israel See it in the case of a Kingdome I will cast you out of my sight saith God as I haue cast out all your brethren euen the whole seed of Ephraim he speaketh of the Kingdome of Iudah and therefore pray not thou Ieremie 1. Sam. 16. Ieremy 7. for this people neither lift vp crie nor Prayer for them neither make intercession to me for I will not heare thee A pittifull case a man may haue no Mediator if he be reiected How much more miserable is his case if he be depriued for then he cannot pray for himselfe it is Saint Pauls doctrine We know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit maketh intercession for vs with groanes which cannot be vttered and he that searcheth the heart knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God You see there is no Prayer can be made hopefully but must be endited by the Spirit and the Spirit prayeth in none but in those that are Saints therefore they that are depriued of the Spirit are depriued of the grace of Prayer as Zacharie also witnesseth which ioyneth them both together Zach. c. 12. When a man is brought to this case that hee hath no friend to stand vp for him and he cannot be a friend vnto himselfe how desperate is his case What remayneth then but that hee betake himselfe vnto a wretched course Surely Cain did so when hee was reiected hee became the Father of such Giants whom nothing could mend but the generall Deluge and what a life led Saul after hee was depriued So ill a life that his owne death could not make amends for it but many of his children were faine to be hanged vp long after to pacifie the wrath of God Yea the Parable of the vncleane Spirit witnesseth that they that haue beene in the state of grace and by reiection and depriuation are fallen from it are much worse vpon the relapse then euer they were before they first began to be good No wonder then that Dauid conceiued this deprecation against so fearefull iudgements Yea most gracious was God vnto him that gaue him time for to deprecate that put a distance inter meritum iudicium betweene his ill deseruing and Gods iust reuenge he deserued to be cast out but continued still in Gods presence he deserued to be depriued but he retayned still Gods holy Spirit See what good vse hee maketh of Gods patience while hee is in the presence hee preuenteth the casting out and preuenteth the taking away of the Spirit while yet the Spirit abode within him and his preuenting is nothing but deprecating And while we haue the like time we must vse no other meanes how long doth God forbeare vs when wee grieuously prouoke him Were we better aduised we would be more prouident and not ouer-slip the time allowed vs for deprecation lest to our endlesse griefe we find that when we are vnder these iudgements our state is past recouerie I should here end but I must speake a little of
were slaine with him and these murders brought out another murder euen the murder of Dauids owne child for though he died iustly by Gods hand yet was Dauid the murderer of him by reason of his sinne to say nothing of Absolons rebellion which shed much bloud and was denounced for this sinne of Dauid Dauid attending vnto these manifold iniquities of his doth wrap them vp all in this word blouds as being all the euill fruites of his sinfull flesh and bloud But we must not vnderstand onely Sinne by the name of Blouds the Scripture applieth the word vnto the Punishment of sinne also and noteth 〈◊〉 12. that all sinne proueth bloudy to the sinner and therefore the Apostle obserueth that without shedding of bloud there is no expiation for sinne whereupon it followeth that all sinnes are mortall and doe slay the sinner Chap. 2. But of all sinnes this is especially true of Murder the Law in Deutronomic doth intimate as much when it doth require so curious an expiation of vncertaine murder yea before Moses dayes God exprest so much vnto Noah not onely mystically when he forbids the eating of bloud but literally when he saith hee will require bloud-shed both from man and beast Gene 9 4.5 yea he doth so abhorre murder and pursue it vnto death that hee commands that whosoeuer hath wilfully shed bloud shall bee violently taken from his Altar if hee take Sanctuarie there and bee put to death â—â—od 21.14 Goe higher to the Old world and there see how murder is iustly called bloudy and proueth mortall to the murderer Caine was the first that shed bloud and Caine is recorded for a monument of Gods vengeance Lamech speaketh fully who is thought by some to haue flaine Caine and so to haue paide home bloud with bloud Gene. 4. I haue slaine a man saith hee to my wounding and a young man to my hurt that is the stabbe which I haue giuen to another proues a deadly wound vnto my selfe in murdering him haue I become mine owne murderer so that in effect Dauid in the phrase intimateth thus much bloud calleth for bloud and I deserue to haue my bloud shed that haue shed anothers This was that that perplext him the conscience of this was the worme that gnawed him And no wonder he had heard from Nathan that he might not build Gods House because he had shed much bloud and yet the bloud which he had then shed was onely the bloud of the enemies of Israel and it was iustly shed in battell how farre then might hee well thinke himselfe estranged from God that had so treacherously so villainously spilt the bloud of his owne subiects of his faithfull seruant yea of his owne child Saint Ambrose obserueth that seeing Dauid was of so gentle a nature that he spared the bloud of his aduersarie Saul we cannot thinke but he grieued much when hee found himselfe ouer-taken with a sinne which the goodnesse of his nature so much abhorred gesse at his disposition by his speech vnto Abigal who wisely charmed him when in a fuâ—ious moode he would haue destroyed churlish Nabal and all his family Blessed bee the Lord God of Israel saith Dauid to Abigal which sent thee this day to meete me and blessed be thy aduice and blessed be thou which hast kept mee this day from comming to shed bloud It were to bee wished that Christian Kings had as tender hearts and were as easily pacified as they are enraged there would not be so much Christian bloud shed neither would they bee such vnnaturall butchers of their owne subiects Or because that is rather to be wished then hoped for though it would make much for the publike good that murder were preuented yet I would at least that when it is committed Princes were not so altogether without remorse of that which they haue done and in godly sorrow would imitate King Dauid and be timely feeling of their offence and prouide for the safetie of their soules Though Dauid were a King and free from the danger of his owne Law yet found he a controller in his owne bosome and was indicted by his owne conscience from which the greatest Monarches cannot free themselues Nero Emperour of the Romanes Richard the third an vsurper in this Kingdome are in seuerall Histories reported to haue felt the vexation of this furie and the biting of the worme And if Monarches are not free how shall meaner men bee priuiledged And yet I cannot without griefe behold the senselessenesse of many that embrew their hands in bloud whether in their cups or for their honour and neuer call themselues to an account neuer iudge themselues before they are iudged of the Lord but smother their owne conscience with frollicke liuing vntill their wofull ends make them fearefull examples vnto others It were well for them if they felt more smart that they might with King Dauid desire ease and crie out Deliuer The word is Vox confligentis or ingementis Ingementis groaning vnder the slauerie of sinne peccatiseruitvs pessima sinne is the worst kind of flâ—uerie and therefore no wonder if it force a crie and as the children of Israel in their Aegyptian bondage so men enthrawled spiritually crie Deliuer Or if it bee not vox gementis it is vox confligentis Dauid was now in a hard conflict a conflict with remorse of sinne a conflict with the feare of punishment both were able to wrest from him this word Deliuer Sinne is compared to an armed man by the sonne of Syracke all iniquitie saith he is as a two edged sword Chap. 21. the wounds whereof cannot bee healed it is there compared also to a Serpent which will bite to the teeth of a Lyon which slaies the soules of men he therefore counselleth vs to flie from it yea and we had neede crie out too sinne maketh a hideous crie against vs it crieth in the eares of the Lord and calleth for vengeance it crieth in our conscience and gineth vs no rest there is good reason therefore why wee should crie out Deliuer deliuer vs from the inward from the outward crie which so distresseth which so afflicteth But when we crie out against the crie of bloud wee must remember that there is Mors sicca as well as Mors humida many doe murder that shed no bloud Si non pauisti occidisti Hee that suffereth the poore to perish for want of food is plainely a murderer how much more if hee take their liuing from them whosoeuer doth either of these had neede pray Deliuer me from bloud guiltinesse bloud euerie day and euerie where toucheth bloud as Hosea speaketh and yet we see little remorse and few there are that with King Dauid pray Deliuer that pray to be loosed from the bands wherein they haue ensnared themselues and to bee eased of their guilt I told you before that Bloud doth not onely signifie actuall but originall sinne and so the Fathers some of them vnderstand King Dauids
by this Text yeeldeth him this glory hee need not if hee will be vnprouided of the best gift that can be giuen that is himselfe poore selfe if he haue grace to be as poore in spirit as hee is in purse and lament the want of grace asmuch as he doth his want of wealth Finally This Text is one of the Prefaces to our dayly Liturgie I would we did as often practise it as we doe repeate it Certainly there is great cause we should whether we respect sinne or woe whereof there was neuer more or any that deserued more humiliation The times deserue that euery day should bee a day of humiliation and that euery man should affiâ—â—t his soule the more wee know God requireth this seruice and the better wee see that he accepteth it the more forward should we bee to performe it ANd I pray God wee may haue so heard this Text opened that our hearts and Spirits may relent with it so shall we not be iudged of the Lord if we will iudge our selues Nay sowing in teares we shall reape in ioy AMEN PSAL. 51. VERSE 18. Doe good in thy good pleasure vnto Sion build thou the Walles of Ierusalem WHen I brake vp this Psalme I shewed that it consisteth of two Vowes made by King Dauid one for himselfe another for his Kingdome I haue ended the first that Vowe which concerneth the King I am now come vnto the second the Vow which he maketh for his Kingdome This second Vow as the first will be resolued into a Desire and a Promise Of the Promise in the next Verse the Desire is contained in this In opening of this Desire I will obserue first for whom it is conceiued secondly what it doth containe Those for whom it is conceiued are noted in these words Sion Ierusalem which made vp the mother Citie of the Kingdome of Israel an excellent type of the Church for these King Dauid maketh a suite and the suite for them is in effect the same which he made for himselfe He sueth that they may be restored into the state of grace that is the meaning of these words Doe well vnto Sion Secondly that being restored they may be preserued therein which he beggeth in these words Build vp the Walles of â—erusalem These be the blessings for which he sueth and hee sueth for them in a sense sutable to the places his suite is Mysticall But to whom is the suite made And for whose sake doth hee hope to speede Surely he sueth onely to God to him it is that hee saith Doe good build thou the walles and hee hopeth to speed onely for Gods sake therefore doth he adde in thy good pleasure Doe good in thy good pleasure and in thy good pleasure build thou the Walles of Ierusalem Lay together the parts of the Text and then you will see in it two remarkable vertues confidence in God and compassion towards the Church Confidence for in the beginning of the Psalme Dauid seemeth so deiected that he hath enough to doe to pray for himselfe hee so describeth his estate as if hee were not worthy to doe so much but towards the end of the Psalme he sheweth himselfe another man hee taketh heart and becommeth a suiâ—our for all Israel yea hee presumeth to begge for it the greatest blessing of God But he doth it out of another vertue also which shineth here the vertue of Compassion he is not contented to fare well himselfe he desireth the wel-fare of his whole Kingdome as hee made it obnoxious to Gods wrath so he holds himselfe bound to bee a mediatour for Gods fauour Such charitie in praying deserueth to be exemplarie wherefore let vs listen diligently to the vnfolding thereof that wee may learne to exemplifie it in our prayers The first thing that we must enter vpon are those for whom King Dâ—uid conceiueth this desire they are Sion and Ierusalem which words in the Scripture are taken sometimes historically sometimes mystically that is either they nore places in the holy land or else by those places represent vnto vs the Church of God Because the mysticall sense cannot bee concerued but by the correspondencie which it hath vnto the historicall I must first open the historicall that so I may the better guide your apprehension in the mysticall Before I doe this I must let you know that Sion and Ierusalem were two distinct places yet it is vsuall in the Scripture in naming either to meane both In the second Psalme I haue set my King vpon my holy hill of Sion Sion there comprehendeth Ierusalem for Dauid who is meant in that Text was King of both In the beginning of Ecclesiastes Solomon is said to haue beene King in Ierusalem we may not exclude Sion for he was King in that also This being briefely obserued I come now to the â—â—storie of these words Where first you must obserue that either of these places were hills of Sion the common attribute doth witnesse it for it is called Mount Sion and of Ierusalem it is as true Iosephus reporteth that it was built vpon the hill Acra the Psalmist beareth witnesse hereunto saying Psal 87. He hath laide his foundations in the holy mountaines and the common phrase of ascending to Ierusalem Secondly the whole tract of those hils was called the land of Moriah which is by interpretation the place where God appeareth or is conspicuous there God appeared vnto Abraham when hee was ready to offer Isaac there did he appeare vnto Dauid when the punishing Angell vpon Dauids Prayer was commanded to sheath his sword Finally there appeared the Sonne of God in our flesh when he wrought the redemption of man Thirdly those places were two seuerall Cities whereof one was in the lot of Beniamin the other was in the lot of Iudah Ierusalem that was in the lot of Beniamin was conquered by Iosua but Sion that was in the lot of Iudah continued in the possession of the Iebusites vntill the dayes of King Dauid he subdued them though he did not wholly extinguish them as appeareth by the storie of Araunah the Iebusite Dauid hauing gotten the possession of Sion ioyned it with a Wall to Ierusalem and so of two made one Citie one Citie of those which before were two and that of two seuerall nations Iebufites and Israelites of this vnion we must vnderstand these words in the Psalme Psal â—â— Ierusalem is a Citie that is compacted together in it selfe Fourthly Dauid hauing thus vnited the Cities translated thither the Arke and God there designed a place where the Temple should be built euen vpon a piece of ground that lay indifferently betweene the Tribes of Indah and Beniam in and so it became the fixed place where God chose to put his name and where hee vouchsafed to reside betweene the Cherubins it was Gods sedes Religionis the ordinarie place of Diuine worship to this the afore-named Psalme beareth witnesse Thither the Tribes euen the Tribes of Israel goe vp according
midst not of the Holy land onely but also of the whole world a Citie saith our Sauiour Christ built vpon a Hill cannot be hid Math. 5 and againe Men doe not light a Candle to put it vnder a bushell God was neuer so farre estranged from Apostataes but he placed his Church so as that before Christs Incarnation the iourney was not hard for any to come at it and after Christs Incarnation when God was pleased to seeke to Men that in so many generations did not seeke to him and the Law was gone out of Sion 〈◊〉 1. and the word of the Lord from Ierusalem the passage was the more easie for all parts of the world so carefull hath God beene to take all excuse from the murmuring disposition of sinfull men The places yeeld these correspondencies which you haue heard there are besides these two other which spring from their proper names Sion signifieth a watch Tower Ierusalem the vision of Peace Applie this onely to the Church Militant and then this correspondencie ariseth The first representeth the nhture the second the fruit of Faith The nature of Faith is to stand as it were sentinell and discouer with one one eye Gods will and what we ought to doe with the other eye our spirituall foes and how they make towards vs. From such a Faith the fruit that we reape is peace for we shall haue peace with God if we take heede vnto his will and our foes will not much disquiet vs if they find vs standing vpon our guard If wee applie it not onely to the Militant but to the Triumphant Church also then Sion signifieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our waiting for the Adoption Rom. 8. to wit the Redemption of our bodies or that same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mentioned Heb. 11. the saluting a farre off of that which we hope one day comfortably to enioy And that which we shal enioy is noted by Ierusalem wherin we shall dwell as in a peaceable habitation Esay 32. in sure dwellings and in a quiet resting place you may read at large hereof Reuel 22. and conclude that quae nunc Sion est futuraest Ierusalem the Church which is Militant shall one day be Triumphant Out of all this which you haue heard you may gather how due the commendation is which is giuen to this place it is called the Citie of our God Psal 48. Fers 1.2 Chap. 2. Chap. 3. the mountaine of Gods Holinesse beautifull for situation the ioy of the whole earth Esay calleth it a Mountaine lifted vp aboue all mountaines Ieremie calleth it the Throne of the Lord others giue it other honourable titles the Psalmists concludes all in this short Verse Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou Citie of God I conclude this point As that you haue heard is Typus Ecclesiae so it is also Imago nostri as it doth represent the whole Church so ought euerie man herein to behold what manner of person himselfe ought to be In Homogeneous bodies such as the Church is what is commended to the whole must bee obserued by euerie part euerie part must bee though not in quantitie yet in qualitie the same with the whole as of a great wedge there is not a Mite which is not as true Gold as is the whole wedge Wherefore you must take all these correspondencies and applie them to your selues and trie your selues by them for certainely euerie man is a Citiz en either of Ierusalem or of Babylon and if you find not in your selues the Characters of a Citizen of Ierusalem you haue reason to feare that you are of a worse societie of the societie of Babylon and then reade in the Prophets read in the Reuelation of what a miserable Corporation you are I leane the examination and comparison of these things to euerie mans priuate Meditation and passe forward to my Text. Hauing found for whom King Dauid conceiueth his desire wee must now see what he would obtaine for them and we shall find that it is in effect the same which he begged for himselfe he deliuereth his minde in fewer words but hee altereth not his meaning as you will perceiue when I haue vnfolded the branches First then he desireth that Sion and Ierusalem may be restored into the the state of Grace so doe I vnderstand these words doe good That you may see I doe not mistake them obserue that there is something which these words suppose and something which they expresse They suppose that the contagion of King Dauids sinne did cleaue to his people And surely so it did such is the reference betweene a King and his people that the finne of the one doth affect the other 2. King 21. Manasses filled Ierusalem with bloud and God was not pacified Quicquid delirant Reges plectuntur Archiui Prou. 28.2 till for Manasses sinnes he gaue Ierusalem into the hands of the Caldeans you see there how the sinnes of the King doe affect the people And contrarily the sinnes of the people doeaffect the King Solomon speaketh it plainely for the sinnes of the people there are many Princes God taketh them away by vntimely death as he did Iosiah This being true must not be mistaken for though each of their sinnes doe affect the other as farre as to bring punishments vpon them yet doth it not follow they should alwayes infect one the other and so deserue the punishment Euerie man hath cause of punishment enough in himselfe by reason of his owne peculiar sinnes but the occasion of punishing them is often taken from another mans sinnes such an one as betweene whom and him there is neare reference Vpon this supposition doth King Dauid make this prayer doe good as if hee should say my sinnes doe deserue that thou shouldest frustrate my good purpose and thine owne gracious promise vnto Israel Dauid succeeding Saul found the Kingdome in a verie bad case you may read it in the beginning of the sixtie Psalme and Dauid set himselfe for to recouer it againe as appeareth Psal 75. yea and God himselfe did promise by Nathan that all should doe well But now he might well doubt that God would let loose the raines vnto his enemies againe and interrupt all the peace and prosperitie of his Kingdome and so he should haue no opportunitie to goe forward with this Reformation he might feare least God would retract those gracious words spoken of Sion This is my rest for euer here will I dwell I will aboundantly blesse her prouision Psal 138. I will satisfie her poore with bread and I will also cloth her Priests with saluation and her Saints shall shout out aloud for ioy Hauing this iust ground of feare hee maketh this prayer doe good And so the good which hee meaneth must be Bonum indulgentiae and Bonum beneficentiae hee prayeth God not to lay his sinne to his peoples charge nor for his sake to interrupt their prosperity but rather to grant that the sonnes
goodnesse of a Creature and if it faile no lesse power then this can restore it againe In a word there is none other Good but hee and therefore none but he can doe good whether it be naturall or morall good good of Grace or good of Glory all are but drops whereof he is the Ocean and hee is the Sunne from whom these beames doe issue His Ability is not all the reason why the suite is directed vnto him but his Promise also must bee ioyned thereto Take the words corporally then hath Dauid a speciall promise both of the indulgence and beneficence of God 2. Sam. 7. take them spiritually and then the blessings come within the generall promises of Gods Couenant for that hath the promises both of this Life 1. Tim 4 â— and of that which is to come For doe good you see there is reason to pray to God and there is as much reason for Build thou the wals Men cannot so much as build corporally except the Lord build the house he laboureth but in vaine that buildeth much more spiritually Psal 127. seeing none can giue the spirit but himselfe and all our sufficiencie is from his spirit without which we can doe nothing God is the wall of our wall hee standeth about those that feare him as the Hils about Ierusalem Psal 125. Psal 147. he will build vp Ierusalem and gather together the out-casts of Israel But when wee make God the Author wee doe not exclude the Instruments our selues and others but shew their impotencie if he make them not both able and effectuall The Person is well chosen to whom the suite is directed but that is not enough there must bee some motiue also which may plead for the Sutor And here is the most preuailing motiue nothing without God euer moueth him to doe good many things from without may prouoke his vengeance but nothing can draw from him works of Grace but that which is within him And that which is within him the first mouer is alwayes his good will Gods will is alwayes good but wee then vse the addition of good when we feele the gracious effects thereof when God dealeth with vs according to the sweetnesse of his Nature not the rigour of his iustice And this phrase commeth then in seasonably when wee haue deserued the contrary as Dauid now had and all men doe when they are put to this Petition doe good build vp witnesse all the Instaurations that haue beene since the beginning of the World Nothing can bee had from God by merit but we owe it all vnto Gods Mercie who for his owne sake doth repaire his Church as at first he gaue it a being onely for his owne sake And it is happie that that is the onely motiue for were it not for that wee should bee left comfortlesse but from this wee may receiue more then wee can hope for Hee dealeth like a God 2 Sam 7. and not like a man Secondly this phrase may note some remarkable thing touching the nature and measure of the gifts The nature as if Dauid did desire that most which would please God best and did not sue to God for other gifts then such as he taketh the greatest content in and so that he might obtaine Gods good will for Sion and Ierusalem hee passeth not for all the rest And indeed it it is true spirituall wisedome to make Let mee finde grace in thine eyes the vpshot of our suite and to seeme to minde no thing else but the recouery of Gods good will 1. King â— wee are sure then to speed with Salomon of any other good though wee mention it not in our prayers Finally this phrase may note as the nature so the measure of the gifts it implyeth that we presume not to carue to our selues but leaue him to enlarge or contract his bountie as it seemeth best vnto him And indeed as he knoweth best what is good for vs so is he the best proportioner of his gifts and will deale more freely the lesse we presume to prescribe vnto him But let vs draw to an end I told you that in the whole Text you might obserue two remarkable Vertues shining therein The first is Confidence In the beginning of the Psalme King Dauid seemed to bee a very wretch so sinfull that he might well seeme vnworthy to open his mouth for himselfe yet hauing vnburthened his conscience and poured forth his soule for himselfe hee gathereth strength and groweth bold to pray for others for the whole Kingdome yea for the whole body of the Church hee presumeth to importune God to bestow the greatest of his temporall and spirituall blessings And the conscience of sinne must not so dishearten vs but when wee haue made our owne peace wee may become suitors for others also It is an argument of the Communion of Saints and Christ out of a fellow-feeling hath taught vs to say Our Father 1. Tim. 2.1 yea the Apostle willeth vs to pray for all men But as we must pray with this Confidence like Dauid so must wee bee like Dauid in seasoning our prayers with Compassion though we doe well enough our selues yet must we not be senslesse of other mens wants nor finde ease in ease while others are in danger especially if our selues haue beene the cause of their danger as Dauid was who as much as lay in him exposed all Israel to ruine and destruction Hee had reason therefore to remember it in his prayers and desire God to be gracious vnto it God hath visited our Land with a Plague of Raine and no doubt but our sinnes are the cause of so vnseasonable weather for Genes 3. Cursed be the Earth for thy sake hath a constant truth and God doth not distemper the Seasons except we be first distempered You shall doe well therefore to looke vpon the Land with Compassion and remember in your denotion the distresses thereof Finally learne from King Dauid to put into our prayers those to whom wee haue specâ—all reference Would the time permit this Note might be enlarged to Parents Masters Magistrates Pastors I will insist onely on Sion and Ierusalem to that wee haue the neerest reference No consanguinity no affinity worketh so straight a band as doth the Communion of Saints yet is there nothing that moueth men lesse I would it did moue more especially at this time when Sion is as a wildernesse and Ierusalem a desolation what with the Turke and what with the Pope euery where is the sword bathed in Christian bloud if euer Ne â—rascaris Domine would now be a seasonable Antheme wee should all pray Be not wrath very sore O Lord neither remember iniquitie for euer And I would there were that compassionate disposition in vs which appeared in the captiue Iewes Psal 137. when they said If I forget thee O Ierusalem let my right hand forget her cunning if I doe not remember thee let my tongue cleaue to the roofe of
my mouth if I preferre not Ierusalem before my chiefest ioy GOd grant vs all such a disposition so will our dayly prayer bee vnto God Doe well O Lord vnto Sion build thou the wals of Ierusalem PSAL. 51. VERSE 19. Then shall they be pleased with the Sacrifices of Righteousnesse with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings then shall they offer bullockes vpon thine Altar THe later of King Dauids Vowes that which hee made for his Kingdome doth present vnto vs a Desire and a Promise I haue opened the Desire I am now to open the Promise vnto you In vnfolding whereof I shall God willing shew you First What it containeth Secondly When it taketh place It containeth a double vndertaking of King Dauid Hee vndertaketh first for God vnto the Kingdome in these words Thou shalt be pleased with the Sacrifices of righteousnesse with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings Secondly he vndertaketh for the Kingdome vnto God in the words that follow They shall offer bullockes vpon thine Altar But more distinctly In King Dauids vndertaking for God obserue a Deuotion and the Acceptance thereof the Deuotion is noted by the name of Sacrifice And touching this Deuotion we are moreouer taught that it is solid and full solid as appeares by the qualitie for it is a Sacrifice of Righteousuesse and righteousuesse maketh Deuotion to bee solid As it is solid so it is full I gather that from the varietie for it consisteth of burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings and these two as anon you shall heare will make vp a full Deuotion If the Denotion be so solid so full it will find Acceptance with God it will find acceptance for it will please and he that is pleased is no other then God to him Dauid saith Thou shalt be pleased with the Sacrifice of righteousnesse In the second vndertaking the Kingdome is noted by this word They for it repeateth Sion and Ierusalem which were mentioned before That which for them Dauid vndertaketh is that they shall be verie thankefull vnto God verie thankfull for they shall offer Bullockes and they shall not misplace their thankfulnesse because they shall offer vpon Gods Altar But when shall all this bee The Text doth tell vs in this word Then Then shalt thou be pleased Then shall they offer When God hath fulfilled the Desire whereof you heard in the former verse Then shall follow the accomplishment of the Promise whereof you shall heare on this Dauid vndersaketh this for if you marke hee speaketh without all peraduenture he affirmeth considently Thou shalt bee pleased They shall offer Finally lay together the many parts of the Text and behold a blessed Accord betweene God and his Church God graceth the seruice of his Church and the Church acknowledgeth the bountie of her God a better accord we cannot wish And we may haue our part therein if we listen to that which shall be said as attentiuely as affectionately as I hope we will I am sure we ought Before we fall vpon the particulars we must take by the way this rule The Promise must be vnderstood sutably to the Desire that had a double sense a litterall and a spirituall and so must this haue also This rule must be carried through the particulars of my Text Whereof the first is Sacrifice A Ceremoniall word and importeth a Legall seruice whereof the most part was performed at the Altar either the brasen or the golden Altar But God was pleased to shadow a Morall in that Ceremoniall seruice as you may gather out of Ezekiels last Vision which is a Prophesie of the New Testament Saint Peter speaketh it plainely when he telleth vs that we must offer spirituall Sacrifice through Christ to God 1 Pec. â— 5 And indeed what is a Sacrifice but a visible prayer Neither is prayer ought else but an audible sacrifice Yea looke how many kinds of prayers there are so many kinds of Sacrifices was God pleased there should be Saint Paul reckoneth vp foure kinds of Prayers whereof the first 1 Tim. 2.1 is f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deprecation when the conscience of sinne maketh vs endeauour to pacifie Gods displeasure vnto this answered the Propitiatorie sacrifice The second kind of Prayer was z 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Petition wherein man seeketh to God for supplie of his want vnto this answered the Votiue sacrifice Either of these Deprecation and Petition may be made for others as well as for our selues whereupon Prayer receiueth a third fashion and name which is called a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Intercession whereunto there was an answerable Sacrifice as you may reade in the first and last of Iob where hee Sacrificeth for his Children and for his friends Finally when wee haue receiued that which we seeke at the hands of God by any of the three former kinds of Prayer then come we to him with a fourth and that is a c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thanksgiuing wherevnto did answere the Eucharisticall sacrifice Seeing then there is such a correspondencie betweene Morall deuotion and Legall sacrifices the one may very well note the other and I did not without cause tell you that Deuotion was meant by the name of sacrifice But touching this Deuotion we are moreouer taught first that it must be solid for it must be a sacrifice of righteousnesse And indeede it is righteousnesse that maketh our Deuotion solid But there is a double righteousnesse a righteousnesse of the Offerer and a righteousnesse of the Offering I will shew you both first in the Ceremoniall then in the Morall seruice First for the Offerer There was about Salomons Temple a Court which was called Prophane beyond which no vncircumcised or vncleane person might come neither of them were deemed worthie to come into the Court of Israel or offer at Gods Altar except he were first circumcised if a Gentile and if an Israelite defiled except he were first Ceremonially purified Whereby the Holy Ghost did giue vs to vnderstand Morally that neither Insidels nor vnrepentant Christians are fit to serue God their sacrifice wanteth that righteousnesse that must bee in the Offerer which is Faith and Repentance without which no man is worthie to come into his presence There is a second righteousnesse and that is of the offering In the Law God commanded that no vncleane beast should bee sacrificed vnto him Nuâ—â— 18 15. and in those that were allowed for sacrifice he endured no blemish either inherent or adherent 〈◊〉 3 6. they must not bee blind lame or diseased these were inherent blemishes neither must they bee ill gotten for God would not receiue the hire of an harlot Applie this Morally And then yee must obserue that all impure thoughts and lusts must be excluded from our Deuotion they are more abhominable then vncleane beasts a man may not begge of God that hee may speede in his adulterous his murderous his treacherous designes wee may begge nothing of God but that which
God tooke an occasion from the wrongs done to his people to powre forth his displeasure vpon them Wisd 19. The wrong was double First they brought friends into bondage that had wel deserued of them The storie is plaine in Genesis how Ioseph saued them from perishing by famine and therefore how willingly they receiued him and his into the Communion of their Lawes therefore it was against all Law to make them bondmen God therfore which is iudge of all the world sent Moses and by him commanded Pharaoh to deliuer them and to suffer them being his first borne to goe three dayes iourney into the wildernesse and sacrifice vnto him But so farre was Pharaoh from obeying God that hardning his heart he vexed the Israelites more What then did God In reuenge of his people hee brake Pharaohs hard heart hee made the proud King giue him the glorie both of his Iustice of his power while he destroyed that ancient that goodly Kingdome and slew the persons the principall persons of it the ofspring of those whom Ioseph had saued together with their countrie Moreouer hee forced them to make an amends to the Israelites for their seruitude not onely in willingly letting them goe but in furnishing them also for their iourney with the richest of their garments and most precious of their Iewels This did God to the Egyptians And indeed it was God that did it For though there were some ceremoniall meanes vsed yet there were none vsed that were effectuall Moses and the people did but looke on Gods immediate power produced those wonderfull effects The same God that tooke this vengeance for them is the same still and he will neuer suffer his Church to be vnreuenged though hee suffer her to bee cruelly persecuted when he seeth time hee will doe to her enemies as he did to the enemies of Israel Saint Paul Saint Peter and Saint Iude teach it briefely 2. Thes 1. 2 Ep. 2. Saint Iohn in the Reuelation deliuereth the Doctrine more a large by way of prophecie and the Ecclesiasticall Storie sheweth that that prophecie is accomplished for a good part of it The second worke sheweth what God did to the Israelites and that is a worke of Mercie Moses here teacheth the Manner and the End of it The Manner God bore them on Eagles wings we account it a great honour that God doth vnto men when hee giueth his Angels charge ouer them to carrie them in all their wayes that they dash not their foote against a stone And indeed it is a great honour that these glorious spirits which attend Gods throne should become ministring spirits and attend sinnefull men How great an honour is it then that God doth vs Heb. 1.14 when hee himselfe vouchsafeth to bee the supporter of Israel Carrieth them as a man carrieth his little babe God putteth them in mind of it by Esay Chap. 46. vers 3.4 Hearken vnto me O house of Iacob Deut. 1. and all the remnant of Israel which are borne by me from the belly which are caried from the wombe and euen to your old age I am he and euen to the hoarie haires will I carrie you I haue made and I will beare euen I will carrie and I will deliuer you And Christ like the good shepheard in the Gospel beares his sheepe and so likewise in the Prophets And indeed the passage out of Egypt was a Diuine transportation for of so many hundred thousand that past so great a iourney through so desolate places ther was not one sicke not one tired and how could they haue all beene so well at ease except God had carried them They might well take to themselues those words of Esay 〈…〉 31. They that waite vpon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount vp with wings as Eagles they shall runne and not be wearie they shall walke and not be faint When at any time wee haue strength to doe that which neither in our owne iudgement nor in the iudgement of others we are able to doe we must giue the glorie of it to God as Dauid doth in the 18. Psalme we must acknowledge that God did carrie vs through God doth not onely say that he did carrie them but hee carried them vpon Eagles wings quasi super alas aquilarum saith the Chalde Paraphrase as it were vpon Eagles wings There is a Simile in the phrase which breedes two inquiries first who is vnderstood in the Eagles secondly what the Wings meane Some vnderstand Moses and Aaron the two guides that led the people of Israel out of Egypt and will haue them compared to Eagles Propter acumen intelligentiae altitudinem vitae by reason of their piercing iudgement Hom 46. in Matth. and their holy life Saint Chrysostome nearer to our purpose saith that they were Mollissimae pennae misericordiae diuinae as it were the downe feathers of Gods mercie because they handled the people committed to their charge tenderly and intreated them gently in imitation of Eagles of whom some report how truely let the naturalists inquire that whereas other birds carrie their yong ones in their talents or clawes which cannot bee done without some griping they lay them vpon their wings and so transport them without any grieuance which is a good embleme for Magistrates and teacheth them paternall affection towards their people Saint Ambrose resembleth Christ to an Eagle Lib. de Solomone and that in three points First because as the Eagle fluttereth ouer her yong ones and safegards them from any that would annoy them so doth Christ carefully protect his Church Secondly as the Eagle stirreth vp her nest and taketh vp her yong ones enforcing them to looke towards the Sunne thereby trying her generous or degenerating brood euen so doth Christ make triall of true and counterfeite Christians he reiects them as counterfeits that haue but Owles sight and which hate the light but those which can looke vpon the Sunne of righteousnesse and delight in beholding him they goe for true Christians And why They can see their pray a farre off and where the carcasse is there will the Eagles be Sursum Corda though Christ be in heauen their thoughts ascend thither Thirdly the Eagle hateth the Serpent and wheresoeuer hee seeth him renteth him with his beake and Christ the seede of the woman did breake the Serpents head there is perpetuall enmitie betweene them and their seede There is good correspondencie in these points betweene Christ and the Eagle but they cannot be so fitly applied in this place because the word in my Text is plurall Aquilarum of Eagles except wee shall say that Christ had in him the perfection of many Eagles or was attended with many Angels which are sometimes compared to Eagles Ezek 1. Reu 4. and the Cherubins in the Temple and Tabernacle had large and broad wings But let vs come to the wings By them are meant two things the first is the height the second
he committeth some to his seruants they are trusted with the keeping and the care thereof but if hee haue any thing of speciall price and which hee esteemeth more then ordinarie that he layeth in his owne Cabinet he reserueth the keeping thereof vnto himselfe The portion of Good which is so tendered is by the Holy Ghost called Segulia 1 〈◊〉 19. Luckâ— 2 8. which we render a peculiar treasure such as King Dauid had and Salomon Vnto this practice of Kings or great men doth God allude in this resemblance all the world is his but by commission or permission hee intrusteth his creatures with much of it but his Church is more deare vnto him then so he maketh her the subiect of his speciall care and giues vs to vnderstand that she is a speciall Iewell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an exempt people and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a people of extraordinary note so the Translators render Segulla no phrase more vsuall in Moses then to call Israell a pretious people and neuer doth God resemble his Church when hee meaneth to honour it but hee resembleth it to things of greatest value I will not trouble you with the Canticles Cap. 4 1â— where it is called Hortus conclusus and is made the verie Paradise of God I will keepe my selfe to our present allusion In the old Testament the Tabernacle was a type of the Church as it was militant the Temple of Salomon was a type of it as it shall be triumphant and what were both of them made of but of the costliest timber mettall stones silke that could bee had Esay foretold the fabricke of the Church in the state of Grace that it should be of Carbuncles and precious stuffe and how sumptuous is the state of it in Glorie as it is described by Saint Iohn in the Reuelation Cap. 21. Our Sauiour in the Gospell compares the Kingdome of Heauen Math 13. which is the Church vnto a treasure hid and to a pearle of very great price But to speake more plainly the fountaine from which the Church springeth is the pretious louing kindnesse of God Psal 36 7. 1. Pet 1.19 the redemption that was paid for it was the pretious blond of Christ the foundation whereupon it is built Esay 28.16 1 Cor 3.11 is a pretious corner stone the doctrine by which it is built vp is gold siluer and precious stones the persons whereof it consisteth are vessels of Gold 1. Tim. 1.19 1 Pet 1 4 1 Pet 1 7. vessels of honour all the promises that are made vnto it are pretious promises and their faith is pretious how can they then chuse but bee a pretious people If you haue not enough to proue it that one phrase putteth it out of all doubt that the Church is Gods peculiar treasure God himselfe resides there and frameth the Church vnto his Image Christ liueth there the Church is his body the Holy Ghost doth breath there the Church is his Temple finally the Angels attend there the Church is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyrill Alexand. it is the Sanctuarie of God Can there be any thing added vnto the value where there is such a Presence And where there is such a Prouidence becommeth not the Church most peculiar Certainely that which is the Treasure of those Diuine mysteries must needs bee accounted Gods peculiar treasure I will dwell no longer vpon the Resemblance onely take notice that it promiseth more then an ordinarie good in so significant a phrase And indeed what tongue can expresse the fauour that is implied in the value that God setteth on vs and the care that he will take of vs when he calleth vs his Peculiar treasure But what God resembleth that hee brancheth hee openeth the good more plainely which he did but shadow figuratiuely and the first branch doth set forth the Eminencie of the state of Israel They shall be a Kingdome of Priests The phrase is read diuersly 1. Epist 2. Cap 1. 5. Moses hath here a Kingdome of Priests Saint Peter rendreth it a Priestly kingdome in the Reuelation Saint Iohn telleth vs that Christ hath made vs Kings and Priests The reconciliation is easie for in the Church euerie member of the Church is so a King that he is a Priest and so a Priest that he is a King And why He is Primogenitus Gods first borne Exod 4.22 so God called Israel and Saint Paul telleth vs that they that come into the Church Hebr. 12. come into the congregation of the first borne Now the Law of nature doth acknowledge this right of Primogeniture that is made a man Lord of his brethren and Priest of the most high God so that these words Kings and Priests are equipollent to first borne and are the ground of our prerogatiue whereof you shall heare anon But let vs take these words a sunder Cap 16. Cap. 12. First then the Israelites shall bee Kings The Church as it is described in Ezekiel is adorned with a Crowne and that woman which is described in the Reuelation hath a Crowne of twelue Starres vpon her head Psal 45. Matth. 18. the Psalmist calleth her a Queene the Parable of the marriage Feast calleth her the Wife of the Kingssonne her state is royall and all her children are Filij regni Children of the Kingdome the Gospell that is verbum regni doth so honour them they are heyres apparent vnto the kingdome of Heauen Saint Chrysostome vpon 2 Cor. 1. Ad sinem Cap. doth excellently open the Analogie betweene a member of the Church and a King A King saith he hath a Crowne and God doth Crowne his people with mercie and louing kindnesse Psal 103. A King hath his Robes of state and the Church is at the right hand of Christ in a vesture of Gold wrought about with diuers colours Psal 45. Christ himselfe is her clothing A King hath his Guard tending vpon him for his honour and safetie and the Angels of God pitcht their Tents round about the godly Psal 34. A King hath a multitude of Subiects whom hee doth direct and correct and the children of God haue many thoughts and desires ouer which they haue power to order and represse them And indeed herein principally standeth the Kingdome residet in se quisque animo regali euerie man is a Soueraigne ouer himselfe hee doth polish his owne little Common-weale prescribing a measure and obseruing good order in his head in his heart in his soule and in his body It is the Kingdome of grace which is Preached in the Gospell 〈◊〉 2. 〈◊〉 3. Iohn 8. 〈◊〉 1. by which we obtaine the Kingdome of glorie which is promised to them that rule well therein slâ—uerie to sinne is the direct opposite vnto this kingdome this title forbiddeth vs all earthly and sensuall thoughts and desires it requires that wee be kingly in both or else we doe not answere our title And the more is
Church according to that in the Prophet This people haue I formed for my selfe 〈◊〉 45. they shall bee to set forth my prayse And indeed of what regard the Church is with God we may gather out of that which God hath done for it he is become a father vnto it in Christ and tendreth euery member thereof as his deare childe hee hath giuen his only begotten sonne to death for the saluation of it and made him the Bridgeroome of the Church the Holy Ghost doth he send to guide to comfort it and the Angels are ministing spirits for their sakes that shall be heires of saluation Can any man beleeue this 〈◊〉 1. and not beleeue that wee are a pretious treasure vnto God Hee hath prouided for vs a Kingdome that cannot be shaken 〈◊〉 12.28 1. â—ct 5.4 an immarescible Crowne of glorie hee hath communicated vnto vs the Throne of his owne Sonne and giuen vs power ouer all our enemies and can wee doubt but we are Kings vnto him And as for our Priesthood Iames 5 16. that is as euident the prayer of the righteous auailes much their sufferings are to him sacrifices all their life is a sauour of a sweet smell and he is well pleased with the worke of their hands Feuci 7 14. Finally they haue washed their robes white in the bloud of the Lambe they are clothed with the righteousnesse of Christ God vouchsafeth to conuerse with them to dwell with them therefore they are to him an holy Nation We that account our selues happie if wee bee deare to great men great if we be but pettie Lords thinke not meanly of our selues if we be but Priests vnto Baal and looke bigge if we haue but the righteousnesse of a Pharisie how happie should wee thinke our selues that are vouchsafed to be the Fauorites of the King of Kings how should we esteeme our selues that are made Kings of Heauen how should we glorie in our diuine Priesthood and ioy in our true Holinesse when we consider our selues as we are in our selues dust and ashes weake and wicked ones wee may well crie out with Dauid who am I O Lord and what is my Fathers house that I O Lord should be such a one vnto thee and sing the Virgins Hymne My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit hath reioyced in God my Sauiour for he that is mightie hath magnified me c. And when vnder the Crosse wee find that in the eye of worldlings wee are reputed wormes and no men the reproch of men and the despised of the people when they oppresse vs with more then Egyptian bondage scoffe at the sighes and groanes which the Holy Ghost indites in vs and repute all our deuotion to bee but madnesse when they traduce vs as Samaritans as friends of Publicans and Sinners yea as instruments of Beelzebub and condemne vs to a shamefull death as pestilent fellowes traitours and blasphemers what greater comfort can we haue then this promise of God Eritis mihi You shall be to me a peculiar treasure a Kingdome of Priests an holy Nation But I goe on You haue heard of much good but what you haue heard doth not yet amount to a Prerogatiue that appeares in these words aboue all people When we haue good things that are not common to others especially if it be better then they haue any then haue we obtained a Prerogatiue and this was Israels case for the Church was not now Catholique as it had beene before Abrahams time and was to bee after the comming of Christ Gods promise was Catholique to Adam though Cain played the Apostata it was Catholique also to Noah but his children fell away therefore when Gods reuiues it vnto Abraham hee made it but particular and Israel only was his Inheritance In Iuda was God knowne his Name was great in Israel Athanas de Incarnat verb. not that others might not bee if they would become Israelites but ordinarily none but Israelites or Proselytes had part in the Promise Therefore the Law speaketh thus What Nation is there so great Deut. 4. who hath God so nigh vnto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call vpon him for And what Nation is there so great that hath Statutes and iudgements so righteous as all this Law that I set before you this day And the Psalmist God sheweth his word vnto Iacob Psal 147. his Statutes and Iudgements vnto Israel he hath not dealt so with any Nation c. This is often repeated by Moses Deut. 10. but especially Chapter 32. Seeing then God doth compare one Nation vnto all people and preferre it he doth extoll his owne grace and teach vs that the blessing is singular and if singular then a Prerogatiue and because singular and a Prerogatiue the more to be esteemed Surely in worldly things we thinke so for what is he that hath any gist or good which others haue not who doth not esteeme it as much for the rarenesse as for the greatnesse thereof I would wee did passe as true a iudgement vpon our heauenly Treasures surely the Church was wont to doe so Pone me vt signaculum Cant 8. saith the Spouse Set mee as a Seale vpon thy arme and in her Plea Populus tuus omnes nos Wee are thine enen the sheepe of thy pasture Esay 63. As God doth honour vs aboue others so will hee that we be mindfull of his speciall fauour Put now together the Greatnesse of the Good which God offers with the Singularitie of the fauour which God vouchsafeth Israel and they will yeild vs a definition of the Church for what is Ecclesia but a people chosen out of the world and preferred before it in that it is Gods peculiar treasure and to him a Kingdome of Priests and an holy Nation But I leaue that point to your priuate meditations which will bee the fuller if you adde the next particular vnto it for that also is considerable in your contemplations of the Church That which God offers is a Prerogatiue and such a Prerogatiue as is Gracious I gather it first out of Vos Deut 7 yee yee shall bee vnto mee a peculiar treasure c. And who are yee neither the most nor the best of people Moses from God telleth them so bondslaues in Egypt and much more bound to Satan for they were a rebellious nation more base in minde then in condition and therefore God biddeth them looke vnto his free loue the cause of their deliuerance Et dare non dignis res mage digna Deo the lesse worth there appeares in the receiuer the more grace doth there shine from the giuer As Israels want of worth made the gift gracious so also was it gracious in that God was not driuen to make the choice out of any want for all the earth is mine saith God All Nations they are the same by nature and it was free for God to make choice of any other
Apud Photium in Bibliotheca after the ouerthrow of Hierusalem should haue beene crowned by his Souldiers as a Conquerour hee refused it and gaue this answere This worke is none of mine I lent my hand but God gaue the strooke You see a very heathen did confesse the birth of Iezreel But Iezreel was not the onely child Lo-ruhama was borne also God gaue the stroke and it was a Mercilesse stroke Theodoret obserueth well in comparing the many iudgments that besell the Iewes that they were vindemiati defoliati at other times their enemies had fruit gatherings vpon them and they had fals of the leafe they were made very bare and brought very low butyet neuer so low as now when they became as the Fig-tree which Christ cursed in those words neuer fruit grow on thee any more when they became not onely a naked but also a withered Tree Mal. 1. â— when the habitation of Iacob became like the habitation of Esau a border of wickednesse and the Iewes as the Edomites a people with whom God is effended for euer Tertullian in his Apologie describes their wofull state Caeli soli extorres sine Deo sine homine Rege they may neither breath in their owne ayre nor tread on their owne ground they haue helpe neither from God nor man as if they were the brood of Caine continuall vagabonds semper noui vbique alieni neuer suffered long in any one plaâ—â— neither entertained otherwise then as meere strangers whatsoeuer liberâ—â— they haue they pay for it to the vttermost Saint â—â—nard goeth farther in an Epistle of his saying Neuer was there such a 〈◊〉 as God hath brought vpon the Iewes who are Catholike slaues slaues in 〈◊〉 the world I will not rip vp stories to proue this euen this yeare God hath made vs see the truth hereof Germanie hath yeelded a spectacle of their slauerie In the Citie of Frankford which was inhabited with many thousinds of them when they were preparing themselues to solemnize that day wherein they bewaile the destruction of Hierusalem the Inhabitants otherwise exasperated against them wreakt their displeasure vpon them and hazarding many of their liues rifled most of their goods and forced them out of their Citie There is yet a third child the worst of the three Lo-ansmi the heauiest calamitie that euer befell the Iewes God oftentimes afflicted them and the affliction was very sharpe but he neuer before dissolued the bond whereby Israel was knit vnto him and was by Couenant his peculiar people but now that which Theodoret would haue the world to wonder at silij facti sunt canes canes filij We that at the plauting of the Gospell were no better then Dogs haue now the honour to bee children of God and they that then were children what are they now but Dogs Dogs not vouchsafed so much as the crummes that fall from their masters table At first their Kingdome failed then failed the Prophesie and now the Priesthood faileth also there is no bond of Commerce left betweene them and God such was the destruction of Hierusalem But this was but a Type we were in this to behold a greater euill the eternall damnation of the Iew. Non aliquid vsitatum dicit saith Chrysostome it is no vsuall matter that Iohn Baptist meaneth by the wrath to come it is not the sword or pestilence or famine that he terrifieth them with he puereth them in mind of some other iudgement such as they had neuer heard before Wee are then from the Type to come to the truth from the destruction to the damnation which is here called wrath to come And the first thing that this phrase putteth vs in mind of is the difference that God hath made betweene Angels and men both sinned and were sentenced but the stroke of Iustice was respited vnto man which on the Angels was inflicted presently no space left vnto the Angels to be reconciled vnto God but God hath giuen a space vnto man Saint Chrysostome obserueth well there vpon If thou sinne and God doe not presently strike thinke not that he doth it out of Impotencie hee doth it out of Patience it cannot be Impotencie for he presently did strike the Angels that are greater then men it is Patience then which argueth Gods wonder full mercie towards man Yea and thereupon it followeth vndoubtedly that during this space which God granteth for repentance no man need to despaire Lib. 2. de Panitentiá or to be despaired of Saint Ambrose is confident herein I am perswaded saith he that if Iudas Iudas that betraied Christ had spoken vnto Christ that which he spake vnto the high Priest I haue sinned in that I haue shed innocent bloud he might haue beene saued if Iudas who not Man is not doomed definitely in this life But I must remoue a stumbling blocke for restraining Wrath to that punishment which is to come I may bee thought to denie it in any of those punishments which we feele in this life and indeed I doe denie it For whatsoeuer is inflicted here is improperly Wrath and in comparison deserueth not the name of Wrath you may call it Wrath materially but formally it is no Wrath. I will shew it by a three fold difference which is betweene the punishments of this life and those of the life to come The first is in their Originall the second in their Measure the third in their End For the Originall we must learne that wrath is no immediat affection there is something else that commeth betweene it and the Will and that is Loue and Hatred the Will is prepossest by one of them before it bringeth forth Wrath and Wrath is the immediate fruit either of Loue or Hatred we learne it out of Gods message sent by Nathan to King Dauid 1. Sam. 7.14 15. If thy children breake my Lawes and walke not in my statutes I will visit their sinnes with the rod and their offences with scourges but my Mercie I will not take from them as I did from Saul Dauids house felt stripes and so did Sauls but mercie laid on those and hatred these The very same may you gather out of Gods words in the first of Malachi Iacob haue I loued Esau haue I hated and these two God exprest in punishing them both as it followeth in that Text. Now all punishments in this life they are effects of Loue that Loue which fixed a space betweene our sinnes and the receite of our wages But when the space is ended the Loue doth end whatsoeuer we feele after it is the stroake of hatred Psal 88. God forgetteth then to be mercifull and shutteth vp his louing kindnes in displeasure So that as this stroake is properly Wrath so the other cannot be but improperly so called seeing thereby God so chastiseth vs not because he hateth vs but because he loueth vs Castigo te non quod odio habeam sed quod amem is in this life much more truely said of
commeth from Edom and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Thankesgiuing in the Reuelation But I draw to an end The conclusion of all my Text is this If at any time wee bee distressed and not relieued the fault is not in God it is in vs for our Deuotion is tired ouer-soone wee are all modicae fidei men of little faith and though the spirit be willing yet the flesh is weake and the weaknesse of the flesh preuaileth more then the willingnesse of the Spirit Wherefore we must all pray vnto God to giue vs the Spirit of Grace and Prayer ANd Lord we beseech thee helpe our vnbeliefe and increase our faith yea Lord pray thou that our faith faile not and the more thou doest exercise our patience the more earnest let vs be for thy deliuerance deliuerance from our corporall deliuerance from our spirituall foes that well ouercomming our Militancie here on earth we may bee Triumphant with the Saints in Heauen where wee shall turne our Prayers into Prayses and sing day and night honour prayse strength and power bee vnto him that sitteth vpon the Throne and to the Lambe for euermore AMEN SVNDRIE SERMONS DE TEMPORE PREACHED VPON SEVErall Occasions by the Right Reuerend Father in God ARTHVR LAKE D. of Diuinitie Lord Bishop of Bathe and Welles LONDON Printed by R. Young for N. BVTTER 1629. יהוה EIGHT SERMONS ON THE NINTH CHAPTER Of the Prophecie of ISAIAH ISAIAH 9. VERS 6 7. For vnto vs a Childe is borne vnto vs a Sonne is giuen and the gouernment shall be vpon his shoulders and his Name shall bee called The wonderfull Counsellour The mighty God The euerlasting Father The Prince of Peace Of the increase of his Gouernment and Peace there shall bee no end vpon the Throne of Dauid and vpon his Kingdome to order it and to establish it with Iudgement and Iustice from henceforth euen for euer The zeale of the Lord of Hosts shall performe this THis is the first Lesson appointed for this Morning Prayer and appointed fitly For the Argument well fits the Time We are now met to praise God for the Morning of the Church Zacharie Luke 1. doth so call the Birth of Christ saying The day spring that is the Morning from on high hath visited vs Yea Christ himselfe Reuel the last vers 16 doth call himselfe The bright Morning starre And verily his Birth was the most blessed Morning that euer the Church saw whether you respect the Night that went before or the Day that followed after it was the blessedest Morning that euer the Church saw The Night was long and darke a Night of want of warre so wee reade in the last of the former and the first verse of this chapter But the Day that followed was a cleare and lasting Day a Day of haruest a triumph Day so we are taught in the foure verses that goe immediately before my Text. A great alteration Who could worke it who could turne that night into this day what Sunne shone forth in so great strength In such a case man was like to moue such a doubt therefore the holy Ghost hath resolued it and his resolution of that doubt is my Text. Loe here is one that can vndertake that work who he is How excellent he is we are taught here and that in regard of his Person and of his State For of his Person here are the Natures wherein it subsisteth here is the People to whom it belongs It subsists in two Natures 1. The Nature of Man Hee is a Childe 2. The Nature of God Hee is the Sonne The Person subsisting in these two Natures belongeth vnto whom To Vs was hee borne he was giuen to Vs saith the Prophet Esay and Esay was a Iew. Christ then belongeth to the Iewes though the Iewes must not bee vnderstood according to the flesh but the spirit To these Iewes was he vouchsafed by taking and giuing Natus he tooke his nature from them and Datus what he tooke he with aduantage bestowed vpon them But of what degree was he amongst them here commeth in his State He was a King The Gouernment shall be vpon his shoulders The Gouernement that was Royall for verse 7. it is called The Throne The Kingdome of Dauid He shall sit vpon that and that is the Gouernment that shall bee layd vpon his shoulders And happy are the People that haue such a King You will confesse it if you consider his Excellencie The Excellencie both of his Person and of his State Of his Person that appeares in his endowments Of his State that appeares in his managing thereof The Endowments of his Person are Royall Reade his Titles He shall bee called and what he is called that he certainely is Hee shall be called by those names that expresse such vertues as most beseeme a King our King For a King ouer and aboue the Vertues which are common to him with his Subiects must haue more than ordinary Wisedome and Power And see this King is called for his Wisedome The wonderfull Counsellour for his Power The mighty God But mistake not his Kingdome it is not of this World He that is our King is The Father of Eternity that is Of the World to come And as his Kingdome is not of this World so is not the condition of his People worldly it is Peace and Peace is not the portion of this world but of that which is to come Our King is the Prince of this Peace You see how the Person is endowed and thereby how excellent the Person is There is an Excellencie in his State also it appeares in the Effect in the Cause The Effect for of this Kingdome there are no bounds and the felicitie of the Subiects is also boundlesse so saith the Text Of the increase of his Gouernment and Peace there shall be no end Such an Effect must haue an answerable Cause it hath Iustice and Iudgement are the Pollicie of this State with these as a wonderfull Counsellour he doth order as a mighty God he doth support his State And he doth it vncessantly From henceforth and for euer As the Effect so the Cause this is eternall therefore that These Truthes concerning Christs Person and State are not onely affirmed in the body of the Text but also assured in the close thereof Much you haue heard and yet no more than shall bee He that hath promised can doe it such is his Power Hee is the Lord of Hosts Nay hee cannot but doe it such is his Loue for his Loue is Zeale So concludes the Prophet The zeale of the Lord of Hosts shall performe this You haue heard the summe of this whole Text and therein see a most exquisite picture of our Sauiour Christ certainely it is the fullest the liueliest that euer the holy Ghost in so few words exprest in any part of the Old Testament For here Christ is not only drawne from top to toe but drawn also with those varieties that befell him from eternity to eternitie
was stung by the Serpent so in Paradise was hee cured by the seed of the Woman The Patriarchs in their order Heb. 11. not onely knew but felt the vertue of this Childe this Sonne St. Paul comprehends it in a short Rule Iesus Christ yesterday and to day and the same for euer Hee was a Lambe slaine not onely borne from the beginning of world Neither onely did the efficacie of his person worke but in a sort his presence also was vouchsafed vnto the world It is an ancient opinion of many of the Fathers and not a few of the worthiest late Diuines approue it that all apparitions of God in the Old Testament were of the second Person In the eighth of the Prouerbs himselfe saith that his delight was to be amongst the Sonnes of men Yea and to say nothing of other shapes how often did hee appeare in the shape of a man which apparition the Fathers call Praeludium incarnationis It was a faire intimation of that which in time hee should bee for euer after hee had once taken vpon him the nature of man which death it selfe should neuer seuer from him O Lord that wouldest not only become Man but also bee Gods gift to Man thou which wert before all time wouldest be bestowed in time bestowed vpon Iewes bestowed vpon Gentiles and make them both one Israel of God Notwithstanding there was nothing in them to demerit thee much in them to prouoke thee yet hast thou out of thine own goodnesse so tendered Man as to satisfie thy Iustice that it might bee no hinderance vnto thy Mercy but that thy Mercy might remedy both our Woe and Sinne We beseech thee that wee may all be new borne by vertue of thy Sonnes birth and giue our selues to Thee as he is giuen to Vs that so we may be in the number of those which with the Prophet may say Tovs a Childe is borne to vs a Sonne is giuen Which grace he vouchsafe vs that is giuen vnto vs To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be giuen all honour and glory now and for euer Amen THE THIRD SERMON The Gouernment shall be vpon his shoulders THe Doctrine of this Scripture containes the Truth and Excellencie of Christs Person and State Of the truth of Christs Person I haue already spoken and shewed you both the Natures wherein it subsisteth and the People to which it belongs The Natures wherein it subsists are two The Nature of God and of Man which haue a most streight vnion in one Person and yet without the least diminution of eyther nature This Person belongs vnto the Iewes not according to the flesh but according to the spirit euen to the whole Israel of God which consists of beleeuing naturall both Iewes and Gentiles To this People doth Christ belong But of what degree is hee amongst them For euery companie that consists of many persons if they bee incorporate hath men of sundry degrees by the Ordinance of God and the common rules of discretion there are superiours there are inferiours some which command some which are commanded Of which ranke is our Sauiour Christ Of the highest it appeares in his State The Gouernment shall be vpon his shoulders Although then the Scripture affirm that Christ appeared in the forme of a seruant and himself said That he came not to be ministred vnto but to minister et must we not mistake his Ministery was not of the foote but of the head it was not an obeying but a commanding Ministeric The Head ministers and so doth the Foote in our body naturall but they minister not both alike The head ministreth to the foote by way of commanding the foote ministreth to the head by way of obeying Christs Ministery was of the former not of the later kinde his Foes and his Friends in the Gospell both salute him by the name of Rabbi or Rabboni which is by interpretation Master And our Sauiour Christ telleth his Disciples in St. Iohn You call me Master and Lord and you say well for so I am And elsewhere he calleth himselfe The Heire of the Vineyard The Lord of the Sabaoth The Name of Christ or Messias is a most cleare proofe hereof for none were anointed but to be superiours and the Acts which Christ did exercise beare witnesse hereunto which were all of them eyther Propheticall when hee taught or Priestly when hee sacrificed or Kingly when hee wrought Miracles These bee the things which were done by him and the Gospell relates no other kinde of acts or at least none in comparison And all these are commanding acts they are acts of a Superiour exercised in the dayes of his flesh in the dayes of his greatest humiliation So that the forme of a Seruant and the ministring of Christ shew that he had not the attendance for worldly respect that was due to such a Superiour hee had not so much as a house to hide his head in much lesse had hee any Princely pompe But they deny him not to haue been a Superiour they deny him not that which was giuen him in my Text and my Text giueth him the State of a Superiour To come then vnto it There are two things to bee obserued in the words 1. Of what sort the Gouernment was 2. and Wherewith Christ did sustaine it The Gouernment was of the best sort it was Regall it appeares in the next Verse where Christ is said To sit vpon the Throne of Dauid And this Gouernment he sustaines by his owne carefull Power for it is layd vpon his shoulders These two Points we must at this time looke into briefly and in their order I beginne with the Gouernment If wee looke backe to the Story of Genesis we shall finde that when God promised Isaac which was a Type of Christ he changed both his Fathers and his Mothers name shee was called Sarai but God new named her Sarah which is a Princesse and Abram was new named Abraham a Father of many Nations And me thinks when I reade these words here in the Prophet and those that follow wherein Christ is described I see the application of those names to this Person I see the Principality I see the Posterity I see in Christ the truth of Sarah and of Abrahams name And surely the word which here signifieth Gouernment hath great affinity with the name of Sarah But of Gouernments some are subordinate some are absolute Some so command as the Centurion in the Gospell I am a man set vnder authority though I haue diuers vnder mee and I say to one come and hee commeth and to another go and he goeth But some so command as Salomon speaketh of a King against whom there is no rising vp whose Lawes must not bee disputed on earth and his Commandements bee obeyed by all that are his Subiects Christs Gouernment is not of the subordinate but the absolute sort it appeares by the Throne by the Kingdome vpon which he sitteth places of absolute power especially if
they be Natiue and not Electiue they must needs haue a most free absolute Power And such Christs is Natus Rex it is the expresse letter of my Text And the Wisemen that came to present him Matth. 2. asked for him that was borne King of the Iewes Nay Christ himselfe when Pilate asked him whether he were a King replyed for this cause was I borne And Pilate set vp this stile ouer his Crosse Iesus of Nazareth King of the Iewes which he would not alter though he were much importuned by the Scribes and Pharisees The places of the Prophets are very cleare Esay 32. Ier. 23. but specially Dan. 7. all of them beare witnesse to the Kingdome of Christ So that wee must acknowledge in Christ a Kingly power such a Power as none must dare to dispute the verity of his Word as curious and scoffing Atheists and Epicures doe or resist his Authority as proud Pharaohs and Senacheribs Christ can brooke neyther But as Christ is called a King so here is an addition vnto his Title his Throne and Kingdome are termed the Throne and Kingdome of Dauid And indeed Christs Pedegree is by St. Matthew and St. Luke fetched from King Dauid Himselfe calleth himselfe in the Reuelation The roote and generation of Dauid The Apostle telleth vs that be was of the seed of Dauid according to the flesh And how often in the Gospell is he called The Sonne of Dauid In the Prophets euen Dauid himselfe sometimes and sometimes The branch of Dauid Finally the Angell in the first of Luke telleth the Virgin Mary That Christ shall sit vpon the Throne of his Father Dauid But how can that bee seeing that which Dauid had Christ had not and what Dauid had not Christ had Christ had not the Temporall state of Dauid that was fallen into the hands of Herod the great and the Spirituall state of Christ Dauid had not His Kingdome was Temporall How then could Christ be said to sit vpon his Kingdome Although it were granted that by succession Christ was the right heire to the Crowne of Israel yet seeing the Scepter was departed and the Law-giuer gone the Tabernacle of Dauid was downe we cannot finde a Truth of these words we cannot if wee vnderstand them literally but if mystically wee may And St. Pauls rule is our guide All things yea and persons too if they were eminent came to the Israelites in Types 1 Cor. 10. they had shadowes of good things to come St. Bernards rule is true This Throne of Dauid which Christ sate on was not sedes Typica but Vera not Corporalis but Spiritualis not Temporalis but Aeterna yet so that Illa was huius Imago the Temporall of the Eternall the Corporall of the Spirituall the Typicall of the true Throne Dauids state of the state of the Church And indeed there is an excellent Analogie betweene the Person of Dauid and Christ as both were Kings Dauid was anointed to be a King long before hee was possessed of his Kingdome and so was our Sauiour Christ anointed with the holy Ghost long before he entred into his Glory For though he did many acts of a Gouernour Propheticall and Priestly yet few Regall acts before his Resurrection and those which hee did hee did them rather with the efficacie than in the Maiestie of a King for his outward Man represented nothing lesse But after his Resurrection and Ascension Efficacie and Maiestie conioyned and he sate him downe at the right hand of God and now doth he gouerne in the glory of his Father Secondly as there was a distance betweene Dauids Vnction too and Possession of the Crowne so was that a troublesome time few quiet dayes had he being persecuted both abroad and at home by Saul by his Seruants Euen so our Sauiour Christ entred not into his glory but by many afflictions all kinde of Enemies pursue him with all kinde of malice so that his life was a continuall Crosse And as Dauid so Christ the nearer he drew to his Crowne the sharper was his Crosse Thirdly as King Dauid first possessed only the Tribe of Iuda and after some yeares the ten Tribes euen so our Sauiour Christ at first possessed only the Iewes and after some time inlarged his Church vnto the Gentiles Fourthly Dauid being possessed of his Kingdome spent many years in repressing the Foes of his Kingdome Philistines Amonites Syrians c. and at length fate downe in peace and ruled with Iustice and Iudgement in much Prosperity euen so our Sauiour Christ though ascended into Heauen and reigning there yet shall he be vntill the generall Resurrection subduing his Enemies vnder his feete and freeing his Church from troubles and calamities when that is done then shall he rule and reigne with his Church in much peace and ioy These and such like Analogies are obseruable in comparing of Christ and Dauid which are the cause why the Kingdome of Christ is called The Kingdome of Dauid But yet in the letter of the storie which is the ground of this comparison you shall finde many Hyperboles reade the 89. Psalme the 72. Psalm the 132. to say nothing of diuers places of the Prophets which seeme to exceede the truth if they be applyed to King Dauid whereby the holy Ghost giueth vs to vnderstand that they must bee applyed to a greater than Dauid And indeed the phrases that are in these reall Allegories or Types must be vnderstood of the Corporall part but Quodammodo in a measure answerable vnto them the fulnesse of their truth appeares in the Spirituall And some Diuines obserue Ezâ—k 21.26 37 that The Throne of Dauid is not that which Dauid possessed but that which was promised to Dauid for his sonne And indeed in 2 Sam. 7. the Promise though it be made vnto Dauid yet is it made for his sonne his sonne is Christ It was not meant of his immediate Sonne otherwise than in a Type but it was meant of his Sonne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Messias or Sauiour of the world As also the Promise made to Abraham was made for his Sonne which in appearance seemed to be Isaac but St. Paul to the Galathians telleth vs that that seed is Christ Well then this Kingdome is the Church and therein Christ sitteth as in his Throne it is the Gouernment thereof that is committed vnto him And here wee may not dreame of a corporall Kingdome and turne the truth into a Type St. Paul hath told vs that The Kingdome of God is neyther meat nor drinke but righteousnesse and peace and ioy of the holy Ghost And Christ in the Gospell The Kingdome of God is within you The Parables of the Kingdome if you looke to their Morall imply as much all sound things and persons spirituall Grosse then is the vsurpation of the Bishop of Rome who in Christs name contrary to Christs rules combines both Swords the Spirituall and the Corporall And they that vnderstand The Kingdome of Christ carnally as if all
for euer Amen THE FOVRTH SERMON And his Name shall be called The wonderfull Counsellour The mighty God THe Nature and Excellencie of Christs Person are those two Points of Doctrine which haue beene obserued in this Text The first I haue ended you haue beene taught what Christs Person is what is his State I come now to the excellencie of both Each hath an excellency there is an excellencie of the Person and an excellencie of the State The excellencte of Christs Person is to be seen in the endowments thereof which are contained in his stile but the excellencie of his state appeares in his managing thereof I beginne at the excellencie of the Person which consists in the endowments and the endowments are exprest in the style As mortall Kings so this immortall hath his style proclaimed And his name shall be called his style expresseth indowments which are Regall but Spirituall Regall they are Two vertues are peculiar vnto Kings ouer and aboue those which they must haue in common with their Subiects they are Wisdome and Power Wisedome to prouide for and Power to sustaine their estate This King hath both he hath Wisedome for hee is The wonderfull Counsellour and he hath Power for he is The mighty God But as his indowments are Regall so are they Spirituall for they must be proportionable to the Kingdome His kingdome is not of this world for he is the Father of eternity Neyther is the condition of his people worldly it is Peace it is an heauenly not an earthly portion Hee is Prince of this Peace These be the endowments of his Person and of these we are to speake distinctly and in their order And first they are giuen him in his style Herein hee answereth mortall Kings in that he proclaimeth his style lest his people should faile in their respect For the greatnesse of respect ariseth with the greatnesse of the style we vse to looke vpon them with a more awfull eye in whom there are more grounds of awe This hath made Monarches in all ages to straine their Titles to the vttermost as hee that reades the Story of the Assyrian the Persian the Romane Monarches of old and the moderne histories both of barbarous and Christian Kings may easily perceiue But here is the odds that their styles doe commonly shew rather what they should be than what they are They are giuen them propter spem in hope they will proue as their Titles import or else they shew what they would seeme to haue done rather than what they haue done indeed And here flattery amplifieth beyond truth and maketh mountaines of mole-hils yea substituteth fables in stead of verities as might easily be proued if we would insist vpon their particular styles You may reade the title of Augustus giuen vnto such Emperours as did not enlarge but diminish the Empire of Pater patriae to those that were so far from being Fathers that they were plaine Tyrants of Pontifex Maximus giuen to them which were so farre from seruing the gods that they did sacrilegiously canonize themselues for gods and yet propter spem the Senate gaue them these titles and by flattery they did amplifie in the rest He that had but a small conquest encreased his style as if he had conquered a whole Kingdome as appeares in the styles of Germanicus Illiricus Brytannicus c. To omit the fabulous styles of the easterne Monarches he that will may read them in their stories and see how ridiculous they are in claiming kindred of the gods of the starres and of what not which might amplifie their Maiestie In a word Hope and Flattery are the best ground wherupon all mens worldly titles are built especially great mens and Kings most of all But it is not so with our King the truth in him is answerable to the titles that are giuen him They are not giuen him propter spem but propter rem Hee is that which he is called neyther is there in them any flattery yea his titles do come short of they do not exceed those perfections that are in him So that we may not measure the style of Christ as we doe the styles of mortall Kings but conceiue rather more than lesse when we heare his style Marke also another difference between the style of Christ and the style of mortall Princes Mortall Princes amongst other amplifications of their style are spoken vnto in abstracto you seldome heare of any salutations giuen to them but they are so conceiued Maiestie Dominion Celsitude Grace and the like as if they were framed of Plato's Idea vpon which Diogenes played wittily Scyathum video Scythietatem non video and another applying it to Princes obserues That before this style began vertues were in concreto the Persons and the Vertues met in one subiect but since they haue been separated and as we heare the vertue abstracted from the subiect so doe we commonly see the subiect voyd of the vertue But it is not so with Christ but whereas he may iustly and doth sometimes not only to note the eminency of his vertue but also to note his Godhead call himselfe by abstract names Wisedome Truth Righteousnesse Life c. yet doth hee vsually receiue his style in concreto to note that his Manhood is endowed with these qualities from his Godhead and that the subiect and the vertues goe in him both together Lastly wee must not beginne Christs being this which he is called at the time when he is first called and so with Seruetus question the Godhead of Christ as if it were no more ancient than this solemne proclamation of his style For though then his endowments began to be manifested and communicated to his Manhood yet as God hee had them from euerlasting from euerlasting was he the wonderfull Counsellour the mighty God the father of eternity But to leaue the preface and come to the indowments to the Regall indowments The first imports his Wisedome hee is called The wonderfull Counsellour Some seuer these words and make two titles of that which I reade but as one one title of Wonderfull and another of Counsellour and so it may bee Wonderfull may well bee a title of Christ nay a transcendent title which goeth through all his titles for not one of them is there in which we must not conceiue him to be wonderfull and wee cannot haue a better preparation to those meditations which we haue on the eminencie of Christ than if we begin at wonderfull Admiration is but broken knowledge but it is the seed of perfect knowledge so perfect as we are capable of It maketh vs when we study vpon the nature of God and of Christ and the excellencies of both to conceiue a good rule which is That though God speakes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet we must vnderstand him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and euer rise higher in our thoughts than we are led by the signification of the words We must adde a degree of eminencie wherin they
it hath neyther limits of place nor period of time The Hebrew word beareth both and so doth the Syriacke which Luke 1. is vsed in the same argument In the Hebrew Text the word Marbe hath contrary to the vsuall orthography Mem clausum for Mem apertum some impute it to the errour of the Scribes but the vniformity of all copies disproues that seeing it is not like that all should commit the same errour especially seeing they wrote not all out of one copy Whereupon the Diuines suppose that there is some mystery therein what the mystery is they are not agreed some would haue it to be but a circumstance a circumstance of the time when Christ should bee borne Mem vnderstood numerally signifieth 600. and about 600. yeares after this prophesie Christ was borne othersome not content with this circumstance seeke for a mystery in the substance of the description of Christ and here their iudgements vary also for some respect Christum naturalem and some Christum mysticum They that respect Christum naturalem suppose that the strangenesse of the character signifieth the strangenesse of Christs birth which was not to be after the ordinary course of man They that respect Christum mysticum obserue that the squarenesse of Mem pointeth out the foure quarters of the world and the closenesse of Mem the perpetuity of time for that you cannot see in the letter where it ends And if there bee any mysterie this is the likeliest for seeing this letter falleth out to be in those words wherein the Prophet speaketh de Christo mystico it is like the mysterie concerneth Christum mysticum and noteth the boundlesse increase thereof in place and time But to leaue this mysterie The phrase doth plainly obserue a difference between the Church in the Old Testament and the Church in the New that had bounds this hath none The bounds of the old Church were the limits of the holy Land which you may reade in Moses and in Iosuah the like difference is obserued in the old and in the new Ierusalem the old Ierusalem had wals but Zachary cap. 2. saith that the new should bee inhabited without wals And indeed here wee see the truth of the promise made to Abraham He is a Father of many Nations As in Sarahs name we saw the royalty of the King so in Abrahams the amplitude of the Kingdome We may likewise apply hereunto the story of Iacobs two sonnes Iuda a type of the King and Ioseph of the Kingdome his very name soundeth the increase thereof and Iacob describeth in his blessing this blessing of increaso But to come to the plaine cuidences In thy seed said God to Abraham shall all nations of the earth be blessed And Psalme 2. Aske of mee saith God to Christ and I will giue vnto thee all nations for thine inheritance and the vttermost parts of the earth for thy possession I omit the rest of the Prophets the Psalmes haue Texts enow All nations shall remember themselues and be turned to the Lord. reade Psalm 45.72.89 Come to the New Testament Many shall come from the East and from the west from the North and from the South saith Christ and shall sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdome of Heauen Matth. 8. 13. He maketh the whole world the field wherein God soweth his seed and speaking of the end of the world he giueth vs the meaning of that Parable saying That the Gospell must be preached to all nations But most excellent is that Acts 2. where when the holy Ghost descended it pleased God that there should be of all nations vnder heauen some that should hear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wonderfull workes of God euery one in his owne languagne So that the Gospel was preached to all nations before the Apostles stirred from Ierusalem And who can tell whether they were not harbingers vnto the Apostles to prepare a people for Christ against their comming thither The place also in the Reuelation cap. 7. is very cleare where after the sealing of those that were Israelites Iohn saw a multitude of all nations which none could number triumphing as members of this Kingdome Finally St. Paul compares the circuit of the Sunne of righteousnesse Rom. 10. vnto the circuit of our corporall Sunne both compasse the world no place is hid from the light or heat of eyther of them You see it hath no bounds of place neyther hath it any bounds of time As it is the largest Monarchie that euer was for none of these foure notable ones euer tooke vp halfe so much ground so is it the most lasting also Iesus Christ yesterday to day and the same for euer You haue it in the type of Dauid and Saul whereof the Kingdome of the one was temporall but of the other eternall as it is 2 Sam. 7. The Angel repeateth the same promise Luke 1. The Psalmes doe often vrge it Psalme 45.72.89 So doe the Prophets Esay especially they all concurre in this that the Kingdome shall haue no end Christs words are short but they are full The gates of hell shall neuer preuaile against it And behold here another excellent difference between mortall Kingdomes and this heauenly Mortall Kingdomes are not lasting and while they last they continue not vniform they haue their clymactericall years and commonly determine within certaine periods The Politicians write of it Bodin by name and he out of others and the Stories are cleare that it is so Iustin hath calculated the three first but Slèidan all foure and wee see their beginning and their ending And as they are not lasting so while they last they continue not vniforme The Planters of great states are commonly Heroicall men but the Prouerb is Heroum filij noxae The Parents were neuer so beneficiall as the children are mischieuous oppressing by tyrannie or wasting by vanity worldly peace breedeth plenty plenty breedeth luxury and luxurie breedeth warre wherewith commeth ruine This being the condition of mortall Kingdomes how blessed is this Kingdome that is boundlesse in place and time both for gouernment and for peace If a man would choose himselfe an habitation would he not pitch there where he might haue the most commerce and the safest harbour See then our vanity that for the most part wrong our selues herein and preferre the world before the Church desire to bee of that corporation rather than this where wee haue lesse scope and more trouble doe wee rather choose to make our abode than where the bounds are wider and the peace is neuer interrupted I say there is more scope in the Church than in the world not only more lasting peace because though there bee few that shall bee saued yet those few are all at one But of those that perish it is true Quot capita tot sensus there are as many factions almost as persons they iarre as much between themselues as they doe with the godly and in that respect the godly may be said
thereof withhold ought that should be subiect vnto thee eyther in soule or body And let our whole soule our whole body bee comforted with thy peace Finally let them last as they grow both Gouernment and Peace in all in euery one of vs and that world without end Let neyther end in this world where they are subiect to danger So shall both last for euer in that world that is to come where they shall be free from all danger Amen THE SEVENTH SERMON To order and to establish it with Iustice and with Iudgement for euer THe Excellencie of Christs State standeth in a boundlesse growth of the Kingdome and a constant policie of the King Of the boundlesse growth I haue already spoken I come now to the constant policie This is the cause whereof that was the effect and as the effect is answerable to the cause so the cause is not inferiour to the effect it must bee such as is likely to produce it and so is this Let vs consider it The policie is the exercise of the royall endowments of the Kings wisedome and of his power of his wisedome for hee doth order and to order what is it but to shew himselfe the wonderfull Counsellour of his power for he doth support and what is it to support but to shew himselfe the mighty God But both these may be done ill or well Christs are well done for in doing both he followeth a good rule his rule is Iudgement and Iustice Hee calleth all to an account and hee deales with all vnpartially And this hee doth constantly from henceforth and for euer For of an endlesse effect the cause must also be endlesse These be the particulars which now we must handle I beginne at the first And the first thing that I obserue herein is That as Christ hath endowments so hee vseth them to that end for which hee receiued them No creature though destitute of reason but keepeth his course they let vs see in their working wherefore they were ordained the Sunne giueth his light the Fire his heat the Water moistnesse the Earth beareth fruit in all creatures you may reade this lesson Deus Natura nihil faciunt frustra And if creatures voyde of reason deale so much more should those that are indued with reason they should not be like the vuprofitable seruant that wrapped his talent vp in a napkin and hid it but as St. Peter aduiseth Euery one as he hath receiued the gift 1 Pet. 4.10 so must hee dispose it as a good Steward of the manifold graces of God Certainly Christ doth so and hee is a good Precedent vnto euery one of vs especially vnto those of place and authority bee it in Church or Common-weale their gifts must not be idle seeing there was an end for which they were bestowed vpon them As they must not be idle so must each be applyed vnto his proper end for praestat otiosum esse quam nihil agere to busie our gifts and not intend that whereat euery one must ayme is an vnprofitable businesse And much businesse of this nature there is in the world which is the cause why St. Paul doth blame certaine persons whom he calleth busie bodies 1 Tim. 5.13 Mark then that our Sauiour doth employ his endowments and employ them fitly Wisedome is appointed to order and hee doth order by his wisedome Power is appointed to support and he doth support by his Power But let vs looke further into eyther of these Christ doth order order his Kingdome therefore it was out of order The Physitians medicine doth intimate the Patients disease and wee doe not vse to set in order that which was not out of order And indeed this Kingdome of Israel was out of order In the temporall state it was when Christ came as it was when Dauid came to the Crowne When Dauid came to the crown he professed All the Land is dissolued I beare vp the Pillars thereof it was much more so when Christ came in the dayes of Herod as hee that readeth Flauius Iosephus writing of the life of Herod may easily perceiue At what time Iacobs prophesie appeared true The Scepter was gone Cap. 9. the Law-giuer ceased whereupon ensued that which Amos foretold The Tabernacle of Dauid fell to the ground It was so with the temporall State But Christ meddled not with that hee left vnto Caesar that which was Caesars his endeauour was that God might haue what was due to God As the temporall State was out of order so was the ecclesiasticall much more it appeares in the Gospel where Christ layeth open the abuses of the Priests and of the Scribes of the Pharisees and of the Saducees it was their abuses that he came to reforme to set in order Secondly this word remembreth vs of the Apostles rule 1 Cor. 14. God is not the God of confusion but of order Confusion is from the Diuell but order is from God especially in the Church which St. Paul resembleth to our body wherein the parts are fitly disposed and euery one keepeth his place the eye the head the hand the feete one vsurpeth not the function of the other in answerablenesse whereunto the Apostle telleth vs that All are not Prophets all are not Apostles 1 Cor. 12. and Cap. 7. exhorts all men as God hath called them so to walke A good rule for these dayes wherein the hands yea and the feete too take vp the roome of the head and euery man thinketh himselfe fit to bee a Teacher both by his penne and tongue whose place notwithstanding is amongst the learners Christ came to reforme such disorders But the order that Christ setteth in his Kingdome must bee learned from that order which wise Kings set in their temporall Kingdomes they doe order their subiects two wayes inter se and ad bonum commune they take care that there shall be a variety of professions and that all those shall bend themselues to procure the common good Euen so should it be in the Church Christ bestoweth diuers gifts but all for the edification of his Church And as in the Common-weale a man doth not liue orderly if he only follow a Trade except the Common-weale be the better for it no more doth he liue orderly in a Church that doth ought by which the whole Church is not benefited The last thing that is to bee obserued in this order and which indeede is the chiefest of all is the ordering of each man in himselfe In the Creation God set in man an excellent order subiecting as the whole man to himselfe so in man the body to the soule the appetite to reason whatsoeuer inferiour faculties to their superiours But time put all these things out of order and man which from his better part should be denominated spirituall is from his worser part called carnall and more vsually doth the Scripture call him sensuall than rationall The holy Ghost meaneth thereby to intimate the disorder that is grown by sinne
the naturall sense there is in the body but it is from the head intercept the insluence of the head and you extinguish the sense of the body And as it fareth with the body in regard of sense so doth it in regard of motion also The like appeares in the spirits that haue their original from the heart in the bloud that streameth from the veines In the great world you haue many like spectacles the Sun and the Light the Streames and the Fountaine the Rootes and the Trees euery one of these you may perceiue endure not if the effect be seuered from the cause How much lesse may wee expect any enduring in those spirituall effects did they not receiue continuance from this spirituall cause It is our comfort that considering there is a mutability in vs this mutability preuaileth not because of the Kings constant influence vpon vs. Wee sinne and recouer we are in danger and escape neyther our inward weakenesse nor our enemies outward mightinesse destroy Gods gifts in vs or so hinder their increase but that they become Catholick for all which we are beholding to the constant policie of the King who neuer faileth to support vs but continueth ours vnto the end But the Prophet speaketh of this policie as if it began when hee spake these words Christ was not borne till some hundreds of yeares after The answer is easie you had it before The efficacie of Christs birth wrought long before he was borne not only in the time of this Prophet but euen from the time of Adams fall A scruple there ariseth how these words can be true that our King shall so rule for euer seeing a time shall come as the Apostle teacheth 1 Cor. 15 when he shall giue vp his Kingdome to his Father The answer is if wee respect the Kingdome of Grace That as the effect shall not cease increasing till it become boundlesse that is haue attained all his parts and degrees so the cause shall worke till the consummation of that effect till all enemies be put downe and wee are throughly perfected And in this sense both cause and effect are termed endlesse because they shall continue till the worlds end If you extend it to the Kingdome of Glory it hath an eternity also though not of Restauration but of Conseruation though he shall cease restoring of vs further when we are fully restored yet shall hee neuer cease preseruing vs because wee can no longer be than wee are preserued You haue heard the constant Policie of the King wherein standeth the second branch of the Excellency of the State what remaineth but that if wee were affected with the growth and desired to bee partakers of it wee submit our selues vnto the cause thereof the Policie of the King that we yeeld our disorderly selues to be set in order by him and repose our weake selues to be supported on him who will prescribe no Lawes of order but those that spring from Iustice that spirituall Iustice which will abide the tryall at Gods barre and worke the highest kinde of righteousnesse in our liues Neyther doth he only prescribe it but possesse vs of it also and lest it should faile he supports it in vs his Iudgements are as watchfull ouer vs as his Iustice they rectifie vs when wee breake order and bridle vs that wee doe not breake it And this he doth vncessantly by bringing vs from growth to growth in the state of grace and prescruing vs in this growth in the state of glory Hee will bee vnto vs a lasting blessed cause that there may be in vs no end of that blessed effect O Lord I am out of order and I am very weake thon art that Counsellour that knowest how to set mee right againe and that Almighty God which onely canst sustaine me Lord rule me by thy lustice and by thy Iudgements bridle me that I may bee conformable to the holy members of thy Church and euer continue conformable vnto them Let thy worke neuer cease in mee so shall I neuer cease to bee thy Subiect if thy Policie faile me not I shall euery day grow on to the fulnesse ef grace and shall therehence proceede to the eternity of glory Which I beseech thee to grant vnto mee that art the fountaine both of Grace and Glory THE EIGHTH SERMON The zeale of the Lord of Hosts shall performe this THese are the last words of that Text whereof you haue heard often but haue not yet heard all The whole Text was diuided into a Doctrine and a Warrant The Doctrine deliuered the Substance and Excellency of Christs Person and State both which I haue at sundry times so far vnfolded as the time would giue leaue it were tedious now to repeat were it onely the heads whereof I haue distinctly spoken In stead of that repetition I only recommend vnto you the laying together the parts and therehence the gathering of a description of the Catholicke Church Which what is it but a Kingdome such as I haue described growing in grace without stint of Place or term of Time vnder and by meanes of such a Person as being God and Man is called to be the King thereof royally endowed with Wisedome and Power eternall to worke an eternall good both which he employes ordering and stablishing by Iustice and Iudgement the disorderly and feeble members of his Church and that without intermission vntill he hath brought them to the fulnesse both of grace and glory More than this in the nature of that Catholicke Church which we beleeue in the Creede there is not neyther is there any thing more that we would desire to bee therein So that we may take this Text as a full Commentary thereupon and to our comfort vnderstand the riches that are treasured vp in that Article But to leaue the Doctrine and come to the Warrant The Doctrine containeth a large Promise the Warrant sheweth that it shall be performed and sheweth this by renewing those impediments that may crosse the performance thereof The impediments that stay a man from being as good as his word are of two sorts they proceede ab extra or ab intra from without or from within From without wee may bee ouer-ruled from within wee may change our minde Neyther of these can hinder God hee cannot bee ouer-ruled for he is the Lord of Hosts hee cannot vary in himselfe because of the greatnesse of his loue which is termed zeale So that the remouall of these two impediments from God are the principall argument of these words Let vs looke into them That Gods Word shall stand That his Counsell is immutable yea That heauen and earth shall passe and yet his Word neuer passe are Maximes in the Scripture and therfore haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credibility enough in themselues but yet so farre doth the holy Ghost condescend to the weakenesse of our Faith as to point vnto these grounds which will content euen reason it selfe Reason when it questioneth the word of
saw his glory as the glory of the only begotten Sonne of God full of grace and truth But beyond all is the testimonie of God the Father whether deliuered by the Prophet Psay Cap. 42. Behold my seruant whom I vphold mine elect in whom my soule delighteth or vttered by a voyce from heauen This is my welbeloued Son in whom I am well pleased Mat. 3.17 For can he be lesse than altogether desirable that is Gods delight But passing by all these I will insist vpon three Titles of his which haue speciall reference to our good The first is Immanuel the name of his Person for it signifieth God with vs and how desireable is hee that hath knit that knot hypostatically in himselfe which is the ground of that mysticall knot which is to bee betweene God and vs wherein stands our eaerlasting blisse Certainely in regard of this name hee is most desirable the name that so linketh together heauen and earth a mortall wretch with the immortall God especially if you obserue that he is vnited totus toti the whole person of God to the whole nature of Man that we may be wholly ioyned and so doth he become wholly desireable of vs. His second name is Iesus that maketh him as desireable St. Bernard hath sumâ—ned vp the pleasurablenesse thereof in few but very sweet words Nomen Iesuest mel in ore melos in aure iubilum in corde all our reasonable acts are diuided into speaking hearing and thinking and loe we cannot speake of him but he is as honey in our mouthes and if wee heare of him the talke doth make the best melody in our eares finally the greatest ioy of our heart and the truest also springeth from our meditation vpon him The reason of all which is this Name soundeth nothing but Saluation and Saluation is the most wished most welcome thing to a childe of wrath to him whose sinnes can promise no better than a neuer-dying worme and an euer burning fire Well may we terme thee sweet Iesu that deliuerest vs from these plagues especially seeing there is no part of thee that hath not borne a part in sauing vs. His third name is Christ a most desireable name and why it signifieth a person anointed with no other than that which the Psalmist calleth the oyle of gladnesse This precious oyle poured vpon his head Psal 4â— 143. 45. ranne downe to vs the skirts of his garments insomuch as we now smell of Myrrhe Aloes and Cassia and are now through him become a sweete sauour to God who in the corruption of our nature were loathsome vnto him Hee that was Christ that is anointed that hee might so perfume vs with the sweetnesse of his graces must needes bee to vs as hee beares that title wholly desireable But for your further insight into the louelinesse of this name resolue it into those three offices whereunto he was anointed and being anointed or consecrated vnto them was called Christ First hee was Christ a Prophet such a Prophet as wee cannot desire a better hee was the very wisedome the word of God grace was poured into his lips and they that heard him wondred at the gracious words that came from him and well they might for that which he vttered was Euangelium glad tidings of good things His Priesthood was more desirable than his Prophecie for hee offered the sacrifice of sweet sauour vnto God which expiated all our sinnes and propitiated all his wrath and vpon his crosse he prepared that delicate feast that Esay speakes of cap. 25. Fat meate full of marrow and pleasant wines throughly refined from the Lees His flesh and his bloud were made such a feast for vs though in dressing of them he endured much paine Finally hee was a King and in regard thereof hee is most desireable for his Kingdome is righteousnesse peace Rom. 14.17 and ioy in the boly Ghost Hee is such a King as maketh all his subiects kings and that of the same Kingdome which he himselfe hath euen the Kingdome of Heauen I need say no more to proue that hee is totus desiderabilis altogether desireable But he is more for he is also totum desiderabile all that can be desired which is not granted to any Creature The Scripture labours to make vs vnderstand that all that we seeke out of him is to be found only in him Happy saith Salomon is the man that findeth wisedome and the man that getteth vnderstanding Pro. 3. for the merchandise thereof is better than the merchandise of siluer and her gaine than fine gold hee goeth on and parallels it with all that worldly men desire In Esay cap. 55. you haue the same parallel Ho yee that thirst come vnto the waters Christ himselfe to the Church of Laodicea presseth the same point Reuel 3. Thou thinkest that thou art rich and wantest nothing whereas thou art poore blinde miserable come to me and buy c. When St. Paul Phil. 3. had reckoned vp all his prerogatiues he concludes vers 8. I accompt all these but dung and losse in comparison of the excellent knowledge that is in Christ Iesus But most full is that place of St. Paul 1 Cor. 1. Christ of God is made vnto vs wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Where obserue how he fitteth vs with supply from Christ as well for the Church Militant as Triumphant In the Church Triumphant we must haue vnderstanding heads and pure hearts that we may see God and enioy him and Christ giueth vs such heads such hearts for hee is made vnto vs wisedome and sanctification As for the Church Militant we neede therein discharge from our sinnes and deliuerance from woe and Christ is made vnto vs righteousnesse that wee may come with boldnesse before the iudgement seate of God and redemption from the curse which is due to the transgressors of the Law Wisd 16.21 So that what the wise man saith of Manna is certainely true of Christ he is vnto euery man what he can reasonably desire hee serues to the appetite of euery eater and is tempered to euery mans liking The Septuagint as if they had intended to teach vs that all things desireable are in him haue vsed the plurall number 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherefore we conclude that Christ is totum desiderabile and wee may all say with King Dauid What haue I in heauen but thee and what is there in earth that I desire with thee To end this point two things we must learne from this soueraignty of good which are concluded in this one rule Primum in vnoquoque genere est mensura reliquorum seeing Christ is the soueraigne good he must season and stint all our desires Fire is the originall of heate and the Sunne of light and we see that other things haue neyther heat nor light but as they doe partake of fire or the sunne and their measure of both is answerable to the participation of those originals So
Iosephus reports The fourth and the last inequalitie stands in the materials vsed about the fabricke to say nothing of their qualities certainely those that were vsed about the first Temple did in quantity farre exceede those that were vsed about the second For what comparison could there be between the riches of poore captiue Iewes and of King Salomon that was the most glorious Monarch in the world 1 Chron. 22.14 2 Sam. 8. Adde hereunto the prouision that his father King Dauid made in his time a hundred thousand talents of gold and a thousand thousand talents of siluer and brasse and iron without weight besides what he gaue out of his owne peculium or priuate Treasurie for the former were dedicated out of the spoyles of kingdomes which he conquered three thousand talents of gold of the gold of Ophir and seuen thousand talents of refined siluer besides great abundance of all sorts of precious stones Whereunto adde the offering of the Fathers of Israel fiue thousand talents and ten thousand drammes of gold and of siluer ten thousand talents of brasse eight thousand talents and a hundred thousand talents of iron besides precious stones And put all this together and therewith increase Salomons wealth the totall will bee a summe of infinite value farre exceeding that wherewith Zorobabel was furnisht eyther by the Persian Kings or by his owne countrey-men yea although you adde what afterward was bestowed eyther by Alexander the great or his successours Kings of Syria and those of Egypt Neither will the additions of other benefactors no not that of Herod make vp the summe I dare say boldly that if all the Christian Kings of the West for so many yeares as the Temple was a building by Salomon should contribute their treasures they could not raise a summe answerable to that which was expended vpon the first Temple and reserue to themselues their Kingly ports as Dauid and Salomon did Neither neede wee out of the incredulitie of the summe as some learned doe question the signification of the word talent as if it signified a lesser summe than commonly it is taken for For to say nothing that it is the same Authour that wrote both the 22. and the 29. of the first of Chronicles and that it is not likely he would vary the sense keeping himselfe to the same word they doe not marke that Dauids offering was the spoyle of many Kingdomes that God promised that Salomon should bee the richest King in the world that the vessels of gold and siluer vsed in the Temple were many thousands as appeares by Iosephus and that there was great store of treasure layd vp there besides 2 Chro. 5. I neede say no more to proue that if we compare fabricke with fabricke we cannot finde therein the truth of these words of Haggai Let vs come then to the furniture that is eyther typicall or spirituall such parts of the furniture as were figures of diuine things and that by Gods owne ordinance were typicall Vpon Diana's Temple at Ephesus Apollo's at Delphi the Capitoline Temple at Rome and many other heathenish Temples there was much gold and siluer bestowed yea and precious stones also but they wanted a typicall relation and therein did the temples of the Iewes infinitely exceede them In these types if we compare Salomons temple with Zorobabels Galatinus Chrysost orat 3. aduersus Iudaos Zorobabels commeth farre short of Salomons The Iewes confesse that fiue eminent things were wanting in the later temple which were in the former 1. the Cloud wherein God resided betweene the Cherubims 2. the Arke with the contents therein whereon the Cloud rested 3. the fire kindled from heauen wherewith all their sacrifices were to be offered 4. the Vrim and Thummim on the breastplate of the high Priest by which hee was inabled to giue out diuine Oracles and ordinarily resolue the Iewes perplexing doubts in peace and warre the fifth was the spirit of prophecie wherewith God furnished diuers other persons whom he sent as messengers vnto the kings and people of Iuda and Israel Now these fiue were the chiefe of all the typicall furniture if Zorobabels temple came short in these fiue there can be no doubt but it was inferiour in types vnto that of Salomons temple What remaines then but that the greatnesse of the glorie here meant must consist in the spirituall and heauenly furniture of the later temple or else there was none at all And indeede it is that which wee finde there we finde Christ in person as in former sermons I haue shewed you and hee is the truth of all those types Of the Cloud for in him God dwelt visibly on earth Cyril l. 4. in Ioh. c. 2. 1 Pet. 2. Rom. 8. Ind. Of the Arke by him God shewed mercie vnto men Of the Fire for by his spirit all sacrifices must be offered that are acceptable vnto God Of the Vrim and Thummim for hee is the word the wisedome of God Finally of the spirit of prophecie for he is the Prophet that was to come into the world and the Reuelation of Iesus Christ is the spirit of prophecie Reuel 1. What shall I say of the table of shewbread Christ is the bread of life of the golden candlesticke Iohn 6. Iohn 1. Reu. 5.8 Christ is the light of the world of the altar of incense it is Christ that putteth sweet odours into the prayers of the Saints of the altar of burnt offerings Psalme 40. Heb. 10. Iohn 1.29 1 Iohn 1.7 sacrifice and offerings God did not desire but he opened Christ eare and gaue him a body hee was the Lambe of God that tooke away the sinnes of the world and his bloud cleanseth from all sinne And what comparison betweene this truth and those types certainely no more than betweene earth and heauen therefore when the truth appeared the type vanished Ier. 3.16.17 It must needs follow then that the glorie of the later temple must needs be greater than the glorie of the former Greater if we insist only vpon Christs apparition in the materiall temple of Zorobabel L. 3. Epist 11. De ciuit Dei l. 18. how much more if with the Fathers St. Ambrose and St. Austine wee enlarge it to the Christian Church in whom Christ abideth And indeed Zorobabels temple beeing voide of the types did represent the Christian Church as Salomons full of them did represent the Church of the Iewes and then marke what St. Paul saith if these two Churches be compared 2 Cor. 3. Euen that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect by reason of the glory that excelleth for if that which was done away was glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious that whole Chapter is a good commentarie vpon my text the Epistle to the Hebrewes is much fuller So then wee must reade and consider this text as directed vnto vs it concernes vs for wee are partakers of that glory And see how God dealeth both with
if we disorder our liues God will disorder the Seasons of the yeare and wee should reflect our eyes from the great heauen and earth vpon the heauen and earth of this our little world see the correspondencie of the one to the other and rectifie this if wee desire that the other should bee rectified From the distemper of the Aire proceed the vermine here specified second afflictors of our Possessions Locusts and Caterpillers which haue their names the one from being a great deuourer the other from comming in great swarmes so great that sometimes they haue darkened the Sunne as Stories report both lay all waste wheresoeuer they come the Scripture maketh them Godshost Ioel 1. and surely when they set vpon a Nation the greatest armies of the mightiest Potentates are more easily rectified than they can bee Wee are not God bee thanked so much troubled with those Creatures as hotter Countries are and yet wee are not free from them altogether they haue sometimes done much mischiefe in this Land There is a kinde of Metaphoricall Locusts and Caterpillers Locusts that came out of the bottomelesse pit I meane Popish Priests and Iesuits and Caterpillers of the Common weale Proiectors and Inuentors of new tricks how to exhaust the purses of the subiects couering priuate ends with publicke pretences But I will not now trouble youwith them Only let me tell them that in well gouerned States they were wont to bee called Pestes Reipublicae Plagues of the Common wealth But to goe on Neither doth this Plague exhaust all Gods wrath it is not turned backe but his hand is stretched out still And that because that yet for all this we doe not returne to God Come therefore and behold the red Horse and him that sitteth thereon to whom power is giuen to take peace from the earth that men may kill one another and to him a great sword was giuen And indeede this was the plague of the sword which is a manisold plague Plaga complicatissima it seizeth not only vpon our persons nor only vpon our goods but vpon both it spareth neyther a mans own person nor his familie nor his goods it containeth in it famine and pestilence especially if it be a besieging sword such as is specified in my text The rich may prouide against famine great men may shift their dwelling to escape the pestilence who can fly from the sword which beareth downe Kings and Kingdomes Princes and Principalities Let vs goe no farther than a Royall Branch of this Kingdome who hath long been a pitifull instance of this plague of the sword wee now labour for the recouery thereof and let it be none of the least importunities of our Humiliation to sollicite God that we may happily effect it To point out the miseries of warre were too tedious a worke for this time I referre you to the Prophecie of Ioel cap. 2. where you may see the image of it especially to Ieremies Lamentations which are able to make euen a stonie heart lament it bitterly lament the impiety the impurity the iniquity that followes the sword Wee reade indeede in the Gospell of a Centurion that built a Synagogue for the Iewes Luke 7. but how many Centurions doe wee reade of that haue spoyled and ruined thousands of Churches We reade of a Centurion which gaue much almes Acts 10. but how many Centurions are there that make all prey that commeth to hand and grow rich and mighty by the destruction of whole Countries Happely you reade of one Scipio that tendred the honour of Matrons and Virgins but what more common with Souldiers the greatest Commanders amongst them than to rauish Wiues and Daughters Souldiers for the most part feare neither God nor man We may then well conclude that the sword is a fearefull plague Behold now in these definite stroakes of God how Gods iudgements answer our sinnes wee starue our soules through neglect of grace and God pineth our bodies with want of food Wee disperse the vernome of our wickednesse and infect others out of the malignancy of our nature which is maliciously ambitious to spread it selfe and God hee sendeth a venome into our bodies that is most contagious and poysoneth all that come neare vs the pestilence of the body is herein very like to the pestilence of the soule they are both alike malignant vnto others Wee fight against God by our sinnes as if we would dethrone him and vsurpe his Kingdome wee attempt it foolishly and in vaine but God sendeth those against vs that shall not onely assault but subdue triumph ouer vs and trample vs vnder their feete Finally we vndervalue and dis-regard God and he maketh the basest of his Creatures to confound vs and lay our State waste Secondly consider how the wrath of God commeth on by degrees God is compared to a consuming fire now you know that in fire there is first smoake a flame and coale the first onset of Gods wrath is but like vnto smoake if that doe not moue vs we shall feele the flame and if wee be not the better for the flame Nazianz. Orat. 26. then the coale shall burne vs. This gradation of iudgement is excellently set forth by Moses Leuit. 26. where chaining a following to a foregoing iudgement hee bringeth God in speaking thus If yee will not for all this hearken vnto mee but walke contrary vnto mee then will I walke contrary to you also in fury and I euen I will chastise you seuen times for your sinnes I haue sufficiently opened vnto you the heauie hand of God as it is definitely set forth by Salomon Lest we should thinke that God hath no more instruments of vengeance than these commonly knowne ones which are in the Scripture by an excellency called the Plagues of God Ezech. 14. Salomon addeth an indefinite clause Whatsoeuer plague whatsoeuer sicknesse importing that God hath many more in store And indeed Deut. 2â— Moses in the Chapter read vnto you this day specifieth many more yet hath he not specified all that God can send and of late there hath hardly past a yeare wherein we haue not heard of some new disease But there is one plague which I may not omit I haue called you to see three Horses the black the pale the red and the Riders thereon there is in the same Chapter of the Reuelations a fourth Horse mentioned a White Horse and he that sate thereon had a bowe in his hand a crowne on his head and he went forth conquering It is commonly conceiued that this is the Gospell of Christ preuailing in the world wee misse that White horse now as it did in the first Age goe on planting so it did in this last hundred yeares goe on restoring of the Gospell But now for many yeares together this Conquerour doth not appeare and the Orthodoxe Church is much straightned And wee should count it a greater plague that this Horse is missing than that the others are so visible in the world
them all I begin with Christs right Wee are first to enquire of what sort it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word vsed by the Euangelist doth signifie an Eminency now that may be either in Ability or in Authority in men these are often times seuered some haue abilities that haue no authority some haue authority that haue no ability some haue good gifts that are in no place of gouernement and some are in place of gouernment that haue no sutable gifts But in God and Christ it is not so both concurre in them and in them both are equall the Authority to the Ability and the Ability to the Authority And it should be so in those that serue them it is pity but that those which haue good gifts should bee set in good places but it is a shame for them that are set in good places to be without good gifts Wherefore let this be your sacred ambition who are now to receiue holy Orders neuer to let your preferment out-steppe your indowments labour to bee as able to serue as you are willing to be employed Something we haue said of Christs power but not that which is principally intended here To make you see that I must remember you of a Logicke Rule Talia sunt praedicata qualia permittuntur esse à subiectis suis when any attribute or title is giuen to a person it must bee conceiued in such extent as the person is capable of Now in Christ there are two capacities for he is God and he is also Man If we looke vpon him as hee is onely God so hee hath an infinite and an eternall power hee is as Almighty a Gouernour as Maker of all things This is potestas innata not data But becomming Man hee had another capacity and power proportioned thereunto a power fitting to a Mediatour a Mediatour that should recouer man fallen and reconcile him vnto God gather a Church and establish a Kingdome of Heauen Of this power our Sauiour Christ speaketh when he confesseth vnto Pilate that he is a King but addes My King dome is not of this world Iohn 18. and St. Paul the Kingdome of Heauen is not meate and drinke it standeth not in any earthly thing but in Righteousnesse and Peace and Ioy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14.17 The Scepter of this Kingdome is the Gospell the seate of it is the Conscience of man it is as Christ speaketh in St. Luke chapt 17. Regnum Dei intra nos a Kingdome of God within vs a spirituall Kingdome mannaged with a spirituall power Such is the power of Christ the Mediatour But this power doth not in Christs person exclude the other power of a Creatour nor the Deriuatiue therefrom the power of Scepters and Crownes which are all subiect thereunto they are by Christs Ordinance and he that is Mediatour hath power ouer them and doth dispose of them as is best for his Church But hee doth not doe this as a Mediatour Kingdomes are founded vpon another ground a ground that went before the Fall vpon Paternall Authority though in time it hath receiued many variations yet did not the Mediatour intermeddle with those humane policies he erected no power ouer those powers but left them to the former Prouidence of God neither would hee haue them any way preiudiced or impeacht by the entertainment of the Gospell This Christ testified in his time the Apostles in theirs the Primitiue Church for many hundred yeares as our Writers haue clearly proued against the Vsurpation of the Bishop of Rome who claimeth by some of his Aduocates directly by other some indirectly a power at least ouer all Christian Scepters and Crownes But this is to confound that which God hath distinguished the power which the Church deriueth from a Mediatour which is a spirituall power with the power which Kings deriue from the Creatour and Founder of humane policy Obserue then in few words how Princes and Pastors are superiour and subiect in seuerall respects one to the other In Foro Poli in cases of Conscience and things that belong to ghostly counsell and comfort those things that belong to the saluation of the soule the Prince must be ruled by the Pastor so long as he is a faithfull Minister of Christ But in Foro Soli in the Iurisdiction that is annext to the sword the Pastor must submit to the Prince and obey his command This you may learne out of the Titles which are giuen them For as Princes are Children of the Church and Pastors reputed their ghostly Fathers so Pastors are Children of the Kingdome Ezechias calleth the Leuites his Sonnes 2. Chron. 24. and the Prophet calleth Princes nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers of the Church Esay 49. Constantine the Emperour distinguished well in his speech to the Prelates Vos estis Episcopi ad intra ego ad extra you are Bishops seruing for the administration of sacred things and mannaging of the Keyes but I also am a Bishop of the Church to see it well gouerned countenanced and protected While they serue God Princes are as it were Sheepe of the Fold but they are Shepheards also and must see God well serued This I obserue the rather because that you seeing the fountain of your Calling may keepe your selues within the Boundery thereof and not with either Papists or Schismatickes encroach vpon the Princes Sword deny vnto him his Iurisdiction Ecclesiasticall or vsurpe vpon his Temporall two diseases which raigne much in this age which a man may more wonder at that readeth the New Testament wherein the Iewes dreame of their Messias worldly Kingdome is so plainly discouered and the ambition of the sonnes of Zebeaee Iames and Iohn who would sit one on Christs right hand and the other on Christs left hand in his Kingdome is checked so discreetly and that generall rule giuen Matth. 20. the Kings of the Nations beare rule they that are great men exercise authority but it shall not be so with you you shall receiue a spirituall but no temporall Iurisdiction you shall haue power not of the Sword but of the Keyes not ouer mens bodies but their soules in them must I raigne you must erect my Kingdome there And thus much of the kind of Christs power This power of Christ is lawfull because giuen to him giuen by his Father as elsewhere we learne And here wee must first obserue that if data Iohn 3. Daniel 7. Esay 49. Psal 2.48.13 Rom. 14. then it is not rapta that which is giuen is not vsurpt the Prince of this world hath power euen in the consciences of the children of disobedience and their soules are captiued to his pleasure God hath permitted this but he hath made him no grant of this power onely hee is contented to leaue men to his will by reason of their sinne though the Diuell be so arrogant vpon this permission that hee told Christ himselfe The Kingdomes of the earth and the glory thereof are mine and theirs to whom
could professe their Faith The Ancients write much de Catechumenis worth our reading and imitating in the same case and of those adulti or Persons come to the yeares of discretion must you vnderstand all those rules in the Scripture which require those acts of the reasonable soule Faith Hope and Charitie before admission into the Church of whom yee may require one you may require all and of whom you may not require all you may require neuer a one But Christ doth not here prescribe who shall be baptized but How At least Christ doth not forbidde them to be baptized which are not taught but commands them that are taught to be baptized Children of the faithfull must bee baptized vpon another ground they are not increduli they haue no actuall vnbeliefe neyther can they Ponere obicem resist the grace of the Spirit or make themselues vncapable thereof Secondly they are foederati they are in Gods Couenant by meanes of their Parents whom when God receiued into the Church he receiued them with this Promise Ero Deus tuus seminis tâ—ui So then there is an obligation that lieth vpon children by a natiue allegiance vnto God the Vow that their Sureties make for them is not arbitrary but necessary and he is bound to make it good aswell as a childe vnder age is bound when hee commeth to age to satisfie his Tutor for whatsoeuer hee reasonably doth expend vpon his health foode apparrell and whatsoeuer else the child did owe himselfe by the Law of Nature and of Reason See then is the child on his part so bound vnto God in his infancy and is not God bound vnto the child by his Promise euen in the same infancie to giue him the grace of his Couenant and the Minister in his Name to seale vnto the childe the assurance thereof by the Sacrament Surely hee is otherwise the stipulation is not mutuall And take away this what is the prerogatiue of a Christians childe beyond the childe of a Turke or Infidell To thinke there is none is impious and besides this they can name none As then Kings giue vnto their naturall subiects euen so soone as euer they are borne the benefit due vnto subiects though they expect their personall Homage till they come to yeares of discretion so doth God deale with the new-borne subiects of the Kingdome of heauen And as it were very hard for a King to put a childe borne vnder his allegiance out of the protection of his law till he is of yeares to doe his owne Homage and take his Oath so standeth it not with the goodnesse of God to with-hold the benefit of the Sacrament from him whom he hath taken to bee his childe till he can with his owne voice professe that hee doth vow himselfe to bee such Nay as in the Primitiue Church many together with holy Orders receiued the qualities fit to discharge the calling though others were qualified before they were ordered euen so in Baptisme some receiue the grace of Faith Hope and Charity by the Sacrament as infants though those which are come to yeares of discretion must bee in some sort seasoned with them before they are baptized But the time biddeth mee end and reserue what I haue farther to say vpon this Text till some other time Wherefore LEt vs pray God that the Pastors may so teach and the People so learne that both doing their duety in the Kingdome of Grace may receiue their reward in the Kingdome of Glory from him that hath all power both in Heauen and Earth This he grant into whose Name wee are baptized the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost To this one God in three Persons be rendred all honour and glory now and for euer Amen THE SECOND SERMON MATTH 28. Vers 20. Teaching them to obserue all things whatsoeuer I haue commanded you And lo I am with you alwayes vnto the end of the world Amen THis Text with the former Verse doth containe Christs right to send and his sending of his Apostles Hee had good right to send because hee is Soueraigne Lord of all the World Hee sendeth them with a common charge and comfort Their charge is to goe through the whole world to endeauour to conuert all both Iewes and Gentiles vnto Christ If in doing their errand they speed with any they are first to consecrate them vnto God by Baptisme and then to conforme their liues vnto the Gospell This is the summe of the common charge Their common comfort standeth in the powerfull and perpetuall presence of Christ Christ promiseth to be with them Hee will be with them that hath all power hoth in heauen and earth And hee will neuer forsake them he will be with them alwaies or with their successors Hee will bee with them vntill the worlds end Vpon this comfort they must sixe their eyes Loe or Behold and their hopefull prayer must desire this Amen These be the particulars whereinto heretofore speaking vnto you vpon a like occasion I brake this and the former Verses I then handled Christs right to send I haue opened vnto you the large Diocesse ouer which the Apostles were set you haue seene how they must endeauour their conuersion and last of all I opened vnto you the manner of consecrating beleeuers vnto Christ farther I could not goe at that time except I would trespasse too much vpon your patience I purpose now God willing to goe on and goe through with the particulars which remaine vntoucht Of the Charge then there remaines one point to be handled and that is the conforming the liues of beleeuers vnto the Gospell of Christ The Apostles are willed to teach beleeuers to keepe all things whatsoeuer Christ had commanded his Apostles In which words I will obserue vnto you these two things first whereunto the seruice of a Minister is resembled to the office of a Schoolemaster the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alludes thereunto and they must proceed in this manner they must praeire verbo exemplo by word and by deed Christs word for they must teach them to doe all whatsoeuer Christ hath commanded but the deedes must bee their owne for Christ hath layed his commandements immediately vpon the Apostles to do all things which I haue commanded you But let vs open these points a little more fully first the resemblance of a Minister to a Schoolemaster The resemblance is very fit The first name that euer was giuen vnto Christians was the name of Disciples that is Schollars wee finde the name in the former Verse implyed in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make Disciples Now if the beleeuers are Disciples then the Pastors are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Masters of those Schollars they are appointed to instruct them and so the most renowned of the Fathers are in the writings of the Fathers oftentimes termed But that which I will obserue vnto you that are to be ordered is from Schoolemasters to learne a point of discretion they
it fitted him for the charge which his Father imposed on him As the Shepheard was full furnished so was hee well employed he employed his furniture for the good of his charge His charge is noted by the Flocke a short but a faire description of the Church is intimated in this word for a Flock is Congregatio Ouium an assembly of Sheep euery member of the Church is resembled to a Sheepe and as Sheepe so are these members sociable Of such a societie Christ tooke care he fedde them hee wrought the properties of his Statues into them hee instructed euery Sheepe in truth and vnited them all in peace This was Christs pastorall care a care which we must hold exemplary if exemplary then other Pastors must exemplifie it it beseemes vs to bee conformed to the chiefe Shepheard of our soules I haue laid before you the Contents of this Scripture I will now begin to enlarge them and fit them to this occasion Qui pascit pastorem the Master Shepheard that feedes the vnder Shepheards so feed mee that I may herein be the better able to feede you and both of vs may proue duetifull obseruers and followers of his Pastorall care The first inquirie that must bee made is Who he is that speaketh these words hee is not exprest therefore the Interpreters differ Of those that speake probably some will haue him to bee Zacharie our Prophet some our Sauiour Christ they are easily reconciled It is an vndoubted rule that there are aswell reall as verball Prophecies and not onely persons but things also were Typicall in the Old Testament the Prophets did often times act their persons whose stories they related certainely Zacharie in this Chapter doth personate both good and had Shepheards the bad in the end of the Chapter and the good in this seuenth verse And this good Shepheard is our Sauiour Christ St. Matthew puts it out of all doubt for in him wee read that certaine words in this Chapter were fulfilled when Iudas sold Christ vnto the high Priests now hee that was sold was hee that spake these words that is plaine by the contexture therefore he that speaketh these words must needes be our Sauiour Christ Neither is it strange that he should be resembled to a Shepheard the Prophets the Apostles doe so compare him and least they should seeme to doe it with disparagement Christ is pleased in the tenth of St. Iohn to warrant their doing by doing the same himselfe But that which I worke hereout is that this Shepheard is Non seruus sed filius he is no seruant but the sonne of God there is eminency in his Person and indeede seldome is hee remembred without some addition importing his worth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Shepheard of speciall note the good Shepheard the great Shepheard the chiefe Shepheard of our soules are his honourable titles The higher his person the more regard is due vnto him St. Paul argueth so Heb. 2. Contempt cost the Iewes deare and it is to be wished that other mens harmes make vs beware Secondly if the sonne stoope to this calling what seruant without intolerable pride may thinke himselfe too good for it No man can vnderualue it but withall hee must needes disgrace his blessed Sauiour I note this the rather because it checks the Gentrie the Nobilitie that thinke so well of their birth that they thinke scorne to be of our Coate In the beginning of the world for many hundred yeares the Kingdome and the Priesthood did concurre in the same person when they were seuered they were diuided between two brethrene Moses and Aaron yea at this day Christian Kings haue somewhat of the Clergie conferred on them at their Coronation and they disdaine not to be reputed mixt persons I will not remember those Senators and Officers of State that in the Primitiue Church became Clergie men nor the Princes that in the Church of Rome at this day vndergoe our calling though according to the fashion of that corrupt Church with more policy than piety Onely this I will say that seeing our calling in the state of grace is to bee Kings and Priests hee is vnworthy as a priuate person to haue this honour that scornes it in a publike one which hath an addition not a diminution and maketh them Fathers which were before but Sonnes the enlarging of the Prerogatiue should vindicate it from contempt especially seeing therein wee haue communion with Christ And let this suffice for the first Enquiry The second Enquiry must be into the meaning of the words I told you they meane nothing but the pastorall care of Christ In the deliuery wherof the first thing that I obserued in the text was the Shepheards furniture and thereof the first part appeared to be his Authority for it is his Authority that is noted by the Staues The Originall of this phrase is partly historicall and partly mysticall the history is briefely this The first Patriarches as it appeares in Genesis were for the most part Shepheards and yet to them being such God did commit both ecclesiasticall and ciuill power In an honourable remembrance hereof when the Church of domesticall became nationall the title continued still the Priest the Prince both were called Shepheards and each is said to haue his Shepheards staffe Moses no lesse than Aaron and Aaron no lesse than Moses though in time the Princes Staffe was changed into a Scepter and the Priests into a Crocier yet are both monuments of the old Shepheards staues This is the Originall of the phrase which we finde in the Rituals But I may not conceale from you a later birth of the Crocier wee read it in that part of the Ciuill Law which is intuitled Consuetudines feudorum there you shall finde that after the translation of the Romane Empire vnto the Germanes the forme of inuestiture of any person with Office or Land was per traditionem baculi the party doing his homage was inuested by receiuing of a Staffe As our originall is from those Nations so are their customes retained amongst vs when the great Officers of the Court of the Crowne are created they haue a staffe deliuered them and Copie-holders in Court Barons are admitted by the deliuerie of a Wand Bishops holding large Temporalities did homage for them and were inuested with them for many years per traditionem haculi annuli by receiuing a Staffe and a Ring from their Soueraigne from whom they held their Temporalities About this manner of Inuestiture the Popes neuer left wrangling with the Emperours and with other Kings vntill by Peters keyes and Paules sword excommunicating them and vncrowning them he wrested it from their hands and exempted the Clergies person from the Oath of Allegiance farther than it was subordinate vnto him and made himselfe Master of all such Inuestitures to the preiudice of all Christian Kings and States But we must learne to distinguish the old Symbolicall Staffe from this Historicall and not confound the power
First Gods Worke Deus fecit God made the time a Day Secondly Mans Acknowledgement Haec est dies the Church doth Kalender it for a high day As we must learne thus discreetly to distinguish times so we must also learne to solemnize them Religiously In performance whereof the text will teach vs What we must doe and How That which wee must doe is reduced to two Heads wee must take full comfort in such a Day we must reioyce and be glad in it Reioyce with our bodies Bee glad in our soules both bodie and soule must expresse a comfortable sense Neither must wee only take comfort in it but pray also for the happie continuance of it for the continuance Saue Lord we may be depriued of it for the happie continuance of it Prosper Lord it may be in vaine bestowed on vs. These be the things that must bee done But How that is When and by whom When Now at the verie same time that Wee haue ioyed in the Day must Wee also bee praying for the continuance thereof And whom doth the Psalmist meane by We Looke vnto the beginning of the Psalme and you shall find the parties thus specified Israel the House of Aaron all that feare the Lord the Common-weale the Church the Cleargie the Laitie all whom the Day concernes must take notice thereof and expresse this dutie thereon You see the summe of this Scripture which I will now God willing enlarge farther and apply vnto our present occasion But before I enter vpon the particulars I may not forget to let you vnderstand that this Psalme hath a double sense an Historicall and a Mysticall the Historicall concernes King Dauid and the Kingdome of Israel the Mysticall toucheth Christ and his Church The Mysticall hath warrant from the Gospell wherein Christ doth apply some branches of this Psalme vnto himselfe the the Historicall is cleare in the Bookes of Samuel which intreat of the aduancement of King Dauid If we follow the Mysticall then the Day here remembred is Easter day or the Day of Christs Resurrection and that was a Day indeed the Sunne of Righteousnesse then shone forth in great strength and brought life and immortalitie to life But if we follow the Historicall sense then was the Day here remembred the Day of K. Dauids succession vnto Saul a verie Festiuall Day to Israel though not so high a Feast as is our Easter day The Fathers Commentaries runne most vpon the first sense our occasion is better fitted with the latter wherefore without preiudice to the former we will insist thereon leauing the Mysticall we will insist only vpon the Historicall sense of these words The first point therein is the discreet distinguishing of Times All times are not alike there are nights and there are dayes the time here specified is a Day Saint Basils Rule must guide vs in vnderstanding this word he tels vs that when the Holy Ghost speaketh of a Day in this and many other places wee must not plod vpon the course of the Sunne but looke vnto the occurrents of the time the occurents are of two sorts prosperous or aduerse the former is vsually called Day and the later Night We haue not then to doe with a Naturall but a Metaphoricall Day But Metaphors haue their reasonable grounds and because they are Implicitae Similitudines close couched resemblances we must vnwrap them that wee may see the resonablenesse that is in the vse of them If we doe this in our present Metaphor the reason will be apparent why a prosperous state is tearmed a Day For a Day is caused by the Sunne rising who by his beames sendeth to the earth Light and Heate Light by which all things are discerned and may bee distinguished and Heate by which they are quickened and cherished Euen so in a prosperous State there is something that answereth to the Sunne and that is a good King and well may the King bee tearmed a Sunne in the Common-Weâ—le as the Sunne is tearmed a King in the midst of the Planets A good King then like the Sunne ouer-spreads the Common-Weale with Light and Heate Light all things doe appeare in their right hue flatterâ—e or tyrannie doth not blanch or beare out falshood as truth and good as euill euery one beareth his proper name and is reputed no better then he is which is no small Blessing of a State if we take notice of that which is occurrent in euerie Historie That the best men haue beene branded as the vilest and the vilest haue beene commended for Worthies so farre hath darknesse ouercast the iudgement of the World seeke no farther then the storie of Christ and his Apostles the Scribes and the Pharisees As a good King doth remedie this perueâ—snesse of iudgement by a truer light so doth hee by a vegetable heate put heart into those that deserue well and further their well fare it is no small blessing you may gather it out of the 72. Psalme where the cheareful face as it were of the State doth speake the comfortable influence of a good King you may amplifie this point by that difference which in the 104. Psalme you finde betweene a day and a night The night is a time wherein the sauage beasts doe range abroad men retire and appeare not but in the day men goe freely abroad to their labour and the sauage beasts retire euen so in the time of an ill gouerned Common-Weale all sorts of beastly men as filthy as Swine as greedie as Wolues as cruell as Tigres as deceitfull as the Crocodile these and such like riot and controule and without shame satisfie their lust and then it is dangerous to be iust to be mercifull But the countenance of a good King chaseth such vermine away and none vnlike vnto him find Grace with him or appeare before him the 101. Psalme hath no other argument but this very point and Solomon hath exprest it in seuerall Prouerbs This blessing of Light and Heat of distinguishing and cherishing the good from and aboue the bad springs from a good King if hee bee only a Head of the Common-Weale many Heathen Kingdomes enioyed such Dayes vnder their Augustus Traians Adrians and the like But if the King be also a member of the Church a King of Israel as King Dauid was then doth he yeild vnto his State another Day vnto the Ciuill hee addes a Spirituall Day for as Constantine said well A good King is Episcopus ad extra Ecclesiam as the Pastors are ad intra though he may not administer sacred things yet must hee command them to be administred to bee administred sincerely that no Errours or Heresies dimme the heauenly Light and to be entertained reuerently that the people may feele the sweet inflaence of Grace Epistola ad Bonifacium hee maketh Lawes for the promulgation of the sauing truth of God as Saint Austine teacheth and by wholsome Discipline brings the people to be aswell religious as loyall no lesse dutifull children of God
aduersitie therefore as wee must praise God for the one so must wee pray against the other at the same time wee must doe both But who are they that must doe it the text hath no more but Wee but if you looke vnto the beginning of the Psalme you shall find a Commentarie vpon that word you shall find that this must be done vniuersally Israel must doe it The House of Aaron must doe it all must doe it that feare the Lord if all be the better for the Day the dutie of solemnizing the Day belongeth vnto all to the Ecclesiasticall to the Ciuill State both must acknowledge what they receiue both must acknowledge the Day whereon they did receiue it The Day wherein the blessed Sunne did arise vnto vs all the fruits of whose Raigne are this great calme from stormes of warre and plentifull publication of Gods sauing truth wee must all acknowledge both these blessings As we must all acknowledge them so must we all take full comfort in them we must not defraud the Day of our ioy seeing the day brings comfort vnto vs it brings comfort to our bodie and comfort to our soules therefore our bodies and soules must reioyce in it In it but not forgetting him that made it that is God As for the Day wee are most beholding to him so in him must we ioy most But our comfort must not make vs forget our danger danger from without danger from within danger from our owne vntowardlinesse danger from the maliciousnesse of our enemies this double danger must make vs seeke to him that made our Day that he would make it a perpetuall Day that hee would hinder whatsoeuer impediment we may iustly feare from our enemies and not suffer vs to be an impediment of our owne blisse I shut vp all with the very words of my text Our times are such as that we haue good cause to vse the first words This is the Day which the Lord hath made and if we must say this this must draw from vs that which followeth the religious solemnizing of the day we must exhort each the other and be perswaded by our mutuall exhortation to vow the expressing of our comfort Wee will reioyce and bee glad in it and deprecate whatsoeuer imminent danger with Saue Now wee beseech thee O Lord O Lord we beseech thee send vs now Prosperitie AMEN A SERMON PREACHED AT SAINT MARIES IN OXFORD ON THE fift of Nouember 1614. LVKE 9. VERS 53 54 55 56. 53. But they would not receiue him because his face was as though he would goe to Ierusalem 54. And when his Disciples Iames and Iohn saw it they said Lord wilt thou that wee command that fire come downe from Heauen and consume them euen as Elias did 55. But Iesus turned about and rebuked them and said yee know not of what spirit you are 56. For the Sonne of man is not come to destroy mens liues but to saue them Then they went to another Towne FAthers and Brethren Reuerend and Beloued in the Lord We solemnize this Day in a religious acknowledgement of the King and his Kingdomes our Church and Common-weales vnspeakable deliuerance from an vnmatchable Treason In furtherance of this common Pietie to refresh our memorie and quicken our deuotion I haue chosen this storie which containes an vnpartiall censure of an inordinate Zeale inordinate Zeale in two Apostles who are therefore vnpartially censured by our Sauiour Christ And this storie haue I the rather chosen at this time to speake of in this place because here is the hope of Church and Common Weale the Seed aswell of the Gentrie as of the Clergie And it is for such that the Factors of Rome doe trade to make Aduocates of the one and of the other Actours of their holy Fathers most barbarous Designes Wherefore it is very behoofull that they aboue others bee not only inured to detest but informed also vpon what ground they should detest such sauage such hellish counsels and attempts Now better informed they cannot bee then if they be furnished with sound rules of a good conscience which they may oppose to all deceitfull Romish ones wherewith the vnlearned are insnared and they peruerted that are vnstable The Romanists boast of their manifold studies of Diuinitie and indeed they haue manifold I would they were as good as they are many But their Cases of Conscience are that vpon which they principally relie and wherewith their Kingdome is most supported And no maruell for they are euen for the Lay-mans studie and their Power of the Keyes is chiefly managed by these Cases It is most true that all parts of their Diuinitie are full fraught with sophistrie but when we come to this part ouer and aboue what impietie what iniquitie what impuritie doe we find Others occasionally may vnder take other points I wish they would prouided alwayes that they doe it soundly discreetly considering what a precious what a tender thing a good Conscience is It is not euery mans skill aright to handle it But I haue now to doe with a point of Iniquitie with an vnlawfull reuenge of persons afflicted for Religion We haue here a Reuenge proposed by such afflicted persons and we haue Christs doome passed therevpon that such reuenge is vnlawfull See it in the Text. First the Affliction The Samaritans would not receiue Christ And this Affliction was for Religion Christ was not receiued because his face was as if he would goe to Ierusalem It was great inhumanitie not to entertaine a stranger but the reason improues it as high as Impietie if we therefore fare the worse at the hands of men because wee are well disposed to serue God Being so farre vrged Zeale cannot hold surely Iames and Iohn could not as was their name so were they Sonnes of Thunder were they called and the Exhalations they breath are very hot And yet marke though they are bold to propose yet are they not so bold as to resolue They propose their Desire their Reason Their desire is Fire a cruell weapon and they would not haue it spare a iot it must consume their enemies make a finall and a fearefull spectacle of these vngodly Samaritans A sharpe desire And yet they sticke not at it and why it is not singular they haue though not a Rule yet an Example for it Elias did so that is the reason He dealt so with the old Samaritans when they wronged him and shall these new Samaritans escape better that thus wrong Christ This they propose But they doe not resolue as if they were conscious to themselues that they may erre they submit their desire to God and to Christ They desire Fire consuming Fire but it is from Heauen they would haue no other then God would send Nay they would not haue that except Christ be pleased Master wilt thou if thou say Nay we haue done Behold Nature and Grace and how Grace doth stop the furie of Nature Grace doth somewhat but the Fountaine
Learners and Teachers doth import And so haue you heard how this precept doth range women who must hence learne with what place they are to content themselues in the Schoole of CHRIST As the Precept doth range them so doth it qualifie them Learners they are and they must haue the qualities of Learners which are these two silence and obedience First women must learne in silence There is a double silence one of the tongue and another of the wit St CHRYSOSTOME obserues that in his dayes women came to CHVRCH as they goe a gossopping met there to talke and prattle together vnto whom he giueth this Item that they must not there so much as conferre of heauenly things much lesse may they tattle about worldly affaires they must spare their tongues and vse their eares be swift to heare and slow to speake I suppose many women labour of the same imperfection now adayes who shall doe well to take notice of this memento of St Chrysostome and make better vse of their Teachers paines then they are wont to doe But there is a silence of the wit as well as of the tongue as women must heare with attention so must they also heare with sobrietie of iudgement they must not haue busie heads and moue curious and needlesse questions seldome will the tongue be quiet if the wit be so working the truth whereof is most apparent in this age of ours then which none euer bred more idle disputes tending to quarrelling rather then edification the end of Learning The Minister is GODS Steward and is to giue euerie one his portion of meat in due season In our Houses we will hardly endure that enerie one of our Family should prescribe vnto himselfe his own dyet and not be contented with what is prouided by such as we put in trust to serue them but we are bolder with GODS Stewards then we will suffer our Family to be with ours and none are more sicke of this disease then women they want the first qualitie of a Learner to wit silence when they come to heare they should come furnished with that but not with that onely they must be furnished also with another qualitie which is obedience Women must learne with all subiection Women were wont in St PAVLS dayes to weare in the CHVRCH the symbole of subiection which was a Vaile who himselfe approues of the expediencie hereof and saith that it was to be done propter Angelos 1 Cor 11 to note their subiection to the Pastors who were representatiuely vnto them as CHRIST whose Spowse women must shew themselues to be And indeed married women are called Nuptâ—e of wearing a Vaile Cat. 24. and of Rebecca you read in Genesis that so soone as she came within sight of Isaac she couered her selfe with a Vaile and so presented her selfe in token of subiection vnto him St PAVL Ephes 5. paralels the subiection of the wife to her husband with the subiection of the CHVRCH to CHRIST so that they must submit themselues not onely to learne but to obay and be ruled by them whom GOD hath made their Teachers for wheresoeuer GOD placeth one vnder another his purpose is by the one to order the other But you must marke that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with all subiection which may be vnderstood either of the things wherein or the parts wherewith they doe obey Touching the things you heard before that a man is Rex Propheta Sacerdos in all these three functions women must be ordered by men and men must giue directions vnto women And as in all these things they must be subiect so must their subiection be as well in affection as in action it must partake not onely of the outward but of the inward man they must be subiect as reasonable not as vnreasonable Creatures But we must not mistake The subiection of the wife to the husband and of women to their Pastors is not serua but libera it is not slauish but ingenuous When GOD made the woman for man he made her as another-himselfe Gen. 2. man is so to esteeme of her she must be similis though not aequalis honoris she must partake in the same kind of honour though not in the same degree that man doth And as Turtullian saith of a King that he is solo Deo minor hath in his Kingdome none aboue him but onely GOD so is a woman in a Family solo marito minor she should command all in the House but her husband This the Romans intimated when at the first bringing of their wiues into their Houses they greeted them with these words Vbi ego dominus tu domina and Vbi ego herus tu hera We meane as much by these words whereat many stumble in the solemnization of Matrimonie with my body I thee worship which import nothing else but that the husband doth communicate to his wife whatsoeuer degree he hath either in the CHVRCH or Common-weale And indeed for a husband to esteeme his wife at a lower rate is barbarous inhumanitie she is and must be accounted one with himselfe and as his Consort And as in wedlocke the husband must so temper his superioritie ouer his wife so must Pastors claime no other superioritie ouer them then CHRIST doth ouer his CHVRCH Implicit faith and blind obedience of the Romanists are no parts of the subiection women must be Learners but they are not bound to receiue more then Pastors are authorized to deliuer vnto them in the Name of CHRIST farther to subiect them is to tyrannize ouer them as popish Priests doe ouer their followers You haue heard of what ranke women are and how farre they are subiected vnto men But here we must take heed of two Rockes whereof one is an error the other is a slander The error is the opinion that doth out of this Text impugne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the gouernment of women to which purpose there was a Tract published by some distempered humor in Queene Maries dayes which had also the concurrencie of French Diuines who to countenance the Salicke Law doe gladly entertaine such an opinion But both should know that generall rules haue their exceptions and those set downe by GOD himselfe Besides the generall rule Honour thy father and thy mother which shews that euen mothers also haue their place in gouernment MOSES hath giuen vs a particular resolution of this case Dent. 27. from the mouth of GOD himselfe which is that where heires males faile in a line the females may succeed in an Inheritance And if in the Inheritance then in all things belonging thereunto though it be a Royall Soueraigntie And the French that are so stiffe for the Salicke Law hold that in Signiories which depend on the Crowne of France onely in regard of homage and are otherwise free passe vnto the heires females by succession otherwise how came Britannie to be incorporated into the Crowne of France and Burgundy into the House