earth and he is therefore absent and in a manner lies hid that this eye might finde him out For faith is a kinde of prospective or optick Instrument by which we see things afar off as if they were neer at hand things that are not yet as if they were turns venturus est into the present tense behold Christ not onely sitting at the right hand of God but as now already descending with a shout With this eye of faith I see new Heavens and a new earth a new face of every thing I see what a nothing that is which mortals sweat and fight for what a nothing the world is for I see it on fire I see righteousnesse peace and order constancy duration even whilst I walk in this shop of vanities this World of wickednesse this Chaos and confusion this seat of change I see honesty pittied scorn'd baffled honesty lifted up on high far above reproach or injury I see injustice powerful all conquering Triumphant injustice trembling before this Lord arraigned condemned flung down into the lowest pit there to be whipt with many stripes I see now the wisdom of men made foolishnesse and the foolishnesse of God wiser then men I see that restored which I saw lost I see the eye that was bored out in its prace again I see the plowed back with no furrow on it I see Herod in prison and John Baptist with his head on I see my goods restored before I lose them and I am in heaven before the blow is given in blisse when every eye doth pitty me and what is now left for the boasting Tyrant to do what can he take from me that is worth a thought what can he strip me of but that which I have laid down and left already behinde me will he have my goods the treasurie where they are kept is out of his reach will he take from me my good name T is written in the book of life or will he take my life my life he cannot For 't is hid with Christ in God This is sancta impudentia Fidei the holy boldnesse and confidence of faith to break through flesh and blood all difficulties whatsoever to draw down Heaven to earth and if the object be invisible to make it visible if it be at distance to make it present if the Lord say he will come to faith he is come already This operation faith will have if it be not dull'd and deaded by our sensuality for what faith is that which is not accompanied with these high apprehensions and resolutions equal to them what faith is that which leaves us weary of the truth and ashamed of our profession what faith is that which we are so ready at every frown to renounce shall I call that faith which cannot strike the Timbrel out of our hands nor the strumpet out of our armes That shews Christ coming to the Covetous yet leaves him digging in the earth to the ambitious and cannot stop him in his mount to the hypocrite and cannot strike off his mask to the Polititian and cannot make him wise unto Salvation that cannot make us displease our selves that cannot make us love our selves not awe an eye not binde a hand not silence a word not stifle a thought but leaves us with as little power and activity as they who have been dead long agoe although the venturus est the Doctrine of Christs second Advent sound as loud as the Trump shall do at the last day faith shall we call this or a weak and faint perswasion or a dream or an Echo from an hollow heart which when all the World proclaimes it venturus est he will come resounds it back again into the world a faith which can speak but not walk or work a faith which may dwell in the heart of an Hypocrite a murderer a Devil for all this he may beleeve or at least professe and yet be that liar that Antichrist which denies Jesus to be the Lord or that he ever came in the flesh or will come again to judge both the quick and the dead Secondly As it casts an Aspect upon our Faith so it doth upon hope which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the blood of our Faith saith Clemens Alexand. Paedag. 1. Tertul. advers Gnostic c. 6. without which it will grow faint and pale and languish oportet habere aliquem spei cumulum saith Tertul. and therefore this addition of Hope to Faith is necessary for if we had all Faith and had not hope this Faith would profit us nothing and faith without Hope may be in Hell as well as on the earth Beleeve who does not or at least say so but how many expect his coming how many are saved Heb. 10. the Apostle speaks of a fearfull looking for of Judgement indeed they who hope not for it who doe but talke of it and are unwilling to beleeve themselves may be said to look for it because they ought to doe it and his coming is as certain as if they did Truly and properly they cannot be said to expect it for how should that he in their expectation which is not so much as in their thought Hope will not raise it selfe upon every Faith nor is that Faith which the most of the world most depend on a fitt Basis for hope to build upon even he that despaires beleeves or else he could not despair for who will droop for fear of that veniet of that judgement which he is so willing to perswade himself will never come Foolish men that we are who hath bewitched us that we should glory in Faith an Hope and make them the subjects of our Songs and rejoycing when our Faith is but such a one as is Dead and our hope at last will make us ashamed when our Faith is the same which is in hell and our Hope will leave us with the Devil and his Angels a Faith worse then Infidelity and a hope more dangerous then despair a Faith when we doe not beleeve and a Hope when there is great reason wee should despaire and which will serve onely to adde to the number of our stripes yet this is the Faith this is the hope of the Hypocrite of the Formall Christian These are thy gods oh Israel 3. And therefore in the last place that we may joyne these two together Faith and Hope we must draw in that excellent gift of Charity which is Copulatrix virtus saith Cyprian the uniting coupling Virtue not onely of men but of these two Theologicall Virtues which will not meet together but in Love or if they do with so little truth and reality that they will rather disadvantage then help us for where Virtue is not the name is but an Accusation I told you before that hope doth Suppose Faith For we cannot hope for that which we doe not beleeve yet Faith such as it may be may shew it self and speak proud words when Charity is Thrust out of Doores and many there
be who have subscribed to the venturus est that the Lord will come who have little reason to hope for his coming How many beleeve hee will come and bring his reward with him and yet strike off their own Charriot wheels and drive but heavily towards it how many beleeve there is a Judge to come and wish there were none Faith Saving Faith Hope Hope that will not make ashamed cannot dwell in the heart till Charity hath taken up a roome but when she is diffusa in cordibus shed and spread abroad in our Hearts then they are in Conjunction and meet together and kisse each other Faith is a Foundation and on it our love raiseth it self as high as heaven in all the severall branches and parts of it Because I beleeve I love and when my love is reall and perfect my hope springs up and blooms and flourishes my Faith sees the object my Love imbraceth it and the means unto it and my Hope layes hold of it and even takes possession of it And therefore this venturus est This coming of the Lord is a Threat and not a promise if they meet not If Faith work not by Love and both together raise not a Hope venturus est he will come is a Thunder-bolt And thus as it lookes upon Faith and Hope so it calls for our Charity For whether we will or no whether we beleeve or no whether we hope or no veniet he will certainly come but when we love him then we love also his appearance and his coming and our Love is a subscription to his Promise 2 Tim. 4.8 by which we truly Testify our consent and sympathize with him and say Amen to his Promise That he will come we eccho it back againe unto him Even so come Lord Jesus For that of Faith may be in a manner forc'd That of Hope may be groundless but this of Love is a free and voluntary subscription Though I I know he will come yet I shall be unwilling he should come upon me as an Enemy that he should come to me when I sit in the Chair of the Scornfull or lie in the bed of Lust or am wallowing in the mire or weltring in my own blood or washing my feet in the blood of my Brethren for can any condemned person hope for the day of Execution But when I love him and bow before him when I have improv'd his Talent and brought my self to that Temper and Constitution that I am of the same mind with this Lord and partaker of his divine Nature then Faith openeth and displayeth her self and Hope towreth up as high as the right Hand of God and would bring him down never at rest never at an end but panting after him till he doe come crying out with the soules under the Altar How long Lord How long How long is the very breathing and language of Hope Then Substantia mea apud te Psal 62.5 as the vulgar reads that of the Psalmist my expectation my substance my being is with the Lord and I doe not onely subscribe to the veniet to his coming because he hath Decreed and resolved upon it but because I can make an hearty Acknowledgement that the will of the Lord is just and good and I assent not of Necessity but of a willing mind and I am not onely willing but long for it and as he Testifies these Things and confirmes this Article of his coming with this last word etiam venio surely I come so shall I be able truely to Answer Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly The End of his Coming And now venturus est the Lord will come and you may see the Necessity of his coming in the End of his coming for qualis Dominus talis adventus as his Dominion is such is his Coming his Kingdome spirituall and his coming to punish sinne and reward Obedience to make us either Prisoners in Darkness or Kings and Priests to reigne with him and offer up spirituall Sacrifices for evermore He comes not to answer the Disciples question to restore the Kingdom to Israel for his Kingdome is not such a one as they dreamt of nor to place the Mother of Zebedees Children the one at his right Hand and the other at his left nor to bring the Lawyer to his Table to eat bread with him in his Kingdome These carnall conceits might suite well with the Synagogue which lookt upon nothing but the Basket and yet to bring in this Error the Jews as they killed the Prophets so must they also abolish their Prophecies which speak plainely of a King of no shape or beauty Esai 53.2 Zech. 9.9 Isa 9.6 of his first coming in lowlinesse and poverty of a Prince of Peace and not of warr of the Increase of whose Government there shall be no end Nor doth he come to lead the Chiliast the Dreamer of a Thousand yeares of Temporall Happiness on Earth into a Mahometicall Paradise of all Corporall Contentments That after the Resurrection the Elect and even a Reprobate may think or callhim self so may reigne with Christ a thousand years in all state and Pomp and in the Affluence of all those Pleasures which this Lord hath taught them to renounce A conceit which ill becomes Christians who must look for a better and more enduring substance who are strangers and Pilgrims Heb. 10.34 Heb. 11.13 and not Kings on earth whose Conversation is in heaven and whose whole life must be a going out of the World why should we be commanded and that upon paine of eternall separation from this our Lord to weane our selves from the World and every thing in the World if the same Lord Think these flatteries of our worser part these pleasures which we must loath a fitt and proportionable reward for the labour of our Faith and Charity which is done in the Inward man can he forbid us to touch and Tast these Things and then glut us with them because we did not Touch them and can it now change its Nature and be made a Recompence of those Virtues which were as the wings on which we did fly away and so kept our selves untoucht unspotted of this Evill But they urge Scripture for it and so they soon may for it is soon misunderstood soon misapplyed It is written they say in the 20. of the Revel at the 6. v. that the Saints shall reign with Christ a thousand yeers shall reign with Christ is evidence faire enough to raise those spirits which are too high or rather too low already 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no sooner is the word read but the crown is on To let passe the divers interpretations of that place some making the number to be definite some to be indefinite some beginning the thousand yeers with the persecution of Christ and ending it in Antichrist others beginning it with the reign of Constantine when Christianity did most flourish and ending it at the first rising of the
all things written nay he keeps a book in the very closet of thy heart the onely book which shall go along with thee and when he comes it shall fly open every chapte revery letter every character of sin shall be as plain to thy eye as to his and though we here seal up this book he can read it when it is shut He sitteth there tanquam venturus as one coming Indeed to us who like those Philosophers in Tully seeing nothing with our minde refer all to our sense and scarce beleeve any thing but that for which we have an ocular demonstration the eye of whose faith is so dull and heavie that it cannot clearly discern that eye of our Lord which is ten thousand times brighter then the sun he is most times as lost like Epicuus his God doing nothing like Baal either in his journy or sleeping and as at his first coming he was had in no reputation so now he is at the right hand of God he is in a manner forgot We do not insult over him in plain termes as those did in Theodoret 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what doth the Carpenters son now do but we are as slow of heart to beleeve what we are taught and what we say we beleeve as those disciples which went to Emaus We are told that he did rise again from the Dead and ascended and sitteth at the right hand of God and wil come again but 't is a long time since these things were done and he is long a coming To the Athiest to the prophane person to the Luke-warm Christian to the Hypocrite he is in a manner lost they have seald up his grave and he will come no more And this is one argument that he will come even this that we so little regard it for can a Lord that breathes nothing but love bear with such contempt can he whom the voice of God and man whom Scripture and Miracles and reason have placed on the Tribunal and made judge of all the world be kept back by these vain Imaginations which are nothing else but the steame and exhalations from our sensual and Bruitish part shall not he judge all the earth because we are guilty and deserve to be condemned no veniet veniet his etiamsi nolis veniet he will come August he wil certainly come whether thou wilt or no nor is delay in comming an Argument that he will not come For the Lord is not slack concerning his promise and Coming as some count slackness some scoffers who walk after their own lusts and ask where is the promise of his coming For sensuality is the Mother and nurse of unbeleefe and the sense flyes the Knowledge of that which is terrible to it and so we are as Saint Peter tels us 2 Pet. 3.3,4 willingly ignorant of that which we are Taught and will not consider that the world is made of corruptible parts and therefore must at last be dissolved and vers 12. that as the old world perished by water so this shall by fire For what guilty Person doth not study to drive the thought of a Judge coming out of his mind He that hath his delight his heaven in this world is not willing to heare of another to come venit the Lord comes is not in his Creed Sed nulla est mora ejus quod certò eveniet but the deferring or delay of that which will certainly come should not come into our Consideration for come he will though he come not yet and when he is come all the time past and before in which we grew wanton and presumptuous and beat our fellow servants is not in true esteeme so much as a moment or the twinkling of an eye 'T is not slackness 't is not delay That is our false Glosse who when we break the Law are as willing to misinterpret the Law-giver The Hypocrite thinks him as very a dissembler as himself and is well perswaded that though he threaten yet he meaneth it not though he hath denounced judgement against those that sinne and repent not yet he will not be so good or rather as bad as his word The sacrilegious person lookes upon him as an enemie to Churches and he it is that puts the hammer into his hand to beat down his own Temple Tertul. de Animâ The profane person would excaecare providentiam Dei would put out the eye of his Providence and the morall Atheist pull him from his Throne and thrust him out of the world Every man frames such a God as will fitt him and proportions him to his lusts we draw him out as the Painter did the Goddess in the likeness of those vanities which wee most dote on and so we entitle him to our fraud and Oppression Petrarch invenimus quomodo etiam Avarum facerem we have found an Art to bring him in as an Abbettor a Promoter of our Covetousness and Ambition and so as much as in us lies make him as Ambitious Psal 50.21 and Coveto us as our selves Thou thoughtest verily that I was like unto thee saith God to the Hypocrite behold Christ sits at the right hand of God in full power and Majesty ready to descend but he comes not yet and hence the scorner concludes he will never come This is a false Gloss and a false conclusion the result and Inference of flesh and blood for 't is not slackness that 's the dictate of our lusts but if Truth interpret it 2 Pet. 3.15 't is long suffering his long suffering should end and be eas'd in our repentance Saint Peter tells us It is Repentance It is what it should be if it be not Repentance we have drove it from it self and see now 't is nothing but wrath and Indignation his long suffering is either our Repentance or our Condemnation And this is the true reason Why hee comes not yet Isid l. V. why he is not yet come but as it were a comming For Time is nothing unto him nor is it any thing in it self nec intelligitur nisi per actus humanos nor can we conceive or understand it but by those Actions which we doe now and againe and which we cannot doe at once A Thousand years in his sight are but as yesterday but not so long not so long as a Thought he delays not but he beares with us in this our Time we look upon the Day of Judgement as upon a Day to come but to him it is present That he is not come to us is for our sakes For the Church of Christ till the consummation of all things is in Fluxu in Corpore Temporum as Tert. speaks is wrapt up in the Body of Time comes not simul semel at once but successively gaines the addition of parts St. Paul cals it a body and though it be not such a Body as the Stoicks fancied quod more Fluminum in assiduâ diminutione adjectione est which
like Rivers receives every day encrease and every day diminution and is not the same to Day which it was yesterday yet is it corpus aggregatum a collected Body which is not made up at once in every part but receives its parts successively She is Terrible as an Army with Banners as it is said of the Spouse in the Canticles and in an Army you know the Van may lodge there to night where the Rere commeth not till the Morning So it is with the Church it hath alwayes its parts yet hath alwayes parts to be added so we read Acts 2. and the last verse That the Lord added daily that is successively such as should be saved Quantum iniquitatis grassatur tantum abest regnum Dei quod secum affert plenam re â—itudinem saith the Father Christ is come and yet is still a coming whilst there are Heresies and Schismes in the Church whilst the one undermineth the Bulwarks without and the other raises a Mutiny within whilst the Divell rageth and men sinne there be yet some to be gathered to his Sheep-fold and though in respect of his Power he be already come yet for his Elects sake he will not execute it yet And this is the very reason which Justine Martyr gives of the proroguing and delay of his comming and why the Consummation and end of all things is not yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for mankinds sake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the seed of Christians which is yet to be propagated for by his eternall Wisdome he fore-sees That many there be who will beleeve and turne to him by Repentance and some that bee not even many who are yet unborn in his second Apologie for the Christians For the promise is made to you and to your children saith Saint Peter natis natorum qui nascentur ab illis and to all that are afar off Acts 2.39 even as many as the Lord God shall call for how many thousands are not yet who shall be Saints for their sakes it is that the Lord doth not consume the world with fire that he doth not come to judge the world that wicked men are permitted to revell on the earth and the devil to rage that he suffers that which he abhors suffers injustice to move its armes at large and spread it self like a green bay tree and leaves innocency bound in chaines that he suffers men to break his commands to question his providence to doubt of his being and essence that we see this disorder and confusion the world in a manner dissolved before its end but when that number is full a number which we know not or if we did cannot know when he will fill it up when that is compleat then time shall be no more then Lo he comes and will purge the world of Heresie and Schisme will appear in that Majesty that the Athiests shall confesse he is God and see all those crooked wayes in which his providence seemed to walk made even and strait then the Epicure shall see that it was not below him to sit in heaven and look upon the children of men no dishonur to his Majesty to mannage and guide all those things which are done under the Moon that he may ride upon the Cherubin and yet number every haire of our head and observe the Sparrow that falls from the house top then we shall see him and we shall see all things put under his feet even Heresy and Schisme prophanesse and Atheisme sin and death Hell and the Devil himself This he hath in effect done already by the virtue and power of his Crosse and therefore may be said to be come But because we resist and hinder that will not suffer him to make his conquest full and when we cannot reach him at the right hand of God pursue and fight against him in his members he will come again and then cometh the end another consummatum est all shall be finisht his victory and triumph compleat and he shall lift up the heads of his despised servants and tread down all his enemies under his feet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the most proper sense Coloss 2.15 Triumph and make a shew of them openly And this is a fit object for a Christian to look upon Of this more THE FIFTEENTH SERMON MATTH 24.42 Dominus venturus The Lord will come Nescitis quâ horâ You know not what hour PART II. WEE have already beheld the person our Lord and we have placed him on his Tribunal as a judge for the Father hath committed the judgement to the Son you have seen his Dominion in his Laws which were fitted and proportioned to it as his Scepter is a Scepter of Righteousnesse so his Laws are just no man no Devil can question them we approve them as soon as we hear them and we approve them when we break them for that check which our conscience gives us is an approbation You have seen the vertue and power of his dominion for what is regal right without regal power what is a Lord without a sword or what is a sword if he cannot manage it what is a wise-man if a wiser then he what is a strong man if a stronger then he comes upon him but our Lord Es 9.6 as he is called wonderful Counsellour so is he the Mighty God who can stand before him when he is angry We have shewed you the large compasse and circuit of his Dominion no place so distant or remote to which it doth not reach It is over them that love him and over them that crucifie him It is over them that honour him Luk. 1.33 and over them that put him to open shame and last of all the durability or rather the eternity of it for of his Dominion there shall be no end saith the Angel to Mary and take the words going before he shall reign over the house of Jacob and the sense will be plain for as long as there is a house of Jacob a people and Church on earth so long shall he reign as his Priesthood so his Dominion is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and shall never passe away We must now fix our eyes upon him as ready to descend in puncto reversus settled in his place but upon his return Dominus venturus the Lord will come it is a word of the future tense as all predictions are of things to come and it is verbum operativum a word full of eshcacie and vertue First to awake and stir up our faith Secondly to raise our hope and Thirdly to inflame our charity It is an object for our faith to look on for our hope to reach at and for our Charity to embrace And first it offers it self to our faith for ideo Deus alscessit ut fides nostra corroboretur therefore doth our Saviour stay and not bow the heavens and come down that our faith which may reach him there may be built up here upon
eyes for our advantage that by the doubtful and pendulous expectation of the hour our faith might be put to the trial whether it be a languishing dead faith or fides armata a faith in armes Tert. de Anima c. 33. and upon its watch ut semper diem observemus dum semper ignoramus that whil'st we know not when 't will be it may present it self unto us every moment to affront and awe us in every motion and be as our task-master to over-see us and binde us to our duty that we may fulfill our work and work out our salvation with fear and trembling that our whole life may be as the vigils and Eve and the houre of his coming the first houre of an everlasting Holy-day Lastly there is no reason why it should be known neither in respect of the good nor of the evil for the good satis est illis credere it is enough for them that they beleeve they walk by faith saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.7 and in their way behold the promises and comminations of the he Lord and in them as in a glasse behold heaven and hell the horrour of the one and the glory of the other and this sight of the object which they have by the eye of faith is as powerful to work in them obedience as if Heaven it self should fly open and discover all unto them to the true beleever Christus venturus Christ to come and Christ now coming in the clouds are in effect but one object for Faith sees plainly the one in the other the last hour in the first the World at an end in the prediction But to Evil and wicked men to men who harden themselves in sin Jud. Ep. v. 10. no evidence is cleer enough and light it self is darknesse what they naturally know and what they can preach unto themselves in that thy corrupt themselves and give their senses leave to lead them to all uncleannesse whilst reason which should command is put behinde and never hearkned to are as bruit Beasts in spite of all they have of man within them and if they beleeve his coming and will not turn back and bow and obey their Reason they would remain the same beasts or worse though they knew the very hour of his coming After all those judgements Pharaoh was still the same after the rivers turned into blood after frogs and lice after the plague on man and beast after every plague which came thick as line upon line precept upon precept after all these the effect and conclusion was Exod. 10.27 Pharaoh hardned his heart was Pharaoh still the same Tyrant till he was drowned in the Red-sea Balaam though the Asse forbad his folly and the Angel forbad it though the sword was drawn against him and brandisht in his very face that he bowed on the ground and fell flat on his face yet he rose again and took courage to betray the Israelites to that sin with the Midianitish women which brought a curse vpon them and death upon himself for he was slain for it with the sword Exod. 31.8 what evidence can prevail with what terrour can move a wicked man hardned in his sin who knows well enough and can draw the picture of Christ coming and look upon it and study to forget it and then put on an ignorance of his own knowledge and though he know he will yet perswade himself he will not come and he that can thus stand out against his own knowledge in the one may be as daring and resolute in the other and venture on though Hell it self should open her mouth against him and breath vengeance in his face for howsoever we pretend ignorance yet the most of the sins which we commit we commit against our knowledge Tell the foolish man that the lips of the Harlot will bit like a Cockatrice he knows it well enough and yet will kisse them tell the intemperate that wine is a mocker he will taste though he know he shall be deceived the cruel oppressor will say and sigh it out that the Lord is his God and yet eat up his people as he eats bread who knows not that we must do to others as we would have others do to us and yet how many are there I may ask the question that make it good in practice who knows not what his duty is and that the wages of sin is death and yet how many seek it out and are willing to to travail with it though they die in the birth cannot the thought of judgement move us and will the knowledge of a certain houre awake us will the hardned sinner cleave to his sin though he know the Lord is coming and will he let it go and fling it from him if the set determined houre were upon record No 2 Tim. 3.13 they wax worse and worse saith the Apostle earth is a fairer place to them then Heaven it self nor will they part with one vanity nor bid the devil avoid though they knew the very houre I might say though they now saw him coming in the clouds For wilt not thou beleeve God when he comes as neer thee as in wisdom he can and his pure Essence and Infinite Majesty will suffer and art thou assured thou shalt believe him if he would please to come so neere as thy sick Fancy would draw him Indeed this is but aegri somnium the dreame of a sick and ill affected mind that complaines of want of Light when it shines in thy face for that Information which we so long for we cannot have or if we could it would work no more Miracles then that doth which we already have but leave us the same Lethargiques which we were in a word if his doctrine will not move us the Knowledge which hee will not Teach will have little force and though it were written in Capitall Letters at such a time and such a day and in such an Houre the Lord will come we should sleep on as securely as before and never awake from this Death in sinne till the last Trump To look once more upon the Non nostis horam Conclus and so conclude and we may learn even from our Ignorance of the Hour thus much That as his coming is uncertaine so it will be sudden as we cannot know when he will come so he will come when we doe not think on 't Tert. Apol. c. 33. cum Totius mundi motu cum horrore orbis cum planctu omnium si non Christianorum saith Tert. with the shaking of the whole world with the Horror and amazement of the Universe every man howling and lamenting but those few that little flock which did waite for his coming It is presented to us in three resemblances 1. Of Travell coming upon a Woman with Child 1 Thess 5.2,3 Luk. 21.35 2. Of a Thief in the night and 3ly Of a snare Now the Woman talks and is cheerfull now she layeth
up Job 14.14 Psal 119.164 Psal 55.17 Acts 24.25 Ephe. 6.14 O that we could say with Job all the dayes of my appointed time or with David seven times a day or were it his morning his noon his evening but I fear all is shut up in Foelix his convenient season that is when the world and our flesh when our lust and the devil will give us leave and then what faint feeble breathing what thin and empty conceptions nay what noysom exhalations what contradictions what sinnes are our prayers Let us then call upon him to be present with us and to assist us in our watch but let us gird up our loyns when we call upon him let us watch and pray pray and watch let us endeavour when we pray and he will help our indeavours let us intend what we desire and he will grant it let us mean what we speak and he will hear us for he never shuts his ears against his own words and his own words are Ask and you shall have ask the blessings of the right hand or the left and he will give you them or that which is better for you but if you ask his Grace his assistance you are heard before you speak for he is all Grace all Goodnesse all Rayes all beauty and will fill you with himself for his delight is to be in the sons of men and to make them like him Trouble not your selves then with what he will do or not do but be busie in your watch watch and pray in this your hour that you may know him and be known of him that at your last day and hour you may know and finde him what now you beleeve him to be your Righteousnesse your Lord your Saviour haec est hora vestra this is your hour this span of time this moment is that on which depends your Eterniy if in this your hour you watch and be ready to go out and meet him he will receive you with joy even receive you to his table there to rest and sit down and delight your selves with Abraham and Isaac and all the Prophets and all the Apostles all the Martyrs all your fellow watch-men and with them to sing prayses to this Lord for evermore THE SEVENTEENTH SERMON GAL. 1.10 The last part of the Verse For do I now perswade men or Gods or do I seek to please men For if I yet pleased men I should not be the servant of Christ WHich words admit a double sense but not contrary for the one is virtually included in the other as first If I should yet do as I did when I was a Jew seek to please men and to gain repute and honour and wealth fit my Doctrine to their corrupt disposition I should never have entred into Christs service which sets me up as it were in opposition to the world and the counsels of the world and so layes me open to scorn and hatred to misery and poverty Or more plainly this If being an Apostle of Christ I should yet please men attemper my Doctrine to their taste and relish whatsoever I call my self yet certainly I shall in no degree approve my self to be the servant of Christ And in this sense if you view the form and manner of the words they are at the first found but a meer supposition of S. Pauls but if we hear them again and well observe and consider them we shal find them to bea satyre and bitter reprehension of those false Apostles who did mingle and confound Christ and the Law and all those who shall leave the truth behinde them to meet and comply with the humours of men I say a plain and flat redargution but clothed in the Garment and â—abit of a Hyothetical proposition Nobis non licet esse sic disertis It is not for us Latins to be thus elegant the Latine Poer speakes it of himself but indeed lasheth that too much liberty which the Greeks assumed to themselves and si adhuc placerem if I yet pleased men is as a finger pointing out to the false Doctors who were pleasers of men Again as it is an artisicial reprehension so if you shall please to look upon it intentively you shall finde it to be a rale and precept For as some commentators on Aristotle have observed that his rule many times is contained and lies hid in the example and instance which he brings as when he gives you the instance of a magnificent man you shall there easily discover the face and beauty and full proportion of magnificence so what Saint Paul speaking of himself laies down as a supposition is indeed a rule and precept And this which hath been observed of Aristotle is the constant method of the holy Ghost that which is brought for instance is a precept when Josuah speakes of himself Josh 24.15 I and my houshold will serve the Lord he draws the character of a good Master of a Family When Job saies Job 29.24 I put on righteousnesse and it cloathed me he fitteth a robe for a good Magistrate when David saith I watered my Couch with my tears he hath presented us with the most lively picture of a Penitentiary my meat is to do the work of him that sent me are the words of our Saviour in Saint Iohns Gospel John 4.34 and as they lie seem to be but a bare Narration but they are a command and speak in effect thus much unto us that as to him it was so to us it must be even meat and drink to do the will of our Father which is in Heaven And here si adhuc placerem if yet I pleased men I were not the servant of Christ Saint Paul speaks it of himself but it is a command given to all those who have given up their name unto Christ and every man may make this deduction to himself that to please men and serve Christ are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are incompatible and cannot stand together that the best way to keep Christs livery on our backs is not so much to be slaves unto men as to please them And then these three things are wrapt up in this supposition First our Apostles purgation of himself that he is none Secondly a sharp reprehension of Men-pleasers Thirdly a flat command against it Or thus here is somthing implied and somthing plain and positive that which is implied is that most men are willing to be pleased that which is plain and positive is that there be others that will be too ready to please them And then the parts will be three 1. We shall discover the humour the desire of being pleased and the danger of it 2. A humour which is ready to meet and answer this an art and readinesse of pleasing others of knowing their taste and palate and dishing out their instructions with such sawces which shall delight them in making their addresses to them in that shape and posture which they most love to look upon
the hazard of their own soules and of that which should be as deare to them the peace of the Church Be not then too inquisitive to find out the manner of this union for the holy Father seales up thy lips that thou mayst not once think of Asking the question Just Mart. and tells thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that thou art not like to meet with an answer and what greater folly can there be then to attempt to do that which cannot be done or to search for that which is past finding out or to be ever a beginning and never make an end Search the scriptures for they are they that testifie of him testifie that he was God blessed for evermore that that word which was Godw as also made flesh that he was the Son of God and the Sonne of man the manner how the two Natures are united is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil ib. unsearchable unfoordable and the knowledge of it if our narrow understandings could receive it would not adde one haire to our stature and growth in Grace that he is God and man that the two Natures are united in one person who is thy Saviour and mediator is enough for thee to know and to rayse thy nature up to him Take the words as they lye in their Native purity and simplicity and not as they are hammered and beat out and stampt by every hand by those who will be Fathers not Interpreters of Scripture and beget what sense they please and present it not as their own but as a child of God Then Lo here is Christ and there is Christ this is Christ and that is Christ thou shalt see many images and characters of him but not one that is like him an imperfect Christ a half Christ a created Christ a fancied Christ a Christ that is not the Son of God and a Christ that is not the Son of Man and thus be rowled up and down in uncertainties and left to the poore and miserable comfort of Conjecture in that which so far as it concerns us is so plain and easie to be known Doe thoughts arise in thy heart do doubts and difficulties beset thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Justin Martyr thy Faith is the solution and will soon quit thee of them and cast them by thy Faith not assumed or insinuated into thee or brought in as thy vices may be by thy education but raised upon a holy hill a sure foundation the plain and expresse Word of God and upheld and strengthned by the Spirit Christian dost thou believe Thou hast then seen thy God in the Flesh from Eternity yet born Invisible yet seen Immense and circumscribed Immortall yet dying the Lord of life and Crucified God and man Christ Jesus Amaze not thy self with an inordinate feare of undervaluing thy Saviour wrong not his love and call it thy Reverence why should thoughts arise in thy Heart his power is not the lesse because his mercy is great nor doth his infinite love shadow or detract from his Majesty for see He counts it no disparagement to be seen in our flesh nor to be at any losse by being thus like us our Apostle tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there was a Decorum in it and it behoved him to be like unto his Brethren Debuit It behoved him That Christ was made like unto us is the joy of this Feast but that he ought to be is the wonder and extasy of our joy that he would descend is mercy but that he must is our astonishment Oportet and Debet are binding termes and words of Duty Had our Apostle said It behoved us that he should be made like unto us it had found an easy belief the debuit had been placed in loco suo in its proper place on a sweating brow on dust and putrefaction on the face of a captive All will say it Behoved us much but to put a Debet upon the Son of God to make it a Decorum a beseeming thing for him to become Flesh to be made like unto us to set a Rubie in Clay a Diamond in Brasse a Chrysolet in baser Metall and say it is placed well there to worry the Lambs for the Wolf to take the Master by the throat for the Debt of a Prodigall and with an Oportet to say it should be so to give a gift and call it a Debt is not out usuall language on earth on Earth it is not but in Heaven it is the proper Dialect fixed up in Capitall letters on the Mercy Seat the joy of this Feast the Angels Antheme Salvator Natus a Saviour is born and if he will be a Saviour an Undertaker a Surety such is the Nature of Fidejussion and Suretiship debet he must it behoveth him as deeply engaged as the party whose surety he is And let us look on the aptnesse of the meanes and we shall soon find that this Foolishnesse of God as the Apostle calls it is wiser than men and this weaknesse of God is stronger than men 1 Cor. 1.25 that the oportet is right set For medio existente conjunguntur extrema if you will have extremes to meet you must have a middle line to draw them together and behold here they meet and are made unum one Ephes 2.14 saith the Apostle the proprieties of either Nature being entire and yet meeting and concentring themselves as it were in one person Majesty puts on Humility Power Infirmity Eternity Mortality by the one he dyes for us by the other he riseth again by the one he suffers as Man by the other he conquers as God in them both he perfects and consummates the great work of our redemption And this Debuit reacheth home to each part of my Text to Christ as God The same hand that made the vessell when it was broken and so broken that there was not one sherd left to fetch water at any pit to repaire and set it together again that it may receive and contain the water of life ut qui fecit nos reficeret that our Creation and Salvation should be wrought by the same hand and turned about upon the same wheele Next we may set the debuit upon his person and he is media persona a middle person and the office will best fit him even the office of a Mediator and then as he is the Son of God who is the Image of the Father and most proper it may seem to him to repair that Image which was defaced and well neere lost in us For we had not onely blemished this Image but set the Devils face and superscription upon Gods coyne for Righteousnesse there was Sin for Purity Pollution for Beauty Deformity for Rectitude Perversenesse for the Man a Beast scarce any thing left by which he might know us venit filius ut iterum signet the Son comes and with his blood revives again the first character marks us with his owne signature imprints the Graces of
and Attire Clothed he was with a garment down to the foot which was the Garment of the High Priest and his was an unchangeable Priesthood Heb. 7.24 and he had a golden Girdle or Belt as a King v. 13. for he is a King for ever and of his kingdome there shall be no end Righteousnesse shall be the girdle of his loynes and Faithfulnesse he girdle of his reines Es 11.5 His head and his haires were white as wooll v. 14. and as white as snow his Judgement pure and uncorrupt not byassed by outward respects not tainted or corrupted by any turbulent affection but smooth even as waters are when no wind troubles them His eys as a flame of fire piercing the inward man searching the secrets of the heart nor is there any action word or thought which is not manifest in his sight His feet like unto fine brasse sincere and constant like unto himself in all his proceedings in every part of his Oeconomy his voyce as many waters v. 15. declaring his fathers will with power and authority sounding out the Gospel of peace to all the world and last of all out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword v. 16. not onely dividing asunder the soul and the spirit but discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart and taking vengeance on those who persecute his Church His Majesty dazled every mortall eye his Countenance was as the Sun shining in his strength and now of him who walks in the midst of his Church whose Mercy is a large Robe reaching down to the feet who is girt with Power who is clothed with Justice whose Wisdom pierceth even into darknesse it self whose Word is heard from one end of the world to the other whose Majesty displayes its beams through every corner of it we cannot but confesse with Peter This is Christ the Sonne of the living God And can the Saviour of the world the desire of the Nations the glory of his Father can Beauty it self appeare in such a shape of Terrour shall we draw out a mercifull Redeemer with a warriours Belt with eyes of Fire with feet of Brasse with a voyce of Terrour with a sharp two-edged Sword in his mouth Yes such a High Priest became us who is not onely mercifull but just not onely meek but powerfull not onely fair but terrible not onely clothed with the darknesse of Humility but with the shining robes of Majesty who can dye and can live again and live for evermore who suffered himself to be judged and condemned and shall judge and condemne the world it self S. John indeed was troubled at this sight and fell down as dead but Christ rouzeth him up and bids him shake off this feare for he is terrible to none but those who make him so to Hereticks and Hypocrites and Persecutors of his Church to those who would have him neither wise nor just nor powerfull non accepimus iratum sed fecimus he is not angry till we force him 't is rather our sins that turn back again upon us as furies than his wrath that makes him clothe himself with vengeance and draw his sword To S. John to those that bow before him he is all Sweetnesse all Grace all Salvation and upon these as upon St. John he layes his right hand quickens and rouzeth them up Feare not neither my girdle of Justice nor my eyes of fire nor my feet of brasse nor my mighty voice nor my two-edged sword for my Wisdom shall guide you my power shall defend you my Majesty shall uphold you and my Mercy shall crown you Fear not I am the first and the last more humble than any more powerfull than any scorned whipped crucified and now highly exalted and Lord of all the world I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I live for evermore c. Which words I may call as Tertullian doth the Lords Prayer breviarium Evangelii the breviary or summe of the whole Gospel or with Austin symbolnm abbreviatum the Epitome and abridgement of our Creed and such a short Creed we find in Tertullian which he calls Regulam veram immobilem irreformabilem the sole immutable unalterable rule of Faith and then The articles or parts will be these 1. The Death of Christ I was dead 2. The Resurrection of Christ with the effect and power of it I am he that liveth 3. The duration and continuance of his life which is to all eternity I live for evermore 4. Power of Christ which he purchased by his death the power of the keyes I have the keyes of Hell and of Death And these 1. Are ushered in with an Ecce Behold that we may consider it 2. Sealed ratified with an Amen that we may believe it That there be not in any of us as the Apostle speaks an unbelieving heart to depart from the living God I am he that liveth and was dead And of the death of Christ we spake the last day Par 1. we shall onely now look upon it in reference to the Resurrection consider it as past for it is fui mortuus I was dead and in this we may see the method and proceeding of our Saviour which he drew out in his blood which must sprinkle those who are to be saved and make them nigh unto him to follow in the same method à morte ad vitam Luke 24.25 Heb. 2.20 from suffering to glory from death to life Tota ecclesia cum Christo computatur ut una persona Christ and his Church are in computations but one person he ought to suffer and we ought to suffer they suffer in him and he in hem to the end of the world nor is any other method either answerable to his infinite Wisdome and Justice which hath set it down in indelible characters nor to our mortall and frail condition which must be bruised before it can be healed must be levelled with the ground before it can be raised up quicquid Deo convenit Tetuil homini prodest that which is convenient for Christ is profitable for us that which becometh him we must wear as an ornament of grace unto our head there is an oportet set upon both he ought and we ought first to suffer and then to enter into glory to die first that we may rise again And first it cannot consist with the wisdome of God that Christ should suffer and die and we live as we please and the reign with him and so pass à deliciis in delicias from one paradise to another that he should overcome the Divel for those who will be his vassals that he should foile him in his proud temptations for those who will not be humble beat off his sullen temptation for those who will distrust and murmure that he should make his victorious death commeatum delinquendi a licence and charter for all generations to fling away their weapons and not strike a stroke If he should have done this
hungry was spet upon was whipt was nayld to the Crosse which were as so many parts of that discipline which taught him to be mercifull to be mercifull to them who were tempted by hunger because he was hungry to be mercifull to them who were tempted by poverty because he was poore to be mercifull to those who tremble at disgrace because he was whipt to be mercifull to them who will not yet will suffer for him who refuse and yet chuse tremble and yet venture are afraid and yet dye for him because as man he found it a bitter Cup and would have had it passe from him who in the dayes of his flesh offer'd up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares for mortall men for weak men for sinners pertinacissimè durant quae discimus experientiâ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ariâ—… Anâ—… post l 2. c. xix This experimentall knowledge is so rooted and fix'd in him that it cannot be removed now no more then his naturall knowledge he can as soon be ignorant of our actions as our sufferings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Philosopher Experience is a collection of many particulars registred in our memory and this experience he had and our Apostle tells us didicit he learnt it and the Prophet tells us he was vir sciens infirmitatum Es 53. a man well read in sorrowes acquainted with grief and carryed it about with him from his Cradle to his crosse and by his Fasting and Tentation by his Agony and bloudy sweat by his precious Death and Buriall he remembers us in famine in Tentation in our Agony he remembers us in the houre of death in our grave for he pitties even our dust and will remember us in the day of judgement We have passed through the hardest part of this Method and yet it is as necessary as the end for there is no coming to it without this no peace without trouble no life without death Not that life is the proper effect of death for this cleare streame flowes from a higher and purer fountaine even from the will of God who is the fountaine of life which meeting with our obedience which is the conformity of our will to his maketh its way with power through fire and water as the Psalmist speaks through poverty and contumilies through every cloud and tempest through darknesse and death it self and so carryes it on to end and triumph in life I was dead that was his state of humility but I am alive that 's his state of Glory and is in the next place to be consider'd Vivo I am alive Christ hath spoken it who is truth it self and we may take his word for it for if we will not believe him when he sayes it neither should we believe if we should see him rising from the dead And this his life and resurrection is most conveniently placed in that Non dabis thou wilt not suffer thy holy one to see corruption for what stronger reason can there be found out in matters of faith then the will pleasure of that God who brings mighty things to pass to this end Saint Paul cites the 2. Psalme and S. Peter the 16. and in this the humble soule may rest and behold the object in its glory and so gather strength to rayse it self above the fading vanities of this world and so reach and raise to immortality What fairer evidence then that of Scripture what surer word then the word of Christ He that cannot settle himself on this is but as S. Judes cloud carryed about with every wind wheel'd and circled about from imagination to imagination now raysed to a belief that it is true and anon cast down into the midst of darknesse now assenting anon doubting and at last pressed down by his own unstablenesse into the pit of Infidelity He that will not walk by that light which shines upon him whilst he seeks for more must needs stumble and fall at those stones of offence which himself hath laid in his own way why should it be thought a thing incredible that God should raise the dead to life If such a thought arise in a Christian Acts 26.8 reason never set it up I verily thought my self saith Saint Paul in the next verse but it was when he was under the Law and he whose thoughts are staggered here is under a worse law the law of his members his lusts by which his thoughts and actions are held up as by a law is such a one that studies to be an Atheist is ambitious to be like the beasts that perish and having nothing in himself but that which is worse than nothing is well content to be annihilated For why should such a temptation take any Christian why should he desire clearer evidence why should they seek for demonstration or that the Resurrection of Christ should be made manifest to the eye That is not to seek to confirm and establish but to destory their faith for if these truths were as evident as it is that the sun doth shine when it is day the apprehension of them were not an act of our faith but of our knowledg and therefore Christ saith Tertullian shewed not himself openly to all the people at his Resurrection ut fides non mediocri praemio destinata Tert. Apol. non nisi difficultate constaret that faith by which we are destined to a crown might not consist without some difficulty but commend it self by our obedience the perfection and beauty whereof is best seen in making its way through difficulties and so Hilary Habet non tam veniam quà m praemium Hil. l. 8. de Trin. ignorare quod credis not perfectly to know what thou certainly believest doth so little stand in need of pardon that it is that alone which drawes on the reward For what obedience can it be for me to assent to this that the whole is greater then the part that the Sun doth shine or any of those truths which are visible to the eye what obedience is it to assent to that which I cannot deny but when the object is in part hidden in part seen when the truth we assent to hath more probability to establish it then can be brought to shake it then our Saviour himself pronounceth Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed Besides it were in vain he should afford us more light who hath given us enough for to him that will not rest in that which is enough nothing is enough When he rained down Manna upon the Israelites when he divided the red sea wrought wonders amongst them the Text sayes For all this they sinned still and believed not his wondrous works The Pharisees saw his miracles yet would have stoned him they saw him raise Lazarus from the dead and would have killed them both The people said He hath done all things well yet these were they that crucified the Lord of life Did any
untill midnight or to hear a Sermon every day Bid the wanton leave the lips of the harlot Acts 20. bid the ambitious make himself equall to them of low degree bid the mammonist be rich in good works and if he do not openly profess it yet the conjecture will be easy and probable that the wanton would chuse rather to fast twice in the week with the Pharisee than to make himself an Eunuch for the Kingdom of Heaven the ambitious and covetous rather say their prayers for such can but say them then to stay themselves in the eager pursuit of their ends but so long as to give an almes the ambitious will pray and hear and do any thing rather than fall lower and the Miser chain his ears to the Pulpit rather than to open them to the complaint of the poor S. Basil observed it long since 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Grat. ad Ditescentes and tels us that he knew many who without any great pains might be brought to fast and pray and to perform all parts of Religion which were not chargeable but could not be wonne with the most powerfull eloquence or strongest reason to any part of it which did cost them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but one half-peny 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a cheap Religion is as easy as cheap but Go sell all that you have and give to the poor is a better pill which we hardly let down and with a sowre countenance and should we prescribe it now to men of this Iron age would they not as S. Paul speaks in another case say that we were out of our wits And therefore in the last place These two if they be truly in us are never can never be alone but suppose faith which is sigillum bonorum operum Serm. 23. as Chrysologus speaks the seal to every good work to make it currant and authentick and he that is perfect in these cannot be to seek in the rest He that can govern a ship in a storm when the Sea rages and is unquiet may easily mannage a cockboat in a calm he that can empty himself to his brother that thinks the bellies of the poor the best granaries for his corn and the surest treasury for his money that can give unto God the things that are Gods and return them back by the hands of his Ambassadours the poor who beseech us in his Name he that is an exile at home and hath banisht himself from the world he lives in so uses it as if he used it not he that hates sin as an infectious plague and in a holy pride will keep his distance from it though it bow towards him in the person of his dearest friend that can detest sacriledge though his father were intricht by it and passed it over to him as an inheritance He that can thus keep himself unspotted of the world will lift up pure hands and beat down his body and be ready to hearken what the Lord God will say he that sends up so many sacrifices to God he that thus makes himself a sacrifice will offer up also the incense of his prayers he that can abstain from sinne may fast from meat he that hath broke his heart will open his car In a word he that approves himself in these two cannot but be active and exact in the rest And now having shewed you what is but shadowed in this picture and description of Religion let us look upon the picture it self so look upon it that we may draw it out and expresse it in our selves in every limb and part of it that they that behold us may say God is in us of a truth and glorifie him at the sight of such religious men And first we see Charity stretching forth her hand and casting her bread upon the waters the bitter waters of Affliction going about to the widow and fatherlesse and doing good doing all those things which Jesus began to teach walking in love as Christ loved us Ciem 2. strom 404. And this we may well call a part of Religion and a fair representation of it for by this the image of the likenes of God is repaired in us saith Bern is made manifest in us and as it were visible to the eye For in every Act of charity he that dwels on High comes down in the likeness of men speaks by the tongue gives by the hand of a mortal man moves in him moves with him to perfect this work This makes us as God in stead of God one to another for Homint homo quid praestat one man is not superiour to another as he is a man for in the Heraldry of Nature all are of the same degree all are equal for all aremen but when charity filleth his Heart and stretcheth forth his Hand he takes the higher place the place of God is his Embassadour and Steward not of the same Essence with God but bearing about with him his Image saith Clem. Al. Put you on saith S. Paul bowels of mercy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the elect of God when we have put them on we then are indeed the elect of God endowed with his spirit carrying about with us the mercies of God sent as it were from his mercy seat with comfort and relief to those who are minished and brought low by oppression affliction sorrow we may flatter our selves and talk what we please of Election and if we please intail it on a Faction but most sure it is without charity our election is not sure and without bowels we can be no more Elect then Judas the traytor was Elect that is by interpretation the sons of perdition It is doing good alone that makes us a Royall priesthood and this Honour have all his Saints the kings of the Gentiles saith our Saviour exercise authority upon them and they that exercise authority over them are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 benefactors or gratious Lords are called what they should be not what they are for if they were gratious Benefactors then were they kings indeed annointed with the oil of mercy which is sent down from Heaven being from the Heaven Heavenly that day when this distilled not from him on others Titus the Emperour did count as lost Diem perdidi so it is in Sueton but Zonaras hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have not reigned to day this day I was not Gods vicegerent we read in the book of the Kings that God gave Solomon a large Heart and Pineda glosses it liberalem fecit He made him liberall and mercifull we read that David was a man after Gods own heart and Procopius upon that place gives this as the probable reason of this denomination that he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a lover of the poor mercifull as he is merciful 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Imitation gives us a kinde of neernesse and familiarity with God that in which we represent him Synes Epist
Samuel told Eli every whit and kept nothing from him And He said It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him Good THe words are the words of old Eli the Priest and have reference to that message which yong Samuel brought him from the Lord such a message as did make both the ears of every one that heard it tingle ver 11. Come see the work of sin what desolation it makes upon the Earth Ophni and Phinehas the two prophane and adulterous Sons must die old Eli the indulgent Father the High Priest must die Thirty four thousand Israelites must fall by the sword of the Philistines The Arke the glory of Israel must be taken and be delivered up in triumph unto Dagon this was the word of the Lord which he spake by the mouth of the child Samuel and not a word of his did fall to the ground at the 19. verse for what God foretells is done already with him that calleth the things that are not as if they were as the Prophet speaks there is no difference of times Nothing past Nothing to come all is present So that old Eli did see this bloody Tragedy acted before it was done saw it done before the signal to Battle was given did see his Sons slain whilst the Fleshook was yet in their hands himself fall whilst he stood with Samuel the Israelites slain before they came into the field the Arke taken whilst it was yet in the Tabernacle a fad and killing presentment whether we consider him as a Father or a High Priest a Father looking upon his Sons falling before the Ark which they stood up and fought for as a High Priest beholding the people slain and vanquisht and the Ark the Glory of God the Glory of Israel in the hands of Philistines But the word of the Lord is gone out and will not return empty and void for what he sayes shall be done and what he binds with an oath is irreversible and must come to pass and it is not much material whether it be accomplisht to morrow or next day or now instantly and follow as an Eccho to the Prediction nam una est scientia Futurorum Hier. ad Pammach adversus errores Joann Hierosol saith S. Hierome for the knowledge of things to come is one and the same And now it will be good to look upon these heavie Judgments and by the terror of them fly from the wrath to come as the Israelites were cured by looking on the Serpent in the Wilderness For even the Justice of God when it speaks in thunder makes a kinde of melody when it toucheth and striketh upon an humble submissive yeelding heart Behold old Eli an High Priest to teach you who being now within the full march and shew of the Enemy and of those judgments which came apace towards him like an Armed man not to be resisted or avoided and hearing that from God which shook all the powers of his soul settles and composes his troubled minde with his consideration That is was the Lord in this silences all murmur slumbers all impatience buries all disdain looks upon the hand that strikes bows and kisseth it and being now ready to fall raiseth himself up upon this pious and Heavenly resolution Dominus est It is the Lord Though the people of Israel fly and the Philistines triumph though Ophni and Phinehas fall Though himself fall backward and break his neck Though the Ark be taken yet Dominus est It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good Which words are a Rhetorical Enthymeme perswading to humility and a submissive acquiescience under the Hand the mighty Hand of God by his power his justice his wisdom which all meet and are concentred in this Dominus est It is the Lord. He is omnipotent and who hath withstood his power He is just and will bring no evil without good cause He is wise whatsoever evil he brings he can draw it to a good end and therefore Faciat quod bonum in oculis let him do what seemeth him good Or you may observe first a judicious discovery from whence all evils come Dominus est It is the Lord. Secondly a well-grounded resolution 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to behave our selves decently and fittingly as under the power and justice and wisdom of God Let him do what seemeth him good The first is a Theologicall Axiome Dominus est It is the Lord There is no evil in a City Which he doth not do The second a conclusion as necessary as in any Demonstration most necessary I am sure for weaknesse to bow to Omnipotency In a word The Doctrine most certain Dominus est It is the Lord ... All these evils of punishment are from him and the resolution which is as the use and application of it most safe Faciat quod bonum in oculis Let him do what seemeth him good Of these we shall speak in their order and in the prosecution of the first for we shall but touch upon and conclude with the last that you may follow me with more ease we will draw the lines by which we are to passe and confine our selves to these four particnlars which are most eminent and remarkeable in the story First that Gods people the true professors may be delivered up to punishment for sinne Secondly that in these general judgements upon a people the good many times are involved with the evil and fall with them Thirdly that Gods people may be delivered up into the hands of Philistines and Aliens men worse then themselves Fourthly that the Ark The glory of their profession may be taken away These four and then fix up this inscription Dominus est It is the Lord and when we have acquitted his Justice and wisdom in these particulars cast an eye back upon the inscription and see what beams of light it will cast forth for our direction Dominus est it is the Lord c. And in the first place of Ophni and Phineas the Text tels us That they hearkened not unto the voice of their Father because the Lord would destroy them which word Quia is not casuall but illative 2 Ch. v. 25. and implyes not the cause of their sinne but of their punishment they did not therefore sin because God would punish them but they hearkened not to the voice of their Father therefore the Lord destroyed them as we use to say the Sun is risen because it is day for the day is not the cause of the Suns rising but the Sun rising makes it day They were sons of Belial vessels already fitted for wrath as we may see by their many fowl enormities and therefore were left to themselves and their sinnes and to wrath which at last devoured them Gods Decree whatsoever it be is immanent in himself and therefore could not because of that disobedience and wickednesse which was extrameous and contrary to him nor could there be any action of Gods either positive or negative
manner with his Leige-men and homagers the Jews for when they fell to Idolatry Hos 2.9 and bestowed the corn and the wine which God gave them upon Baal then presently God takes to himself away the corn in the time thereof and the â—tne in the season thereof aufer am lanam lanam I will recover â—aith he my flax and my wool recover it as my own thus unjustly uâ—urped and detained by these Idolaters I will cause all her mirth to cease her Fast-dayes her New-Moons her Sabbaths as if he had said I will defeat my own purpose I will nullify my Ordinance I will abolish my own Law I will put out the light of Israel which to my people hath been but as a meteor to make them wander in the crooked wayes of their own Imaginations I will deliver the Creature from the bond of corruption which seems to groan and travel in pain under these abuses of prophane men it being a kinde of servitude and Captivity to the Creature to be dragged and haled by the lusts and fancies and disordinate affections of prophane men to be dragged to the drudgery of the Gibeonices which I made to be as free as the Israelite himself to be in bondage and slavery under the pride and extravagant desires under the most empty and brutish fancies of corrupt men Auferam I will take them away from such unjust Vsurpers What should a Prodigal do with wealth what should a Robber do with strength what should a boundlesse oppressor do with power what should Ophni and Phinehas Adulterers Oppressors a sinfull Nation a people laden with iniquity do with the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord I will begin and I will also make an end 1 Sam. 3.12 This glory shall depart from Israel and the Ark shall be taken and here when the Ark is taken and the glory departed from Israel the word and inscription is still the same Dominus est it is the Lord. And now to apply this last particular shall I desire you to look up upon the inscription it is the Lord Behold the Prophet Jerem hath done it to my hand Ite ad Stlo Go to my palace which was in Shiloh where I set my Name at the first Jer. 7.12 and see what I did to it for the wickednesse of my people Go unto Shiloh and there purge the corruption the plague out of your hearts wash off the paint of your hypocrisie with the blood of these 34000. Israclites Look upon the Ark but not so to be dazled and dote on the glory and Beauty of it as to lose the sight of your selves and those sinnes which pollute it Look upon the word and Sacraments but not to make them the non ultrà of your worship and to rest in them as in the end to eat and wash and hear and no more to say the word of God is sweet and not to taste and digest it to attribute virtue and efficacy to the Sacrament and yet be fitter to receive the Devil then the sop not at once to magnifie and prophane it to call it the bread of life and make it poyson not to come neer the Ark not to handle these Holy things without feeling in a word Not to make them first an Idol and then nothing in this World For my brethren it is a very dangerous thing thus to over-value those things which in themselves are highly to be esteemed and are above comparison with any thing in this World for when we make them more then they are we in effect make them lesse then they are and at last nothing of no use at all nay we make that a snare unto us which was made a Help and as every Creature within the bounds of its own nature is useful and profitable so also these external helps the Ark of God the word and Sacraments of the Church are great blessings and highly to he Honored whilst we use them to that end for which they were first Instituted whilst we walk within that compasse and circle which God hath drawn according to that form which he hath shewed us That Jew deserves not the name of an Israclite that should by word or gesture dishonour the Ark when we see he was not permitted to touch it but then he that of a signe of the presence of God in the day of Battle shall make it his God is so much a Jew that he deserves to be flung out of the Synagogue And that Christian that bows not to the majesty of the word and receives it not as a letter and epistle from God as Saint Augustin calls it that esteems not of the Sacraments as those visible words the signes and pledges and conveiances of his great love and favour to us in Christ hath too little of the Christian to make him so much as one of the visible Church but he that is high in his Pâ—negyrick and ever calling speak Lord for thy servant heareth and then lies down to sleep or if he be awake is onely active in the denying the power of that word he so much magnified and called for and thinks he hath done all duties all offices to God if he do but give him the eare which is to trust in the Ark more then in God He that shall make the Sacrament first an Idol and then a seal to shut up Treason in silence as the Jesuite or use it as an Opiate once or twice in the yeer to quiet his conscience his viaticum and provision rather to strengthen him in sin then against it he that shall thus magnifie and thus debase it and thus exalt and thus tread it under foot is guilty of Heresie saith Erasmus which is not properly an Heresie but yet such a kinde of Heresie which may make him Anathema though he be of the Church and at last sever him as a Goat from the Sheep And now let us Judge not according to the appearance but let us Judge righteous judgement or rather if you please do but judge according to the appearance Cast an eye upon these unhappy times which if they be not the last yet so much resemble those which as we are told shall Vsher in the great Day that we have great reason to look about us as if they were the last weigh I say the controversies the businesse of these times and concerning those Duties and Transactions which constitute and consummate a Christian you shall finde as great silence in our Disputes as in our lives and practice The great Heate and Contention is concerning Baptisme and the Lords Supper and the Government and Disciplien of the Church 't is not whether we should denie our selves and abstain from all fleshly lusts but whether we may wash or not whether eat or not whether Christ may be conveighed into us in Water or in Bread whether he hath set up a chaire of infallibilitie at Rome or a Consistory at Geneva whether he hath Ordained one Pope or a
him Non pareo Deo sed assentior ex antmo illum non quia necesse est sequor saith the Heathen Sencca I do not onely obey God and do what he would have me but I am of his minde and whatsoever is done in Heaven and earth is done as I would have it The world is never out of frame with me I see nothing but order and Harmony no disturbance no crossnes in the course of things for that wisdome which is the worker of all things is more moving them any mâ—…on Wisd 7. and passeth and goeth through them all reacheth from one end to another mightily and draws every motion and action of men to that end in which if we could see them we should wonder and cry out so so thus we would have it The stubornest knee may be made to bow and Obedience may be constrained Balaam obeyed God but it was against his will but the true Israelite doth it with joy and readinesse and though it be a blow counts it as a favour For he that gave it hath taught him an art Psal 115.3 to make it so Goa doth whatsoever he will in Heaven and in Earth saith the Psalmist God wills it and doth it and when â—is done our will must bow before it and we must say with old Ele Faciat quod bonum in oculis let him do what he will Take the will of God in those several wayes the Scripture and the light of reason hath discovered it to us and in every kinde we must subscribe and vvhat he doth vve must vvill and vvhat he vvill suffer must seem good in our eyes and there is voluntas naturalis inclinationis aesiderti that desire and inclination which naturally was in him to work and wish the good of his Creature which is the proper and natural effect of his goodnesse for he Created us for our good and his Glory and there is another will voluntas Pâ—aecâ—pti the Law and Ordinance vvhich he hath laid upon his Creature vvhich is every vvhere in Scripture called his will for as he Ordained his Creature for good so he made known unto it the means by vvhich it should attain to that good for vvhich it vvas at first Ordained Now vve cannot but yeeld in these for can therebe any Question made vvhether vve vvil set a fiat and subscribe to our ovvn good It is strange that any man should be unwilling that God should love him unwilling to be happy or loath that way which so great love hath designed to bring him to this end The number is but few of those that do this will but t is the voice of the whole Christian World that this will should be done But there is yet further as we may observe voluntas accasionata a secondary and Consequent will in God not natural but occasioned and to which he is in a manner constrained The severity of God the miseries and afflictions of this life induration of will-ful and stubborn sinners eternal paines laid up in the World to come are the effects of this occasioned will Besides this there is voluntas permissionis his permissive will by which he doth give way so far as he thinks good to the intents and actions of evil men He doth not command them He doth not secretly suggest them nor doth he incline the Agents to them nor incline the Philistines to invade that Land which is none of theirs but by his infinite praescience foreseeing all actions and events possible determines for reasons best known to himself to give way to such actions which he saw would be done if he gave way and to these two we cannot but yeeld unlesse we will deny him to be God for if we beleeve him just or wise we cannot but say Fiat let him do what he will let him be angry and let him carry on his anger in what wayes and by what means he please He is our Father O Foelicem cui Deus dignatur irasci Teâ—tul and loves us and if we vvill be enemies to our selves he doth but an act of Justice and of mercy if he use the rod vvhat though he give line to vvicked men to do that vvhich his soul hates to suffer that to be done vvhich he forbids He permits all the evil that is done in the World if he did not permit it it could not be done and if he did not permit evil Obedience vvere but a name for vvhat praise is it not to do that vvhich I cannot do vvhatsoever evil he suffers his Wisdome is alvvayes present vvith him for he is Wisdome it self and can dravv that evil vvhich he but suffers to be done and make it serve to the Advancement of that good vvhich he vvill do he vvill make it as the hand of justice to punish offendors and execute his vvill and make it as his rod or Discipline to teach sinners in the way if vve could once subdue our vvills to that vvill of his vvhich is visible in his precepts if vve could ansvver love vvith love and love him and keep his Commandments vve should have no such aversnesse from the other tvvo no such dislike if he do vvhat he is forced to do or permit that to be done which he hath condemned already If we do whatsoever he commands us and be his friends what is it to us though he binde the sweet influences of the Pleiades Job 38.31 Deut. 28.3 Job 38.38 or loose the bonds of Orion though he make the Heavens as brasse and the Earth as iron though the clods cleave fast together and the clouds distil not upon them what is it to us if he beat down his own Temples when the tower of Babel reacheth up to Heaven if the black darknesse be in Goshen and the Egyptians have light if fools sport and triumph in their folly and the whip be laid on the back of the innocent what is it to us how or where he casts about his Hail-stones and coals of fire Si Fractus illabatur Orbis Impavidos ferient ruinae Horat. â—d In all these sad and dismal events in these judgements which fall crosse with our judgement and as the eye of flesh looks upon them to the minde of God himself in all these perplexities these riddles of providence the friend of God is still his friend and favours nay applauds whatsoever he doth or is pleased to suffer to be done which he would not suffer did not his Justice and Wisdome require it which is able to make the most crooked paths straight to fill every valley and level every mountain to work good out of evil and so make all those seeming extuberancies that which to us seem'd disorder and confusion that which our ignorance wondered at smooth and plain and even at the last Dominus est it is the Lord when that word is heard let every mouth be stopt or let it declare his Glory amongst the Nations and his wonders among the people at
shall neither be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 idle and not walk for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 walk but to nopurpose unfruitfull in the knowledge of Jesus Christ For to joyne these two Knowledge and Practice and to abound more and more is to walk in Christ Thus much of the first 2 Part. And thus wee see a Christian mans life is not as empty aery speculation a sitting still or standing but a walke Let us now in the second place see wherein this motion or walke principally consists and you may think perhaps That I shall now point out to the Deniall of our selves shew you Christ's Cross to take up and bid you follow him to fight against the World and all that is in the world the lusts of the flesh the lust of the eyes Joh. 1.2.16 and the pride of life that it is To lay hold of Christ to love Christ to be Adopted to be Regenerate to be called and converted for with these Generalities the Religion of too many is carried along and not with the thing it self but the Name and with these names and Notions they play and please themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the silly Fly doth with the flame of the Taper till they loose their wings and feet and are but a body a Lump that can neither walk nor move They deny themselves with an Oath and yet are themselves still as greedy as rapacious as before They take up the Crosse but 't is to lay it on other mens shoulders they follow Christ but as Peter did afarr off or rather as the Jews to crucify him They fight against the world that is against one another who shall possesse it for even this we doe not doe not fill our coffers but in the name of Christ and Religion They lay hold on Christ but 't is to carry him along with them to promote and further their designes They love him 't is plaine they doe and yet no give him a cup of cold water when he beggs at their doore They love him as they doe one another til 't is put to the Tryall They are Adopted but not of his family Regenerated but are liker to the Father of lies then him they pretend to They are called and converted For they know the very houre and moment of time when they heard the voice and said Amen to it Lord what a noyse have these Phrases these words made in the World and yet 't is the world still even a world of wickednesse Sen. Centrov As the Orator said of Figures possumus sine his vivere we may live and be saved with less noise for all these signifie but one and the same thing To deny our selves to take up the Crosse to follow Christ to fight against the world to lay hold on Christ to love him to be Adopted Regenerated and Converted all is no more then this to believe in Christ and to be sincere upright just and honest men Yet these words and words of Holy writt the language of the Spirit of God and they all full and significant nor can I give you a fairer Interpretation of my Text He that denies himself walks in Christ he that loves Christ walkes in him hee that is Adopted Regenerate Converted walks in Christ but this is too generall and I see but ill use made of these excellent expressions which should make us better and through our own wilfull solly make us worse for we may shape our selves how we list in our Fancy and be quite the contrary we will therefore interpret this walk in Christ by that of Saint Paul 1 Cor. 7.13 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called where the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was called Grot. in loc points out and designes as a Learned man hath observed the time of his Heavenly Calling and so both callings are made compatible and friendly linkt together my condition of life in this world and my calling to a better my being a part of the Common-wealth and my being a member of Christ For Christ came not to breake Relations or to disturb Common-wealths not to shut up the Tradesmans shop or block up the Sea to the Merchant nor to take the Husband-man from the Plough and I may doe all these and yet denie my self and take up the Crosse and fight against the world or rather I cannot do all these unlesse I doe the other not abide in one calling as I should unlessed walk worthy of the other not be a good Merchant unlesse I be a god Christian that we doubt not nay but not walk in Christ unlesse we walke in our Calling The life saith Saint Paul which I now live in the Flesh Gal. 2.20 I live by the Faith of the Son of God That is Those things which I do pertaining to the flesh and which this naturall mortall life requires as to eat drink converse with others and to seek my meat by the sweat of my browes which may seem to have no relation to a Spirituall life I do them in the Faith of the Son of God For in all these things I have alwayes an eye to the rule of Faith I make that my starre my Compasse to steer by and my care is to make every action of my life in my temporary conformable and consonant to my heavenly calling And the reason is plain for even our naturall and civill Actions as farr as they are capable of honestie or dishonesty pertaine or have reference to faith for although Christ and his Religion do not necessitate or compell men to engage in this or that particular Action or calling yet notwithstanding it is a rule sufficient to govern and direct us in any to keep us in a faire correspondency and obedience to reason and the will of God the Faith and Religion of Christ being practicall and having that force and efficacy which may be showne and manifested in all the civill Actions of our life Wisd 16.21 As the Jewish Rabbies report of the Manna which the Children of Israel did eat in the Wildernesse that it had this wonderfull property that it would fit it self to every mans tast and look what Viand what meat it was that any was delighted with it would in tast be like unto it so doth Christianity like this Manna doctâ quadam mobilitate by a certain secret force apply it self to every Tast to every Calling Read the Sermon on the Mount and those Epistles which the holy Apostles sent to severall Churches and what is there delivered the Foundation first laid then an Art of Governing our selves and conversing with men Art thou called to be a Servant 1 Cor. 7.21 Or there it is art thou called being a servant Eph. 6 7. serve as in the sight of Christ Art thou called to be a master Remember thou hast a Master in Heaven Art thou a Husband-man it will hold the Plough with thee Art thou a
to win our love and allure and draw us and if it draw us we must up and be stirring and walke on to meet it Climachus what that devout Writer saith of his Monk is true of the Christian he is assidua naturae violentia his whole life is a constant continued violence against himself against his corrupt nature which as a weight hangs upon him and cloggs and fetters him which having once shaken off he not onely walks but runns the wayes of Gods Commandements Conclus 1. Secondly let us walke honestly as in the Day walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as becommeth Christians in our severall stations and conditions of life and not think Christ dishonoured if we mingle him with the common Actions of our life For we never dishonour him more then when we take him not in and use him not as our guide and rule even in those Actions which for the grosnesse of the subject and matter they work on may seem to have no favour or rellish of that which we call Religion Be not deceived Maâ—um Rempturb â—i quam comam â—…ec he that thus takeâ—… him in is a Priest a King the most honorable person in the world Behold the profane Gallant who walks and talks away his lâ—…e who divides himself between the combe and the glass and had rather the Common-wealth should flie in pieces then one hair or his Periwig should be out of its place to whom we bow and cringe to and sail down to as to a Golden Calf I tell you the meaness Artizan that works with his hands even he that grindes at the Mill is more honourable then hee Take the speculative Phantastique Zealot the Christian Pharisee that shuts himself up between the eare and tongue between hearing much and speaking more and doing contrary the worst Anchoret in the world being full of Oppression deceit and bitterness I may be hold to say The vilest person he that sits with the doggs of your Flock is more Honorable more righteous then hee and of such as these Saint Paul spake often Philip. 3.18 and he spake it weeping that they did walk but walke as Enemies to the Cross of Christ Let then Every man move in his owne Sphere orderly abide in the Calling wherein he is called and in the last place That we may move with the first mover Christ the beginner and Author of our walke Let us take him along with us in all our waies Hearken what Christ Jesus the Lord will say That we may walk before him with Reverence and Godly feare not sicut vidimus Heb. 11.28 as we have seen but look upon one another as the two Cherubims 1 King 6. touching and moving one another but with the Ark of the Testimony in the midst betwixt us and by that either inciting or correcting one another in our walk Secondly not sicut visum suerit not as it shall seem good in our own eyes for nothing can be more deceitfull then our own thoughts nor sicut visum spiritui not as every spirit may move us which wee call Holy for it may be a lying spirit and lead us out of our way into those evills which grieve that Blessed Spirit whose Name we have thus presumtuously taken in vain But let us walk as we have received him let us joyn example with the word it will be no more as a meteor to mislead us but a bright morning Starr to direct us to Christ correct our fancy by the rule and it will be sanctum cogitatorium a Lymbeck an holy elaboratory of such thoughts which may fly as the Doves to the windows of heaven and last of all try the Spirit by the word for the word is nothing else but the breathing and voice of the Spirit and then thou shalt be baptized with the Spirit and fire the Spirit shal enlighten thee and the spirit shall purge and cleanse thee and lead the into all truth shall breath comfort and strength into thee in this thy walk and pilgrimage and thou shalt walk from strength to strength from virtue to virtue even till thou come to thy journeys end to thy Fathers house to that Sabbath rest which remains to the Children of God THE FOURTH SERMON JOHN 6.56 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him THese words are our Saviours and it was usuall with this our good Master by those things which were visible to the eye to lift up his hearers minds and thoughts to spiritual and Heavenly things to draw his discourse from some present occasion or businesse in hand He curseth the fig-tree Math. 21.19 Sterilitas nostra in Ficu Luke 11. which had nothing but leaves to correct our sterility and unfruitfulnesse at the table of a Pharisee upon the sight of the clean outside of his cup he discovers his inward parts full of ravening and wicknesse At Jacobs well Iohn 4. he powreth forth to the woman of Samaria the water of life After he had supped with his disciples he takes the cup and calls the wine his Blood John 15. and himself the true Vine Thus did Wisdom publish it self in every place upon every occasion The well the Table the High-way side every place was a Pulpit every occasion a Text and every good lesson a Sermon To draw down this to our present purpose In the beginning of this Chapter he worketh a miracle multiplyes the loaves and the fishes that the remainder was more then the whole a miracle of it self able to have made the power of god visible in him and something indeed it wrought with them for behold at the 24. v. they seek him they follow him over the Sea They ask him Rabbi when camest thou hither at the next verse but our Saviour knowing their hypocricy answers them not to what they ask but instructs them in that they never thought on Verily verily you seek me not for the miracle but the loaves v. 26. But behold I shew you yet a more excellent way I shew you bread better then those loaves better then Moses his manna behold I am the bread of life v. 48 and my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed v. 55. and he commends it unto them by three Virtues or effects 1. That it fills and satisfies which neither the loaves nor Moses his manna could do For he that cometh to me that devoteth himself to me shall never hunger and he that beleeveth in me shall never thirst v. 35. 2. It is a living bread v. 51. a bread that gives life which Moses manna could not do but was destroyed with them that ate it in the wildernesse v. 49. 3. That it was bread which had power to incorporate them to embody them to make them one and give them union and communion with the Lord of life in the words of my Text He that cateth my flesh and drinketh my blood that is as Christ himself
Lact. l. 6 de ver cult c. 24. A thing indeed it is which may seem strange to flesh and blood and Lactantius tells us that Tully thought it impossible but a strange thing it may seem that the sigh of a broken heart should slumber a Tempest That our sorrow should bind the hands of Majesty that our Repentance should make God himself repent and our Turne Turne him from his wrath and a change in us alter his Decree and therefore to Iulian that cursed Apostate it appear'd in a worse shape not onely as strange but as ridiculous and where he bitterly derides Constantine for the profession of Christianity he makes up his scoffe with the contempt and derision of Repentance Julian Caesar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and whosoever is a corrupter or defiler of Women whosoever is a man-slayer whosoever is an uncleane Person may be secure 't is but dipping himself in a little water and he is forthwith clean yea though he wallow again and againe in the same mire pollute himself with the same monstrous sinnes let him but say he hath sinned and at the very word the sinne vanisheth let him but Smite his breast or strike his forehead and he shall presently without more adoe become as white as snow And 't is no marvaile to hear an Apostate blaspheme for his Apostacie it self was blasphemy no more then 't is to heare a Devill Curse both are fallen from their first estate and both hate that estate from whence they are fallen and they both howle together for that which they might have kept and would not upon Repentance there is Dictum Domini thus saith the Lord and this is enough to shame all the witt and confute all the Blasphemy of the world As I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner but that he Turne and in this consists the Priviledge and power of our Turn this makes Repentance a Virtue and by this word this Institution and the Grace of God annexed to it A Turne shall free us from Death a Teare shall shake the powers of Heaven a repentant Sigh shall put the Angels into Passion and our Turning from our Sinne shall Turne God himself even Turne him from his fierce wrath and strike the Sword out of his hand Turne ye Turne ye then is Dictum Domini a voice from Heaven a command from God himself And it is the voice and dictate of his Wisdom an Attribute which he much delights in more then in any of the rest saith Naz. Orat. 1. for it directs his power for whatsoever he doth is done in wisedome in Order Number and Measure whatsoever he doth is best his raine falls not his Arrowes fly not but where they should to the marke which his Wisedome hath set up It accompanies his Justice and make his wayes equall in all the disproportion and dissimilitude which can shew it self to an eye of flesh It made all his Judgements and Statutes It breathed forth his Promises and Menaces and will make them good in Wisedome he made the Heavens and in Wisedome he kindled the fire of Hell nothing can be done in this world or the next which should not be done Againe it orders his Mercy for though he will have Mercy on whom he will have Mercy yet he will not let it fall but where he should not into any Vessell but that which is fit to receive it for his Wisedome is over all his works as well as his Mercy he would save us but he will not save us without Repentance he could force us to a Turne and yet I may truly say hee could not because he is wise he would not have us die and yet he will desTroy us if we will not Turne he doth nothing either good or evill to us which is not convenient for him and agreeable to his wisedome Nor can this bring us under the Imputation of too much boldnesse to say The Lord doth nothing but what is convenient for him for 't is not boldnesse to magnifie his wisedom They rather come too neer and are bold with Maiesty who fasten upon him those Counsells and determinations which are repugnant and opposite to his wisedome and goodnesse and which his soul hates as That hedid Decree to make some men miserable to that end that he might make his Mercy glorious in making them happy that he did of purpose wound them that he might heale them That he did threaten them with Death whose names he had written in the book of Life That he was willing man should sinne that he might forgive him That he doth exact that Repentance as our Duty which himselfe will worke in us by an irresistible force That he commands intreats beseeches others to Turne and Repent whom himselfe hath bound and fetter'd by an absolute Decree that they shall never Turne That he calls them to Repentance and Salvation whom he hath damn'd from al eternity and if any certainly such Beasts as these deserve to be struck through with a Dart. No 't is not boldness but Humility and Obedience to his will to say He doth nothing but what becommeth him what his wisedome doth justify and he hath abounded towards us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Saint tPaul Ephe. 1.8 in all Wiedome and Prudence His wisedome findes out the meanes of Salvation and his Prudence orders and disposeth them his wisedome shewes the way to life and his Prudence leads us through it to the end I Wisedome was from everlasting Proverb 8. and as she was in initio viarum in the beginning of Gods wayes so she was in initio Evangelii in the beginning of the Gospel which is called the wisedome of God unto salvation and she fitted and proportioned meanes to that end means which were most agreeable and connaturall to it It found out a way to conquer Death Heb. 2.14 and him that hath the power of Death the Devill with the weapons of Righteousness to digge up sinne by the very Roots that no work of the flesh might shoot forth out of the Heart any more to destroy it in its effects that though it be done yet it shall have no more force then if it were annihilated then if it had never been done and to destroy it in its causes that it may be never done againe Immutabile quod factum est Quint l. 7. to draw together Justice and Mercy which seemed to stand at distance and hinder the work and to make them meet and kisse each other in Christs Satisfaction and ours for our Turne is our satisfaction all that we can make which she hath joyned together Condigna est satisfatio mald facta corrigere est correcta non reiterare Ber. de Just. Dom. c. 1. Satisfactio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Antiochens conc can 2. never to be severed his Sufferings with our Repentance his Agony with our sorrow his Blood with our Teares his Flesh nailed to the Crosse with our lusts
is an Argument against us That wee deserve to heare it no more We are willing that what we speake should stand not a word not a syllable not one tittle must fall to the ground If wee speak to our servant and say Goe he must goe and if we say doe this he must doe it nunc Now dicto citiùs as soon as it is spoke A deliberative pausing Obedience Obedience in the Future Tense to say he will doe it when he pleases strips him of his Livery and Thrusts him out of doores And shall man who is Dust and Ashes feek a convenient time to Turne from his Evill wayes shall our now be when we please shall one morrow Thrust on another and that a Third shall we demurr and delay till we are ready to be thrust into our graves or which will follow into Hell if the Lord saies Turne ye Turne ye there can be no other time no other now but now All other nows and opportunities as our dayes are in his hands and he may close and shut them up if he please and not open them to give thee another Domini non servi negotium agitur the business is the Lords and not the servants and yet the businesse is ours too but the Time is in his Hands and not in ours Now then Turne ye now the word sounds and Eccho's in your eares Againe now now thou hast any good Thought any Thought that hath any relish of Salvation For that thought if it be not the voice Deus ad homines imoquod proprius est in homines venit Sen. Ep. 73. Job 33.16 is the whisper of the Lord but it speaks as plain as his Thunder If it be a good thought it is from him who is the fountain of all good and he speaks to thee by it as he did to the Prophets by Visions and Dreames In a Dreame in a Vision of the Night I may say In a Thought he openeth the eares of men and sealeth their Instruction And why should he speake once and twice and we perceive it not why should the Devil who seeeks to devour us prevail with us more then our God that would save us why should an evill thought arise in our hearts and swell and grow and be powerfull to roule the Eye to lift up the head to stretch out the Hand to make our feet like Hinds feet in the wayes of Death and a holy Thought a good intention which is as it were the breath of the Lord be stopped and checked and slighted and at last be chased away into the land of Oblivion why should a good thought arise and vanish and leave no impression behind it and an evill thought increase and multiply shake the powers of the Soul command the will and every faculty of the mind every part of the body and at last bring forth a Cain and Esau a Herod a Pharisee a profane Person an Adulterer a Murderer why should we so soon devest our selves of the one and morari stay and dwell and fool it in the other sport our selves as in a place of pleasure a Seraglio a Paradise For let us but give the same friendly Entertainment to the Good as we do to the bad let us but as joyfully imbrace the one as we doe the other let us be as speculative men in the wayes of God as we are in our own and then we shall make Hast and not delay to Turne unto him We talke much of the Grace of God and we do but talke of it It is in all mouthes in some it is but a sound in others it is scarse sense in most it is but a loud but faint acknowledgement of its power when it hath no power at all to move us an acknowledgement of what God can doe when we are resolv'd he shall work nothing in us we commend it and resist it pray for it and refuse it Behold the Grace of God hath appeared to all men appeared in the Doctrine of the Gospel and appeares in those good Thoughts which are the proper Issue of t hat doctrine and are begot by this word of Truth and when the heart sends them forth she sends them as Messengers of Grace to invite us and draw us out of our evill wayes and if the Devil can raise such a Babel upon an evill Thought why may not God raise up a Temple unto himself upon a Good I appeal to your selves and shall desire you to ask your selves the question How often have you enjoyed such Gracious ravishing thoughts How often have you felt the good motions of the Spirit How oft have you heard a voice behind you say Doe this how many checques how many inward Rebukes have you had in your Evill wayes how oft have these thoughts followed and pursued you in the wayes of Evill and made them lesse pleasing what a dampe have they cast upon your delight what a Thorne have they been in your flesh even when it was wanton How oft are you so composed and by assed by these Heavenly Insinuations that heart and hand are ready to joyne together as partners in the Turne How oft would you and yet will not Turne How oft are you the Preachers and tell your selves Vanity of Vanity all is Vanity and that there is no true rest but in God I speak to those who have any feeling and presage of a future Estate any Tast of the Powers of the world to come for too many we see have not I speake this to our shame Now is the Time Now is the Now. nunc nunc properandus acri Fingendus sine fine rotâ Now thou must turne the wheel about and frame and fashion thy self into a vessel of Honor consecrate unto the Lord makeup a Child of God the new Creature Now nourish and make much of these good Motions good inclinations wrought in us either by the Word of God or the rod of God They are fallen upon us and entred into us but how long they will stay how long we shall enjoy them we cannot tell a smile from the World a Dart from Satan if we take not heed if we be not tender of them may chase them away This is the time this is the Now for at another time being fallen from this Heaven our Cogitations may be from the earth earthly such grosse and durty thoughts which will not melt but harden in the Sun Our Faculties may be corrupt our Understandings dull and heavy our wills froward and perverse that we shall neither will that which is Good or so will it that we shall not have strength to bring forth not be able to draw it into Act If we approve or look towards it we shall soon start back as from an Enemy as from that which suits not with our present disposition but is distastfull to it tanquam fas non sit as if it were some unlawfull thing as we read of the Sybarite who was growne so extreamly dainty that he would
holy Ghost then Si non in timore Domini tenueris te instanter if thou keep not thy self diligently in the Fear of the Lord in the Fear of his displeasure his wrath and in the fear of the last account this house this Temple will soon be overthrown For as the Temple in the first of Ezra the Scribe Ecclus. 27.3 was said to be built in great joy and great mourning that they could not discerne the shout of joy for the noise of weeping So our spiritual building is rais'd Inter Apocr cap. 5. ver 64 65. and supported with great hope and great feare and it may be sometimes we shall not discerne which is greatest our feare or our hope but when we are strong then are we weak when we are rich then are we poore when we hope then we feare and our weakness upholds our strength our poverty preserves our wealth and our Feare tempers our hope that our strength overthrow us not that our riches beggar us not that our hope overwhelme us not quantò magis crescimus tanto magis timemus the more we increase in Virtue the more we Feare Thus manente Timore stat aedificium whilst this Butteresse this Foundation of Feare lasts the house stands Thus we work out our Salvation with Feare and Trembling To conclude then I speak not this to dead in any soule any of those Comforts which faith or Love or Hope have begotten in them or to choke and stifle any fruit or effect of the Spirit of love No I pray with S. Paul that your love may abound 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 1.9 yet more and more but as it follows there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Knowledge and in all Judgement that you may discerne things that differ one from another a Phansy from a Reality a flash of Love from the pure flame of love a notion of Faith from a true Faith and hope from presumption For how many sin how few think of punishment how many offend God and yet call themselves his 〈◊〉 how many are willfull in their disobedience and yet perâ—…â—…ory in their hope how many runne on in their evill wayes 〈◊〉 leave seare behinde them which never overtakes them but is furthest off when they are neerest to their journeys end and within a step of the Tribunal For that which made them sinfull makes them senseless and they easily subborn false comforts the â—…knes of the flesh which they never resisted and the Mercy of God which they ever abused to chace away all fear and so they depart we say in peace but are lost for ever Curtius de Alexand. For as the Historian observes of men in place and Authority Cum se fortunae permittunt etiam naturam dediscunt when they rely wholly upon their greatness and Authority they lose their very Nature and turne Savage and quite forget that they are men in like manner it befalls these spiritualized men who build up to themselves a pillar of assurance and leane and rest themselves upon it they lose their nature and reason and forget to feare or be disconsolate and become like those whom the Philosopher calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because their boast was they did not feare a Thunder-bolt Feare not them that can kill the body saith our Saviour whom doe they feare else who hath beleeved our report or to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed That arme which breaketh the Cedars of Libanus in peeces That Arme which onely doth wondrous works is ever lifted up and we sport and walk delicately under it when we tremble and Couch under that which is as ready to wither as to strike Behold Dust and Ashes invested with Power Behold man who is of as neere kin to the worme and Corruption as our selves and see how he aws us and bounds us and keeps us in on every side If he say Do this we doe it Subscribe to that as a Truth which we know to be false make our yea nay and our nay yea renounce our understandings and enslave our wills change our Religion as we do our clothes and fit them to the Times and Fashion pull down resolutions cancell Oathes be votaries to day and breake to morrow surrender up our soules and bodies Deliver up our Conscience in the midst of all its Cryings and Gain-sayings and lay it down at the foot of a fading transitory Power which breathes it self forth as the wind whilst it seeks to destroy which threatens strikes and then is no more When this Lion roares every man is afraid is transelemented unnaturalized unman'd is made wax to receive any impression from a mighty but mortall hand and shall not the God of heaven and earth who can dash all this Power to nothing deserve our feare shall we be so familiar with him as to contemne him so love him as to hate him shall a shadow a vapor awe us and shall we stand out against Omnipotency and Eternity it self shall sense brutish sense prevaile with us more then our Reason or Faith and shall we crosse the method of God make it our Wisedome to feare man and count it a sin to feare God who is only to be feared this were to be wiser then Wisedom it self which is the greatest folly in the World I have brought you therefore to this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to this School of feare set up the Moriemini shewd you a Deaths-Head to discipline and Catechise you that you may not die but live and Turne from your evill wayes and Turne unto him who hath the keyes of hell and of Death who as he is a Saviour so is he also a Judge and hath made Feare one Ingredient in his Physick not onely to purge us but to keep us in a healthfull Temper and Constitution And to this Promptuor Moral if not the danger of our soules yet the noise of those who love us not may awake us Stapleton a Learned man but a malitious Fugitive layes it as a charge against the Preachers of the Reformed Churches that they are copious and large in setting forth the Mercies of God but they passe over Graviora Evangelit the harsher but most necessary passages of the Gospel suspenso pede lightly and as it were on their Tiptoes and goe softly as if they were afraid to awake their hearers That we are mere solifidians and rely upon a reed a hollow and an empty faith Bellarmine is loud that we doe per contemplationem volare hover as it were on the wings of Contemplation and hope to goe to heaven in a Dreame Pamelius in his notes upon Tertullian is bold upon it That the Primitive Church did Anathematize us in the Marcionists and Gnostiques and if they were Hereticks then we are so And what shall we now say Recrimination is rather an objection then an Answer and it will be against all rules of Logick to conclude our selves Good because they are worse or that we have no
if he be angry we have provoked him if he come in a Tempest we have rais'd it if he be a consuming fire we have kindled it we force him to be what he would not be we make him Thunder who is all Light Tert. advers Marc. l. 2. c. 11. Bonitas ingenita severitas Accidens Alteram sibi alteram rei Deus praestitit saith the Father his goodnesse is Naturall his severity in respect of its Act Accidentall for God may be severe and yet not punish for he strikes not till we provoke him his Justice and severity are the same as everlasting as himself though he never speak in his wrath nor draw his sword If there were no Hell yet were he just and if there were no Abrahams Bosome yet were he Good if there were neither Angel nor men he were still the Lord blessed for evermore in a word he had been just though he had never been Angry he had been mercifull though man had not been miscrable he had been the same God just and good and mercifull though sin had not entred in by Adam nor Death by sinne God is active in Good and not in Evill he cannot doe what he doth detest and hate he cannot Decree Ordaine or further that which is most contrary to him he doth not kill me before all time and then in time aske me why I will die He doth not Condemne me first and then make a Law that I may break it He doth not blow out my Candle and then punish me for being in the dark That the conviction of a sinner should be the onely end of his Exhortations and Expostulations cannot consist with that Goodness which God is who when he comes to punish Isai 28.21 sacit opus non suum saith the Prophet doth not his owne worke doth a strange work a strange Act an Act that is forced from him a worke which he would not doe And as he doth not will our Death so doth he not desire to manifest his Glory in it which as our Death proceeds from his secondary and occasion'd will For God saith Aquinas seeks not the manifestation of his Glory Aquin. 2.2 q. 132. art 1. for his own but for our sakes His glory as his Wisdome and Justice and Power is with him alwayes as eternall as himself no Quire of Angels can improve no raging Devil can diminish his Glory which in the midst of all the Hallelujahs of Seraphin and Cherubin in the midst of all the Blasphemies of men and Devills is still the same and his first will is to see it in his Image in the conformity of our wills to his where it strives in the perfection of Beauty rather then when it is decay'd and defaced rather then in a Damned Spirit rather in that Saint he would have made then in that Reprobate and cursed soul which he was forced to throw into the lowest pit and so to receive his Glory is that which he would not have which he was willing to begin on Earth and then have made it perfect and compleat in the highest Heavens Tert. ibid. Exinde admortem sed ante ad vitam The sentence of Death was pronounced against man almost as soon as he was man but he was first created to life we are punished for being evill but we were first commanded to be good his first will is That we glorify him in our Bodies and in our soules but if we frustrate his loving expectation here then he rowseth himself up as a mighty man and will be avenged of us and work his Glory out of that which dishonor'd him and write it with our blood In the multitude of the People Prov. 14.28 is the Glory of a King saith the wisest of Kings and more Glory if they be obedient to his laws then if they rebell and rise up against him That Common-wealth is more glorious where every man fills his place then where the Prisons are filled with Theeves and Traytors and men of Belial and though the Justice and wisedome of the King may be seen in these yet 't is more resplendent in those on whom the Law hath more Power then the sword In Heaven is the glory of God best seen and his delight is in it to see it in the Church of the First-borne and in the soules of just men made perfect it is now indeed his will which primarily was not his will to see it in the Divel and his Angels For God is best pleased to see his Creature man to answer to that patteâ—e which he hath set up to be what he should be and what he intended And as every Artificer glories in his work when he sees it finish't according to the rule and that Idea which he had drawne in his minde and as we use to look upon the work of our hands or witts with that favour and complacency we doe upon our Children when they are like us so doth God upon man when he appeares in that shape and forme of Obedience which he prescrib'd for then the Glory of God is carried along in the continued streame and course of all our Actions breaks forth and is seen in every worke of our Hands is the Eccho of every word we speak the result of every Thought that begat that word and it is Musick in his eares which he had rather heare then the weeping and howling of the Damned which he will now heare though the time was when he us'd all fitting meanes to prevent it even the same meanes by which he raised those who now glorify him in the Highest Heaven God then is no way willing we should die not by his Naturall will which is his prime and antecedent will for Death cannot issue from the Fountaine of Life and by this will was the Creature made in the beginning and by this preserved ever since by this are administred all the meanes to bring it to that perfection and happiness for which it was first made for the goodness of God it was which first gave a being to man and then adopted him in speâ—… regâ—…i design'd him for immortality and gave him a Law by the fulfilling of which he might have a Tast of that Joy and Happinesse which he from all Eternity possest And therefore secondly not voluntate praecepti not by his will exprest in his command in his precepts and Laws For under Christ this will of his is the onely destroyer of Death and being kept and observ'd swallows it up in victory for how can Death touch him who is made like unto the living Lord or how should Hell receive him whose conversation is in heaven Ezek. 16. â—1 13.21 If we do them we shall even live in them saith the Prophet and he repeats it often as if Life were as inseparable from them as it is from the living God himself by which as he is life in himself so to man whom he had made he brought life and immortality to light
excludes all stoicall fate all necessity of sinning or dying there is nothing above us nothing before us nothing about us which can necessitate or binde us over to death so that if we die it is in our volo in our will we die for no other reason but that which is not reason quia volumus because we will die We have now brought you to the very Cell and Den of death where this monster was framed and fashioned where 't was first conceived brought forth and nurst up I have discovered to you the Original and beginnings of sin whose natural issue is death and shut it up in one word the will that which hath so troubled and amuzed men in all the ages of the Church to finde out That which some have sought in Heaven in the bosom of God as if his Providence had a hand in it and others have raked Hell and made the devil the Author of it who is but a perswader a soliciter to promote it that which others have tied to the chain of Destiny whose links are filed by the fancy alone and made up of air and so not strong enough to binde men much lesse the Gods themselves as 't is said what many have busied themselves in a painful and unnecessary search to finde out opening the windows of Heaven to finde it there running to and fro about the universe to finde it there and searching Hell it self to discover it we may discover in our own Breasts in our own heart the will the womb that conceives this Monster this Viper which eats through it and Destroyes the Mother in the Birth For that which is the beginning of Action is the beginning of sinne and that which is the beginning of sinne is the cause of Death In homine quicquid est sibi proficit Hilar. in Ps 118. saith Hilary there is nothing in man Nothing in the world which he may not make use of to avoid and prevent Death and In homine quic-quid est sibi nocet there is nothing in man nothing in the world which he may not make an occasion and Instrument of sinne That which hurts him may help him That which Circumspection and Diligence may make an Antidote neglect and Carelesness may Turn into Poyson 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Basil as goodness so sinne is the work of our will not of Necessity If they were wrought in us against our will there could be neither Good nor Evill I call Heaven and Earth to witnesse saith GOD by his Servant Moses I have set before you Life and Death Blessing and cursing Deut. 30.19 and what is it to set it before them but to put it to themselves to put it into their own Hands to put it to their choice Chuse then which you will The Devil may tempt the Law occasion sinne Rom. 7.11 the Flesh may be weake Temptations may shew themselves but not any of these not all of these can bring in a necessity of Dying For the Qeustion or Expostulation doth not run thus Why are you under a Law why are you weake or why are you Dead for Reasons may be given for all these and the Justice and Wisedome of God will stand up to defend them but the Question is Why Will ye die for which there can bee no other Reason given but our Will And here we must make a stand and take our rise from this one word this one syllable our Will for upon no larger foundation then this we either build our selves up into a Temple of the Lord or into that Tower of Babel and Confusion which God will Destroy We see here all is laid upon the Will But such is our Folly and madness so full of Contradictions is a wilfull sinner that though he call Death unto him both with words and works though he be found guilty and sentence of Death past upon him yet he cannot be wrought into such a perswasion Tert. Apol. c. 1. That he was ever willing to Die nolumus nostrum quia malum Agnoscimus we will not call sinne ours because we know it Evill and so are bold to exonerate and unload our selves upon God himself 'T is true there is light but we are blind and cannot see it There is Comfort sounds every where but we are deafe and cannot heare it There is supply at hand but we are bound and fetter'd and can make no use of it There is Balm in Gilead but we are lame and have no hand to apply it We complain of our naturall weakness of our want of Grace and Assistance when we might know the Danger we are in we plead Ignorance when we willingly yeeld our Members servants to sinne we have learnt to say we did not doe it plenâ voluntate with a full Consent and will and what God hath clothed with Death we cloath with the faire Glosse of a good Intention and meaning we complaine of our Bodies and of our Souls as if the Wisedome of God had fail'd in our Creation we would be made after another fashion that we might be good and yet when we might be good we will be evill And these Webbs a sick and unsanctify'd Fancy will soon spin out These are Receipts and Antidotes of our own Tempering devis'd and made use of against the Gnawings of Conscience These we study and are ready and expert in and when Conscience begins to open and chide these are at hand to quiet it and to put it to silence wee carry them about for ease and comfort but to as little purpose as the women in Chrysostoms time bound the coines of Alexander the Great or some part of Saint Johns Gospel to ease them of the Headach for by these Receits and spells we more envenom our souls and draw neerer to Death by Thinking to fly from it and are ten-fold more the Servants of Satan because we are willing to doe him service but not willing to weare his Livery and thus excusando exprobramus our Apologies defame us our false Comforts destroy us and wee condemn our selves with an Excuse To draw then the lines by which we are to passe we will take off the Moriemini the cause of our Death from these First from our Naturall weakness Secondly from the Deficiency of Grace for neither can our Naturall weakness Betray nor can there be such a want of Grace as to enfeeble nor hath Satan so much Power as to force the will and so there will be no Necessity of Dying either in respect of our Naturall weakness or in regard of Gods strengthning hand and withholding his Grace and then in the second place that neither Ignorance of our duty nor regret or reluctancie of Conscience nor any pretence or good Intention can make sin lesse sinfull or our Death lesse voluntary and so bring Death to their Doores who have sought it out who have called it to them who are Confederate with it and are worthy to bee partakers thereof And Why Will you
thus if we look up to the Hills from whence commeth our Salvation Luk. 21.28 wee shall also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Look up and lift up our Heads behave our selves as if all Things did goe as wee would have them look up and lift up our Heads as herbs peep out of the Earth when the Sunne comes neere them and Birds sing when the Spring is neere so look up as if our Redemption our Spring were neere Thus if wee Importune Him by our Prayers wait on Him by our Patience walk before him when the Tempest is loudest in the syncerity and uprightnesse of our Hearts and put our Cause into his Hands if there bee any Ismael to persecute us any Enemies to trouble us hee will cast them out either so melt and transforme them that they shall not trouble us or if they doe they shall rather advantage them then Hurt us rather improve our Devotion then coole and abate it rather increase our Patience then weaken it raise our Syncerity rather then sink it rather settle and confirme our Confidence then shake it in a word shall so cast them out as to teach us to doe it that wee may so use them as wee are Taught to use the unrighteous Mammon to cast them out by making them Friends even such Friends as may receive us into Everlasting Habitations which God Grant for His Sonne JESUS CHRISTS sake c. THE FOURTEENTH SERMON MATTH 24.42 Watch therefore For you know not what hour your Lord doth come I. PART WHich words are the words of our Blessed Saviour and a part of that Answer which he return'd to that Question which was put up by his Disciples ver 3. Tell us When shall these things be and what shall be the signe of thy comming and of the end of the world Where we may observe that he doth not satisfy their Curiosity which was measuring of Time even to the last point and moment of it when it shall be no more but resolves them in that which was fit for them to know and passeth by in silence and untoucht the other as a thing laid up and reserved in the Bosome of his Father The Time he tells them not but foretells those Fearfull signes which should be the Fore runners of the Destruction of Jerusalem and the ends of the world which two are so interweaved in the Prediction that Interpreters scarce know how to distinguish them We need not take any paines to disentangle or put them asunder At the 30. v. he presents himself in the Clouds with Power and Glory the Angels sound the Trumper at the next the two men in the Field and the two women grinding at the Mill in the Verses immediately going before my Text the one taken the other lest are a faire Evidence and seem to point out to the end of the world which will be a time of discrimination of separating the Goats from the sheep And then these words will concerne us as much as the Apostles In which he who is our Lord and King to Rule and Govern us He that was and that is Revel 1.4 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that is to come tells us of his comming opens his will and manifests his Power and as he hath given us Laws tells us he will come to require them at our bands He that is the Wisedome of his Father he that neither slumbers nor sleeps calls upon us makes this stirre and noise about us and the Alarum is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be watchfull Call it what we please an Admonition or an Exhortation it hath the necessitating and compulsive force of a Law and Christ is his own Herald and proclaims it as it were by the sound of the Trumpet for this vigilate ergo watch Therefore is tuba ante Tuham is as a Trumpet before the last and thus it sounds To you it is commanded to fling your selves off from the bed of security to set a Court of Guard upon your selves to rowze up your selves to stand as it were on a Watch-Tower looking for and expecting the comming of the Lord. I may call it a Law but it is not as the Laws of men which are many times the result of mens wills which are guided and determined by their Lusts and Affections and so Ambition makes Laws and Covetousnesse makes Lawes and private Interest makes Laws with this false Inscription Bono publico For the Publick Good but it is prefac'd and ushered in with Reason which concerns not so much the Head as the Members not the Lord as his Servants not the King as his Subjects for us men and for our salvation For him that is in the Field and him that is in the House For him that sitteth on the Throne and the woman that Grindes at the Mill for the whole Church is the warning given This Law promulg'd and every word is a Reason 1. That he is our Lord that is to come 2ly That he will come 3ly That the time of his comming is uncertaine A Lord to seal and ratify his Laws with our blood which we would not subscribe too nor make good by our Obedience and a Lord gone as it were into a farre Countrey and leaving us to Traffick till he come but after a while to come and reckon with us and last of all at an uncertain time at an Hour we know not That every hour may be unto us as the hour of his comming for he that prefixes no Hour may come the next every one of these is a Reason strong enough to enforce this Conclusion Vigilate ergo Watch therefore A Lord he is and shall we not fear him To come and shall we not expect him To come at an hour we know not and shall we not watch these are the premises and the conclusion is Logically and formally deduced primae necessitatis the most necessary conclusion that a servant or subject can draw so that in these words we have these things considerable First the person coming Dominus vester your Lord Secondly his Advent veniet he will come Thirdly the uncertainty of that hour we know not when it will be out of which will naturally follow this conclusion which may startle and awake us out of sleep vigilate ergo watch therefore Watch therefore for you know not the Hour c. We will follow that method which we have laid down and begin with the premises and first it will concern us to look upon the person for as the person is such is our expectation and could we take the Idea of him in our hearts and behold him in the full compasse and extent of his power we should unfold our armes and look about us veternum excutere shake off our sloth and drowsinesse and prepare for his coming for it is Christ our Lord. Ask of me and I shall give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance Psal 2. saith God to Christ and Christ sayes John 10.30 I and the Father are one
we beleeve that he shall Judge the world and we read that the Father hath committed this Judgement to the Son John 5.22 take him as God or take him as man he is our Lord Cum Dominus dicitur unus agnoscitur for there is but one faith and but one Lord so that Christ may well say you call me Lord and Master 1. Cor. 6.20 Colos 2.15 and so I am a Lord as in many other respects so jure Redemptionis by the redemption having bought us with a price and so jure belli by way of Conquest by treading our enemies under our feet and taking us out of slavery and bondage And that we may not think that Christ laid down his power with his life or that he is gone from us never to come again we will a little consider the nature of his Dominion and behold him there from whence he must come to judge the quick and the dead and the Prophet David hath pointed out to him sitting at the right hand of God where we should ever behold him Psal 110.1 and fix our thoughts our eye of faith upon him in this our watch The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand Psal 110. till I make thy enemies thy footstool which speech is Metaphorical and we cannot draw it to any other sense then that on which the intent of the speaker did levell it which reacht no further then this to shew that his own kingdom was nothing in comparison of Christs which was of another Non exparabolis materias comment mur sed exmaterijs parabolas interpretamur Tert. de puducir c. 8. and higher nature as Tertul. spake of parables we do not draw conclusions and Doctrines out of Metaphors but we expound the Metaphor by the Doctrine which is taught and the scope of the teacher nor must we admit of any interpretation which notwithstanding the Metaphor might yeeld which is not consonant and agreeable to the Doctrine and analogie of faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Philosopher we can neither bring a Metaphor into a definition nor can we build an argument upon it we may say of Metaphors as Christ spake of the voice from heaven they are used in Scripture for our sakes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist 5. Top. c 2. for likenesse and proportions sake and serve to present Intellectual objects to the eye and make that light which we have of things familiar to us a help and medium by which we may more clearly see those which are removed and stand at greater distance For he cannot be said to sit there at the right hand of God from the position and site of his body we cannot entertain so grosse an Imagination and Saint Stephen tells us Acts. 7. he saw him standing at the right hand of God but it may declare his victory his triumph and rest as it were from his labour secundum consuetudinem nostram illi consessus offertur qui victor adveniens Honoris gratia promeretur ut sedeat it is borrowed saith Saint Ambrose from our customary speech by which we offer him a place and seat for honours sake who hath done some notable and meritorious service and so Christ having spoiled the adversarie by his death having lead captivity captive and put the Prince of Darknesse in chaines at his return with these spoiles hears from his Father Sede ad dextram sit now down at my right hand Nor doth his right hand point out to any fixt or determined place where he sits For Christ himself tells the high Priest That they shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of God Mar◠14.12 and coming in the clouds of heaven which if it be litterally understood we must needs conceive him coming and sitting at the same time All agree it is a Metaphor and some interpret it of that supremacy he hath above the Creature for so he is described sitting at the right hand of God in Heavenly places Eph. 1.20,21 far above all principalities and powers and every name that is named not onely in this world but in the World to come Some have conceived that by this honour of sitting at the right hand of God not onely an equality with God is implyed but something more Equal to the Father as touching his God-head Ath. Cr. not that the Son hath any thing more then the Father for they are equall in all things but because in respect of the exercise and execution of his royal office he hath as it were this dignity to sit in his royal seat as Lord and Governour of his Church for the Father is said as I told you to commit all judgement to the Son Tertul de pudicit c. 9. But we may say with Tertul. malo in scripturis forte minus sapere quam contra we had rather understand lesse in Scripture then amisse rather be wary then venture too far and wade till we sink and that will prove the best interpretation of Scripture which we draw out of Scripture it self and then Saint Paul hath interpreted it to our hands for where as the Prophet David Tells us the Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand the Apostle speaks more expresly Oportet eum regnare 1 Cor. 15. he must reign till he hath put down all his enemies under his feet Heb. 8.1 and in the Epistle to the Hebrews we have such an high Priest that sits at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the Heavens that is we have such an high Priest which is also a Lord and king of Majesty and power to command and govern us who hath absolute authority over things in Heaven and things in earth over all the souls and bodyes of men and may prescribe them Laws reward the obedient and punish offenders either in this world or the next or in both for though he were a Lord and King even in his cratch and on his crosse yet now his Dominion and kingly power was most manifest and he commands his Disciples to publish the Gospel of peace and those precepts of Christian conversation to all the World and speaks not as a Prophet but as a Prince in his own name enjoyns Repentance and amendment of life to all the Nations of the earth which were now all under his Dominion Thus saith Christ himself it is written and thus it behoved him to suffer and to rise again that Repentance and remission of sin Luk. 24.47 might be preached 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his name among all Nations and his Dominion is not subordinate but absolute he commands not as the Centurion in the Gospel who had divers under him yet himself was under authority but as Solomons King he is Rex Alkum a King against whom there is no rising up And now that it may appear that he is not for ever thus to sit at the right hand of God but there sits
to rule and govern us to behold and observe us in every motion and in every thought and wil nay must come again either with a reward for those who bow to his Scepter or vengeance to be poured forth upon their heads who contemn his laws and think neither of him nor the right hand of God and will not have him reign over them though they call him their king Let us a little further consider the Nature and quality of his Dominon that our fear and reverence our care and caution may draw him yet a little neerer to us and we may conceive of him as not onely sitting at the right hand of God but so live as if he were now coming in the clouds Tell the daughter of Sion behold thy king coming to thee meek on a colt Math. 2.51 the foal of an Asse this was his first coming in great humility and this and his retinue that his Kingdom was not of this world Philip. 2.8,9 He humbled himself saith Saint Paul wherfore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name given him power dignity and honour and made him our Lord and King For his Prophetical office which he exercised in the land of Judea was in a manner and act and effect of his kingly Office by which he sits as Lord in the Throne of Majesty for by it he declared his Fathers will and promulged his Laws throughout the world as a king and Lord he makes his Laws and as a Prophet he published them a Prophet and a Priest and a Lord for ever For he teacheth his Church he mediates and intercedes for his Church and Governs his Church to the end of the world Take then the Laws by which he Governs us the vertue and power the compasse and duration of his Dominon and we shall finde it to be of a higher and more excellent Nature then that which the eye of flesh so dazles at that he is The Lord of lords and King of kings And first the difference between his Dominion and the Kingdomes of the world is seen not onely in the Authors but the Laws themselves for the Laws of men are enacted many times nec quid nec quare and no reason can be given why they are enacted good reason there is why there should be Laws made against them and they abolished some written in blood too rigid and cruel some in water ready to vanish many of them but the results and dictates of mens lusts and wilde affections made not to safeguard any State but their own But his are pure and undefiled exact and perfect such as tend to perfection to the good of his Subjects and will make them like unto this Lord heires together with him of eternity of blisse and as the reward is eternal so are they unchangeable the same to day and to the end of the world not like the Laws of the Heathen which were raised with one breath and pull'd down by another which were fixed by one hand and torn down by a second Licurgi leges emendatae saith Tert. Lycurgus his Lawes were so imperfect so ill fitting the Common-wealth that they were brought under the hammer and the file to be beat out and fashioned in another form more proportionable to that body for which they were made Tert. Apol. c. 4. were corrected by the Lacedemonians which undervaluing of his wisdom did so unman him that he would be a man no longer but starved himself to death Vetus et squallens sylva legum edictorum securibus Truncata the whole wood of the old Laws now sullied and weakned with age were cut down by the edicts and rescripts of after Emperors at the very root as with an axe all of them are in the body of time and worn out with it either fail of themselves or else are cast aside humane Laws being but as shadows cast from men in power and when they fall to the ground lost with them no more to be seen nec uno statu consistunt sed ut coeli facies et maris ità rerum et fortunae tempestatibus variantur Gel. Noct. Att. l. 20. nor do they remain in one state but alter as the face of the Heavens and the Sea now smile anon frown now a calm and by and by a tempest now the strong man sayes do this anon a stronger then he comes and I forfeit my head if I do it they are too oft written with the point of the sword and then the character follows the hand that beares it Thus it is with the Laws of men but the Laws of this our Lord and Law-giver can no more change then he that made them no bribe can buy out their power no dispensations wound them no power can disanul them Dispensationes vulnera legum but they are the same and of the same countenance they moult not a feather they alter not in one circumstance but direct the Obedient and stare the offender in the face and by the power of this Lord kindle a Hell in him in this life and will appear at the great day to accuse him for we either stand or fall in judgement according to these Laws in a word humane Lawes are made for certain Climates and fitted to the complexion and temper of certain Common-wealths but these for the whole world Rome and Britanny and Jerusalem all places are bound alike and as his Dominion so his Laws reach from one end of the earth to another and these which he publisht at the first are not onely Laws but promises and pledges of his second coming for he made them not for nought but hath left them with us till he come again in Glory to judge both the quick and the dead according to his Gospel Besides the Laws of men are too narrow and cannot reach the whole Body of sin cannot comprehend all not the inward man Leges non omnia comprehendunt non omnia vetant nec absolvunt Sen. 3. de Benef. c. 6. the thoughts and surmises of the heart no not every visible act they forbid not all they absolve not all some irregularities there be which these Laws look not upon nor have they any other punishment then the common hatred of men who can passe no other sentence upon them then this that they dislike them and we are forced to leave them to the censure and anger of the highest saith Seneca Quoties licet non opertet Every thing that is lawful for me to do is not fit to be done and his integrity is but lame that walks on at pleasure and knows no bounds but those which the Laws of men have set up and never questions any thing he doth till he meets with a check is honest no further then this that he fears not a Prison nor the Gibbet is honest because he deserves not to be hang'd How many are there who are called Christians who yet have not made good their
title to that honour which we give to a just man How many count themselves just men yet do those things which themselves if they would be themselves would condenm as most unjust and do so when others do them and how many have carried so much honesty with them into hell the Law of men cannot reach home to carry us to that height of innocency to which on other Law but that within us might lift us up but the Lawes of this Lord like his power and providence reach and comprehend all the very looks and profers and thoughts of the minde which no man sees which we see not our selves which though they break not the peace nor shake any pillar of a common-wealth for a thought troubles no heart but that which conceives it yet it stands in opposition to that policy which this our Lord hath drawn out and to that end for which he is our Lord and is louder in his ears then an evil word in ours and therefore he looks not onely on our outward guilt but the conscience it self and pierceth to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit regulates the very thoughts and intents of the heart which he looks upon not as fading and vanishing characters in the soul but as killing letters imprinted and engraven there as S. Basil speaks as full and compleat actions wrought out in the inward man Saint Bernard calls them passivas actiones passive actions which he will Judge secundum evangelium Bas de virg Bern. 159. according to these Laws which he hath publisht in his Gospel Secondly that he is a Lord appears by the vertue and power of his dominion for whereas all the power on earth which so often dazles us can but afflict the body this wounds the soul rips up the very heart and bowels and when those Lords which we so tremble at till we fall from him can but kill the body This Lord can cast both soul and body into Hell nay can make us a Hell unto our selves make us punish and torment our selves and being greater then our conscience can multiply those strokes Humane laws have been brought into disgrace because they had not power enough to attend and hold them up and even the common people who fear them most have by their own observation gathered the boldnesse to call them cobwebs for they see he that hath a full purse or a good sword will soon break through them or finde a beesom to sweep them away What speak you of the Laws I can have them and binde them up in sudariolo saith Damianus in the corner of my Handkerchief nay many times for want of power victae leges the Laws must submit as in conquest and though they have a tongue to speak yet they have not a hand to strike And as it is in punishment so it is sometimes in point of reward men may raise their mer it deserts so high that the Exchecquer it self shall not finde a reward to equal them We have a story in our own Chronicles of a Noble-man who did such service for his friend then but a private man that he made him first a Conqueror then a king the Historian gives this note that kings love not to be too much beholding to their Subjects nor to have greater service done then they are able to reward and so how truly I know not makes the setting on of the Crown on his friends head one cause of the losing of his own But it is not so with this our Lord who being now in his throne of Majesty cannot be outdared by any sin be it never so great never so common and can break the hairy scalp of the most Gyant-like offender and shiver in pieces the tallest Cedar in Libanus Who shall be able to stand up in his sight In his presence the boldest sinner shall tremble and fall downe and see the Horror of that profitable Honorable sinne in which he Triumpht and called it Godlinesse The Hypocrite whose every word whose every motion whose every look was a lye shall be unmaskt and the man of Power who boasted in malice and made his will a Law and hung his Sword on his will to make way to that at which it was levell'd shall be beat down into the lowest pitt to Howl with those who measured out Justice by their Sword and thought every thing theirs which that could give them Before him Every sinne shall be a sinne and the wages thereof shall be Death Again he hath rewards and his Treasurie is full of them Not onely a Cup of cold water but the powring forth my blood as water for the Truths sake shall have its full and overflowing Recompence nor shall there ever any be able to say what profit is it that we have kept his Laws No saith Saint Paul Non sunt condignae Mal. 2.14 Rom. 8.8 put our passions to our Actions our Sufferings to our Almes our Martyrdome to our Prayers they are not worthy the naming in comparison of that weight of Glory which our Lord now sitting at the right Hand of God hath prepared for them that feare him Nec quisquam à regno ejus subtrahitur nor can any goe out of his reach or stand before him when he is angry He that sits on the Throne and he that grindes at the Mill to him are both alike 3. And now in the third place That every knee may bow and every Tongue confesse him to be the Lord Let us a little take notice of the large compasse and Circuit of his Dominion and the Psalmist will tell us That he shall have Dominion from the Sea to the Sea and from the River unto the ends of the world Adam the first man and he that shall stand last upon the Earth Every man is his subject For he hath set him saith Saint Paul at his right hand in heavenly places and hath put all things under his Feet and gave him to be Head over all Things to his Church and what a thin shadow what a Nothing is all the overspreading power of this world to this All other Dominion hath its bounds and limits which it cannot passe but by violence and the sword nor is it expedient for the world to have one King nor for the Church to have one Universall Bishop or as they speak one visible Head For as a ship may be made up to that bulke that it cannot bee managed so the number of men and distance of place may be so great that it cannot subsist under one Government Thus it falls out in the world but it is not so in the Kingdom of this our Lord No place so distant or remote to which this Power cannot reach Lybiam remotis Gadibus Jungit all places are to him alike and he sees them all at once It is called the Catholick Church and in our Creed wee professe wee beleeve Sanctam Catholicam Ecclesiam the holy Catholique CHURCH That is That that
her hands to the spindle and her hands hold the distaffe and now she groanes Now the Mammonist locks his God up in his chest layes him down to sleep and dreams of nothing else and now the Thief breaks in and spoils him Now our feet are at liberty and we walke at large walk on pleasantly as in faire places Now the bitterness of Death is past and now the snare takes us Now we fancy new delights send our Thoughts afarr off dream of Lordships Kingdoms Now we enlarge our Imaginations as Hell Anticipate our Honors and wealth and gather riches in our mind before we grasp them in our Hand Now we are full now we are Rich now we reigne as Kings now we beat our fellow-servants and beat them in his name and in this type and representation of Hell entitle our selves to eternity of bliss are cursed and call our selves Saints and now even now he comes Now sudden surprisalls doe commonly startle and amaze us but after a while after some pause and deliberation we recover our selves and take heart to slight that which drove us from our selves and left us as in a Dreame or rather dead But this brings either that Horror or that joy which shall enter into our very bones settle and incorporate it self with us and dwell in us for evermore Other assaults that are made upon us unawares make some mark impression in us but such as may soon be wiped out we look upon them and being not well acquainted with their shapes they disturb our Fancy but either at the sight of the next object we lose them or our Reason chaseth them away the Tempest rises Aul. Gell. Nâ—ct Art l. 19. c. 1. the Philosopher is pale but his Reason will soon call bis blood again into his cheeks he cannot prevent these sudden and violent motions but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he doth not consent he doth not approve these unlookt for apparitions and Phantasies he doth not change his Counsell but is constant to himself sudden joy and sudden feare with him are as short as sudden But this coming of our Lord as it is sudden so it brings omnimodam Desolationem an universall Horror and amazement seises upon all the Powers and Faculties of the Soul chaines them up and confines them to loathsome and Terrible Objects from which no change of Objects can divert no wisdome redeem them No serenity after this Darkness no joy after this trembling no refreshing after this consternation for no coming again after this coming for it is the last And now to conclude veniet Fratres veniet Aug. Ser. 140. de Temp. sed vide quomodo te inveniet saith Aust He shall come He shall come my brethren his coming is uncertain and his coming is sudden it will concern us to take heed how he findes us when he comes Oh let him not find us digging of Pitts spreading of netts to catch our Brethren spinning the Spiders web wearying and washing our selves in vanity let him not find us in strange apparell in spotted Garments in Garments stained with blood Let not this Lord find thee in Rebellion against him This Saviour find thee a Destroyer This Christ who should annoint thee find thee bespotted of the world Let not an humble Lord find thee swelling a meek Lord find thee raging a mercifull Lord find thee cruell let not an innocent lord find thee boasting in mischief let not the Son of man Find thee a Beast But to day if you will heare his voice harden not your hearts This is your Day and this day you may work out Eternity this is your hour to look into your selves o be jealous of your selves vereri omnia opera to be afraid of every word work and Thought every enterprise you take in hand for whatsoever you are saying whatsoever you are doing whatsoever you are imagining whilst you Act whilst you speak before you speak whilst you think and that thought is a Promise or prophecy of Riches and Delights and Honors which are in the approach and ready to meet you or a seale and Confirmation of those glories which are already with you whilst you think as the Prophet David speaks That your Houses shall continue for ever even then he may come upon you and then this Inward Thought all your thoughts perish or return again upon you like Furies to last and torment you for ever And therefore to conclude since the Premises are plaine the Evidence faire since he is a Lord and will come to Judge us Since he will certainly come since the Time of his coming is uncertain and since it is sudden He is no Christian he is no man but hath prostituted that which makes him so his Reason to his sense and Brutish part who cannot draw this Conclusion to himself That he must therefore watch which is in the next place to be considered THE SIXTEENTH SERMON MATTH 24.42 Watch therefore c. The last PART WEe have seen Christ our lord at the Right Hand of God consider'd him First as our Lord. Secondly as coming Thirdly as keeping from our eye and knowledge the Time of his coming and now what Inference can we make He is a Lord and shall we not feare him To come and shall we not expect him To come at an hour we know not and shall we not Watch This every one of them naturally and necessarily affords and no other conclusion can be drawne from them but when we consult with flesh and blood we force false conclusions even from the truth it self and to please and flatter our sensuall part conclude against Nature to destroy our selves Sensuality is the greatest Sophister that is works Darkness out of Light poyson out of Physick sinne out of Truth See what Paralogismes shee makes God is mercifull therefore presume he is patient Therefore provoke him He delayeth his coming we may now beat our fellow-Servants and eat and drink with the Drunken It is uncertain when he will come therefore he will never come This is the reasoning of Flesh and blood This is the Devils Logick and therefore that we be not deceived nor deceive our selves with these Fallacies behold here Wisdome it self hath shewn us a more excellent way and drawn the Conclusion to our hands Vigilate ergo He is a Lord and to come and at an Hour you know not of Watch therefore And this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vigilate is verbum vigilans as Aug. speaks a waking busy stirring word and implies as the Scholiast tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all manner of care and Circumspection and what are all the Exhortations in Scripture but a Commentary and Exposition of this Duty There we find it rendered by awaking working running striving Fasting Praying we shall find it to be Repentance Faith Spirituall Wisdome that golden chaine wherein all virtues and Graces that Vniversitas Donorum as Tert. speaks that Academy that world of Spirituall Gifts meet and are united
scrupulous of every word and look and gesture what Criticks are we in our deportment if we stand before them whom we call our betters indeed our fellow Dust and Ashes and shal we make our face as Adamant in the presence of our Lord shal we stand Idle and sport and play the wantons before him shall we beat down his Altars blaspheme his Name beat our Fellow-servants before his face shall we call him to be witness to a Lie make him an Advocate for the greatest sin suborne his Providence to own our impiety his Wisedome to favour our Craft his permission to consecrate and ratify our sin can we doe what a Christian eye cannot look upon which reason and Religion condemnes and even Pagans tremble at can we do it and do it before his Face whose Eye is pure Tertul. de Testim animae c. 2. Vnde haec tibi anima non Christiana and Ten thousand times brighter then the Sun Deus videt and Deus judicat God will see and God will Judge is taken out of the Common Treasurie of Nature and the Heathens themselves have found it there who speak it as their Language And if his awfull Eye will not open ours our Lethargie is mortall we are Infidells if we beleeve it not and if we doe beleeve it yet dare do those things which afflict his eye we are worse then Infidels Let us then look upon him think him present and stand upon our guard let us stand in awe and not sin let one fear call upon another the fear of this Lord the fear of cautelousnesse and circumspection which is as our angel keeper to keep us in all our wayes in the smooth and even wayes of peace and in the rough and rugged wayes of adversity to lead us against our enemies which are more then the haires of our head as many as there are temptations in the world and help us to defeat them is our best buckler to keep off the darts of Satan and as a Canopie to keep our vertues from soyl to keep our liberality cheerful our chastity fresh and green our devotion fervent our Religion pure and undefiled to waste the body of sin and perfect and secure our obedience in a word to do that which the Heathens thought their Goddesse Pellonia did to drive and chase all evil out of our coasts For let us well weigh and consider it let us look upon our Enemies the world with all its pageantry the flesh with all its lusts the Devil with all his snares and wiles and enterprises let us look upon him coming towards us either as an Angel of light to deceive us or as a Lion to devour us and then let us consider out Lord and Captain Heb. 3.1 the Apostle and High-Priest of our profession opening the gates of Heaven unto us man festing his glory streaming forth his light ready with his strength free in his assistance powring forth his Grace now triumphing over these our enemies leaving us onely the chase and pursute of them and to fill up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some small matter that is behind Coloss 1.25 which is nothing in respect of that which he both did and suffered let us lay this to heart and view it well all our dangers and all our advantages and we shall finde that it is not the strength nor multitude of our adversaries nor yet our own weaknesse and infirmity which we so willingly acknowledge 't is not the craft of Satan for we have wisdom it self on our side 't is not his strength or power for he hath none but our want of watchfulnesse and circumspection that gives us the blow and strikes us on the ground For want of this our first Parents fell in Paradise Ep. ad Olymp. and had certainly fal'n saith Saint Chrysostom had there been no Serpent no Tempter at all for he that watcheth not tempts the Tempter Himself who would not assault us so often did we not invite him would not fling a dart towards us did he see us in our Armour did he see us with our buckler and upon our watch By this Adam sell and by this Adams posterity after the fall recovered their state escaped the corruption which is in the world and fled from the wrath to come so necessary is it for a Christian that had we no other defence but this yet we could not be overcome Fortis saepe victus est cautus rarissimè the strong man hath often ruin'd with his own strength but he that stands upon his guard though the adversarie lay hard at him yet is never overthrowne we may look back with comfort upon the eternal purpose and decree of God I mean to save penitent beleevers but we must give diligence to make our calling 2 Pet. 1.10 our election sure we cannot but magnify the Grace of God which bringeth salvation but we must work it out with fear and trembling Philip. 2.12 we cannot deny the power of the Gospel but 't is watchfulnesse that makes it the savour of life unto life 2 Cor. 2.16 2 Tim. 4.8 we look for a crown that is laid up but 't is watchfulnesse that must put it on And now having as it were set the watch we must next give you the particular orders to be observed in our watch and we must frame and fashion them not onely by the majesty of the Lord which is to come but the power and force and manner of working of those temptations which we are to cope with all and watch against that when they compasse us about we may finde a way and escape them solus Christianus novit Satanam saith Tert. 't is the character of a Christian alone and 't is peculiar to him Veget. l. v. to know the Devil and his enterprises difficilè vincitur qui potest de suis adversarij copiis judicare saith Vegetius it is a very hard matter to overcome him who truly knoweth his own strength and the strength of his adversary And first we must know our selves how we are framed and fashioned how the hand of God hath built us up and we shall see that he hath ever laid us open to tentations and set us up as Job speaks as a mark for the enemy to shoot at that man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one creature Naz or 38. but made up of two different natures the flesh and the spirit and put into this world which is a shope of tentations hung sull with vanities which offer themselves and that with some importunity to the eye and ear and every sense he hath into which when God first put him he made him upright Eccles 7.29 but with all mutable the root of which mutability was his will by which he might encline to either side either bargain or passe by Legem dedit Deus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naz or 38. either embrace temptations or resist them In hoc est lex constituta non
Fancy in its work repress them here in causis in their beginnings Take these Babylonish brats and dash them against the stones for he that doth not meet and withstand an evill in the approach hath fairely invited it to come forward qui morbo non occurrit sibi manus infert he that doth not use speedy means to keep back a disease is as he that kills himself A A thought begets Delight delight begets consent consent is seen in Action Action begets Custome Custome necessity necessity Death it was but an object but an apparition but a Thought at first and now 't is Death and he that was willing a Thought should lead in the Front was willing also that Death should come in the reare It is not safe thus to Dally with a Temptation to resolve not to act it and yet to act in the mind which will soon make the Basis and ground-work of a resolution to be afraid of the Action and yet commit the sinne to nourish that sinne in my bosome which I am ashamed to be seen with abroad which will yet at last break forth before the Sunne and the people to harbour that in my closet which within a while will be on the House top That of Bernard is most true though it be in ryme non nocet sensus ubi non est consensus the sense hurteth not where there is no consent It is no sinne for the eye to see or the care to heare or for the Fancy to set up objects within her in that shape in which they appear but it is a hard matter as Saint Hierome speaks integritate mentis abutivoluptatibus to abuse those pleasures which daily present themselves to a good end to have them as Aristippus had his Lais and not to have them to live in pleasure without that delight which makes Tentation a sinne we may say of Temptations as he did of Fortune ana est ad illam securitas non toties illam experirt The best security we have against Fortunes fickle inconstancy is not to make tryall of her too often not to want her so of Tentations It is not good to look too often upon them when they flatter not to see too often not to heare too often not to open our eyes or our eares to vanity For as they who busy themselves in worldly affaires when all things succeed prosperously doe begin at last to doate on Riches and love them for themselves which they sought for at first but for their necessity so what we look upon at first as a common object by degrees insinuates and is made familiar to us and winnes our affection to it delights and overcomes us and what did at first stand at doore and begge an entrance at last enters in and takes full possession of us and commands in chief Last of all let us Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession CHRIST JESVS even this Lord who is to come who hath openâ—d the Treasuries of Heaven broughâ— own Life and Immortality display'd his rich and precious promises of Heaven and Everlasting Happinesse all which he will make ours if we make good but this one word but this one syllable Watch This is the price of Heaven This he dyed for that we should be a peculiar People unto him Even his Watch-men That as he for the joy which was set before him endured the Crosse despised shame suffered the Contradictions of sinners and yet was yesterday and to Day Heb. 12. and the same for ever So wee by his Power and the efficacy of his Spirit by the vertue of his Precepts and the Glory of his Promises may establish our selves watch over our selves secure our selves in the midst of snares and so be in the World as out of the world walk in the midst of Temptations and be untoucht walk in the midst of all these Fiery Tryalls as the Three Children did in the Furnace and have no hurt Heare the Musick of the world but not hearken to it behold its allurements and not be moved be one and the same in all the Changes and variety of Temptations the same when they flatter and the same when they Threaten which is truely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be like unto our Lord. And because the watch man watcheth in vain unlesse the Lord keepeth the house we must call upon this Lord to watch with us and to watch over us who is not gratiae angustus as Saint Ambrose speaks no niggard of his Grace but as he hath given us a command to watch so he hath given us another to depend upon him Greg Hom. 36. for assistance et scimus quià petentes libenter exaudit quando hoc petitur largiri quod jubet and we know it is impossible he should denie us our requests when we desire him to grant us that which he desires we should have his help and assistance to do that which he commands do we desire it he wisheth it do we begg it of him he beseeches us to accept it we begg his assistance against the lusts of the flesh 1 Thes 4.3 he commands us to crucifie them against the pollutions of the world his will is our sanctification against the Devil if we will he will tread him under our feet he commands us who is Xistarcus the master of the race and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the over-seer and Captain of the watch by whose power and wisdom we may keep back all our enemies If the Devil suggests evil thoughts he inspires good if the enemy lay hard at us that we may fall his mercy is ready to hold us up if we be subtle our Lord is wisdom it self in all our trials in all time of our tribulation in all time of our wealth in the hour of death and in the day of judgement he is our Lord and his Grace is sufficient for us If we fail and miscarry 't is because we will not joyn him with us because we begghis assistance and will not have it call upon him for help and weary him with our refusals be seech him to do that which we will not suffer him to do bespeak him to watch over us Is 21.11 If you will enquire enquire and fll fast asleep If you will repent repent saith the watch-man Iaf you would watch why do ye not How many yeers have you worn out in this spiritual exercise nay Vide Castalionis perutilem Tract de quinque impedimentis bonae mentis Job 8.9 to fall lower have we devoted two or three moneths nay lower yet how many weeks have we spent a week is not long but how many dayes our dayes on earth are but a shadow but how many hours and houres we say have wings and fly away I am ashamed to ask again How many minutes hath it cost us our life is but a span how much of this span how little of this little what a nothing of this nothing hath this great businesse took
we are sick and will be so there is something wanting and a supply is our shame being an Argument of that defect which we are unwilling to acknowledge a Physitian doth but upbraid us and selves in our Disease as in health it self and had rather languish and Dye then be told we are sick And this in the Second place proceeds even from the force and power of Conscience within us which if we will not hearken to it as a Friend will Turne Fury and pursue and lash us and if we will not obey her Dictates will make her feele her whip This is our Judge and our Executioner It whips the sluggard stones the Adulterer Hangs and quarters the Traytor blows upon the misers store and makes the lips of the Harlot bite like a Cockatrice whither shall they goe from her spirit and power whither shall they fly from her presence the Philosopher will tell us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they fly from themselves Aristot l. 9. Eth. c. 4. yet carry themselves about with them whithersoever they goe Now every thing that is oppressed doth naturally desire ease and so doe they and finding it a laborious thing to quiet the Conscience which cannot be done but by yeelding and bowing our backs to her whip and running from our selves from those sinnes which pleased our sense but enraged our Conscience we seek out many inventions and advance our sinnes against her till they prevail and even put her to silence For in evill men the worst part doth the office of the better corrupts the Records mitigates the sentence pronounceth life in Death The sensuall part is their Conscience their God it bids them doe this and they doe it and when it is done is a ready Advocate to plead for it and defend it It conceives and brings forth the Monster and then gives it what name it please It was a crying sinne It hath now lost its voice It was uncleanness it is now frailty It was treason it is now the love of our Countrey It was perjury It is now prudence Riches commend Covetousnesse bonor Treason pleasure wantonness That which begets sinne nurseth it up till it grow up to strength to oppose it self to Conscience and degrade and put her from her Office and bring in a Thousand sorry excuses to take her place in the midst of which she cannot be heard not heard against Riches whose Sophistry is preferred before her Demonstrations not heard against Beauty which bewitches us and makes us fooles not heard against Honor which lifteth us up so high that we cannot heare her not heard against Power which is the greatest parasite in the world and calls in a world of Parasites to bow before us and blesse us in the Name of the Lord and thus we are first pleased to sinne and then are easily pleased in it wee are in danger and will not know it and when the God of Israel is angry heare what the God of Ekron will say In a word we raise a storme in our selves and whistle it downe we wound our selves and skinn it over we are too soon troubled and too soon eas'd and might recover were not our remedy more fatall then our Disease Thus you see this humour of being pleased is very predominant in most men and in the Third place as it proceeds from the power and force of Conscience which will speak if she may be Heard and doth speake even when she is not heard so it doth from the lustre and Glory of Piety and holinesse which spreads her Beames and darts her Light in the very face of them who have proscrib'd her sent her a Bill of divorce and put her away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for goodnesse is equally venerable to all men and not onely Good men speak well of her but her enemies praise her in the gates who is so evill that he is willing to goe under that Name How angry will a Strumpet be if you call her so Call a Pharisee a Hypocrite and he will thrust you out of the Synagogue Though I bow downe before an Image yet I am not an Idolater though I break the bonds of Peace yet I am not factious Though I never have enough yet I am not covetous I am not evill though I doe those Things for which we justly call men so Our rule here is quite contrary to that known and received Axiome of the world Malo me divitem esse quam haberi In the managing of our worldly affaires we had rather be rich then be accounted so but in the course of our Religion we are rich enough we are good enough if we have but the name that we are so we are good enough if none dare call us evill And thus it is both in the Errours of our understanding and of our will In the one we think it better to pretend to knowledge and rest our selves in that then to be taught to alter our mind malumus didicisse quam discere That we know something already is our glory Quintil. l. 3. Instit. 1. but to submit our selves to Instruction is an Argument of Imperfection and therefore we account it a punishment to be Taught And this is the reason why so few have retracted their Errors but rather stoutly defended them even a loathness to seem to have erred which mightily reignes in most men but especially in all pretenders unto knowledge Nature it self having annexed a shame unto these two above all other Things which Naturally befall us Lust and Ignorance for as the Italian Proverb is A Learned Fool will be a fool ever And so it is in the other In the practick errors of our life wee would not know our selves nor have others know that we have done any thing amisse qui apponit scientiam apponit dolorem Eccles 1. last vers he that increaseth Knowledge increaseth sorrow for when the knowledge of the Truth incites us to follow after it and the force of Custome draws us back we are as it were at warre and divided in our selves our motion is unquiet as the bounding of a heady Steed with the bit in his mouth we are in our own way and impatient of a Check and we hate those Counsellors which are willing to be eyes to us and lead us out of Danger Tell a heretick he is so He will Anathematize you Tell a Schismatick he is so he will fly from you as from the Plague Tell a persecuter he is so and he will rage more and make it good upon your self deny it and yet make it too manifest That he is so For the will of man loves the channel which it hath chosen and would runne on smoothly and evenly without Interruption but when it meets with any stop or bank it begins to rage and foame and cast up mire and dirt in their faces who do attempt to stop its course volumus errare we will erre and he is an Enemy that tell us the truth volumus peccare
up and fix that Error with which it cannot stand long Saint Paul saw it well enough though the Galatians did not If you be circumcised Christ profiteth you nothing That is is to you as if there were no Christ at all For if the false Apostles had flatly denyed Christ the Galatians would have been as ready as Saint Paul to have Cut them off because they had received the Gospel but joyning and presenting the Law with Christ they did deceive and please them well who began in the Spirit and did acknowledge him but would not renounce the Law propter metum Judaeorunt for feare of their Brethren the Jews Now these men-pleasers these Crows which devour not dead Dictum Diogenis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athen Deipnos l. 6. c. 17. but living men are from an Evill Egge and Beginning are bred and hatcht in the dung in the love of this world and are so proud and fond of their Originall that it is their labour their Religion and main designe of their life to bring the Truth Religion and Christ himself in subjection under it and to this end are very fruitfull to bring forth those mishapen issues which savour of the earth and corruption and have onely the name of Christ fastned to them as a badge to commend them bring them to that end for which they had a being which is to gaine the world in the Name but in despight of Christ And these are they who as Saint Peter speaks make merchandize of mens souls 2. Pet. 2.3 nummularii sacerdotes as Cyprian calls them Doctors of the Mint who love the Image of Caesar more then of God and had rather see the one in a piece of Gold then the other renew'd and stampt in a mortall man and this Image they carry along with them whither soever they goe and it is as their Holy Ghost to inspire them for most of the Doctrines they Teach savour of that mint and the same stamp is on them both The same face of Mammon which is in their Heart is visible also in their Doctrine H s 4. â— Thus Hosea complain'd of the false Prophets in his Time peccata populi mci come derunt They cat up the sinne of the People that is by pleasing them they have consented to their sinne and from hence reaped gaine for flatterry is a livelyhood or they did not seriously reprehend the sinnes of the People that they might reeive more sacrifices on which they might feed some render it Levabant animum suum ad peccata populi they lifted up their soule anhelabant they even panted after their sinne desired that they might sinne that they might make advantage and so made them evill to make themselves Rich. For from hence from hence from that for which we cannot find a name nor have a Thought bad enough from a desire to be rich breaks forth that mark of a slave our desire to please Saint Paul hath made a window into their breasts that we may see them with the same hand coyning their Dectrine and Money Rom. 16.18 They that are such serve not the Lord Jesus but their own Belly and by good words and fâ—…re Speeches deceive the Hearts of the simple Serpents they are to Deceive and the Curse of the serpent is upon them upon their belly they goe and they eat Dust all the dayes of their life For a wonderfull Thing it is to see how the love of the world will Transforme men into any shape sometimes to fawne like a Dog sometimes to rage like a Lion and then to lurke like a Fox how like the Charity of the Gospel it makes them to beare all Things beleeve all Things endure all T hings Contumelias in quaestn habere et injuriis pasci to count Contumelies gain and to feed and feed sweetly on Injuries to speak what they doe not think to like what they condemn to mortify themselves to eye and cringe and bow and fall to the ground which is a kind of Mortification more then they will doe for Christ who brings Poverty disgrace and contempt and hath no reward but that which is laid up for the future This brought Plato the great Philosopher a ship-board to sayle to Dionysius his Court Naz. Or. 3. and there laid him down at his feet this made him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. as Nazianz. speaks prefer a Halfe-peny before his goods This was the evill Spirit in the mouth of those lying prophers which did prevaile with Ahab to goe up and fall at Ramoth Gilead This makes men speak not with mens Persons but with their Fartunes not with thye sinner but with the rich and Noble man and this Spirit is abroad still and perswades some into their Graves and some into Hell rayses every storme and every Tempest and makes that desolation which we see upon the Earth Val. Max. l. 4. c. 3. We read that Aristippus found Diogenes washing his Herbs and Roots his daily food and in a kind of pitty or scorne told him That if he would flatter Dionysius he need not eat these nor tye himself to such course fare but Diogenes replies like a Philosopher and returns his saying upon him Si tu ista esse velles Dionysio non adulareris If thou couldest content thy self and feed on these thou wouldst never be so base as to flatter Dionysius And certainly if we could with the Lyrick be content with Nature for our purveyour and look for no supply but from her Hand Having Food and Raiment as Saint Paul speaks could we be there with content did we not enlarge our desires as Hell and send our hopes afarr off did we not love the world and the things of this world we should not thus debase and annihilate our selves as being men our selves to make our selves the shadows of others in their morning to rise with them at their noone and highest to come up and close with them and then at their night fall out and leave them in the dark we should not mould and fitt our best part to their worst our Reason to their lust nor make our fancy the Elaboratory to work out such Essaies which may please and destroy them we should not foment the Anger of the Revenger to consume him nor help the Covetous to bury himself alive nor the Ambitious to break his Neck nor the Schismatick to rend the Seamlesse coat of Christ nor the seditious to swim to Hell in a River of Blood but we should bind the Revengers Hands break the Misers I dols bring down the Ambitious to the Dust make up those rents which Faction hath made and confine the Seditious to his own sphere and Place for who would favour or uphold such Monsters as these but for pay and salary In a word If every man did hate the World every man would love his Brother If every man did keep himself unspotted of the World every man would be his Brothers Keeper when the
the remission of sins and last of all the end of this institution and of this celebration of the Lords Supper in the words of my Text This doe as oft as you do it in remembrance of me Which words I read to you as S. Pauls but indeed they are Christs delivered by him and received from Christ as he tells us v. 23. In which you may behold his love streaming forth as his blood did on the Crosse for not content once to dye for us he will appear unto us as a crucified Saviour to the end of the world and calls upon us to look upon him and remember him whom our sins have pierced presents himself unto us in these outward elements of Bread and Wine and in the breaking of the one and pouring out of the other is evidently set forth before our eyes and even crucified amongst us as S. Paul speaks Gal. 3.1 thus condescending and applying himself to our infirmities that he may heal us of our sins and make and keep us a peculiar people to himself And since the words are his we must in the first place look up and hearken to him who breaths forth this love secondly consider what task his love hath set us what we are to do thirdly ex praescripto agere since it is an injunction whose every accent is love doe it after that form which he hath set down after the manner which he hath prescribed So the parts are four First the Author of the Institution Secondly the duty enjoyned to do this Thirdly to do it often Lastly the end of the Institution or the manner how we must do it we must do it in remembrance of him i.e. of all those benefits and graces and promises which flowed with his blood from his very heart which was sick with love and with these we shall exercise your Christian devotion at this time And first we must look upon the Author of the Institution for in every action we do it is good to know by what authority we do it and this is the very order of nature saith S. Austin Aug. l. 1. de Morib Eccl. c. 2. ut rationem praecedat autoritas that Authority should go before and have the preheminence of Reason that where Reason is weak Authority may come in as a supply to strengthen and settle it For what can Reason see in Bread and Wine to quicken or raise a soul what is Bread to a wounded spirit or Wine to a sick soul 1 Cor. 8.8 For neither if we eat are we the better the more accepted nor if we eat not are we the worse saith S. Paul 'T is true the outward elements are indifferent in themselves but authority changes even transelements them gives them vertue efficacy a commanding power even the force of a Law He that put vertue into the clay spittle to cure a bodily eye may do the same to bread and wine to heal our spiritual blindness he that made them a staff to our body may make them also a prop to our souls when they droop and sink and then if he say this do ye though our reason should be at a stand and boggle at it as at a thing which holds no proportion with a soul yet we must do it because he sayes it It may be said Is not his word sufficient which is able to save our souls is it not enough for me to beat down my body to pour forth my prayers to crucifie my flesh No nothing is sufficient but what the authority of Christ hath made so nescit judicare quisquis didicit perfectè obedire is true in matters of this nature we have no judgement of our own our wisdome is to obey and let him alone to judge what is fit who alone hath power to command Authority must not be disputed with nor can it hear why should I do this for such a question denies it to be authority if it were possible that God to try our obedience should bid us sow the rocks or water a dry stick or teach a language which we do not know as the Jesuits do their Novices a necessity would lie upon us and woe unto us if we did it not how much rather then should we obey when he commands for our advantage gives us a law that he may give us more grace binds us to that which will raise us neerer to him when he spreads his table prepares his viands bids us eat and drink and then sayes grace bids a blessing himself unto it that we may grow up in his Favour and be placed amongst those great examples of eternall happinesse Look not then on the Minister howsoever qualified for a brasse seal makes the same impression which a ring of Gold doth and it is not materiall whether the seal be of baser or purer mettall so the image and character be authentique saith Nazianz. Look not on the outward elements for of themselves they have no power at all no more than the water of Jordan had to cure a Leper but their power and vertue is from above the force and vertue of a Sacrament lies in the institution all the power it hath is from the Author Before it was but Bread but common Bread now it is Manna the bread of strength the bread of Angels and this truth thou maist build upon nor doth the Church of Rome deny it and though they have added five Sacraments and may adde as many more as they please Quicquid arant homines navigant aedificant any thing we do may be made a Sacrament when the fancy is working she may spin out what she please yet they cannot deny that every Sacrament must have immediate institution from Christ himself from his own mouth or else it is of no validity and therefore are forced to pretend it though they cannot prove it in those which themselves have added for their own advantage Think then when thou hearest these words Take eat this is my body which was broken thou hearest thy Saviour himself speaking from heaven think not of the Minister or the meannesse of the Elements but think of him who took thee out of thy blood and sanctified thee with his and by the same power is able to sanctifie these outward Elements by the vertue of whose institution The cup of blessing which we blesse which he blessed first shall be to every one that comes worthily the Communion of the Blood and the Bread which we breake which he first brake the Communion of the Body of Christ 1 Cor. 10.16 And thus much of the Author Let us now consider what he enjoyns us to do and the command is to do this that is to do as he did though to another end to take Bread and to give Thanks and eat it and so of the Cup to take and drink it and if this be done with an eye to the Author and a lively faith in him this is all for this table was spread not for the
with feare and reverence he will remember us and draw neerer to us in these outward elements then superstition can feigne him beyond the fiction of transubstantiation and abundantly satisfy us with the fatnesse of his house feed us though not with his flesh yet with himself and move in us that we may grow up in him In a word He will remember us in heaven more truly then we can remember him on earth and distill his grace and blessings on us be ever with us and fill our hearts with rejoycing which will be a faire pledg of that solid pure and everlasting joy in the Highest Heavens And Lord remember us thus now thou art in thy kingdome HONI â—…T QVI MAL Y PENSE THE NINETEENTH SERMON 1 THES 4.11 And that you study to be quiet and to doe your own businesse and to work with your own hands as we have commanded you THe summe of religion Christianity is to do the will of God and this is the will of God even our Sanctification at the 3. v. of this chapter This is the whole duty of man and we may say of it as the Father doth of the Lords prayer quantum substringitur verbis Tertull. de orat tantum diffunditur sensibus though it be contracted and comprized in a word yet it poures forth it self in a Sea of matter and sense For this holinesse unto which God hath called us is but one virtue but of a large extent and compasse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but one virtue but is divided into many and stands as Queen in the midst of the circle and crown of all the graces and claimes an interest in them all hath patience to wait on her compassion to reach out her hand longanimity to sustain and this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this placability of mind and contentation in our own portion and lot to uphold her and keep her in an equall poyse and temper ever like unto her self that we may be holy in our faith and holy in our conversation with men without which though our faith could remove mountains yet we were not holy Tot ramos porrigit tot venas diffundit so rich is the substance of holinesse so many branches doth she reach forth so many veines doth she spread into and indeed all those virtues which commend us to God are as the branches and veins and Holinesse the bloud and juice to make them live I doe not intend to compare them one with the other because all are necessary and the neglect of any one doth frustrate all the rest and the Wise-man hath forbid us to ask Why this is better then that for every one of them in his due time and place is necessary It hath been the great mistake and fault of those who professe Christianity to shrink up its veines and lop off its branches contenting themselves with a partiall holinesse some have placed it in a sigh or sad look and calld it repentance others in the tongue and hand and calld it zeale others in the heart in a good intention and called it piety others have made it verbum adbreviatum a short word indeed and called it faith few have been solicitous and carefull to preserve it in integritate totâ solidâ solid and entire but vaunt and boast themselves as great proficients in Holinesse and yet never study to be quiet have little peace with others yet are at peace with themselves are very religious and very profane are very religious and very turbulent have the tongues of Angels but no hand at all to do their own businesse and to work in their calling And therefore we may observe that the Apostle in every Epistle almost takes paines to give a full and exact enumeration of every duty of our lives that the man of God may be perfect to every good work teacheth us not onely those domesticke and immanent vertues if I may so call them which are advantageous to our selves alone as faith and hope and the like which justifie that person onely in whom they dwell but emanant publick and omiliticall vertues of common conversation which are for the edification and good of others as patience meeknesse liberality and love of quietnesse and peace my faith saves none but my self my hope cannot raise my brother from despaire yet my faith is holy Jude 20. saith Saint Jude and my hope is a branch and vein of holinesse and issues from it But my patience my meeknesse my bounty my love and study of quietnesse and peace sibi parciores foris totae sunt Ambros exercise their act and empty themselves on others these link and unite men together in the bond of love in which they are one and move together as one build up one anothers faith cherish one anothers hope pardon one anothers injuries beare one anothers burden and so in this bond in this mutuall reciprocall discharge of all the duties and offices of holinesse are carried together to the same place of rest So that to holinesse of life more is required then to believe or hope or poure forth our soules or rather our words before God t is true this is the will of God but we must go farther even to perfection and love the brethren and study to be quiet for this also is the will of God and our Sanctification What is a sigh if my murmuring drown it what is my devotion if my impatience disturb it what is my faith if my malice make me worse then an infidell what are my prayers if the spirit of unquietnesse scatter them will we indeed please God and walk as we ought we must then as S. Peter exhorts adde to our faith virtue to our virtue knowledge to knowledge patience to patience brotherly kindnesse and to brotherly kindnesse love 2 Pet. 1.5.6 v. or as Saint Paul here commands not onely abstain from fornication from those vices which the worst of men are ready to fling a stone at but those gallant and heroick vices which shew themselves openly before the Sun and the people who look favourably and friendly on them and cry them up for zeale and religion even from all animosity and turbulent behaviour we must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we must study to be quiet and be ambitious of it Thus our Apostle bespeaks the Thessalonians we beseech you brethren that you increase more and more and in the words of my text that you study to be quiet and do your own businesse and work with your own hands as we have commanded you In which words first a duty is proposed study to be quiet 2 ly the meanes promoting this duty are prescribed or causae producentes and conservantes the causes which bring it forward and hold it up laid down the first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to do our own businesse the 2. to work with our own hands the first shuts out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all pragmaticall curiosity and stretching beyond our line
and that compasse wherein God hath bound and circumscribed us the 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all unactivenesse and supine negligence in our own place and station And the 3. and last makes it a necessary study and brings it under a command sicut praecepimus vobis you must do it as I have commanded you Or because to be quiet is here proposed as matter of study we will consider 1. the object or thing it self in which our study must be seen and it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a quiet and peaceable behaviour 2. the act which requires the intention of our mind thoughtfulnesse and a diligent luctation and contention with our selves we must make it our study 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be ambitious of it Thirdly the method we must use we must meddle with our own businesse and work with our hands And last of all the warrant of this method I have commanded it and of these we shall speak in their order Ut operam detis that you study to be quiet c. And first to be quiet is nothing else but to be peaceable to keep our selves in an even and constant temper to settle and compose our affections that they carry us not in a violent and unwarranted motion against those with whom we live though they speak what we are unwilling to hear and do what we would not behold though their thoughts be not as our thoughts nor their wayes as our wayes though they be contrary to us That there be as S. Paul speaks no schisme in the body 1 Cor. 11.25 but that the members may have the same care one of another That we doe not start out of the Orb wherein we are fixt and then set it on fire because we think it moves disorderly but that we look on all with a charitable and Evangelicall eye not pale because others are rich not sick for our neighbours vineyard not sullen because others are cheerfull not angry because others are weak not clouded with envy and malice because others in some respects out-shine us but as S. Paul speaks leading a quiet and peaceable life in all Godlinesse and Honesty 1 Tim. 2.2 for the Gospel of Christ hath left us no other eye but that of charity to look abroad with that this peace of Christ may rule in our hearts 3 Coloss 15. to the which also we are called in one body may rule in our hearts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sit as judge there for so the word signifies being in its native propriety spoken of the Judge in the Olympick games Let peace rule in your hearts let it have this office let it be the onely judge to set an end to all Controversies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to stand in the midst between two contrary sides and draw them together and make them one to be a Mediator between the offence that is given and the smart that is felt to command our patience against rhe injury to awake the one to conquer and annihilate the other and so bury it in oblivion for ever And that we may better understand it we must sever it from that which is like it for likenesse is the mother of error from whence it is that there be so many lovers of peace and so little of it in the world that when ambition and covertousnesse harrass the earth when there be warrs and rumours of warrs when the kings of the earth rise up when the people are as mad as the Sea when it rageth when the world is on fire yet there is not one that will be convinced or perswade himself that he ever raised one spark to kindle it It was a just and grave complaint of Saint Hierom non reddimus unicuique rei suum vocabulum we are guilty of a dangerous misnomer and do not give every thing its proper name and think we study quietnesse when we are most bent to war and ready to beat up the drumme Alii Dominationem pacem appellant some call tyranny peace and nothing else and think there is no peace unlesse every man understand and obey their beck unlesse all hands subscribe to their unwarrantable demands quiet they are and peaceable men when like a tempest they drive down all before them to him that tyrannizeth in the common-wealth he is rebell that is not a parasite and to him that Lords it in the Church he that bows not to every decree of his as if God himself had made it is an heretick a schismatick an Anathema then this peace and not till then when every look and word when every lye of theirs is a law Others call even disobedience it self peace and are never quiet but with their quod volumus sanctum est but when they are let loose to do what they please are filii pacis the the children of peace when they digg her bowells out as the Donatists in Saint Aust who were the greatest peace-breakers in the world yet had nothing so much in their mouths as the sweet name of peace and how is she wounded by those who stand up in her defence we call that peace which hath nothing of it but the name and that too but of our own giving and esteeme our selves as quiet and peaceable men when we are rather asleep then settled rather senselesse and dead then delighting our selves in those actions which are proper to us in that motion which tends to rest rather still and silent then quiet bound up as it were with a frost till the next thaw the next faire weather and opportunity as faire and then we spread abroad and run out beyond our limit and bounds nor can we be conteined or kept in them Again others there be such as Tacitus speaks of who are solâ socordiâ innocentes who are very quiet and still and do little hurt by reason of a dull and heavy disposition and therefore saith Tully do removere se à publicis negotiis step aside and remove themselves out of the publick wayes withdraw themselves out of the company and almost out of the number of men who do no harme because they will do nothing whose greatest happinesse is nihil agere nihil esse Honestum pacis nomen segni otio imposuit Tacit. de Turpiliano Annali 14. to do nothing and to be nothing whose soules are as heavy and unactive as those lumps of flesh their bodyes and so raise no thoughts but such which lye levell with their present condition and reach not so high as to take in the publick interest who know not what to think and so care not how unevenly or disorderly the course of things is carried along so it be not long of them being as much afraid of action as others are weary and sick of rest as unwilling to put forth a hand to support a shaking and falling commonwealth as others are active and nimble to pull it down Nay some there are of so tender and soft disposition ut non possint in
before the Lord and bow my self before the high God Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings c. MICAH v. 8. He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to doe justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God THere be many who say Who will shew us any good saith the Pophet David Ps 4.6 For Good is that which men naturally desire and here the Prophet Micah hath fitted an Answer to this Question He hath shewed thee O man what is good And in the discovery of this Good he useth the same method which the Philosopher doth in the description of his Morall Happinesse First shews us what it is not and then what it is And as the Philosopher shuts out Honour and Riches and Pleasure as being so little necessary that we may be happy without them so doth the Prophet in the verses going before my Text in a manner reject and cast by burnt offerings and all the Ceremoniall and Typicall part of Moses law all that outward busie expensive and sacrificing Religion as no whit essentiall to that good which he here fixeth up as upon a pillar for all eyes to look upon as being of no great alliance or nearnesse nor fit to Incorporate it self with that piety which must commend us to God and as a true Prophet he doth not onely discover to the Jews the common error of their lives but shews them yet a more excellent way Non satis est reprehendisse peccntem si non doceas recti viam Columel de Re Rust l. 11. c. 1. first asking the question will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rammes whether sacrifice be that part of Religion with which we may appear and bow before our God and be accepted and then in his answer in the words of my Text quite excluding it as not absolutely necessary and essentiall to that which is indeed Religion And here the question will the Lord he pleased with sacrifice adds Emphasis and Energy and makes the Denyall more strong and the Conclusion in the Text more positive and binding then if it had been in plain termes and formally denyed then this Good had been shewed naked and alone and not brought in with the spoyles of that Hypocrisie which supplants and overthrowes it and usurps both its place and name shall I come before him with burnt offerings is in effect I must not do it That which is good that which is Religion hath so little relation to it that it can subsist without it and most times hath been swallowed up and lost in it It was in the world before any command came forth for Sacrifice and it is now most glorious when every Altar is throwne down and hath the sweetest favour now there is no other smoke The Question puts it out of all question That this good is best without it What will the Lord do to the Husbandmen that killed the heire Math. 21.41 Our Saviour puts it up by way of question and you know how terrible the answer is what will he doe what will he not do 1 Cor. 11. He will miserably destroy those Husbandmen Is it comely that a woman pray uncovered Judge in your selves you cannot say it is comely As the Athenians used to ask the guilty person who was arraigned before them and by sufficient evidence convict of the crime Are you not worthy of death That they might first give sentence against themselves and acknowledge the sentence to be just which was to passe upon them so doth the Prophet here ask the sacrificing Jews who so doted on outward Ceremony that they scarce cast an eye or look towards that which was truly the service of God as if there were no more required at their hands then that which was to be done at the Altar shall you bring burnt offerings shall you offer up your first-born the fruit of your body for the sinne of the Soul your selves shall be witnesse against your selves and out of your own mouth shall you be condemned O ye Hypocrites you cannot be so ignorant as to think nor so bold as to professe that this is the true service of God I remember Gregory Nazianzen calls man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and we may call this good in the Text so a spirituall heavenly statue and as the statuary by his art and with his Chezell doth work off all that is unnecessary and superfluous and having finisht and made it compleat in every part fixeth it as the lively representation of some God or Goddesse or Heroick person whose memory he would perpetuate in the minds of those who are to look upon it so doth the Prophet Micah here being to delineate and expresse the true servant of God in his full and perfect proportion first out of the Lump and Masse which made up the body of the Jews Religion strikes off that which was least necessary and most abused all that formality and outward ceremony in which they most pleased themselves Burnt offerings and calves of an year old these he layes aside as that which may be best spared as that which God did not require for it self or for any good there was naturally in it and then draws him out in every part in those parts which do indeed make him up in that perfection in which he may shine as a great example of eternall happinesse Wherewith shalt thou come before the Lord and bow thy self before the high God not with burnt offrings those he puts by as no essentiall materialls as the scurfe and least considerable part of Religion but with thy heart and with thy will and affections with a Just and mercifull and Broken heart with these thou shalt walk with him or before him even with Justice and Mercy and Humility with those graces which will make thee like unto him and transforme thee into the Image of God and set thee up as a faire statue and representation of thy maker He hath shewed thee O man what is good c. Or if you please you may conceive of true piety and that which is good as of a tree of life planted in the midst of Paradise in the midst of the Church spreading as it were its Branches whereof these 3. in the Text are the fairest 1. Justice and uprightnesse of conversation a streight and even Branch bearing no fruit but it s own 2. Mercy and Liberality yielding much fruit to those weary and faint soules who gather it and are refresht under the shadow of it and 3. Humility a Branch well laden full and hanging down the head More plainly and for our better proceeding thus He taketh away the one that he may establish the other He taketh away Ceremony and Sacrifice that he may set up true piety and that which is Religion indeed which here is first termed That which is good in it self and for it self which sacrifices and all other Ceremonious parts of Gods worship were
shewed thee O man what is good and wilt thou not believe him fath is the substance of things not seen and though they be not seen yet they are evident the Meanes evident and the End as evident as the Meanes In our sad and sober thoughts when we talk like speculative men as evident as what is open to the eye But such an evidence we have which a covetous man would soon lay hold on for a title to a faire inheritance and the ambitious for an assignment of some great place for if such a record had been transmitted to posterity if the Scripture which conveighs this Good had entailed some rich Mannor or Lordship upon them it should have then found an easie belief and been Gospel a sure word of prophecy unquestionable undoubtable like the decrees of the Medes and Persians which must stand fast for ever and cannot be altered for too many there be who had rather have their names in a good leaf then in the book of life and this is the reason why we are so ignorant of that which is good indeed and so great clerks in that which is calted good but by the worst why we are so dull and indocile in apprehending that wisdome which is from above and so wise and witty to our own damnation why we do but darkly see this Good which is so plainly shewed unto us What shall we say then nay what saith the Scripture Awake thou that sleepest in sloth and idlenesse thou that sleepest in a tempest in the midst of thy unruly and turbulent passions arise from the grave and sepulchre wherein thy sloth hath intomb'd thee arise from the dead from that nasty charnel-house of rotten bones where so many vitious habits have shut thee up break up thy monument cast aside every weight and every sinne that presseth down and rise up and be but a man improve thy reason to thy best advantage and this Good shall shine upon thee with all its beames and brightnesse and Christ shall give thee light if not to see things to come to satisfy thy curiosity yet to see things to come which shall fill thy soul as with marrow and fatnesse if not to know the uncertain yet certain wayes of Gods providence yet to know the certain and infallible way to blisse if not to know things too high for thee yet to know that which shall exalt thee to heavenly places in Christ Jesus He hath shewn thee O man what is Good doest thou see it doest thou believe it thou shalt see greater things then these thou shalt see what thou doest believe enjoy what thou doest but hope for thou shalt see God who hath shewed thee this Good that thou mightest see him thou shalt then have a more exact knowledg of his wayes and providence a fuller taste of his love and goodnesse a clearer sight of his beauty and majesty and with all his Angels and all his Saints behold his glory for evermore Thus much of this Good as it is an object to be lookt on we shall in the next place consider it as a Law Quid requirit what doth the Lord require HONI â—…T QVI MAL Y PENSE The Three and Twentieth SERMON PART III. MICAH 6.8 He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to doe justly c. HE hath shewed thee O man what is good what it is thou wert made for even that which is fitted and proportioned to thy soul that which is lovely and amiable and so a fit object to look on that which will fill and satisfy the soul and turn the greatest evil the world can lay as a stone of offence in our way into good and raise it self upon it to its highest pitch of glory and this he hath made plain and manifest drawn out in so visible a character that thou mayest run and read it And thus far we have already brought you We must yet lead you further even to the foot of mount Sinai what doth the Lord require of thee which is as the publication of it and making it a law For with the thunder and the lightning and the sound of the Trumpet and the voice of words this voice was heard I am the Lord. Thus saith the Lord It is the Prophets Warrant or Commission I the Lord have spoken it is a seal to the Law By this every word shall stand by this every Law is of force It is a word of power and command and authority for he that can doe what he will may also require what he will in heaven or in earth So then If he be the Lord he may require it and in this one word in this Monosyllable all power in heaven and in earth is contained For in calling him Lord he assignes unto him an absolute will which must be the rule of our will and of all the actions which are the effects and works of our will and issue from it as from their first principle and mover And this his will is attended 1. with Power 2. with Wisdome 3. with Love 1. By his power he made us 2. he protects and preserves us and from this issues his legislative power 3. as by his Wisdome he made us so by the same wisdome he gives us such a Law which shall sweetly and certainly lead us to that End for which he made us And last of all his Love it is to the work of his own hands thus to lead us And all these are shut up in this one word Lord. And let us view and consider these and so look upon them as to draw down their influence and vertue into our souls which may work that obedience in us which this Lord requires and will reward And 1. Quid requirit Dominus what doth the Lord require It is the Lord requires it and I need not trouble you with a recitall of those places of Scripture where God is called the Lord. For if the Scripture be as the Heaven this is a Star of the greatest magnitude and spreads its beams of Majesty and power in the eyes of all men and to require is the very form of a Law I will I require if power speak It is a law It will be more apposite and agreeable to our purpose that we may the more willingly embrace and entertain this Good which is publisht as a law to look upon this word Lord as it expresses the Majesty and greatnesse of God for he is therefore said to be the Lord because he is omnipotent and can do all things that he will He is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Nazianzen a vast and boundlesse Ocean of essence and he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a boundlesse and infinite sea of power Take the highest pitch of Dominion and Lordship that our imagination can reach yet it falls short of his who is Lord of Lords to whom all earthly Majesty must vaile and at whose feet all Princes lay down their Crowns
and Scepters And therefore Dionysius Longinus falling upon the story of the Creation makes that expression of Moses Dionys Long. de sublimi genere orat Sect. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let there be light and there wus light Let there be earth and there was earth the highest and most sublime that the art or thought of man could reach 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for thus the Majesty of God is best set forth He no sooner speaks but it is done Nor can it be otherwise for as he is a Lord and hath an absolute and uncontroulable will so this will is attended by his infinite power which is inseparable from it And you may find them both joyned together Acts 4.28 All things are done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whatsoever his hand and his counsel determined to do for because he can do all things therefore he brings to passe whatsoever he will and his hand and power hath here the first place because all counsel falls to the ground if power be not as a pillar and supporter to uphold it What is the strength of a strong man if there be a stronger then he to bind and disarm him what is it to conceive something in the womb of the mind to shape and form and fashion it to bring it even to the doore of life if there be no strength to bring it forth what is my will if it be defeated Libera volunt as in nullum habe imperium praeterquam in se Hlerocles apud Phor. Bibliot 394. Thus it falls out with dust and ashes with man whose will is free when his hands are bound who may propose miracles but can do nothing who may will the dissolution of the world when he hath not power to kill a fly or the least gnat that lights upon him But Gods power is infinite nor can any thing in heaven or earth limit it but his will which doth regulate and restrain it which otherwise must needs have a larger flow If he cut off or shut up or gather together who can hinder him Job 11.10 The voice of the Lord that is his power for his word is power is full of Majesty it breaketh the Cedars of Lebanon and maketh them skip like a calf It hath set a tabernacle for the Sun he bids it run its race and commands it to stand still he doth whatsoever he will in heaven or in earth I need not here enlarge my self Every work to his is a miracle every miracle is eloquent to declare his power Every thing that hath breath speaketh it and that which hath neither breath nor life speaketh it that which hath voice speaketh it and that which is dumb speaks it Day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night shewes knowledge There is no speech nor language Apul. de muâ—lo where their voice is not heard Psal 19.23 The power of this Lord is the proper language of the whole world Non ut ait ille silere melius est sed vel parùm dicere It is not good to be silent nay we cannot be silent but yet 't is not good to speak too much of the power of this Lord because we cannot speak enough nor can any finite understanding comprehend it Now by this power 1. God created man and breathed into him a living soul made him as it were wax fit to receive the impressions of a deity made him a subject capable of a Law I am fearfully and wonderfully made saith David Psal 139. marvellously made excellently made set apart selected culled out as it is Psal 4.4 from all the other creatures of the earth to walk with God and be perfect My members were curiously wrought drawn as with a needle for so the word there signifies embroidered with all variety as with divers colours every part being made instrumentall either to the keeping or breaking of the Divine Law I am as it were built and set up on purpose to hearken what that power which thus set me up will require of me In a word It is he that made us not we our selves and made us to this end to his glory to be united to himself to bowe under his power to be conformed to his will and so to gain a title to that happinesse and which is ready to meet them that runne unto it by doing what he requires at their hands 2 ly By this power as he creates so he continues him and protects him doth not leave him as an artificer doth his work to the injuries of time to last or perish as the strength of the materialls is of which it consists but as by his power he made him so by the same power he upholds and preserves him that in this life he may move and presse forward to a better he moves in him and moves with him that in this span of time he may make a way to eternity He giveth to all Acts 17.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 life and breath but in a more eminent manner to man to whom he hath communicated part of his power and given him dominion over himself and other creatures He is not far from every one of us v. 27. he is neere us with us within us He hath made the small and the great and careth for all alike Wisd 6.7 Sceleratis sol exoritur saith Seneca his Sun riseth upon the evil and the good saith our Saviour Math. 5.45 His power moves in the hand that smites his brother and in the hand that lifts him out of the dust moves in the Tyrant which walks in his palace and with that poore man who grinds at the mill By it Uzzahs hand was stretched out to uphold the Ark and by it he was smitten and dyed Dâ—us Salus est perseverantion earum quas effecerit rerum Apul. ibid. It moves in the eye that is open to vanity and in the eye that is shut up by covenant All the creatures all men all motions and actions of men are in manutentia Divina My times are in thy hand saith David Psal 31.15 and in this sense the Schooles tell us that the creation of man and his conservation are but one continued act that we may say of every creature so long as it is so long God creates it because creation respects the being of the creature as made out of nothing and conservation the being of the same creature as continually quickned and upheld that it fall not back again into that nothing out of which it was made for his power is the Being of the creature and the withdrawing of it is its annihilation The heavens and the earth are by the word of God are established by his power and when he will no longer uphold them all shall be dissolved and the Elements shall melt with heat It is no more but the withdrawing of his power and the world is at an end Now in the next place from this Ocean of his power naturally issues forth his power of
giving Laws of requiring what he please from his creature for as there is but one omnipotent God so there is but one Lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy James 4.12 for the one is the ground and foundation of the other If he made us and not we our selves if he preserve us and nor we our selves then not we our selves but he is to give us Lawes It is here Do ut des and facio ut facias he gives us our being and continuance that we should give him our obedience and subjection he doth this for us that we may do something for him even whatsoever he shall require The Stoicks say well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All duties are measured out by relations Epict. Enchir. c. 28. The care of the Father calls for the Honor of the Sonne the oversight of the master commands the obedience of the servant and the Father and the Master are to the Sonne and Servant as Moses is said to be to Pharaoh Exod. 4.16 instead of God Domestici magistratus saith Seneca Sen. de Benes 3.11 Domestick Lords or Magistrates He is my father if he speak the word 't is done He is my Master Lord if he say Goe I goe The reason of this is plain for Beneficia Compedes All benefits are as fetters are obligations and he that doth me good obligeth me placeth himself as it were in authority over me and giveth me Lawes looks upon me as his Creature which must do whatsoever he requires in a just and equall proportion to what he hath done Accepi beneficium protinus perdidi libertatem I receive a good turn and forthwith lose my liberty my hand is filled and bound at once bound to his service that fills it If he say do this I do it I plead for him I commend him I excuse him I run for him I dy for him because he is my friend If my friend bid me I will set fire on the Capitol saith Blosius in Tully Not onely a Father Tull. de Amicitia a Master a Lord but a Friend every one that obligeth me is a kind of Lawgiver bounds and keeps me in on every side tenders me his Edicts and Lawes by doing something for me gains a power over me In the Civill-Law it is styled Patris Majestas the Majesty of a Father and there is the Majesty of a Master Nique id magis facimus quà m nos monet pietas Plant. Stich. Act. 1. sc 1. and the Majesty of a Friend or Benefactor for* nostrum officium nos facere aequum est There is a kind of Equity Justice that he that buys me with a price should claim some interest in me These are those cords of men to tye us to them and if we break them asunder and cast these bands from us if we will not answer the diligent love of a Friend by doing something which may be required at our hands we are guilty of a foule Ingratitude which is a kind of Civil or Moral Rebellion And therefore God takes up this as an argument against the Rebellious Jews and draws it from that Relation which was founded on his Power and that love which he had shewed to them Mal. 1.6 A Son honoureth his Father and a Servant his Master If then I be a Father where is my Honour If I be a Master where is my Feare saith the Lord of Hosts who am not onely your Lord by right of Creation but your Father for my daily care and preservation of you and those many benefits I have laden you withall And You are my friends if you doe what I command you saith Christ Joh. 15.14 If you doe it not you are not my friends but you have broke that relation which might have been eternall So that we see one power follows another as in a chain The power and right of Dominion the power by which we were made and are preserved the power of giving Laws the power that made us capable of a Law He that did these great things for us may require what he please First God creates Man and then gives him a Law puts him to the triall of his Obedience for by the same Act of Power by Creating as he acquired to himself the full right of Dominion so he brought also upon Man the Necessity of Subjection Lord what will thou have me to doe saith Saint Paul when he was struck to the ground Acts 9. verbum breve Rern de converse Paul Ser. 7. sed vivum sed efficax saith Bernard a short speech but full and lively and operative even an acknowledgment of that power of God which is mighty in operation by which power he hath authority to command and require what he will Gods Will then thus attended with his Power must be the rule of all our actions and is the matrix from which all Laws must issue But in the next place As his Absolute Will is attended with Power uncontroulable so is it also with Wisdome unquestionable For as he is the onely Powerfull so he is the onely wise God Rom. 16.27.1 Tim. 1.17 and from the inexhaust fountain of his Wisdome flow those Rivers of Lawes which make glad the City of God which are made as all things in the world are in Number Weight and Measure Numbred Weighed Measured fitted out unto us That we may live and move thereby even move upwards towards the House of our Lord where there are many mansions prepared for us So that all the Laws of men which look towards Innocency and Perfection Tertull. Apol. c. 45. are borrowed saith Tertullian from the Divine Law and all Law-givers are called by Galen and called themselves the Disciples of God Minos of Jupiter Numa of Egeria Solon of Minerva Lycurgus of Apollo Trismegistus of Mercury none ever having been thought fit to make a Law but God whose Power hath no bounds but his Will Nalla lex satis commoda omnibus est c. Liv. Dec. 4. l. 4 and whose Wisdome reacheth over all Tempers and Constitutions all Casualities and Contingences all Circumstances of Time or Place all Crosse intercurrent Accidents which the narrownesse of mans understanding which humaine frailty cannot foresee Nalla tâ—nta esse 〈◊〉 prudeâ—iam jorum ut ad omne ignus acquitiae accurrat Qaint doct 350. nor prevent Lex erit omne quod ratione consistit saith Tertullian That which binds a reasonable creature must it self be reasonable and whatsoever is reasonable is a Law and reason is a beame of the Divine Light by which all Lawes which deserve the name of Lawes were drawn The Power of God yea and his Wisdome ruleth over all and his Laws are like himself Just and holy pure and undefiled unchangeable Qui dat rationem dat legem Tert. de Coron mil. c. 4. immutable and everlasting fitted to the first Age of the world and fitted to the last fitted to the wisest and fitted to the simplest
commit but costs us deare what more painfull then Anger what more perplext and tormenting then Revenge what more intangled then Lust what can more disquiet us then Ambition what more fearefull then Cruelty what sooner disturbed then pride nay further yet how doth one sinne incroche and trespasse upon another I fling off my Pleasure and Honor to make way to my Revenge I deny my Lust to further my Ambition and rob my Covetousnesse to satisfie my Lust and forbeare one sinne to commit another and so do but versuram facere borrow of one sinne to lay it out on another binding and loosing my self as my corruption leads me but never at ease Tell me which is easier saith the Father to search for wealth in the bowells of the earth nay in the bowells of the poore by oppression then to sit down content with thy own night and day to study the world or to embrace Frugality to oppresse every man or to relieve the oppressed to be busie in the Market or to be quiet at home to take other mens goods or to give my own to be full of businesse for others or to have no businesse but for my soul to be solicitous for that which cannot be done or to have no other care but to do what God requires To do this will cost us no sweat nor labour we need not go a Pilgrimage or take any long journey it will not cost us money nor enage us to our friends we need not saile for it nor plough for it nor fight for it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. saith Chrysostome if thou beest willing Chrysost orat de ira obedience hath its work and consummation if thou wilt Arist l. 4 Eth. c. 3. thou art Just Mercifull and Humble As Aristotle spake of his Magnanimous man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so to a resolved Christian nothing is great Liber rectus animus omtia subjiciens sin se nuili Sen. cp ult nothing is difficult 'T is not to dig in the Mineralls or labour in chaines 't is not to cleave wood or draw water with the Gibeonites but thy lines are fallen unto thee in a faire place 't is but to do Justly love Mercy c. Lastly it is not onely easie but sweet and pleasant to do what God requires For Obedience is the onely spring from whence these waters of comfort flow it is an everlasting foundation on which alone joy and peace will settle and rest For what place canst thou find what other foundation on which thou mayst build up a true and lasting joy wilt thou look on all the works which thy hands have wrought wilt thou prove thy heart with mirth and gather together all that is desireable and say here it will lye All that joy will soon be exhausted and will draw it self dry That pleasure is but like that beast of the Apothecary to whom Julian the Pelagian likens Saint Austin Non sum similis pâ—arm â—copolae utâ—d t is qui promit tebat Bestiam quae seipsam com sset August Cont. Iul. Pelag. l. 3. c. 21. which he promised his patient of great virtue which before the morning was come had eaten up himself But the doing what God requires our conformity to his will is the onely basis upon which such a superstructure will rise and towre up as high as heaven for it hath the will and power of God to uphold and perpetuate it against all those stormes and tempests which are sent out of the devils treasury to blast or imbitter it Do you take this for a speculation and no more Indeed it is the sin and the punishment of the men of this world to take those truths which most concern them for speculations for the groundlesse conceptions of thoughtfull men for school subtilties rather then realities Mammon and the world have the preeminence in all things and spirituall ravishments and heaven it self are but ingens fabula magnum mendacium as a tedious ly or a long tale that is told And there is no reason of this but their disobedience for would they put it to the triall deny themselves and cleave to the Lord and do what he desires there would then be no need of any Artist or Theologue to demonstrate it or fill their mouth with arguments to convince them of the truth of that which would so fill their souls Of all the Saints and Martyrs of God that did put it to the triall did we ever read that any did complain that they had lost their labour but upon a certain knowledge and sense of this truth betook themselves cheerfully to the hardship of mortification renounced the world and laid down their lives poured out their blood for that truth which paid them back again with interest even with fulnesse of joy Let us then hearken what this Lord will say and answer him in every duty which he requires and he will answer us again and appeare in glory and make the terrours and flatteries of the world the object not of our feare and amazement but contempt and the displeasing and worser side of our obedience our Crown and Glory the most delightfull thing in the world for to conclude this why are we afraid why should we tremble at the commands of God why should their sound be so terrible in our eares The Lord requires nothing of us but that which first is possible to rouse us up to attempt it secondly which is easie to comfort and nourish our hopes and thirdly which is pleasant and delightfull to do to woe and invite and even flatter us to obedience and to draw us after him with the cords of men And what doth he require but to do justly and love mercy c. We have now taken a view of the substance of these words The Application and Conclusion and we have looked upon them in the form and manner in which they lye what doth the Lord require let us now draw them neerer to us for to this end they are sharpned into an interrogation that as darts they might pierce through our souls and so open our eyes to see and our eares to hearken to the wonders of his Law And first this word Lord is a word of force and efficacy and strikes a reverence in us and remembers us of our duty and allegiance for if he be the Lord then hath he an absolute will a will which must be a rule to regulate our wills by his Jubeo and his vete by his commands and prohibitions by removing our wills from unlawfull objects and confining them to that which may improve and perfect them from that which is pleasing but hurtfull to his Laws and commands which are first distastfull and then fill them with joy unspeakable And this is the true mark and character of a servant of God to be then willing when in a manner he is unwilling to be strong when the flesh is weak to have no will of his own
have not his Sepulchre yet we have the memory of his mercifulness remaining with us to this day and I ask Had not he zeal Yes and so hot and intensive that it did consume him Psal 119.139 and yet but three verses before Rivers of water ran down his eyes and this heat and this moisture had one and the same cause because they kept not thy law in the one because they forgat thy word in the other which is the very same We much mistake if we doe not think there may be a weeping as well as a burning zeal And indeed zeal is never more amiable never moves with more Decorum nay with more advantage both to our selves and others then when Mercy sends it running down the cheeks We cannot better conclude then with that usefull advice of GBernard Bern. 46. S. in Cant. Zelus absque misericordia minùs utilis plerumque etiam perniciosus c. Zeal without mercy is alwaies unprofitable and most commonly dangerous and therefore we must pour in this oyl of mercy quae zelum supprimat spiritum temperet which may moderate our zeal and becalm and temper ourspirit which may otherwise hurry us away to the trouble of others and ruine of our selves which it cannot doe if Mercy be our Assessor To conclude Let us therefore cast off every weight let us empty our selves fling out all worldly lusts out of our hearts and make roome for mercy Let us receive it naturalize it consubstantiate it as the Greek Fathers speak with our selves that we may think nothing breathe nothing doe nothing but mercy That mercy may be as an Intelligence to keep us in a constant and perpetuall motion of doing good That it may be true and sincere and sweeter to us then the honey or honey-comb and so be our Heaven upon Earth whilst we are here that peace may be upon us and mercy even upon all those who love mercy who are indeed the true Israel of God The last branch is our humble walking with God and that we shall lay hold on in our next HONI â—…T QVI MAL Y PENSE The Six and Twentieth SERMON PART VI. MICAH 6.8 He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to doe justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God WE have already gathered fruit from two of the Branches of this Tree of Life This Good which God by his Prophet hath shewed us in the Text we have seen Justice run down as waters and righteousnesse as a mighty streame as the Prophet speaks we have seen Mercy dropping as the dew on the tender herbs and rain upon the grasse We have beheld Justice filling the hand and Mercy opening it Justice fitting and preparing the hand to give and Mercy stretching it forth to clothe the naked and fill the hungry with good things Justice gathering and Mercy scattering Justice bringing in the seed and Mercy sowing it in a word Justice making it ours and Mercy alienating it and making it his whosoever he be that wants it We must now lay hold on the third which shadows both the rest from those blasts which may wither them Those stormes and temptations which may shake and bruise them from Covetousnesse Ambition Pride Self-love Self-deceit Hypocrisy which turne Justice into gall and worme-wood and eat out the very bowells of Mercy For our reverent and humble deportment with God is the mother of all good counsel the guard and defence of all holy duties and the mistris of innocency By this the Just and Mercifull man lives and moves and hath his being his whole life is an humble deportment with God every motion of his is humility I may say his very essence is humility for he gathers not he scatters not but as in his eye and sight When he fills his garners and when he empties them he doth it as under that all-seeing eye which sees not onely what he doth but what he thinks In this the Christian moves walks with or before his God not opening his eyes but to see the wonders of his Laws not opening his mouth but in Hallelujahs not opening his eares but to his voice not opening his hand but in his name not giving his Almes but as in the presence of his Father which seeth in secret and so doing what he requires with feare and trembling This spreads and diffuseth it self through every veine and branch through every part and duty of his life When he sits in judgement humility gives the sentence when he trafficks humility makes the bargain when he casts his bread upon the waters his hand is guided by humility when he bowes and falls down before his God humility conceives the prayer when he fasts humility is in Capite Iejunii and begins the fast when he exhorts humility breaths it forth when he instructs humility dictates when he corrects humility makes the rod whatsoever he doth he does as before or under or with the Lord humility is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all in all In a word Singularum virtutum proprii actus say the Schooles virtues both morall and Theologicall like the celestiall Orbs have their peculiar motion proceeding from their distinct Habits and Formes but humility is the intelligence which keeps and perpetuates that motion as those orbs are said to have their motion held up and regulated by some assistent forme without And now being here required to walk humbly with our God It will not be impertinent to give you the picture of humility in little to shew you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 summarily and in brief what it is and so we may better see in what this our walking humbly consists And indeed we look upon humility as we do upon a picture mirantur omnes divinam formam sed ut simulachrum fabre politum mirantur omnes as Apuleius speaks of his Psyche Every man doth much admire it as a beautifull piece but it is as men admire a well-wrought statue or picture every man likes it but which was the lot of his Psyche no man loves it no man wooes it no man desires to take her to his wife Yet it will not be amisse to give you a short view of her And the Orator will tell us Virtutis laus omnis in actione consistit Every vertue is commended by its proper act and operation and is then actually when it works Temperance doth bind the appetite liberality open the hand modesty compose the countenance valour guard the heart and work out its contrary out of the mind and Humility every thing that riseth up every swelling and tumour of the soule which are called by the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 12.20 puffings up for riches or learning or beauty or strength or eloquence or virtue or any thing which we admire our selves for elations and lifting up of the mind above it self the stretching of it beyond its measure 2 Cor. 10.14 setting it up against
the Law against our brethren against God himself making us to complain of the Law as unjust to start at the shadow of an injury to do evil and not to see it to commit sinne and excuse it making our tongues our own our hands our own our understandings our own our wills our own leaving us independents under no Law but our own The Prophet David calls it the highnesse or haughtinesse of the heart Ps 131. Solomon the haughtinesse of the spirit Prov. 16.18 which is visible in our sinne and visible in our Aplogies for sinne lifting up the eyes and lifting up the nose for so the phrase signifies Ps 10.4 lifting up the head making our necks brasse as if we had devoured a spit as Epictetus expresses it I am and I alone Graeci 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appellant Arrian Epict. is soon writ in any mans heart and it is the office and work of humility to wipe it out to wipe out all imaginations which rise and swell against the Law our neighbour and so against God himself For the mind of man is very subject to these fits of swelling humility our very nature riseth at the mention of it Habet mens nostra sublime quiddam impatiens superioris saith the Orator mens minds naturally are lifted up and cannot endure to be overlookt Humility 'T is well we can heare her named with patience it is something more that we can commend her but quale monstrum quale sacrilegium saith the Father O monstrous sacriledg we commend humility and that we do so swells us we shut her out of doores when we entertain her when we deck her with praises we sacrilegiously spoile her and even lose her in our Panegyricks and commendations We see for it is but too visible what light materialls we are made of what tinder we are that the least spark will set us on fire to blaze and be offensive to every eye We censure pride in others and are proud we do so we humble our brethren and exalt our selves It is the art and malice of the world when men excell either in virtue or learning to say they are proud and they think weith that breath to levell every hill that riseth so high and calls so many eyes to look upon it But suppose they were alas a very fool will be so and he that hath not one good part to gain the opinion of men will do that office for himself and wonder the world should so mistake him Doth learning or virtue do our good parts puff us up and set us in our Altitudes No great matter the wagging of a feather the gingling of a spur a little ceruse and paint any thing nothing will do it Nay to descend yet lower That which is worse then nothing will do it wickednesse will do it He boasteth of his hearts desire saith David Ps 10.3 he blesseth himself in evil he rejoyceth in evil saith Solomon Prov. 2.14 he pleaseth and flattereth himself in mischif And what are these benedictions these boastings these triumphs in evil but as the breathings the sparkles the proclamations of pride The wicked is so proud he careth not for God he is not in all his waies When Adam by pride was risen so high as to fall from his obedience God looks upon him in this his exaltation or rather in this ruine and beholds him not as his creature but as a prodigie and seemes to put on admiration Ecce Adam factus tanquam unus è nobis See the man is become like unto us and he speaks it by an Irony A God he is but of his own making whilest he was what I made him he was a man but Innocent Just immortall of singular endowments and he was so truly and really but now having swelled and reach'd beyond his bounds a God he is but per mycterismum a God that may be pitied that may be derided a mortall dying God a God that will run into a thicket to hide himself His greatnesse is but figurative but his misery is reall being turned out of Paradise hath nothing left but his fancy to Deifie him This is our case and our Teeth are on edge with the same sowre grapes we are proud and sinne and are proud in our sinnes we lift up our selves against the Law and when we have broke it we lift up our selves against repentance when we are weak then we are strong when we are poor and miserable then we are rich when we are naked then we clothe our selves with pride as with a garment and as in Adam so in us our greatnesse is but a tale a pleasing lye our sins and imperfections true and reall our Heaven but a thought and our hell burning a strange soloecisme a look as high as heaven and the soule as low as the lowest pit It was an usuall speech with Martin Luther That every man was born with a Pope in his belly we know what the Pope hath long challeng'd and appropriated to himself Infallibility Supremacy which like the two sides of an Arch mutually uphold each other for doe we question his Immunity from Errour it is a bold errour in us for he is supreme Judge of Controversies And the Conjecture is easie which way the question will be stated Can we not be perswaded and yield to his supremacy then his Parasites will tell you that he is Infallible by this we may well guesse what Luther meant for so it is in us Pride makes us incorrigible and the thought that we are so increaseth our pride we are too high to stand and too wise to be wary too learned to be taught and too good to be reproved we now stand upon our supremacy see how the worme swells into an Angel The heart forgets it is flesh and becomes a stone and you cannot set Christs Impresse Humility upon a stone Learne of me for I am humble The eare is deafe and the heart stubborne the mind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Saint Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Theodoret a reprobate reverberating mind a heart of marble which violently beats back the blow that should soften it Now the office of humility is to abate this swelling It s proper work is to hammer this rock and break it to pieces Jer. 23.29 to drive it into it self to pull it down at the sight of this Lord to place it under it self under the Law under God to bind it as it were with cords and let out this corrupt blood and this noxious humour and so sacrifice it to that God that framed it In a word depressing it in it self that it be not too wise too full That it may behold it self of more value then the whole world and then shut it self up that it wander not abroad after those vanities which will soon fill it with aire and swell it This is the method and this is the work of humility It pulls out our eyes that we may see spoiles us of our
is a greater penalty and vexation than that which we undertook for its sake How many rise up early to be rich and before their day shuts up are beggers how many climb to the highest place and when they are neer it and ready to fit down fall back into a prison But in this we never faile the Spirit working with us and blessing the work of our hands making our busie and carefull thoughts as his chariot and then filling us with light such is the priviledge and prerogative of Industry such is the nature of Truth that it will be wrought out by it nor did ever any rise up early and in good earnest travell towards it but this spirit took him by the hand and brought him to his journeys end If thou seekest her as silver Prov. 2.4,5 if thou search for her as for had treasure which because it is hid we remove many things turn up much earth and labour hard that we may come to it then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God in which work our industry and the Spirits help are as it were joyned and linked together You will say perhaps that the Spirit is an omnipotent Agent and can fall suddenly upon us as he did upon the Apostles this day that he can lead us in the way of truth though we sit still though our feet be chained though we have no feet at all but the Proverb will answer you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If God will you may sail over the sea in a sieve but we must remember the Spirit leads us according to his own will nad counsel not ours that as he is an Omnipotent so he is a free Agent also and worketh and dispenceth all things according to the pleasure of his will and certainly he will not lead thee if thou wilt not follow he will not teach thee if thou wilt not learn nor can we think that the truth which must make us happy is of so easie purchase that it will be sown in any ground and as the Divels tares grow up in us Nobis dormientibus whilest we sleep The third is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 method or an orderly proceeding in the wayes of truth for as in all other Arts and Sciences so in our spirituall wisdome and in the school of Christ we may not hand over head huddle up matters as we please but must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 keep an order and set course in our studies and proceedings our Saviour Christ hath a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 6.33 seek first the kingdome of God and in that kingdome every thing in its order there is something first and something next to be observed and every thing is to be ranked in its proper place the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us of principles of Doctrine which must be learned before we can be led forward to perfection Heb. 5.13,14 of milk and of strong meat of plainer Lessons before we reach at higher Mysteries nor can we hope to make a good Christian veluti ex luto statuam as soon as we can make a picture or a statue out of clay Most Christians are perfect too soon which is the reason that they are never perfect they are spirituall in the twinkling of an eye they know not how nor no man else they leap over all their alphabet and are at their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their end before they begin are at the top of the ladder before they have set a foot to the first step or rown they study heaven but not the way to it they study faith but not good works repentance without a change or restitution Religion without order they are as high as Gods closet in heaven when they should be busie at his foot-stool study predestination but not sanctity of life study assurance but not that piety which should work it study heaven and not grace and grace but not their duty and now no marvel if they meet not with that saving truth in this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this so great disorder and confusion no marvel when we have broke the rules and order not observed the method of the Spirit if the Spirit lead us not who is a Spirit that loveth order and in a right method and orderly course leads us into the truth The last is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exercitation and practice of the truths we learn which is so proper and necessary for a Christian that Christian Religion goes under that name and is called an exercise by Clem. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Strom. l. 4. Al. Nyssen Cyril of Ilierusalem and others and though they who lead a Monasticall life have laid claim to it as their own they were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet it may well belong to every one that is the Spirits Scholar who is as a Monk in the world shut up out of it even while he is in it exercising himself in those lessons which the Spirit teacheth and following as he leads which is to make the world it self his monastery A good Chritian is the true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epictet Arrian l. 3. c. 5. and by this daily exercise in the doctrines of the Spirit he doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Stoicks speak drive the truth home and make it enter into the soul and spirit for as Auaxagoras said well manus causa sapientiae 't is not the brain but the hand that causeth knowledge Talis quisque est qualibue delectater inter artisicem artificium mira cognatio est and worketh wisdome for true wisdome that which the Spirit teacheth consists not in being a good Critick or in rightly judging of the sense of the words or being a good Logician in drawing out a true and perfect definition of Faith and Charity or discoursing aptly and methodically of the Lessons of the Spirit or in being a good Oratour in setting out the beauty and lustre of Religion to the very eye No saith the son of Syrach He that hath no experience knoweth little Ecclus. 34.10 Ex mandato mandatum cernimus by practising the command we gain a kind of familiarity a more inward and certain knowledge of it If any man will do the will of God he shall know the Doctrine Joh. 7.17 in Divinity and indeed in all knowledge whose end is practice that of Aristotle is true Those things we learn to do we learn by doing them we learn devotion by prayer charity by giving of alms meeknesse by forgiving injuries humility and patience by suffering temperance by every day fighting against our lusts as we know meat by the taste so do we the things of God by practice and experience and at last discover heaven it self in piety and this is that which S. Paul calls knowledge according to godlinesse 1 Tim. 6.3 we taste and see how gracious the Lord is we do as it were see with our
eyes and with our hands handle the word of truth In a word we manifest the truth and make it visible in our actions and the Spirit is with us and ready in his office to lead us further even to the inner house and secret closet of truth displayes his beames of light as we press forward and mend our pace every day shining upon us with more brightnesse as we every day strive to increase teaching us not so much by words as by actions and practice by the practice of those vertues which are his lessons and our duties we learn that we may practice and by practice we become as David speaks Psal 119.99 wiser then our teachers to conclude day unto day teacheth knowledge and every act of piety is apt to promote and produce a second to beget more light which may yet lead into more which may at last strengthen establish us in the truth and so lead us from truth to truth to that happy estate which hath no shadow of falshood but like the Spirit of Truth endureth for evermore THE FIRST SERMON JAMES I. Vers ult Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is This to visite the fatherlesse and widdows in their affliction and to keep himselfe unspotted from the World NOthing more talkt of in the world then Religion nothing lesse understood nothing more neglected there being nothing more common with men then to be willing to mistake their way to withdraw themselves from that which is indeed Religion because it stands in opposition to some pleasing errour which they are not willing to shake off and by the help of an unsanctified complying fancy Multi fibi fidem ipsi potiut constitunut quam accipiunt dum quae velunt sapiunt nolunt sapepere quae vera sunt cum sapientiae haecveritas sit ea interdum sapere quae nolis Hilar. 8. de Trin. V. 22. to frame one of their own and call it by that name That which flatters their corrupt hearts That which is moulded and attempered to their bruitish desigus That which smiles upon them in all their purposes which favours them in their unwarrantable undertakings That which bids them Go on and prosper in the wayes which lead unto death That with them is True Religion In this Chapter and indeed in every Chapter of this Epistle our Apostle hath made this discovery to our hands Some there were as he observes that placed it in the ear did hear and not do and rested in that some did place it in a formall devotion did pray but pray amisse and therefore did not receive some that placed it in a shadow and appearance Verse 25. seemed to be very religious but could not bridle their tongue and were safe they thought under this shadow others there were that were partiall to themselves despisers of the poor that had faith and no works in the second Chapter and did boast of this others that had hell fire in their Tongue and carried about with them a world of iniquity which did set the wheel the whole course of Nature on fire in the third Chapter and last of all some he observed warring and fighting killing that they might take the prey and divide the spoil in the fourth Chapter And yet all religious Every one seeking out death in the errour of his life and yet every one seeming to presse forward towards the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus To these as to men ready to dash upon the rock and shipwrack doth our Apostle cry out as from the shore to turn their compasse and steer their course the right way and seeing them as it were run severall wayes all to meet at last in the common gulph of eternall destruction He calls and calls aloud after them To the superstitious and the prophane To the disputer and the scribe to them that do but hear and to them that do but babble To them that do but professe and to them that do but beleeve the word is Be not deceived This is not it but Haec est This is pure Religion is vox à Tergo as the Prophet speaks Esay 30. a voice behinde them saying This is the way walk in it This is as a light held forth to shew them where they are to walk as a royal Standard set up to bring them to their colours This doth Infinitatem rei ejicere as the Civilians speak Take them from the Devils latitudes and expatiations from frequent and fruitlesse hearing from loud but heartless prayer from their beloved but dead faith from undisciplined and malitious zeal From noise and blood from fighting and warring which could not but defile them and make them fit to receive nothing but the spots of the world from the infinite mazes and by-paths of Errour and brings them into the way where they should be where they may move with joy and safety looking stedfastly towards the End Let us now hear the conclusion of the whole matter whatsoever Divines have taught whatsoever Councels have determined or the schoolmen defined whatsoever God spake in the old times whatsoever he spake in these last dayes That which hath filled so many volumes and brought upon us Fatigationem Carnis that weariness of the flesh Ecclesia 1 2.12 which Solomon complains of in reading that multitude of Books with which the world doth now swarm with That which we study for which we contend for which we fight for as if it were in Democritus his Well or rather as the Apostle speaks in Hell it self quite out of our reach or if there be any truth that is necessary or any other commandment it is briefly comprehended in this saying even in this of Saint James Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit c. I way call it the picture of Religion in little in a small compasse and yet presenting all the lines and dimensions the whole signature of Religion fit to be hung up in the Church of Christ and to be lookt upon by all that the people which are and shall be born may truly serve the Lord May it please you therefore a while to cast your eyes upon it and with me to view First The full proportion and severall lineaments of it as it were the essentiall parts which constitute and make it what it is and we may distinguish them as the Jew doth the Law by Do and Do not The first is Affirmative To do Good to visit the fatherlesse and widdows in their affliction The second not to do evil to keep our selves unspotted from the world And then secondly to look upon as it were the colours and beauty of it and to look upon it with delight as it consists First in its purity having no mixture Secondly in its undefilednesse having no pollution And then thirdly the Epigraph or title of it the Ratification or seal which is set to it to make it Authentick