suppose no man so blind as not to perceiue nor so maleuolous as with thanksgiuing not to acknowledge And for my owne part I suppose and dare confidently auerre that neuer was this Iland in any age so abundantly I say not furnished but euen blest and beautified not onely with the substance but with the ornaments also of all learning as in this our age and in the two most happy raignes of this and our late both most renowmed and incomparable Princes since those darke mistes of superstition and Idolatry haue beene dispelled and abandoned Now this I pray with the Apostle that yee may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all iudgement but my speciall prayer for you is the same which our Apostle heere vseth that both yee your selues and all your learning and studies may be sanctified vnto God That yee would ioyne as S. Peter exhorts with your knowledge temperance with temperance patience with patience godlinesse with godlinesse brotherly kindnesse with brotherly kindnesse loue for if yee doe these things yee shall neuer fall Esteeme all other kâ—â—â—ledge yea all things els whatsoeuer with the Apostle but as losse and dung for the excellent knowledge of Christ Iesus our Lord euen this practicke knowledge of which Saint Iohn testifieth He that saith he knowes him and keepes not his commandements is a lyar and the trueth is not in him and of which our Sauiour saith This is eternall life to know thee to be the onely very God and him whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. And seeing sanctitie and holinesse is both the badge and cognizance of Gods children and seruants the end of their vocation and calling the onely meanes to make all other gifts of God to be true blessings vnto vs without which they are indeed blessings in themselues but to vs they shall be turned as the Prophet saith into cursings I conclude this my exhortation vnto you with those fewe but most effectuall words of the Apostle Follow peace with all men and holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord. And this be spoken of the first point namely the subiect of the Apostles praier which is sanctification and holinesse God sanctifie you The second point which I proposed was the author and worker of this sanctification and that is heere set downe to be God himselfe God sanctifie you for whence els can any sanctitie or holinesse proceed but onely from him who is first of himselfe and essentially holy yea as S. Austen shewes euen holinesse it selfe and therefore called the holy one of Israel of whom the Seraphins sing holie holie holie is the Lord of hosts and then is effectiuely holie as causing and working holinesse in others as himselfe doth often witnesse I the Lord doe sanctifie you whom the Apostle calles the Father of lights that is of all shining vertues and the spouse in the fourth of Canticles the fountaine of gardens because from him alone doth spring and issue all those odoriferous graces and gifts of pietie which are more pleasant vnto God then are all the beddes of of myrrhe and spices of whom S. Austen most truely saith Quantacunque bona quamuis magna quamuis minima esse non possunt nisi ab â—o a quo sunt omnia bona Euery good gift and euery perfect gift commeth from aboue euen from the father of light Now as God worketh in vs this sanctitie and holinesse so is he the onely worker and sole agent therein without any helpe furtherance or cooperation of our selues of our free will or of any power or facultie that is in man for the naturall man perceiues not the things that are of God neither can he for they are euen foolishnesse vnto him and the wisedome of the flesh is enmitie with God and of our selues we are not sufficient to thinke any thing that belongs to pietie and Gods seruice as S. Austen expounds it but all our sufficiencie is of God And most cleerely Philipp 2. It is God that worketh in vs both the will and the deed to which purpose S. Austen excellently saith in his Enchâ—â—â—â—d Lâ—urent 32. cap. Nolentem praeuenit vt velit volentem subsequitur ne frustra velâ— God at the first by his preueâ—â—ent grace doth worke this in vs to be willing and after with his subsequent grace he accompanies vs that being willing we should not will in vaine And againe in his booke De grat lib. arbitr and 17 chap. Vt velimus sine nobis operatur cum autem volumus sic volumus vt faciamus nobiscum cooperatur God without vs or any helpe or worke of ours doth make vs willing and he doth cooperate worke with vs when we are made willing It is most sure indeed as he saith that it is we that will when we are willing but it is he that makes vs to be willing of whoÌ„ it is said The will is prepared of the Lord. Velle currere meum est sed ipsum meum sine dei semper aâ—xilio non orit meum saith S. Ierome ad Câ—esiph To will is mine to worke is mine but euen this that is mine without Gods speciall and continuall helpe cannot be mine All which S. Austen fully expresseth in the place before alledged Sine illo vel operante vt velimus vel cooperante cum volumus ad bona pâ—etatiâ— opera nihil valemus Without Gods operation to make vs willing and cooperation when we are willing in the good actions of piety we are neither able nor willing to worke any thing This the Scripture further to declare teacheth vs that the vnregenerate man is dead in sinne and trespasses And most significantly is he said to be dead in sin for though it be most true that by the transgression and fall of Adam the naturall faculties of mans minde are not extinct nor abolished yet are they so exceedingly maimed and weakned thereby that they which were before naturales potentiae as the Logicians call them that is naturall powers and abilities are now by reason of that originall transgression of our nature become in man naturall impotencies and debilities And they which in the integritie of mans nature had strength and power both to will and to performe the works of pietie and grace are now in the infirmitie and corruption of the same nature disabled wholly to the works of grace and retaining onely an ability to the works of nature to all and euery action of piety and grace are as the Apostle after him S. Austen teacheth wholly dead and quite lost in this state no more able to will or mooue to any action of grace then is a dead man in nature able to will or mooue to any action of nature For which cause the Scripture calles our conuersion vnto God sometimes a resurrection from death sometimes a new creation in Christ but most vsually a new
ground of obedience though but in one point is indeed guiltie of all as being then ready vpon any occasion of his owne pleasure to take like allowance to himselfe in any part of the law as he hath alreadie done in that one And therefore God in his law requires an intire and totall obedience to be giuen to him Thou shalt loue the Lord with all thine heart and with all thy soule and with all thy strength Thou shalt obserue and doe all that I command thee Thou shalt not decline from any of the words which I command thee Let vâ— clense our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit Cast away all your transgressions and iniquities for why wil yee die O yee house of Iâ—raeâ— And to omit S. Austens comparison that euen one wound or disease if we neglect or refuse the cure thereof will endanger the whole body though the rest be â—ound or that one châ—nke if it be not preuented may endanger the whole shippe I rather propose that one but most effectuall testimonie of God Ezech. 18. If a father beget a sonne that is a theefe or a shedder of bloud 〈◊〉 he doe any one of these things though he doe not all these things but either hath eaten vpon the mountaines or defiled his neighbours wife or hath oppressed the poore and needy or hath spoiled by violence or hath lift vp his eies vnto Idols or hath giuen foorth vpon vsurie or hath taken encrease shall he liue He shall not liue but in the abominations that he hath done he shall die the death Consecrate therfore I beseech you your selues wholly vnto the Lord. Consecrate first as the Apostle heere teacheth your spirits and inmost affections vnto God for God loueth trueth in the inward parts And as he is a spirit so hee lookes to be serued first and chieflâ— in spirit and in trueth Be thou vpright said God to Abraham before me that is not onely before men but in my sight who search the hearts and reines without this all externall and outward holinesse is but Phaâ—saicall ostentation and that outward clensing of the cups and painting the tombes which within are full of hypocrisie and iniquitie full of filthinesse and rottennesse against which our Sauiour hath denounced a woe in the Gospell Well may yee by this visor of sanctitie dazell and bleare the eies of men as the Poet signified Pulchra lauerna da mihi sallere dâ—â—ustum 〈◊〉 eviderâ— but neuer can yee deceiue the al-seeing eies of him who saith by the Prophets I know thy dwelling thy going out and thy comming in and againe Mine eies are vpon all thy waies they are not hid from my face neither is their iniquitie hid from mine eies of whom the Psalmist saith Thou art about my path and about my bed spiest out all my waies there is not a word in my toong but thou knowest it altogether yea thou vnderstandest my thoughts long before and of whom the Apostle saith All things are naked and open vnto his eies Let me then heere say vnto you as Dauid did vnto his sinne when drawing neere vnto his death he bequeathed this as a part of his last and best legacie vnto him Thou my sonne serue thou the Lord with a perfect heart and with a willing minde for the Lord searcheth all hearts and vnderstandeth all the imaginations of thoughts it thou thus seeke him he will be found of thee but if thou forsake him he wil cast thee off for euer Consecrate next your bodies vnto God that as the Apostle heere wishes your bodies may be kept holy and without blame I beseech you by the mercies of God saith the Apostle that yee giue vp your bodies a liuing sacrifice holy acceptable to God and agaâ—ne Giue your bodies not as seruants of iniquitie vnto sinne but as weapons of righteousnesse vnto God Know yee not that your bodies are the members of Christ and temples of the holy Ghost and yee are not your owne for yee are bought with a price glorifie therefore God both in your spirit and in your bodies for they both are Gods Consecrate lastly your externall and outward actions vnto God that yee may shew foorth the vertues of him that hath called you and that your liues being as lamps of pietie vnto others may shine foorth in good works which God hath ordained that we should walke in them If wee haue onely outward sanctity wee deceiue others if we haue onely inward sanctitie wee deceiue our selues for neuer is faith charitie or holinesse rooted in the heart but it buds foorth and shewes it selfe in the fruits of good works and of a godly life If these things saith S. Peter that is godlinesse temperance patience brotherly kindnesse and loue be in you they will make you that yee shall neither be idle nor vnfruitfull in the knowledge of Christ. In the 2. Corinth and 5. chap. S. Paul giues a reason why he tooke all that toile and labour in the Gospell and in gaining others vnto God and the reason is this the loue of Christ saith he constraineth vs. Doubtlesse where the true loue of God and Christ is in a mans heart it will euen constraine him to his duty and to obedience vnto God and will be like the fire in Ieremies bosome which could not be shut vp but made him wearie of forbearing that he could not staie Amor Dei saith S. Gregorie otioâ—us non est operatur magna si est si operari renuerit amor non est Where the loue of God is it is not idle but works greatly where it doth not work it is not There were some euen in the Apostles time as S. Austen shewes who boasting of their faith and yet liuing a most dissolute and wicked life did recken themselues as good Christians and as sure inheritors of Gods kingdome as the best Which most pernicious and pestilent heresie being first broched by that arch-heretike Simon Magus as Irene declares in his first booke and 20. chap. was afterwards embraced and maintained by the Eunomians who taught as S. Austen shewes in his 54. heresie Ad quod vult that if a man did beleeue their doctrine it skilled not how he liued neither how many sinnes hee committed nor how long hee perseuered therein To which heresie when some in S. Austens own time inclined he purposely writ against them his book De side operibus the summe and effect wherof is the very same which S. Iames in his epistle most effectually vrgeth What auaileth it my brethren though a man say he hath faith when he hath no works Can such a faith saue him And the Apostle answering that such is but a dead and euen a diabolicall faith in the end he vseth a most fit comparison to expresse the same that as the body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without breath for
yea the temples of God now the temple of God is holie which ye are and holinesse becomes the Lords house for euer ye are the children of God and therefore must beare the print and image of your father which is righteousnesse and true holinesse that as he which hath called you is holy so ye may be holy in all maner of conuersation because it is written Bee ye holy for I am holy Yee are fellow Citizens with the Saints let your conuersation as the Apostle saith bee in heauen that is an holy conuersation which is in truth an heauenly conuersation as first descending from God and from heauen and then most vndoubtedly making you to ascend to God and vnto heauen Sanctitie and holinesse is the very end of our election for God hath chosen vs that wee should bee holy and without blame before him It is the end of our redemption for Christ hath redeemed vs that we being deliuered from our enemies should serue him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of our liues It is the end of our vocation that euery one should possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour for God hath called vs not vnto vncleannesse but vnto holinesse Without this had ye all the blessings that mortality doth possesse or mans heart can desire yet neuer can they bring either true happinesse or sound comfort vnto the mind Riches are accounted a great blessing of God and indeed they are euen a crowne of glory when they are found in the way of righteousnesse but without sanctity all the wealth in the world is woorse than pouerty A small thing that the righteous hath is better than great riches of the vngodly Better is a little euen a morsell of bread and a dinner of green and sowre herbs with the seare of God and with righteousnesse than is a stalled oxe and the reuenues of iniquitie Godlinesse of it selfe is gaine yea as the Apostle saith it is great gaine for it hath the promise both of this life and of the life to come and by it we assuredly gaine Gods fauour in this present life and eternall felicitie in the life to come And no good thing shall God withhold from him that leades a godly life but of all other gaine and aduantage without this it is most true which our Sauiour saith What aduantageth it a man to gaine the whole world and lose his owne soule Or what canst thou or any man giue for the recompence of his soule vnto God Honour and renowne a great blessing of God God himselfe threatning it as a curse vnto the wicked that hee will make them a reproach a prouerbe and a common talke among the people yea a detestation and hisling as the Prophet speaketh but except the ground and foundation of a mans honor be sanctitie and holinesse whose praise as the Apostle saith is not of men but of God all our honour is nothing else but an idle bruit and blast of the people a vaine tympany and swelling of a mans name whose root as the Prophet saith is rottennesse and the bud thereof shall vanish into dust yea into dung In the 1. Chro. 4. It is said of Iabesh that he was more honourable than his brethren and the reason is set downe in the next verse for Iabesh called on the God of Israel that is was a religious and holy man On the contrary 2. Chron. 26. It is said of Vâ—ziah when hee had lifted vp his heart against God Thou hast transgressed thou shalt haue none honour of the Lord. God makes no other reckoning of the wicked and vngodly be they neuer so glorious in the reputation and eies of men but as of ignominious and vile persons And so hee expresly cals them Psa. 15 In whose eies a vile person is contemned and that wicked king Antiochus who was surnamed by men Epiphanes that is illustrious and glorious yet euen this Epiphanes in the 11. of Daniel is entituled by God himselfe a vile person In his place shall stand vp a vile person Whereas all the godly and holy seruants of the Lord in the 4. of Esay are not only called glorious The bud of the Lord shall be beautifull and glorious but euen glory it selfe Vpon all the glory shall be a defence that is vpon all Gods children The reason of all which is either that which S. Peter giues 1. epist. 4. chap. Because the spirit of glory which is the spirit of sanctification doth rest on them or else that which God himselfe giues 1. Sam. 2. Them that honour me will I honour but they that despise me they shall be despised Learning and knowledge a singular rare blessing of God of which S. Austen truly saith in his fourth booke of Confess and 16. chap. Scis tu Domine Deus quòd celeritas intelligendi discendi acumen donum tuum est sed non inde tibi facrificabam Both the sharpnesse of wit to apprehend and quicknesse of vnderstanding to discerne and iudge they are both thy gifts O God though oftentimes for these we do not sacrifice to thee but to our selues But had wee all the learning that mans wit can comprehend knew we not only fiue and twenty as did Mithridates but all the languages and tongues of men and Angels knew we all secrets and all prophesies and in a word had we as the Apostle saith all knowledge and yet had not sanctity and holinesse which is contained in the loue of God and of our neighbours as S. Austen rightly expounds it I might truly say not only with the Poet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all this knowledge were as nothing but more peremptorily with the Apostle we our selues were nothing The reason whereof S. Austen giues in his fift booke of Confess and fourth chapter Infoelix homo qui sâ—iat illa omnia te antem nesciat Beatus antem qui te scit etiamsi â—â—la nesciat Qui verò te illa nouit non propter illa beatior sed prepter te solum beatus est Wretched man were hee that had learned all other things yet had not learned God and godlinesse but he is a happie man that learns this though he neuer learne ought else but this And he that knowes both this and other things is not more happie for knowing them but he is only happy for knowing thee O God How greatly God hath in his mercy enriched with all kind of knowledge this our most flourishing church and kingdome and heerein this and the other Sacred fountaines of learning fâ—om which as from the 2. great riuers of Eden so many streams of liuing water haue beene and are daily deriued that they haue not onely moistned the neere gardens of the Lord but like the ouerflowings of Iordan haue abundantly watered the whole land euen from Dan to Beersheba I
Aboue all things haue feruent loue among you And to omit other testimonies S. Austen often and truely saith of this that without it multa sancta haberi possunt sed prodesse non possunt faith knowledge and many gifts and graces of God without charitie may be in a man but without charitie they can neuer profit a man I haue heeretofore in my cursorie obseruations vpon the 1. to Titus spoken somewhat of this point in the hearing of diuers of you and being now occasioned by my text to handle the same point againe though it were not hard to finde varietie of arguments in a matter so plentious that I may truly say non copia sed modus quarendus est yet let it not seeme grieuous vnto you which to me seemes most conuenient and which the Apostle teacheth to be for you a sure thing if from that same fountaine of loue and dutie which I haue vnto this place I recommend vnto you some part of that same exhortation from the same God of peace Let me first say vnto you as Moses once said to Gods owne people Deut. 2â— Let there not be among you any root that brings foorth gall and wormewood Your Colleges they are seminaries of pietie nurseries of Religion and vertue and like the house of Bethel or the garden of Eden they are the verie houses of God and pleasant gardens of the Lord the trees of knowledge and trees of life which are the best nay the onely timber wherewith to builde the temple and sanctuary of God must so successiuely grow in these gardens that it may euer truely be said of them anulâ—o vno non deficat alter aureus And I pray God to blesse and multiplie such blessed plaâ—â—s in all your Colleges But if insteed heereof there should be nourished in these places those venemous and deadly weedes which Moses cals the roots of gall and wormewood which are the very bane and poison not onely of mens studies but of mens mindes and maners what other fruite may be expected then that which God laid as a curse vpon the earth Thorns and thistles shall it bring foorth or as the Poet expresseth it Pro molli viola proâ—purpureo narcisâ—o Cardâ—â—â—s â—â—â—ines surget paliurus acuris Infoelix lolium steriles dominantur aâ—â—nae Take heed therfore I beseech you there be no roots of gall or wormewood in your hearts or among you Let me againe say vnto you as S. Iames doth Who is a wise man and indued with knowledge among you Let him shew foorth his workes in meâ—kenesse of wisedome But if yee haue bitter enuying and strife in your hearts reioice not neither be lyars against the trueth This wisedome descendeth not from aboue but it is earthly sensuall and diuellish for where is enuying and strife there is sedition and all maner of euill works but the wisedome that is from aboue is first pure and then peaceable gentle easie to be entreated and the fruit of righteousnesse is sowen in peace of them that make peace When the strife began betwixt Abraham and Lot the Scripture notes it as a speciall memorandum And there were Cananites and Perezates at that time in the â—and Doubtlesse there are at this time also our land and I wish there be not among our selues too many who carry Cananitish hearts and mindes who would no lesse then the old Cananites Reioice and triumph in your discord and blaspheme the name of God and his holy religion which we professe saying among themselues Aha so would wee haue it Lest any such thing be euer heard in Gath or spoken in the streets of Askalon let these who haue the spirit of Abraham learne also the speech and language of Abraham who though he was both in age and dignitie superior to his nephew Lot yet came and said vnto him I pray thee let there be no strife betweene thee and me nor betweene thy seruants and my seruants for wee are brethren brethren not so much by bloud as by Religion to be linckt together as S. Austen obserueth It was a diuellish precept of Machiauell and most cunningly euery where practised by the Iesuits as their owne professors obserue and witnesse but deriued first from the lowest pit of hell Diuide impera Farre be it from any of Christs disciples to learne such lessons or from so Antichristian teachers much rather let vs oppose hereto that vndoubted maxime of our Sauiour who is trueth it selfe Euery kingdome diuided against it selfe shall be brought to nought and euerie citie or house diuided against it selfe shall not stand or that wise counsell of Caselius a Lawyer mentioned in Macrobius Who being asked by a Merchant how his partner and hee should diuide their shippe betweene them answered Nauem si diuidis perdis nec tu illam nec socius habebites yee all saile in one shippe diuide and cut this ship a sunder you spoile it if not with it your selues Or if there be any that wish or seeke a rent and diuision thereof let such remember that she was not the true and naturall mother which saide Let it be neither thine nor mine but diuide it but she onely who was content it should be whole though it were with the certaine losse of her owne tender and most deare infant And we must suffer as S. Austen wisely obserues Infantile corpus a falsa matre nutriri potiùs quà m concidi rather the wrong mother to noise the childe then it being diuided them both to lose it I will end this my exhortation vnto you with those words of the Prophet What man is he that would liue and faine see good daies keepe thâ— toong from euill and thy lippes that they speake no guile eschew euill and doe good seeke peace and follow after it Now as charitie is most acceptable and like the ointment of Aaron pleasing vnto God so doe the Scriptures in infinite places witnesse how much God hateth and detesteth the want of charity yet out of that maine Ocean I will but take one drop or two In the 1. of Amos God threatneth to breake the bars of Damascus and send a fire into the house of Hazael and deuour the palaces of Benhadad and why because they were not satisfied with the ouerthrow of the Gileadites their enemies but further without all compassion to wreake their wrath vpon them they threshed Gilead and that with threshing instruments of iron Likewise in the second chap. God threatens to destroy the Moabites and that they shall die with shouting with the sound of a trumpet because they were not contented onely to spoile the Edomites though they were not theirs onely but Gods enemies but to satisfie their rage and malice they burnt the bones of the king of Edom into lime This is that which God so earnestly reprooues in the Edomites in the prophesie of Obadiah threatens for this