THE SINNERS ACQVITTANCE A Checke to Curiositie The safest Seruice Deliuered in three Sermons at the Court. BY IOHN DENISON Doctor of Diuinity and one of his Maiesties Chaplaines then in Attendance LONDON Printed by IOHN LEGATT and are to be sold by Iohn Budge at the signe of the Greene Dragon in Paules Church-yard 1624. THE SINNERS ACQVITTANCE A Sermon preached before the KING at Greenewich May 4. 1623. BY IOHN DENISON Doctor of Diuinity and one of his Maiesties Chaplaines LONDON Printed by IOHN LEGATT and are to be sold by Iohn Budge at the signe of the Greene Dragon in Pauls Church-yard 1624. TO THE RIGHT Honourable and Reuerend Father in GOD IOHN Lord Bishop of Lincolne Lord Keeper of the Great Seale of England and one of His Maiesties most Honourable Priuy Counsell RIght Honourable and Reuerend I presumed long since instead of a better present Lord Elsmere Lord Chancelor of England to Dedicate my Act Sermon to that noble Lord my honourable Master who now rests in peace and found acceptance Whom me thinkes J see in part described when I reade that of Posseuin concerning the excellent Historian Thucydides who is stiled by him Posseuin de Historicis Sect. 2. Acutus concitatus neruosus densus solidus sapiens And I may adde that which was eminent in that noble Lord an especiall note of solide iudgement his Constancie For as Tully speakes of Cato grauitatem perpetua constantia roborauit Cicero de Offic. lib. 1. He was not like Alcibiades in conciliandis amicitijs quam in retinendis vir melior But did ratherimitate that famous Emperour Augustus Caesar Sueton. in August Caesar Cap. 66. Qui amicitias neque facilè admisit constantissime retinuit But that which did crowne all his naturall and morall parts was his pious care and courses in furnishing the Lords vineyard with good labourers For he conferred not preferments for gaine but freely and nobly And that which was extraordinarily honourable hee rather enquired after well deseruing men then stayed till be was sued to I write what some others haue done and many I doubt not wil ingenuously acknowledge Now your Lordship hauing beene to that noble Lord absit inuidia verbo like the beloued Disciple to our Sauiour Saint Iohn conuersing with him in matters diuine and humane and succeeding him both in the seat and actions of Honour with generall applause I haue beene emboldened to present vnto your Lordship these Sermons which many my worthy friends in Court haue much desired and to whom for the publishing of them I am by promise ingaged The God of heauen multiplie his blessings vpon you to the good of this Church and Common-wealth Your Lordships humbly deuoted Iohn Denison THE SINNERS ACQVITTANCE A Sermon preached before the King at GREENEWICH May. 4. 1623. ISAI 53.4 Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrowes WE reade in the first of Samuel and the ninth 1 Sam. 9.9 that the Prophets in ancient time were called Seers because that from that watch-tower of diuine speculation they saw that which others saw not Hierom. ad Paulin. or as Saint Hierom saith Eum quem caeteri non videbant Him whom others saw not Amongst the Prophets some were more eminent and excellent then others and amongst them all none comparable to the Prophet Isaiah who was amongst the Prophets 1 Sam. 9.2 like Saul amongst the Israelites higher then the rest by the shoulders vpward It is said of Abraham Iohn 8.56 that he saw our Sauiours dayes and so did Isaiah who albeit he liued aboue sixe hundred yeares before Christ was borne doth set forth his birth life and death so liuely as though hee had seen all things acted and accomplished before his eyes Hieron quo supra Insomuch that S. Hierom saith Non tam Propheta dicendus sit quam Euangelista He may rather be called an Euangelist then a Prophet and may seeme rather to haue written a History then a Prophesie whereof this which I haue read may be called an Abstract it is indeed an Epitome of the Gospell It may be fitly diuided into a Preface and a propheticall History Generall diuision The Preface is briefe in this one word Surely The History is not long it containes but fiue words in the Hebrew and not many you see in the English Hee hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrowes The Preface is briefe but materiall it giues assurance of the truth of the History which one fitly compares to the eyes of a man For Polybius as the eyes of a man put out leaue the body a meere truncke so the truth remooued from an History leaues it a vaine discourse The History is not long but full it containes matter admirable lamentable comfortable Admirable in respect of him who is the glory of the History euen the Lord of glory Lamentable in regard of what he sustained that is infirmities sorrowes Comfortable in respect of them for whom hee bare them they were our infirmities our sorrowes I may say of this Scripture in S. Chrysostomes words Chrys in Gen. hom 8. Etsi verba sint pauca magnus tamen thesaurus in illis est reconditus Though the words be few yet they containe a great deale of rich treasure This sentence is like Iacobs Ladder wee cannot spare one round of it It is a golden sentence and the least parcell thereof is more worth then all the gold of Ophir Wee will therefore diligently search the minde The Preface ANd first to beginne with the Preface The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Surely may be either Vox distinguentis or asseuerantis either a word of distinction or asseueration A word of distinction and so the vulgar Translater may seeme to haue taken it for he renders it verè tulit Hee hath truely borne our infirmities The Priests in the time of the Law were said to beare the sinnes of the people Leuit. 10.17 But they bare them typically he truely hee bare them not in figure but in fact not in type but in truth Againe hee bare them not imaginariè imaginarily and in outward appearance onely Tertul. aduers Marc. 4.8 August de haeres ad quodvul har 46. as the absurd Manichees and Marcion held but as he was a man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in nature and truth as Damascen saith so did he beare our infirmities and carry our sorrowes verè sicut verus homo truely as being truely a man Aquin. in loc as Aquinas interprets the word It was not with our Sauiour as with the three Children in the third of Daniel who came forth of the fiery furnace Dan. 3.17 not hauing their haire sindged Plutarch in vita Coriol nor their garmēts changed But rather as Coriolanus multas ostenderet cicatrices could shew many Cicatrices of the wounds receaued in the warres So our blessed Sauiour could giue the like demonstratiue satisfaction to the most incredulous Thomas
doth to the other faciendo in doing what he commands For these two wils are like two streames rising out of one head the one running aboue the other vnder the ground and both falling into the Ocean of Gods glorie The secret will we must not be too busie with as some are in their desperate disputes about Predestination Deut. 29.29 Hieron lib. 2. aduers Pelag For Secret things belong to the Lord. Voluntas Dei non discutienda sed patienda This will of God is not to be searched but to be suffered saith S. Hierome And this was Peters fault He was too inquisitiue after that which was locked vp in our Sauiours brest and was therefore iustly checked Yet euen to this will we must subscribe in suffering patiently and entertaining thankfully whatsoeuer it pleaseth the Lord to doe As Ely when he had heard that dolefull doome denounced by God against his house 1. Sam. 3.18 said It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him good Thus King Dauid when he went forth against Absolon not knowing what might be the issue of that warre set vp his rest 2. Sam. 15.25 If I shall finde fauour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me againe and shew mee both the Arke and the Tabernacle thereof But if he thus say I haue no delight in thee Behold here am I let him doe to me as seemeth good in his eyes And our blessed Sauiour when he was in the greatest agony that euer seazed on the soule of man and dranke the bitterest cuppe that euer was tasted submitted himselfe in this manner O Father Math. 26.42 If this cuppe cannot passe except I drinke it thy will be done Againe as we must submit our selues to the secret will of Christ in suffering what he inflicts so must we to the reuealed in doing what he commands And as it shall bee our wisedome to know this reuealed will of God according to that in the 5. to the Ephesians Ephes 5.17 Bee not vnwise but vnderstand what the will of the Lord is so shall it be our happinesse to doe it as our Sauiour saith in the 13. of Iohn Ioh. 13.17 If you know these things blessed are you if you doe them This reuealed will is called the voyce of God 2. Sam. 15.22 And that very fitly For as the echo resounds to the vnice so must we both in our affections and actions be answerable to the will of God In our affections Psal 27.8 as when the Lord said to Dauid Seeke my face Dauids heart answered like an echo Lord I will seeke thy face In our actions like Noah Gen. 6.22 Who did according to all that God commanded him euen so did he And this we shall the more readily doe if we consider the corrupt current of our owne wils and the absolute perfection of Almightie Gods That is a most arrogant Romish Extrauagant which yeelds that soueraigntie to the Pope that belongs only to God In his quae vellent ijs esse pro lege voluntatem Though the Popes be ignorant or dissolute and stand for a law And their actions though neuer so absurd or impious are not subiect to controule that a man should say Domine cur hoc facis Sir why doe you thus But avaunt to this Luciferian arrogancie it is the will of God to which wee must thus necessarily and absolutely subscribe And the more prompt our obedience the more doe we resemble the holy Angels For with the blessed Angels In caelesti Angelorum curia Dei voluntas Lex est August de Ciuitat Dei z. 19. Psal 103.20 Gods will is a law in the Court of heauen as S. Austin saith And their elogium is in the 103. Psalme Ye Angels that doe his commandement in obeying the voyce of his word Yea herein we shall imitate our blessed Sauiour who in his passion prayed Not as I will Math. 26.39 but as thou wilt Ioh. 4.34 And in his actions accompted it his meate and drinke to doe the will of his Father And if we thus ioyne with our blessed Sauiour and his holy Angels in will and affection we shall hereafter be ioyned with them in a blessed habitation according to that of our Sauiour in the 7. of Matthew Math. 7.21 He shall enter into the kingdome of heauen that doth the will of my Father which is in heauen Christs will applyed to an obiect 2. IF I will that he tarry This tarying hath not reference to Iohns tarying in the place where he was but his remaining in the state of life which he enioyed as the same phrase is elsewhere vsed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Cor. 15.6 Whereof many remaine Peter vnderstood by our Sauiours words that he must die by the hand of violence and he would know whether the thread of Iohns life should be cut off in that manner But our Sauiour intimates the contrary saying if I will that he tarry that is If I will that hee remaine aliue In which manner of speech he sets forth the vanitie of this present life as being transitory and only a temporary tarrying And so doth Iob speake of it Iob. 14.1 Man that is borne of a woman is of short continuance he shootes vp like a flower and is cut downe he vanisheth like a shadow and continueth not And if there be any continuing it is limited with a Donec We are all tenants at will And this world is to vs but diuerticulum an Inne to hoste at not a setled habitation to rest at as euen the heathen haue called it Heb. 13.14 Hic non habemus permanentem ciuitatem Here wee haue no abiding Citie This did king Dauid acknowledge ingenuously 1 Chron. 29.15 in the height of his honour and happinesse Wee are strangers saith he and soiourners our daies are as a shadow there is no abiding Some tarry here but a while like Dauids infant 2 Sam. 12.18 that dyed the seauenth day some not so long Nec dum introitus iam exitus as S. Hierome saies Pliny they liue not to enioy the light whilest the snuffe of a candle makes an abortiue birth Some liue longer like the Shunamites childe 2 Reg. 4. Some till they haue attained to their full strength Iob 21.23 and their bones are full of marrow 2 Sam. 19. Some euen to a decrepit estate like old Barzillai Yet he that tarryeth longest of which there are fewest hath but a time of tarrying Though Comets differ from one another in brightnesse and some shine longer then others yet at last they all vanish So albeit in the firmament of this present world some attaine to higher degrees of honour and some liue longer then others yet there is a vanishing of both The fashion of this world passeth away 1. Cor. 7.31 saith the Apostle Therefore when Constantius the Emperour asked Hormisda the famous Architect what hee thought of Rome it being such a goodly
Ioh. 3.16 As hee so loued vs that hee laide downe his life for vs we ought also to lay down our liues for the brethren 2. It must be extensiue As Christ loued vs euen when we were enemies Rom. 5. So must we doe except wee will be meere Pharises Matth. 5. Such was his loue and compassion to his enemies that in the middest of all their rage and fury he prayed for them Luke 23.34 Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe And the like he requires of vs saying Loue your enemies blesse them that curse you Math. 5.44 doe good to them that hate you and pray for them that persecute you that you may be the children of your Father which is in heauen 3. The third especiall path wherein we must follow our Sauiour is Humilitie This is a lesson which he commends vnto vs in especiall manner by his precept and gratious promise annexed to it Math. 11.29 Learne of me that I am meeke lowly in heart and you shall finde rest to your soules Dux nobis fuit ad superhiam August hom 12. ex 50. The deuill saith S. Augustine was our ringleader to pride let vs follow Christ our guide to humilitie And in this our Sauiour was an admirable patterne as the Apostle shewes Phil. 2. For when he was equall to God Phil. 2.7 he made himselfe of no reputation he did disrobe himselfe of his glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euen emptied himselfe as it were of his diuine dignitie to vndertake a base and humble condition for our sakes and stooped downe from the throne of his Maiestie to raise vs vp who were fallen into the gulfe of misery This Humility is radix virtutum euen the roote of all diuine vertues For the humble vallyes are fruitfull when the higher mountaines are barreine Iam. 4.6 God resisteth the proud and giueth grace to the humble This vertue is not to be found in the gardens of Philosophy but to be learned in the schoole of our Sauiour It is the foundation of our aduancement in heauen and the lower we lay this foundation the safer and stronger is our building S. Augustine compares heauen to a stately Palace with a lowe doore a man must stoope that will goe into it As it was with our Sauiour so must it be with his seruants there went an exinaniuit before an exaltauit Phil. 2.8 9. he humbled himselfe and God exalted him For so saith our Sauiour Luke 18.14 He that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted 4. The fourth path wherein we must follow Christ is the path of Patience Lactant. lib. 5. cap. 23. which is Malorum aequani mitate perlatio moderate patient bearing of iniuries and euils And hereunto you are called 1. Pet. 2.21 saith the Apostle Peter For Christ also suffered for vs leauing vs an example that we should walke in his steppes Oh the disgracefull scoffes and mockes that he was subiect to the reprochfull taunts and reuilings that he indured the extreame violence that he sustained and all this with admirable and vnmooueable patience When he came to a Citie of the Samaritanes that would not entertaine him the Disciples Luke 9.55 forth of their vehement indignation would haue called for fire from heauen but he rebuked them saying You know not of what spirit you are In the middest of all iniuries and oppositions such was his meekenesse and patience That he did not striue Math. 12.19 neither was his voice heard in the streetes When he was led as a sheepe not only before the shearer but euen the slaughterer he was dumbe and opened not his mouth And all this he Isa 53.7 who in his humane nature was nobly descended of the blood Royall and in his diuine was and is God blessed for euer Rom. 9.5 indured at the hands of ignoble base and sinfull wretches 5 The fift especiall path wherein we must follow Christ is the path of Obedience In Affectiō In Action In Passion In which as he walked so must we affectiuè actiuè passiuè as the Schooleman speakes For the first he applyed his will to his Fathers will saying Not as I will but as thou wilt Math. 26.39 and so must we that we may say with them Act. 20.14 The will of the Lord be done In his Actiue obedience likewise he was ready and resolute Yea professed himselfe to be in the number of those Heb. 10.7 Calv. in Loc. who are in the Lords Catalogue of obedient seruants And so as we pray thy will be done we must be willing to doe it But in his Passiue obedience he was yet more admirable Phil. 2.8 when hee was obedient to the death euen the death of the crosse And so must we endeauour to settle our hearts Iam. 5.8 1. Pet. 3.17 that if it be the Lords will to call vs to the fiery triall we may be able to say with that blessed Apostle I am ready not only to bee bound Acts 21.13 but also to dye for the name of the Lord Iesus Loe these are some of those especiall pathes wherein we must follow Christ that by them we may be guided to the kingdome of heauen 2. BVt forma dat esse And the manner of our walking conduceth much to the Bene esse of our following Christ The well being For the best seruices we take in hand or tender to God if they want their due forme can finde neither respect nor reward from his hands Therefore we will consider the manner how we must follow Christ which is the second maine point I proposed And in this there are foure especiall circumstances to be obserued First Wee must see that we follow Christ sincerely For sinceritie is that which seasons all our actions and makes them acceptable to Almightie God This the Lord required of Abraham in that mutuall couenant Genesis 17. Gen. 17.1 Walke before me and be thou vpright And concerning this Dauid gaue that charge to Salomon his sonne 1. Chro. 28.9 That he should serue the Lord with an vpright heart Our Sauiour manifested his hatred to Hypocrisie by those many woes thundred out against it Math. 23. and admonished his Disciples to beware of that Pharisaicall leauen And reason for it eates out the sweetnes of religion and commonly where religion begins in hypocrisie it ends either in Atheisme or Apostasie This is the condition of hypocrites Boni videri volunt sed non esse c. Bern. in Cant. Serm. 66. Prou. 21.1 Psal 51. Mich. 6.7 Prou. 23.26 They would seeme to be good but will not be so they will be euill but would not seeme so But the Lord pondereth the Spirits and loues truth in the inward parts It is not the thousands of rammes nor ten thousand riuers of oyle that he regards It is the sincere heart that he delights in Rustie gold is better then the brightest brasse And sinceritie
not see death So those that walke with Christ in these holy pathes shall be partakers of eternall life according to that in the twelfth of Iohn Ioh. 12.26 If any man serue me let him follow me for where I am there shall also my seruant be As he that followes some great Riuer shall by it be guided to the Sea So those that follow Christ shall by him be conducted to the Ocean of eternall felicitie And so our Sauiour told his Disciples and that with an asseueration for ratification Verely I say vnto you Mat. 19.28 that when the Son of Man shall sit in the Throne of his Maiestie you that haue followed me in the regeneration shall sit also vpon Thrones and iudge the twelue Tribes of Israel Application THus haue you heard the matters the manner the motiues for our following of Christ Now it remaines that I conclude all with some words of application and so finish my speech S. Augustines discourse in his seuenth Sermon De Verbis Domini Ordine ali quantulum mutato shall be my ground There were saith Saint Augustine three men of seuerall dispositions and inclinations that came to Christ with whom he dealt accordingly 1 Vnus differebat culpatus est One deferred to follow him and he was blamed So are there many that deferre and neglect this following of Christ Some intend to become his followers but they put it off till sicknesse or old age seaze vpon them till Sinne and Satan hath cassiered them and they are able to do Christ little seruice Some there are who doe totally neglect this following of Christ They are entertained by the Flesh the World and the Deuill yea any thing but Christ though the waies wherein they walke yeeld nothing but vanitie and miserie Thus the young man in the Prouerbes followes the strange woman Prou. 7.22 like a foole to the stockes and an oxe to the slaughter till a dart strike through his Liuer Thus Demas imbracing the world 2 Tim. 4.10 forsooke the Apostles Thus riches caried away the man that ran to Christ Marke 10.22 For when he had giuen him histaske he became a flincher went away sorrowfull Caroclamat ego inficiam Diabolus clamat ego decipiam mundus clamat ego deficiam Ego reficiam But what can these Masters promise to their followers Only that which S. Bernard mentions The world it cries I will faile thee the Deuill he cries I will deceiue thee the Flesh it cries I will infect thee But come to me saith Christ and I will refresh thee Satan is a master like Pharaoh Exod. 5.14 who set the Israelites all day on worke and scourged them at night For so doth the Deuill employ his Vassals in the workes of iniquity in the time of their life but at the day of their death rewards them with the scourges of a troubled Conscience at the day of Iudgement with hellish torments To Witches and such other wretches he promiseth faire but the end is cōmonly a shamefull death to their bodies eternal condemnation to their Soules The world is a master like Laban Gen. 31.41 that changed Iacobs wages ten times and would haue sent him away emptie Who would serue that master which will keepe him hard in toyling and in the end strip him out of all he hath and turne him away naked Behold the world is such a master 1 Tim. 6.7 for as wee brought nothing into the world so it is certaine that we can carie out nothing Naked came wee out of our mothers wombes Iob 1.21 and naked must we returne againe Saladine at his funerall had one going before his corps who carrying his shart vpon a launce cried Saladine that Conqueror of Asia caries nothing with him but this Plat. in vit Clem 3. Ier. 2.13 The greatest Monarches as that great Saladine did well consider haue only a winding sheet or peraduenture some Monument a meere monument of the worlds vanitie mans mortalitie I may truly say therefore that those who leaue Christ Iesus to follow the world the Flesh or the Deuil commit those two euils that Ieremie mentions They leaue the Fountaine of liuing waters to dig to themselues broken Cisternes that can hold no water 2 Alius se obtulit reprobatus est Another offered to follow Christ and he was reiected And indeed such bad followers our Sauiour hath many Some respectu formae some respectu finis Some in respect of the forme some of the ends As it was in the daies of his infirmitie so is it now in the daies of his maiestie Some followed him for by-respects some for bad respects Some followed him to entangle him as the Herodians Mat. 22.16 Some to betray him as Iudas Mat. 26.15 Some only to gaine by him as those that followed him for the loaues the fishes Iohn 6.26 Christ hath some followers that are like Comets they are not fixed by a liuely Faith in Christ the Sphere of holines but are caried about with an vncertain motion according to some star which rules them they vanish accordingly Againe some there are which faile in the manner of their following As S. Bernard speakes of praying so may I say of their following Bern. de quaedrages Ser. 4. Some follow Christ timidè some tepidè some temerariè 1. Some follow him timidè fearfully As Peter did when he was led to Annas Caiphas Iohn 3.2 As Nicodemus that came to him by night He durst not be seene to be a follower of Christ And those rulers in the 12 of S. Iohn which beleeued in him Iohn 12.42 but were afraid to confesse him Thus euerie little rub turnes them aside whilest they say A Lyon is in the way Prou 26.13 A Lyon is in the streetes These are like those Israelites who liked well of the Land of Canaan Numb 13.33 but were afraid of the Anakims It was a iust recōpence that they neuer entred into it Reu. 3. 2. Some follow Christ tepidè coldly like the Church of Laodicea These are like Solomons sluggard Prou 13. Vult non vult piger He could be content to follow Christ but he cannot abide to take too much paines These follow Christ so as that they were as good to stay behind he had rather haue their roome then their cōpany He that wil be a welcome follower of Christ Acts 11.23 must as Barnabas exhorted with full purpose of heart cleaue vnto the Lord. Cant. 1.3 He must say with the Spouse in the Canticles Draw me we will run after thee And be resolute with Ioshua Iosh 24.15 Chuse you this day whom you will serue but I and mine house will serue the Lord. 3. Some follow Christ temerariè rashly Some march furiously with Iehu An. dom 1535 Sleidon Com. lib. 10. As the Anabaptists did in horrible vprores combustions in Germany The Papists