Eunuch The maine scope principall drift of the Spirit of God in this Scripture and history which I haue read vnto you is to shew and shaddow out vnto vs the large extent of the doctrine of the Gospel the kingdom of Christ and how the same is by the counsell and mercifull purpose of God to be propagated extended to the vtmost borders of the earth And therefore in this present history which I haue chosen at this time to treat of you may bee pleased to beholde how God vouchsafed to poure vpon the head of this Honorable Eunuch the precious ointment of the sauing knowledge of Christ that like as the sweete and precious oyntment that was powred on the head of Aaron ran downe from his head and beard to the skirts of his garments so also this fragrant and sweete oyntment might stream downe and flowe to the skirts as it were of his cloathing to the vtmost borders of his Countrie and first to open to him the fountaine of life and to let him drinke thereof and then by him as it were by a conduit pipe to deriue and conuey the sweete streames and waters therof to his countrie-men that dwelt a farre off euen to the people and inhabitants of Aethiopia Which thing came accordingly to passe for he being conuerted conuerted many brethren and as wee receiue it by tradition brought many of his owne nation to the knowledge of Christ The chiefe and principall points which I obserue in this Scripture and whereof I purpose by Gods assistance to speake at this time are these 1. An Angel disposeth of Philip assigneth him a place for his employment ver 26. 2. Who what he was to whom by the direction of the Angell Philip was sent First hee was of Aethiopia Secondly hee was an honourable Personage chiefe Gouernor to the Queen of that coūtrie and had the rule of all her treasure Thirdly he came or he trauelled to Ierusalem to worship ver 27. 3. In the third place wee will consider how this noble Eunuch was busied emploied in his returne homeward as hee returned sitting in his chariot he read Esaias the Prophet ver 28. 4. The fourth thing that I intend to speake of is Philips performance of that duty and seruice to which he was appointed ver 30. 5. Fiftly and lastly the effectes which his owne reading and Philips preaching of Christ wrought in this Eunuch they are three first he beleeued secondly hee was baptised and thirdly after he beleeued and was baptised he went homeward reioycing In the first place in that an Angel is appointed by God to warne Philip to hasten and meete the Eunuch for his conuersion it may teach vs how gratious and mercifull God is to the sons of men who for their sakes for their good will haue his Angels to bee seruiceable and helpfull vnto them By the help of Angels Lot was deliuered and preserued in the destruction of Sodome ver 19. An Angel of God went before the hoast of Israel and behinde the hoast and did deliuer them defend them from the Egyptians Exod. 14.19 An Angell of the Lord opened the prison doores by night and brought forth the Apostles and set them at libertie Acts 5.19 An Angel directed Cornelius to send for Peter and here an Angel is sent to warne Philip to ioyne himselfe to the Chariot of this Eunuch and to expound the Scripture vnto him So true is that of the Apostle Saint Paul Angels are ministring spirits sent forth to minister for their sakes vvhich shall be heires of saluation Heb. 1. last Happy are they who by the blessing of God doe make a wise and gracious vse of the ministration of Angels who by the cleannesse of their life and holy conuersation make glad those holy and blessed spirits which are beholders and eye-witnesses of all their actions and by their vnfained repentance giue them cause of reioycing For there is ioy in the presence of the Angels of God for a sinner that cōuerteth Luke 15.10 Which thing if wee shall doe then shall those Angels which reioyce in our wel-dooing and are by Gods appointment content to loue vs and to minister vnto vs heere in sterquilinio mundi in this dūghill of the world much more honour and loue vs in aula coeli in the Palace and kingdome of heauen and beeing glad of our conuersion in this life will bee more glad of our assumption and saluation in heauen 1. In the second or next place we haue to consider the person to whom by the direction of the Angel Philip was sent and hee is here said first to be a man of Aethiopia If any man shall vvonder how any sparke of the knowledge true worship of God should giue light shine in Aethiopia by the light whereof this great and noble man might attaine to any glimse of the knowledge of God and thereby bee brought to desire to performe any seruice and worship to him and that in the place principallie appointed thereunto namely in his holy Temple at Ierusalem especially seeing that howsoeuer the Commission of preaching the Gospel to all Nations though it were giuen sealed to the Apostles and Disciples yet it was not yet sped or as yet executed If any man I say shall wonder hereat he must knowe that although the light of the Gospell did not as yet shine either in Aethiopia or in the remote and vtmost kingdoms of the earth yet besides that knowledge which men might haue by nature and by the beholding of the creatures and the frame of the world the light of the law and the knowledge of God did in some proportion either more or lesse shine or shimmer foorth to all Nations singulis generum though not generibus singulorum as the Schoole speaketh to some of all Nations though not to all particulars of euerie Nation God hath not left himselfe without witnesses in any place but hath left in all the Nations of the world some prints footsteps of his knowledge of his power and goodnes And although it might be said in regard of the eminencie thereof that in Iurie God was well known that his tabernacle was in Salem yet was he knowne in other Nations also and he made his Name glorious in all the quarters of the world The prayer or wish of Noah that Iaphet might dwell in the Tents of Shem was in some measure in all succeeding ages heard and granted Gedeons fleece was not onely and alone watered but the whole threshing floore the Land of Iury was not alone bedeawed moistned with the heauenly deaw of the knowledge of God but the whole earth with the Nations that were farre remooued euen to the vtmost bounds thereof Some part of this heauenly deaw might light vpon this Eunuch's head and with some part of this holy oyntment his heart might be anointed The bookes of Moses and of the Prophets came into the hands and Schooles of many of the
finde if with a single eye and without partialitie wee enquire thereinto that as in the former times so in all succeeding ages times euen to this of ours there was a Church of our Religion And although the Professors therof could not possesse whole Nations or Countries or Cities wherin they might freely openly professe their faith by reason of the great height tyranny of the church of Rome which not onely obscured them but did also cruelly persecute them Yet were there few Nations fevv Countries few Citties wherein there were not some from time to time yea and that also in the very bosome and midst of the Church of Rome that did learnedly and zealously and with the losse many times of their liues professe the same If any man shall heere call vpon vs to make a particular and precise bed-roll or catalogue of their names and aske vs who they vvere that so haue done I answere that besides all those which liuing in former ages and in the times of Popery who either could not by reason they were vnlearned be known publiquely to the world but onely to God and to their ovvne consciences to bee professors of our Religion or if they were learned did yet commit nothing to writing wherby the same might be known of them I say besides all those whose number no doubt was infinite great is the nūber of those godly and learned men of those faithfull witnesses which frō time to time both by writing by preaching and by dying haue shewed to the world that they groned vnder the burthen of Popery that they wished a reformation and that they were of our Church and professed our Religion The names of which men with the times in which they liued together with those passages and parts of their bookes and writings in which they witnesse that which I haue affirmed of them are collected together and set downe by many learned men of our part and therefore I will spare my selfe the labour of naming them vnto you at this time If any man shall further except and say They are but few that are named in comparison of the rest that their number is small let such a one know that the number is not small and if it were yet that it is no maruell that so few are named it is rather a maruell that so many are named seeing that the Church of Rome hath in all ages times so earnestly laboured to blot out and to deface the memory of all both men and matters which might speake for vs or beare witnesse vnto vs. For if at this day our Aduersaries wipe our very names out of bookes and command that no man shall name vs but in contempt wee may well assure our selues that their Ancestors haue done the like in former ages to the men of our Religion and hence it commeth that so few are mentioned and named in ancient stories The practice of the Papists at this day with vs defacing our names belying our opinions burying our memory corrupting our books suppressing the truth of things purging and razing all manner of Euidence by that diuelish deuice of their Indices expurgatorij their purging tables maketh vs assure our selues that in the same manner our Ancestors were vsed And this is a principall reason why wee yeeld not so perfect a catalogue as else we might doe 2. Proposition My second proposition vvhich I deliuered was this that They did not all die Papists which in their life time and in outward profession were Papists For seeing it pleaseth God sometimes euen at the eleuenth howre to call men to the knowledge of himself and to repentance and seeing Gods mercy is not bounded or confined to any times but that as hee will haue mercy on whom he wil haue mercy so also hee will shew mercy at vvhat time it pleaseth him to shevv mercie VVho can tell but that many of our Ancestors and forefathers being touched in conscience and renouncing themselues and all humane satisfactions haue at the time of their dissolution the approching of death changed their mindes and so in that faith and religion which wee professe yeelded vp their soules into the hands of God A thing the more probable and like to bee true because in these our dayes many Papists haue bin by most certaine and true experience obserued to haue done and to do the like who in articulo mortis beeing at the brink and point of death haue been content not onely to suspect and feare but to renounce their own merits and their owne works to disclaime the vvhole body of humane satisfactions and to cleaue onely and alone to the mercie of God in Christ for their saluation and so though they liued Papists haue died Protestants And no maruaile though many Papists haue so done and do so daily for alas what comfort or consolation can a wounded conscience and a soule laden with sinne now ready to depart the vvorld and to appeare before the maiestie of GOD in whose presence the Cherubins are polluted the Angels are vnholy and the heauens are vncleane there to answere the iustice of God and to giue an account for all things that it hath done in the bodie I say what comfort or consolation can such a sinfull and dying soule finde in reflecting it selfe vpon it selfe in the works of it owne hands in the worth of it owne merites in the fruites of it owne labours in crosses crucifixes Saints Agnus Dei's blessed graines holy reliques pilgrimages extreame vnction dirges trentalls masses in Priests absolutions in Bishops blessings in Popes pardons or in all or any of these or other the trash trumpery of Rome Will such Figge-leaues couer our shame will such sacrifices satisfie for sinne or can such stubble and strawe endure the fierie triall of Gods iustice and yet not be consumed Foolish Semele great was thy folly and thou art worthily taxed branded with a marke of folly and dangerous indiscretion euē by Poets themselues for desiring that Iupiter would in the selfe-same manner visit thee at his next comming in which hee vsed to visite Iuno by vvhich meanes it came to passe that thou wast not onely amazed at his brightnes but also by the lightning and thunder which attended him when he was in his maiestie wast burnt vp quick quite consumed So may I truly say and it is no poeticall fiction but an vndoubted truth which I am about to vtter to all proud Papists proud Pharisees and Iusticiaries whatsoeuer which gird themselues with their owne righteousnesse and arme themselues vvith their owne good deseruings and merites as it were with armour of proofe and coats of steele Foolish Papist great is thy folly thou art woorthily taxed and branded with a marke of folly and dangerous indiscretion who puffed vp with the winde of thine owne worth and being tickled in thine own heart with the wanton conceit of I wot not what proportionable agreement between thine owne proper inherent
liued in the time of ignorance but that as many among vs liuing in the light of the Gospell descend notwithstanding into the darknesse of hell so there were many liuing in the darknes of Poperie who ascended vp to the place of light to the kingdome of heauen and were partakers of eternall blessednesse To conclude this point Let vs not rashly enter into the iudgements of God for he saith I will haue mercy on whom I will haue mercy Sometimes God refuseth the father and chooseth the sonne as in Salomon to build the Temple and not Dauid Sometimes hee sheweth his iudgements on the sonnes and mercy on the father as in the children of Iob Sometimes he cutteth off both the father and the sonnes as he did Elie his children Sometimes hee saueth both the father and his children as Noah and his children in the Arke and this hee doth to the end that be we fathers or be we children be wee many or be we few we should learne to submit our selues to him and rather be carefull to obtaine our owne saluation than to bee curious in the disputing of the saluation of others I will close and shut vp this point with a saying of Ciprian in his 3. Epi. If any that went before vs either of ignorance or of simplicity hath not obserued that which the Lord commanded his simplicity through the Lords indulgence may bee pardoned but we whom the Lord hath taught and instructed cannot be pardoned 3 In the third place of my first generall diuision I thought it fit that we should cōsider how this noble Eunuch was busied imployed in his return homewarde and that is set downe in the 28. verse And as he returned sitting in his chariot he read Esaias the Prophet The Lord hauing touched the heart of this noble Eunuch and finding that hee desired to taste of the bread of life resolued in great mercy to feede him plentifully therwith and finding him to haue a holy thirst after the water of life was pleased to set open vnto him the very fountaine or conduits thereof and prouided that hee should bee fed with the very marow and fatness of his holy truth and that hee should drinke de torrente voluptatis at the very well-head the water of life and the sweet wine of the sauing knowledge of his Son Christ He prouided in his gratious prouidence that the booke of the Prophesie of Esay should come to his hands which he ioyfully receiued reuerently accounted of making it as Alexander did Homer his companion in his iourney and diligently read the same He read Esaias the Prophet And what followed thereof The Lord who as the blessed Virgin speaketh filleth the hungry with good things did fill his hungry soule with the best things and verefied in him that saying of Salomon Non perdet Dominus animam iusti fame The Lord will not famish the soule of a righteous man with hunger but will feed it for he fed him with the richest and most precious cates and iunkets of his most holy and heauenly truth Neither did it only please God that the Booke and Prophesie of Esay should onely and alone come to the hands and sight of this noble Personage but heerein also did Gods gratious goodnesse and rich mercy plainly appeare vnto him in that not by chance or at aduenture but by the prouidence of God his hand was turned and his eye directed to the reading of such a part and portion of that Prophesie as contained in it the summe and substance of the Gospell and from whence Philip might haue a good ground and take iust occasion beginning as hee did at that Scripture to open and expound vnto him the whole mystery of Gods mercy in Christ and mans saluation by Christ The words of the place he read are these ver 32. and 33. Hee was led as a sheep to the slaughter c. In which words the Prophet sheweth the manner and order which it pleased God to vse in the redeeming of his Church namely by the death of Christ as of a Lambe slaine as a propitiatory sacrifice for the sinnes of mankinde That as a sheepe he was led to the slaughter and like a lambe dumbe before his shearer hee opened not his mouth c. Whereby is signified that he willingly offered vp himselfe as a voluntary sacrifice or free-will offering for mans redemption vnto God More briefly in a word for I purpose not at this time to make any stay in the interpretation of these wordes in my Text howsoeuer they be most worthy to bee largely entreated of more briefly I say and in a word In these words of Esay which the Ennuch was now in reading when Philip came and spake vnto him two things especially are mystically and prophetically deliuered concerning the person of Christ the first his Humiliation and Passion the second his Exaltation or Glorification and that not for himselfe onely but for vs also Which words beeing a prophesie or prediction of a thing then to come when they were written by Esay are in effect repeated by Saint Paul who speaketh thereof as of a thing done past and now performed Hee was deliuered to death for our sinnes and is risen againe for our iustification Romans 4.25 And both of these appeare most plainely in the 53. of Esay through that whole chapter Of this argument or of this matter Esay speaketh as a Prophet Saint Paul as an Euangelist the one speaketh de futuro the other de praeterito the one of that which should come to passe the other of that which is come to passe and yet which is worthy your marking Esay though he speak thereof as of a thing long to come yet hee speaketh of it in the Preterperfect-tense or in the time past to shew the certainty thereof You see how this noble Eunuch was busied and you see also what end the Lord made and what course hee tooke with him He went vp to Ierusalem to worship and in his returne hee read the Prophet Esay and it pleased God that being so busied and imployed the foundation and ground-work of the sauing truth and knowledge of God in Christ should be laid and built in his soule to his eternall comfort and saluation Iesus Christ beeing the chiefe corner-stone of that holie and blessed building Tu vade fac similiter Goe thou and doe the like goe thou whosoeuer thou art that hearest me this day and doe the like goe vp to Ierusalem that is worship God in his holy Temple reade the Prophesie of Esay or some other part of the booke of God reade it when thou art at home reade it when thou art abroad reade it earely reade it late reade it with reuerence reade it with diligence reade it with an humble minde reade it with an hungry appetite reade it with a deuout desire to vnderstand it to conclude reade it with the like mind with which this noble Eunuch read it and thou shalt be partaker