carried in a Cart but vpon mens shoulders and for neglecting that was he stricken dead as you may gather by the correcting of that fault in the very same Chapter Neither would Dauid haue beene displeased with Vzaes death if he had sooner knowne this 1. Sam. 6. nor the Bethshemites would neuer haue asked this question Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God when that more then fiftie thousand were slaine for looking into the Arke For God had prouided Numb â— that the Leâ—ites that bare it should not come neere till the sonnes of Aaron had wrapt it in three or foure couerings if before that they touched it they were to die How much lesse might the promiscuous multitude behold it and not suffer for their presumption Two affections there are Loue and Feare which must order our respect towards God and the lesse we are apt to loue God the more doth God take order we should feare him And Seueritie is neuer more seasonable then when the first foundation of a State is laid as this of Israel now was for if Lawes be then slighted they will neuer be obeyed and awe well begun in the people is like to be the longer liued Therefore will God haue Iustice so quicke in this case But here is not only death denounced but such a death as belongeth to an execrable thing For first all men must abborre the person so I vnderstand the phrase No hand shall touch it Though some conceiue thereby that all rescuing of the malefactor is forbidden But that sense though it bee good yet is not so naturall to my text This rather is meant that no man must desile himselfe by touching him who by his presumption had made himselfe abominable For as hee that being himselfe impure touching holy things in the Law maketh them prophane and abominable so he that being otherwise pure intrudeth vpon holy ground or â—surpeth holy things makes his owne person abominable And none is reputed of God more abominable then he that is sacrilegiously presumptious Though no man must touch him yet euery mans hand must be against him they must stone him with stones or shoot him through If neare then must they stone him with stones if farther off from them then they must shoot him with darts euery hand must trie euery meanes rather then they must suffer the malefactors to scape And hee must needs be an execrable person against whom God doth arme the hands of all the people with iustice Finally note that this doome is vnpardonable the very phrase importeth as much Moriendo morietur non viuet these words note a peremptorinesse in the sentence You haue the like in Ezech. 18. as the contrarie thereunto in that place He shall liue hee shall not die noteth a certaintie of life We must take heed of corrupting the phrase as Eue did Gen. 3. who when God told Adam At what time thou shalt eate of the forbidden fruit moriendo morieris Thou shalt surely die she turned the phrase which was vndoubted into a peraduenture and told the Serpent lest yee die And see our weaknesse Commonly in doubtfull cases wee incline to the worst she did but doubt she might not doe it the Deuill putteth her out of all doubt and telleth her shee may doe it It is not good therefore for vs to play the wantons with Gods threatnings if we meane to hold in our vntoward nature from sinning we must vnderstand them in that rigour as God doth deliuer them Euery man must For here is Quicunque no respect of persons none of the people none of the Priests as many as are forbidden to sinne so many are threatned the doome Neither haue the great any priuiledge to doe ill and farewell all shall fare as they doe Neither only men but beasts also you haue heard before they were forbidden to transgresse so here you see if they doe transgresse they are doomed to die The master shall bee punished in the losse of his beast because hee looked not better to him and the beast shall bee punished because it had ventured to prophane holy ground for I told you before that euen beasts were tied to doe reuerence to the Sanctuarie Man and beast must die if they transgresse die by the hands of the Israelites But a malefactor may yet hope that the people will bee foolishly pitifull at least great ones may thinke they may find as much fauour as Agag did at the hands of Saul What then shall they escape shall Gods doome bee reuerst it shall not bee reuerst they shall not scape The Lord shall breake forth against the greatest of them Gods iustice is fenced with mercie and his mercie is as it were a bulwarke betweene vs and his iustice but if so bee our sinnes grow to this height it will not be held in And when it rusheth forth it is like an ouerbearing flash of lightning which flieth not abroad without a fearefull clap of thunder it terrifieth and destroyeth together But more of that hereafter There remaine two points more which I will touch in a word The first This prohibition is often repeated here we haue it in my text and we haue it once and againe towards the end of this Chapter you would thinke this superfluous Moses himselfe thought so he seemeth somewhat discontented with God for inculcating it so often But Moses was but a Nouice in gouernment therefore he thought once telling was enough Dan 7 9. God which is the ancient of dayes and throughly acquainted with mans infirmitie knowes that his forgetfulnesse his vntowardlinesse needeth be remembred he must be vrged more then once and often is not more then enough to worke our care and keepe vs in awe See then Gods clemencie that doth not hold his tongue in warning that hee may hold his hand in striking Wee are no better then the Israelites neither doe wee lesse neede reiterated warnings then the Israelites did the Minister therefore must not bee secure of his charge but suspect these defects in them and redouble his admonitions to them As Moses added a Deuteronomie to the former Bookes of the Law though he repeated but the same thing and the Euangelists added Gospel vpon Gospel of the same argument and the Apostles added Epistles to Epistles not much varying their doctrine So it must not grieue vs to write and speake the same things to the people and for them it is a sure thing as the Apostle teacheth Philip 3. v. 1. The last point sheweth how this prohibition is limited in time When the Trumpet soundeth long then shall they come vp to the Mount It is disputed whether these words point out the time wherein the Israelites must come out to meete God and then come vp the Hill is but to come to the foot of the hill whether Moses brought them Or whether it point the time when God would goe from the Mount and leaue it free to be resorted vnto by man and beast This
aduise you shall sind in Meses 〈◊〉 â—â— The secret things belong vnto the Lord God but those things which are reuealed belong vnto vs and to our children for euer that we may doe all the words of this Law I haue hitherto told you onely in generall whom this Prohibition doth concerne but in the 24. verse wee find a distribution of these persons there we sind that the Law is laid not onely vpon the People but vpon the Priest also No body will make a a question of the people what modestie beseemeth them yet there was a time when the question was made of them also 〈◊〉 16. â— 3 for Korah Dathan and Abiram came vpon Moses and Aaron thus You take too much vpon you all the congregation is Holy and the Lord is amongst them God is as neere to euery man as he is to you and euerie man may come as neere God as you doe See you how they plead for confusion and animate the People to be bold with God But they were taught better manners I but if the people be what is that to the Priest Yea the Priest also is to learne modestie Not only the minor Cleargie as the Rhemists mince it but the maior too they that are likely most to presume were to haue a speciall Item For the pride of our heart will carrievs aboue our selues when wee see that others are placed below therefore they that are aduanced in any degree need to bee remembred that they keepe their station This did God excellently expresse in the fabricke of the Tabernacle and of the Temple wherein there was First Atrium prophanum thither might Infidels and vncleane persons come but no farther within that was Atrium populi thither might the Lay both women and men come that were circumcised and not vncleane but farther they might not come except it were to offer their speciall Sacrifices within that was Atrium Sacerdotum thereinto might the Leuites come to doe their seruice to the Priest but no farther within that was Sanctum thereinto might the Priest goe to offer Incense but no farther within that was Sanctum Sanctorum whereunto the High Priest only had accesse and that but once a yeare in reuerence of Gods maiestie sitting in the Cloud there vpon the Mercie Seate betweene the Cherubins You see that the neerest places to Gods presence were of rarest accesse and that by fewest persons Looke what state God kept in the Tabernacle and Temple the same he kept at this Hill appointing vnto the Israelites seuerall stations the multitude both of Priests and people haue their station allotted in this text Some might come nearer as Aaron Nadab and Abihu and the seuentie Elders but they are willed to worship afarre off and Moses alone was to come neare the Lord but they are expressely willed not to come nigh Verse 2â— In this Chapter Moses and Aaron are called vp alone and are excepted out of the prohibition they may passe beyond others whom God calleth and they only God was pleased to doe them this honour And wee must repute it a great honour done vnto them that they might come so neare vnto God Our Sauiour Christ in the dayes of his humiliation kept the like state so farre as might stand with his forme of a seruant For he did not conueâ—se so familiarly with the multitude as with the seuentie Disciples nor with the seuentie as with the twelue Apostles nor with the twelue Apostles as with the pillars of them Peter Iames and Iohn who only were admitted to bee priuie to the highest glorie that hee manifested on earth which was his Transfiguration and the deepest Passion which hee endured on earth which was his agonie Yea euen of these three he chose out one as the principall fauourite Iohn whose stile is the beloued Disciple who at supper leaned on his bosome whom Saint Peter himselfe vsed vnto Christ when he would be resolued Who it was that should betray him Finally him he made the high soring and sharpe sighted Eagle the beholder and penner of that Reuelation which hath as many mysteries as words God then who is an absolute Monarch will bee a free disposer of his fauours and we must not presume of more then hee vouchsafeth the People may not the Priest may not both must take heed vnto themselues that they doe not presume Take heed vnto themselues Then themselues haue a pronenesse to curiositie Iaâ—â—eâ— 1 And indeed so it is for euery man is baited and so ledaside by his owne lusts and there is no lust so ancient in man as pride is Yea the first sinne of Angels was the stepping ouer their bounds and though pride be not homebred in man as it was in Angels yet experience proued in Adam and Eue that mans nature is a soile very apt to conceiue the seed of pride if it be sowne in it by the Deuill neither will any seed of iniquitie proue sooner or faster Considering then the aptnesse of our nature to receiue and forwardnesse to bring forth this euill fruit God doth not without cause by Moses bid the Israelites take heed vnto themselues Neither to themselues only but to their cattell also they must bee watcht that they breake not the bounds And indeed if our peccare be quasi pecuare if wee shew our selues beasts when wee doe straggle then it is the propertie of beasts to straggle and seeing it is their propertie they must be looked vnto But you will say that they are vnreasonable creatures and so able to doe morally neither well nor ill True but yet the place which we must not prophane our selues we must much lesse suffer our beasts for to prophane Yea obserue it well and you shall find that whether wee keepe fasting dayes or feasting dayes God will haue euen beasts to communicate in some sort in the Ceremoniall part of our pietie In the solemne repentance of Niniue not only the men but the beasts also are commanded by the King to bee kept from meate to bee clothed with sackcloth In the Law of the Sabbath when man resteth the beast must rest also thinke you only in a cruill sense There is more in it then so as hereafter I shall shew you God would haue them also to obserue his Feasts And here we see that what prohibition God layeth vpon men he layeth vpon beasts neither may prophane holy ground And may ours doe that which theirs might not doe May dogges tread in Gods Sanctuarie during the New Testament which vnder the old Testament were not suffered to be so very dogges that is impudent creatures It should seeme wee thinke they may else would wee not bring them hither and indure them here not only to disturbe Gods seruice but also to disgrace Gods House I shame to speake what we blush not to see the markes of their vncleanlinesse in the most sacred places of this Church and I thinke other Churches are not vsed much better Well I would wee were more
Zorobabels Temple But that place must be considered not in its meanenesse as it was built by the Iewes but as it was furnished with that glorie whereof heretofore you haue heard that house so adorned was to bee the place of peace Salomons Temple was a place of peace but his peace was but a type it was a worldly peace Zorobabels Temple is also a place of peace but his peace is the truth that answered the former type the peace thereof is heauenly that Temple which had but the type of the glorie had no more but the type of the peace and the truth of the peace rested there where the truth of the glorie was So that there is an emphasis in the words this place the holy Ghost giueth thereby the Iewes to vnderstand that it was not the former but the later Temple whereunto God intended the peace which he promised to Dauid 2 Sam. 7. 2 Chro. 22. Isay 25. 26. and all the promises of peace in the Prophets were to be referred thither this Ierusalem was to answer vnto her name and to be indeed the vision of peace But I told you heretofore that Zorobabels Temple was to be vnderstood not only literally but mystically and so it signifieth not onely that materiall house but also the Christian Church peace is annext vnto this peace Extra Ecclesiam non est salus No saluation without the Church and therefore no peace he shall neuer haue God for his Father that hath not the Church for his Mother In our Creed wee place the holy Catholicke Church and Communion of Saints before the remission of sinnes and life euerlasting As the soule doth not quicken other parts than those that are vnited to the body no more doth the spirit of God giue his blessing of peace to any that are distracted from the body of the Church This must be obserued against all Schismaticks that doe excommunicate them selues and disorderly persons that are iustly excommunicated by the censure of the Church all these while they continue in that state though they doe not lose ius ad pacem yet they doe lose ius in pace though they doe not lose their interest in yet they suspend the benefit of that peace and their state is vncomfortable though it be not irrecouerable And they which follow negligently the assemblies of the Church doe not a little defraud themselues of this peace for they must seeke it chiefly by prayer in Gods house and there doth God dispence it by the mouth of his Ministers I will giue you only two proofes the one our of the Old Testament when the sacrifices were ended which were typicall prayers Num 6.25 Aaron is willed to dismisse the people with these words The Lord blesse thee and keepe thee the Lord make his face shine vpon thee and be gracious vnto thee the Lord lift vp the light of his countenance vpon thee and giue thee peace A second proofe wee haue in the New Testament where the Church doth solemnely vse those words of the Apostle when after the Liturgie it dismisseth the people The peace of God which passeth all vnder standing keep your hearts and mindes c. And what better inuitation can wee haue to repaire often to the Church than this blessing of peaceâ— foure-fold peace which is there daily offered vnto vs and may bee receiued if we come and come prepared for it I say prepared Before you heard that the peace commeth to the house but as it is furnished with the glorie where there is none of the glorie there can be none of the peace therefore wee must prepare these Temples of our bodies and soules by entertainement of the glory that they may be made capable of the peace The Apostle speaketh plainely Rom. 5. Wee must bee iustified by faith before we can haue peace with God Esay 32. If iudgement dwell in the wildernesse and righteousnesse remaine in the fruitfull fielde the worke of righteousnesse shall bee peace 1 Cor. 2. and the effect of righteousnesse quietnesse and assurance for euer God doth annoint vs before he doth establish vs. St. Austin hath a witty conceit vpon the words of the 85. Psalme Righteousnesse and Peace haue kissed each other Duae sunt amicae Iustitia Pax c. Righteousnesse and Peace are two fast friends happely thou wouldest gladly enioy the one but thou wilt not bee perswaded to performe the other for there is no man that would not willingly haue peace but all are not willing to worke righteteousnesse yet be thou assured that if thou dost not loue peace's friend which is righteousnesse peace will neuer loue thee for righteousnesse and peace doe kisse each the other 2 King 9. You know what Iehu answered the King of Israel when he asked him Is it peace Iehu what peace can there bee so long as the whoredomes and witchcrafts of thy mother are so many So may we reply to euery soule vnquiet soule that enquireth after peace Looke for none where there is sinne Well may there bee the enemie assaulting and daily sounding alarums but this securing peace which is Gods garrison cannot bee there So long as the Iewes serued God their enemies could not inuade their borders Exod 34. but then the Temple was exposed to the enemie when the Prophets could not reclaime them from sin It is a good conscience that is a continuall feast You haue heard seuerally of the Peace and the Place you must now heare ioyntly of their knitting together who knits them and How He that knitteth them is God in Christ God is the God of peace so the Apostle calleth him Phil. 4.19 and the Prophet tels vs that he creates light as well as darkenesse and Elihu is so bold as to say Iob 34. that if God giue peace none can hinder it But as God giueth it so hee giueth it in Christ for it is his worke to make peace the Prophet Esay cap. 9. vers 6. calleth him the Prince of peace his true members are Sonnes of peace his Apostles Messengers of peace and his doctrine is the Gospell of peace all the foure specified degrees of peace were wrought by him First he tooke away the guilt of our sinne Esay 53. The chastisement of our peace was layd vpon him For he that knew no sinne was made sinne for vs that wee might be made the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5. Secondly hee hath kild the worme for being iustified by faith in him our heart condemnes vs not and we haue confidence towards God so that we can come with boldnesse vnto the throne of grace Thirdly the Law of the spirit of life that is in Iesus Christ doth free vs from the Law of sinne and death Rom. 8. It mortifieth it subdueth the old man and maketh vs walke not according to the flesh but according to the spirit Finally he putteth an end to that discord that is betweene man and man The Prophets foretold that when hee
First Gods Worke Deus fecit God made the time a Day Secondly Mans Acknowledgement Haec est dies the Church doth Kalender it for a high day As we must learne thus discreetly to distinguish times so we must also learne to solemnize them Religiously In performance whereof the text will teach vs What we must doe and How That which wee must doe is reduced to two Heads wee must take full comfort in such a Day we must reioyce and be glad in it Reioyce with our bodies Bee glad in our soules both bodie and soule must expresse a comfortable sense Neither must wee only take comfort in it but pray also for the happie continuance of it for the continuance Saue Lord we may be depriued of it for the happie continuance of it Prosper Lord it may be in vaine bestowed on vs. These be the things that must bee done But How that is When and by whom When Now at the verie same time that Wee haue ioyed in the Day must Wee also bee praying for the continuance thereof And whom doth the Psalmist meane by We Looke vnto the beginning of the Psalme and you shall find the parties thus specified Israel the House of Aaron all that feare the Lord the Common-weale the Church the Cleargie the Laitie all whom the Day concernes must take notice thereof and expresse this dutie thereon You see the summe of this Scripture which I will now God willing enlarge farther and apply vnto our present occasion But before I enter vpon the particulars I may not forget to let you vnderstand that this Psalme hath a double sense an Historicall and a Mysticall the Historicall concernes King Dauid and the Kingdome of Israel the Mysticall toucheth Christ and his Church The Mysticall hath warrant from the Gospell wherein Christ doth apply some branches of this Psalme vnto himselfe the the Historicall is cleare in the Bookes of Samuel which intreat of the aduancement of King Dauid If we follow the Mysticall then the Day here remembred is Easter day or the Day of Christs Resurrection and that was a Day indeed the Sunne of Righteousnesse then shone forth in great strength and brought life and immortalitie to life But if we follow the Historicall sense then was the Day here remembred the Day of K. Dauids succession vnto Saul a verie Festiuall Day to Israel though not so high a Feast as is our Easter day The Fathers Commentaries runne most vpon the first sense our occasion is better fitted with the latter wherefore without preiudice to the former we will insist thereon leauing the Mysticall we will insist only vpon the Historicall sense of these words The first point therein is the discreet distinguishing of Times All times are not alike there are nights and there are dayes the time here specified is a Day Saint Basils Rule must guide vs in vnderstanding this word he tels vs that when the Holy Ghost speaketh of a Day in this and many other places wee must not plod vpon the course of the Sunne but looke vnto the occurrents of the time the occurents are of two sorts prosperous or aduerse the former is vsually called Day and the later Night We haue not then to doe with a Naturall but a Metaphoricall Day But Metaphors haue their reasonable grounds and because they are Implicitae Similitudines close couched resemblances we must vnwrap them that wee may see the resonablenesse that is in the vse of them If we doe this in our present Metaphor the reason will be apparent why a prosperous state is tearmed a Day For a Day is caused by the Sunne rising who by his beames sendeth to the earth Light and Heate Light by which all things are discerned and may bee distinguished and Heate by which they are quickened and cherished Euen so in a prosperous State there is something that answereth to the Sunne and that is a good King and well may the King bee tearmed a Sunne in the Common-Weâ—le as the Sunne is tearmed a King in the midst of the Planets A good King then like the Sunne ouer-spreads the Common-Weale with Light and Heate Light all things doe appeare in their right hue flatterâ—e or tyrannie doth not blanch or beare out falshood as truth and good as euill euery one beareth his proper name and is reputed no better then he is which is no small Blessing of a State if we take notice of that which is occurrent in euerie Historie That the best men haue beene branded as the vilest and the vilest haue beene commended for Worthies so farre hath darknesse ouercast the iudgement of the World seeke no farther then the storie of Christ and his Apostles the Scribes and the Pharisees As a good King doth remedie this perueâ—snesse of iudgement by a truer light so doth hee by a vegetable heate put heart into those that deserue well and further their well fare it is no small blessing you may gather it out of the 72. Psalme where the cheareful face as it were of the State doth speake the comfortable influence of a good King you may amplifie this point by that difference which in the 104. Psalme you finde betweene a day and a night The night is a time wherein the sauage beasts doe range abroad men retire and appeare not but in the day men goe freely abroad to their labour and the sauage beasts retire euen so in the time of an ill gouerned Common-Weale all sorts of beastly men as filthy as Swine as greedie as Wolues as cruell as Tigres as deceitfull as the Crocodile these and such like riot and controule and without shame satisfie their lust and then it is dangerous to be iust to be mercifull But the countenance of a good King chaseth such vermine away and none vnlike vnto him find Grace with him or appeare before him the 101. Psalme hath no other argument but this very point and Solomon hath exprest it in seuerall Prouerbs This blessing of Light and Heat of distinguishing and cherishing the good from and aboue the bad springs from a good King if hee bee only a Head of the Common-Weale many Heathen Kingdomes enioyed such Dayes vnder their Augustus Traians Adrians and the like But if the King be also a member of the Church a King of Israel as King Dauid was then doth he yeild vnto his State another Day vnto the Ciuill hee addes a Spirituall Day for as Constantine said well A good King is Episcopus ad extra Ecclesiam as the Pastors are ad intra though he may not administer sacred things yet must hee command them to be administred to bee administred sincerely that no Errours or Heresies dimme the heauenly Light and to be entertained reuerently that the people may feele the sweet inflaence of Grace Epistola ad Bonifacium hee maketh Lawes for the promulgation of the sauing truth of God as Saint Austine teacheth and by wholsome Discipline brings the people to be aswell religious as loyall no lesse dutifull children of God
aduersitie therefore as wee must praise God for the one so must wee pray against the other at the same time wee must doe both But who are they that must doe it the text hath no more but Wee but if you looke vnto the beginning of the Psalme you shall find a Commentarie vpon that word you shall find that this must be done vniuersally Israel must doe it The House of Aaron must doe it all must doe it that feare the Lord if all be the better for the Day the dutie of solemnizing the Day belongeth vnto all to the Ecclesiasticall to the Ciuill State both must acknowledge what they receiue both must acknowledge the Day whereon they did receiue it The Day wherein the blessed Sunne did arise vnto vs all the fruits of whose Raigne are this great calme from stormes of warre and plentifull publication of Gods sauing truth wee must all acknowledge both these blessings As we must all acknowledge them so must we all take full comfort in them we must not defraud the Day of our ioy seeing the day brings comfort vnto vs it brings comfort to our bodie and comfort to our soules therefore our bodies and soules must reioyce in it In it but not forgetting him that made it that is God As for the Day wee are most beholding to him so in him must we ioy most But our comfort must not make vs forget our danger danger from without danger from within danger from our owne vntowardlinesse danger from the maliciousnesse of our enemies this double danger must make vs seeke to him that made our Day that he would make it a perpetuall Day that hee would hinder whatsoeuer impediment we may iustly feare from our enemies and not suffer vs to be an impediment of our owne blisse I shut vp all with the very words of my text Our times are such as that we haue good cause to vse the first words This is the Day which the Lord hath made and if we must say this this must draw from vs that which followeth the religious solemnizing of the day we must exhort each the other and be perswaded by our mutuall exhortation to vow the expressing of our comfort Wee will reioyce and bee glad in it and deprecate whatsoeuer imminent danger with Saue Now wee beseech thee O Lord O Lord we beseech thee send vs now Prosperitie AMEN A SERMON PREACHED AT SAINT MARIES IN OXFORD ON THE fift of Nouember 1614. LVKE 9. VERS 53 54 55 56. 53. But they would not receiue him because his face was as though he would goe to Ierusalem 54. And when his Disciples Iames and Iohn saw it they said Lord wilt thou that wee command that fire come downe from Heauen and consume them euen as Elias did 55. But Iesus turned about and rebuked them and said yee know not of what spirit you are 56. For the Sonne of man is not come to destroy mens liues but to saue them Then they went to another Towne FAthers and Brethren Reuerend and Beloued in the Lord We solemnize this Day in a religious acknowledgement of the King and his Kingdomes our Church and Common-weales vnspeakable deliuerance from an vnmatchable Treason In furtherance of this common Pietie to refresh our memorie and quicken our deuotion I haue chosen this storie which containes an vnpartiall censure of an inordinate Zeale inordinate Zeale in two Apostles who are therefore vnpartially censured by our Sauiour Christ And this storie haue I the rather chosen at this time to speake of in this place because here is the hope of Church and Common Weale the Seed aswell of the Gentrie as of the Clergie And it is for such that the Factors of Rome doe trade to make Aduocates of the one and of the other Actours of their holy Fathers most barbarous Designes Wherefore it is very behoofull that they aboue others bee not only inured to detest but informed also vpon what ground they should detest such sauage such hellish counsels and attempts Now better informed they cannot bee then if they be furnished with sound rules of a good conscience which they may oppose to all deceitfull Romish ones wherewith the vnlearned are insnared and they peruerted that are vnstable The Romanists boast of their manifold studies of Diuinitie and indeed they haue manifold I would they were as good as they are many But their Cases of Conscience are that vpon which they principally relie and wherewith their Kingdome is most supported And no maruell for they are euen for the Lay-mans studie and their Power of the Keyes is chiefly managed by these Cases It is most true that all parts of their Diuinitie are full fraught with sophistrie but when we come to this part ouer and aboue what impietie what iniquitie what impuritie doe we find Others occasionally may vnder take other points I wish they would prouided alwayes that they doe it soundly discreetly considering what a precious what a tender thing a good Conscience is It is not euery mans skill aright to handle it But I haue now to doe with a point of Iniquitie with an vnlawfull reuenge of persons afflicted for Religion We haue here a Reuenge proposed by such afflicted persons and we haue Christs doome passed therevpon that such reuenge is vnlawfull See it in the Text. First the Affliction The Samaritans would not receiue Christ And this Affliction was for Religion Christ was not receiued because his face was as if he would goe to Ierusalem It was great inhumanitie not to entertaine a stranger but the reason improues it as high as Impietie if we therefore fare the worse at the hands of men because wee are well disposed to serue God Being so farre vrged Zeale cannot hold surely Iames and Iohn could not as was their name so were they Sonnes of Thunder were they called and the Exhalations they breath are very hot And yet marke though they are bold to propose yet are they not so bold as to resolue They propose their Desire their Reason Their desire is Fire a cruell weapon and they would not haue it spare a iot it must consume their enemies make a finall and a fearefull spectacle of these vngodly Samaritans A sharpe desire And yet they sticke not at it and why it is not singular they haue though not a Rule yet an Example for it Elias did so that is the reason He dealt so with the old Samaritans when they wronged him and shall these new Samaritans escape better that thus wrong Christ This they propose But they doe not resolue as if they were conscious to themselues that they may erre they submit their desire to God and to Christ They desire Fire consuming Fire but it is from Heauen they would haue no other then God would send Nay they would not haue that except Christ be pleased Master wilt thou if thou say Nay we haue done Behold Nature and Grace and how Grace doth stop the furie of Nature Grace doth somewhat but the Fountaine
filio Dei hominis the same title belongeth vnto him euen as hee was incarnate whereof the ground is the personall vnion the man-hood being assumed into one person with the God-head In regard of the first consideration is hee called vnigenitus the onely begotten of his Father in regard of the second he is called Primogenitus the first borne of many Brethren both wayes is CHRIST neere vnto GOD but our comfort standeth in the latter that Emanuel God with vs or in our Nature is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Sonne of God for that is fons origo Adoptionis nostrae it is that which layeth the soundation of being the sonnes of GOD. As CHRIST was neere so was hee deere vnto GOD. And indeed the words that note the neerenesse containe the grounds of the deerenesâ—e also and they were vnigenitus the onely begotten and primogenitus the first borne vnigenitus ergo vnicè dilectus the onely begotten therefore onely beloued primegenitus ergo praecipuè dilectus the first begotten therefore the especially beloued of GOD for this is a principle Euery man loneth himselfe the more of himselfe hee findeth any where the more he affecteth if he bee not degenerate A father loueth his onely sonne intirely because he hath no more and his eldest chiefely because hee is Principium praecipuum roboris the first and chiefe of his strength But this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or naturall affection of men is but a sparkle and that much allaied of that which is in GOD originally and but deriuatiuely in vs. Therefore we may easily conceiue that CHRIST that is so neere in nature and grace must needes bee most deere vnto GOD that indeed he is Vir desidertorum a man after Gods owne Heart and the true Dauid that is beloued as the Prophets call him Adde hereunto that setled loue where it is iudicious is more feruent Now Christus is dilectus not recenti impulsu sed inolito probato it is as ancient as GOD euen coeternall that CHRIST is the Sonne of GOD onely it is in time delated to the man-hood but the length of it is Aeternitie See then how GOD expresseth his loue to vs when he so describeth the person that hee bestoweth vpon vs. And haue we then any thing which we should thinke too good to render vnto GOD Abraham will teach vs better who spared not Vnicum and dilectum silium his onely beloued Sonne when GOD called for him and we see how his thank fulnesse prospered Certainely we would prosper much better if in this kindnesse we would striue to bee answerable vnto GOD. I. pray GOD we may sure I am wee haue good cause if there were no other motiue then is contained in filius and Dilectus if we doe consider onely what the second Person in Trinity is to the first How much more if wee consider what hee doeth for vs In him is the Father well pleased Wee will resolue this Note into two first wee will see in whom and then how the FATHER is pleased Hee is pleased in his beloued Sonne This opens a Mystery Thou shalt make a plate of pure gold Exod. 28. said GOD to Moses and graue vpon it like the ingrauing of a signet Holinesse to the Lord and thou shalt put it vpon a blew lace that it may bee vpon the Miter vpon the forefront of the Miter it shall be and it shall bee vpon Aarons fâ—rehead that Aaron may beare the iniquitie of the holy things which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their hory guifts and it shall be alwayes vpon his forehead that they may bee accepted before the Lord Euen so CHRIST being to bee consecrated now High Priest hath the Holy Ghost descending vpon him that so the Church may bee made acceptable in GODS beloued SONNE Neither was hee the Trueth onely of the High Priest but of the Sacrifices also St. Paul Hebr. 10. applieth to this purpose that place in the Psalme Psal 40. Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not but a body hast then prepared me in burnt offerings and Sacrifices for sinne thou hast no pleasure then said I loe I come In the volume of thy Booke it is written of me to ave thy will O God In this sense doth the Law vse the word Ratza when it is applied to Sacrifices â—enit 1. and saith that they shall be accepted for the offerer and make an attonement for him Vntill CHRIST came there was no remedy against the curse of the Law but Typicall within the Church and without fruitlesse Colos 1. but CHRIST incarnate brought a soueraigne remedy Ephes 2. when hee became the true Propitiatory in him it pleased God that all fulnesse should dwell and by him to reconcile all things both in Heauen and earth De Censensu Ruangelact lib. 2. cap. 4. St. Austin speaketh briefely but fully In te complacui is as much as Per te constitui gerere quod mihi placuit In thee am I well pleased not onely taking delight in that which thou art but also by thee accomplishing all the good that I meane to the sonnes of men But what did CHRIST Surely he did propitiate GODS wrath and giue man grace in GODS eyes these two workes are contained in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are the blessings that flow from GODS good will towards men Reconciliation is composed of both of GODS Indulgence and Beneficence Indulgence is not enough without Beneficence â— Sam. 14. Absalon shewed this to Ioab when hee was restored from his banishment but not admitted into the King his fathers presence A good patterne to bee imitated by men is GOD who dealeth so in his reconciliation with men whereas men vse some times to forgiue but seldome to forget also they thinke it too much to deserue well and enough that they doe not deserue ill I would it were no more But let vs touch at these points a sunder first at the propitiating of GODS wrath The latter Chronologers will haue this Sacring of IESVS to haue beene performed vpon the day of Expiation in September which if it bee true then the Holy Ghost doeth fairely insinuate that CHRIST came as the Lambe of God to take away the sinnes of the world How soeuer this is true that hee bare our sinnes in his body and by his stripes we are made whole that he cancelled our obligation and slew hatred when hee suffered â—pon the Crosse Neither did CHRIST onely propitiate GODS wrath but also gaue man grace in GODS eyes CHRIST teacheth it in three Parables of the lost Sheepe the lost Groat and the Prodigall Childe The Fathers obserue the Allegory that St. Peter maketh in comparing Noahs Arke vnto the Church and obserue moreouer that as the Doue brought the Oliue branch into the Arke in token that the deluge was ceased and the world was become habitable againe Euen so the Doue that lighted vpon CHRIST brought the glad tidings of the Gospel it