of God without the concurrence of any second cause So the true Manna which came downe from heauen and the true Water of life which whosoeuer drinketh of by faith shall neuer perish Christ Iesus I meane he was none otherwise to be conceiued but by Gods working Other Types might bee alleaged as of Aarons Rod which blossom'd without maÌ„s setting or watring of the Gate mentioned by Ezechiel whereat no man entred c. But the former be sufficient and therefore I will not trouble you with the latter A Virgin she ought to be we heare for the excellent Prophesies sake and to expresse the Types which were of it and so no â—â—ubt shee was as testifie Mathew and Luke and as we are bound by our Creed to beleeue Borne of the Virgin Mary c. But what manner of Virgin was shee the fairest the richest the noblest of all the daughters of the East Alas these things though they be much set by in the world yet with God they be but vile euen as dongue Hee is not a respecter of persons as the Apostle saith that is hee respecteth not these outward things in any hee lookes not vpon the outward appearance neither vpon the countenance neither vpon the height of ones stature as God saith to Samuel but if any feare God and worke righteousnesse he is accepted of God Act. 10. To him will I looke euen to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my words Esay 66. He that loueth me shall be loued of my Father and I will loue him c. Iohn 14. These and the like vertues doe please the Lord a thousand times more then either beauty or wealth or parentage or friends or the like for if he had respected these he would haue gone into the Kings Court not vnto Nazareth to one that was sued vnto and wooed by Princes not vnto such a one as was thought but a fit match for a Carpenter briefly to such a one as had Kings for her kinsmen and Queenes for her kinswomen and her familiars and withall great store of men-seruants and maid-seruants great store of gold and siluer and not to one that was destitute and vtterly voyd of all these outwards comforts and which could leaue her Sonne none inheritance no not the breadth of a foote Yet behold here the good pleasure of the Lord and his free election happy vnto the blessed Virgin most happy but to the eyes of all the world admirable This poore Maid so base in her owne eyes so little regarded in her neighbour-hood so generally obscure to all the world was called to that honour that neuer woman was called vnto nor shall be For she was made of God to kindle that Light within her which enlightneth euery one that commeth into the world to conceiue Him in her wombe that brought forth the whole world with a word of his mouth to giue him nourishmentâ— who openeth his hand and filleth all things liuing with plenteousnesse to moue and carry him about in whom we all liue moue and haue our being In a word she was made to bring him forth whose beginning was from euerlasting to swaddle and bind him who bindeth the earth together that it can neuer be remoued to giue him sucke that giueth her breath to help him that must saue her to be his Nurse Mother that was her Father Creator and Redeemer yea the Creator Redeemer of all the world And was this Beloued a small thing a small dignity preferment and had not her cousin Elizabeth cause to say vnto her Blessed art thou amoÌ„gst women and her selfe to reioyce with a spirituall reioycing for that henceforth all generatioâ—â—hoâ—â—d call her blessed And why this Because of her outward endowments No for you haue heard that these are no inducements to make God to fansie any body Or for her inward graces and vertues Indeed meekenesse gentlenesse humility chastity temperance piety c. which same were found in the blessed Virgin and did abound are such things as God did neuer despise or abhor Abhorre nay they smell more sweetly in the nostrils of the Highest then euer did the Garment of Esau vnto Isaack or then euer did the precious oyntment of the Priest that ranne vnto the beard euen vnto Aarons beard nay then euer did the same Reach nichoach the same Sacrifice the same smell of â—est wherewith the Lord shewed himselfe well pleased being offered by Noah Vertues therefore and good life be well liked in all and therefore in a person so accepted with God as was the blessed Virgin they must needs haue beene singularly well liked But was it for the worth and merit of them that she was so aduanced as she was O no for then man might boast of that which he hath receiued which yet the Apostle denies that he may 1. Cor. 4. Then flesh might reioyce in Gods sight which yet St. Paul denyeth that it may 1. Cor. 1. Then Election were of workes which yet the Apostle proueth to be of grace that is free and not of workes Rom. 11. Yea then the blessed Virginshould not haue sung My spirit reioyceth in God my Sauiour But My spirit reioyceth in God my debtor Then she should not haue said For he regarded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the low â—state 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my vertue of humilitie yea and my other vertues Thirdly then she should not haue said His mercy is ouer them that feare him but His Iustice is toward them that obey him thorowout all generations Fourthly then the Angell should not haue said Feare not Mary for thou hast found fauour with God but Triumph Mary for thou hast had thy deseruing Lastly then the Church should not sing as it doth at the end of that Canticle the rest Glory be to the Father to the Sonne and to the holy Ghost but Glory be to the blessed Virgin and Inuocation and Offering and Pilgrimage and whatsoeuer seruice may be named 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 too for she prepared her heart to grace and so merited Ex congruo and she vsed the grace giuen as she ought to doe and so merited Ex condigno And lastly she obserued not onely the Commandements of God but also his Counsels and so merited for her selfe and for others too euen for all â—hem that will be her Beads-men Thus should â—heir song be agreeable to their Doctrine if they would deale plainely and if of the aboundance of their heart their mouth would speake And iâ—deed so they haue sung and taught in these later corrupt times nor soundly but superstitiously not superstitiously but blasphemously They haue made her their Aduâ—cate their Spokes-woman their Patronesse and is that the worst They haue made her Gods Almner Gods Steward Gods Treasurer which containeth in her the treasures of Wisedome and Power and Mercy and dealeth the same at her pleasure was this the worst They hâ—ue
had not beene true God he had not ouercome death Thus Fulgentius Let this be one cause of the vniting of two natures in one Mediator as he must be man to taste of death so hee must be God withall to ouercome death A second cause is rendered by Irenaeus and is to be found in Theodorit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. And he vnited man to God for if man had not ouercome the enemy of man the enemy had not beene conquered lawfully and if God had not giuen Saluation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wee had not had it safely nor surely He addeth a little after It became the Mediator of God and man by his neerenesse to both to bring both into amity and agreement as well to offer vp man vnto God as to make knowne God vnto men Thus Ireney of whom you haue learned a second reason and not onely a second but a third too For as this is one The Deuill must be ouercome by that nature that had offended and so by man the recouered state of man must not be subiect to change as was his estate in Paradise and therefore to be settled by God so this is another and a strong one too He that will take vpon him to reconcile two being so farre at oddes as God and man were must participate in the nature and disposition of them both that so he may the better haue accesse and reconcile them Thus in effect Irenaeus A fourth reason may bee this drawne likewise from the Iustice of God There must haue beene some proportion betweene the sinne of Adam and the satisfaction for the said sinne Now the sinne of Adam was of infinit guilt in asmuch as it was committed against a Person of infinite Maiesty and glory for such a one is God therefore the satisfaction must be of infinite price and value which could not be performed by bare man whose worke and meriting can be but finite As therefore he was to be man that in that nature he might yeeld obedience and suffer So hee was to be God and was God indeed that to that nature he might yeeld efficacy and estimation to his suffering and to his Sacrifice These reasons be effectuall and good There be also other reasons of this mysterie yeelded by Anselmus and others but as it is said the 2. Sam. 23. Of Benaiah that he was honourable among thirty but attained not vnto the first three So we say of those other reasons that they may haue their place and their vse but nothing comparable to the former which we haue heard therefore I will not trouble you with them Let vs consider now in the last place what vse we may make of this Doctrine that wee haue such a Mediator such an Immanuel The vse thereof is manifold but principally it setteth before vs Christ◠great loue towards vs And how great was that loue The Grecians commend Codrus highly for that he stripped himselfe of his Kingly Robes and put on ragges to deliuer his Country from danger So the Romans commend Brutus Iunius Brutus for concealing his prudence and worth and taking vpon him the gesture of an Idiot to set his Country at liberty So our Stories talke much of a certaine Countesse as I remember or a Lady that yeelded to great deformity and debasement to purchase the liberties of a certaine City And surely all these and the like for many such examples may be produced should haue wrong offered them if their loue toward their Country should not be acknowledged to haue beene exceeding great and if for the same they should not be extolled and aduanced But yet to say the truth what comparison betweene the loue of these persons and of our Immanuel For these did euen what they did for their Countries which had deserued well of them and so might challenge an interest in them but alas what had man-kind done for Christ or what could it doe to moue him to the least indignity for their sake Againe these laid downe onely such base stuffe in comparison and clothing as would haue beene fretted by the moth or worne out in short time c. But Christ laid aside as it were and shifted himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of his glorious Deity wherein he might challenge an equality with his Father without sacriledge Lastly these how high soeuer they should haue held their heads for a season or what countenance soeuer of grauity or wisedome they should haue set vpon it yet by death they should haue beene brought low enough and then necessarily haue left all but now Christ might haue retained that glory which he had with his Father from the beginning vnto all Generations without impeachment and hee needed not at all to haue humbled himselfe and therefore doing it voluntarily he did it the more louingly Thus by these circumstances of the persons for whom of the thing which of the manner how the Loue of Christ towards vs is not rhetorically amplified but plainely demonstrated Now Beloued if Christ so loued vs if so exceedingly so farre beyond all vtterance or conceit of man in that hee vouchsafed to take vpon him the forme of a seruant euen our vile and contemptible nature is he not to be loued againe for the same Is not his Word to be imbraced his Commandements to be obserued his benefits to be acknowledged his sauing health to be desired and to be longed after The Prophet Ieremy is angry with the Iewes for saying they were wise and yet reiected the Word of God and therefore saith he What wisedome is in them So Saint Iohn Apocal. 3. is angry in Christs name with the Church of Laodicea for saying she was rich and increased in goods and had need of nothing when as she wanted the true riches Iesus Christ. And doe we thinke that our Sauiour will not be angry with vs if we say we loue him and yet will not doe as hee hath bidden vs if I say our Loue be in word onely and not in deed and in truth We thinke alas that we be Louers good enough if we can say Lord Lord and Christ was a good man and did many goodly matters for vs c. But as the Prophet Malachy saith Offer this vnto thy Prince and see if he will accept thy person So say I Offer this vnto thy neighbour and see whether he will be content with such Loue. I pray you was the Father in the Gospell well pleased with his Sonne that refused to labour in his Vineyard because he had said I will Father Or doth Saint Iames allow that for charitablenesse if one say to his brother Depart in peace Warme your selues and fill your bellies and yet giueth them not those things that are needfull to the body Euen so the Loue toward Christ that is in the lippes onely and not in the heart in profession onely and not in practice in a shew onely and not in true obedience it profiteth nothing at all it
SERMONS OF THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD MILES SMITH LATE LORD BISHOP OF GLOCESTER TRANSCRIBED OVT OF HIS ORIGINALL MANVSCRIPTS AND NOW PVBLISHED FOR THE COMMON GOOD PSALME 112.6 The Righteous shall be in euerlasting Remembrance PROVERBS 10.7 The memory of the Iust is blessed LONDON Printed by Elizabeth Allde for Robert Allot dwelling at the Blacke Beare in Pauls Church-yard 1632. NOBILISSIMIS ACPIETATE ET PRVDENTIA SPECTATISSIMIS DOMINIS DN HENRICO COMITI DANBIENSI ET DN EDVARDO COMITI NORVICENSI HAS Reuerendi in Christo Patris doctissimi Praesulis Milonis SMITHI Gloucestrensis nuper Episcopi Conciones Humillimè dedicat qui D. V. plurimum debet I. S. THE PREFACE THESE Sermons following which grauely fell from the lips of this worthy Bishop some of them in the ordinary course of his Ministery other some at more speciall times are now by the Religious care and industry of certaine of his friends and neere-ones imprinted and sent forth into publicke view Pliny the great Naturalist taxeth some of the Greeke and Latin Writers in his time of folly at the least for sending abroad their empty and worthlesse Pamphlets with an ouer-praise in the Title promising much at the first sight but vtterly deceiuing the Reader in his further search like the Apple whereof Solinus writes that growes where Sodom and Gomorrha stood which hath a rind or out-side pleasing to the eye but being pressed though but lightly with the hand it euaporats and becomes vnprofitable And as former ages haue suffered in this kind so I would it were not the iust complaint and grieuance of the times wherein we liue Multitudes of Writers we haue and bookes without number euâ—n to excesse many of them such as notwitstanding their plausible Inscriptions giue iust occasion to the buyer after perusall to cry out with Him in the Comedy Polego oleum operam perdidi And to complaine in the Prophets phrase I haue spent my money for that which is not bread and my labour for that which satisfieth not But now he that shall with iudgement reade these ensuing labours will finde somewhat more than a naked Title to commend them And albeit diuers of them seeme to be the fruits of his younger yeeres and come not forth in that lustre and beauty as the Author had he purposed to haue made them publicke could and would haue sent them being transcribed from his Originall Manuscripts as they fell to hand without choice yet such they are as I perswade my selfe will passe the eyes of the Learned who are fittest ablest to iudge not without deserued approbation There is in them as well matter for the vnderstanding to worke vpon whereby the Reader may be made Eruditior the better Scholar as to moue the affections wherby he may become Melior the better Christian. Milke and strong meate both for men and babes the wise may thence be made more wise and the weake more strong Concerning the man himselfe whose memory in many respects is blessed how much might be spoken of him how many singular gracious parts he had deseruing commendation on his behalfe imitation on ours it cannot in a few words be expressed But for my part I purpose not here to vndertake a story of his life I was not so exactly learned therein neither haue I beene sufficiently instructed for so great a worke my intentions onely driue at this namely to let them know that knew him not what he was in the generall of his carriage confining my discourse within the compasse of a few particulars lest otherwise the Preface exceeding the proportion of the subsequent worke that witty scoffe might be applyed to me that somtime by the biting Cynicke was cast vpon the Citizens of Myndus Viri Myndij portas claudite ne vrbsvest ra egrediatur Briefely then For the manner of his life and the constant tenor thereof this I can affirme that therein he shewed forth the fruits of the spirit to wit such as whereof the Apostle speakes Galat. 5. Loue Ioy Peace Longsuffering Gentlenesse Goodnesse Faith Meekenesse Temperance In all which graces he had so large a part that should I runne ouer and examine them particularly with Historicall relation and application to him I suppose that a few lines nay leaues would not containe the Commentary that might be written of him Adde hereunto that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that sincerity and godly purenesse that appeared in all his actions striuing not so much to seeme as verily and indeed to be a patterne of gracious deportement and then it may be said of him as sometime of old Symeon that he was a iust and a religious man Luke 2. And as our Sauiour testifieth of Nathaniel Iohn 1. An Israelite in whom was no guile And see how nature and grace did cooperate in this godly Bishop in furnishing of him with an aptitude to euery good worke He alwayes shewed himselfe most ready to minister to the necessity of the indigent and needy hauing a tender touch euen naturally that way Yeerely pensions he allowed whilest he liued as his great charge would giue him leaue to be distributed to the poore as of the place where he was Bishop so in other places where he had meanes besides the daily reliefe they of the Citie found at his gates Exhibition of maintenance he continued to diuers poore Scholars in the Vniuersitie of Oxford whose Parents were not able to sustaine that charge and was euer forward in succouring and releeuing poore Strangers and Trauellers that came vnto him To be short the bread that he gaue it was not Panis lapidosus as Fabius Verrucosus in Seneca termed a hartlesse sowre gift but whether his Almes were great or small they were alwayes mixed with alacrity and cheerefulnesse which Plato so long agoe commended in Leptines and the Apostle Saint Paul notes to be a quality which God himselfe is much affected withall 2 Corin. 9. And as he was pitifull to the poore so very charitable towards all and apt to forgiue wrongs and iniuries done vnto him hardly to be digested in the stomach of a carnall man The vertuous and religious he alwayes praised and incouraged vsing instruction and rebuke to the contrary-minded not in the voyce of Thunder in an ouer-zealous straine and heate of Passion but in the still voyce in the sweet and soft words of meekenesse the most likely if not the onely way of winning in the course of discipline as learned Oecumenius sets it downe And that he was not so quick in the eare and so nimble in the eye as many are to spie after and catch at the weakenesses of other men cannot be attributed to any remissenesse in him but to charitie For t is certaine that he could not easily be brought to suspect euill in any where he did not see it or had some strong euidence of truth leading him on to beleeue it The byas of his good inclination still hanging
Salomon the wisest of all thought that if he might ioyne in affinity with his neighbour-Princes and take many of their daughters to be his wiues and women he should not onely strengthen the Kingdome in his owne hand but also stablish it in his house long and long also he thought peraduenture that by occasion of his marriages and affinities being so great many of the vplandish people would be trayned wonne to the knowledge of the true God of Israel but how was he deceiued His wiues and worshippingwomen turned his heart from the Lord he could do little or good no vpon them or theirs And as for the secret vnderminers of Salomons State succession where found they entertainment but among his allies Let me instance this point in one or two examples more Constantine the Great that worthy Christian and great Politician though that if he might build a City in the confines of Europe and Asia that might bee aemula Romae a match to Rome and place one of his sonnes there to keepe his Court he should not onely eternize his name but also fortifie the Empire no lesse then if he had enuironed it with a wall of brasse Also Phocas and Pepinus thought the one if hee might dignifie the Bishop of Rome with an extrauagant Title to bee called Vniuersall Bishop the other if he might lade the Church of Rome with Principalities euen with Principalitie vpon Principalitie they should deserue immortally well not onely of that Sea but also of the whole house of God But the way of man is not in himselfe as Ieremy saith neither is it in man to fore-see what will fall out luckily or crosse The building of new Rome was the decay of old Rome so it proued and the diuiding of the Empire was the destruction of the Empire and no lesse as wise men know also the lifting vp of the man of Rome was the hoysing vp of the man of sinne and the locking of him in the chaire euen in the chaire of pestilence Thus there is no policy so prouident no prouidence so circumspect but the same is subiect to errors and crosses and therefore no cause why it should be trusted to and therefore no cause why it should be gloryed in Let not the wise man glory in his wisedome c. If any wisedome might be boasted of surely one of those kindes of wisedomes that I erst reckoned vp vnto you to wit wisedome or skill in the Arts wisedome or knowledge in Diuinity wisedome or policy touching matters of State but these you haue heard are not to be relyed vpon because they are vncertaine because they are vnperfit and therefore much lesse are we to rely vpon any such as is worse or inferiour to these But yet the world is the world it hath done so doth so yea and blesseth it selfe for so doing therefore this wound hath need to be searched ransacked a little deeper Homer I remember crieth out against 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Discord O I would it were perished and therefore out of the company of the gods and men So Cyprian against Couetousnesse O detestabilis caritas mentium c. O the same detestable blindenesse of mens minds c. Hieronymus against Luxury or lechery O ignis infernalis luxuria O Lechery a very hellish fire Augustine against error mistaking O errare O delirare O what a vile thing it is to be blinded with error c. Thus euery one cryed out against those sins wherewith their times were most pestered poisoned Surely if I were appointed to touch the sore of the daughter of our people we haue many so res from the crowne of our head to the sole of our feete we are little else but sores and botches and biles but yet if I were to touch that which doth most of all apostumate and ranckle then I ought to cry out O Policy policy Policy I meane falsely so called but indeed cunning and cudgeling This letteth that the Prince and the Realme cannot be serued many times as they should be nor Iustice administred in many places as it ought to be nor the Gospell of the Son of God so propagated as were to be wished Many could wish that in musters presses the likeliest men to doe seruice and not the weakest of friends should be appointed also that they were holpen to their right that suffer wrong also that the incorrigible were cut off by the sword of Iustice also that the Sons deceitfull workers craftily crept in in pretence to aduance the Romish faith but indeed to supplant English loyalty and faithfulnesse that I say their goings out their commings in and their haunts were better marked and so the danger that is threatned by them preuented But yet to put our hand to the worke euery one to doe some seruice in his place as for ensample Constables to precept the ablest and fittest persons for the warres Sheriffes to make returnes of indifferent Iuries for the tryall of rights Iurors to haue God and a good conscience before their eyes and not to turne aside to by-respects c. This we will not be induced to doe What letteth vs Policy for we say If we shall be precise in our office this yeere or in this action at this time others will bee as precise against vs or ours another time and then what shall wee gaine by it And if we should not leaue somewhat to such a person and to such a cause wee should offend such a great One and he will sit on our skirts Thus policy ouerthroweth Polity that is the Common-weale and thus the feare of men casteth out the feare of God as the Wise man complaineth Another vanity nay wickednesse I haue noted vnder the Sun and that is this There be that haue the dore of faith opened vnto them and haue opportunity to heare words whereby they and their houshold might bee saued and the same doe also consent in the inward man to the doctrine taught and published among vs by authority that the same is the truth and the contrary falsehood and yet to giue their names vnto the Gospell soundly or to protest against Popery and superstition zealously they will not be drawne What with-holdeth them Policy for they thinke that continuing doubtfull nay though they should be enemies if but secret ones they shall leese nothing the State holding as it doth these be the times of mercy though certaine vngratefull men crie out against them as though they were bloody for none other cause but for that they are restrained from shedding innocent blood as heretofore they were wont in the dayes of their tyranny and if there should bee a change then their very doubtfulnesse and staggering would be remembred and they aduanced thereby Thus as Demades said to his country-men of Athens when they paused to decree diuine honours to King Demetrius Take heed my masters lest while you be so scrupulous for heauen and
them nothing more vnconstant then their mindes and hearts you cannot tell when you haue them nothing more vngratefull or a worse esteemer of mens deserts you cannot make account of any recompence ftom them humorous clamorous vnrespectiue these haue beene their proper adiuncts Looke but vpon two or three examples Regium est cùm bene feceris malè audire It was the complaint of a great King that is It is the Fate of Kings to be rewarded with euill speeches for their good deseruings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It was said of another King Agamemnon deserued wel of the Graecians but hee was rewarded with bands or cruell death for his labour Neither haue Gods people beene free from these faults None e uer more faithful in Gods house then Moses none deeper in Gods Booke none more graced with miracles none more carefull of the peoples good c. Yet if any feare of hunger or thirst or enemies c. doe assaile them presently they are ready to returne into Egypt and to that end to elect another Captaine in place of Moses as you may see in Exodus and the Booke of Numbers so great interest had he in them I skip ouer Samuel Dauid Ieremy and other Kings and Prophets and righteous men Come we to Saint Paul and his Galatians his I call them because he had begotten them in the Gospell and as a Nurse cherisheth her children so was he tender among them but when he came to reape fruit from them hee found that he reckoned without his Hoast and so was disappointed of his hope At the first I grant they receiued him as an Angell of God euen as Christ Ieâ—us they were ready to pull out their owne eyes and to giue them to him if they would doe him good but after they had harkened once to seducers which turned them away from the simplicity of the Gospell then was Saint Paul no longer a Father vnto them but an enemy and in stead of plucking out their owne eyes they seemed forward enough to pull out Saint Pauls to doe their false apostles pleasure so great hold had he of them Neither did they better intreat the Lord of the house Christ Iesus himselfe for these were but his seruants It is true the Father said They will reuerence my Sonne and indeed so he well deserued for hee went about doing good and healing all that were possessed of Deuils or visited with any other sicknesse for God was with him He spake so diuinely as never man spake his enemies being witnesses yea the people wondred at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth and flocked betimes to heare him and hung as it were vpon his shoulders Thus Christ might seeme to say of them My beloued is mine and I am hers I haue married her to my selfe in righteousnesse iudgement and mercy But all this was but Hony-moone or as the hasty Summer fruits within a while they became rotten and corrupt and forgate their first loue Nay for a word spoken which that they did not vnderstand was their owne fault onely they gaue him the back and became Apostates Looke a little higher vpon the 51. verse and so downeward Because Christ said that he was the Liuing Bread that came downe from Heauen And Except yee eate of the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke of his blood you haue no life in you Hereupon groweth a quarrell and such a quarrell as will not be taken vp by any Apologie or mediation but they must needs part yet all Lawes and common reason also will allow a man to interpret his owne meaning and when he professeth that he speaketh figuratiuely and spiritually he ought not to be taken properly and carnally When Christ affirmeth and auerreth that the words that he speaketh are Spirit and life that is are spiritually to be taken and then they will giue life as Augustine full well expoundeth Spiritualiter intelligenda sunt Intellexisti spiritualiter Spiritus vita sunt Intellexisti carnaliter Eâ—iam sic illa Spiritus vitae sunt sed tibi non sunt Hast thou vnderstood them spiritually Then they be Spirit life Hast thou vnderstood them carnally Euen so also they be Spirit and life but to thee they be not Should not this content indifferent men though neither himselfe nor others had spoken so before But now it hath beene an vsuall thing with Christ by a kind of Anagoge to deduce matters from the currant carnall â—ense to an heauenly vnderstanding and therefore with more equity may he be allowed here You know Math. 12. when one said to him Behold thy mother and thy brethren stand withouâ— desiring to speake with thee He answered and said Who is my mother and who are my brethren And stretching out his hand vpon his Disciples he said Behold my mother and my brethren for he that shall doe the will of my Father which is in heauen he is my brother sister and mother Thus Christ. Now I aske Was Christ ashamed of his kindred By no meanes for he taught others to honour father and mother and not to turne away their eyes from their owne flesh therefore himselfe would not be found defectiue in that duty But this is that that Tertullian saith Hoc dicto vsus est ad excutiendam importunitatem ab opere reuocantium That is By this saying he would meete with and shake off their importunity or vnseasonablenesse that withdrew him from his worke and therefore I say that he denieth that simply in shew which hee denieth not but in comparison indeed namely that if any hinder him in his heauenly vocation hee would not take him for his kinsman So Iohn 4. My meate is to doe the will of him that sent me and to finish his worke Had he no other meat at any time Yes hee did hunger and thirst and eate and drinke as other men doe but in comparison of this he cared not for the other this was meat and drinke to him So the Prophet Esay Is not this the fasting that I haue chosen to loose the bands of wickednesse to take off the heauy burdens and to let the oppressed goe free c. To deale thy bread to the hungry c. There was another bodily fasting or pinching of the belly but that was nothing to this spirituall One. So another Prophet Rent your hearts and not your garments And another Circumcise the fore-skin of your hearts c. Neither doe the Scriptures only vse to speake thus but ordinary wise men also whether they were in the Church or out of the Church What dost thou meane to angle for Trowtes and Gudgeons or the like Thy angling is Castles and Towres and Forts c. said Cleopatra to Marcus Antonius Doe you aske me where be my Iewels My Iewels are my husband his triumphs said Phocions wife Doe you aske me where be mine ornaments My ornaments be my two sonnes whom I haue brought vp in vertue and
causa It is not the punishmeÌ„t it is the cause that maketh a true Martyr For our parts we say vnto them as Optatus doth to their like Nulli dictum est Nega Deum Nulli dictum est Incende Testamentum Nulli dictum est Aut Thus pone aut Basilicas destrue â—stae enim res solent Martyria generare That is To none of them hath it beene said Deny God To none of them hath it beene said Burne the New Testament To none hath it beene said Offer incense or throw downe Churches for these things are wont to engender Martyrdomes Thus Optatus lib. 3. And I pray you is not our cause like to Optatus his and theirs to the Parmenians When haue our Magistrates vrged any of them that haue beene sent from Rome much lesse Recusants to deny God except they make him of Rome to be their God Nay both they and we doe exhort them with all instance to turne from that vanity and to trust in the liuing God Cursed be he that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme So When doe we vrge them to burne the Bible or any part of the Bible Nay this hath beene their fault and sticketh to them for infamy like the Leprosie of Gehezi To set fire vpon the translated Bibles wheresoeuer they could finde them and to burne them by hundreds on an heape yet the worst translation made by our men is founder and more agreeable to the Originall then the Translation of the Seuentie and yet the Apostles themselues suffered the same nay vsed the same as is euident to the Learned so farre were they from defacing it To be short When and where haue our men forced them yea or perswaded either to put Incense vpon the Altar or to throw downe Churches Nay it is their proper guise euen now in the time of the Gospell when shadowes and carnall worship should cease to perfume their Altar and their vestiments and many things that I know not nor care to learne and it hath beene their ordinary practice where they haue beene the stronger to destroy not onely Churches but also as many as haue beene assembled in them to heare Gods Word and to receiue the Sacrament euen bloudily and butcherly with a rage that reached vp to heauen Witnesse the Massacres that they made at Vassey at Merindol and Cabrias in Piemont in Calabria and where not So that we haue great cause to flee from them not onely to goe away and they no cause to flee from vs who neuer thirsted after their blood nor drew it but constrained and in our defence But to what purpose all this Since they whom it concerneth are not here and them that are here it doth not concerne yet as our Sauiour made full account that some of his Auditors would relate vnto Herod what opinion he held of him and therefore said vnto them Goe yee and tell that Fox So we are content that they take information by some of you that we maintaine and are instant that there is cruelty in their side and not in ours and a good cause with vs and not with them and therefore that there is cause why they should returne to vs and no cause in the world why we should turne to them And let so much be spoken of the Question It followeth Simon Peter therefore answered him Lord to whom shall we goe thou hast the words of euerlasting life And we haue beleeued and knowne for we doe beleeue know Heb. that thou art the Christ the Son of the liuing God In this answere Saint Peter doth two things First he denyeth flatly that hee or his fellow Apostles haue any such meaning Then he bringeth reasons of their constant adhering to him The denyall is set forth by way of Interrogation for more vehemency sake and containeth in it a reason drawne from the excellency of Christ before other teachers Lord to whom shall we goe meaning there was no Master worth the thinking of in comparison to him and therefore that they were farre from any such purpose The reasons drawne from the excellency of Christ are two The one from the excellency of his Doctrine Thou hast the words of euerlasting life the other from the excellency of his person Thou art the Christ the Son of the liuing God Our heart and conscience telleth vs so much therefore we are not men but deuils if we forsake thee To this effect is Saint Peters answer in the name of his fellowes Let vs take the words before vs in order as they lye and first speake of the Interrogation Simon Peter therefore answered him saying Lord to whom shall we goe The first thing that we are to learne out of these words is this namely That truth and a good cause hath alwayes some to maintaine it The Disciples fell away yea many of the Disciples fell away yea they fell away so that they came no more at our Sauiour as the Text hath it but yet hee was not left without witnesse he had the Apostles to beare record to him and to stand for him So the High Priests and the Elders yea and the whole multitude of the Iewes cryed out against him and would not otherwise be satisfied then with his death but Ioseph of Arimathea a Councellour a iust man and a good consented not to their plots and practices Luk. 23. So Obadiah was not carryed away with the streame of the time to kill Gods Prophets and those that worshipped the Lord with holy worship but hid them in Caues and prouided for them though it were with the jeopardy of his head So Ruben though he had sinned before a great sinne and had highly offended God thereby and his father too yet in this no question he pleased both that he dissented from his brethrens bloody designe to murder their bother Ioseph and both disswaded them and deliuered him The like example of constancy and magnanimity appeared in Caleb and Iosuah Numb 14. who opposed themselues not onely to their fellowes being tenne to two but also to the whole Congregation of the Children of Israel being an hundred thousand to one against all they stood boldly for the maintenance of Gods glory in the power of his might and the truth of his promise saying Rebell not against the Lord neither feare yee the people of the Land for they are but bread for vs their shield is departed from them and the Lord is with vs feare them not Thus they and this was counted to them for righteousnesse vnto all posterity for euer-more Yea that God that prospered the Midwiues of Egypt for not subscribing to the bloody decree of Pharaoh and his Councellors did also highly aduance these his seruants not onely bringing them into the Land of Promise the place of rest where they would be but also making one of them Generall Captaine ouer his people anâ— giuing him admirable victories and the other also a great man and a mighty and of such
truth being reuealed let error how ancient soeuer giue place to truth So a Father in a Councell holden vnder Cyprian in Carthage For as Ambrose said against Symmachus Nulla aetas ad peâ— discendum ser a est nullus pudor est ad meliora transire No age is too late to learne it is no shame to proceed to the better Saint Peter was at the first of opinion that it was vnlawfull for a lewe to keepe company or come to one of another Nation So Act. 15. Certaine that were of the Sect of the Pharises Nazarites beleeued thought and taught that we must be circumcised and keepe the Law of Moses euen the Ceremoniall Law or else we cannot be saued But afterward St. Peter was let to vnderstand and so were those beleeuing Pharises too that Circumcision is nothing and vncircumcision nothing but Christ is all in all and as many as be in Christ are deliuered from the curse of the Law and from the bondage also So Saint Paul whilest he was in Iewishnesse was most zealous of the Traditions of the Fathers and a most bitter enemy to the Gospell who but he but after it pleased God who separated him from his mothers wombe and called him by his grace to reueile his Sonne vnto him and to make knowne to him the Doctrine of the Gospell whereby hee might saue himselfe and those that heard him did he once communicate with flesh and blood or did he asmuch as deliberate whether a cancred and inueterate error were to be forsaken and changed for a new and sauing truth No no but presently he ioyned himselfe to the true Church howsoeuer he had scorned nay detested it and raged against it before and chose rather to be a dore-keeper in Gods house then to be a great Rabby in the Synagogue of mis-beliefe Thus Saint Paul was not ashamed of the Gospell for all the nouelty thereof as the world counted nouelty No more let any of vs be at this day for the like imputation Where was the Gospell before Luther who liued within these hundred yeeres or before the Bohemians of whom Iohn Hus and Hierâ—me of Prague were chiefe who liued within these two hundred and sixty yeeres at the most before Wickliff who liued within these three hundred yeeres at the most before the Waldenses and Pauperes de Lugduno who liued within these foure hundred at the most before Henry of Tholous who liued within these fiue hundred yeeres at the most before Iohannes Scotus and Bertram who liued within these six or seuen hundred yeeres vpward towards Christs time and of fiue or sixe hundred yeeres from Christ downeward Adde these times together and then what great prescription not onely antiquity can our aduersaries bragge of It is certaine that as God neuer left himselfe without witnesses vnder the Law no more did hee vnder the Gospell And as he raised vp true Prophets which opposed themselues to the false prophets that brought in damnable Doctrines and Keraim Textuall men that stucke to the Word written that withstood the Pharises which made voyd the Commandements of God with their Traditions So did he in these later corrupt times for in the first foure or fiue hundred yeeres we claime and can proue that the learnedst and grauest writers be in the chiefe Controuersies of Religion wholy on our side alwayes stirre vp some that professed maintained the truth that now we stand vpon by the like grounds out of the Word of God and this we can shew out of our Aduersaries writings who you may be sure will not speake or write the best of them And haue we then any cause to be ashamed of the Gospell which howsoeuer it hath beene troden downe yet it was not so in the best times yet neuer so but that God left himselfe still a remnant that could not be brought to bowe the knees to Baal or to worship the Beast Now as we are not to be ashamed of it neither for the falsely so called newnesse nor for that some of our selues were peraduenture for a great while of another perswasion so ought we not chiefely for the holines purenesse and soundnesse thereof The Pharises and as many as were carnally-minded would haue Christ to restore the temporall Kingdome to Israel and to free them from the yoke of the Romanes but now the Gospell assureth vs that God hath deliuered vs from the power of darkenesse and translated vs into the Kingdome of his deare Sonne in whom wee haue redemption in his blood euen the forgiuenesse of sinnes And whether is more spirituall The carnally-minded Iewes would haue Ierusalem onely to be the place where men ought to worship the Tribe of Leui onely to be the Sacrificers and the flesh of Bulls and Goates and Lambes and Rammes to be the speciall Sacrifices But now the Gospell teacheth vs that not in Ierusalem nor in the Mountaine but the true worshippers worship God in sincerity and truth and that we are all become a Royall Priest-hood an holy Nation a peculiar people to offer vp spirituall Sacrifices the Sacrifice of righteousnesse the Sacrifice of a contrite heart the Sacrifice of thankesgiuing the Sacrifice of Almes acceptable to God in Iesus Christ. And whether is more pure The Pharises and their Disciples taught and beleeued that man had Free-will witnesse Iosephus to that which is good as well as to that which is bad That if a man keep the more part of the Commandement though he transgresse a few yet he is righteous with God witnesse Burgensis in â—ac cap. 2. add 1. That if a man will be Chasid that is an holy man indeed he must haue Ribbith letorah he must supererogate and doe more then the Law hath prescribed witnesse the Iewish books briefely that by Korban by that which they offer to their boxe men might be discharged of their bounden duty to their Parents That by fasting twice a weeke by vsing much washing by Touch not Tast not Handle not c. they were more iust then others witnesse the Scribes But now the wisedome of the Gospell speaketh on this wise touching Free-will No man commeth to Christ except the Father drawe him we are not sufficient of our selues to thinke a good thought as of our selues c. Touching the keeping of the Law that if a man will liue thereby he is a debtor to abide in all the Commandements of God to doe them that if a man keepe the whole Law and faile in one he is guilty of all c. Touching workes of Supererogation and voluntary obseruation that howsouer they haue a shew of wisedome yet for as much as they are after the Commandements and doctrines of men they doe all perish with our vsing Coloss. 2. For in vaine doe they worship me teaching for Doctrine mens precepts Who can tell how oft he offends Lord purge me from my secret faults sayes the Prophet And will any dare to bragge of his good workes yea that
to draw backe with Moses or to runne away with Ionah or to forsweare prophesying and preaching with Ieremy c. since we shall but speake in the aire we shall labour in vaine and for nothing Who will beleeue our report To whom will the Arme of the Lord be reuealed Shall horses runne vpon the rockes or will men plow there with Oxen Shall we goe about to teach them that doe glory in ignorance Amant ignorare cùm alij gaudeant cognouisse to informe them that stop their eares are ready to run vpon vs as they did vpon Stephen in a word to perswade them that protest they will not be perswaded What are wee that wee should hope to doe any good men compassed about with infirmities men of great imperfections of conceit of memory of vtterance of presence Therefore our instruments being but the instruments of a foolish Shepheard as the Prophet speaketh it were best for vs to put vp our Pipes and to hang our Harpes vpon the Willowes and to sit downe vnder our Gourds as good to sit still as to rise and fall To whom me thinkes I heare the Lord make answer as he did to Peter What God hath cleansed hath sanctified to a speciall vse doe not thou call common or as hee doth in Esay Let not the Eunuch say Behold I am a dry tree or as he doth in Ieremy Is not my Word euen like a fire and like a hammer that breaketh the stone As if he said Let them haue hearts as hard as a flint yet the hammer may breake them at the least the fire may consume them Finally as he doth by our Apostle in my Text The Gospell it is the power of God beleeue that doubt not of successe What weapon or instrument euer was too weake to effect Gods will if he tooke it in hand Was not Aarons rod sufficient to worke miracles in Egypt and to ouerthrow Pharaoh and his Host in the red Sea Did not the walles of Iericho fall downe at the blowing of Rammes hornes The Madianites murder euery one his fellow at the clinking of the Pitchers The great Gyant falls groueling to the ground by the pat of a sling-stone And surely though we haue this treasure in earthen vessels and the Gospell that we teach be as contemptible as Dauids sling-stone yet the Lord will doe his worke his strange worke And bring to passe his act his strange act He will doe I say what he hath appointed by the weakest meanes sometimes that the excellency of the power might be of God and not of man and that Israel may neuer say Mine owne hand hath saued me The same Confessor that vndertooke to dispute with the subtill Philosopher in Constantines time the Story is in Ruffinus and Sozomen was not the greatest Clerke nay he seemed to know nothing else but Iesus Christ and him crucified yet by reciting the summe of his faith being agreeable to the Gospell with great spirit and zeale he so foyled and grounded his Aduersary that he forced him to recant and become a Christian. So Simplicianus and whosoeuer else did perswade Victorinus to take Gods booke and by name the Gospell in hand were no body to him for learning and eloquence for he was most famous for the same yet in time they so preuailed with him that they gate him to Church and to be baptized in his old age So to come downe to these last times at one leape The men of Merindol and Cabrieres in Languedock Annas Burges in Paris in the dayes of Francis the first and Henry the second Walter Myll in Scotland that I trouble you with no more forraine examples and abstaine from domestique altogether were not the subtillest and acutest disputants in those times nay some of them are noted to haue bin but plaine men yet such was the goodnesse of the cause such was the power of Gods grace working with his Gospell that by these mens confessions of faith partly vttered by word of mouth partly read very many of those Doctors that were imployed against them were conuerted to the truth and by most that were in the assemblies the Lords Name was glorified Now I aske Brethren is God a God of the Iewes onely and not of the Gentiles also And he that was mighty through Peter may not he be mighty through Paul May not he giue a blessing to the Gospell preached now as well as he did in former times Truly as Saint Paul saith How knowest thou O man whether thou shalt saue thy wife and how knowest thou O woman whether thou shalt saue thy husband Nay as Dauid said to Saul I haue slaine a Lyon and a Beare already and truly this vncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them So we may perswade our selues probably nay be resolued and out of doubt that our labour shall not be in vaine in the Lord. Finally but that the Lord will make manifest the power of the Gospell and adde vnto the Congregation daily such as shall be saued Therefore let vs of the Ministery comfort our selues with these words and bestirre our selues against the day of Haruest The people also are to learne somewhat by this That the Gospell is called The power of God namely that they doe not resist this power lest they hale downe vpon themselues condemnation You know what Laban and Bethuel said in a farre meaner case then the case of Saluation This thing is proceeded of the Lord Wee cannot therefore say vnto yee either euill or good You know what Gamaliel said Act. 5. If this worke be of God yee cannot destroy it lest yee be found fighters against God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. It is hard kicking against the pricke and if thou hast run with the footmen and they haue wearyed thee how canst thou match thy selfe with horses If thou smart for disobeying the Princes commandement thinkest thou to escape if thou stand out against God It was the saying of a worthy Learned man that the Orthodoxe Church is an Anuill that will rather breake the hammer that beateth vpon it then be broken by it And we may be bold to say of the Word of truth the Gospell of our Saluation that it is of such power as that same stone cut without hands Dan. 2. which brake the Image all to pieces so the siluer and the gold became like the chaffe of the Summer flowres c. And the same stone became a great mountaine and filled the earth Darkenesse may couer the earth for a time thicke darkenesse the people The true Professors also may be driuen to the wall for a season and lie among the pots as it is in the Psalme but yet in the end the day-starre will shine in mens heâ—rts yea the Sun of righteousnes will arise aboue our Horizon and then shall euery man haue praise of God yea then they shall be as the wings of the Doue
if there had beene any friendship betweene the parties they solemnly renounced the same But now in this weake old age of the world where the Lyons skin will not reach there they itch it with the Fox skin and nothing seemeth vnhonest that will serue their turne nay as children are deceiued with huckle-bones or with Puppets so many seeke to circumuent Princes vnder pretences This is the new Diuinity that our enemies haue learned and this they and we may thanke the Iesuits and the Councell of Trent for the Councell of Trent as being the broachers the Iesuits as the practizers The Councell of Trent they defined that whosoeuer would not receiue their Decrees had forfeited their Kingdomes ipso facto and might lawfully be inuaded by whomsoeuer The Iesuits they grin like a Dogge and goe about the Citie as it is in the Psalme nay like the Enemy of mankind mentioned in the 1. of Iob they compasse the earth round about and buzze into mens eares that keeping of faith out of the Church of Rome is not faithfulnesse but perfidiousnesse Thus they Howbeit as Tertullian said of one that excused his running away by Vir fugiens iterum pugnabit one said so I grant saith Tertullian but he was a cowardly runne-away himselfe So may it be said truly that he that would not haue faith or promise to be kept to a man of a contrary Religion is a man void of faith himselfe For if it be not necessary to keepe our promise made in the name of God and by swearing by him then it is not lawfull to make any such promise Otherwise in that we sweare we shew our selues to be afraid of him to whom we sweare that is of man but in violating the same oath we shew our selues not to be afraid of Him by whom we sweare that is God himselfe This by the way to their Doctrine and practice who are moued with no conscience to inuade them whom they hold to be out of their faith not onely without defiance sending but euen against a League solemnly made And let so much be noted from the example person of Sennacherib the Inuader First what a dangerous thing it is to drawe strangers into a Land Then how vnsatiable a thing Ambition is Lastly what a violent thing it is Now let vs come to the person that was inuaded Hezekiah by name and see how wee may profit by him In the foureteenth yeere of Hezekiah So my Text. This Hezekiah wel-beloued was not an ordinary man but comparable to any of the Kings of Iudah that were before him or after him If Piety be to be respected He did vprightly in the sight of the Lord according to all that Dauid his father had done verse 3. If Zeale He tooke away the high places and brake the Images and cut downe the groues c. verse 4. If Faith and assurance He trusted in the Lord God of Israel and was peerelesse in that respect verse 5. Further if Constancy and perseuerance He claue to the Lord and departed not from him c. verse 6. Finally if valiant acts and good successe in warre The Lord was with him in all that he tooke in hand and he got a famous victory of the Philistims his bordering enemies verse 7 8. This manner of Prince was Hezekiah so religious so zealous so faithfull so vertuous so constant so valiant so successefull And who would haue thought that he being so precious in Gods eyes should haue beene so much honoured in the world and hauing deserued so well of his owne subiects should for the same haue beene no lesse beloued and regarded of his neighbour Princes Indeed it pleaseth God many times to reward vertue and specially piety with such reuerence from men that either for feare or for loue they are suffered to enioy their owne quietly So Salomon had peace forty yeeres together almost round about him on euery side and Iudah and Israel dwelt without feare euery man vnder his Vine and vnder his Fig-tree all the dayes of Salomon 1. Reg. 4. So Abimelech King of the Philistims came to Isaak a priuate man a stranger desired to enter into a League with him Gen. 26. We saw certainely saith he that the Lord was with thee and we thought thus Let there be now an oath betweene vs thou shalt doe vs no hurt as we haue not touched thee c. So Iacob though he had greatly offended Laban his vncle and Esau his brother yet the Lord so wrought for him by mollifying the hearts of the other that they durst not not onely doe him hurt but not so much as speake a rough word vnto him This is that that Salomon saith in the Prouerbes When a maâ—s wayes please the Lord he maketh his very enemies to be his friends And which Satan enuyed to Iob Doth Iob feare God for nought Hast thou not made a hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on euery side Howbeit though it spiteth the Deuill to the heart to see the faithfull specially faithfull Princes to be guarded and protected by God and to be regarded and reuerenced in the world yet for all that the Lord vouchsafeth them that grace many times As the example of Constantine at the first stablishing of the Gospell proueth To whom the King of Persia nay most of the barbarous Kings of those dayes as Eusebius shewth sent presents and desired his friendship As the example of Fredericke surnamed the Wise and Fredericke surnamed the Confessor Dukes of Saxony in the time of restoring the Gospell in those later times that I may not name Gostaue of Sweathland and the free Cities of Germany to whom the Lord shewed such mercy that they were suffered without trouble almost to build a Temple for the Lord as it were I meane to enact Lawes for the true seruice of God for the abolishing of Superstition doe abundantly declare It is very true therefore that as God hath made many hills so high that there is no wind to be felt vpon the top of them and some stones so hard as the Adamant that they will not be broken with any hammer and some trees also so fat and so oyly as the Bay-tree that the Winter stormes haue little power on them though they make the most trees besides to let fall their leaues So there haue beene some in the world so graced and priuiledged by God that euen those things which doe vsually strike thorow other men Enuy and Malice I meane haue had no power to enter vpon them at all They haue beene placed by God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of gunneshot vnder his owne wings as it were and vnder his feathers they haue not beene confounded neither of the Pestilence that walketh in the darkenesse this is secret Enuy neither of the Plague that destroyeth at noone-day this is open and professed Malice Lo thus haue some beene blessed that feared the Lord
owe Custome Now that he did not sinne therein may appeare not onely by the silence of the Prophet Esay who in all likely-hood would haue perswaded him to haue submitted himselfe to the King of Ashur as well as Ieremy afterward perswaded Sedechia to yeeld to the King of Babylon but also by the very order of the Text here in this 18. Chap. of the second of Kings For if you looke vpon the 7. verse of that Chap. there you shall see that it is reckoned amongst his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 among his good deeds his worthy acts that he rebelled against the King of Ashur and serued him not Now that it is called rebellion let no man be offended thereat or thinke that hee hath warrant thereby to condemne Hezechiah For it is not called so because the Lord did so esteeme it but because Sennacherib would haue it so reputed As in the 43. of Gen. it is said The Egyptians might not eate bread wih the Hebrewes for that was an abomination to the Egyptians It was not so indeed it did not defile them at all but yet the Egyptians counted it so and therefore so it is called So then because Hezechiah will not fall downe before Sennacherib and suffer him to goe ouer him and tread vpon him because he will not enthrall his Land vnto him and lay vpon the neck of his subiects such a yoke as neither they nor their posterity should be able to beare Hinc illae lachrymae hereupon Hezechiah is a Rebell and deserueth to be persecuted with fire and sword And is not her Maiesties cause the like and the quarrell of her enemy the same What point of Tyranny because warres are commonly vndertaken by great Princes may she be charged with except this be Tyranny to cast downe Images which were perking in the Rood-lofts and to purge her Churches from Idolatry according to the Commandem%nt of God and the example of good Hezechiah And what point of wrong can shee be conuicted to haue done to the Spaniard except this be wrong to preuent his lying in wayte and to seeke to saue her owne life and the liberty of her subiects There was in Rome one called â—imbria a mad fellow and a violent if euer there were any The same man hauing a quarrell to one Scaeuola a worthy man and of speciall reckoning sought to murder him did indeed stab him into the body very dangerously Well the wound proued not to be deadly and Scaeuola escaped with his life now what doth Fimbria He maketh no more adoe but indicts Scaeuola and why Quòd totum telum corpore non exciperet Because he brayded aside and did not suffer himselfe to be slaine out-right So Caligula complained of the iniquity of the time that one doubting to be poysoned of him did take a counterpoyson or a remedy against it What sayes he Antidotum aduersus Caesarem That 's faire play indeed Except the great enemy of Spaine will lay such a thing to our charge namely that when he or his Councell had suborned desperate Ruffians to stabbe our Queene or to pistoll her she hauing intelligence thereof through Gods mercy hath auoyded the danger or when he had hyred her owne Physician to take away her life by poysoning she being warned thereof did not consent to take the fatall drugge Except I say this be her fault that she hath not yeelded wilfully to cast away her life for his pleasure I see no cause why he should complaine of wrong suffering from her But yet now I remember my selfe he hath another quarrell against her And what is that Mary the same that the Galles had to the men of Tuscan We want Land say they and you must spare vs some Againe your Land is a better Land then ours this is quarrell sufficient Howbeit as Herodotus writeth of the men of Andrus that when Themistocles would needs haue money of them and to that purpose said that he had brought two Goddesses with him Perswasion and Necessity The men of Andrus answered him that they all had two great Goddesses with them which did forbid them to giue him money and those were Pouerty and Impossibility So say we If they haue need of our Lands and of our commodities we cannot spare them and if they bring a sword against vs to enforce I hope we shall find a Buckler and a sword too to resist Well this is our comfort that Hezechiah is inuaded that is such a one as hath abolished false worshippings her Maiestie I meane for which cause the Lord seemeth to haue had a speciall care of her and so I hope He will haue vnto the end Againe this is our comfort that Ierusalem is inuaded England I meane wherin though otherwise abounding with sin yet God hath had his Sanctuary now a good while and will He now bring it that it should be destroyed and layd on ruinous heapes No surely if yet we shall repent and turne vnto him Lastly this is our comfort that Sennacherib is the Inuader that is such a one as doth not so much please himselfe in the multitude of his ships and in the expertnesse of his men and in the heapes of his treasures that is in his arme of flesh as he doth certainely offend God by his desire of ioyning Dominion to Dominion which is vnsatiable by his raising of tumults nourishing of broyles in all his neighbour Countreyes which is most malicious and specially through his wicked zeale to aduance Idolatry and to set vp the Kingdome of Antichrist which is abominable If any man thinke that I offer the Spaniard hard measure to match him with Sennacherib first one out of the Church then a Persecutor of the Church c. Let the same know that although superstition be not altogether so bad in it selfe as Atheisme albeit Nazianzene is bold and sayes that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it were as good to worship no God as to haue many in Gods sight yet for all that to the Church commonly it is no lesse hurtfull or dangerous For did any godlesse Tyrant make more hauocke of the faithfull Seruants of God then did Idolatrous Iezabel This before Christs time And after Is not the second beast which came vp out of the earth Reuel 13. by which Antichrist is meant said to doe all the first beast could that is the Romane Tyrants and to be alike enraged vpon the Saints of God Therefore to the Church you see they be alike cruell therefore no great wrong done to our enemy in this respect But now for other respects his dealing hath beene lesse honourable For Sennacherib had some colour of a cause to make warre vpon Hezechiah for denying the pension which his father paid though indeed it dyed with his father but this man by no colour can demand any such thing Sennacherib was no way beholding to the Iewes for any merit or seruice they had done him This man got Saint
God this day let me briefely tell you the summe of it as it is set downe by Crantzius Some foure male-contneted wretches sons of Belial enuying that the Gouernours had that which they wanted commanded ouer them kept them vnder gat as many partizans as they could bound themselues by an oath to be true one to another to keep one anothers counsell Their plot was to destroy the Senators to take their pleasure of their wiues daughters to rifle the City to make themselues Lords of it The day appointed for this Tragedy was S. Lamberts at 8. of the clocke in the morning when the gates should be opened Of this practice though there were some muttering abroad yet in the City there was not the least inkling vntill the very euening before it should be designed The euening before God wrought so vpon ones conscience that perduenture was priuy to the designe but had beene sworne before to keep it secret that hee came vnto the house of the Burgo-masters Deputy and missing him at home found his sonne there that was of good yeeres and discretion to whom he deliuered his mind in these words Your father said he is in Councell and there is now as great need of Counsell and circumspection as euer there were any where With that he called foâ— a glasse of beere when it was brought he said I tell thee thou glasse buâ— I tell no body else that if there be not the better care taken and preuention vsed to morrow next before noone this City will become the sepulcher of the chiefe Burgesses and of all that be of worth the treason is so dangerous and there be so many Traitors When he had thus spoken he threw the glasse against the wall and hastily betooke himselfe out of doores and rode away When this was done it was no boote to bid the Deputies sonne to hasten to the Councell-house nor yet for the Senators to looke about them They presently tooke order for a strong and substantiall watch and ward and seizing vpon one of the Conspirators for so he proued to be they forced him by torture or feare to reueale the whole plot and so by Gods mercifull Prouidence that danger was remoued and the State preserued from ruine and confusion I need not paralell our danger with theirs Male-contentednesse bred both oathes and imprecations kept both secret both were at the point to haue beene accomplished and nothing but Gods mercy defeated both There were onely two speciall differences that the Traytors of Lubecke sought the destruction but of a few States-men in comparison euen of one City Ours of the Nobles and chiefe Commons of the whole Realme They had one among them that compassionated their Countrey ours had neuer a one that was touched with any remorse to their Countrey but onely bare some priuate affection towards one of our Nobles gaue him warning to keepe himselfe away But much honoured be that honorable man that would not scape himselfe alone but would his King and Peeres and Countrey to escape too Yea I thinke he would not haue thanked them for his life if none of rekoning had beene left aliue but himselfe As in the Romane Story when Sylla that Tyrant put the Praenestines to the sword and would haue spared his hoste he generously refused it thrusting himselfe among them that were appoynted to be slaine and so was slaine with them Therefore as Christ said of Mary Magdalens powring of ointment vpon him Verily I say vnto you wheresoeuer this Gospell shall be preached thorowout the whole world this also that shee hath done shall bee spoken of in memoriall of her So may I say of him that whersoeuer this Story shall be recorded the praise of the fidelity carefulnes of this Peere shall be iustly celebrated But to returne to our Traytors for whose confusion we thanke God this day They were enflamed against vs with a rage that reached vp to heauen and made account to cast ouer vs the Line of Vanity and the stones of emptinesse the Strong man and the man of Warre the Iudge and the Prophet the Prudent and the Aged the Captaine of fifty and the Honorable and the Councellor and the cunning Worke-man and the Eloquent man all without exception they deuoted to destruction head and taile branch and rush à Caluo ad Caluum as the Tyrant said therefore cursed be their wrath for it was fiâ—rce and their rage for it was cruell and blessed and thrice blessed be the Name of our glorious God for disappointing their hopes and practices and let all the people say Amen I come at the length to my Text whereout I obserue foure things 1. First Gods patience When God ariseth Implying that he is not alwayes vp as it were to execute Iudgement 2. Secondly his Iustice which commeth at the length howsoeuer it commeth not so soone as they that are wronged would haue it 3. Thirdly his mercy and compassion toward the afflicted he doth at the length helpe them yea saue them 4. Fourthly and lastly his Wisedome and Power his Wisedome in ordaining euen the heart of man to praise him his Power in girding in restrayning whatsoeuer dregs of malice or cruelty doe remaine in them Of these in their order as God shall giue grace and the time leaue Touching the first As he that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleepe and as the Lord is not slacke concerning his comming as some men count slackenesse So no more doth he sit downe by the disgraces that are done to his Name nor by the despites that are done to his seruantâ— but is patient towards all because he would doe good to all and haue men to be saued and escape out of the snares of the Deuill Towards the wicked he is patient to heape coales of fire vpon their head and to leaue them without excuse yea and to make their iudgement the heauier if being borne with so long they will not repent Towards the godly also he is patient and doth not presently reuenge the wrongs done to them that being exercised vnder the Crosse they might the more thirst and loâ—g and cry for deliuerance thâ—t deliuerance when it commeth might be the better well-come vnto them How long did the Lord endure the old world euen an hundred yeeres while the Aâ—ke was in preparing The Amorites and the Gergesites c till their wickednesse was ripe His owne People first the tenne Tribes then the other two euen till there was no remedy no hope of amendment till the Prophets cryed out Noash it is desperate On the other side Ioseph was sold for a bond-man the Israelites were strangers in the Land of Ham Gods Heritage were carryed away captiue into Babylon the Christians were persecuted and chased from post to pillar and martyred with all kind of martyrdome in the Primitiue time by Heathen Tyrants in thâ— later times by Antichrist and his sworne ones did the Lord
presently rise vp and come among them were they deliuered as soone aâ— they groaned O no The King sent and deliuered Ioseph the Prince of the people let him goe free but when his feet were first hurt in the stockes the yron entred into his soule He was many yeeres in prison first So the Israelites were hardly dealt with in Egypt by their Taske-masters that thâ—y cryed out for the very anguish of their hearts Againe in the Land of the Chaldees they serued tenne Apprentiships before they had leaue to returne to their Countrey This for the faithfull before Christs time As for the faithfull since as God in the 15. of Gen. told Abraham Know this of a surety That thy seed shall be a stranger in a Land that is not theirs foure hundred yeeres and shall serue them and shall be euill intreated but the Nation whom they shall serue will I iudge and afterward they shall come out with great substance So you shall find that the Church had but little peace or rest for the better part of foure hundred yeeres after Christs comming in the flesh and in the later perillous times prophesied of by the Apostles Antichrist had no sooner gotten to high strength which he compassed in Gregorie the seuenths time by superstitious false-hood established in Innocent the third his time by bloody Lawes but the faithfull went to the post and wandred vp and downe hungry and naked and had no dwelling place and were counted as the filth of the world and the off-scowring of all things yea the time was that whosoeuer killed them thought he did God good seruice and this for the most space in a manner that the persecution lasted in the Primitiue time This may suffice to shew Gods patience both towards his seruants and towards his aduersaries The second thing is his Iustice. For although God make a shew as though he were asleepe and saw not what is done as also he sometimes maketh a shew as though he heard not yet for all that at the appointed time he will not faile an inch but comming he will come and will not breake and the iust shall liue by faith but woe be to the wicked it shall be euill with him the reward of his hands shall be giuen him The Lords Seate is prepared for Iudgement and the Lord ruleth ouer all if he whet his glittering sword and his hand take hold on Iudgement hee will execute vengeance on his enemies and reward them that hate him Hee will make his arrowes drunke with blood and his sword shall eate flesh c. Deut. 32. This for his Iustice in punishing the wicked as for his Iustice to right the Godly and comforting of them you know what 's written in the 12. Psalme Now for the oppression of the needy and for the sighs of the poore I will vp saith the Lord and set at liberty them whom the wicked hath snared It is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you and to you that are troubled rest with him For that the righteous should be euen as the wicked be that farre from God said Abraham Genes 18. In this world many times there seemeth to be but a small difference betweene the deuout and profane the pure and polluted him that sacrificeth and him that sacrificeth not Thus all things seeme to fall out alike to the one and to the other nay the wicked seeme to be the warmer and to haue a greater portion in this life What then is the way of the Lord vnrighteous God forbid nay let God be iust and all men sinners as it is written But this it is The Heauen of Heauens is the Lords and for them to whom it was appointed euen for them that call vpon him in truth and thinke vpon his Commandements to doe them but the earth and the commodities thereof He distributeth without respect of persons euen to them that are his children by creation onely and not by adoption But yet there is a difference betweene the prosperity of the one and the other for the ones is but with anxiety of heart euen in laughter their heart is heauy the others is with cheerefulnesse and ioy in the Spirit the ones is a pledge of the greater preferment in the world to come the others is their whole portion and as if God should say Let them take that and looke for no more the ones is with the blessing of the people who wish they had more the others with their curse and hatred who are grieued that they haue so much Briefly the one flourish but for a time and often fore-see the ruine of their house in their life-time but generally within a few Generations their name is cleane put out but now the other hauing their house built not with blood or oppression but vpon the foundation of Iustice feele no shaking or tottering of it while they liue and when they are to leaue the world they are full of hope that their house shall not be like the grasse on the house tops which withereth before it commeth forth Psalme 129. but that it shall continue for a long season euen for many generations Therefore let not the godly be discouraged because he is kept downe and troad vpon neither yet let the wicked be bragge because their imaginations prosper for God hath not forsaken the earth neither hath he forgotten to doe Iustice but his eyes are ouer the righteous and his eares are open to their prayers as for the wicked his countenance is set against them to roote out the memoriall of them from off the earth God is iust let this content the godly he telleth all their bones so that none of them are broken he hath all their teares in his bottle will right them in due time And that God is iust let this appall the wicked he shall cast vp that which he hath gotten vnlawfully the Lord will draw it out of his belly God ariseth to Iudgement This we haue considered of It followeth To saue all the meeke of the earth It is good to be zealous in a good matter alwayes sayes the Apostle to be wise to doe good and in euill to haue no skill as the Prophet doth intimate So it is good to rise betimes to serue God to doe the workes of righteousnesse of mercy and of our lawfull and honest vocation that is pleasing to God that is well reported of by men Abraham did so he rose vp early in the morning to offer a sacrifice to the Lord which he had prescribed So Iob rose betimes to offer for himselfe and his children The good Lepers blamed themselues for sitting still hauing so good newes to impart to their neighbours touching the great plenty of victuall the Lord had sent them by the running away of the Syrians So the people rose in the morning to come vnto Christ to heare him in the Temple Luke 2. And Lysias the high Captaine caused
his men to rise very betimes to conuey away Saint Paul from the lying in waiâ—e of the Iewes These and such other were good risings good stirrings to saue life to saue soules On the other side there haue beene as many bad and a thousand times more As the people you know in Exodus sate downe to eate and drinke and rose vp to play And in Esay they rise vp early to follow drunkennesse and to smite with the fist of wickednesse and to catch their brother with a net c. and I would to God there were not infinite such among vs. Well the Lords rising is not of this fashion he riseth to helpe to deliuer to saue and whom Not all without difference tag and rag good and bad but the meeke of the earth And how many of these Not a few but all all the meeke So then you haue in these words First the benefit Sauing and no lesse Then the distiâ—ction Meâ—k and none other Then the content or full number All. Touching Sauing flesh and blood would gladly part stakes with God ascribing to the Lord some part â—f the worke and yet assuming to her owne will or strength that he quit himselfe so well from his enemy or that he got the vpper hand of him But now the wisedome that is of Gods Spirit otherwise God hath wrought all our workes in vs sayes Esay And nâ—ither is he that planteth any thing neither he that watereth but Gâ—d is all in all 1. Cor. 3. And Augustine Tutiores viuimus si totum Deo damus non autem nos illi â—x parte nobis ex parte committimus It is more for our safety sayes he if we ascribe all vnto God and doe not commit our selues partly to God partly to our selues And Lactantius most agreeably to my purpose No man saith he doth pray in that manner that God would helpe him but that he would saue him that he would giue him health or saluation c. He addeth Non intelligit beneficia diuina qui se tantummodo à Deo iuuari putat He doth not vnderstand Gods benefits but doth vnder-value them that thinketh that God doth onely helpe him Thus Lactantius So then it is too little to confesse God to be our helper onely euen touching our temporall life and shall we make our selues helpers with God for our euerlasting life God forbid Let it be Gods property and let him haue the honour to be the Sauiour and the onely Sauiour as he saith in Esay I am the Lord and there is no Sauiour besides me Why then is it said We as helpers exhort you Our helpe is in the Name of the Lord. And To helpe the Lord against the mighty I answere that these phrases are vsed because of transgression that we should not be slothfull in the businesse that we haue in hand but should stirre vp the gift that is in vs. For God hath not giuen vs wit memory and tongue and hands and legges in vaine but that we should vse them As causes to concurre with God No but as instruments that we should vse them at the most that we should vse them so farre as he appointeth yea and as he enableth It is strange that Plutarch an Heathen man should obserue a speech in Homer and comment vpon it as he doth in his Tract How a man may praise himselfe and not be enuyed for it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 You thinke that I haue slaine the enemy of our Countrey said one and therefore you looke vpon me No but God hath done it he gaue me strength in the Combat he subdued him vnder me And in the same place he recordeth and highly commendeth the speech and behauiour of one Pitho who hauing slaine one Cotys and the Officers of the people striuing who might doe him most honor for the same he made this answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some God did this we did but lend our hands This was modestly and this was humbly We haue heard what God doth when he riseth to Iudgement he saueth he doth not onely helpe Now let vs see whom and how many he saueth or rescueth The Meeke and all the Meeke of the earth If the Psalmist had said that God will saue the mighty of the earth the gallant the high-minded then this had beene wel-come to the great Ones they would not say This is an hard saying who may abide it but This is sweet giue vs euer-more of this food Againe if the Prophet had said God will helpe all that bee in low estate that be in pouerty or necessity whether they be righteous or vnrighteous faithfull or vnfaithfull he shall be sure to haue support and protection from God euen for this cause because he is poore This againe were a delightsome doctrine to such euen to scatter-thrifts to slow-backs c. But now there is no such respect of persons with God The rich and poore meete together The Lord is the maker of them both Pro. 22.2 And there is one God Father of all who is rich vnto all that call vpon him therefore the Prophet did weigh well his word when he said that God would saue Gnanavim he doth not say Gnaniijm that is poore but Gnanavim that is meeke It is true that the Iewes haue a Prouerbe Bathar gnanijah azelah Gnaninthah that is Meekenesse abideth vpon pouerty As on the other side Bernard hath this speech In alto posito non altum sapere difficile est omnino inusitatum sed quantò inusitatius tantò gloriosius To be in high place and not to be high-minded it is a hard matter and altogether strange vnusuall but by how much the more vnusuall by so much the more glorious For all that as Saint Paul saith The Kingdome of God is not meat and drinke So we may say The Kingdome of God is neither wealth nor pouerty neither silkes nor ragges A good rich man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things and a bad poore man out of the bad treasure of his heart bringeth forth bad things for these things are as the person is to whom God sendeth them they be not Gnaniijm as I told you that is poore or afflicted but Gnanavim that is meeke to whom God promiseth this blessing and saluation for euer But some man will say Why doth God promise so much to the meeke as in this place God ariseth to saue the meeke And in Saint Math. Blessed are the meeke for they shall inherit the earth Math. 5. And The meeke shall possesse the earth and shall haue their delight in the multitude of peace Psalme 37. What is thy Beloued more then other beloueds Cant. 5. And so what is in meekenesse more then in other vertues that so much should be attributed to it Shall we say that in this speech there is â—ynecdoche speciei the particular taken for the generall one vertue for all vertues that the meeke should
the Angels in heauen But let not him that girdeth on his armour vaunt as he that putteth it off neither let any man promise himselfe too much fâ—r his owne policy There is no wisedome there is no counsell there is no vnderstanding against the Lord. The horse is prepared against the day of battell and so cunning and slights and vnderminings are vsed but the victory and successe commeth of the Lord. Thus much our Traitors felt to their woe and we found and doe find to our vnspeakeable comfort No Nation vnder heauen more bound to God for wonderfull deliuerances O that we could once learne to be thankefull to God for the same Thankefull I say not in word or in tongue onely but in deed and in truth If he that sinneth would sinne no more I meane commit no more crimes â—or what man is he that liueth and sinneth not but serue the Lord in feare and reioyce before him in trembling If euery one of vs would set his heart vpon righteousnesse chusing the thing that is pleasing to God seeking euery one not his owne good but his brothers good and doing euery one not his owne will but the will of our Father which is in heauen c. then should our prosperity be as the floods our safety as the sand of the Sea then should no euill come neere our dwelling and the sonne of wickednesse should not hurt vs our enemies should be smitten before vs all their turning of deuices should be but as the Potters clay they should still be confounded and abashed and at their wits end and ready to tâ—are their flesh with their teeth as our Traytors were whâ—n they heard their plot was defeated but contrariwise vpon our King should his Crowne flourish and peace should be on our Israel all our life long Thus much the Lord vouchsafe to effâ—ct and if there be any remnant of rage or of malice in our forraine enemies if we haue any or in our domestique Vnderminers as I feare we haue too many He vouchafe to crosse restraine and disappoint making them and their deuices like the vntimely fruite of a woman that neuer seeth the sunne or like the Spiders webbe or Cockatrice egges that either maketh no cloth or tendeth to the destruction of the deuisers Euen the Lord our God mercifully grant and worke this for â—esus Christ his sake To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all praise and thankes-giuing for euer Amen Amen A SERMON VPON THE TVVENTYNINTH OF IOB THE SEVENTH SERMON IOB 29. verse 14. I put on righteousnesse and it clothed me my Iudgement was as a Robe and a Diadem IOB that worthy seruant of God so pious and righteous euen in prosperity that the Deuill himselfe could not find a hole in his coate Iob 1. so patient and constant vnder the crosse or rather vnder a world of crosses that he is set forth by Saint Iames for a patterne and example of patient enduring Iames the 5. so gracious and inward with God that the Prophet Ezechiel ranketh him among them that found especiall fauour in Gods sight euen with Noah and Daniel Ezek. 14. Briefely so rich in all spirituall knowledâ—â— â—nd endued with such a principall measure of Gods spirit thaâ— Moses himselfe disdained not to become his Interpreter as some of the Ancients haue thought But as is probably conceited had his hand in the publishing of his Booke as Saint Peter had his in the publishing of Saint Markes Gospell by the report of Saint Hierom. This Iob I say so qualified so approued so graced so priuiledged is the Pen-man of the words which I haue read vnto you and therefore the same ought highly to be regarded and obserued for the excellency of his person that spake so as no doubt he was moued by the holy Ghost Now as Christ saith in the Gospell This voyce came not for my sake but for yours And as Saint Paul saith to the Corinthians These things haue I figuratiuely transferred to myselfe and to Apollo for your sakes that yee might learne in vs not to thinke of men aboue that which is written So we ought to perswade our selues that Iob telling vs so much as he doth in my Text touching his vpright carriage in his place of Gouernement did it not so much to magnifie himselfe no nor to iustifie himselfe except it were against his Backe-biters as to set before vs as it were in a glasse what are the speciall duties of them that be in place of gouernment I put on righteousnesse and it clothed me c. As if he said Others made it their care to strowt it and to stout it and to braue it in costly apparell as though thereby they would procure respect and esteeme to their place but my delight was to doe Iustice and Iudgement to helpe them to right that suffered wrong to relieue the oppressed that is as farre as was possible and as much as lâ—y in me to helpe euery one to his owne This was my Robe and my Diademe and my Crowne of reioycing This I take to be the meaning and summe of my Text. Now for the explicating of the words I doe not thinke good to make a long discourse vnto you of Robe and Diadem as Hierome doth some-where of Ephod and Ephod-Bad to tell you either wherein the Robe of them of the Eâ—st differed from the Gowne of the Romanes and the Cloake of the Grecians or what was the stuffe of the Diadem and the forme and making thereof These things might rather make a shew of reading then cause godly edifying Onely I will endeauour to helpe the ignorant to vnderstand what is the difference betweene Iustice and Iudgement lest they be deceiued For Iustice and Iudgement be not one and the same thing though they be ioyned together in my Text as also they be in halfe an hundred places of the Scripture as I thinke Neither yet doth Iudgement signifie Discretion in this place as it doth when we say Such a thing is done with iudgement No the originall word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is seldome or neuer so taken in the old Testament But these be the differences betweene Iustice and Iudgement Iustice is the vertue or good quality Iudgement the exercise and practice of it Iustice is considered as inherent in our selues Iudgement hath relation vnto others euen to them with whom we haue dealing Briefely Iustice is the letter of the Law and tenor of right Iudgement is taken often for the qualifying of it by conscience and equity On these three points hang all the speciall differences betweene Iustice and Iudgement Hauing thus holpen some of you for the better vnderstanding of the words we will come now to the matter and take it before vs as it lieth for this shall be my method and all the diuision that I will make I put on Righteousnesse c. In the Scriptures if you obserue them you shall finde the qualities of the
of Sentence against the faulty but this is their comfort and exceeding great content if they can say with Pericles that they neuer caused any to weare a mourning gowne or rather if they can say with Saint Paul This is our reioycing euen the testimony of our consciences that in godly purenesse wee haue had our conuersation in the world And with Saint Paul againe That they are pure from the blood of all men I meane that they shed no innocent blood And lastly with Samuel whose Oxe haue I taken c Whom haue I hurt or of whose hand haue I receiued any bribe to blind mine eyes withall c This is a Robe that will better grace and adorne them then any Scarlet and be more cordiall to their inwards then any Bâ—zar-stone and more comfortable and warme to their stomackes then any stomacher of Swans skinne or whatsoeuer is most warme and comfortable But I haue beene too tedious The Lord make that which hath beene spoken profitable vnto vs for his Sonne Christs sake To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honor and glory for euer and euer Amen A SERMON VPON THE SIXTH OF IEREMY THE EIGHTH SERMON IEREMY 6. verse 16. Thus saith the Lord Stand yee in the wayes and see and aske for the old pathes where is the good way and walke therein and yee shall find rest for your soules WERE they confounded saith Ieremy in the Verse immediatly going before when they committed abomination No they were not abashed at all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither knew they shame or to be ashamed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Hiphil taken passiuely as many times it is therefore shall they fall among them that fall in the time that I visit them they shall be made to fall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cast downe saith the Lord. In which words the Prophet sheweth both the hidiousnesse and transcendent greatnesse of the sinnes of the Iewes as also the fountaine and well-spring thereof It is a bitter thing and wicked to depart from the Lord by any kind of transgression either against the first Table or against the second But now when a man hath done euill to blesse himselfe as it were and to say in his heart that no euill shall happen vnto him for the same to harden his face like the Adamant and to be touched with no remorse or shame no remorse inwardly no shame outwardly not to blush for the matter nor to seeke as much as Figge-leaues to couer his nakednesse This argueth both the height of presumption and the depth of iniquity and villany and this is that which maketh sinne to be aboue measure sinfull and hatefull Well this was their desperate malady and the fearefull 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Paroxysm thereof What was the cause for me thinks the Prophet proceedeth after the manner of Physicians from the disease to the Symptomes from the Syptomes to the causes from the causes to the remedies They knew not shame The light of Nature that was in them they had for the greatest part extinguished by their custome of sinning And as for others that should reforme and reclaime them by setting before them the things that they had done and by thundring forth Gods Iudgements and plagues against them for holding the truth in vnrighteousnesse such I say as should doe this great worke of the Lord seriously and sincerely they wanted Thus the people perished for want of knowledge for want of knowledge of their sinne and shame and in this forlorne estate the Iewes are described to be in the verse before my Text. In my Text is set downe the last thing that Physicians doe and is most acceptable to the Patients namely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the manner and medicine for cure that should remoue the disease and bring health to the Patient in the words which I haue read vnto you Stand vpon or neere the wayes and aske for the old pathes or euerlasting pathes where is the goodway and goe therein and find rest for your soules As if he said One of the greatest causes of your shamefull and shamelesse carriage both towards God and towards man at the leastwise one of the greatest matters that you can pretend for your excuse is ignorance or want of knowledge of the will of God that you doe not know the Royall Lawe that your Leuites teach you not Gods Iudgements and Lawes that the Priests rebuke not in the gate that the Prophets sooth you in your sinnes healing the wound of the daughter of Gods people with soft words c. But how The Lord hath spoken nothing in secret neither is his Word darkenesse neither are you so blind that you need alwayes to be led by the hand Why then doe you not take Gods Booke into your hand and there search for the right way for the good will of God and acceptable and perfect Why doe you not learne at the length to be your owne caruers or if that place be so difficult that you cannot vnderstand it why doe you not consult the more learned them that haue their wits exercised and acquainted with the Word of God that so you may finde satisfaction and rest for your soules This know for a surety that the old way that which was at the first chalked out by God himselfe in Mount Sinai and after laid open by Moses the man of God and the Prophets sithence which spake and wrote as they were moued by the holy Ghost that is the Good way and the straight way neither is there straightnesse or goodnesse in any other This I take to be the true coherence of the words of my Text with the former verse and also the naturall meaning of them wherein note with me three things 1. A perswasion consisting of diuers branches Stand vpon the wayes this is one See this is another Aske for the old way this is the third 2. A correction or limitation Aske not simply for the old way for that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that may be called old in comparison which in comparison of old truth is but new but for the good old way and be bold to walke therein 3. And lastly a motiue or reason drawne ab vtili You shall find rest for your soules that is you shall be sure to find it Touching the first When the Prophet saith Stand neere the wayes or vpon the wayes he meeteth with and striketh at two vices too frequent and vsuall in all ages Epicurisme and Superstition Many there be that make no reckoning of Religion which end goeth forward nay whether they know any thing of it or no. Who is the Lord say they that we should serue him and what profit in learning his wayes doe wee not see that all things fall out alike to the ignorant and to the learned to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth n t c wherefore then should we weary our selues in vaine to search and sift what is
commendable duty and very necessary to stand in the wayes of godlinesse and truth and to hearken after the same yet to stand in the wayes of sinners of superstitious and seditious and Idolatrous persons which weaue Spiders webbes nay which sit vpon Cockatrice egges it is not safe Therefore our Prophet doth wisely and necessarily adde in the second place That wee See or looke about vs. For as the mother of the ouer-hardy doth neuer want woe no more doth the rash hasty The blind man swalloweth many a Fly taketh hold of a Scorpion in stead of a Fish yea falleth in the ditch groapeth and stumbleth at noone-day Our eyes are therefore compared to the Sentinell or Watch-men of a City or Campe that forewarneth the body of danger approaching and biddeth it beware Now the Eye is not more needfull to the body for the direction thereof against stumbling and falls then Prudence and circumspection is to the Soule against error in iudgement and crookednesse in will and affection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the vnderstanding that is the eye and the eare too as Clemens Alexandrinus citeth out of an old writer And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Vnderstanding and a good mind and much fore-cast is the high-way to happinesse said Demosthenes against Aristogiton Therefore Saint Paul chargeth vs to walke circumspectly not as vnwise but as wise And our Sauiour Be wise as Serpents The Serpent is very quicke-sighted tam cernis acutum quà m aut Aquila aut Serpens Epidaurius and therefore he is called Draco of seeing So we must beware that we be not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as cannot see a farre off as Saint Peter speaketh but must anoint our eyes with eye-salue as Saint Iohn biddeth that so we may discerne things that differ light from darkenesse truth from error the sweet bread of sincerity and truth from the leauen of the old and new Pharises yea that we may be able to ken a farre off the sleights of Satan and his cogging 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is one property that we must learne if we will be wise as Serpents we must espy the frauds of deceiuers a farre off Praesens sit longè insidias praesaga mali mens Secondly the Serpent stoppeth his eare against the charmer and will not be gotten out of his hole And so if many among vs had turned the deafe eare vnto Inchanters who laboured first to withdraw them from loue to the truth and then from loyalty to the Prince many worshipfull houses had continued vntill this day which now wee see ouerthrowne Demosthenes would needs be gazing vpon Harpalus his plate was he not corrupted thereby The sonnes of God would needs be staring vpon the daughters of men did they not beget Gyants vpon them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by looking comes liking you know the Prouerb This I speake onely for the simpler sort that they cast not their eyes vpon euery pelting Pedlers ware lest they be coozened by them lest they lay out their money and not for meat and their siluer for that which will not profit as the Prophet Esay speakes They that haue knowne the Scriptures from their youth as Timothy did and are rooted and grounded in the truth there is no danger for them to conferre with deceiuers for greater is He that is in them then he that is in the world Therefore I speake not to such as haue their Antidot or preseruatiue in their bosome A third property of the Serpent is remembred by Augustine and Ambrose too and that is this That he is wont Totum corpus pâ—o capite fertentibus obijcere To seeke to saue his head whatsoeuer becommeth of the rest of his body so wee must be sure to hold the Head Christ his Gospell to be our Loadestone his merits to be the Anker of our hope his obedience to be our satisfaction his death to be our life howsoeuer for other matters they seeke to carry vs about with euery blast of vaine doctrine This is one thing that we are admonished of in that we are called vpon to See Another thing we are put in mind of and that is this namely that we stirre vp the holy Ghost that is in vs and that we doe not despaire by the helpe thereof to distinguish betweene a right course and a wrong For surely if there were not some thing in vs I doe not say of vs that are enlightned by Gods grace haue tasted of the good gifts of God some ability of discerning I say the Prophet would neuer haue commanded vs to lift vp our eyes or to cast our eyes about to See For is a blind man called to iudge of colours or a lame man to try masteries I know I know that without Christ we can doe nothing nâ— man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost And We are not sufficient of our selues to thinke a good thought as of our selues but all our sufficiency is of God But these places are not against my purpose Bel. for I speake not a word for pride that any man should say as Nabuchadnezzar said Is not this great Babel that I haue built by the might of my power and for the honâ—ur of my Maiesty Are not we wise are not we intelligent are not we sharp-sighted No but against heedlesnes imprudence that we be not wanting to our selues that we quench not the Spirit Know ye not that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you except you be Reprobates Now where the Spirit of God is there is light there is the searching of Gods secrets there the secret of the Lord is made knowne to them that feare him Who euer was enlightned by him slept in death Who euer sought him in humility and faith and was denyed him He that commeth to be cleansed God will ioyne himselfe vnto him the Iewish Doctors haue such a speech When the Eunuch vsed his eyes in reading the Prophet Isaiah Philip was commanded by the Spirit of the Lord to ioyne himselfe vnto his Chariot For albeit God worketh in vs both the will and the deed of his good pleasure as Saint Paul saith yet he will not saue a man against his will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by force as Nazianzen speakes And sure it is that hee that hath giuen vs reason and vnderstanding and the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath not giuen vs these Talents in vaine but that we should labour by all meanes by ardent inuocating of the Name of God by crauing the assistance of his Spirit by Spirituall exercises and meditations to increase them to sharpen them to direct them For to him that hath shall be giuen and he shall haue aboundance and God will not be weary of giuing till thou be weary of asking A graine of mustard-seed at the first is the least of all seeds but what groweth it vnto afterwards Into so great branches that the fowles
come in Christs Vicars name so he calleth himselfe and would be called by others but indeed he is an Aduersary and you will receiue them and aduenture your neckes for them And wee come in Christs name with his message and reconcilement vnto God whom you haue offended without any working of you to offend the State and will you refuse vs Shall they be welcome with their Traditions that is with their Tales and we odious with the Gospell which was preached vnto you which ye also receiued and which you must returne to if you meane to be saued What is strong illusion what is the working of Satan what is the power of darkenesse if this be not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. You forsake the right and straight way and goe that which is full of thornes and stakes what arrogancy and phrensie are you possessed with saith Clemens Alexandrinus out of Sibylla So Cyprian Christ promiseth euerlasting life if we will follow him and he is forsaken The Deuill promiseth Gu-gawes and lyeth too in his promise and he is adored O foedam defectionem ô iniquam permutationem O filthy defection O absurd exchange saith Cyprian The like may we say to those bewitched Countrey-men of ours that preferre Rome before Sion and the doctrine thereof before the liuely Oracles of God that like children or women that haue the disease called Pica preferre Lime or dirt before white bread yea like vnwise Marchants glasse before pearle lead before gold cotton before silke that is error before truth Belial before Christ Baal before Iehouah more particularly ignorance before knowledge dumbe Images before effectuall Teachers Saints before Christ doubtfulnesse before Faith seruile feare before filiall loue horror of conscience before tranquillity of spirit There is no peace to the wicked saith the Lord. And truely there is no rest to the soule in Popery What rest can there be when they make Saints mediation the onely anker of their hope mens books the foundation of their faith mans Absolution the remission of their guilt here and mens pardons the relaxation of their punishment hence This they doe an hundred things as bad in Popery therefore it is impossible that they should be at peace with God or haue peace within themselues that thus make flesh their arme and in their heart depart from God And therfore if you desire to find rest for your soules or to haue your Election saluation made sure vnto you you must haue nothing to do with the vnfruitfull vncoÌ„fortable opinions of Popery but rather abhor them reproue them The Lord in mercy vouchsafe to bring them home that goe astray to confirme them that stand to grant vs true peace true rest through Iesus Christ our blessed Sauiour To whom with the Father the holy Ghost be praise thankesgiuing for euer and euer Amen Amen A SERMON VPON THE FIRST OF PETER THE NINTH SERMON 1. PETER 5. verse 6. Humble your selues therefore vnder the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time THE word therefore hath reference to that which went before namely to the last words of the former verse God resisteth the proud and giueth grace to the humble and inferreth strongly vpon the force of them For if God resisteth the proud if contrariwise he giueth grace to the humble then there is no cause in the world why any man should be proud and there is great cause why euery one should be humble For doe wee prouoke the Lord are we stronger then he If we walke crosse against God or hardly stifly the Chaldee hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hardly he will walke so against vs. It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God Iacob I grant wrastled with God preuailed but how he did not make head against God neither did he thinke himselfe an equall match for God by no meanes but God vouchsafing to take him vp in his armes and bearing him in his armes that he should not dash his foot against a stone he might doe all things by him that strengthned him he might swimme easily the Lord holding him vp by the chin he might fight valiantly the Lord teaching his hands to warre and his fingers to fight But tell me how they sped against whom God bent himselfe Pharaoh and his Hoast whom the Lord looked vpon out of the fiery and cloudy Pillar for euill and not for good were they not drowned in the red Sea Those stiffe-necked and rebellious Israelites which prouoked the Lord ten times that is many and many a time against whom the Lord swore in his wrath If they shall enter into my rest that is Neuer beleeue me if they enter did not their carkasses fall in the Wildernesse and were they not vtterly consumed there till not one of them was left This before they came into the Land of promise When they were there did not the Lord take the Kingdome from Saul and his Stocke because he was angry with him and gaue it to Dauid From Dauids sonne Salomon because of his Idolatry did he not rend the Kingdome and câ—nferre tenne parts thereof vpon Ieroboam From Ieroboams Line yea from all the Kings of Israel succeeding him and caused them to be carryed away captiues into Assyria There remained the Tribes of Iudah and Beniamin for a while in honorable estate but when these also defied the Lord and prouoked the Holy one of Israel when they said that they should be deliuered because of the righteousnesse of their Fathers and the holinesse of the Temple though they hated to be reformed and had cast Gods Commandements behind them Then did the Lord cast Iudah out of his sight as he had done Israel he plowed Sion as a field as he had done Samaria he made Hierusalem the beloued City in former times which also hee called a greene Oliue-tree faire and of goodly fruite a breeding of Nettles and Salt pits and a perpetuall desolation For it is a righteous thing with God as to shew mercy to them that feare him and stoupe vnto him so also to render tribulation and anguish and shame and confusion to euery one that exalteth himselfe before him to the Iewe first and also to the Greeke Lysander a great man in Lacedemon and one that had deserued well of King Agesilaus being disgraced many wayes and suffering many indignities by the Kings conniuence falleth into expostulation with the King because he suffered him so to be contemned and abused To whom the King made answer So they deserue to be vsed that take so much vpon them as thou doest and will not reuerence and awe the King Precedent merits and good seruice will not tie Princes of a gâ—nerous spirit to such subiects of theirs as shew themselues ouer-lusty and crancke with them And can we thinke that God who is of pure eyes and incomprehensiâ—le Maiesty to whom the greatest men are as nothing and the
best merits lighter then vanity that he I say will iustifie those that say in the pride of their heart Is not this great Babel that I haue built for my selfe and for the glory of my Maiesty am I not rich and righteous and haue need of nothing He shall find none iniquity in me that were wickednesse Seest thou a man that is thus proud in his owne eyes There is as much hope of a Publican as of such a one For euery one that exalteth himselfe shall be brought low and euâ—ry one that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted So it is as God resisteth the proud or as the Originall speaketh more emphatically setteth himselfe in battell array against him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So he giueth grace to the humble he is many wayes gracious to him First in forgiuing him much as in the Gospell that seruant that hauing nothing to pay fell downe before his Lord and besought him to be good vnto him had the whole debt forgiuen him Math. 18. Then by giuing him much namely the spirit of Regeneration the spirit of Sanctification the spirit of wisedome of Counsell of Faith of Adoption of Iustification c. All these graces that I speake nothing of worldly or temporall blessings are imparted to such as are lowly in their owne eyes and condemneâ— themselues that they may be acquitted by God according to that which is written I dwell in the high heauens with him also that is lowly These therefore are speciall motiues to humility And iustly might our Apostle vpon the consideration of them inferre as he doth in my Text. Therefore But now that we haue considered of the Illatiue and of that which went before my Text immediatly let vs looke a little more narrowly into the Text it selfe euen to that which is inferred vpon this terme Therefore humble your selues vnder the mighty hand of God Two things are contained in this verse The former an Exhortation the other a Reason The Exhortation or Precept in these words Humble your selues vnder the mighty hand of God The Reason or Promise in these That hee may exalt you in good time or in fit time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Touching the first It is strange to recount how many Exhortations there be deliuered in the Scriptures perswading to humility by Moses by the Prophets by the Apostles by Christ himselfe What may this meane Peter thought himselfe much disgraced that he was called vpon the third time to feed Christs flocke So Iehu spake but halfe a word against â—esabel and straightwayes a couple of Chamberlains or Courtiers Sarisim threw her downe So once bidding did serue Zacheus and presently he came downe from the tree So Math. the 4. The two brethren that were called by our Sauiour presently forsooke thier nets and followed him But now to humility wee are exhorted in the Scriptures not three or foure times or seuen times but I thinke seâ—â—nty times seuen times Vniuâ—rsa facies ac vt ita dixerim vultus sanctarum Scripturaâ—um bene intuenâ—cs id admonere videtur vt qui gloriatur in Domino glorietur The whole face and countenance of the holy Scriptures so to speake seemeth to admonish those that looke well into them thus much That hee that reioyceth should reioyce in the Lord. Thus Austin He must reioyce or boast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Lord therefore he must be farre from boasting of himselfe except it be of his infirmities as the Apostle speaketh then he must not be high-minded he must haue no proud lookes as the Prophet hath it but hee must be as one that is weaned yea he must be in himselfe as one that is weaned Indeed that is true humility that is not so much in shew and in outward appearance as in deed and in truth There was a great Rabblement or Order of Fryers called Humiliati professing great humility who but they and crouching low and stooping low what else and yet their stomackes did so swell and were so bloody that they were intolerable to Rome it selfe and therefore cashiered and abandoned So Paul the fourth pretended so great mortification and neglect of the world and worldly things that it was a speciall motiue to the Cardinals to chuse him Pope in hope to rule him as they lusted but when this humble Fellow had found Peters Keyes then he did no longer looke downe towards the dust as it were seeking them but held vp his head as high as lofty as euer did any in that Chayre Antipater as Plutarch writeth went very meanely apparelled more like a priuat man then a Prince yet he was noted censured by them that knew him well to be intus purpureus all purple within Aut loquendum nobis est vt vestiti sumus aut vestiendum vt loquimur Quid aliud pollicemur aliud ostendimus Either we must speake sutably to our apparell or else wee must be apparelled sutably to our speech Why doe we promise one thing and shew another A Hood doth not make a Monke You know the Prouerbe Neither doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ragged coate make an humble Philosopher said Hero by the report of Nazianzen Diogenes trampled vpon Platoes pride but with greater pride And the Gibeonites for all their humble speech and old apparell were notwithstanding very coozeners So then if humility consist neither in word nor in apparell wherein is the vertue thereof to be found and how may it be discerned Truely Beloued the heart is deceitfull aboue all who can know it The Lord he searcheth the heart and tryeth the reines to giue to euery man according to his wayes c. Ieremy 17. So our Sauiour Iohn 1. was able to giue a true verdict of Nathaniel as soone as he sawe him Behold an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile How this Because he was God But now man hath but a shallâ—w sound and a short reach and dealeth onely by probabilities and likely-hoods and according to outward appearance and therefore may be deceiued in that respect is not to pronounce lightly concerning other mens humility or pride Yet for all that as Christ saith of false prophets By their fruites you shall know them So the sonne of Sirach speaketh not in vaine A mans garment grenning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when a man sheweth his teeth and gate or paceing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 declare after a sort what he is and which way he doth incline The British Clergy being sent vnto by Augustine not the learned Bishop of Hippo whom you heare so often cited out of this place but an vnlearned and vnsauory Monke whom Gregory sent ouer hither reade but his questions moued to the said Gregory as they be registred by Beda and you will say he was no better to make their appearance before him consulted a graue man famous for his wisedome in those dayes what they were best to doe He aduised them to be ruled by him if he were a
so cruelly with vs But now when the Precept of humiliation is to the Creator of all things shall flâ—sh and blood disdaine to submit it selfe to God weake flesh and blood to the mighty hand of God It was a reason that Iosephus vsed in his Oration to his Countrey-men to perswade them to submit their neckes to the yoke of the Romanes for as much as they had gotten the Dominion of the greatesâ— part of the world The same reason vsed Rabshakâ—h to them that were besieged in Ierusalem that for as much as the King of Assyria had subdued many other Nations strong and mightie therefore they might with credit enough yeeld Dignitate Domini minùs turpis est conditio seâ—uâ— By the honor of the Master the base estate of the seruant becommeth more tolerable It was some comfort to Marcus Antonius hauing wounded himselfe to death in desperation that he was ouercome not by any base coward but by a valiant Roman AEnaeae magni dextrâ cadis So Aeneas bade one comfort himselfe Salâ—em ne lixae manu cadam saith the valorous Admirall of France Slay me and spare not but yet not by the hand of a skullion Let not a boy slay vs said Zibah and Zalmumah Iudg. 8. but rise thou and fall vpon vs for as the man is so is his strength Therefore for as much as we are required to humble our selues vnder Almighty God who made the heauens and the earth by his great power and by his stretched-out Arme and nothing is hard vnto him Ieremy 32. Behold he will breake downe and it cannot be built he shutteth vp a man and he cannot be loosed Iob 12. He putteth his hand vpon the Rockes and ouerthroweth the mountaines by the roots Iob 28. For as much I say as he is the Creator of the Spirits of all flesh not onely of their bodits and doth what he will both in heauen and earth turning man to destruction and againe saying in mercy Turne againe ye children of men Shall we bridle it or bristle it against him shall we scorne to answer when he calleth obey when he commandeth sorrow and mourne when he chasticeth shall we receiue good of the Lord and then to be vnthankefull euill and then be impatient Nay rather let vs hearken to the Commandement in my Text Humble your selues vnder the mighty hand of God and to the promise annexed that he may exalt you Foelix Ecclesia saith Austin cuise Deus debitorem fecit non aliquid accipiendo sed omnia promittendo Happy is the Church to whom the Lord hath made himselfe a debtor not by receiuing any thing at her hands but by promising all things Surely though the Lord had onely commanded bade vs on our Alleageance to imbrace humility and to remoue arrogancy farre from vs we were bound euen for the Commandement sake to yeeld all obedience to it For doth not a sonne honor his Father and a seruant his Lord And are we not his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which he hath appointed that we should walke in them Againe if he had tendered the vertue humility vnto vs in it owne kind without any painting without any sauce as it were were it not worthy to be looked vpon nay to be tasted nay to be swallowed downe as most wholesome meate Whatsoeuer it seemeth to you of the wise it hath beene esteemed either the most excellent or the most necessary of all vertues Some call it the Rose of the Garden and the Lilly of the field Some the Queene of all vertues Some the mother Some the foundation and ground-worke Some the roote Certaine it is saith Bernard Nisi super humilitatis stabile fundamentum spiritale aedificium stare non potest A spirituall building cannot stand steady except it be placed vpon the sure foundation of humility Augustine goeth further and saith to Dioscorus that it is the first thing in Christianity and the second and the third and almost all in all for saith he except humility doe both goe before and accompany and follow after all whatsoeuer we doe well pride will wrest it out of our hands and marre all Therefore humility is to be thought vpon and by all meanes to be coueted after euen for the very worth of it though there were no promise annexed to it to drawe vs on But now when God is so good and gracious to vs as to promise vs promotion for the issue and cloze wee must needs shew our selues very dull and very vnhappy if we doe not striue for it as for siluer and digge for it as for treasure The Husband-man is content to goe forth weeping and to bestow his precious seed so that he may returne with ioy and bring his sheaues with him So euery one that proueth Masteries is content to abstaine from all things so that he may obtaine a Crowne though the same be a corruptible one So the Souldier to approue himselfe to him that hath chosen him to the Warfare The Captaine and specially the Generall to get glory what paine and hardnesse doe they sustaine or rather what doe they not sustaine It is written of Alexander I will trouble you but with one Story that being in the farther parts of Asia one while striuing against heat and thirst another while against cold and hunger another while against craggy Rockes another while against deepe and dangerous riuers c. he could not containe but burst forth in this exclamation O yee Athenians what difficulties and dangers doe I endure for your sakes to be praised and celebrated by â—our pennes and tongues Now if to be extolled by the pennes and tongues of vaine men could preuaile so much with a Prince tenderly bred and of great estate should not wee much rather submit our selues to Gods will and pleasure and prouidence and euen deny and defie whatsoeuer worth may seeme to be in vs that hee may aduance vs and bring vs to honour God surely vseth to make great ones small and smal or meane ones great as Xenophon speakes Nay the blessed Virgin being moued by the holy Ghost acknowledgeth as much He pulleth downe the mighty from their seat and exalteth the humble and meeke He maketh high and maketh low yea he maketh them high that before were low if in humility and meekenesse they possesse their soules Dauid kept his fathers sheepe and was not ashamed nay he braggeth of it in an holy kind of reioycing in the Psalme That the Lord tooke him as he followed the Ewes great with Lambe to be a Ruler in Iacob and a Gouernour in Israel So Agathocles so Willigis to trouble you with no more the one was exalted to bee King of Sicily being but a Potters sonne the other to be Archbishop of Mentz a Prince Elector in Germany being but a Wheelers sonne They acknowledged Gods prouidence and worke in their aduancement and were so farre from being ashamed of their base parentage that the one would not
Iames in that he is exalted to the knowledge of God to the faith of Christ to the Adoption of sons to be a Citizen with the Saints and of the house-hold of Gods He is not a bond-man that is set free by Christ nor poore that is rich in faith nor contemptible that is enrolled in the booke of life nor base-borne that hath God to his Father and Christ to his brother If the King would bestow an Office vpon you you would not onely be glad but be proud but now if a great man would adopt thee to be his sonne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Arrianus vpon Epictetus your superstitiousnesse and arrogancy would be intolerable Now see saith Saint Iohn how great loue the Father hath shewed vs that we should be called the sonnes of God If sonnes then heires saith Saint Paul heires of God and fellow-heires with Christ. And yet doe we complaine of our hard fortune as though God had done nothing for vs And yet doe we demand impatiently Where is the promise of his comming Where is the exalting preferment the Apostle speaketh of Beloued if we haue murmuring within our selues and grudging at the good-man of the house because he setteth vs below and not aboue because he doth not cast vs vp our Indentures before we haue serued our yeeres then doe we walke and talke vnorderly after the fleâ—h and not after Christ We doe not humble our selues vnder the mighty hand of God And so there is no promise made vnto vs. The Husbandman must first labour before he receiue of the fruite Iacob must serue seuen yeeres before he haue his hearts desire in one thing and seuen more before he haue it in another and seuen to that before he haue it inthe third Vnderstand what I say the Lord giue you vnderstanding in all things Blessed the man that endureth temptation for when he is tryed he shall receiue the Crowne of life if he faint not But take heed that you doe not mistake the case and make that to be a temptation or a crosse that is not You haue not so much as you would haue but haue you not more then you deserue You are made the taile and not the head as Moses speaketh Peraduenture it is good for the Common-weale that you be so yea and good for your selues too Many being set on horse-backe haue roade so madly that they haue broken their horses necke and their owne also Therefore let euery one be content with the estate that God hath giuen him and let him not enuy him that is greater or higher then himselfe For the promise of exalting which is in my Text if you referre it to the blessings of this life hath a secret condition implyed namely if it be good for vs. And shall we be so vnwise or vnhappy to wish for that which will doe vs no good God forbid children indeed will be medling with kniues with edge-tooles also they will not feare to take a Snake or Adder by the taile in stead of an Eele But wee must not be children in vnderstanding but in wit be perfit As concerning maliciousnes and ambition and greedinesse it were good to conuert and become as children but for knowledge and discerning betweene good and euill we must be of a ripe age we must not be deiected for euery light affliction neither must we be puffed vp for any good successe or aduantage We must reioyce as though we reioyced not and mourne as though we mourned not vsing the world as though we vsed it not and humble our selues vnder the mighty hand of God and take all things in good part saying alwayes The Lord be praised This is true riches to be content and this is true honor not to be ambitious and this is true preferrement nay happinesse to be in the fauour of God which none sooner getteth then the humble man if his humility proceed from a pure heart and a good conscience and faith vnfained The Lords Name be euer blessed Amen Amen A SERMON VPON THE SECOND PSALME THE TENTH SERMON PSALME 2. verse 10. Now therefore be wise O Kings be instructed O Iudges of the earth SOME of the Iewish Doctors would haue these words to be an Apostrophe to those Kings and Princes which plotted against the Crowne and dignity of Dauid first to keepe him from his right then to disrobe him being inuested The Psalmist therefore doth aduise them to bethinke themselues better and not to make head any longer against Dauid lest they be found to fight against God himselfe This exposition is good but it is not good enough if that which is not good enough may be truly called good For as Tertullian saith Ratio Diuina non in superficie sed in medullâ plerumque aemula manifestis That is The sence pith of the Word of God is not in the vttermost skinne but in the marrow and commonly crosseth the apparancy of the letter And as Hierome to Paulinus Whatsoeuer we reade in the Scripture it shineth truely and glistereth euen in the rinde but is sweeter in the marrow Therefore to rest vpon the Type or Figure and not to proceed so farre as the thing figured is to deale as weakely as if a man searching in minerals for gold or siluer should content himselfe with the first rubble and giue ouer before he come to the precious Oare It is truth that Dauid did not onely speâ—ke and prophesie of our Sauiour as is euery-where to be seene in the Psalmes and euery-where vouched in the New Testament but also was a Figure of him so expresse a one and liuely that Christ might seeme to haue beene borne in Dauid euen long before He came in the flesh and Dauid to haue reuiued and beene borne againe in Christ euen long after he was dead and rotten This is not to make Iesum Typicum with the Franciscans nor yet to bring In Somnia Pythagoraea that is the passing of soules from bodies from one body to another with those phantastikes but this is to teach as the truth is in Iâ—sus that Christ not onely is now painted out before our eyes and among vs crucified in the preaching of the Gospell but also was shadowed and fore-described in the Old Testament by certaine personall Types as it were Verbo visibili as Augustine speaketh To such an effect as Iustine Martyr toucheth when he saith The G spell what is it but the Law fulfilled The Law what was it but the Gâ—spell foretold This I would say that as Dauid did and suffered many things which were not to haue an end and consummation in Dauid but were to fore-shew the doings and sufferings of Christ the true Dauid He is called Dauid by Hieremy Ezechiel and Hosea to speake of no more and the glory that should follow after so we are to thinke that the Psalmist requiring the Kings of those dayes to be wise and to stoope to Dauids command doth by good consequent
wrong yea they must be able to put a wise difference betweene the great things of the Law as Righteousnesse Mercy and Iudgement and the lighter things of humane obseruation which perish with the vse or abuse If Iephthah had knowne and considered what things might lawfully be vowed and how farre vowes do binde he would not haue immolated his owne daughter If Saul had knowne and considered what is written in the Law Yee shall not doe what seemeth good to your selues but what I command you that you shall doe you shall turne neither to the right hand nor to the left he had not forfeited his Kingdome If Vzziah had knowne and considered that none but the sonnes of Aaron were to approach to the Altar of the Lord and there to burne incense he had not beene smitten with the leprosie To be short If those Kings of Iuda and Israel that built high places and sacrificed vnder euery greene tree had knowne and considered that Hierusalem was the place whither they should haue brought their oblations being the place that God appointed to put his name there they had not been so bitterly inueighed against nor so fearefully threatned by the Prophets as they were To conclude If the Machabees had beene wise and knowne what that meaneth I will haue mercy and not sacrifice that which was the kernell of the ceremony from the beginning how-soeuer the shell was not so cracked and opened in former time as it was by our Sauiour the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath they would not haue suffred themselues to bo knocked downe like Oxen in the Shambles or to be led as sheepe to the slaughter but would haue stood vpon their gard and vpon their defence euen vpon the Sabbath day On the other side Dauid was not afraide to eate of the Shew-bread which was appointed onely for the Priests Dauid was wise and knew that Necessity ouer-ruleth Ceremony So Salomon was not afraid to command Ioab to be slaine euen in the Tabernacle of the Lord although he caught hold of the hornes of the Altar Salomon was wise and knew that there was no Sanctuary for murder So briefely Hezechiah was not scrupulous to goe forward with the celebrating of the Passeouer though there were some present that had not beene cleansed after the purification of the Sanctuary Hezechiah was wise and knew that there was a maine difference betweene those things which God commanded principaliter and those things which he commanded consequentia as Iraeneus saith Thus knowledge of Gods matters cleareth the vnderstanding chaseth away superstition sheweth the more excellent way and bringeth a King to glory Looke what the light is to the eye the eye to the head the head nay the soule of a man to his body the same is wisedome to the soule of a King It filleth him with grace in beleeuing it giueth light to his mind reformeth his will sanctifieth his affections snubbeth and crosseth all vnlawfull designes In crosses it maketh him patient in dangers vndaunted in prosperity moderate in what estate soeuer he be content On the contrary side where this knowledge is wanting there the Sunne goeth downe at noone-day there the light that is in them is turned into darkenesse and how great is the darkenesse They are not so much to be tearmed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is pore-blind which are Saint Peters words but are stricken with grosse darkenesse and blindnesse like the Sodomites they stumble at the threshold nay they doe in Montes impingere as Augustin speaketh and are as ready to enter into the gates of their enemies as of their friends like the Assyrians The Grecians talke of the great helpe that a certaine great Commander had from Philosophy for the quieting of his owne mind and of those that were about him in the time of an Eclipse by shewing by a familiar example the reason thereof So the Romans tell of the great satisfaction that was giuen to their Army in Macedony when one Sulpitius Gallus skilfull in Astronomy fore-told them of an Eclipse before it hapned This was some-what I grant to be heaued vp as it were by the hand of naturall reason to the obseruing of Gods vniforme power and prouidence in causing the Planets to keepe their courses in their Spheares and the reuolutions of the heauens to be certaine and ordinary but yet in respect of the good that is reaped by Diuinity I meane by the knowledge of Gods will in his Word it is but as sounding brasse or as a tinkling Cymball For light it is but as the light of a rush candle to the light of a great burning Torch as Clemens Alexandrinus saith For profit as drosse is to siluer or the chaâ—le is to the wheat as the Prophet speaketh Princes therefore are to haue their hearts stablished by faith and therefore first they must be stored and furnished with the Word of God it must dwell in them plentâ—ously they must be exercised and skilfull in the same so shall they be sufficiently prepared and furnished to euery good worke so shall they be sufficiently armed against error and heresie There haue beene since Christs time many corruptions and deprauations of the truth in the Church of God it is confessed and it cannot be denyed but a great part of them either sprang originally or was much increased through want of wisedome and knowledge in the chiefe Gouernours What maruell if the Mystery of iniquity which began to worke in the time of the Apostles grew to such a head and strength euen in Constantines time or shortly after when that shall be allowed for a good collection out of these words Ye are Gods therefore the Church of Rome hath a speciall priuiledge neither to be looked into for their liues nor to be quâ—stioned for their doctrine So what maruell if the Imperiall dignity did decay and sinke as fast as the Papall did swell and pearke vp as Otho Frisingensis doeth obserue nay the rising of the one was the ruine of the other as wisemen men know When Kings and Princes doe suffer themselues to be gulled with the sweet words of Peter and Paul and of the Church and especially with those words Math. 16. touching the Rocke and Iohn 21. touching the Feeding of Christs Sheepe by these words I say fouly mistaken to be stripped of their Regalities and to cast downe their Crownes not before the Lambe but before the Beast Whereas the former place touching the Rocke viz. Vpon this Rocke will I build my Church containeth a promise common to all the faithfull as the most ancient and learned Fathers doe agree and the latter place touching the Feeding of Christs Sheepe and Lambes containeth a duty belonging to all true Pastors as not onely Saint Paul in the Acts but also Saint Peter himselfe by whom they would make their claime doe most plainely shew I might thus run ouer most points in
controuersie betweene vs and the Romanists seeking out of the woodden Crosse worshipping of the Crosse yea of the counterfeit of it fighting for the Crosse seeking to the Sepulcher fighting for the Sepulcher worshipping of the Sepulcher setting vp Images in Churches worshipping of Images and of some of them with latria Inuocating of Saints woâ—shipping of their Relikes yea of the Relikes of Theeues and Murderers yea of the bones of Apes and Foxes yea of the Pictures of Adonis and Venus these things were not done in a corner neither were they reueiled in the twy-light but in the sight of the Sunne To be short eleuating of the Sacrament adoring of the Sacrament inuocating of the Sacrament and calling it Lord and God yea dedicating of bookes vnto it Saunders doth so these and a hundred more such abominations had neuer beene so admitted nor so long allowed in the Church of God if they that sate at the Sterne had beene wise and intelligent in Gods matters For when the Emperour or King was wise then the streame of Idolatry and superstition was greatly stopped and stayed though not dryed vp As by Leo Isaurus and his sonne and his sonnes sonne in the East By Charles the great and his sonnes sonne in the West These partly gathered Synods for the crossing of certaine superstitious worshippings partly they either wrote bookes themselues or caused bookes to be written by others in the cause of truth So when either the Empire had such a head as Otho the great or Henâ—y the second and fourth or the two first Frederickes or France such a King as Philip the faire To speake nothing of our late English Worâ—hies then they did not suffer themselues to be out-faced with counterfeit Titles neither could they indure to heare either that the Imperiall Crowne was beneficium Papale as Pope Alexander the third would haue it or that the Crowne of France was at the Popes disposing as Boniface the eighth vanted Much lesse such swelling words of vanity nay of intolerable insolency as Innocent the fourth deliuered to the Embassadors of King Henry the thâ—rd Nonne Rex Angliae vassallus meus est vt plus dicam Mancipium that is Is not the King of England my vassale nay I will say more bond-man or bond-slaue witnesse Mathew Paris They did not onely dispute the case with him as Michael did with Nicholas the first and a successor of Michael with Innocent the third Their Epistles some of them answering and crossing one another are to be seene in the Decretals but also went more roundly and roughly to worke with them taking them downe a pinne or two lower and sometimes putting them besides the Cushion and placing others in their roome It importeth therefore the cause of Religion mightily that Kings be wise and skilfull in Gods Booke that they be able to discerne what is Gods right what their owne yea that they can distinguish wisely betweene the Vicars of Christ and the angels of Satan betweene the Keyes of the Church and counterfet Pick-lockes as Doctor Fulke calls them For where wisedome is not and doth not abound there there is much going out of the way there there is often fâ—lling into the ditch Inscitia mater omnium errâ—rum saith Fulgentius that is Ignorance is the mother of all errors So Bernard calleth Ignorance the mother of all vices So Iustin Martyr Let knowledge be thy heart and truth thy life And Clement Alexandrinus seuen Stromate Knowledge is the food of the soule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Ignorance is the staruing of the soule or the disease called Atrophia to eate and to be neuer the neere or better for the eating Thus we are to hold in Thesi of the singular vse that is of wisedome as necessary as the ayre we drawe in as faire as the morning starre nay as the Sunne when hee riseth in his might So of Folly or Ignorance that the same is as darke as the night as foule and as vgly as the face of hell This I say in Thesi. Now for application a word or two I doubt not but as in the Romane Common-weale vnder Marcus Antoninus when that saying of Plato was considered of It goeth well with Common-wealths when either Philosophers be made Kings or Kings addict themselues to Philosophy There was a generall applying of it to their State vnder that Marcus and as in Athens when a speech out of a Poet was recited touching the sweet-singing Grassehopper all with one consent applyed it to Socrates And as in the fourth of Luke when that sentence was read out of Esay The Spirit of the Lord is vpon me wherefore he anointed me he hath sent me to preach the Gospell to the poore c The eyes of all in the Synagogue werâ— fastned vpon our Sauiour and all bare him witnesâ—e and he said that that day that Scripture was fulfilled in their eares So as many as doe heare me this day doe reioyce in themselues and congratulate to their Countrey that his Maiestie is not as many other Princes are that haue need to be called vpon with the words of the Prophet Ieremy 31. Chapter Know the Lord or that hath need to aske after the old way which is the good way c. as it is Ieremy the 6 but that hath knowne the Scriptures from his youth as Saint Paul speaketh to Timothie and is able both Preacher-like to exhort by wholesome doctrine and Doctor-like to conuince them that are contrarie-minded Flesh blood hath not reuealed the same it came not either by education or by Institution or by reading or by Conference though these be excellent helps and happy they be that finde them or vse them but by the Spirit of our Father which is in heauen euen as it is also said Zach. 4. Neither by an Army nor by strength but by my Spirit saith the Lord Almighty Therefore as Christ saith Blessed are your eyes for they see and your eares for they heare for verily I say vnto you that many Prophets and righteous men haue desired to see those things which you see and haue not seene them and to heare those things which you heare and haue not heard them So we of this Land are to hold our selues happy and thrice happy that the Lord hath giuen vs a King after his heart and our owne heart that can gouerne with Counsaile and rule with Wisedome that hath the Spirit of the liuing God resiâ—â—t in him and his senses exercised in the knowledge feare of the Lord that needs not to be taught but that can teach nor to be exhorted but onely câ—ngratulated This is not to flatter to giue the King his due specially when the giuing of due doth giue encouragement and implyeth exhortation to perseuere in well-doing Did not our Sauiour praise Nathaniel to his face And who such a patterne of veracity and plaine dealing as he Did not the Queene of Sheba praise Salomon to his
his house but put all things vnder the hand of Ioseph as is to be seene in Genesis So 2. King 22. 2. Kings 12. The King is there said not to take any account of them that were trusted with the repairing of the Temple for they did it faithfully But in my iudgement these and such other examples if there be any such are set downe in the Scriptures rather to commend the speciall honesty of them that were trusted then the great prudence of those that did trust I am sure Elisha called his seruant to account where he had beene though he had serued him long And Isaack his sonne how he got the Venizon so soone though he thought him to be his eldest son whom he most loued And so did Achish his mercenary Dauid where he had been rouing though he had made him keeper of his head And so did Salomon Shemi how he durst passe ouer the brooke Kedron being confined to Hierusalem though his father had sworne vnto him And to be short so the King in the Gospell those seruants to whom he had committed Talents and againe the rich man that steward which had wasted his goods Frontinus in his third booke writeth of Iphicrates that being besieged in Corinth he thought good to suruey his watch and finding a watch-man asleepe hee made no more adoe but thrust him thorow vsing these words I haue done him no wrong as I found him so I left him I found him asleepe and I haue left him asleepe But in the later place hee spake not of the bodily sleepe but of the sleepe of death So Luitprandus writeth of an Emperour of Constantinople that his manner was many times to suruey the watch of that City and those whom he found vigilant and faithfull to reward and the negligent and corrupt to punish It is certaine that Licentia sumus omnes deteriores And as it is ill for the body of the Common-weale to be vnder such Officers sub quibus omnia liceant So it is ill for the Officers themselues to haue too much scope vnder the chiefe Magistrates by the Iudgement of Saint Augustine who approueth the saying of Tullie which he vttereth O miserum cui peccare liceat that is He is not happy but wretched that hath a licence in his pocket as it were to commit a sinne and a protection in his bosome from suffering punishment I presse this point no further Wee haue seene what vertues are required of Kings in my Text namely Wisedome and Prudence Wisedome in Gods matters Prudence in State matters Touching the latter Prudence what be the parts of it namely Insight foresight and ouerseeing These things be necessary at all times but more specially at one time than at another the Psalmist doth insinuate by saying in my Text Now therefore be wise O yee Kings As i◠he said How-soeuer you haue long time stood out and said We will not haue this man to raigne ouer vs yet now at the length imbrace him for your Messiah and King How-soeuer heretofore you haue refused to take vp his yoke vpon your shoulders and to learne of him to be gentle and meeke yet now at the length turne vnto him and humble your selues vnder his hands that he may exalt you Briefely Howsoeuer heretofore you haue despitefully intreated them that were sent vnto you yet henceforth be no longer mockers lest your bonds increase whilest it is called To day submit your selues vnto him and craue pardon and remission Now is the accepted time now is the day of saluation now or neuer c. If euer there were a time when this alarum-bell was needfull to bee rung I thinke it as necessary at this time as euer For when did the Deuill rage more fiercely hauing great wrath because his time is short when did Antichrist Primogenitus Diaboli as Polycarpus called Marcion storme more tempestuously being full of wrath for two causes that is for being stripped of his ends in England for England had beene a plentifull Granary to him as Sicily had beene to Rome nay a very Paradise by the Popes owne confession as witnesseth Mathew Paris Secondly being not onely outed by Proclamations and Edicts but also confuted and confounded by a Princely golden Pen golden I call it not as the Prophet Esay called Babylon golden or goldseeking but as Pythagoras his verses were called golden 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lastly when did his Emissaries Seminarists and Iesuits take on more impatiently These because they cannot accomplish their traiterous designes of troubling our Estate that they may fish in troubled waters those because they cannot compasse their long hopes and desires to be planted in our Land and to eate vp the fat thereof The danger therefore being as great as euer it was and peraduenture greater it standeth them vpon that sit at the sterne to looke about them and to be wise To be wise as Serpents but innocent as Doues concerning maliciousnesse to bee children but in wit to bee perfect to obserue the haunt of the old Foxes and the young Cubs for they destroy the Vines and make the grapes to be small grapes c. Now the beginning of wisedome is the feare of the Lord that is a right beliefe in him and a due seruing of him a good vnderstanding or policy it is the same word that is in my Text haue all they that doe thereafter the praise thereof endureth for euer It is indeed not onely the beginning o◠chiefe point of wisedome but it is Alpha and Omega the first point and the last yea it is vtraque pagina both the sides of the leafe as Plinie speaketh There be many high hills in such a Country many strong holds in such a Country c. said Aratus to Philip the second of Macedon but there is no such sure hold for a Prince as to be beloued of his subiects it is a good speech and a true touching earthly defence none like to it for where affectionate and firme good-will is there is continuall watching and warding for the safety of the Prince there there are Hawkes eyes and standing-vp eares to sound and descry dangers and to expell them Briefely there are Laterum oppositus as he said yea offring vp of strong cryes and teares to God that is able to saue from death that they may be heard and deliuered in that they feare as the Apostle almost in so many words speaketh to the Hebr. De nostris annis tibi Iupiter augeat annos God lengthen your yeeres though it should bee with the shortening of our owne thus in the time of Paganisme they prayed for their Emperour as witnesseth Tertullian The like they did in the time of Christianity as the same Tertullian acknowledgeth We offer sacrifice for the Emperour saith he but to his Lord and our Lord he doth not say to any Saint and we doe it Puraprece he doth not say with any visible sacrifice
They talke in fabulous Stories such as Wittikindus and Gregorie Turonensis are that such a City could not be taken because the body of Saint Author lay there such an one could not be taken because the body of Saint Ambrose lay there such could not be taken because such Saints and such Saints prayed for them Strong illusions of Satan or rather grosse and palpable credulities in men of a degenerous mind that had sold themselues to belieue lyes The truth is the prayer of a righteous man can doe much with God if it be feruent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if it be operatiue or haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is an efficacy in it But the Apostle speaketh of the righteous that are liuing not that are departed as is apparant in the Text As also Eusebius did when he said that a righteous prayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is such a thing as there is no fighting or standing against It is such a thing indeed when it is offered by a faithfull people for a faithfull Prince It pierceth the heauens and thrusteth into the Throne of grace and will not be repelled till it hath obtained at Gods hands both the safety of the Prince and the reuenge of the Elect. Prayer therefore is the best guard that we can yeeld vnto our King and piety is the best Armour that his Maiestie can put on Other habiliments munitions and policies haue their place and are profitable for somewhat but godlinesse is profitable for all things hauing the promise of this life and of that which is to come Be wise now therefore O Kings and Princes serue the Lord in feare and reioyce before him in trembling kisse the Sonne lest he be angry and kisse the Sonne and he will be well pleased but kisse him with the lippes of your heart wiâ—h faith and with loue Be pi usly wise and wisely pious in Colendo sapere debemus in sapiendo colere as saith Lactantius So shall the King haue pleasure in your beauty for he is your Lord God and you must worship him So shall he giue his Angels charge ouer you to keepe you in all his wayes So shall he blesse your going forth and your being forth your comming home and your being at home yea the Lord shall so blesse you that you shall multiply your yeeres vpon earth and see your childrens children and peace in Hierusalem and ioy vpon Sion all your life long which God the Father grant for his Sonne Christs sake to whom with the holy Ghost be all honour and glory Amen A SERMON VPON THE FIRST TO THE HEBREVVES THE ELEVENTH SERMON HEBREVVES 1. verse 1 c. God who at sundry times and in diuers maners spake in times past vnto the Fathers by the Prophets Arab. Gnalei alshan that is by the tongue of the Prophets 2. Hath in these last dayes spoken to vs by his Sonne whom he hath appointed heire of all things by whom also hee made the worlds 3. Who being the brightnesse of his glory and the expresse Image of his Person 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and vpholding all things by the Word of his power Syr. Bechaila Demelletheh that is by the power of his Word when he had by himselfe purged our sinnes sate downe on the right hand of the Maiestie on high c. AMong all the passages and portions of Scripture which yeeld fit matter of discourse and which doe not euen from the beginning of Genesis to the latter end of the Reuelation there is none in my iudgement that affordeth greater store either of heauenly doctrine or of spirituall comfort than this doth that I haue in hand For when the ,Apostle saith that God hath reuealed himselfe vnto vs in his Sonne and that he appointed his Sonne heire of all things and that his Sonne is such an one for power for person for nature for glory what a floud or rather Sea of Diuinity doth it containe Againe when he tells vs that the Sonne of God hath ,purged our sinnes by himselfe and is sate downe on the right hand of the Maiestie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is that hee is aduanced on high and is able perfectly to saue them that come vnto him what hope are we to conceiue thereby yea strong confidence yea vndauntable consolation that we cannot want whilest our Sauiour hath it and cannot be lost whilest he liueth and raigneth The Prophet Ezekiel and Saint Iohn in the Reuelation speake of a tree the fruit whereof is for meate and the leaues for medicine So Nauigators tell vs and many that be aliue haue seene it with their eyes and felt it with their hands and with their mouthes haue tasted of the excellency of the tree that beareth the Nutmeg the barke the huske the filme the fruite all aromaticall all good for the Braines or for the Stomacke or both So the Pomegranate is a very extraordinary fruite the hard rinde being dryed is medicinable many wayes as for the iuice and kernels they are not onely wholesome but also delightsome yet for all that it is obserued and the Iewes vse it for a Prouerbe amongst them that There is no Pomegranate so sound but it hath some rotten kernels in it fewer or more and we also vse to say Euery Beane hath his blacke And Plutarch reporteth it to haue beene the speech of Simonides that as euery Larke hath his tuft so euery man hath his imperfection Now it is not so in the Word of God euery part of it is Homogenâ—ous euery part like it selfe as being deliuered by one Spirit and leuelled by one rule You know what is deliuered by the Prophet All the words of the Lord are pure words as the siluer that is tryed in a fornace of earth and fined seuen-fold and by Saint Paul that the Law euen the Law is holy and the Commandement holy and iust and good But as it is a fault in the building of a City to make the gate vaster than for the proportion of the Perimeter or compasse thereof Shut your gate said a Philosopher to the men of Mindas lest your Towne runne out at it so long Preâ—aces in a small scant of time and a great field being to be surueyed are very vnseasonable to speake the least It was said of long time by Callimachus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a great book is as bad as a great deale of euill the like is to be said of a long tedious Preface For our Text it containeth at once two seuerall declarations the one of the excellency of the Gospell aboue the Law from the beginning of the first verse to the middle of the second The second declaration is of the excellency or rather superexcellency of our Sauiour aboue Moses and the Prophets yea aboue euery name that is named both in heauen and in earth from the middle of the second verse to the latter end of the third where my Text endeth so
forward to the end of the Chapter The excellency of the Gospell aboue the Law is set downe in these three points that is God spake vnto the faithfull vnder the old Testament by Moses the Prophets worthy seruants yet seruants Now the Sonis much better than a seruant and he by whom and for whom a house is built than an vnder-workeman that worketh by the day What is Paul what is Apollos So what was Moses what were the Prophets but Ministers by whom the Church then beleeued This then is one prerogatiue of the Gospell The second is this God spake to the ancient Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is at sundry times or by sundry parts now one pi ece then another the word is indifferent for either sense they that translated this Epistle into Hebrew for it is extant in Hebrew are for the former Cammeh pegnamim but the Syriacke and Arabicke are for the latter well since as I say the word will beare both and both are consonant to the circumstances of the Text we may be bold to make vse of both So then whereas the body of the old Testament was long in compiling much about a thousand yeeres from Moses to Malachi and God spake vnto the Fathers by starts and by fiâ—â— one while raising vp one Prophet another while another now sending them one parcell of Prophesie or Story then another when Christ came all was brought to a perfection in one age the Apostles and Euangelists were aliue some of them when euery part of the new Testament was fully finished Thirdly and lastly the old Testament was deliuered by God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in diuers formes or similitudes as the Syriacke and Arabicke Paraphrasts would haue it that is if I vnderstand them sometimes in the likenesse of a man sometimes of an Angell sometimes of fire sometimes of a winde c. but this is rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or rather as it is generally taken in diuers maners of vtterance and manifestation as sometimes in a vision and by dreames and sometimes in darke words and sometimes vnder this type and that type and sometime mouth to mouth that is plainely and familiarly see Numb 12. Iob 33. c. But the deliuering of the Gospell was in more simple maner either by the tongues or by the pennes of them that held an vniforme kind of teaching such as was best for the edifying of Gods people in all succeeding ages Thus we see the excellency of the Gospell aboue the Lawe and this out of the first verse and halfe of the second Now the superexcellency of Christ aboue Moses and the Prophets is to be gathered out of the words that follow in my Text whereof euery branch containeth an Antithesis betweene Christ and the forenamed Moses and the Prophets Christ was made heire of all so were not they by Christ the world was made so was it not by them Christ was the brightnesse of Gods glory c. so were not they Christ vpholdeth all things Christ purgeth vs from our sinnes c. so did not they so can they not doe Therefore Christ beyond all comparison more excellent and more eminent Now let vs take a more particular view of these seuerall points in order as they lye and see what doctrines and exhortations conuictions and reproofes wee may extract out of them To make haste our iourney being long for doubt lest the Sunne come downe vpon vs before we come to our iourneies end as it did vpon the Leuite Iudges 19. this first note with me that if God that spake in old time to the Fathers by the Prophets did also speake to them vpon whom the ends of the world were come by his Sonne then one and the same God is Authour of both Testaments both Old and New Then the Manichees did not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but delirare that is did not trifle but were stark-mad that taught there were duo principia two principall beginnings or Gods the one Authour of the Gospell the other of the Law the one of good the other of euill What if in naturall things it be thus that out of one hole there issueth not sweet water and sowre as Saint Iames saith and that men doe not gather grapes of thornes or figges of thistles as Christ saith Yet for all that the God of Nature is not subiect to the Lawes of Nature he can doe whatsoeuer he will Psa. 115. He can make the waters of Marah that were bitter sweet to his seruants and the waters of Iericho that were vnwholesome to become wholesome to the Inhabitants yea make one and the same showre of raine to become comfortable to the Romane Army vpon the prayer and instance ofa Christian Cohort that was among them and to be pernicious vnto the enemies witnesses thereof Paynim writers not onely Christian God that hath first caused light to shine out of darknesse he still formeth the light and createth darknesse maketh peace and createth euill He the Lord doth all these things the Lord and not Lords one and no more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is In Iupiters Hall-floore there are set two barrels of gifts the one of good gifts or blessings the other of euill gifts or plagues Thus spake Homer falsely of Iupiter it may truely be spoken of the true God Iehovah that he hath in his hand two cups the one of comforts the other of crosses which hee powreth out indifferently for the good and for the bad He preserueth all them that loue him but he destroyeth all the wicked With the kind or mercifull he will shew himselfe kind and with the froward he will shew himselfe froward Now this is not to make God the Authour of euill but of Iustice which is good quorum Deus non est author eorum est iustus vltor saith Augustine God is not the authour of sinne but he punisheth the sinner iustly It is iust or a righteous thing with God as to recompence rest to them that are troubled for Christs sake so to them that trouble the Saints and obey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ to recompence to them vengeance in flaming fire I grant that the wicked of all ages haue exclaimed as they doe Ezechiel 18. The way of the Lord is not equall as it is vsuall also at this day with offenders and their friends to cry-out against the Law that it is bloody and against the Iudges that they are cruell yet for all that God will be iustified in his saying and ouercome when he is iudged And Iudas himselfe will at the length confesse that he hath sinned in betraying innocent blood and so will the theefe vpon the crosse that he and his fellow did iustly suffer for their offences Therefore let no man say when hee is tempted I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted of euill neither tempteth he
Behold the reward of a coozener he coozened others and now he is coozened himselfe he was made to beleeue that he should die the death and now he is suffered to liue and hath a Capon for his supper This one fact of Gallienus purchased vnto him exceeding much good will and great honour and this sheweth that nothing is better pleasing vnto men if they be not turned sauage than clemency On the other side let a man haue neuer so many vertues yet if he be seuere too seuere he may be feared but he will neuer be loued no nor much honoured neither Aurelian may be an example hereof who for all his valour and prowesse wherein he did excell all the men of his time got in the end but this dry cold commendation that he was a Prince rather necessary than good What then doe I speake against Iustice which is the strength and Bulwarcke of a Common-weale No nor against seuerity neither that is to say straight Iustice which is sometimes necessary but against whom against them that are frozen in their dregs and seeme to say in their hearts the Lord will doe neither good nor euill that is against Atheists against them that enter into houses and carry away captiue men and women laden with sinne and reconcile them to a Forraine Power whereby they ouerthrow not onely the faith of many but also their Allegeance that is against treacherous seducers Thirdly against them that haue beene before you twice or thrice before and haue proceeded from bad to worse from pilfering to robbing from robbing to killing c. against these there is no Law too sharp and concerning them you may say as Hieronyme writeth to Amandus Non parcimus vt parcamus saeuimus vt misereamur that is We doe not spare these that wee may spare the Common-weale we shew no mercy vnto these that we may shew mercy vnto the Common-weale And as Salomon said of Ioab who had killed two men one after another and both of them better than himselfe His blood be vpon his owne head I and my fathers house are guiltlesse Or as the same Salomon said vnto Shemei in effect Thou knowest I pardoned thee once before when thou didst villanously abuse my father this because my father would haue it so Thou knowest that I did straightly charge thee that thou shouldest not goe out of Ierusalem Why then didst thou not take warning Why hast thou not kept the oath of the Lord and the commandement which I laid vpon thee Goâ— Officer fall vpon him kill him Who can deny but the condemnation of these men was iust So was also Adoniah his who hauing beene pardoned for his ambitious and seditious practices before fell into the like offence againe and so receiued the wages of his iniquity But now when a man is ouertaken with a fault as the Apostle speaketh and offendeth by infirmity not with a high hand as Moses speaketh that is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 arrogantly presumptuously as Shelomoh expoundeth it not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with an vncouered face that is impudently as Onkelâ—s taketh it I say when a poore Dauid as it were would borrow a sheep of carlish Nabal that would be loth to giue him a sheepes-head to saue his life and the liues of his hunger-bitten children I graunt theft is theft by whomsoeuer it is committed and euery one should eate his owne bread and they that cannot digge should not be ashamed to beg and if one will not giue another will peraduenture but yet the belly is an vnruly euill as Saint Iames saith of the tongue and it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a pernicious euill that forceth a man to remember it whether he will or no as Homer saith And skinne for skinne and all that a man hath will he giue for his life the Deuill himselfe confessed Now in this case of necessity Saul was cruel that would haue Ionathan put to death for taking a little honey vpon the point of his Speare when he was ready to faint 1 Sam. 14. and men doe not despise a Thiefe that stealeth to satisfie his soule because he is hungry as Salomon saith Prouerbs 6. In my conscience I am perswaded that whomsoeuer your Honours forgiue vpon these termes the King forgiueth and whomsoeuer the King forgiueth God forgiueth yea and God will forgiue you the rather for forgiuing O but the Law is against it and Iudges are but the mouthes and interpreters of the Law and as the great Warriour writeth Aliae sunt partes Imperatoris aliae Legati that is The Generall may doe that which the greatest Officer vnder him cannot So Iudges are tyed to the prescript of the Law and mercy they must leaue to the Soueraigne I answere that if the King hath prescribed them a straight obseruing of the letter and haue left nothing to their godly discretion and conscionable consideration than I haue no more to say they are tyed by their Allegeance to yeeld absolute obedience Obedience in this case is better then sacrifice yea better than mercy it selfe which is the best sacrifice Otherwise if the King say thus vnto you I haue appointed you in my place to minister Iustice vnto my people and you may meet with many circumstances which the Law that is generall cannot prouide for looke what your heart tells you that my selfe would doe if I were there in person that sticke not to doe I will allow you or excuse you then me thinkes you haue your Dormant-warrant as it were and then you shall please better in losing a point of the Law than in straining it too hard This is true that as the Magistrate must be very vnwilling to draw blood like as the Physician proceedeth vnwillingly ad vrendum secandum that is To vse the hot-iron or the knife so he must alwayes beware lest the complaint of Lucan be taken vp against him Excessit medicina modum The purgation was too strong he drew too many ounces of blood from the patient Oh that it might be many times said of a Circuit which was once said of Archidamus his victory yea of Alexander Seuerus his Raigne that it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without shedding of blood The cause hereof is not want of bowels in the Iudges who I perswade my selfe desire to be mercifull as their heauenly Father is mercifull and doe bleed inwardly when they are to giue Sentence with such commiseration as God shewes himselfe to haue Hos. 11. How shall I giue thee vp Ephraim how shall I deliuer thee Israel how shall I make thee as Admah And in Esay 27. Who will set the bryers and thornes against me in battell So the Iudges speake Oh that our Sentence tended to the destruction of things without life or at the most of dumbe creatures and not of reasonable creatures made of the same blood that we are and partakers with vs of the
is a good entrance to the Omination the later part of my diuision the which I will rather touch than handle the time being so farre spent The soule of my Lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God and the soule of thine enemies shall he sling out as out of the middle of a sling In these words Abigail promiseth or foretelleth wisheth at the least safety and preseruation to Dauids person and estate and describeth the same safety by a Metaphor of safe bindingor safe pursing We know that eares of corne if they lie scattered vpon the ground they may easily be trod out with the foote or licked vp by a beast but if they be bound vp in a bundle and the bundle layd vp in a stacke then they are out of harmes way commonly the originall may signifie a Bundle as in that place of the Canticles that is My Beloued is as a bundle of myrrhe Tseror mor. Again we know that if a piece of money be it of gold or siluer be cast vpon the table or some odde place it may be taken vp by some thiefe or one that is light-fingered but if it be pursed then it is safe The originall may signifie a purse as inthat place of Haggai Chapter 1. He that earneth wages putteth it into a bagge or purse that hath a hole in it In like manner of Phrasing Dauid saith that his teares were put vp in Gods bottle that none of them should be spilt vpon the ground but should be remembred and accounted for And Saint Paul That our life is hid with Christ in God hid that is layed vp 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in a repository sure and safe And briefely the Prophet Esay phraseth it after the same manner that God had made him a chosen shaft and hid him in his quâ—uer that it should not be broken nor pilfered away by euery one that came in the way Now we vnderstand the meaning of the Phrase but peraduenture for the truth of the matter euery one is not satisfied for some will say How could Abigail speake so confidently that Dauid and consequently such as were faithfull like Dauid should not miscarry since so many worthy seruants of God and his Anointed ones haue dyed a violent death as namely â—osiah to speake of no more before Christs time and after Christs time Gratian and Valentinian Christian and godly Emperours and of late in our fresh memory the two Henries of France that I speake nothing of the Prince of Conde and the Prince of Orange If it be true as it is most true that these had their liues taken away by their enemies then Abigails speech cannot be true in the generall I answere first That Abigail speaketh this as a well-wishing woman but not as a Prophetesse for we doe not read any where that the name of a Prophetesse is giuen vnto her Secondly That prophesies themselues importing a blessing haue either expressed or implyed a condition namely If they will walke in the wayes of the Lord with an vpright heart and with all their heart c. euen as Samuel the Prophet expresseth the happinesse of a King and a State conditionally and not absolutely in those termes If ye will feare the Lord and serue him and heare his voyce both you and your King shall follow the Lord that is you shall prosper in following the Lord a Metonymie of the cause for the effect but if ye doe wickedly ye shall perish both you and your King O that we would consider this we that forget God so oft and so foulely what hurt we doe to our good King not onely our selues by euery worke of impiety and iniquity we doe we strike at his Estate as oft as we strike our brother with the fist of wickednesse we wound our Kings person after a sort as oft as we teare God with our false or vaine oathes we doe what we can to shorten his dayes as oft as we drawe along the cords of vnnecessary contentions of sensuality of drunkennesse of oppression of vncharitablenesse of coozenage of vsury and the like These doe more endanger a Kingdome than either forraine enemies or domestike conspirators For as while we please the Lord he maketh our very enemies to be our friends as it is in the Prouerbs yea the stones of the field to be at peace with vs and the beasts of the field to be at league with vs as it is in Iob. So on the other side if wickednesse be found in vs as Salomon said to Adoniah if an execrable thing be found in the Host as in the dayes of Iosuah then Israel cannot stand before the men of Aye nor Iosuah prosper Then the Lord will raise vp the vildest of the Nations to persecute vs they shall fanne vs and they shall empty vs till we be weeded out of the good Land that God hath giuen vs to possesse It is true the most High it is that translateth Kingdomes taking them from one Nation and giuing them to another as it is in the Prophet Daniel but it is true withall that this is done for the sinnes of the people euen as Salomon expresly setteth it downe Prouerbs 28. For the transgression of a people there be many Princes that is many changes when as on the contrary side when a people doe set their hearts to feare the Lord and to worship him with holy worship when they meddle with the thing that is equall and right and shunne the sinnes of vnfaithfulnesse of Idolatry of presumption of profanenesse and the like then behold he giueth them a good Prince in his mercy and keepeth him vnto them in his fauour preseruing his lying downe and rising vp his going forth and comming home in such sort that the enemy can doe him no violence nor the sonne of wickednesse hurt him Would we then haue our King to flourish and to prosper to liue out of danger and gun-shot Oh then let vs not onely pray for him as Tertullian did for the Emperor that God would giue him Domum tutam exercitus fortes senatum fidelem that is A safe Court valiant Armies and a faithfull Senate but also that he would giue him Populum probum that is A vertuous people a good Commonalty which is a part of Tertullians prayer in the same place and let vs endeauour our selues euery one for his part to make vp this Populum probum that is to be pious and vertuous Let vs haue nothing to doe with the stoole of wickednesse which imagineth mischiefe like a Law let vs haue nothing to doe with the bagge of deceit with false weights false measures since these be an abomination to the Lord as Salomon speaketh and since God is a reuenger of all such things as the Apostle testifieth Finally let vs haue nothing to doe with the vnfruitfull workes of darkenesse but rather reproue
had corrupted his way vpon earth through lust especially So now the world may seeme to be corrupt and abominable through Drunkennesse Of Wisedome there is deliuered a negatiue Proposition The depth saith It is not in me the Sea also saith It is not in me But of Drunkennesse it may be said affirmatiuely that both depth and dry land both City and Towne are full of it It was once said of God Iouis omnia plena All the world is full of God so by the Latine Poet. By the Greeke also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All streetes are full of Ioue all market places all Seas and Ports but now the like is verified of Drunkennesse which God abhorreth and good men condemne all the world is set vpon this naughtinesse Now if God had no where spoken against it or if secretly or in the chamber as it were we had either beene in no fault or in lesse fault For as where there is no Law there is no transgression so where men are ineuitably necessarily blinde or ignorant they haue somewhat to excuse their sinne withall But now when all the Prophets and holy men of God from Moses downeward as many as haue written or spoken haue sharply inueighed against this sinne when as Augustine speaketh against merit Vniuersa facies atque vt ita dicam vultus sanctarum Scripturarum rectè intuentes id admonere inuenitur vt qui gloriatur in Domino glorietur The whole face and countenance of the holy Scriptures doth admonish them that looke vpon it with a streight eye that he that reioyceth should reioice in the Lord. So the whole Book of God if we will search it as we are commanded to do Iohn 5. doth euery where decipher the odiousnesse of Drunkennesse and what plagues God bringeth vpon them that delight therein ought we not to hold that sin most vile and detestable that is so generally spoken against Looke vpon my Text onely Be not drunke sâ—ith the Apostle Marke he doth not say I aduise you not to be drunke though as Tertullian saith Consilium edictum eius diuini iam praecepti instar obtinuit c. His counsell were of no lesse authority than a commandement but he expressely layeth his commandement vpon vs Be not drunke Where note in the second place That Gods wayes be not like mans wayes as the Prophet saith Men thinke it is an indifferent thing to drinke much or little nay they count it a generous thing to drinke hard and that man is no Gallant that is not a great drinker 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is the true Gentleman now adayes that can drinke and drab it best O tempora ô mores saith the Orator O mysteria ô moâ—es saith Ambrose O Lord to what times hast thou reserued me cryed out Polycarpus in Eusebius Men call euill good What remaineth next but that they call good euill But Saint Paul here in Gods name chargeth vs not to be drunke therefore he doth not leaue vs to our liberty but requireth it as a speciall duty that we keepe our selues within the bounds of sobriety Indeed in the words going next before he forbiddeth vs to be vnwise in Gods matters and commandeth vs to vnderstand what is the will of the Lord and therefore adding immediatly thereupon the words of my Text Be not drunke with wine he would haue vs to make this collection That Drunkennesse is a speciall hinderance to the knowledge of God It is so and to the seruice of God and to whatsoeuer is of piety or humanity either It was said in old time Prooue a man to be vngratefull and you prooue him to be altogether naught and so it may be said in all times If you prooue â— man to be a drunkard you prooue him to be filthy and to euery good worke reprobate He may haue a name to liue but indeed he is dead as S. Iohn speaketh he may haue the appearance of a man but indeed he is a beast as Ieremy speaketh He may be thought to be a sound man but indeed he is demoniacall obsessed or rather possessed with a Deuill or rather deuils more miserable than such a one For as Basil saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that hath a Deuill is pityed but the drunkard is not worthy to bepitied 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he wrestleth with a Deuill of his owne choosing To be short The drunkard is no better than an Idoll he hath eyes and seeth not eares and heareth not tongue and speaketh not feet walketh not Nec pes nec manus nec lingua of ficium faciunt If a blind man and a lame man agree together one may helpe the other according to the Embleme the blind man hauing his limmes may carry the lame vpon his backe and the lame man hauing his eyes may direct the blind But now if two drunkards goe together if they can goe they both fall into the ditch and the fall is grieuous and many times foule It is said in the Prouerbs Seest thou a man wise in his owne eyes there is more hope of a foole than of such a one And so we may say in this case Seest thou a man giuen to the cup there is as much hope of an Asse as of him The reason is plaine Euery other sinne that a man committeth leaueth some sting or remorse behind it but the drunkard seemeth to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 past sorrow past feeling Againe euery other sinne hath its satiety but the drunkard is neuer weary of drinking as the daughters of the Horse-leech cry Giue giue so he cryeth Giue giue Fill fill Therefore when God would shew his hatred against pride because it could hardly be compared to a worse thing he compareth it to drunkennesse saying Behold the proud man or arrogant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as he that transgresseth by wine he keepeth not at home lo-ijnueh he enlargeth his desire as hell and is as death and cannot be satisfied Indeed thus it is with drunkards they cry out Nos nisi damnosi bibimus moriemur inulti Et calices poscunt maiores If we drinke not till our eyes stare againe and while we haue euer a penny in our purse we shall dye an ignoble death no man will reuenge our death So doe the drunkards exhort one another in the Prophet Come I will bring wine and we will fill our selues with strong drinke and to morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant This is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the practice but what is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the duty The Apostle sheweth it in my Text Be not drunke So to the Romanes Walke honestly as in the day time not in gluttony and drunkennesse what followeth neither in chambering and wantonnesse So it is Venter mero aestuans citò despumat in libidines saith Hierome When the Persian Embassadors were well whitled then they fell
die he must Shut the doores of the wombe and then no entrance into this world but being here so many are the passages hence that they cannot bâ— stopped So that a liuing man is but an Embleme of that liuelesse Anatomy where the Ram pusheth at the head the Bull at the Necke the Lion at the Heart the Scorpion at the Priuy parts c. One dyes of an Apoplexie in the head another of a Struma in the necke a third of a Squinancie in the throate a fourth of the Cough and Consumption of the Lungs others of Obstructions Inflammations Pleurisies Gowts Dropsies c. And him that escapeth the sword of Hazael him doth Iebu slay and him that escapeth the sword of Iebu him doth Elisha slay Let God arme any of the least of all his creatures against the strongest man it is present death Our glasse is so britle that euery thing that can knocke it can cracke it nay what is more brittle than glasse yet it may be laid vp and preserued for many ages for though subiect to knocks which it may escape yet not to agues to diseases But with man-kind mortality dwelleth Intus est hoc malum in visceribus ipsis haeret where euer life is there is death it stickes in our very bowels The Comparison is Saint Augusâ—ines We walke among casualties saith he Si vitrei essemus If we were glasse c. Falls for these brittle vessels we feare but age or sickenesse we feare not in respect of them But man besides the many casualties that haue continuall intercourse with his life lyes open to the enfeerbling of age and sickenesse The holy Scriptures call our Tabernacles earthly houses and very rightly for either they fall by outward violence or moulder away of their owne accord Man dwelleth in houses of clay whose foundation is in the dust which are crushed before the moth Thus fraile are we and all the world cannot helpe it But God can helpe all If that were a good argument Could not he that opened the eyes of the blind haue caused that euen this man should not haue dyed Then this is good He that restored him to life being dead could much more haue kept him in life being yet aliue He can translate Enoch to depart without the sense of death or if He please that he shall not die at all He can if it seemed Him best graunt vnto all men their common desire not to vncloath them at all but cloath them vpon with theiâ— house which is from Heauen that mortality may be swallowed vp of life And he can for he will take order that all those that are aliue at the comming of the Lord shall not sleepe but be changed in a moment But where he decreeth the faithfull to death there also he can he will with the Vipers flesh cure the Vipers sting and out of darkenesse fetch light and out of death life filling the dying man with liuing comfort First through his future Hope that though the sap sinke into the roote yet it shall reuiue For Heauens dew is as the dew of hearbes and the earth shall giue vp her dead and he after he hath slept a while in his bed the graue shall arise refreshed euen when this corruptible shall put on incorruption and this mortall shall put on immortality Secondly Through his present expectation he shall defie death saying as great Saint Basil to the Tyrant Quomodo mortem formidabo quae me meo Creatori sit redditura How shal I feare death which will giue me backe vnto my Maker Nay with our Apostle Saint Paul like a prisoner that would be enlarged I desire to be dissolued and to be with Christ which is best of all And as thus the beleeuer comforts himselfe in the Power of God so likewise in the Wisedome of God who afflicts him onely when he needs affliction as Saint Peter hath it though now for a season if need be ye are in heauinesse c. These corroding medicines need be applyed to eate out proud flesh these bitter potions to purge out peccant humours these dusts to smoake vs out of the high-way of the world these vnpleasant things to acquaint vs with the bitter fruit of sinne and what that wrath-full cup was which Christ our Sauiour dranke of for our sins these to try our faith our patience and the naturalnesse of our loue whether it will beare the rod laid on not so much for the Fathers pleasure as for the childrens profit And in the Loue of God he can take comfort who when he giues a bitter potion stands by to see the working of his Physicke And when the Physicians of our bodies are not touched with the sicke fits of their patients God Almighty the Physician of Israel can condole with vs. To this purpose Isaiah In all their affliction he was afflicted and Ioel he is such a one as is sorry for our afflictions Finally he can comfort himselfe in the faithfulnesse of the Lord. For God is faithfull who will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue our strength but will giue the issue with the temptation saith our Apostle God will not suffer the smarting playster longer on than needs must but will be a refuge in due time as Dauid tells vs and speake comfortable things to our hearts euen in the wildernesse as he promiseth by another Prophet Thus he that hath faith in his heart cheareth vp himselfe in the midst of discomforts by the Power Wisedome Loue Faithfulnesse of his God which sets him downe with the Churches soliloquies in her Lamentations The Lord is my portion saith my soule therefore will I hope in him The Lord is good to them that wait for him to the soule â—hat seeketh him It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the saluation of the Lord. Foolish therefore and impious is the practice of those to make some vse of this matter who in times of feare of care of sorrow or of distresse of conscience seeke to allay or forget their heart-pangs by ioyning to merry riotous and profane company As if a man ranne from a Lion and a Beare met him or leaned his hand on a wall and a Serpent bit him this is to put more on the â—core where is too much already and to make two reall euils of one seeming one Forsaking the fountaine of liuing waters to dig to themselues pits broken pits that can hold no water Ionas the Prophet would be an example to such for euer who flying from the preâ—ence of the Lord toward Tarshish there to hide from God and to solace and forget himselfe if possible among the Learned of that Vniuersity was pursued by vengeance throwne into the bottome of the sea filled with feare lest the Whale should deuoure his body and hell his soule for as a man already in the state of the dead he said
a place of celestiall pleasure and celestiall plenty plenty that neuer faileth and pleasures for euer-more And thus haue you our Meditations on the Text. A word more of this present occasion we haue done When I was appointed by this right Reuerend and Honorable Prelate to this seruice I found him declining any Encomium of his pr aises for well knew he what Austin hath and what hath Augustine or any of the Fathers that he knew not That the soule receiued among the blessed regardeth not the commendations of men Imitationem tantùm quaerit it liketh their imitation better But as the Elders of the Iewes to Christ in another case on the Centurions behalfe He is worthy thou shouldest doe this for him for he hath loued our Nation and built vs a Synagogue he is worthy to be remembred of vs for he loued our Nation id est vs Ministers and he furnished your Synagogues your Churches with the plentifull preaching of the Gospell The same which moued Israel so honourably to interre that good high Priest Iehoiada is our cause this day For he did good in Israel both towards God and towards his house Ye daughters of Israel weepe ouer him who clothed you in scarlet with other delights and put on ornaments of gold vpon your apparell Two singular ornaments crowned him which seldome meete in one man Learning and Humility Learning the ornament of his mind and humility the ornament of his learning Iulius secundus studying long for an Exordium to his matter was asked by Iulius Florus Nunquid tu melius dicere vis quà m potes I haue matter if I must fit it with speech I must speake better than in this cantle of time I can speake Therefore lest I should Frigidè laudare which Fauorinus liketh not I le giue it you in grosse considering his much reading with the happinesse of his memory how well acquainted with Histories Ecclesiasticall and profane with the Iewish Rabbins and the Christian Doctors with Diuines ancient and moderne with Fathers Greeke and Latin how perfect in the Greeke the Hebrew the Chaldee the Syriacke and the Arabicke tongues I am bold to affirme that there are few so learned men vnder heauen One monument of his learning haue we for which the age now doth and the children vnborne shall blesse his memory That he began with others but finished alone with one of the greatest and most learned Bishops of the Church of England set forth the new and most exact translation of the Bible wherein as it was said of Ierome for translating the Septuagint into the Dalmatian tongue he deliuered the Scriptures suae linguae hominibus to Englishmen in English The sole merit of which worke preferred him to this place of gouernment in the Church For with Basilius Magnus Non ex maioribus sed ex propria virtute Nobilitatem duxit He eennobled himselfe with his owne worth and vertue And touching his Humility as it was said of Piso so more truely of him Nemo fuit qui magis quae agenda erant curaret sine vlla ostentatione agendi No man did more good than he with lesser shew of ostentation How he decked himselfe inwardly with lowlinesse of minde and did put himselfe vnderneath himselfe euery one that knew him knew On a time and many such I could tell you a poore Minister sending in to speake with him abruptly he brake off a most serious discourse saying But the Minister must not stay lest we should seeme to take state vpon vs. Therein imitating that great and inuincible Supporter of the Faith of one Substance Athanasius of whom Nazianzene writeth that being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 growne to a super excellent height of vertue yet was he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 easie of accesse and facile to entertaine the poore mans suit When in his sickenesse one hoped for his recouery he gaue the answer that Saint Ambrose gaue to the Nobles of Millaine that desired him to pray for life Non ita inter vos vixi vt pudeat me viuere nec timeo mori quoniam Dominum bonum habemus I haue not so liued among you that I am ashamed to liue neither am I afraid to dye because our Lord is good How he perseuered in the truth you shall heare Some few dayes before his death in the presence of a worthy and truely Noble Knight I heard him discourse sweetly of the Certainty of Saluation and of Perseuerance in Grace comfortable truths so much opposed by Papists Arminians and carnall Gospellers And in conclusion he did affirme That he which holds the Protestants doctrine and faith herein hath built his house vpon the Rocke and the gates of Hell shall not preuaile against him Not many houres before his departure for as Ambrose of Acholius non obijt sed abijt I found him as mee seemed victorious vpon some conflict and Quis Sanctorum sine certamine coronatur What Saint was euer crowned but vpon a combat saith Saint Ierome I drew neere his bed he reached for my hand and greezed it and now you see the cause of my choise saying I know whom I haue beleeued and I am perswaded that he is able to keepe that which I haue committed vnto him against that Day This occasioned some thing concerning relyance vpon God by Faith yea said he I had fainted vnlesse I had beleeued to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the Land of the liuing Mention being further made of Faith and Hope and of their obiect But saith he againe in Dauids words The mercies of the Lord are from generation to generation on them that feare him Mercy brought in thoughts of Christ oh saith he in the words of that holy Martyr None but Christ None but Christ. Being told how preciously the Lord esteemeth the death of such he replyed Right deare Right deare in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Some prayers made for him vpon his desire at conclusion he said Amen I thanke God Amen enough enough Amen I thanke God They write of Lanfrancus sometime Archbishop of Canturbury that he often prayed and obtained to dye such a death that neither hindered speech nor memory this blessing God afforded our Reuerend Bishop for as I am certified by one most deare to him and worthy to be beleeued when he was leauing this life he looked on her and on the rest of his children in the chamber present and said Christ blesse you all And like that old Patriarke Iacob he moued himselfe vpon the bed and cryed Christ Iesus helpe and so Christ tooke him and conclamatum est His soule is now at rest his name is among the Worthies of the Church his estate is with his children and now are we to returne his body to the dust from whence it was taken The best fruits shew their goodnesse when they haue lyen let him lie a while and mellow let vs