pertaine unto every circumstance in Gods worship Let all things bee done m 1 Cor. 14.40 decently and in order CHAP. 43. Of the due Celebration of Sundayes and other times required by the Church to be kept holy IN the first part of the a T. 2. p. 124 125 126. Homily concerning the place and time of prayer the Church saith It appeareth to be Gods good will and pleasure that we should as speciall times and in speciall places gather our selves together to the intent his name might be renowned and his glory set forth in the congregation and assembly of his Saints As concerning the time which Almighty God hath appointed his people to assemble together solemnly it doth appeare by the fourth Commandement of God Remember saith God that thou keepe holy the Sabbath day Vpon the which day as is plaine in the b Act. 13.14.44 Act. 15.21 Acts of the Apostles the people accustomably resorted together and heard diligently the Law and the Prophets read among them And albeit this Commandement of God doth not binde Christian people so straitly to observe and keepe the utter Ceremonies of the Sabbath day as it was given unto the Iewes as touching the forbearing of worke and labour in time of great necessitie and as touching the precise keeping of the seventh day after the manner of of the Iewes For we keepe now the c Act. 20. l. 1 Cor. 16.2 Non inep è colligitur jam tum consuevisse Christianos hoc die solennes agere conventus Annol ad Act. 20.7 in Jun. Bibl. vide 1 Cor. 11.20 in Syriaco Teslamento nâ—c non in Arabiâ—o in utroque mentio fit de die Domini nostri Syrus legit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arabs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quiâ—n nev 1.10 pro eo quod in Graecis exemplaribus legitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in â—â—e â—llo primo first day which is our Sunday and make that our Sabbath that is our day of rest in the honour of our Saviour Christ who as upon that day d Mar. 16.6.1.2 rose from death conquering the same most triumphantly yet notwithstanding whatsoever is found in the commandement appertaining to the law of nature as a thing most godly most just and needfull for the setting forth of Gods glory it ought to bee retained and kept of all good Christian people But alasse it is lamentable table to see the wicked boldnesse of those that will bee counted Gods people who e Ezek 20.12 13. passe nothing at all of keeping and hallowing the Sunday And these people are of two sorts The one sort if they have any businesse to doe though there be no extreame neede they must not spare for the Sunday they must ride and journey on the Sunday they must drive and f Neh. 13.15 16 17 18 19 20. Ier. 17.21.22 carry on the Sunday they must row and ferry on the Sunday they must buy and sell on the Sunday they must keepe markets and faires on the Sunday Finally they use all dayes alike worke-dayes and holi-dayes all are one The other sort is worse For although they will not travell nor labour on the Sunday as they doe on the weeke day yet they will not g Isa 58.13 14. rest in holinesse as God commandeth but they rest in ungodlinesse and filthinesse prancing in their pride pranking and pricking poynting and painting themselves to be gorgeous and gay they rest in excesse and superfluity in gluttony and drunkennesse like Rats and swine they rest in brawling and rayling in quarrelling and fighting they rest in wantonnesse in toyish talking in filthy fleshlinesse so that it doth too evidently appeare that God is more dishonoured and the Devill better served on the Sunday than upon all the dayes in the weeke besides As soone as God had finished heaven and earth and all the same and had made man he rested the seventh day and blessed it and h Gen. 2.2 3. sanctified it for man therein to rest also as Christ saith i Mar. 2.27 The Sabbath was made for man The Lord saith by Isaiah k Isa 58.13 14. If thou turne away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my holy day and call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not doing thine owne wayes nor finding thine owne pleasure nor speaking thine owne words Then shalt thou delight thy selfe in the Lord and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed thee with the heritage of Iacob thy father for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it The sacred l Canon 13. constitution of the Church concerning the due celebration of Sundayes and Holy-dayes is ever memorable viz. All manner of persons within the Church of England shall from henceforth celebrate and keepe the Lords day commonly called Sunday and other holy-dayes according to Gods holy will and pleasure and the Orders of the Church of England prescibed in that behalfe that is in hearing the Word of God read and taught in private and publike prayers in acknowledging their offences to God and amendment of the same in reconciling themselves charitably to their neighbours where displeasure hath beene in oftentimes receiving the Communion of the body and blood of Christ in visiting of the poore and sicke using all godly and sober conversation Concerning other times enjoyned by the Church to be observed for holydayes Of the celebration of holydayes as Christmas day c. it is to be remembred that because it is the Law of the Church our mother we ought so to observe them as she requireth And that the Church hath power to appoint holydayes it may appeare out of the m T. 2. p. 82 83. Homily of fasting where it is said We doe not read that Moses ordained by order of Law any dayes of publike fast throughout the whole yeare more than that one day The Iewes notwithstanding had more times of common fasting which the Prophet n Zechar. 7.5 Zachary reciteth to bee the fast of the fourth the fast of the fifth the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth moneth But for that it appeareth not in the Law when they were instituted it is to bee judged that those other times of fasting more than the fast of the seventh moneth were ordained among the Iewes by the appointment of their governours rather of devotion than by any expresse Commandement given from God Vpon the ordinance of this general fast good men tooke occasion to appoint to themselves private fasts at such times as they did either earnestly lament bewaile their sinfull lives or addict theÌ„selves to more fervent prayer c. And the Prophet doth not disallow their sequestring of dayes for fasting but for that they neglected o Zech. 7.9.10.11.12 judgement mercy and humilitie of heart and as it seemed accounted true religion for to consist onely
or most chiefely in observing Ceremonies It is written in the booke of Ester that the Church of God then p Esther 9.21 celebrated two dayes in memorie of the Lords most wonderfull protection of them and deliverance of them from the plot of Haman It is not written that they had any law of God requiring it neither that they received any speciall revelation for to signifie unto them that they ought so to doe but that they did it from the Common q Prov. 8.14 15 16. wisedome with which God endueth his Church at all times There is also mention of a seast in the Gospell according to S. Iohn called The feast of the r 1 Mac. 4.59 dedication which the Church of God then the people of the Iewes had along time observed in ſ Ioh. 10.22.23 celebration whereof it seemeth that Christ was present which was not ordained by divine Law nor by Revelation but by the common devotion of the Church as it is recorded in the Book of Maccabees Moreover the people of God on such holy dayes were not onely to abstaine from their ordinary t Lev. 23.7 vocation or worke but also they were to assemble unto the place of Gods publike worship and there to perfome such religious duties as God and his Church had appointed The which may appeare out of the booke of Chronicles where it is delivered that David ordained of the ministerie to stand every morning to to thanke and praise the Lord and likewise at even and to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the Lord in the Sabbaths in the new moones and on the u 1 Chron. 23.30 31. set feasts by number according to the order commanded unto them continually before the Lord. Of the place wherein holy duties are to be performed by people or a cōgregation Now concerning the place where holy duties upon Sundaies and other Holy dayes are to bee performed the first part of the x T. 2. p. 126 127 128. homily concerning the place and time of prayer declareth to bee the materiall temple or the parish-Church unto which the people are by the Law required for to repaire and duly frequent where Christ hath promised to bee y Mat. 18.20 present and where he will heare the prayers of thē that call upon him Our godly predecessours and the ancient fathers of the primitive Church saith that Homily spared not their goods to build Churches no they spared not their lives in time of persecution and to hazard their blood that they might assemble themselves together in Churches And shall we spare a little labour to come to Churches Shall neither their example nor our duty nor the Commodities that thereby should come unto us move us If we will declare our selves to have the feare of God if wee will shew our selves true Christians if wee will be the followers of Christ our master and of those godly fathers which have lived before us and have now received the reward of true and faithfull Christians wee must both willingly earnestly reverently come unto the materiall Churches and Temples to pray as unto fit places appointed for that use and that upon the Sabbath day as at most convenient time for Gods people to cease from bodily and worldly businesse to give themselves to holy rest and godly contemplation pertaining to the service of Almighty God Whereby wee may reconcile our selves to God be partakers of his holy Sacraments and bee devout hearers of his holy word so to bee established in faith to Godward in hope against all adversity and in charity toward our neighbours * T. 2. p. 131. Also to have our poore and needy neighbours in remembrance and from the Church to depart better and more godly than wee came thither The Lord hath said p Exod. 16.29 Abide yee every man in his place Let no man goe out of his place on the seventh or Sabbath day Yet there was prescribed a Sabbath dayes q Act. 1.12 journey and that appeareth to be but as unto ones owne parish Church ordinarily The aforesaid * T. 2. p. 127. Homily saith That the Tabernacle was as it were the parish Church of the Iewes being in the Wildernesse Vide Tremel annot ad Iam. 2. A Chaldee Paraphrase upon Ruth saith and the Chaldean Paraphrases are the most ancient interpretations of Moses and the Prophets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are now common to the Church of God That we are commanded to observe the Sabbath good dayes not to walke unlesse 2000 cubits which distance appeareth to bee the space between the place of the Camp and the place where the Arke was as Ioshua said r Ios 3.3 4. There shal be a space between you it above 2000 cubits by measure And such a distance the suburbs belonging to Cities were to be from them round about as it is written in the booke of f Num. 35.5 Numbers Lastly concerning the due celebration of the Sabbath day it is also said in the first part of the * T. 2. p. 2. Homily concerning the right use of the Church That unto the house or Temple of God at all times by common order appointed are all people that bee godly indeed bound with all diligence to resort unlesse by sicknes or other most urgent causes they be letted therefro And all the same so resorting thither ought with all quietnesse and reverence there to behave themselves in doing their bounden duty and service to Almighty God in the Congregation of the Saints In the said part of that * P. 4. Homily it is further delivered That Iesus came t Ioh. 8.2 early in the morning into the Temple and all people came unto him and hee sate downe and taught them And in S. Luke it is said v Luke 21.38 Iesus taught in the Temple and all the people came early in the morning unto him that they might heare him in the Temple Here yee see as well the diligence of our Saviour in teaching the word of God in the Temple daily and specially on the Sabbath dayes as also the readinesse of the people resorting all together and that early in the morning into the Temple to heare him The Lord commāded the people of Israel to w Num. 28.9.10 offer more on the Sabbath day then on any other day And was it not for our x 2 Tim. 3.16 instruction in righteousnesse that wee ought on that day to spend more time in every religious exercise than on any other day cōmonly The * In Canon 90. and Article 30. of our Church-discipline also Law of the Church is that We be present in the Temple at the beginning of the divine Service and that unlesse through some urgent occasion we depart not untill every part of the divine Service be ended Also all persons of every Family that are able in any wise to understand any part of the publike worship unles such
otherwise it is of no strength at all whilest the Testatour liueth Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without bloud It was therefore necessary that the patternes of things in the heauens should be purified with these but the heauenly things themselues with better sacrifices than these And in another place the same Apostle sayth m Heb. 2.9.10 We see Iesus who was made a little lower than the Angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour that he by the grace of God should taste death for euery man For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sonnes vnto glory to make the Captaine of their saluation perfect through sufferings For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and bloud he also himselfe likewise tooke part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the diuell And Christ signified the same vnto the two men going to Emmaus saying n Luke 24 26. Ought not Christ to haue suffered these things and to enter into his glory The Prophets o Psal 2â— Dauid p Isa 53. Isaiah and q Dan. 9.24.25.26 Daniel foretold expresly of his death And r 2. Esdras 7.29 Esdras hath mentioned the same CHAP. 23. Of the resurrection and ascension of Iesus Christ IN the * T. 2. p. 189. Homily of the Resurrection of our Sauior Iesus Christ it is sayd So great surely is the matter of this Article and of so great waight and importance that it was thought worthy to keepe our Sauior still on earth forty dayes after he was risen from death to life to the confirmation and establishment thereof in the hearts of his Disciples Saint Paul sayth to the Corinthians Å¿ 1. Cor 15 14.1â— If Christ be not risen then is our preaching vaine and your faith is also vaine yea and wee are found false witnesses of God because we haue testified of God that he hath raised vp Christ And if Christ be not raised your faith is vaine yee are yet in your sinnes The Church deliuereth also in the aforesayd * P. 191. 192. Homily It had not beene enough to be deliuered by his death from sinne except by his Resurrection wee had bene t Rom. 4.25 endowed with righteousnesse And it should not auaile vs to be deliuered from death except he had risen againe to open for vs the gates of Heauen to enter into life euerlasting He died to destroy the rule of the Diuell in vs and he rose againe to send downe his holy Spirit to rule in our hearts to endow vs with perfect righteousnesse The second Antheme to be sayd on Easter day is u 1. Cor. 15.20.21 Christ is risen againe the first fruites of them that sleepe For seeing that by man came death by man also commeth the resurrection of the dead For as by Adam all men doe dye so by Christ all men shall bee restored to life Therefore sayth the Church in the Preface to be read on Easter day Chiefly are we bound to praise thee for the glorious Resurrection of thy Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord for he is the very w 1. Cor. 5.7 Paschall Lambe which was offered for vs and hath x Ioh. 1.29 taken away the sinne of the world who by his y 1. Cor. 15.54.55 death hath destroyed death and by his rising to life againe hath restored to vs life z 1. Thes 4.14 Iohn 5 24.28.29 Rom. 8.11 Ioh. 6.33 1. Cor. 15.23 euerlasting Also by his rising againe he was manifested to be God as it is written And declared to be the Sonne of God with power according to the Spirit of Holinesse a Rom. 1.4 by the Resurrection from the dead Reade diligently the Homily of the Resurrection wherein the Doctrine thereof and the vse which we are to make of it is in most Diuine manner deliuered Now concerning Christs Ascension it is signified in the * T. 2. p. 189. Homily of the Resurrection That he ascended vp to his Father into the heauens there to receiue the b Ioh. 20.17 Iohn 17.5 1. Iâ—eâ— 3.22 glory of his most triumphant conquest and victory And in the Preface to be read vpon the Ascension day it is sayd that Iesus Christ our Lord after his most glorious Resurrection manifestly appeared to all his Apostles and in their c Acts 1.9.10.11 sight ascended vp into Heauen to prepare a place for vs that where he is thither might we also ascend and reigne with him in glory That Christ was glorified being ascended into Heauen Dauid declareth saying d Psal 68.18 Thou hast ascended on high thou hast led captiuity captiue thou hast receiued gifts for men yea for the rebellious also that the Lord might dwell among them Saint Paul sayth e Heb. 12.2 That Christ for the ioy which was set before him endured the Crosse despising the shame and is set downe at the right hand of the Throne of God That hee also ascended to f Iohn 14.2.3 prepare in Heauen a place for his true Disciples hee testifieth by his VVordes saying In my Fathers House are many Mansions if it were not so I would haue told you I goe to prepare a place for you And if I goe and prepare a place for you I will come againe and receiue you vnto my selfe that where I g Iohn 17.24 Iohn 12.26 am there yee may bee also The Apostle to the Hebrewes writting concerning the Ascension sayth also h Hebr. 9.24 Christ is not entred into the Holy places made with hands which are figures of the true but into Heauen it selfe now to appeare in the presence of God for vs. And to the Ephesians hee sayth i Ephe. 4.10 Hee that descended is the same also that ascended vp farre aboue all Heauens that he might fill all things CHAP. 24. Of the comming downe of the Holy Ghost HOly Church in most Diuine manner in the Sacred Letany mentioneth together all the great things done and suffered by Christ for Mankinde teaching vs to pray that by all and euery of them we in particular may be deliuered saying By the Mystery of thy Holy Incarnation by the Holy Natiuity and Circumcision by the Baptisme Fasting and Temptation Good Lord deliuer vs. By thine Agony and Bloody Sweate by thy Crosse and passion by thy precious death and buriall by thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension and by the comming of the Holy Ghost Good Lord deliuer vs. Wherein we are taught to consider that the comming of the Holy Ghost is a matter pertaining to our deliuerance or saluation and now here to be meditated on In the Preface to be read on Whitsunday it is sayd That according to the most true promise of Iesus Christ our Lord the Holy Ghost came downe this day from Heauen with a suddaine great sound as it had beene a mightie wind in
unburthening of his conscience and to receive spirituall consolation and ease of minde from him We doe straightly charge and admonish him A Priest may not reveale any sinne confessed in private before him unlesse it bee such a one as for concealing whereof his owne life may be called in question by the Lawes of this Realme that he doe not at any time reveale and make knowne to any person whatsoever any crime or offence so committed to his trust and secrecie except they bee such crimes as by the Lawes of this Realme his owne life may be called into question for concealing the same under paine of irregularity In the * T. 2. p. 135. Homily concerning Common Prayer and Sacraments it is said Although absolution hath the promise of forgivenesse of sinne yet by the expresse word of the new Testament it hath not this promise annexed and tyed to the visible signe which is imposition of hands For this visible signe I meane laying on of hands is not expresly commanded in the new Testament to bee used in absolution as the visible signes in baptisme and the Lords Supper are and therfore absolution is no such Sacrament as Baptisme and the Communion are The Church hath ordained speciall confession to bee made for the committing of sundry crimes as for committing adultery for giving a blow in Church or Church-yard c. The Lord in his Law hath said And it shall be when hee shall bee guilty in one of these things that he shall o Lev. 5.5.6 confesse that he hath sinned in that thing c. And the Priest shall make an attonement for him concerning his sinne Againe it is written Speake unto the children of Israel when a man or a woman shall commit any sinne that men commit to doe a trespasse against the Lord and that partie be guilty then they shall p Numb 5.6 7 8. confesse their sinne which they have done and hee shall recompence his trespasse with the principall thereof and adde unto it the fift part thereof and give it unto him against whom hee hath trespassed But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespasse unto let the trespasse bee recompensed unto the Lord even the Priest beside the ramme of atonement whereby an atonement shall bee made for him Forasmuch as the Lord knew how his lawes given from his eternall wisdome and delivered by Moses would be by many slighted yea nothing at all regarded therefore said the Lord Iesus Thinke not that I am come to q Matth. 5.17 18 19. destroy the Law or the Prophets I am not come to destroy but to fulfill But verily I say unto you till heaven and earth pass one jote or one title shall in no wise passe from the Law till all be fulfilled Whosoever therefore shall breake one of these least CoÌ„mandements and shall teach men so he shall be called the least in the kingdome of heaven but whosoever shall doe and teach them the same shall be called great in the Kingdome of Heaven It is to be ever remembred that of every Law written by Moses whereof the ceremony is ceased the r Rom. 8.4 righteousnesse and equity intended thereby remaineth continually The Lord Iesus abolished not confession of sinne to bee made unto his ministery but in saying to his ministers Whose soever sins ye Å¿ Iohn 20.23 remit they are remitted unto them whose soever sins ye retaine they are retained necessarily implyeth that people are to make confession unto them according as the wisedome of his t Luk. 10.16 Church now prescribeth and requireth Iohn the Baptist who came in the way of righteousnesse and not with ceremonies during but a time had the people come to confession as it is written And they were baptized of him in Iordan u Mat. 3.6 Mark 1.5 confessing their sinnes Saint Iames saith Is any sicke among you let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him c. and the prayer of faith shall save the sicke and the Lord shal raise him up and if he have committed sinnes they shall be forgiven him w Iames. 5.14 15 16 17 18. Confesse your faults one to another and pray one for another that yee may be healed And then hee sheweth how effectuall the Prophet Elias his prayer was CHAP. 64. Of Penance IN the beginning of the Service of Commination it is said Brethren in the Primitive Church there was a godly discipline that at the beginning of Lent such persons as were notorious offenders were put to open penance and punished in this world that their soules might be saved in the day of the Lord and that others admonished by their example might be the more afraid to offend In the stead whereof untill the said discipline may be restored againe which thing is much to bee wished c. In the Service for Consecration of Bishops it is said by the Archbishop unto the Elected Bishop Will you maintaine and set forward as much as shall lie in you quietnesse peace and love among all men and such as be unquiet disobedient and criminous within you Diocesse correct and punish according to such authority as ye have by Gods Word as to you shall be committed by the Ordinance of this Realme Out of which delivery it appeareth that the Superiour Ministery hath power for to cause transgressors for to doe penance or to undergoe penalties And did not the Royall Majesty and the Law of this Realme most graciously grant such authority unto the Clergy the licentiousnesse of these times considered as the 113. Canon expresly speaketh and had not the Superiour in the Clergy a Lordly power to restraine the violent course of evill wherein many would runne and to constraine the obstinate unto a Christian conformay or else to inflict penalty on them the streame of impietie would grow exceeding great yea in these dangerous dayes as the beginning of the commination service mentioneth it would so much overflow as that the publike profession of Christian religion according as it is prescribed in the Divine Service bookes of the Church could not consist So x Rev. 20.7 8 9 10. great hath beene and still is the malice of Satan against the Apostolicall Doctrine and Discipline maintained in this Kingdome by the publike authority Saint Paul saith God hath set in his Church y 1 Cor. 12.28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arâ—bs exp suit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 helpes in Governments And can any government bee administred without punishing the disobedient Hee saith also to the Corinthians Therefore I write these things being absent lest being present I should use z 2. Cor. 13.10 sharpnes according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification and not to destruction In another place he saith What will yee shall I come unto you with a a 1 Cor. 4.21 rod or in love and in the spirit of meeknesse In the second part of the
to give diligent eare with all reverence and silence c. And in the last * P. 10. part thereof it is saith Thus yee have heard dearely beloved out of Gods word what reverence is due to the Holy house of the Lord how all godly persons ought with diligence at times appointed thither to repaire how they ought to behave themselves there with reverence and dread before the Lord what plagues and punishments aswell temporall as eternall the Lord in his holy word threatneth as well to such as neglect to come to his holy house is also to such who comming thither doe unreverently by gesture or talke there behave themselves Holy Church hath also made a Constitution or * Canon 18. Canon concerning reverence and attention to bee used within the Church in time of divine Service saying In the time of Divine Service and of every part thereof all due reverence is to bee used For it is according to the Apostles rule c 1 Cor. 14.40 Let all things bee done decently and according to order Answerable to which decencie and order wee judge these our directions following No man shall d 1 Cor. 11.4.7 Omnis vir prophetans nempe ut inquit Iun. in annot ad 1 Cor. 11.4 memoriter aut de scripto enuncians verbum ipsum Dei sermone aut cantu nam etiam Prophetae Cymbolis et Levitae olim in templo instrumentis musicis personantes in testamento vetere dicti sunt prophetare aut mente enunciantem sequens ut privaâ—â— in ecclesia faciunt cover his head in the Church or Chappell in the time of Divine Service except hee have some infirmity In which case let him weare a e Mal. 1.6 night-cap or Coife All manner of persons then present shall reverently kneele upon their knees when the generall Confession Letanie and other Prayers are read shall stand up at the saying of the Beleefe according to the rules in that behalfe prescribed in the Booke of Common prayer And likewise when in time of Divine Service the Lord Iesus shall bee mentioned due lowly reverence shall be done by all persons present as it hath beene accustomed * Consider now unpartially that each of the reverences is prescribed for a godly signification Testifying by these outward Ceremonies and gestures their inward humility Christian resolution and due acknowledgement that the Lord Iesus Christ the true and eternall Sonne of God is the onely Saviour of the world in whom alone all the mercies grace and promises of God to mankinde for this life and the life to come are fully and wholy comprised As the Church hath thus zealously and holily prescribed that Almighty God may have due reverence of people assembled before him for to worship so there was not long agoe set forth an Advertisement hereto by the late most Reverend Father in God George Archbishop of Yorke being then Lord Bishop of London The which being a delivery ever memorable it hath seemed good for to adde here and it is as followeth To all and every the Ministers Church-wardens and Side-men within the City Suburbs and Diocesse of London VVHereas I am daily advertised by the relations of many honest and Religious persons of a generall misbehaviour in most Churches in and about the Citie of London in time of Divine Service Men and Boyes sitting then covered with their Hats on their heads without all shew of reverence or respect either of that holy place or action the one being the house of Almighty God the other a continued vicissitude as it were of speech betweene God and his people The due consideration whereof might easily induce any well disposed Christian to use such outward Posture and gesture of his body as becommeth that sacred place and the great Majestie of that God to whom they come at that time professedly to performe a divine worship I have therefore thought it my duty instantly to recommend to you the Ministers Church-wardens and Side-men the reformation of this profane abuse scandalous to our Religion against an expresse Law in that case provided and condemned by the contrary practice of all Christians in all ages in their like solemnities and assemblies praying and requiring you to joyne together your utmost and best endeavours to effect the same for which purpose it shall bee necessary for you the Church-wardens and Side-men during the time of Divine Service diligently to looke about the Church and where you see any covered if Boyes or of the younger sort these to shame openly by pulling off their Hats and chastice with such discipline as you have been laudably accustomed to inflict upon such rude and unmannerly fellowes If of the elder or better sort though I well hope that none of that condition out of their owne judgement will hereafter offend in this kinde those to admonish gravely of their duety representing unto them the inconveniences of this their ill example and how directly repugnant it is to the Apostles rule of decency in the Church thus to celebrate Diuine Seruice and to performe a professed and Religious worship of Almighty God After which your admonition if any shall obstinately refuse to uncover his or their heads in Service time you shall then present them to mee or my Chancellour to the end that they by the severity of censures may bee amended by whom brotherly and gentle perswasions have beene contemned Moreover also I am certainely informed that the publike Service of Almighty God in the Churches is much omitted and thereby come to neglect and almost scorned forasmuch as the Ministers reade not Divine Service the first and second service before their Sermons according to the order of our Church Liturgie and the Canon in that case provided I doe therefore hereby require all the Parsons Vicars and Curates in my Diocesse to take care that they offend not in this kinde strictly likewise requiring you the Church-wardens and Side-men that according to your oathes you present to me or my Chancelour those Ministers that shall be faulty in this kind c. The Law of the Lord is Yee shall keepe my Sabbaths and f Lev. 19.30 reverence my Sanctuary The Prophet David saith God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints and to be had in g Ps 89.7 reverence of all them that are about him The Lord by his Prophet Malachi complaineth that reverence is not done unto him saying A son honoureth his Father and a servant his Master If then I be a Father where is mine h Mal. 1.6 honour And if I bee a Master where is my feare saith the Lord David therefore saith Serve the Lord in feare and rejoyce unto him with i Ps 2.11 as in the divine Service translation Of putting and keeping off or not wearing the common uppermost covering of the head in time of divine Service reverence S. Paul saith to the Corinthians I would have you know that the head of every man
is Christ and the head of woman is the man and the head of Christ is God Every man praying or prophecying having his head k 1 Cor. 11.2.3.4.7 Turpia vitiosaque legi debent bonesta contrà et vitio carentia detegiac ostendi Quod si vir operto capite preces agit ostendit suum caput esse vitiosum et preinde tegendum Atqui viri caput Christus est qui vitij est expers Itaque debet viri caput detegi quò Christum qui viri caput est vitij expertem esse indicetur Mulâ—eris verò caput vir est qui cuÌ„ sit nocens et vitiosus debet mulier suuÌ„ caput tegere Haec quidam anonymus Of the gesture to be used in prayer covered dishonoureth his head But every woman that prayeth or prophecieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head For man indeed ought not to cover his head forasmuch as hee is the Image and glory of God But the woman is the glory of the man It is written that the Lord Iesus l Luke 22.41 kneeled downe and prayed So m Acts. 7.60 did Saint Stephen when hee prayed though stones then were throwne against him where through hee presently died c. Peter n Acts. 9.40 kneeled downe and prayed c. Paul o Acts. 20.36 and 21.5 kneeled downe and prayed c. And Davids saying is which is appointed to bee read on every Sunday morning O come let us worship and fall downe and p Psal 95.6 Of the gesture to be used wheÌ„ the confession of Faith and the Gospel for the day is read kneele before the Lord our maker Moreover concerning the reverence done by standing up when we make confession of our Faith it is to be considered that then to sit is altogether unseemely because it is as it were a speaking unto God And sitting is no gesture of reverence When any civill person goeth unto his superiour and declareth any matter unto him hee will doe it standing And thus to demeane our selves in speaking to our superiours wee are taught even by the very light of q 1 Cor. 11.14 Thereout Balaam willed Balak to rise up Therupon Eglon arose up out of his seate nature Ought wee not then when wee make confession of our faith unto our God to stand up reverently We read not in Scripture of any that spake unto God sitting but either kneeling or standing or fallen downe on the face as * Gen. 17.17 18. Abraham did Kneeling commonly when they prayed and standing in making confession or profession It is recorded of King Salomon that hee and all the Congregation r 1 King 8.14.22.55 stood whiles hee confessed or made acknowledgement of the goodnesse of God towards them and blessed the name of the Lord. And afterward when he fell to prayer it appeareth hee s 1 King 8.54 kneeled on his knees It is also written that Abraham t Gen. 18.22 Gen. 19.27 stood before the Lord whiles he spake unto him Very many are the Scriptures which mention the gesture of standing before the Lord in speaking unto his Omnipotent Majestie Whereas also the Church prescribeth That when the Lord Iesus shall bee mentioned due and lowly reverence shall bee done by all persons present as it hath beene accustomed testifying by these outward Ceremonies and gestures their inward humility c. It is to bee understood that not onely all are to bow the knee when the Lord Iesus is mentioned in saying the Beleefe but also in the reading of the holy Gospell when as the the Lord Iesus is mentioned therein For which cause that people may then performe that reverence unto the Lord Iesus is it not requisite that all stand up whiles the Gospell which is in the divine Service is in reading And that people are to stand up in hearing the speciall messages from Almighty God not a few Scriptures doe teach Of standing up when the Gospel for the day is read When Ehud came to king Eglon as he was sitting in a Summer Parlour Ehud said I have a message from God unto thee And the King u Iudg. 3.20 arose out of his seat Why is it written that he rose up but for our learning that when we heare the Gospell which the Church hath upon specical consideration for the day appointed to be read we should stand up and then may make due and lowly reverence Of bowing the knee when the Lord Iesus is mentioned when the w Phil. 2.9 10 11. Rom 14.11 Isa 45.23 Ephes 3.14 Ioh. 5.22.23 Psal 72.9 and 95.6 Lord Iesus shall be mentioned as it hath beene accustomed The word Gospell in the originall signifieth a good or joyfull message It is written in the booke of Samuel That as Samuel and Saul were going downe to the end of the City Samuel said unto Saul Bid the servant passe on before us and he passed on but x 1 Sam. 9.27 stand thou still a while that I may shew thee the Word of God Hee doth not bid him sit still a while whiles he delivered to him the speciall message The Prophet Isaiah saith unto women when they were to heare his speciall delivery unto them from the Lord y Isa 32.9 Rise up ye women that are at ease heare my voice ye carelesse daughters give eare unto my speech Rising up in the hearing of a matter published is a token of the more carefull attention thereunto It is recorded that when Ezra opened the booke for to read all the people z Neh. 8.5 stood up Even very nature taught the heathen when any message was said to bee published unto them as from God that they were to stand up in hearing of it Wherupon Balaam said unto King Balak a Num. 23.18 Rise up Balak and heare hearken unto me thou sonne of Zippor Against sleeping in the Church in time of Gods publike worship Furthermore people ought not to sleepe whiles the publike worship of God is in performing no not in hearing an Homily or Sermon It is recorded by Saint Luke for our learning that when Christ preached the eyes of all that were in the Synagogue were b Luke 4.20 fastned on him And the judgement that befell c Act. 20.7 8 9 10. Entychus sleeping whiles Paul preached is written also for our admonition It is also remarkable what is said in the first part of the * T. 1. p. 53. Homily How dangerous a thing it is to fall from God Whosoever is occupied with fables and tales when the Word of God rehearsed Of attentive harkening to the publike worship he is turned from God Whosoever in time of reading Gods Word is carefull in his minde of worldly businesse of mony or of lucre he is turned from God whosoever is intangled with the cares of possessions filled with the covetousnesse of riches whosoever studieth for the glory and honour of this world he is turned from God So that
yee any better or any such againe as Christ Iesus is and his Doctrine Whose vertuous conversation and godly life the Scripture so lively painteth and setteth forth before our eyes that we beholding that patterne might shape and frame our lives as nigh as may be w 2 Cor. 3.18 Rom. 8.29 1 Ioh. 2.6 agreeable to the perfection of the same In the first part of the * T. 2 p. 258. Homily of repentance it is said wee must labour that we doe returne x Heb. 7.19 Micah 6.8 Gen. 5.22 as farre as unto God and that wee doe never cease nor rest till wee have apprehended and taken y Acts. 17.27.28 Song 3.4 hold upon him At the end of the first tome of s Eph. 5.9 10. the Homilies it is said concerning the Homilies of the second tome that they are aswell fruitfull as necessary to the edifying of Christian people the increase of godly living David speaking of the people of God saith They z Ps 84.7 goe from strength to strength every one of them in Zion appeareth before God Solomon saith The path of the just is as the shining light that shineth a Prov. 4.18 more and more unto the perfect day Saint Paul said to the Thessolonians Wee are bound to thanke God awaies for you brethren as it is meete because that your faith b 2 Thes 1.3 groweth exceedingly and the charity of every one of you all towards each other aboundeth To the Corinthians hee saith Wee all with openface beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image c 2. Cor. 3.18 from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Saint Peter saith d 2 Pet. 3.18 Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Againe he saith Giving all diligence e 2 Pet. 1.5.6.7 adde to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godlinesse and to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and to brotherly kindnesse charity The which eight matters * His exposition of the seven stops one calleth the Ladder of Salvation and saith hee it is necessary that each step of it be understood lest when one is onely upon the first stop The true faith iâ— in most divine manner described in the three parts of the Homlly thereof he may deceive himselfe thinking that he is neere enough to Salvation when as he is farre from the state thereof Vnto faith there is to be added vertue strength or godly valour f Mark 9.23 All things saith Christ are possible to him that beleeveth g Mark 11.24 Whatsoever things yee desire when ye pray beleeve that yee receive them and ye shall have them Christ also said unto one As thou hast h Mat. 8.13 beleeved so bee it done to thee Of the strength in right faith Saint Iohn hath a remarkable sentence Whatsoever is borne of God overcommeth the world and this is the victory that overcommeth the world even our i 1 Ioh. 5.4 faith And Saint Paul sheweth who it is that maketh man so strong saying I can doe all things through Christ k Phil. 4.13 which strengtheneth me Flesh and blood thinketh it unpossible to love ones enemies but that one must needs l Mat. 5.43 hate them and m Rom. 11.17 recompence to them evill for evill and n 1 Pet. 3.9 and 2.23 reproachfull words for reproachfull words or writings Yet to o Mat. 5.44 love ones enemies is Christ Commandement a part of the yoke which he layeth upon us who hath said Take my yoke upon you and learne of me for I am meeke and lowly in heart and yee shall finde rest unto your soules For my p Mat. 11.29.30 yoke is easie and my burden is light And Saint Iohn saith q 1 Ioh. 5.3 His commandements are not grievous And because Christ Iesus in his Gospel hath commanded us nothing but what in some good measure to performe hee will give us more more strength if we in faith r Ioh. 14.13 Iam. 1.5.6 aske the same and withall use all other meanes for to attaine the same according as he in his holy word hath prescribed holy Church in the Collect for Saint Stephens day hath taught us to pray saying Grant us O Lord to learne to love your enemies by the example of thy Martyr Saint Stephen who prayed for his persecuters Of the knowledge S. Peter saith next Adde to your vertue knowledge True knowledge doth consist in experience Ioshua and Galeb and the rest of the Israelites which subdued the Canaanites knew experimentally that they were conquerable And afore they manfully fought against theÌ„ hoping to overcome them for that they had faith in Gods word who s Exod. 3.17 Deuâ— 1.29.30.31.32.41 expresly pro mised unto theÌ„ victory over them they so fighting against them as Gods Spirit should direct them But such as beleeved nor the promise of God and through t Num. 13.31.33 unbeliefe were faint hearted or cold or lukewarme in courage unto the battels of the Lord their carcases u Num. 14. â—9 fell in the wildernes they could not enter into the rest of the Lord because of w Heb. 3.19 unbeliefe Likewise such as now beleeve not the Gospels sentence The God of Peace shall x Rom. 16.20 bruse or tread Satan under obedient beleevers feet shortly they attaine not to have an experimentall knowledge what is the exceeding y Eph. 1.19 Col. 1.29 2. Cor. 13.3 Of TemperaÌ„ce greatnesse of Gods power unto and in his holy ones S. Peter also saith add to knowledge temperance A faithfull Souldier and servant of Christ as we are all instructed to bee by the divine Service read wheÌ„ the signe of the Crosse is in making on the fore head of one baptized having fought manfully under Christs bannour against sin the world the devll and by z 1 Cor. 15.57 Phil. 4.13 Christs helpe having overcome some spirituall enemies a Phil. 3.14 Presseth hard toward the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Iesus Christ hoping to have like good successe against the rest of the spiritual enemies to have the victory over theÌ„ more more through the Almighty Lord Iesus Christ doth therefore as Saint Paul did or at least faithfully and unfainedly endeavoureth thereunto who saith Know ye not that they which runne in a race run all but one receiveth the prise so runne that ye may obtaine And every one that striveth for the mastery is b 1 Cor. 9.24 25 26 27. temperate in all things Now they doe it to obtaine a corruptible crowne but we an incorruptible I therefore so runne not as uncertainely so fight I not as one that beateth the ayre but I keep under my body bring it into subjectioÌ„ lest that by any meanes when I have
saith the Lord and yee have made hast every man to his owne house for this cause are the heavens stayed over you that they should give no deaw and the earth is forbidden that it shall bring forth her fruit and I have called drought upon the earth and upon the Mountaines and upon corne and upon wine and upon Oyle and upon all things that the earth bringeth forth and upon men and upon beasts and upon all things that mens hands labour for In the second part of the * T. 2. p. 91 92. Homily of fasting it is said God sometime striketh private men privately with sundry adversities as d Deut. 28.65 66 67. trouble of minde losse of friends e Zeph. 1.13 losse of goods long and f Deut. 28.22 27 c. dangerous sicknesses c. In the fourth part of the * T. 2. p. 236. Homily for Rogation weeke it is said That God in his ire doth g 1 King 14.15 Zeph. 2.3 4. roote up whole kingdomes for wrongs and oppressions and doth translate kingdomes from one nation to another for unrighteous dealing for wrongs and riches gotten by deceit This is the practice of the Holy One saith h Dan. 4.30 31 32. Daniel to the intent that living men may know that the most High hath power over the Kingdomes of men and giveth them to whomsoever he will Furthermore what is the cause of penury and scarcenesse of dearth and famine Is it any other thing but a token of Gods ire i Ezech. 5.6 7 8 15 16. revenging our wrongs and injuries done one to another Ye have sowne much upbraideth God by his Prophet Aggai and yet bring in little yee eate but ye be not satisfied ye drinke but ye be not filled ye cloath your selves but yee bee not warme he that earneth his wages putteth it in a k Hag. 1.5 6. bottomlesse purse ye looked for much increase but loe it came to little and when yee brought it home into you Barnes I did blow it away saith the Lord. The Lord saith by Moses It shall come to passe if thou wilt not hearken unto the voyce of the Lord thy God to observe to doe all his Commandements and his Statutes which I command thee this day that all these curses shall come upon thee overtake thee Cursed shalt thou be in the City and cursed shalt thou be in the field c. Reade from verse 16. unto the Chapters end it is of all Chapters in the Bible amplest in reckoning up Gods sundry curses in this life upon disobedient people Reade also the 26. Chapter of Leviticus The Lord in these dayes much inwardly punisheth people of unbeliefe and disobedience The Lord doth unto many now as he did to the Israelites He giveth them their request as concerning many outward blessings but sendeth l Ps 106.15 leannesse into their soule Isaiah saith The wicked are like the m Isa 57.20 21. troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast up mire and dirt There is no peace to the wicked In the Revelation it is said They have no n Rev. 14.11 rest day nor night who worship the Beast and his Image and whosoever receiveth the marke of his name Isaiah concludeth his prophecie with declaring what is the inward estate and condition of all such as continue in sinne willingly yea whiles they live here on earth saying also concerning obedient people That they shall goe forth and o Isa 66.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 looke upon the Carkeises of the * transgressing ones against God for their worme shall not dye neither shall their fire be quenched and they shall bee an abhorring unto all flesh In all people which will not humble themselves to live according to all the commandements of Christ and according to all the Ordinances of his Church but resolve to persist in their owne-chosen wayes and to follow the imagination of their owne mindes there at length breedeth in such people a worme within their conscience which more and more * Abben Esrain Ps 1.1 sâ—ribit Improbos esse dictos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi inquietos qui nunquam in eadem constitutione permanent gnaweth them so that if the said worme like as the Woolfe which breedeth in some peoples bodies be not fed with what liketh him he gnaweth the conscience exceedingly Such a worme was bred in the Conscience of many of the Iewes through their wilfull disobedience when as Christ and his Ministers preached amongst them Nothing could those disobedient people p Iohn 8.43 45.51 learne from Christ and his Ministery which could comfort them or appease their troubled mindes whiles they endeavoured not to obey his Gospell Also within disobedient peoples breasts there becommeth a q Heb. 10.27 Ps 11.6 fire kindled wherethrough they are in a spiritual fire any spiritual person which had the spirit of discerning might insee into them and perceive them inflamed with a great Å¿ Rom. 10.2 3. zeale but not towards obedieÌ„ce of al the CoÌ„mandements of Christs Gospell nor towards obedience of al the OrdinaÌ„ces of Christs Apostolical Church of EnglaÌ„d There is a proverbe The which are in hell know of none other heaveÌ„ Wilfull disobedient people being themselves without t Isa 48.22 Rom. 3.17 peace of conscience conclude contrary to the Doctrine of the universall holy Scriptures of the whole Divine Service of the Church that no body else hath that u Phil. 4.7 peace of God which passeth all understanding and keepeth our hearts and mindes in the knowledge and love of God and of his Sonne Iesus r 1 Cor. 2.13 Christ our Lord with the which blessed peace holy Church from Sabbath to Sabbath w Numb 6.23 c. blesseth her obedient Members and every one of them x 2 Thes 3.16 Isa 66.12 Isa 14.27 Phil. 1.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all sense or feeling as it is rendred in the Margent feeleth it within themselves more and more CHAP. 98. Of deferring repentance untill likelihood of bodilie death IN the Collect for the first Sunday in Advent we are taught to pray Almighty God give us grace that we may cast away the workes of darknesse and put upon us the armour of light y Rom. 13.11 12 13 14. now in the time of this mortall life in the which thy Sonne Iesus Christ came to visit us in great humility c. In the Rubricke afore the Communion of the sicke it is said Forasmuch as all mortall men be subject to many sudden perils diseases and sicknesses z Ps 31.15 and ever uncertaine what time they shall depart out of this life therefore to the intent they may be alway in a a Iob. 14.14 1 Cor. 5.9 Mat. 25.10 Rev. 19.7 readinesse to dye whensoever it shall please God to call them the Curate shall diligently from time to time c. In the Service for Buriall it is said b Iob 14.1
THE CHRISTIAN DIVINITIE Contained in the Divine Service of The Church of ENGLAND Summarily and for the most part inâ—â—â—â—â—â— according as point on point dependeth conâ—â—â—ded and with the holy Scriptures plainly and plentifully confirmed Written for the furtherance of the Peoples understanding in the true Religion established by publike Authoritie And for the increase of Vnitie in that godly truth eternall BY EDMVND REEVE Bachelour in Divinitie and Vicar of the Parish of Hayes in Middlesex IER 6.16 Thus saith the Lord Stand yee in the wayes and see and aske for the old paths where is the good way and walke therein and yee shall finde rest for your soules AVGVSTINVS Vtile est de iisdem quaestionibus plures à pluribus fieri libros diverso style non diversa fide LONDON Printed for Nicolas Fussell and Humphrey Mosley at the signe of the Ball in Pauls Church-yard 1631. TO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTIE PRINCE CHARLES By the Grace of God King of Great Britaine France and Ireland Defender of the Faith c. MOST dread Soveraigne The holy Fathers of the Church out of their due consideration of the defects of these times having in the liturgie for the late Fast taught to pray O Eternall God and most gratious Father wee confesse that by our manifold transgressions we have deserved whatsoever thy Law hath threatned against sinners Our contempt of thy Divine Service is great and wee heare thy word but obey it not Our charity to our neighbour is cold and our devotion to thee is frozen ReligioÌ„ is with us as in too many places besides made but a pretence for other ends then thy Service and there hath beene little or no care among us to keepe truth and peace together for the preserving of our Church and State Forgive us O Lord forgive as these and all other our grievous sinnes c. Have thereby signified to all Pastours and Ministers of the Church that they should doe their part towards the repairing of those decayes in many peoples mindes conversations The which most necessary signification beeing proceeded from them who in the Clergie are endued with the amplest understanding in all matters of Religion hath incited me though the most unworthy amoÌ„g the labourers in the Lords harvest unto greater accuration in my function and therto through helpe of the Divine grace for to compile this worke The which now with all humility I present unto your most sacred Majestie And although it is for the most part but as it were a collection of sentences out of the Divine Service Bookes of the Church for to put the common people in more remembrance and consideration of what therein is delivered concerning the principall points of Christian Divinity and a quotation of Scriptures witnessing the same yet unto all which unfainedly endeavour to know the will of God for to live obediently unto it and will unpartially read through and seriously consider every delivery therein it will appeare to be a worke profitable for to make more knowne unto the laity the established Doctrine of the Church to further them in learning their duty towards God your Highnesse and their neighbours Yea it will awake many out of their sleepe of ignorance and cause all such as are upright of heart to say Surely the Lord is in this place and we knew it not The everlasting truth of the Eternall God is abundantly delivered in the publike prayers exhortations and Homilies of the Church of England and we tooke none or but little notice of it Notwithstanding there will not be wanting spirits of disobedience which will calumniate the work and me by reason of the same Wherefore I humbly crave of your most sacred Majesty that since things of this quality are subject to the censures of persons ill-meaning and wise in their owne eyes it may receive patronage from your most gracious Highnesse Your Majesties father a Prince of most worthy ever blessed memory all the time of his happy Reigne over us shewed most pious zeale towards maintaining the Divine Service of the Church and for confirmation thereof caused the Proclamation made for the authorizing and uniformitie of the Booke of CoÌ„mon Prayer to be used throughout the Realme to bee printed with the said booke and also the booke of Homilies to be reprinted The like most godly care to conserve maintaine the Church in the unity of true religion your Highnesse in that most divine and ever most memorable declaration afore the Articles of the Church of England hath unto the great comfort of all your Majesties loyall religious people manifested testified The Lord of heaven and earth blesse your Highnes with many happy yeares That as his heavenly hand hath enriched your Majesty with many singular extraordinary graces So your Highnes may be the mirrour of the world in this latter age as most truly it already is for the prudent and zealous defending of the true Catholike and Apostolike faith unto the honour of that great God and the good of his Church through Iesus Christ our Lord and onely Saviour Your Majesties most humble and devoted subject EDMVND REEVE To the Reader HAving composed a summe of Divinitie out of the bookes of the Divine Service of the Church of England Whereas â—n tius work thore is often mention maâ—e of the Church therby wheresoever it is used for to signfiâ— those unto whom all people owe most faithfull obediencâ— is to be understood the Church representative where of the 139. Canon faith â—hosoever shall hereafter â—â—fâ—iâ— me that the sacred Synode of this Nation in the name of Châ—â—â—â— and by the Kings Authority assembâ—ed is not the true Church of England by representation let him bee excommunicated and not restored untill her repent and publikely revoke his wicked errour And Canon 140. saith Whosoever shall affirme that no manner of person either of the Clergy or Laity not being themselves particularly assembled in the said sacred synode are to be subject to the deâ—rces thereof in causes Ecclesiasticall made and ratified by the Kings Majesties Supreme Authority as not having given their voyces unto them let him be excommunicated and not restored untill hee repent and publikely revoke that his wicked errour it is necess for mee in some wise to declare their Authoritie that they with whom the said bookes are not in due account may have no just cause either of undervaluing the deliveries taken forth of them or of light esteeming this worke a collection of the same If all the authorized writings of a godly and learned Divine are much to be regarded then how much more are those writings to bee esteemed which are set forth by publike Authority as of the Royall Majesty of the Archbishops Bishops and the rest of the representative Church of England are assented unto by all the rest of the Clergy and are confirmed by Act of Parliament That the booke of Common prayer is thus established the Act for
the uniformity of Common prayer set in the beginning thereof testifieth Also every one which entreth into the Ministery of the Church of England first subscribeth That the booke of Common prayer containeth in it nothing contrary to the Word of God and that it may lawfully so bee used and that hee himselfe will use the forme in the said booke prescribed in Publike prayer and administration of the Sacraments and none other As it is in Canon 36. That the booke of ordering of Bishops Priests and Deacons is likewise ratified the six and thirtieth Article of the Religion established declareth saying The Book of Consecration of Archbishops and Bishops and ordering of Priests and Deacons lately set forth in the time of Edward the sixt and confirmed at the same time by Authority of Parliament doth containe all things necessarie to such Consecration and ordering neither hath it any thing that of it selfe is superstitious and ungodly And therefore whosoever are consecrated or ordered according to the Rites of that booke since the second yeare of the aforenamed King Edward unto this time or hereafter shall be consecrated or ordered according to the same Rites we decree all such to be rightly orderly and lawfully consecrated and ordered That both the bookes of Homilies now printed in one Volume and distinguished into two Tomes are approved by the whole Clergy it is manifest by every ones subscription unto the third Article to be subscribed unto afore receiving any order or degree in the ministery whereof the words are That he alloweth the book of Articles of Religion agreed upon by the Archbishops In Canon 36. and Bishops of both Provinces and the whole Clergie in the Convocation holden at London in the yeare of our Lord God one thousand five hundred sixtie and two and that he acknowledgeth all and every the Articles therein contained being in number nine and thirty besides the Ratification to be agreeable to the Word of God And in the five and thirtieth Article therof it is said The second booke of Homilies the severall titles whereof we have joyned under this Article doth containe a godly and wholesome Doctrine and necessary for these times as doth the former booke of Homilies which were set forth in the time of Edward the sixt and therefore we judge them to be read in Churches by the Ministers diligently and distinctly that they may bee understanded of the people The Eleventh Article concerning the justification of man referreth unto the Homily of Iustification wherein the most wholesome Doctrine thereof and very full of comfort is more largly expressed In the booke of Common Prayer in the Rubrick after the Nicene Creed the Homilies are mentioned It is required that the booke of Homilies be in every Church Canon 80. And Canon 49 requireth Ministers not allowed Preachers to reade the said Homilies For the confirmation of be true saith and for thâ—â—â—â—d â—â—strâ—â—lâ—â— and 〈◊〉 disication of the people The great authority of the Homilies may also appeare out of the Titles of both Tomes of them The Title of the first Tome is Certaine Sermons or Homilies appointed to bee read in Churches in the time of the late Queene Elizabeth of famous memory And now thought fit to be reprinted by Authority from the Kings most Excellent Majesty The Title of the second is The second Tome of Homilies of such matters as were promised and entituled in the former part of Homilies set out by the Authority of the late Queenes Majesty and to be read in every Parish Church agreeably There are no writings of any Author whatsoever whereunto the Church ascribeth so much authority as to the Bookes of Divine Service having ordained them only together with the holy Scriptures to bee publikely read in every congregation of the Land Now some will say It appeareth by these relatings that great is the respect which we owe unto the said bookes of the Church but yet we are to receive no delivery in them but what we know agreeth with the Word of God In which saying of many of these times there is contained a greater defect than all doe observe therein For first by so saying they attribute not such authority as is due unto the Church their Mother they duely acknowledge not her loyalty unto Christ her Head S. Paul propoundeth the Church her fidelity or faithfull obeience to be a patterne for imitation where he saith As the Church is subject unto Christ Eph. 5.24 so let the wives bee to their owne husbands in every thing Put case that in that her fundamentall Doctrine there were some deliveries not in all respects so perfect as are the Scriptures of God our Father yet it is against her loving nature and prudence to propound unto us any matter for our hurt Yea what we suppose to be imperfect wee may make that use thereof for which it was by her intended and be much benefited thereby Secondly by that their limitation they imply that they have an ability to judge the understanding and wisdome of their mother And if they bee demanded whence they have received so great an extraordinary abilitie as to judge of their mother the Church her knowledge and Doctrine The common answer is by their reading the holy Scriptures They not seriously considering what is written in them also Acts 8.30 31. That how can one reading the holy Scriptures understand them except some man guide him Malachi 2.7 And that the Priests lips is to keepe knowledge and the people is to seeke the Law at his mouth The Clergie of the Church is to teach the common people of the same The lay people in their understanding and applying the Scriptures are to be guided by the Priesthood or Clergy And before it hath beene declared that the universall Clergy with one mouth and consent have borne witnesse That there is not any thing in the Booke of Common Prayer which is contrary to the Word of God And that the booke of Homilies doth containe a godly and wholesome Doctrine and necessary for these times to bee understanded of the people Seeing then all the guides in the Church all the ordained keepers of knowledge all such from whom the people are appointed to seeke the Law or spirituall instruction and teaching doe testifie together the truth and profitablenesse of the bookes of the Divine Service can any one justly accept against any deliverie in them unlesse he doe assume unto himselfe for to outsee the whole Clergy of the Church of England The Lord Iesus Christ hath so greatly confirmed the authority of his Church that he hath said Mat. 18.17 Whoso neglecteth to heare the Church let him or her be unto his people as an Heathen and a Publicane Wherefore it is our bounden duty most diligently to heare read and meditate on every particular delivery in those fundamentall bookes composed by the perfectest wisdome of the Church our mother and to frame our mindes and lives according to every prescription
in the same which doth in any wise concerne us And we thus honouring the Church our spirituall Mother God our heavenly Father will give us his blessing Hee will send us light in our understanding readinesse and obedience in our will discretion in our words and actions true serious and loyall indeavours As wee are taught to pray for in the latter part of the Prayet next after the Letany in the late Fast Booke for the peace and prosperity of Ierusalem the unity and glory of this Church State That so we may love it and prosper in it full of grace in this life and be filled with glorie in the life to come through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen An Advertisement SInce the a 2 Tim. 3.1.2.3.4 time that b Isa 5.21 Wisedome in ones owne eyes and prudence in ones owne sight hath so much abounded it is familiar with very many when they see or heare any thing delivered concerning religion if it be a matter which they affect not presently to passe an hard censure thereon though the deliverie be the very established doctrine or discipline of the Apostolicall Church of England by Law established under the Kings Majesty The c Rom. 3.13.14 Ps 140.3 poyson of aspes is under the lips of many Who say with our d Ps 14.4.3 tongue will we prevaile our lips are our owne who is Lord over us The holy Prophet saith The Lord shall cut off the tongue that speaketh proud things The holy Apostle saith e 1 Tim. 3.16 Without controversie great is the mysterie of godlinesse And though the men of God have signified that the Holy Scriptures divinity is partly f Heb. 5.12 milke for babes or little children in g 1 Cor. 1.3 Christ partly h Heb. 5.14 strong meate for the i 1 Ioh. 2.13.14 young men and partly hidden k Rev. 2.17 Manna for the fathers in God also that naturall ones l 1 Cor. 2.14 cannot know the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discerned yet notwithstanding so outragious is the pride and arrogancie of many who since they came to the yeares of discretion have made no progresse in regeneration or the new birth unto the m Rom. 2.2 renewing of their mind and the amendment of their n Philip. 1.27 1 Pet. 2.12 1 Pet. 1.15 Eph. 4.22 conversation according to Gods Holy word that rashly they o 2 Pet. 2.12 will speake evill of the things which they understand not and as the Apostle saith p 1 Tim. 1.7 desire to be teachers understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirme Moreover how contrary minded soever each is to other yea how greatly different they are from the minde and life prescribed in the Divine Service of the Church whom some of them sometimes will acknowledge to be their Mother Yet each one taketh for granted that the grounds in his q Prov. 21.2 Prov. 12.15 owne minde are the right and that the grounds in all r Philip. 2.3 others mindes in any manner differing from his are the wrong and withall every one for the most part of the aforesaid unhumbled heart by his owne imagined-right groundes without any feare of the Eternall Almighty God and without any reverence unto the Supreame divine Wisedome of Christs holy Church contained in the bookes of her publike worship will s 2 Pet 2.10 presume to be able to judge of yea will assume confidence and boldnesse or rather most damnable audaciousnesse to condemne deliveries in the aforesaid bookes which the Soveraigne Majesty hath ratified and the most reverend Fathers the Archbishops and all the right reverend fathers the Bishops and the rest of the whole Clergie not any one excepted Quod medicorâ—m est promittunt â—ediâ—â— tractant Faâ—â—ilia fabri Sola Scripturarum ars est quam siâ—i passâ—â— omnes vendicant Hanc garrula anus hanc delirus seneâ— have Sophisia verâ—â—sus haâ— universi praesumant laceraâ—â— docent antequam discant Hierâ—nymus in epissola aâ—â— Pauâ—aum presbyterum de omâ—bus divine hâ—storia libris which hath entred into holy orders according to such manner and sort as by the Ecclesiasticall Law it is appointed have allowed and by subscription have witnessed the same But let the unpartiall reader of this treatise following where doubt about any matter may arise throughly consider the Holy Scriptures which either are expressed or in the margent but quoted for the confirmation of the point mentioned And let none except here against because the deliveries are in no Philosophicall method but in the most vulgar plainnes for all hereof is written for the furtherance of the laity and aswell in termes as in forme and manner accommodated unto the meanest capacity All teachers which study to edifie their auditory doe well know that it is farre easier to expresse their mindes in divine matters so as the learned may comprehend than as the unlearned may but a litle apprehend It is written concerning Christ for our example that t Mark 4.33 hee spake the word unto the people as they were able to heare it There are now extant in English sundry bookes very profitable which few of the common people doe make use of for that their style and words for the most or a great part are for Schollers reading onely Great was the divine Wisedome of the Church in setting forth her Homilies in so familiar a manner And by those most sacred Sermons all Pastours and teachers should take u 2 Tim. 1.13 example how to frame their meditations unto their auditories easiest and speediest edification Furthermore let none expect to finde any common place of divinity here fully handled but let this worke be accounted only an introduction into the bookes of the divine Service where as in an Ocean of divine truth there may bee had a great abundance of information both touching he matters ensuing and also concerning many more This book may be used as a finger of one that pointeth us unto such places as we have not throughly taken notice of afore Also the godly reader shall perceive that every one which w Mat. 5.6 hungreth and thristeth after righteousnesse to have within him more and more the x Phil. 2.5 1 Cor. 2.16 minde of Christ and to have the life of Iesus more and more made y 2 Cor. 4.10 11. manifest in his body may forth of every Chapter following receive some light unto the apprehending of everlasting truth in the matter there treated on Lastly Seeing that in the bookes of divine Service there are such heavenly sentences and speeches even as the learned are delighted in reciting the sayings of the Fathers of the Greeke Latine Churches so should wee unto z Exod. 20.12 1 Cor. 4.15 Ecclus. or Ecclesiasticus 8.8.9 due honouring of the Fathers of our owne English Church enable our selves to say on every point of divinity that which they have with one
the Holy Ghost PAG. 373 CHAP. 97 Of Sundry other Gods Curses upon disobedient people PAG. 377 CHAP. 98 Of deferring Repentance untill likelyhood of bodily death PAG. 382 CHAP. 99 Of sundry of Gods blessings upon obedient people in this present life PAG. 386 CHAP. 100 Against separating from the Church of England by law established under the Kings Majesty in any manner PAG. 390 THE CHRISTIAN DIVINITY OVT OF the Divine Service CHAP. I. That there is a GOD. IN the third part of the * In the second Tome in folio page 228. Homily for Rogation Weeke it is sayd That faith is the first entry into the Christian life according as the Scripture deliuereth He a Heb. 11.6 that commeth to God must beleeue that he is and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him The * Heb. 4.2 Mal. â— â—4â— want of which beleefe is the cause that mâ—â— in these dayes are so negligent in seeking thâ—â—ord some being cold in Religion others 〈…〉 warme Some there are that say in thâ—â— b Psal 14. â— hearts there is no God through c Psal 10. â— their priâ—â— they will not seeke after him God is not in all their thoughts Sundry others there are which though they doe d Titus 1.16 with their mouthes professe to know God in their Workes they deny him being abhominable and disobedient and vnto euery good Worke * Or voyde of Iudgement as the Margent hath it Reprobate That there is a God it needeth no demonstration for euery e Psalme 19.3 Nation on the face of the whole Earth doth acknowledge it There was neuer any one borne into the world Rom. 10.18 Nulla est gens tam barbara quae non fateatur esse aliquem Deum adeò quidem vt homines falsum Deum haebere inalint quà m nulluâ— omnino tam alte nimiruÌ„ sensus divinitatis indit incordibus nostris Ciceâ—o which at one time or another if he or she liued vnto ripe yeares testified f Rom. 2.15 Act. 14.7 not vnto it It is a principle or g Iohn 1.9 light which God hath set in euery Humane soule That sayth the Apostle which h Rom. 1.19.20 is naturally knowne of God is manifest in mankinde for God hath shewed it vnto them For the invisible things of him from the Creation of the World are clearely seene being vnderstood by the things that are made euen his eternall power and Godhead so that they are without excuse The i Psal 9 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thâ—â—yâ—â—â—des iudgments which euen in all ages come vpon wilfull breakers of Gods Lawes as on Traytors on such as breake their lawfull oathes or take false oathes Also the iudgments on wilfull murderers who being apprehended and examined commonly cannot but confesse their deed also on Blasphemers and the k 〈◊〉 5 9. like declare plainely that there is a Righteous most mighty power though in his Essence or being he is l 〈◊〉 â—1 27 vnseene to al eyes of flesh on Earth Also the m Heb. 〈…〉 horrours and terrours which come into the hearts of such as liue wilfully disobedient to Gods Lawes and especially when as 〈◊〉 haue n Mat 27.37 〈…〉 10. committed some great Wickednesse The o Acts 2.37 heaâ—â— and â—â—ings and the p Wisd 17.11 Conscience remorses the inward q Gen. 3.10 Rom. 6.21 â—â—â—me which followeth after transgressing of Gods euerlasting Law and the like Effects shew the r Colos 1.29 Iob 33.14.15.16.17.18.29.30 working of the infinite Godhead in the minds of Mankind Vnto this God blessed for euer the Church sayth Å¿ In Saint Ambrose his song All the earth doth worship thee the Father euerlasting To thee all Angels cry aloud the Heauens and all the powers therein To theâ— Cherubin and Seraphin continually do cry Holy holy holy Lord God of * Or hosts See Rom. 9 29. with Isa 1.9 Sabaoth Heauen and earth is full of the Maiesty of thy glory CHAP. 2. That there is a Trinity in the Godhead In Hebraico Bibliorum exemplari non rarò Trinitatis mysterium significatur vti in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iob. 35.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 149.2 vide Isa 54.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Eccles 12.1 IN the Athanasian Creed it is sayd The Catholike Faith is this That we worship one God in Trinitie and Trinitie in Vnitie Neither confounding the persons nor diuiding the substance For there is one person of the Father another of the Sonne and another of the Holy Ghost But the Godhead of the Father of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost is all one * Ioh. 10.30 Ioh. 17.22 the glory equall the Maiestie co-eternall Saint Iohn sayth t 1. Ioh. 5.7 There are three which beare record in Heauen the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one Saint Mathew sayth u Mat. 3.16.17 Tetragranimaton ut Author est Galatinus in Targum antiâ—â—itus scriptum erat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad Trinitatis divinae mysterium inunondum When Iesus was baptized of Iohn he went vp straight way out of the water And loe the Heauens were opened vnto him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a Doue and lighting vhon him And loe a voyce from Heauen saying This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased There was Iesus the Sonne in his humane nature baptized with water There was the Holy Ghost descending like a Doue and lighting vpon him There was the Father speaking from heauen and saying This is my beloued Sonne And in the name of each person of the Trinity Christ commaunded his Ministers to baptize saying * Mat. 28.19 Goe yee and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost The Church in the Preface to be read vpon the feast of the Trinity onely Singula sunt in singulis omnia in â—â—ngulis singula in omnibus omnia in omnibus unum omnia Qui videt hoc vel ex parte vel per speculum in aenigmate gaudeat cognoscens Deum sic ut Deum honoret gratias agat Qui autem non videt tendat per pietatem ad videndum non per caecitatem ad calumniandum quoniam unus est Deus sed tamen Trinitas nec confuse accipiendum est ex quo omnia per quem omnia in quo omnia nec dijs multis sed ipsi gloria in secula seculorum August lâ—bro sexto de Trinitate capite ultimo teacheth vs to say It is very meete right and our bounden duty that we should at all times and in all places giue thankes to thee O Lord Almighty and euerlasting God which art one God one Lord not one onely Person but three Persons in one substance For that which we beleeue of the glory of the Father the same we beleeue of
in all In all the Sacred Song of the Church which is to be sayd or Sung in the Ordering of Priests which also is commonly set afore the Psalmes in Meeter what the Holy Ghost is and what his gifts and workings are it is very Divinely deliuered and remarkablely it is sayd in the second Staue thereof Thou art the very o Iohn 14.16 Comforter in all woe and distresse The Heauenly p Luke 11.13 gift of God most high which no tongue can q 2 Cor. 12.4 as in margent expresse The fountaine and the liuely spring of r 1 Thes 1.6 ioy Celestiall The n = s Acts 2.3.4 fire so bright Omnes quod sumus ac vigemus inde est Regnat spiritus ille sempiturnus à Chriso simul et parente missus intrat pectora candidus pudica qua Templi vice consecrata videÌ„t Post quam combiberint deuÌ„ medullis Sed siquid vitij dolive nasci inter visceraiam dicata sensit ceu spurcum refugit â—eler satellum Et nonnullis interjectis Hic pastui anima est saporque verus Poâ—â—â— prâ—dentiâ—â— the t Rom. 5.5 loue so cleare and u 1 Ioh. 2.20.27 vnction Spirituall And now concluded be these Collections concerning the Holy Blessed and Glorious Trinity with that of the Prayer to the Holy Ghost to be sung before the Sermon All glory to the Trinity that is of mighties most The liuing father and the Sonne and eke the holy Ghost As it hath beene in all the time that hath beene heretofore As it is now and so shall be henceforth for euermore CHAP. 6. Of certaine Attributes vnto God IN the beginning of sundry Prayers and in other places of the Divine Service Of Gods Eternity for the more expressing of the glory of God there are added vnto his name sundry Attributes As it is sayd oftentimes O euerlasting God O euerliuing God And in the Athanatian Creede hee is sayd to bee the One Eternall Moses in his Prayer which is in the Booke of the Psalmes doth in like manner confesse the Eternity of God saying Before w Psal 9â— 2 the Mountaynes were brought foorth or euer thou hadst formed the earth and the VVorld euen from euerlasting to euerlasting thou art God The Euerlasting is in the Booke of Baruch mentioned as one of Gods names where it is sayd Let them x Baruch 4 14. that dwell about Syon come and remember yee the Captivity of my Sonnes and Daughters which the Euerlasting hath brought vpon them God is also sayd to be Infinite or Incomprehensible Of Gods infinitenesse or immensity as in the first part of the * 2 T. p. 221. Homily for Rogation VVeeke where it is sayd He is y Iob 9.11 invisible euery where and x Acts 17.27.28 in enery Creature and a Ieremia 2 3.24 fulfilleth both Heauen and earth with his presence In considering whereof Dauid said Whether shall I goe from thy Spirit Or whether shall I flee from thy Presence if I goe vp into Heauen thou art there if I make my bed in Hell behold thou art there If I take the Wings of the morning and dwel in the vttermost parts of the Sea euen there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me b Psal 139.7.8.9.10.13 Thou hast possessed my Reines thou hast couered me in my mothers Wombe In the Booke of Wisedome it is sayd The c Wisd 1.7 Spirit of the Lord filleth the World and that which contayneth all things hath knowledge of the Voyce And d Wisd 12.1 thine incorruptible spirit is in all things Of Gods Almightinesse Moreouer God is often called Almighty as in the prayer to be sayd in the time of Warre O Almighty God King of all Kings and Gouernour of all things whose power no Creature is able to resist The Almighty power of God is liuely expressed in the end of the Visitation of the sicke where it is sayd The Almighty Lord which is a * Pro. 18.10 strong Tower to all them that put their trust in him to whom all things in Heauen in Earth and * Phil. 2 9.10 vnder the Earth doe bowe and obey be now and euermore thy defence and make thee know and feele that there is none other name vnder Heauen giuen vnto men in whom and through whom thou mayest receiue health and saluation but only the name * Act. 4.12 of our Lord Iesus Christ The Prophet Dauid sayth The c Psalm 103.19 Lord hath prepared his Throne in the Heauens and his Kingdome ruleth ouer all Esay sayth Behold f Esay 40.15.17 the Nations are as the drop of a Bucket and are counted as the small dust of the Ballance Behold he taketh vp the Iles as a very little thing All Nations before him are as nothing and they are counted to him lesse than nothing and vanity Incomparable Wisdome is also ascribed vnto God as in the first part of the * 2. T. p. 219. Sermon for Rogation VVeeke Of Gods Wisdome where it is sayd I do not take vpon me to declare vnto you the excellent power or the incomparable Wisdome of Almighty God as though I would haue you beleeue that it might be expressed vnto you by Words And in the second part of that Homily it is sayd Page 224. His sight looketh through Heauen and Earth and seeth all things presently with his eyes Nothing is too darke or hidden from his Knowledge not the priuy thoughts of mens mindes Dauid sayth Great g Psal 147.5 is our Lord and of great power his vnderstanding is infinite The Apostle to the Hebrewes sayth there is not any h Heb. 4.13 Creature which is not manifest in his sight but all thinges are naked and opened vnto the eyes of him with whom we haue to do Againe concerning Gods Wisedome Dauid sayth O i Psal 104 24. Lord how manifold are thy Works in Wisedome hast thou made them all Of Gods goodnesse Goodnesse also is attributed vnto God euen through out all parts of the Divine Seruice In the first part of the * 2. Tom p. 217. Homily for Rogation Weeke there is amply declared the goodnesse of God towards mankind in sundry particulars Wherein Holy Church doth as the Scripture sayth aboundantly k Psal 145 7.9 vtter the memory of Gods great goodnesse The Lord is good to all Of Gods Ivstnesse Iustnesse also is ascribed vnto God as in the Prayer to be sayd in time of Warre where it is written To God it belongeth iustly to punish sinners and to be mercifull to them that truely Repent Dauid saith The O Lord is righteous in all his wayes And m Psal 62.12 thou rendrest vnto euery one according to his workes Nehemiah sayd vnto God Thou n Nehem. 9.33 art iust in all that is brought vpon vs for thou hast done right but we haue done wickedly Zephaniah sayth
The o Zeph. 3.5 iust Lord is in the midst of Ierusalem He will doe none iniquity Euery morning doth he bring his iudgement to light he fayeth not but the vniust know no shame The Lord saith Hosea hath a controuersie with Iudah Hosea 12. â— and will punish l Psal 145.17 Iacob according to his wayes according to his doings will he recompence him God also is often in the Diuine Seruice mentioned to be Mercifull Of Gods Mercifullnesse as in the third Collect to be read on good Friday it is sayd Mercifull God who hast made all men and hatest * Some obiect against this Divine Doctrine of the Church the saying in the Scripture I haue hated Esau The Scripture sayth not that God hated Esau vnto euerlasting damnation afore hee was borne but signifieth that hee loued him lesse than hee loued Iacob in that for a time he was to serue Iacob That the word hâ—te doth in Scripture signifie to Loue lesse See Iunius on Genes 29.31 Deut 21.15 See Math. 6.24 Luk. 14.26 And that Esau was to be vnder Iacob foratime See Genes 27.40 Saint Paules Doctrine hereabout is one of his sayings hard to be vnderstood 2. Peter 3.16 There is in it an Allegory as in Gal. 4.24 See 2. Esaras 6.8.9 Also in Genes 25.23 mentioned By Saint Paul in Rom. 9. Iacob and Esau are called two Nations and two manner of people And that Esau was sayd to be hated was not expressed in those words vntill many ages after Namely in the dayes of the Prophet Malachy 1.3 See Ezech. 33.11 and 2. Peter 3.9 Math. 23.37 Acts 7.51 See Pro. 1. from verse 20. vnto the Chapters end All Ezechiel 18. Eccles 15.11 to the end nothing that thou hast made nor wouldest the death of a Sinner but rather that he should be conuerted liue haue mercy vpon all Iewes Turks Infidels and Hereticks c. So in the last Prayer sauing one of the Commination it is sayd Oh most mighty God and Mercifull Father which hast compassion of all men and hatest nothing that thou hast made which wouldest not the death of a sinner but that he should rather turne from sinne and be saued c. Dauid sayth The q Psal 145.9 Lord is good to all and his tender Mercies are ouer all his workes Likewise Saint Paul witnesseth God hath concluded all men in vnbeleefe that he might haue Mercy vpon r Rom. 11.32 all In the Booke of Wisedome it is sayd Thou Å¿ Wisedome 11.23 24. haste Mercy vpon all for thou canst do all things and winkest at the sinnes of men because they should amende For thou louest all the things that are and abhorrest nothing which thou hast made for neuer wouldest thou haue made any thing if thou hadst hated it Vnto the which Eternall Incomprehensible Almighty Wise Good Iust and Mercifull God be glore through Iesus Christ for euer Amen CHAP. 7. Of the Creation of the World and of the Angels in speciall IN the first part of the * T. 1. p. 67. Homily an Exhortation concerning good order and obedience to Rulers and Magistrates it is sayd Almighty God hath created and appointed all things in Heauen Earth and Waters in a most excellent and perfect order In Heauen hee hath appointed distinct and seuerall orders and states of Archangels and Angells In the beginning sayth the Scripture God t Genesis 1.1 and 2 1. Created heauen and earth and all the Host of them Also that by the u Col. 1.16 Sonne of God were all things Created that are in Heauen and that are in Earth Visible and Inuisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers all things were Created by him and for him That there are Archangels aswell as Angels it appeareth out of Daniel where it is Written that Michael one of w Dan. 10.13 the chiefe Princes came to helpe him Michael is called an Archangell in the x Iude 9. Epistle of Iude. There is mention of another Archangell in y 2. Esdras 4.36 Esdras namely Vriel In Saint Ambrose his Song it is sayde vnto God To thee all Angels crye aloud the Heauens and all the powers therein To thee Cherubin and Seraphin continually do crye Holy holy holy Lord God of * Or Hosts Sabaoth That there are Powers in heauenly places and also Principalities among them not only the text aboue cited out of the Epistle to the Colossians prooueth but also Saint Paules words to the Ephesians saying To z Eph. 3.10 the intent that now vnto the Principalities and Powers in heauenly places might be knowne by the Church the manifold VVisedome of God Of Cherubins Novem Angelorum est cordâ—nes testante sacro eloquio scimus scilicet Angelos Archangelâ—s virtutes potestates principatut dominatiâ—nes thâ—onos Cherubin aeque Seraphim Greg. in Hâ—mil there is often mention in the tenth Chapter of Ezechiel And of Seraphins it is mentioned in the sixt Chapter of Isaiah In the Collect to be read on the day of the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel the Church sayth Euerlasting-God which hast o dayned and constituted the Services of all Angels and Men in wonderfull order Mercifully grant that they which alway do thee seruice in Heauen may by thine appoyntment succour and defend vs in Earth through Iesus Christ our Lord. Heb. 1.14 Are a they not all ministring Spirits as the Apostle sayth sent foorth to minister for them who shall be Heires of Saluation Dauid sayth Because b Psal 91.9.10.11.12 thou hast made the Lord which is my refuge euen the most High thine Habitation there shal no euill befall thee neyther shal any Plague come nigh thy dwelling For he shal giue his Angels charge ouer thee to keepe thee in all thy wayes They shal beare thee vp in their hands least thou dash thy foot agaynst a stone Some of the Angels sinned in not c 2 Pet. 2 4. Iude 6. keeping their first estate but left their owne habitation and are cast downe to Hell reserued in euerlasting Chaines vnder darknesse vnto the iudgement of the great day It is our duty as the Church d In the Communion Service exhorteth with the holy Angels and Archangels and with all the Company of Heauen to laud and magnifie the e Deut. 28.58 glorious name euermore praysing him and saying f Reue. 4.8 Esay 6.3 Holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts Heauen and Earth are full of thy glory Glory be to thee O Lord most high CHAP. 8. Of the Creation of Man and of his estate in his innocency IN the * To 2. p. 167. Homily concerning the Nativity of our Saviour Iesus Christ it is sayd That among all the Creatures which God made in the beginning of the World most excellent and wonderfull in their kinde there was none as the Scripture beareth VVitnesse to be compared almost in any point vnto man who as well in Body and Soule
a certaine Precept and Law which hee being yet in the state of innocency and remayning in Paradize should obserue as a pledge and token of his due and bounden obedience c. In the third part of the * T. 1. p. 85. Homily against Adultery it is signified That before the Law was giuen by Moses the Law of nature onely reigned in the hearts of men In the first part of the * T. 2. p. 18.19 Homily against perill of Idolatry it is sayde If wee bee the people of God how can the Word and Law of God not appertayne vnto vs Saint Paul alleadging one Text out of the Olde Testament concludeth generally for other Scriptures of the old Testament as well as that saying Whatsoeuer is Written before meaning in the old Testament is Written for our instruction Which sentence is most specially true of such Writings of the olde Testament as contayne the immutable Lawe and Ordinances of God in no Age or time to bee altered nor of any persons of any Nations or Age whatsoeuer to bee disobeyed c. And in the first part of the * T. 2. p. 125. Homily concerning the place and time of Prayer it is sayd Whatsoeuer is found in the Commandement appertayning to the Law of nature as a thing most godly most iust and needfull for the setting forth of Gods glory it ought to bee retayned and kept of all good Christian people Moses diuided the Law which hee from God gaue to the people of Israel into k Deut. 6.1 Deut. 6.20 three kindes saying Now these are the Commandements the Statutes and the iudgements which the Lord your God commaunded to teach you that yee might doe them in the Land c. By the Commandements are meant the l Deut. 4.13.14 ten Commandements called commonly the Morall Law By m Deut. 16.12 See in Psal 119.8 according to the Diuine Service Translatiō and compare therewith the last translation Statutes are meant the ceremonies or the ceremoniall Law And by Iudgments are meant the n Exod. 21.1 iudiciall Law Concerning the Morall Law whereof the tenne Commandements are a summe or ten generall deliueries there Christ in his Gospell hath confirmed the euerlasting continuance of the same the farre greatest part of his new Testaments Precepts beeing Morall commanding and saying o Mathew 3.12 Whatsoeuer yee would that men should do vnto you do yee euen so vnto them for this is the Law and the Prophets And Paul signifieth the euerlastingnesse of that Law saying p Ephe. 6.2 Honor thy father and thy mother which is the first Commandement with promise that it may bee well with thee and thou mayst liue long on the earth The Ceremoniall Lawes as of Circumcision in the q Gal. 5.2 flesh of r Heb. 1◠5.8 offering for Sacrifices the bodies of Beasts and the like endured but vntill the time of ſ Heb. 9.10 Reformation and the time of the t Acts 21.25 Establishing of the Ordinances of Messias the Lord Iesus Christ Paul sayth If yee be u Gala. 5.2 Circumcised Christ shall profite you nothing And the Apostle speaking of Christs comming into the world deliuereth Wherefore when hee commeth into the World hee sayth Sacrifice w Heb. 10.5.6.7 8.9 and offering thou wouldest not but a body hast thou prepared me In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sinne thou hast had no pleasure Then sayde he Loe I come to doe thy wil O God Hee taketh away the first that hee may establish the second Yet of no Ceremoniall Law is the righteousnesse or morall signification ceased which is to bee obserued of vs but it endureth for euer as it may very plainely appeare out of Saint Paules VVordes to the Romanes where hee sayth x Rom. 8.4 That the righteousnesse of the Lawe might bee fulfilled in vs who VValke not after the flesh but after the Spirit The iudgements or the Iudiciall Lawes though the righteousnesse intended by them all is euerlasting are not in euery y See the seauenth Article of the Religion established particular of them now in force in any Christian Common VVealth as the Law of punishing Adultery with Death VVhich may appeare by Christs dismissing the z Iohn 8.11 Woman taken in Adultery and by his permitting a man to a Mat. 5.32 put away his Wife for Fornication Which putting away neede not be if the b Leu. 20.10 Law of Moses concerning punishing Adultery with Death stood still in Vniuersall force or vertue For so soone as the married party had committed Adultery hee or shee should bee taken away by suffering Death according to Moses Law No lawe or ordinance of what kinde so euer which hath proceeded foorth of the Wisedome of the Eternall God for the vse of Mankinde is to be neglected as concerning the equity or morality thereof though the ceremony of it or such like circumstance be ceased as it is written c 2. Tim. 3.16.17 All Scripture is giuen by inspiration of God and is prositable for Doctrine for reproofe for correction for instruction in righteousnesse That the man of God may bee perfect throughly Furnished vnto all good workes And againe the Apostle sayth to the Romanes d Rom. 15.4 Whatsoeuer things were written afore time were written for our learning c. CHAP. 19. Of the Tabernacle and Temple of the Iewes IN the first part of the * Tom. 2. p. 126.127 Homily concerning the place and time of Prayer it is sayd So soone as God had deliuered his people from their enemies and set them in some liberty in the Wildernesse he set them vp a costly and a curious Tabernacle which was as it were the Parish Church a place to resort vnto of the whole multitude a place to haue Sacrifices made in and other obseruances and rites to be vsed in Furthermore after that God according to the truth of his promise had placed and quietly setled his people in the land of Canaan now called Iewrie he commaunded a great and magnificent Temple to be builded by King Solomon as seldome the like hath beene seene a Temple so decked and adorned so gorgeously garnished as was meete and expedient for people of that time which would be allured and stirred with nothing so much as with such outward goodly gay things This was now the Temple of God endued also with many gifts and sundry promises This was the publike Church and the mother Church of all Iewrie Here was God honored and serued Hither was the whole Realme of all the Israelites bound to come at three solemne feastes in the yeare to serue their Lord God here The Tabernacle consisted of three partes e Exod. 27.9 the Court the f Exod. 26.33 Holy and the most Holy The g Num. 1.50.51.53 Leuites did seruice in and about the Court The h Heb. 9.6 Priests did seruice in the Holy And the i Heb. 9 7. high Priest alone once
Iohn 15.2 Branches Children of l 1 Thes 5.5 Light m Eph. 2.19 Hebr. 12.22.23.24 Phil 3.20 Citizens of Heauen sheepe of his n Iohn 10.16 Fold members of his o Ephe. 5.30 body p Rom. 8.17 Iames 2.5 Heires of his Kingdome his true q Iohn 15.14.15 friends and r Heb. 2.11.12 Brethren sweet and liuely Å¿ 1 Cor. 10.17 bread the t 1 Peter 21 10. Hosea 2.23 Elect and chosen people of God But for the better vnderstanding and consideration of this thing let vs behold the end of his comming so shal we perceiue what great commodity and profite his Natiuity hath brought vnto vs miserable and sinfull Creatures The end of his comming was to u Math. 1.21 saue and w Luke 1.74 deliuer his people x Math. 5.17 Iohn 15.10 to fulfill the Law for vs to y Iohn 18.37 beare Witnesse vnto the Truth * As in the second past of the Homily agaynst Adultery it is sayd See Math. 5.21 22.27.28 c. T. 1. P. 84. to restore the Law of his Heauenly Father vnto the right sense vnderstanding and meaning to teach and z Luke 4 18. Preach the words of his Father to giue a Iohn 12.46 Light vnto the World to b Luke 6.32 call sinners vnto repentance c Math. 11.28 Acts 3.19 Esay 40.29 to refresh them that labour and be heauy laden to d Iohn 12.31 east out the Prince of this World to e Col 1.21.22 reconcile vs in the body of his flesh to f 1 Iohn 3.8 dissolue the works of the Diuell last of all to become a g 1 Iohn 2.2 propitiation for our sinnes and not for ours onely but also for the sinnes of the whole World These were the chiefe endes wherefore Christ became man not for any profite that should come to himselfe thereby but only for our sakes that we might h Iohn 15.15 vnderstand the will of God be i Iohn 17.22 partakers of his Heauenly light be deliuered out of the k Math. 4.24 2 Tim. 2.26 Diuells clawes released from the l Hebrewes 12.1 Rom. 6.18.22 burthen of sinne m Rom. 3.24.25 iustified through faith in his blood and finally n Psalme 73.24 Colos 3 4. 1 Pet. 5.10 receiued vp into euerlasting glory there to o Rom. 8.17 2 Tim. 2.11.12 reigne with him for euer Therefore sayth the Church in the conclusion of the sayd * P. 174. Homily Dearely beloued let vs not forget this loue of our Lord and Sauiour let vs not shew our selues vnmindfull or vnthankefull towards him but let vs loue him feare him obey him and serue him Let vs confesse him with our mouthes prayse him with our tongues beleeue on him with our hearts and p Iohn 15.8 glorifie him with our good workes q Iohn 1.9 Christ is the Light let vs receiue the Light Christ is the r Reue. 3.14 Truth let vs beleeue the Truth Christ is the Å¿ Iohn 14.6 way let vs follow the way Happy are they sayth the Scripture t Mat. 24.13 which continue vnto the end Be u Reue. 2.10 faithfull sayth God vntill Death and I will giue thee a Crowne of Life Againe he sayth in another place Hee that putteth his hand vnto the w Luke 9.62 Plough and looketh backe is not meete for the Kingdome of God Therefore let vs bee strong stedfast and vnmooueable x 1 Cor. 15.58 abounding alwayes in the workes of the Lord. Iesus Christ sayth y Iohn 3.16.17 God so loued the world that hee gaue his only begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life For God sent not his Sonne into the world to condemne the world but that the world through him might be saued It is written in the Booke of Baruch This z Baruch 3.35 36.37 is our God and there shall none other bee accounted of in comparison of him Hee hath found out all the way of knowledge and hath giuen it vnto Iacob his seruant and to Israel his beloued Afterward did hee shew himselfe vpon earth and conuersed with men CHAP. 22. Of Christs death IN the beginning of the second * Tom. 2. p. 181 Homily concerning the death and passion of our Sauiour Christ it is sayd That we may the better conceiue the great mercy and goodnesse of our Sauiour Christ in suffering death a Heb. 2.9 2. Cor. 5.14.15 See chapter 25 of the merit of Christs death vniuersally for all men it behooueth vs to descend into the bottome of our conscience and deeply to consider the first and principall causes wherefore hee was compelled so to doe When our great Grand-father Adam had broken Gods commaundement in eating the apple forbidden him in Paradise at the b Gen. 3.6 motion and suggestion of his wife he purchased thereby not onely to himselfe but also to his c 1. Cor 15.22 posterity for euer the iust wrath and indignation of God c. He became d Rom. 5.12.14 mortall he lost the fauour of God He was e Gen. 3.23.24 cast out of Paradise he was no longer a Citizen of Heauen but a fire-brand of Hell and a bond-slaue to the Diuell To this doth our Sauiour beare witnesse in the Gospell calling vs f Mat. 18.11 lost sheepe which haue gone g 1. Pet. 2.25 astray and wandered from the true Shepheard of our soules To this also doth Saint Paul beare witnesse saying h Rom. 5.18 That by the offence of only Adam death came vpon all men vnto condemnation And it is sayd in the * T. 2. p. 169. Homily of the Natiuity of Christ When the i Gal. 4.4 fulnesse of time was come that is the perfection and course of yeares appointed from the beginning then God according to his former couenant and promise sent a Messias otherwise called a Mediatour into the world not such a one as Moses was not such a one as Ioshua Saul or Dauid was but such a one as should deliuer mankind from the bitter curse of the Law and make perfect satisfaction by his death for the sinnes of all people namely he sent his deere and onely Sonne Iesus Christ borne as the Apostle saith of a woman and made vnder the law that he might k Gal. 4.5 redeeme them that were in bondage of the law and make them the children of God by adoption Concerning the necessity of Christs death the Apostle declareth to the Hebrewes saying l Heb. 9.15.16.17.18 23. And for this cause he is the Mediator of the new Testament that by meanes of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were vnder the first Testament they which are called might receiue the promise of eternall inheritance For where a Testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the Testatour For a Testament is of force after men be dead
we shall also liue with him If we suffer we shall also reigne with him If we deny him he also will deny vs. Saint Iohn sayth f 1. Iohn 1.7 If we walke in the light as he is in the light we haue fellowship one with another and the bloud of Iesus Christ his Sonne cleanseth vs from all sinne To the Hebrewes the Apostle sayth g Heb. 5.9 Christ is the Author of eternall saluation vnto all them that obey him And hereto may be added that saying of Dauid vnto Solomon h 1. Chro. 28.9 And thou Solomon my sonne know thou the God of thy father and serue him with a perfect heart and with a willing minde For the Lord searcheth all hearts and vnderstandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts if thou seeke him he will be found of thee but if thou forsake him he will cast thee off for euer Of childrens partaking of Christs merits As concerning infants that they partake of the efficacie of Christs passion and oblation The Church in the first part of the * Tom. 1. p. 1â— Homily of saluation thus deliuereth Infants being baptized and dying in their infancie are by the sacrifice of Christ washed from their sinnes See chap. 51. following brought to Gods fauour and made his children and inheritors of his Kingdome of Heauen And now this point be concluded with the words of the Church in the second * T. 2 p. 168. Homily of the passion The Lord for his mercy sake graunt that we neuer forget the great benefit of our saluation in Iesus Christ but that we alwayes shew our selues thankfull for it abhorring all kind of wickednesse and sinne and applying our minds wholly to the seruice of God and the diligent keeping of his commandements CHAP. 27. Of Christs Priesthood IN the second part of the * T. 2. p. 116. Homily concerning Prayer it is sayd Christ sitting in heauen hath an euerlasting Priesthood and alwayes praieth vnto his Father for them that be penitent obtaining by vertue of his wounds which are euermore in the sight of God not onely perfect remission of our sinnes but also all other necessaries which we lacke in this world In the second part of the * To. 2. p. 162. Homily of Almes deedes it is sayd The godly do learne that when the Scriptures say that by good and mercifull workes we are reconciled to Gods fauour we are taught then to know what Christ by his intercession and mediation obtaineth for vs of his Father when we be obedient to his will Yea they learne in such manner of speaking a comfortable argument of Gods singular fauour and loue who attributeth that vnto vs and to our doings which he by his Spirit worketh in vs and through his grace procureth for vs. In the first * T. 2. p. 180. Homily of the Passion it is likewise sayd Christ sitteth on the right hand of God his Father as our Proctour and Atturney pleading and suing for vs in all our needs and necessities Wherefore if we want any gift of godly wisedome we may aske it of God for Christs his sake and we shall haue it The Prophet Dauid speaking of Christs euerlasting Priesthood sayth i Psal 110.4 The Lord hath sworne and will not repent thou art a Priest * Riblia vulgata habent in aeternum aeternitas omnium temporum complexu describitur vt quod suit est crit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pluraliter in Eccles. 1.10 tempus prateritum denotat for euer after the order of Melchisedee The Apostle sayth to the Hebrews k Heb. 2.17.18 In all things it behooued him to be made like vnto his brethren that he might be a mercifull and faithfull high Priest in things pertaining vnto God to make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people For in that he himselfe hath suffered being tempted hee is able to succour them that are tempred l Heb. 7.23 And they truely were many Priests because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death But this man because he continueth for euer hath an vnchangeable Priesthood Wherfore he is able to saue them to the vttermost that come vnto God by him seeing he euer liueth to make intercession for them m Heb. 10.11.12.13.14 And euery Priest standeth dayly ministring and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which can neuer take away sinnes But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sinnes for euer sate downe on the right hand of God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his foote-stoole For by one offering he hath perfected for euer them that are sanctified n Rom. 8.26.27 His Spirit saith the Apostle to the Romanes helpeth our infirmities for wee know not what wee should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it selfe maketh intercession for vs with groanings which cannot be vttered And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the minde of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God Concerning the Priesthood of the Lord Iesus Christ reade Isaiah 53. CHAP. 28. Of Christs Prophetship IN the third part of the * T. 2. p. 228.229 Homily for Rogation weeke it is sayd By Iesus Christ our heauenly Mediatour do we know the fauour and mercy of God the Father by him know we his * Iohn 15.15 will and pleasure towards vs. For he is the * Heb. 1.3 brightnes of his Fathers glory and a very cleare image and patterne of his substance It is hee whom the Father in heauen delighteth to haue for his well beloued Sonne whom he authorized to be our teacher whom he charged vs to heare saying * Maâ— 17 5. Heare him Moses sayd vnto the Fathers as Peter relateth o â—euâ— 1â— 15 Acts 3.12.23 A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise vp vnto you of your brethren like vnto me him shall ye heare in all things whatsoeuer he shall say vnto you And it shall come to passe that euery soule which will not heare that Prophet shall be destroyed from among that people The first text whereon Christ preached declared his Propheticall office wherein it is sayd of him p Luke 4.18 The Spirit of the Lord is vpon me because he hath annointed me to preach the Gospell vnto the poore he hath sent me to heale the broken harted to preach deliuerance to the captiues and recouering of sight to the blind to set at liberty them that are bruised to preach the acceptable yeere of the Lord. S. Iohn said of him q Iohn 1. â— That he was the true light which lighteth euery man that commeth into the world He sheweth to all men that be in errour the light of the truth to the intent they may returne into the way of righteousnesse as it is deliuered in the Collect for the third Sunday after Easter He teacheth through his Ministers as Paul sayd r 2. Cor. 13.3 Since
Christ For it is written As I liue saith the Lord euery knee shall bow to me and euery tongue shall confesse vnto God So then euery one of vs shall giue account of himselfe to God And to the Saints of Corinth he said c 2 Cor. 5.10 11. Wee must all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christ that euery one may receiue the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord wee perswade men And vnto Timothy Saint Paul said d 2. Tim. 4.1 I charge thee before God and the Lord Iesus Christ who shall iudge the quicke and the dead at his appearing and his kingdome c. Himselfe hath also said The Sonne of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his Angels and then shall he e Mat. 16.27 reward euery man according to his workes Againe f Mat. 25.31 32.33.40 When the Sonne of man shall come in his glory and all the holy Angels with him then shall hee sit vpon the throne of his glory And before him shall be gathered all Nations and he shall separate them one from another as a Shepheard diuideth the Sheepe from the Goates and he shall set the Sheepe on his right hand but the Goates on the left c. And these shall goe away into euerlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternall Saint Paul saith to the Thessalonians g 2 Thâ— 1.7.8.9 The Lord Iesus shall be reuealed from heauen with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ who shall be punished with euerlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Wherefore sayth Saint Peter h 1 Pet. 1.17 If yee call on the Father who without respect of persons iudgeth according to euery mans worke passe the time of your soiourning here with feare And sayth the Apostle to the Hebrewes i Heb. 1228.29 wherefore we receiuing a kingdome which cannot bee moued let vs haue grace whereby we may serue God acceptably with reuerence and godly feare For our God is a consuming fire The which Apostle also sayd k Heb. 10.30.31 The Lord shall iudge his people And it is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God CHAP. 32. Of the Church of Christ IN the Nicene Creed we are taught to beleeue and confesse one Catholicke and Apostolike Church In the second part of the * Tom. 2. p. 213 Homily for Whitsunday the Church of Christ is thus described The true Church is an vniuersall congregation or fellowship of Gods faithfull and elect people l Eph. 2.20 built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ himselfe being the head corner stone And it hath alwayes three notes or markes whereby it is knowne Pure and sound doctrine The Sacraments ministred according to Christs holy institution and the right vse of Ecclesiasticall discipline This description of the Church is agreeable both to the Scriptures of God and also to the doctrine of the ancient Fathers so that none may iustly finde fault therewith Saint Paul sayth to the Romanes concerning the mysticall vnion of the Church m Rom. 12.4 5. As we haue many members in one body and all members haue not the same office so we being many are one body in Christ and euery one members one of another And to the Corinthians he sayth n 1. Cor. 12.12 As the body is one and hath many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body so also is Christ That they are faithfull people or true beleeuers in Iesus Christ it appeareth in that they are called the o Gal 6.10 houshold of faith Also they are faithfull vnto God as it may appeare out of Saint Pauls words to the Ephesians saying Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ by the will of God to the Saints which are at Ephesus and to the p Eph. 1.1 faithfull in Iesus Christ Likewise to the Collossians hee sayth To the Saints and q Col. 1.2 faithfull brethren in Christ which are at Colosse They are also faithfull each to other and faithfull towards all people as it is sayd vnto seruants concerning maisters Let them not despise them because they are brethren but rather doe them seruice because they are r 1. Tim 6.2 faithfull c. Siluanus a member of the Church of Christ is sayd to be a Å¿ 1. Pet. 5.12 faithfull brother vnto those to whom Saint Peter wrote So Saint Iohn testified of Gaius saying Beloued thou doest t 3. Iohn 5. faithfully whatsoeuer thou doest to the brethren and vnto straungers So Saint Peter shewing the dealing of the true members of Christ and how they to whom he wrote were to behaue themselues among the vnbeleeuers sayth u 1. Pet. 2.12 Hauing your conuersation honest among the Gentiles that whereas they speake against you as euill doers they may by your good workes which they shall behold glorifie God in the day of visitation So Saint Paul to the Thessalonians prescribeth w 1 Thes 5.15 Euer follow that which is good both among your selues and to all men They are also elected of God as Saint Peter sayth x â— Pet. 1.2 Elect according to the fore-knowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirite vnto obedience and sprinkling of the bloud of Iesus Christ Likewise Saint Paul to the Thessalonians signifieth saying y 2 Thes 2.13 God hath from the beginning chosen you to saluation through sanctification of the Spirit and beleefe of the truth And to the Ephesians he sayth z Eph. 1.4 He hath chosen vs in him from before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in loue The Church also professeth pure and sound doctrine as Christ signifieth saying a Ioh. 10.27 My sheepe heare my voyce and I know them and they follow me Againe b Ioh. 8.47 He that is of God heareth Gods word Saint Iohn sayth c 1 Ioh. 4.6 He that knoweth God heareth vs. Saint Luke recordeth of the Christians d Acts 2.42 That they continued stedfast in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers St. Paul sayth to Timothy e 1 Tim 3 15. That the house of God which is the Church of the liuing God is the pillar and ground of the truth Moreouer the Church of Christ hath the Sacraments ministred according to his holy institution as the Church of Corinth receiued f 1 Cor. 1.14.16 Baptisme and celebrated the g 1 Cor. 11.2.20 Lords Supper In the Acts of the Apostles it is sundry times mentioned that when any beleeued they were h Acts 8.12 Baptized Also it is recorded that the Disciples or Baptized ones j came together to
his consecration receiueth a greater measure of the Holy Ghost than a Priest doth in his ordering Which may appeare out of the Diuine Seruice for consecrating a Bishop where it is sayd The Archbishop and Bishops present shall lay their hands vpon the head of the elected Bishop the Archbishop saying x 2. Tim. 1.6.7 Take the Holy Ghost and remember that thou stirre vp the grace of God which is in thee by imposition of hands For God hath not giuen vs the spirite of feare but of power and loue and sobernesse For euen so Saint Paul after a peculiar manner expressed vnto Timothy Bishop of Ephesus as it is deliuered in his second Epistle vnto him CHAP. 37. Of the distinction or disparity among Bishops or of Archbishopricke IN the Preface afore the Common Prayer it is sayd For as much as nothing can almost be so plainely set forth but doubts may rise in the vse and practising of the same To appease all such diuersity if any arise and for the resolution of all doubts concerning the manner how to vnderstand doe and execute the things contained in this booke The parties that so doubt or diuersly take any thing shall alwayes resort to the Bishop of the Diocesse who by his discretion shall take order for the quieting and appeasing of the same so that the same order be not contrary to any thing contained in this booke And if the Bishop of the Diocesse be in doubt then he may send for the resolution thereof vnto the y 1. Pet. 5.5 Archbishop An Archbishop therefore in the seruice of consecrating is called Most Reuerend Father in God vnto whom euery Bishop consecrated to Diocesse within his Prouince professeth and promiseth by oath all due reuerence and obedience like as euery Priest doth vnto the Bishop within whose Diocesse he is Pastour Now that such an order among the Bishops is of Diuine ordinance it is euident from that the first persons named Bishops in the Primitiue Christian Church * 2. Tim. 1.6 Timothy and * Tit. 1.4.5 Titus were ordered or ordained by their superiour in God the Apostle which degree was the highest in the Christian Clergie according as Paul saith z 1. Cor. 12.28 God hath set in the Church first Apostles c. And the Apostleship is callâ—d Bishopricke where it is sayd And his a Acts 1.20 Bishopricke let another take It being therefore a Bishopricke aboue that which Timothy and Titus had properly it is named in respect thereof an Archbishopricke But some there are which say that such distinction was not by Christ or dained to continue in his Church but onely was appointed in the primitiue state thereof whiles Churches were in planting and is now long agoe quite ceased The which affirmation is no where deliuered in Holy Scripture nor intimated neither from any sentence therein can be truly concluded But the direct contrary Doctrine is deliuered by Saint Paul to the Ephesians and that in most expresse manner Let Saint Pauls whole deliuery or the most part thereof hereto bee vnpartially considered His words are b Ephes 4.7.8.11.12.13 14.15 Vnto euery one of vs is giuen grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Wherefore he sayth When he ascended vp on high he led captiuity captiue and gaue gifts vnto men And hee gaue some Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelists and some Pastours and Teachers For the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the vnity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God vnto a perfect man vnto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with euery winde of Doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftinesse whereby they lye in waite to deceiue but speaking the truth in loue may grow vp into him in all things which is the head euen Christ c. The which deliuery of the Apostle declareth most plainely that Christ gaue such different and distinct measures of grace vnto his Church not for a worke then onely necessary but now also needfull viz. For the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ Also he gaue the sayd measures of grace to continue not onely during the first age of the Primitiue Church but till we all come in the vnity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God vnto a perfect man vnto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ And the cause or ende of Christs such giuing doth continually concerne his Church Namely That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with euery wind of doctrine by the â—light of men and cunning craftinesse whereby they â—ye in waite to deceiue but speaking the truth in loue may grow vp into him in all things which is the head euen Christ Moreouer Christ doth not giue lesse measure of grace to his Church in these times than in former times Isaiah sayth c Isa 59.1 The Lords hand is not shortned And the Lord himselfe sayd Loe d Math. 28. â—0 I am with you alway euen vnto the end of the world Furthermore let be considered what the Apostolicall worke was and the Archiepiscopall now will appeare to be the same in substance Timothy had for his Diocesse but the Church of the Ephesians and Titus the Church of the Cretians but Paul had for his Prouince or charge the care of all the Churches of the f Gâ—l 2 7.8 Gentiles Paul preached the Gospell he Baptised he g 2. Tim. 1.6.7 1. Tim. 1.3 Tit. 1.5 consecrated Bishops h Acts 14.23 with Tit. 1.5 1. Pet. 5.1.2.3 4. Acts 20.17.28 he ordered Priests and instituted them to e 2. Cor 11.28 be Pastours he Bishopped or k Act. 19.6 with Acts 8 17. confirmed beleeuers he m 1. Tim. 1.20 excommunicated he sate in n Acts 15.12 councell about Church matters c. And euen as the Tabernacle of God was all one as concerning the substance and spirituall vse thereof when it was o 1. Kin. 8.6.13 seated in Solomons Temple as it was when it remoued from place to place so the supreme p Eph 4.7 8.11 with 1. Cor. 12 28. grace and gift of Christ to his Church the Apostolicall gift or grace was all one for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ when it is setled in a country as it was when the q 2. Cor. 4.7 vessell which beared it remoued from country to country as he had commission thereto from the Spirit of the Lord. Also there is not expresse mention that euery Apostle trauailed from country to country whom Christ ordained or gaue to his Church Did not Saint Iames r
able to make the like vnlesse by some measure of speciall illumination from Gods Holy Spirit as many vnderstanding ones do now thinke yea and affirme And if the Heauen mentioned in the Booke of the Reuelation which is commaunded or exhorted to q Acts 18.20 reioyce ouer Babylon fallen be the reformed Church of Christ as some do expound it Is it not probable that the Apostles which are there willed to reioyce with that Heauen are the Archbishops and Bishops therein and * By putting part or the chiefe for the whole or all figuratiuely the rest of the Clergie thereof And that the Prophets there willed also to reioyce are all such as then receiued a speciall enlightening from Almighty God vnto the setting forward of the reformation and among them more especially such as were composers of the aforenamed bookes of the sacred Liturgy of the Church of England CHAP. 39. Of Lordship which Archbishops and Bishops haue IT is written that Å¿ Heb. 7.1.2 Melchisedec Priest of the high God was withall King of Salem or Ierusalem Abraham was a t Gen. 20.7 Prophet and withall a man of great u Gen. 14.14 15 temporall power Moses was a w Deut. 34.10 prophet and withall the supreme x Acts 7 35. Num. 26.16.17 Gouernour of the people of Israel vnder Almighty God He is called a King Deut. 33.5 Iethro was y Exod. 3.1 Priest of Midian and according to some interpretation he was z Exod. 2.16 in the Margent Sicautem Caldaeus Paraphrastes vertit viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prince of Midian Eli was Priest and also a 1. Sam. 4.18 Iudge ouer Israel Samuel was a b Acts 13.20 Prophet and also c 1 Sam. 7.6 Iudge ouer Israel Dauid was a d Mat 27 35. Prophet and King also Solomon was a e Eccles 1.1 Preacher and a King also Simon was f Ecclus. 50.1 high Priest and g 1. Mac. 13.42 1. Mac. 14.47 Captaine and Gouernour of the Priests and Iewes and defender of them all If then some of the Ministery haue bin the supreme Gouernours in Nations may they not now be Gouernours if the Royall Maiestie so ordaine them Saint Iude calleth those persons h Iude 18. filthy dreamers which doe despise dominion and speake euill of dignities CHAP. 24. Of the Liturgie or Diuine Seruice of the Church in generall IN the second part of the * Tom. 2. p. 6. Homily concerning the right vse of the Church the publike Seruice of the Lord is sayd to be The teaching and hearing of his Holy Word the calling vpon his holy Name the giuing thankes vnto him for his great and innumerable benefits and the due ministring of the Sacraments In the * T. 2. p. 138. Homily of Common Prayer and Sacraments it is sayd That Basilius Magnus and Iohannes Chrysostomus did in their time prescribe publike orders of publike administration which they call Liturgies and in them they appointed the people to answere vnto the prayer of the Minister sometime Amen sometime Lord haue mercy vpon vs sometime And with thy Spirit and We haue our hearts lifted vp vnto the Lord c. In the same * To. 2. p. 134. Homily it is also sayd By the histories of the Bible it appeareth that publike and common Prayer is most auaileable before God and therefore is much to be lamented that it is no better * Euen shortly after that the Diuine Seruice was set foorth the Diuell wrought in many people a more and more neglecting of it esteemed among vs which professe to be but one body in Christ It is said in the Preface before the Common Prayer That the first original and ground of the diuine Seruice of a man would search out by the ancient Fathers he shall finde that the same was not ordained but of a good purpose and for a great aduancement of godlinesse c. Saint Paul sayd vnto Timothy i 1. Tim. 2.1.2.3 I exhort that first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giuing of thankes be made for all men for Kings and for all that are in authority that we may leade a quiet and a peaceable life in all godlinesse and honestie For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Sauiour Moses from the Lord prescribed vnto Aaron and vnto his sonnes a forme of blessing the people saying k Num. 6.23.24.25.26 On this wise yee shall blesse the children of Israel saying vnto them The Lord blesse thee and keepe the The Lord make his face shine vpon thee and be gracious vnto thee The Lord lift vp his countenance vpon thee and giue thee peace It is very considerable hereto that which is written of King Hezekiah in the booke of Chronicles That he and the Princes commanded the Leuites to sing praise vnto the Lord l 2. Chro. 29.30 with the words of Dauid and of * With the wordes also which Asaph deliuered which were as a Forme of praise or of praising God Asaph the Seer My sonne sayth m Pro. 1.8.9 Solomon heare the instruction of thy Father and forsake not the lawe of thy Mother For they shall be an ornament of grace vnto thine head and chaines about thy necke Solomon repeateth this precept of God to the ende wee may take it all vnto heart as a matter most greatly concerning vs. n Pro 6.21 22.23 My sonne keepe thy Fathers commandement and forsake not the law of thy Mother Binde them continually vpon thine heart and tye them about thy necke For the commandement is a Lampe and the law is light o Haeresi septua gesima qâ—inta contra Aâ—â—â—um de quâ—busâ—am traditionibus loquens Ecclesia inquit necessariò hoc persâ—eâ—â— traditione à patribus accepta Quis autem poterit statutum nâ—atâ—â—s dissoluâ—re aut legem patris velut Solomon dicit Audi fili sermonem patris tui ne repud es statuta matris tuae ostendens per hoc quòd in scriptis sine scripto dacuit pater hoc est Deus vnigenâ—tus spiritus sancius Mater autem nosira Ecclesia babet statuta in se posita indissolâ—â—bil a quae dâ—solui non possunt Epiphanius an ancient holy Father vnderstandeth by the word mother in this Scripture to be meant the Church who hath besides the holy Scriptures the Commandement of God our Father a distinct law teaching or instruction the which all her members are bound to obserue most diligently by vertue of this charge thereto giuen by God through the ministery of Solomon The Christian Church is our mother if God bee our Father as it is written Ierusalem which is aboue is free which is the p Gal. 4.26 mother of vs all God ordinarily begetteth none without his Church but in the q Psal 110.3 wombe of his Church they are conceiued thence they come to the r Isa 66.8.9 birth they Å¿ Isa 66.11.12
not their obedience to their father commended by the Lord and their fathers making such lawes approved by God in that he said k Ier. 35.18 19. Because yee have obeyed the commandement of Ionadab your father and have kept all his precepts and done according to all that he hath commanded Therfore thus saith the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel Ionadab the sonne of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever And if all the commandements and precepts of a private father are to bee kept which God hath not forbidden Then how much more all the commandements precepts and ordinances of the fathers of the Church which God hath not forbidden ought to bee most conscionably observed S. Peter commanded the people of God to submit unto l 2 Pet 2.13 every ordinance of man for the Lords sake even of such governours as were not Christians How much more then to every ordinance of Christian powers ought wee to be obedient The Ceremonies now used by the Church of England are as * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dionysius said of the like in his time resemblances framed according to things spiritually understood whereunto they serve as a hand to lead and a way to direct God hath commanded his people to use Ceremonies for to put them in minde of their duties as it is written in the booke of Numbers m Num. â—â— 38 39 40. Speake unto the children of Israel and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations and that they put upon the fringe of the border a ribband of blue And it shall be unto you for a fringe that yee may looke upon it and remember all the Commandements of the Lord and doe them Such as oppose to the established Ceremonies of the Church of England say They would have nothing used in the worship of God but what the Scripture expresseth and with the word Scripture Scripture they triumph among the simple But when as the truely learned in the holy Scriptures do examine their deliveries they discerne that much which those spirits of disobedience do call Scripture is Scripture of their own framing For it is most usuâ—l with them when a Scripture is alleaged testifying expresly against them to put it off by saying wee must not cleave to the letter but to the meaning namely a meaning which they will devise contrary to the letter which is the Scripture Also the leaâ—â—eder among them pretending the originall Text to make for them against the sacred deliveries of holy Church doe either adde thereto or take there from or wrest the same and that ye seeke not after your owne heart and your owne eyes after which yee use to goe a whoring That yee may remember and doe all my commandements and be holy unto your God CHAP. 42. Of wearing a Surplisse IN the order where morning and evening prayer shall be used and said set before the beginning of the common prayer it is delivered That the Minister at the time of the Communion and at other times in his ministration shall use such Ornaments in the Church as were in use by Authoritie of Parliament in the second yeare of the Reigne of Edward the sixt according to the Act of Parliament set in the beginning of this a Namely of the bocke of Common Prayer booke Among which Ornaments the Surplisse is one In Canon 74. it is said The true ancient and flourishing Churches of Christ being ever desirous that their Prelacie and Clergie might bee had as well in outward reverence as otherwise regarded for the worthinesse of their Ministery did thinke it fit by a prescript forme of decent and comely apparell to have them knowne to the people and thereby to receive the honour and estimation due to the speciall Messengers and Ministers of Almighty God And towards the end thereof it is said In all which particulars concerning the apparell here prescribed our meaning is not to attribute any holinesse or speciall worthinesse to the said garments but for decencie gravity and order When Almightie God ordained his Leviticall Priesthood he commanded Moses saying b Exod 28.2 Thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty Whereof Iesus the sonne of Sirach saith c Ecclus. 45.7 8 9 10 11 12. God beautified Aaron with comely Ornaments and cloathed him with a robe of glory The Lord by Ezekiel in the restauration of his worship in the Temple giveth speciall charge how the Priests shall be clad in their ministration saying d Ezek. 44.17 18. And it shall come to passe that when they enter in at the gates of the inner Court they shall bee cloathed with linnen garments and no Wooll shall come upon them whiles they minister in the gates of the inner Court and within They shall have linnen Bonnets upon their heads and shall have linnen Breeches upon their loynes they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat In Exodus it is said e Exod. 39.27 There were made Coates of fine linnen of woven worke for Aaron and for his sonnes Is it any where forbidden in the new Testament to the Ministers of the Christian Religion for to weare garments in any manner like to the garments which God ordained his Ministers to weare afore the Incarnation of Iesus Christ Doth not rather the equitie and f Rom. 8.4 righteousnesse of Moses law concerning ministeriall garments now binde Gods Ministers whiles they are executing their Office in the Church to bee attired differently from lay men Wherefore have Angels since Christs death appeared in their service cloathed in long g Mar. 16.5 white raiment but to signifie that such manner garment best beseemeth Gods Ministers his h Mal. 3.1 Rev. 1.20 Augels whiles they are in performing the Divine service Why is it written in the Revelation that the seven Angels came out of the Temple cloathed in pure and i Rev. 15.6 white linnen but to signifie that pure white linnen is the fittest rayment for Angels or Ministers whiles they serve in any Temple And if it bee granted to the wife of the Lambe that shee should be arrayed in fine linnen cleane and k Rev. 19.8 Hieronymus contra Pelagian libro primo scribit Quae sunt rogâ— inimicitiae contra Deum si Episcopus Presbyter Diaconus reliquus ordo Ecclesiasticus in administratione sâ—c rificiorum câ—ndida veste processerint white for the fine linnen is the. righteousnesse of the Saints Why may it not bee granted to her more excellent Members to be so arrayed in presence of that Lambe and in his publike service with materiall fine linnen cleane and white in fignification of the righteousnes of Saints wherewithal they ought most conspicuously or eminently to be l Ps 132.9 arrayed The generall rule without all exception given by the Holy Ghost concerning matters in publike worship cannot but
as absolute necessitie requireth to stay at home ought duly to resort unto the church When Peter was to preach unto y Acts 10.33 Deut. 32.12 13 Neh. 8.2 Cornelius it appeareth that Cornelius brought his whole houshold with him as he said Now are wee all here present before God to heare all things that are commanded thee of God And in the Psalme or Song for the Sabbath day it is expressed at what time in the morning of the Sabbath wee should begin our devotion and untill what time it should continue Hebraea vox 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à Lexicographis reddita est Lucis matâ—tinae primordium c. Hinc verbâ—â— Arabicum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mane seu ante lucem surrexit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 autem ab Arabe interpretatum est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Mat. 20.1 exprimit Graecam phrasin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 summo mane where it is said z Psal 92.1 2. It is a good thing to give thankes unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy name Omost Highest To tell of thy loving kindnesse * According to the Translation of the Psalter in the divine Service early in the morning and of thy truth in the night season CHAP. 44. Of Prayer Thanksgiving and Confession unto God in publike and in private IN the Exhortation before the generall Confession it is said Although wee ought at all times humbly to acknowledge our sinnes before God yet ought wee most chiefly so to doe when wee assemble and meet together to render thankes for the great benefits that wee have received at his hands to set forth his most worthy praise to heare his most holy word and to aske those things which be requisite and necessary as well for the body as the soule How greatly God requireth publike prayer it may appeare from that hee would have his house called an house of a Isa 56. â— prayer for all people Thither it is said b Acts 3.1 Peter and Iohn went up together at the houre of prayer being the ninth houre And S. Paul c Acts 22.17 praying in the Temple at Ierusalem was rapt in the spirit and did see Iesus speaking unto him And publike prayer made for d Acts 12.5.7 Peter being in prison so farre prevailed with God that he was miraculously thence delivered Christ Iesus said unto his Disciples c Mat. 18.19.20 It two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall aske it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven For where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them Concerning prayer it is said in the first part of the * T. 2. p. 110. Homily of prayer The necessity thereof is so great that without it nothing may bee well-obtained at Gods hand He is said to be rich and liberall towards all them that f Rom. 10.12 call upon him not because hee either will not or cannot give without asking but because hee hath appointed prayer as an ordinary meanes betweene him and us In the * T. 2. p. 134. Homily of Common prayer and Sacraments it is said In the Scriptures wee read of three sorts of prayers whereof two are private and the third is common The first is that which S. Paul speaketh of in his Epistle to Timothy saying g 1 Tim. 2.8 I will that men pray in every place lifting up pure hands without wrath or striving And it is the devout lifting up of the mind to God without the uttering of the hearts griefe or desire by open voice So h 1 Sam. 1.13 Anna prayed After this sort must all Christians pray not once in a weeke or once in a day onely but as S. Paul writeth to the Thessalonians i Thes 5.17 without ceasing And S. Iames writeth k Iam. 5.16.17 The continuall prayer of a just man is of much force The second sort of prayer is spoken in the Gospell of Matthew where it is said l Mat. 6.6 When thou prayest enter into thy secret closet and when thou hast shut the doore to thee pray to thy father in secret and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward thee So m Acts 10.2 Cornelius prayed These be the two private sorts of prayer the one mentall that is to say the devout lifting up of the minde to God and the other vocall that is to say the secret uttering of the griefes and desires of the heart with words but yet in a secret closet or some solitary place The third sort of prayer is publike or common And of it mention was first of all The Prophet David said n Ps 55.17 Evening and morning and at noone will I pray and cry aloud and hee shall heare my voyce It is written that Daniel also kneeled upon his knees o Dan. 6.10 three times a day and prayed and gave thankes before God David also saith p Ps 119 6â— At midnight will I arise to give thankes unto thee because of thy righteous judgements The Church saith in the aforenamed * p. 141. Homily If we will that our prayers bee not abominable before God let us so prepare our hearts before we pray and so understand the things that we aske when we pray that both our hearts and voyces may together sound in the cares of Gods Majestie and then we shall not faile to receive at his hand the things that we aske as good men which have beene before us did and so have from time to time received that which for their soules health they did at any time desire Saint Augustine said It is not the voyce but the affection of the minde that commeth to the eares of God Concerning thankesgiving in publike The first part of the Homily concerning the right use of the Church Of thanksgiving saith That the Temple is likewise the place of thankesgiving unto the Lord for his innumerable and unspeakeable benefits bestowed upon us appeareth notably in the latter end of Saint Lukes Gospell and the beginning of the story of the Acts where it is written that the Apostles and Disciples after the ascension of our Lord q Act. 2.46 47. continued with one accord daily in the Temple alwayes praising and blessing God The Prophet David said My prayse shall be of thee in the great r Ps 22.25 congregation And Enter into his gates with Å¿ Ps 100.4 thankesgiving and into his Courts with praise be thankfull unto him and blesse his name In the first part of the * T. 2. p. 218. Homily for Rogation weeke it is said There can be none other end of such as draw nigh to God by knowledge and yet depart from him in unthankfulnesse but utter destruction St. Paul saith In every thing t 1 Thes 5.18 give thankes for this is the will of God in Christ
Iesus concerning you And Isaiah signifieth that thankesgiving acceptable to God consisteth not in words onely where he saith u Isa 5.16 God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousnes In another place he saith w Isa 66.5 Heare ye the word of the Lord yee that tremble at his word your brethren that hated you that cast you out for my names sake said Let the Lord be glorified but he shall appeare to your joy and they shall bee ashamed Memorably saith the Church in the Communion service It is very meet right and our bounden duty that we should at all times and in all places give thankes unto thee O Lord Holy Father Almighty Everlasting God Of confession to God Concerning publike confession of our sinnes unto God the Divine Service beginneth with one that is generall and likewise there is a generall confession to be made afore receiving of the holy Communion The Prophet Daniel made a solemne x Dan. 9.4 confession unto God in the behalfe of the Iewes in generall that were with him in captivity in Babylon And Baruch wrote a long y Bar. 1.14.15 c. confession for the Iewes at Ierusalem to make reading it in the House of the Lord upon the feasts and solemne dayes There is also private confession of our sins to be made unto God whereof it is said in the second part of the * T. 2. Homily of repentance that it is the second part of repentance And the Homily saith If we will with a sorrowfull and contrite heart make an unfeined confession of our sinnes unto God hee will freely and frankly forgive them and so put all our wickednesse out of remembrance before the sight of his Majestie that they shall no more be z Heb. 8.12 thought upon Hereunto doth pertaine the golden saying of David where he saith on this manner a Ps 32.5 Then I acknowledged my sinne unto thee neither did I hide mine iniquitie I said I will confesse against my selfe my wickednesse unto the Lord and thou forgavest the ungodlinesse of my sinne These are also the words of Iohn the Evangelist b 1 Iohn 1.9 10. If wee confesse our sinnes God is faithfull and righteous to forgive us our sinnes and to make us cleane from all our wickednesse Which ought to be understood of the confession made unto God This is then the chiefest and most principall confession that in the Scriptures and Word of God wee are bidden to make and without the which wee shall never obtaine pardon and forgivenesse of our sinnes The Prodigall sonne made such a confession saying c Luke 15.21 Father I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne Salomon saith d Prov. 28.13 Hee that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsakes them shall finde mercy CHAP. 45. Of singing Psalmes and spirituall songs in publike and in private and also of singing with musicke IN the title of the Psalmes in meeter in the Booke of Common prayer it is thus said The whole booke of Psalmes collected into English meeter by c. Conferred with the Hebrew with apt notes to sing them withall Set forth and allowed to bee sung in all Churches of all people together before and after morning and evening prayer as also before and after sermons and moreover in private houses for their godly solace and comfort laying apart all ungodly songs and Ballads which tend onely to the nourishing of vice and corrupting of youth Iames 5.13 If any be afflicted let him pray and if any be merry let him sing Psalmes And then in the Common prayer booke of that forme which is appointed for Churches there is added a Treatise made by Athanasius the great cōcerning the use and vertue of the Psalmes whose beginning is thus and a delivery most memorable All holy Scripture is certainly the teacher of all vertue and of true faith but the booke of Psalmes doth expresse after a certaine manner the very state and condition of the soule For as he which intendeth to present himselfe to a King first will compound with himselfe to set in good order both his gesture and his speech lest else he might be reputed rude and ignorant even so doth this godly booke informe all such as be desirous to lead their life in vertue and to know the life of our Saviour which hee ledd in his conversation putting them in minde in the reading thereof of all their affections and passions whereto their soule is inclined c. And then doe follow 99. signifyings of what Psalmes may be sung even upon most occasions that come to passe in this present life And both before and also after the Psalmes in meeter there are sundry spirituall songs which may be sung upon sundry occasions unto the great comfort of the minde * Of singing with musicke Concerning singing in publike it is said in the booke of Ezra e Ezra 3.10 11. When the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of the Lord they set the Priests in their apparell with Trumpets and the Levites the sonnes of Asaph with Cymbals to praise the Lord after the Ordinance of Dauid King of Israel And they sang together by course in praising and giving thankes unto the Lord because hee is good for his mercy indureth for ever towards Israel And in the booke of Chronicles it is said f 1 Chron. 16.7 David delivered a Psalme to thanke the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren The which holy Prophet hath said g Ps 148.11 12 13 14. Kings of the earth and all people Princes and all Iudges of the earth both young men and maydens old men and Children let them praise the name of the Lord. h Ps 149.1 3. Sing unto the Lord a new song and his praise in the congregation of Saints let them sing praises unto him with Timbrell and Harpe i Ps 150.1 Praise yee God in his Sanctuary k Ps 95.1 2. O come let us sing unto the Lord let us make a joyfull noyse to the rocke of our salvation Let us come before his presence with thankesgiving and make a ioyfull noyse unto him with Psalmes l Ps 100.1 Serve the Lord with gladnesse come before his presence with singing Saint Paul said to the Church of Ephesus Be m Eph. 5.18 19 filled with the spirit speaking to your selves in Psalmes and hymnes and spirituall songs singing and making melodie in your heart to the Lord. n Ps 150.3 4 5. Praise the Lord saith David with the sound of the Trumpet praise him with the Psaltery and Harpe Praise him with the Timbrell and daunce praise him with stringed instruments and Organs Praise him upon the loud Cymbals praise him upon the high sounding Cymbals It is written that Moses and the Children of Israel o Exod. 15.1 sang a song unto the Lord. And that p
heare sermons And if they duely hearken unto the Homilies read in their Parish Church they in part doe their duty concerning hearing sermons For the Homilies are nothing else but * And so are often named in the booke of Homilies sermons And yet they are such sermons as are not made by any private spirit but by the publike spirit of the Church and are allowed by the whole Clergy of the same In the second part of the * T. 2. p. 265. Homily of repentance it is said Wee must bee diligent to read and heare the Scriptures and the Word of God which most lively doe paint out before our eyes our naturall uncleannesse and the enormity of our sinfull life For unlesse wee have a through feeling of our sinnes how can it bee that we should earnestly be sory for them Afore n 2 Sam. 12.7 c. David did heare the word of the Lord by the mouth of the Prophet Nathan what heavinesse I pray you was in him for the adultery and the murder that he had committed So that it might be said right wel that he slept in his owne sin We read in the Acts of the Apostles that when the people had heard the sermon of Peter they were compunct o Act. 2.37 pricked in their hearts Which thing would never have been if they had not heard that wholesome sermon of Peter They therfore that have no p Ier. 5.9 and 2.13 mind at all neither to read nor yet to heare Gods Word there is but small hope of them that they will as much as once set their feet or take hold upon the first staffe or step of this Ladder of repentance but rather will sinke deeper and deeper into the bottomlesse pit of perdition Besides the Sermons the Homilies the Church willeth us to heare other also such as are made by Preachers lawfully licensed and are preached according to the Law of the Church also The constitutions and * Canons Ecclesiasticall require Every beneficed man Canon 46. that is not allowed to bee a Preacher to procure sermons to be preached in his Cure once in every moneth at the least by Preachers lawfully licensed if his living in the judgement of the Ordinary will be able to beare it And upon every Sunday when there shall not bee a sermon preached in his Cure he or his Curate shall reade some one of the Homilies prescribed As the Ordinary disposeth unto every Parish concerning preaching so is every Parishioner to rest contented therewith The true Christian religion doth not totally consist in the q Iam. 1.22 23 24 25. Mat. 7.24 25 26 27. hearing of sermons preached every Sunday Christs Kingdome of grace as the Apostle Paul hath delivered is not in r 1 Cor. 4.20 word but in power It is Å¿ Rom. 14.17 18 19. righteousnesse and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace things wherwith one may edifie another That Counsell given by Iesus the sonne of Syrach is in no wise to bee neglected t Ecclus. 8.9 When a sermoÌ„ is made every person of that Parish ought to be present at it if he may Misse not the discourse of the Elders for they also learned of their fathers and of them thou shalt learne understanding to give answer as need requireth but as the Apostle saith u 1 Cor. 14.40 Let all things be done decently and according to order A devout person may heare as many sermons preached as hee can but so as he transgresseth no law of the Church therby For if he doth transgresse the Ecclesiasticall law by his going abroad to heare sermons preached if he offendeth the Pastour or Curate over him if he by absenting himselfe from his Parish Church be a scandall to those of his Parish then is his hearing of sermons preached in other Parish Churches but as Sauls sacrifice unto whom Samuels saying is worthy of perpetuall memory w 1 Sam. 15.22 23. Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt Offerings and Sacrifices as in obeying the voyce of the Lord behold to obey is better than Sacrifice and to hearken then the fat of Rammes For rebellion is as the sinne of Witchcraft and * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Symmacbus vertit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stubborne ones are Idolaters in that they worship or follow their owne minde and will and refuse to follow the minde and will of Christ and his Church See Ezek. 14.4 5 6. stubbornnesse is as iniquity and Idolatry The Gospell of Iesus Christ commandeth thus x 1 Pet. 2.13 Submit your selves to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake y Rom. 13.1 2. Let every soule be subject unto the higher powers for there is no power but of God The powers that be are ordained of God Whosoever therefore resisteth the power resisteth the Ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation Wherefore Paul said unto Titus Bishop of the Church of the Cretians z Tit. 3.1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers to obey Magistrates to bee ready to every good worke Saint Paul also said to the Christians a Phil. 3.17 Brethren bee followers together of me and marke them which walke so as ye have us for an ensample Who said most remarkeably b 1 Cor. 9.19.20 21 22 23. Though I be free from all men yet have I made my selfe servant unto all that I might gaine the more And unto the Iewes I became as a Iew that I might gaine the Iewes To them that are under the law as under the law that I might gaine them that are under the law To them that are without law as without law being not without law to God but under the law to Christ that I might gaine them that are without law To the weake became I as weake that I might gaine the weake I am made all things to all men that I might by all meanes save some And this I doe for the Gospels sake or as Saint Peter saith for the c 1 Pet. 2 1â—1 Lords sake who hath commanded all that would be his people for to obey every Ordinance of man that is not contrary to the everlasting OrdinaÌ„ces of his holy Gospell Such as breake the order of the Church where they live in contemning or neglecting the Divine service there under pretence of conscience unto hearing of the Word preached would they conscionably but consider of matters they might by the grace of God see their aberration It is preaching that they cry out for Let them marke what is said in the Acts Moses of old time hath in every Citie them that preach him being d Act. 15.1 read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day Doth not the Apostle signifie in those his words that in reading of
greater authority to them than unto meere humane writings In the margent of the last translation of the Bible there is often reference made unto Chapter and verse of those bookes as in the margent of Heb. 1.3 Iohn 10.22 Matth. 6.7 Matth. 23.37 Heb. 11.35 and in more places There is no such reference made unto Chapter and verse of any other bookes excepting the canonicall Scriptures In the Concordance which is sometimes bound with bibles of the middle bignesse namely in quarto places out of all those bookes are often quoted and added unto the places cited out of the Canonicall Scriptures It is not so done out of any other bookes Even all the Fathers which have lived in the Church of Iesus Christ since first the Apostles dayes have with great reverence and respect alleaged sayings out of those books The true Apostolicall Church of England hath ordained those bookes onely and none other of what authoritie soever to be translated with the Canonicall Scriptures and to be set betweene the bookes of the old and new Testament Seeing then that the Church our mother so honoureth the said bookes called Apocrypha ought not wee her members to have them bound in our Bibles to reverence and respect them and diligently to read them for * The Church in the sixt Article of religion so delivereth example of life and instruction of manners and to account them for to be in all respects of so much a Phil. 4.8 1 Thes 5.21 1 Pet. 5.5 Mat. 18.17 1 Cor 16.16 authority as the Church of England now ascribeth unto them CHAP. 50. Of peoples learning the most sacred Catechisme of the Church which is in the booke of Common Prayer Every member of the true Apostolicall Church of England hath occasion greatly to praise the name of the Lord for stirring up our most gracious Soveraigne and the holy Fathers of the Church to take great care for this ordinance of the Gospell of Iesus Christ namely Catechizing that it may bee duely used according as it was prescribed by holy Church heretofore and the same ratified by our late Soveraigne Lord King Iames a Prince of ever blessed memory IN the end of the rubricke after the Service of Confirmation it is said None shall be admitted to the holy Communion untill such time as he can say the Catechisme namely that in the booke of Common Prayer the which being printed alone by it selfe is now commonly called the A. B. C. The said most sacred Catechisme consisteth of but about twenty questions whose answers require any labour of learning by heart And yet therein is contained the summe of the whole Christian faith and life in a most Divine delivery This holy b Ps 119.130 Catechisme should all people members of the Church of England have either in memory or else at least be able so to c 1 Pet. 3.13 answere unto each question therein as that they may declare themselves to have in effect such an d Phil. 3.16 1 Cor. 1.10 understanding of the matters therein contained as the Church hath in full words expressed in it Catechisme is an instructing of people in the e Heb. 5.12 principles of the Oracles of God It is a f Heb. 6.1 2. laying of the foundation of repentance from dead workes and of faith towards God of the Doctrine of Baptismes and of laying on of hands and of the resurrection of the dead and of the eternall judgment It is a ministring of the g 1 Pet. 2.2 sincere milke of the Word unto the h Heb. 5.13 unskilfull in the word of righteousnesse Even as a house cannot bee well built up and stand fast unlesse the foundations thereof be firmely laid so people who should bee built up a spirituall i 1 Pet. 2.4 house for an k Eph. 2.21 22. habitation of God through the spirit cannot be fitly framed together and grow unto an holy Temple in the Lord unlesse they bee l Luke 11.52 Mat. 14.11 rightly instructed in the principles of the Doctrine of Christ and withall grow up in all due m Rom. 1.5 and 16.26 obedience unto the same Not onely the Catechisme in the Divine Service doth deliver the Milke of the Gospell but also the whole Divine Service doth minister the same abundantly If one would know what is repentance and faith let him reade the Homilies thereof If hee would know what is the mysterie of baptisme and of laying on of hands let him reade the Services thereof If one would know the mysterie of the Communion let him read the Service and the Homily thereof It is a main part of the use of the Divine Service to lay firmly in peoples mindes the n 1 Cor. 3.10 grounds of Christianity All people therefore that would bee rightly grounded in the true Christian religion and grow more and more towards o Heb. 6.1 Col. 1.28 29. perfection in Iesus Christ ought to be much conversant in every part of the said Service and to enable themselves so to render a reason of every point of Christianity according as they finde it delivered in the said p Prov. 6.20 21 22 23. Luke 10.16 bookes and withall to q 2 Thes 1.3 Prov 4.18 increase in that godly conversation which is throughout the service prescribed And thereunto this present worke will much helpe every one that will make due use of all the same The Church hath ordained that not onely the youth but other ignorant persons also to be r Song 6.6 Ps 1.48 12. Deut. 31.12 Nehem. 8.2 instructed in the Catechisme For thus is her sacred * Canon 59 This holy and necessary Ordinance of Christ and his Church is now by the great goodnesse of Almighty God observed and al true Christians hearts doe pray that so it may bee continued and more and more conscionably used unto Gods glory and the edification of all people constitution Every Parson Vicar or Curate upon every Sunday and holy day before evening prayer shall for halfe an houre or more examine and instruct the youth and ignorant persons of his parish in the ten Commandements the Articles of the beliefe and in the Lords prayer and shall diligently heare instruct and teach them the Catechisme set forth in the booke of Common prayer c. Peoples Å¿ Prov. 19.2 neglect of learning that Catechisme and of obedience thereto and also their not regarding to have their Children and servants taught the same and instructed unto the observing of the duties therein prescribed is a maine cause that now so many are ignorant in minde and t Prov. 29.15 disorderly in conversation The Oracle of God saith u Prov. 22.6 Traine up a Child in the way he should goe and when he is old he will not depart from it CHAP. 51. Of Baptisme THE Catechisme in the Divine service delivereth That the outward visible signe or forme in baptisme is water wherein the person baptized is dipped
soone as hee shall be able to learne what a solemne vow promise and profession he hath made by you And that hee may know these things the better ye shall call upon him to a Neh. 8.2 Deut 31.12 heare sermons and chiefly you shall provide that he may learne the b 2 Tim. 1.13 Creed the c Luke 11.1 Lords prayer and the d Deut. 11.19 20 21 22. Exod 34.28 ten Commandements in the English tongue and e Prov. 22.6 all other things which a Christian man ought to know and beleeve to his soules health and that this Child may be f Eph. 5.4 vertuously brought up to lead a godly and a g Gen. 18 Christian life c. The Prophet Isaiah hath written h Isa 8.1 2 3. The Lord said unto me Take thee a great Roule and write in it with a mans Pen concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz And I tooke unto me faithfull witnesses to record Vriah the Priest and Zechariah the sonne of Ieberechiah And I went unto the Prophetesse and shee conceived and bare a sonne then said the Lord to mee call his name Mahor-shalal-hash-baz Hence it is * Atque ex hoc ritu profectum esse illum nostruÌ„ conslat quo certi homines speciatim maximè verò calamitosis temporibus ut ista futura erant adbibentur iestes accessus ad Christum et ad ecclesiam per baptismum nominis baptismo inditi ex quo ritu Propheta occasionem sumpsit ut testes filijsui ad alterâ—â— hoc singulare testimonium adhiberet Hos vulgus compatres commatres Graeci olim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appellarunt Iunius in Annot. ad Is 8.2 observed that Isaiah tooke unto him Vriah and Zechariah for witnesses of the Childes naming the Prophet would not name the Child but before some of the Church Also childrens names were given at their circumcision as it is testified of Iohn the Baptists i Luke 1.59 60 63. naming Yea also when our Lord Christ had the k Luke 2.21 name Iesus by Ioseph pronounced on him Moreover from the holy Prophets example of taking of witnesses unto the Childes naming and from that the Children were named in their circumcision the ancieÌ„t holy fathers ordained that there should be witnesses of childrens names given at their baptisme as also of their baptizing and withall they should l Phil. 2.4 1 Cor. 12.25 Ecclus. 4.10 Iam. 1.27 undertake to doe unto them that good Christian Office as afore was related out of the Exhortation in the Baptisme Service said unto the God fathers and God mothers CHAP. 53. Of the signe of the Crosse made on the forehead of the child having received Baptisme IT is said in the rubricke set after the words of the act of baptizing concerning the child baptized that then the priest shall make a crosse upon the childes forehead saying Wee receive this child into the congregation of Christs flocke and doe signe him with the signe of the crosse in token that hereafter hee shall not be ashamed to confesse the faith of Christ crucified and manfully to fight under his banner against sinne the World and the Devill and to continue Christs faithfull souldier and servant unto his lives end Even as those of the children of Israel which built an Altar for which they had no commandement in the Law of Moses transgressed not for that they did it for a m Ios 22.22 c. good signification So the Church our mother who hath power to make n Pro. 6.20 See Chap. 41. afore See the twentieth Article of the religion established law teaching or instruction besides what is expressed in the holy Scriptures so that nothing be done contrary to the everlasting precepts of the Gospell of Iesus Christ shee in using this ancient godly Ceremonie though to use the which there is no expresse commandement in the Bible in no wise transgresseth for that shee doth it for a good signification and to informe her members of a maine duety which all of yeares of discretion are bound to endeavour faithfully to performe under o Rom. 8.13 Rev. 21.7.8 Ps 78.8.9.10 paine of perishing everlastingly Our mother doth by that signe made on our foreheads put us in remembrance of the Christian warfare that every one baptized is to enter into and to p Mat. 10 22. Rev. 2.10.11 1 Tim. 5.12 continue in unto the end that will be saved Wee are not signed with the signe of the Crosse in token of any superstitious matter but of a matter most necessary required by the Gospell that all must confesse namely the faith of Christ q Gal. 6.14 Gal. 3.13.14 Cal. 2 14.15 crucified and also of manfull fighting under Christs banner against sinne the world and the Devill and also of continuing Christs faithfull souldiers and servants unto our lives end These maine Christian duties who so unfainedly endeavoureth to performe is in no wise offended at the signe used for to put people in mind of them but thanketh God that hee is borne in a Church where not onely the true Christian life is taught by tongue and penne but also is signified by some Ceremonie for ones r Num. 16 38 39 40. more remembrance of the same S. Paul said s God forbid that I should glory save in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world He saith unto Timothy t 1 Tim. 6.12 fight the good fight of faith v 2 Tim. 2 3 4 5. Thou therefore endure hardnesse as a good souldier of Iesus Christ w 2 Tim. 4.7 I have fought the good fight To the Corinthians hee saith The x 2 Cor. 10.3 4 5 6. weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds To the Ephesians he lively declareth the spirituall enemies and with what weapons y Eph. 6.10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17. wee are to fight against them saying Finally my brethren bee strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Put on the whole armour of God that yee may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devill For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against Principalities against powers against the Å¿ Gal 6.14 rulers of the darkenes of this world against spirituall wickednesse in high places wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that yee may be able to withstand in the evill day and having done all to stand c. In the booke of the Revelation the spirituall blessings or promises which are made to the seven Churches in Asia are propounded unto each Church to that person which z Rev 2.7.11.17.26 Rev. 3.5.12.21 overcommeth also it is added a Rev. 2.26 which keepeth my workes unto the end and bee thou faithfull unto the b Rev. 2.10 death It is said in another place He that c Rev. 21.7.8 overcommeth shall inherit
not power to change the gesture of taking and to require such a gesture as is beseeming Prayer Such as grant that the Church hath power as to change the time though it bee by the Holy Ghost called the Lords Supper and to change other circumstances about the receiving of it cannot without committing the great sinne of g Iam. 3.17 partiality deny that the Church hath the authority and power of changing that one circumstance the gesture used in receiving CHAP. 58. Of Matrimony IN the Service for solemnization of Matrimony it is said That Matrimony is an honourable estate h Gen. 2.22 24 instituted of God in Paradise in the time of mans innocency signifying unto us the i Eph. 5.31 32.30 mysticall union that is betwixt Christ and his Church which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with his k Iohn 2.1 presence and first miracle that he wrought in Cana of Galilee and is commended of Saint Paul to bee honourable among all men and therefore is not to be enterprized nor taken in hand unadvisedly lightly or wantonly to saticfie mens carnall lusts and appetites like bruite beasts that have no understanding but reverently discreetly advisedly soberly and in the l 1 Cor. 7.39 feare of God duely considering the causes for which Matrimony was ordained one was the m Gen. 1.28 procreation of Children to be brought up in the feare and nurture of the Lord and praise of God Secondly it was ordained for a remedie against sinne and to avoid fornication that such persons as have not the gift of continency might marry and keepe themselves undefiled Members of Christs body Thirdly for the mutuall n Eph. 5.28 29. Gen. 2.8 Prov. 5.18 19. sooietie helpe and comfort that the one ought to have of the other both in prosperity and adversitie In the * T. 2. p. 239. Homily concerning the state of Matrimony it is said Furthermore it is also ordained that the Church of God and his Kingdome might by this kinde of life be conserved and enlarged not onely in that God giveth Children by his blessing but also in that they be brought up by the Parents godly in the knowledge of Gods Word that thus the knowledge of God and true Religion might bee delivered by o Ps 78.4.5.6 succession from one to another that finally many might enjoy that everlasting immortality p Heb. 13.4 Marriage saith the Apostle is honourable in all and the bed undefiled but Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge q 1 Cor. 7.2.6 To avoid fornication let every man have his owne wife and let every woman have her owne husband Tobias said r Tob. 4.12 1 Thes 4.3.4.5 Mal. 2.11.12 Beware of all whoredome my sonne and chiefly take a wife of the seed of thy fathers and take not a strange woman to wife which is not of thy fathers Tribe for wee are the children of the Prophets Noe Abraham Isaac and Iacob remember my sonne that our fathers from the beginning even that they all married wives of their owne kindred and were blessed in their children and their seed shall inherit the Land s Know yee not saith the Apostle that hee which is joyned to an harlot is one body For two saith hee shall bee one flesh Flee fornication every sinne that a man doth is without the body but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his owne body What know yee not that your body is the Temple of the holy Ghost which is in you which yee have of God and yee are not your owne For yee are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods Be not deceived neither t 1 Cor. 6.9.10 fornicators nor Idolaters adulterers nor effeminate nor abusers of thēselves with mankind nor theeves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdome of God Wherefore he also saith But u Eph. 5.3.5.6 See 1 Thes 4.3.4.5 fornication all uncleannes or covetousnes let it not be once named amongst you as becommeth Saints ſ 1 Cor. 6.15.16.17.18.19.20 CHAP. 59. Of the ring used in the Solemnization of Matrimony IN the rubrick of Matrimony-service it is said The man shall give unto the woman a Ring and put it upon the fourth finger of the womans left hand And the man taught by the priest shall say With this Ring I thee wed with my body I thee * There is some kind of worship which may be done unto man as 1 Chron. 29.20 worship with all my worldly goods I thee endow In the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost Amen In the prayer immediately after it is prayed That as Isaac and Rebecca lived faithfully together so these persons may surely performe and keepe the vow and w Mal. 2.15.16.14 Prov. 2.17.18 covenant betwixt them made whereof the Ring given and received is a token and pledge and may ever remaine in x Eph. 5.25.28.29 perfect love and y 1 Cor. 7.5 1 Pet. 3.7 peace together and live according to thy Lawes And then it is said Forasmuch as they have consented together in holy wedlocke and have witnessed the same before God and this company and thereto have given and pledged their troth either to other and have declared the same by giving and receiving of a Ring and by joyning of hands I c. From which words of Holy Church it is manifest that the Ring is used not for any vanity but for a godly z Exod. 13.9 Aurum nulla norat praeter unico digito quem sponsus oppignorasset pronubo annulo Tertull. Apologet. C. 6. signification for a token and pledge of sure performing and keeping the vow and covenant betwixt them made and of pledging their troth either to other The which Ring being after seene may put both parties in remembrance of what signification it was given and received And they may make good use of it as the children of Israel were to make of the a Num. 15.38.39.40 fringe in the borders of their garments having thereon a Ribband of blue to looke upon it and remember all the duties whereof to put them in minde it was ordained That Matrimony should bee solemnized with the Ceremonie of the Ring it is the Law of the Church our mother it is as the b Ios 22.27 Altar built by the Reubenites Gadites and halfe Tribe of Manasseh it is as one of the c Ier. 35.6.7.8.18.19 Commandements of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab a d Pro. 6.23.24 light signifying good things to keepe the man from the evill woman from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman Also it may serve unto the woman for a remembrance that shee e Prov. 2.17 See Chap. 41. afore forsake not the guide of her youth neither forget the covenant of her God Well consider the Church-her deliverie concerning Ceremonies why some be retained in
the chapter thereof set in the beginning of the Booke of Common Prayer CHAP. 60. Of the thankesgiving of women after Childbirth commonly called the Churching of Women IN the beginning of the Service for the Churching of women it is said Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his goodnesse to give you safe deliliverance and hath preserved you in the great danger of Childbirth Yee shall therefore giue hearty thankes unto God and pray The Law of God was that a woman when the dayes of her purifying were fulfilled for a sonne or for a daughter should bring an f Lev. 12.6.7.1 offering into the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation unto the priest who was to offer it before the Lord and to make an atonement for her c. And it is recorded by Saint Luke that the blessed Virgn Mary observed this g Luke 2.24 Law of the Lord after shee had brought forth her sonne the Saviour of the world Although that Law as concerning the ceremony be ceased yet the h Rom. 8.4 righteousnesse thereof is to be fulfilled in those which walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit For which cause our Mother the Church whose godly wisedome wee ought to obey in i Eph. 5.24 every particular matter knowing that the new Law commandeth Christians in every thing to k 1 Thes 5.18 give thankes hath accounted it righteous before God that women for so great a deliverance as from the danger of child-birth should so soone as is convenient come to the Temple of the Lord and there with him who is to bee her mouth unto the Lord l Heb. 13.15 offer the sacrifice of praise unto God the fruit of her lips giving thankes unto his name Saint Paul said I will that women adorne themselves in m 1 Tim. 2.9.10 modest apparell with shamefastnesse and sobriety as becommeth women professing godlinesse And saith hee in another place Whatsoever things are honest just pure lovely or of n Phil. 4.8 good report if there bee any vertue or praise therein thinke on those things Let all things be done o 1 Cor. 14.40 decently in order Is it not therefore more seemly more signifying modesty of minde that women when they goe to be Churched or are Churched at home bee so covered on their heads according as in former times rather than bee so attired like as those bee which goe to a market or a faire or to a wedding or the like CHAP. 61. Of Commination or denouncing Gods curses due unto sinners which will not repent or doe neglect the same IN the beginning of the service of Commination the Church saith It is though good that at this time meaning in the beginning of Lent on Ashwensday in your presence should bee read the generall sentences of Gods cursing against impenitent sinners gathered out of Deut. 27. and other places of scripture And that yee should answer to every sentence Amen to the intent that you being admonished of the great indignation of God against sinners may the p Prov. 1.7 16.6 rather bee called to earnest and true repentance and may walke more warily in these q 2 Tim. 3.1 Mat. 24.21.22 dangerous dayes fleeing from such vices for the which yee affirme with your owne mouthes the curse of God to bee due The Lord saith by Moses r Deut. 29.19.20.21 If when one heareth the words of this curse hee blesse himselfe in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walke in the imagination of mine heart to adde drunkennesse to thirst the Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his Iealousie shall smoake against that man and all the curses that are written in this booke shall lye upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven Saint Paul saith s Rom. 2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10 Thinkest thou this O man that judgest them which doe such things as are abominable and dost the same that thou shalt escape the judgement of God or despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse and forbearance and long suffering not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance But after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and Revelation of the righteous judgement of God who will render to every man according to his deeds To them who by patient continuance in well doing seeke for glory and honour and immortality eternall life But unto them that are contentious and doe not obey the truth but obey unrighteousnesse indignation and wrath Tribulation and anguish upon every soule of man that doth evill of the Iew first and also of the Gentile But glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Iew first and also to the Gentile The Church our mother declareth her faithfulnesse unto her t Isa 54 5. husband the Lord of Hosts her maker unto her redeemer the Holy one of Israel the God of the whole earth in this very thing most apparantly namely that she doth not like as the false Prophets and false Prophetesses doe who doe say u Ier. 8.9.10 11. Ezech. 13.9.10 Peace and there was no peace and one built up a wall and loe others dawbed it with untempered morter Shee doth not with w Ezech. 13.22 lies make sad the heart of the righteous whom God hath not made sad neither doth shee strengthen the hands of the wicked that he should not returne from his wicked way by promising him life But shee x 2 Cor. 4.2 renouncing the hidden things of dishonestie not walking in craftinesse nor handling the word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the truth commendeth her selfe to every mans conscience in the sight of God In her Exhortation which followeth immediately after the curses doth she not in a most wonderfull divine manner declare as it were the summe of the everlasting doctrine of Iesus Christ Is not that her exhortation the beginning therof is Now seeing that all they bee accursed as the Prophet y Psal 119.21 David beareth witnesse which doe erre and goe astray from the commandements of God let us c. so divine a delivery as the like in briefe can scarce be shewed in the writings of any Church or of any Writer Is it not worthy to bee most often read of every man woman and child And is there not a power in it through the blessing of God to worke the feare of the Lord in the heart of the diligent Reader thereof And is not the said exhortation very greatly profitable to bee often read of such as have in their minds Gods feare for to helpe keepe them in the same and to preserve them from pride of spirit z Pro. 8.13 arrogancy a Isay 46.12 stoutnesse and b Zachar. 7.11 hardnesse of heart As it is good for all ancient people to reade or heare it in private read
many times in a yeere so is it exceeding furthersome for all younger people to have it all in perfect memory and at least once a weeke to examine themselves by the same CHAP. 62. Of Excommunication IT is said in the second part of the * T. 2. p. 213. Homily concerning the Holy Ghost or in the Homily for Whitsunday Christ ordained the authority of the keyes to excommunicate notorious sinners and to absolve theÌ„ which are truly penitent In the second part of the * Homily concerning the right use of the Church T. 2. p. 9.10 it is said In the primitive Church which was most holy and godly and in the which due discipline with severitie was used against the wicked due discipline with severitie suffered once to enter into the house of the Lord nor admitted to Common Prayer and the use of the holy SacrameÌ„ts with other true Christians untill they had done opeÌ„penance before the whole Church And they that were so justly exempted and banished as it were from the house of the Lord were taken as they be indeed for men divided and separated from Christs Church and in most dangerous estate yea as Saint Paul saith even given unto Satan the Devill for a time and their company was shunned and avoided of all godly men and women untill such time as they by repentance and publike penance were reconciled Iesus Christ said unto Peter To thee I will give the c Mat. 16.19 keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven The same d Mat 18.18 19 20. authority hee afterward pronounced unto the rest of his Apostles Also when after his resurrection hee breathed on them and said Receive ye the Holy Ghost he gave the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven unto them all saying e Ioh. 20.22 23. Whose soever sins yee remit they are remitted unto theÌ„ whose soever sinnes ye retaine they are retained Saint Paul saith to the Corinthians concerning excommunicating the incestuous person In the name of our Lord Iesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my Spirit with the power of our Lord Iesus Christ To f 1 Cor. 5.4 5. deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may bee saved in the day of the Lord Iesus He said of Hymenaeus and Alexander that he had g 1 Tim. 1.20 delivered them unto Satan that they might learne not to blaspheeme Concerning what persons are to be excommunicated if otherwise they will not be reformed it is observed that the Apostle signifieth where he saith If any man that is called a brother be a fornicatour or covetous or an Idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner with h 1 Cor. 5.11 such a one no not to eate Vnto the Thessalonians he saith And if any man obey not our word by this Epistle note that man and have i 2 Thes 3.14 no company with him that he may be ashamed The Apostle speaketh of disorderly living and living out of a vocation by the sweat of other mens browes or eating other mens bread for nought The Apostle also faith If any man love not the Lord Iesus Christ let him be k 1 Cor. 16.22 anathema Maran atha The speech here l Sunt enim haeâ— dicendi genera Haebraeis non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inquit Buxtorfiuâ— in Gram. Heb. pag. 548. excusâ anno 1620. love not is observed to signifie hateth Anathema is interpreted a curse a cursed thing or one accursed Maran signifieth our Lord and atha signifieth commeth The excommunication which was called anathema maranatha is accounted to be the greatest kinde thereof and so the very last namely when as one for his persevering wilfull hatred against Iesus Christ is quite forsaken by the Church and left unto the just judgement of Christ of whom Enoch said m Iude 14.15 Arabs juxta sensum reddidit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apud Rabbinos est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contractè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Videt ur dicià syriacâ— verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nominare quòd hâ—c sit nominatissima excommunicatio Vulgò taâ—en volunt esse nomen compositum ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est Deus venit Alij ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. ibi mors Behold the Lord commeth with ten thousands of his Saints to execute judgment upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him The holy scriptures deliver other causes also for which there may be excommunication the which the Church of England hath partly mentioned in the Constitutions and Canons Ecclesiasticall as also when any being summoned to appeare before ecclesiasticall authority will contemptuously refuse c. The Lord Christ Iesus hath in his Gospell given an everlasting generall rule If any one neglect to heare the Church let him be unto thee as an n Mat. 18.17 Heathen man and a Publicane CHAP. 63. Of Confession and Absolution in particular manner BEsides the generall Confession and Absolution to be said and pronounced in the beginning of the Divine Service and afore receiving the holy Communion holy Church hath ordained that a private may be made In the second Exhortation to be read afore the Communion it is said Because it is requisite that no man shold come to the holy Communion but with a full trust in Gods mercy and with a quiet conscience therefore if there be any of you which by the meanes aforesaid cannot quiet his owne conscience but requireth further comfort or counsell then let him come to me or some other discreet and learned Minister of Gods Word and open his griefe that he may receive such ghostly counsell advice and comfort as his conscience may be relieved and that by the ministery of Gods Word he may receive comfort and the benefit of absolution to the quieting of his conscience and avoyding of all scruple and doubtfulnesse In the Rubricke of the Service for the Visitation of the Sicke it is said The sicke person shall make a speciall confession if he feele his conscience troubled with any weighty matter After which confession the Priest shall absolve him after this sort * The forme of absolution used to one in particular Our Lord Iesus Christ who hath left power to his Church to absolve all sinners which truely repent and beleeve in him of his great mercy forgive thee thine offences and by his authority committed to me I absolve thee from all thy finnes In the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost Amen Concerning Confession the Church in the 113. Canon delivereth That if any man confesse his secret and hidden sinnes to the Minister for the
* T. 1. p. 48. Homily concerning Charity it is said Charitie hath two Offices the one contrary to the other and yet both necessary to be used upon men of contrary sort and disposition The one Office of Charitie is to cherish good and harmelesse men c. The other Office of Charity is to rebuke correct and punish vice without regard of persons and is to be used against them onely that be evill men and malefactours or evill doers And that it is as well the Office of Charity to rebuke punish and correct them that be evill as it is to cherish and reward them that be good and harmelesse Saint Paul declareth writing to the Romanes saying That the high powers are ordained of God not to bee dreadfull to them that doe well but unto Malefactors to draw the sword to take * Rom. 13.4 vengeance of him that committeth the sin The Lord saith by Ezekiel that his Priests in controversie shall stand in judgement and they shall b Ezech 44.24 judge it according to my judgements The power of Gods Ministery in a Nation where the King is a c Isa 49.23 nourishing father of the Church and the people all professing to be Christians is of a different manner from where it is without such love of the supreame power towards it and where but a few are Professors of Christianity This may bee observed in the state of the Church of God the Nation of the Iewes from the time of Moses his rule over them untill they were carried away captive to Babylon That Gods Ministery had then another manner of outward power than it had under the Romane Empire untill the dayes of Constantine the great Moreover the Ministery of God after the Ascension of Christ not having the Magistrates helpe in their administration had from God d Mar. 16.20 Heb. 2.4 extraordinary power to cause fear in peoples hearts as Peter had concerning Ananias and Saphira his wife that they were both smote with sudden death which caused e Acts 3.11 great fear to come upon all the Churches Paul had power to cause Elimas the Sorcerer to be f Act 13.11 smitten with blindnesse Herod the Persecutor of the Christians was smitten with a g Act. 12.23 24 dreadfull death where after the Word of God grew and multiplied The Lord then wrought with his Ministers extraordinarily and confirmed the Word with signes following as the Apostle to the Hebrewes saith h Heb. 2.4 God also bearing them witnesse both with signes and wonders and with divers miracles and gifts of the holy Ghost according to his owne will CHAP. 65. Of visiting the sicke IN the Order for the Visitation of the sicke at the beginning of the Service thereto it is said The Priest entring into the sicke persons house shall say i Mat. 10.12 13. Luke 10.5 6 9. Peace be to this house and to all that dwell in it And that when he commeth into the sicke mans presence hee shall say kneeling down Remēber not Lord our iniquities c. Then there is prescribed a very Divine Exhortation divided into two parts wherewith the Minister is to exhort the sicke person the which is most profitable for all people to meditate on when they feele themselves ill at ease or in any adversitie And the Exhortation being read the Minister is to examine whether he continueth in beliefe of all the Articles of the Christian faith and whether he be in charity with all the world c. And to exhort him for to set his state in order whereto men when they be in health should be oft admonished and earnestly to move him to liberalitie toward the poore because it is the last Almes that ever hee shall give The Church hath ordained an Homily an Exhortation against the feare of death to be read unto the people And if the sicke person can well indure to heare the reading of it he may be much comforted by the same The visitation of the sicke is one of the k Mat. 25.35.26 sixe duties of Charitie whereof Iesus Christ will speake when he sitteth to judge all Nations That it is also a worke l Iam. 5.14 with Heb. 5.1.2 3 4 5. Ministeriall S. Iames in his Epistle plainely expresseth It is the last kindnesse that one can shew unto another whiles being is in earthly Tabernacle Man being in that misery desireth to be visited And one reason is that thereby hee hopeth either bodily or ghostly to receive the more comfort Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to m Iam. 1.27 visite the fatherlesse and widowes in their affliction and to keepe himselfe unspotted from the world It is written for our learning That when Iobs three friends heard of his calamitie they made an appointment together to come for to n Iob 2.11 Rom. 12.15 mourne with him and to comfort him Saint Paul saith blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of mercies and God of all comfort who comforteth us in all our tribulation that we may be able to o 2 Cor. 1.3.4 comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith wee our selves are comforted of God Iesus the sonne of Sirach saith Bee not slow to p Ecclus. 7.34 35. visite the sicke for that shall make thee to bee beloved It is the duty of the sick to send for their Minister as Saint Iames saith Let him * Iam. 5.14 send for the Elders of the Church And therefore it is said in Articles of our Church discipline Whether doth your Minister visite the sicke when he is thereunto desired to comfort and instruct them CHAP. 66. Of the Communion of the sicke VVHereas in the * T. 2. p. 199. Homily concerning the Sacrament the Communion is said To bee a salve of immortality and soveraigne preservative against death and in the Catechisme it is called a refreshing therefore not without cause doth the conscience of the sicke sometimes desire it Wherefore holy Church in the Rubricke afore that Service saith If the sicke person be not able to come unto the Church and yet is desirous to receive the Communion in his house then he must give knowledge over-night or else early in the morning to the Curate signifying also how many be appointed to Communicate with him c. In the Rubricke of the same Service the Church delivereth also most comfortable counsell saying But if any man either by reason of extremitie of sicknesse or for want of warning in due time to the Curate or for lacke of company to receive with him or by any other just impediment doe not receive the Sacrament of Christs body and blood then the Curate shall instruct him that if he doe truly repent him of his sinne and stedfastly beleeve that Iesus Christ hath suffered death upon the Crosse for him and shed his blood for his Redemption earnestly remembring the benefits he hath
thereby and giving him hearty thankes therefore he doth eate and drinke the body and blood of our Saviour Christ profitably to his soules health although he doe not receive the Sacrament with his mouth Our Mother the Church who according to her godly wisedome was the first causer of Temples to be built in this Land and the first appointer of the Parishes unto them hath ordained the Temples to be the ordinary places for receiving the holy Sacrament But in cases of necessitie when people cannot with any conveniency come or be brought into the Temple her Divine Wisdome hath appointed such to receive in their private house The Passeover which was even of like signification as the Communion is was kept in q Exod. 12.3 4. Mat. 26.18 private houses So in the Primitive Church it is said The Disciples came together into a r Act. 20.7 8 9. Jta Syrus interpretatus est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 At Arabs optime ad frangen dum vel distribuendum corpus Messiae house for to breake bread that is to * celebrate the Communion Christ saith ſ Mat. 18.20 Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them Saint Paul said to the Romanes Greet the Church which is in the t Rom. 16.5 house of Aquila and Priscilla These Scriptures are here alleaged for to illustrate the lawfulnesse of receiving the Communion in private house according as the law of the Church alloweth but not in any otherwise And that Christs body and blood is profitably unto the soules health received sometimes without the Sacrament whē as the Sacrament cannot conveniently bee received that delivery of Christ declareth where he saith Except ye u Ioh. 6.53 54 55 56 57 47. eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood ye have no life in you Who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternall life c. He that beleeveth on me hath everlasting life Behold saith Christ I stand at the doore and knocke If any man heare my voyce and open the doore I will come into him and will sup with him and w Rev. 3.20 he with me But the holy Sacrament is in no wise to be neglected but with all due reverence to be received when as it may conveniently and lawfully bee ministred because it is Gods ordinary meanes whereby his people spiritually eate the flesh of Christ and drinke his blood CHAP. 67. Of Buriall of the dead IN the Rubricke before the Service thereof it is said The Priest meeting the corpes at the Church stile shall say or else the Priest and Clerkes shall sing and so goe either into the Church or towards the grave I am the x Iohn 11.25 26. resurrection and the life saith the Lord He that c. Vpon Christs words concerning Mary the sister of Lazarus that she was come afore hand to annoynt his body to the burying Tremellius a Iew by Nation but a Christian by profession in religion and famous in the Church of God for his translation of the Scriptures forth of Hebrew Chaldean and Syriacke relateth out of * Vide Tremellianam Annotationem ad Mar. 14.6 Iudaicall Antiquity That it was the manner of the Iewes among sundry Ceremonies and Services used about the dead as annoynting washing wrapping in linnen laying it on a Beere c. before they committed the body to the ground first to utter certaine sentences written by their Ancestors or Elders to bee said at this occasion in which funerall Service Gods Iustice is commended and mans sinnes aggravated by which they deserved death and God is beseeched so to exercise his Iustice that he would not forget that he is Mercy also And the Corpes being interred some things also are said as unto the Mourners for their consolation This saith hee was a custome in Israel which in time past was the peculiar people of God and a godly custome not much unlike is now in Englād used at a buriall unto the magnifying of Gods Iustice the condemning of mans sinne the meeke beseeching of Gods mercy through Iesus Christ and the comforting of the sorrowfull upon the occasion And to performe such funerall Service is it not onely proper to the Ministery which is the ordinary y Ios 9.14 mouth of God unto the people and of the people unto God Christ saith It becommeth us to fulfill all z Mat. 3.1 5. righteousnesse The Apostle saith a Phil. 4.8 Whatsoever things are of good report if they be of any vertue or praise they are to be thought upon and observed b 1 Cor. 14.40 All things are to be done decently and in order Ancient orders and customes ordained by the weighty deliberation of forefathers which may be used without any superstition and doe tend onely unto piety and humanity are according as the Church concerning them prescribeth with all conscionable care to be retained performed Yea the Church now greatly esteemeth deliveries of Antiquity as it may appeare where it is said in the Service for Consecration of Bishops That the Archbishop sitting in a Chair shal say this to him that is to be Consecrated Brother forasmuch as holy Scripture A Prayer of Chrysostome is a part of the Letany In the Homilies there are sayings of all the Fathers alleaged with much respect and the old Canons commandeth c. S. Ambrose his song is a part of the Morning Divine Service the Confession of faith composed by Athanasius and the Nicene Creed are therein likewise Read the 34. Article of Religion CHAP. 68. Of the reverence to bee done unto Almighty God in his Worship HOly Church in her Prayer for the whole state of Christs Church militant here in earth prescribeth unto us for to say And to all thy people give thine heavenly grace and specially to this congregation here present that with meeke heart and due reverence they may heare and receive thy holy word In the first part of the * T. 2. p. 1. Homily concerning the right use of the Church or Temple of God and of the reverence due unto the same it is said Where there appeareth at these dayes great slacknesse and negligence of a great sort of people in resorting to the Church there to serve God their heavenly Father according to their most bounden duty as also much uncomely and unreverent behaviour of many persons in the same when they bee there assembled and thereby may just feare arise of the wrath of God and his dreadfull plagues hanging over our heads for our grievous offences in this behalfe among other many and great sinnes which wee daily and hourely commit before the Lord. In the second part of the said * P. 8. Homily the Church saith And indeed concerning the people and multitude the Temple is prepared for them to be hearers rather than speakers considering that aswell the word of God is there read or taught whereunto they are bound
after Saint Origens mind Whosoever hath not a d Luke 8.18 speciall mind to that thing that is commanded or taught of God he that doth not listen unto it embrace and print it in his heart to the intent that he may duly e Mat. 7.24 Iam. 1.22 23 24 25. fashion his life thereafter he is plainly turned from God although he doe other things of his owne devotion and minde which to him seeme better and more to Gods honour It is to be considered that teaching by Sermon or Homily is a part of Gods publike worship and therefore all are to demeane themselves with due reverence in hearing the same That publike teaching is a worship of God it may appeare out of Christs words saying They f Mat. 15.9 worship me in vaine teaching for doctrines the commandements of men In which words Christ signifieth that such doe worship him unto good purpose which teach for doctrines Gods Commandements Also that * Yea also it is plainely signified in the first part of the sacred Homily concerning the right use of the Church T. 2. p. 6. where it is said The Temple or Church is the house of the Lord for that the Service of the Lord as teaching and hearing of his holy Word calling upon his holy name giving thanks to him for his great and innumerable benefits and due ministring of his sacraments is there used preaching is a part of Gods publike worship and so to be accounted by all true Christians and to be heard with all due reverence it is manifest out of the Act of Parliament set in the beginning of the booke of Common Prayer where it is said All and every person and persons inhabiting within this Realme or any other the Kings Majesties dominions shall diligently and faithfully having no lawfull or reasonable excuse to be absent endeavour themselves to resort to their Parish Church or Chappell accustomed or upon reasonable let thereof to some usuall place where common Praier and such Service of God shal be used in such time of let upon every Sunday and other dayes ordained and used to bee kept as holy dayes and then and there to abide orderly and soberly during the time of Common Prayer Preachings or other Service of God there to be used and ministred upon paine of punishment by the censures of the Church CHAP. 69. Of good workes in generall IN the Collect appointed to bee read on the 17. Sunday after Trinity it is said Lord we pray thee That thy grace may alwayes prevent and follow us and make us continually to be given to all good works through Iesus Christ our Lord. In the second part of the * T. 1. p. 55. Homily concerning falling from God it is said By these threatnings meaning such as Isaiah mentioneth in his fift Chapter wee are monished and warned that if we which are the chosen vineyard of God bring not forth good grapes that is to say good works that may be delectable and pleasant in his sight when he looketh for them when he sendeth his messengers to call upon us for them but rather bring forth g Isa 5.1 2 3 4 5 6. wilde grapes that is to say sowre workes unsavory and unfruitfull then he will plucke away all defence c. In the first part of the * T. 2. p. 82. Homily concerning fasting it is said Saint Paul therefore teacheth that we must doe good workes for divers respects First to shew our selves obedient children unto our heavēly Father who hath h Ephes 2.10 ordained them that we should walke in them Secondly for that they are good i Iam. 2.18 20 26. declarations and testimonies of our justification Thirdly that others seeing our good workes may the rather by them be stirred up and excited to k Mat. 5.16 glorifie our Father which is in heaven Let us not therefore be slacke to doe good workes seeing it is the will of God that wee should walke in them assuring our selves that at the last day every man shall receive of God for his labour done in true faith a l Psal 19.11 greater reward than his works have deserved It is also in the said * p. 85. part delivered Good workes are not all of one sort For some are of themselves and of their owne proper nature alwayes good as to love God above all things to love thy neighbour as thy selfe to honour thy father and mother to honour the higher powers to give to every man that which is his due and such like Other workes there bee which considered in themselves without further respect are of their owne nature meerly indifferent that is neither good nor evill but take their denomination of the use and end whereto they serve which workes having a good end are called good workes and are so indeed but yet that commeth not of themselves but of the good end whereunto they are referred Of this sort of works is m Zechar. 7.5 6. fasting c. In the first part of the * T. 1. p. 30. Homily of good workes it is said Even as the picture graven or painted is but a dead representation of the thing it selfe and is without life or any manner of moving so be the workes of all n Isa 64.6 unfaithfull persons before God They doe appeare to bee lively workes and indeed they be but dead not availing to the everlasting life They be but shadowes and shewes of lively and good things and not good and lively things indeed * p. 31. Againe it is said There is one worke in the which be all good workes that is faith which o Gal. 5.6 worketh by charity If thou have it thou hast the ground of all good workes When the Iewes asked of Christ what they should doe not worke good workes he answered This is the p Ioh. 6.29 worke of God to beleeve in im whom he sent so that he called faith the worke of God And assoone as a man hath faith anon he shall flourish in good workes for faith of it selfe is full of good works and q Heb. 11.6 nothing is good without faith * p. 20. True faith doth give life to workes and out of such faith r Psal 116.10 2 Cor. 4.13 come good workes that be very good workes indeed and without faith no good worke is good before God as saith S. Augustine In the second part of the * p. 32. Homily concerning good works it is said Now to goe forward to the third part that is what manner of workes they be which spring out of true faith and lead faithfull men unto everlasting life This cannot be knowne so well as by our Saviour Christ himselfe who was asked of a certain great man the same question What ſ Mat. 19.16 17. workes shall I doe said a Prince to come to everlasting life To whom Iesus answered If thou wilt come to everlasting life keepe the Commandements So that
the great indignation and curse of God against them in this life and the terrible wrath and judgement of our Saviour Christ at the great day of the last judgement when he shall justly judge both the quicke and the dead according to their workes For whosoever forsaketh the truth for love or displeasure of any man or for lucre and profit to himselfe doth forsake Christ and with Iudas betray him And although such perjured mens falshood be now kept secret yet it shall be opened at the last day when the secrets of all mens hearts shall be manifest to all the world And then the truth shall appeare and accuse them and their owne conscience with all the blessed company of heaven shall beare witnesse truely against them And Christ the righteous Iudge shall then justly condemne them to everlasting shame and death As in a great part of the booke intituled God and the King we may find much divine instruction concerning taking a lawful oath so where there is delivered the nature of an oath in generall it is much remarkeable It is * there said An oath is a most sacred bond and with a secret terrour imprinted by the immediate singer of God in the taking thereof doth so straitly oblige the inmost soule and conscience that although many men bee obdurate unto other grievous sinnes yet they will be tender and sensible of the violation of an oath Very often saith Saint Augustine men provoke their wives whom they suspect to bee adulterous to cleere themselves by an oath which they would not doe unlesse they did beleve that those which feare not adultery may feare perjurie For indeed saith hee some unchast women which have not feared to deceive their husbands by wantonnesse have beene afraid to use God unto them as a witnesse of their chastitie When one layeth his hands upon the Gospell booke and signifieth that according as he testifieth the truth so he expecteth and desireth helpe from God and the contents of that booke he sweareth by or taketh for witnesse the everlasting word of the Lord Iesus Christ in praying for benefit by that word according as then hee beareth witnesse unto the truth To sweare therefore by the everlasting word of God is an high oath For David saith Thou hast magnified thy word n Psal 138.2 above all thy name CHAP. 74. Of Honouring the Ministery IN the Preface afore the booke of ordering Bishops Priests and Deacons it is said That from the Apostles time there hath beene these orders of Ministers in Christs Church which officers were evermore in p. 18. had in such reverent estimation that no man by his owne private authority might presume to execute any of them except he were first called c. In the rubricke afore the Service for the ordering of Deacons it is said First when the day appointed by the Bishop is come there shall be an exhortation declaring the duty and office of such as come to be admitted Ministers how necessarie such orders are in the Church of Christ and also how the people ought to esteeme them in their vocation Saint Paul said to the Thessalonians Wee beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteeme them very o 1 Thes 5.12 13. highly in love for their workes sake And unto Timothy he saith Let the Elders that rulewell be counted worthy of p 1 Tim. 5.17 double honour especially they who labour in the word and doctrine And unto the Corinthians hee saith Let a man so q 1 Cor. 4.1.2 account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the mysteries of God Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithfull Iesus the sonne of Syrach saith Feare the Lord with all thy soule and r Eccsus 7.29 30 31. reverence his Priests Love him that made thee with all thy strength and forsake not his Ministers Feare the Lord and honour the Priest and give him his portion as it is commanded thee c. The Lord saith in his Law Take heed to thy selfe that thou Å¿ Deut. 12.9 forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth Saint Paul saith to the Galathians Let him that is taught in the Word t Gal. 6.6 communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things And unto Timothy he saith The labourer is u 1 Tim. 5.17 18. worthy of his reward To the Corinthians he saith The Lord hath ordained that they which preach the Gospell should w 1 Cor. 9.14 live of the Gospell It is written that Melchisedek having ministred to Abraham bread and wine and having blessed him Abraham gave him x Gen. 14.20 Tithes of all It is recorded of certaine women whom Iesus had healed of evill spirits and infirmities Mary Magdalen and Ioanna the wife of Chuza Herods Steward and Susanna and many others to have ministred unto Christ of their y Luk. 8.2 3. substance It is also written that when people went to a man of God for to receive information they caried some z 1 Sam. 9.7 8. 1 Kings 14.3 2 Kings 8.8 present with them as a token of due thankfulnesse The Ministers of Almighty God are to be a Heb. 13.17 Deut. 17.12 obeyed to bee b Hag. 2.11 Mal. 2.7 consulted with diligently to bee c Neh. 8.3 Acts 10.33 Ecclus. 8.8 9. Psal 84.10 and 121.1 heard when they teach to be credited People may not d Hos 4.4 strive with them but ought so much as they may to e 1 Cor. 16.11 preserve them from being despised and from being put in feare Also the blessing with which the Priests of God doe f Num. 6.23.24 25 26 27. Ezech. 44.30 blesse people is much to be regarded CHAP. 75. Of using the Perambulation of the Circuit of the Parish called going a Procession IN the * T. 2. p. 234. Homily an exhortation to bee spoken to such Parishes where they use their Perambulation in Rogation weeke for the oversight of the bounds and limits of their Towne it is said Although we be now assembled together good Christian people most principally to laud and thanke Almighty God for his great benefits by beholding the fields replenished with all manner of fruit to the maintenance of our corporall necessities for our food and sustenance and partly also to make our humble suits in prayers to his fatherly providence to conserve the same fruits in sending us seasonable weather whereby we may gather in the said fruits to that end for which his fatherly goodnesse hath provided them yet have we occasion secondarily given us in our walkes on those dayes to consider the old ancient bounds limits belonging to our Township and to other our neighbours bordering about us to the intent that wee should be content with our owne and not contentiously strive for others to the breach of charity by any incroching
to afflict his soule is it to bow downe his head as a Bulrush and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him wilt thou call this a fast and an acceptable day to the Lord Is not this the fast that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickednesse to undoe the heavie burdens and to let the oppressed goe free and that yee beake every yoake is it not to deale thy bread to the hungry and that thou bring the poore that are cast out to thy house when thou seest the naked that thou cover him and that thou hide not thy selfe from thine owne flesh Moreover that there ought to be made fervent prayer in the fasting dayes of the foure Ember-weekes it is signified in an Exhortation at the consecrating of an Elected Bishop where the Archbishop saith Brethren it is written in the Gospell of Saint Luke that our Saviour Christ continued the b Luke 6.12 13. whole night in the prayer or ever that hee did choose and send forth his twelve Apostles It is written also in the Acts of the Apostles that the Disciples which were at Antioch did c Act. 13.1 2 3. In every solemne fast wee ought to give some almes fast and pray or ever that laid hands upon or sent forth Paul and Barnabas Whereas Isaiah signifieth that the use which is to be made of fasting is charitablenesse some observe that when one fasteth hee is to give somewhat to the poore what hee hath spared from his owne selfe to let some poore member or members of Christ to bee comforted therewith CHAP. 78. Of Conversion Repentance and Regeneration IN the * T. 1. p. 53. Homily concerning Falling from God it is said out of Saint Origen He that with minde with study with deeds with thought and care applieth and giveth himselfe to Gods Word and thinketh upon his Lawes day and night giveth himselfe wholly to God and in his Precepts and Commandements is exercised this is he that is turned to God or one converted Conversion is the charge of the streame of minde and life of meditation and conversation from following ones d Isa 55.7 8 9. owne will or the lusts of e 1 Pet. 4.2 others unto an unfeined indeavour for to know all the Commandements of f Mat. 28.20 Iohn 15.14 Christ and his g 1 Cor. 11.2 Icr. 35.18 19. Church and to live obediently unto every particular of the same Then saith David shall I not be ashamed when I have a h Ps 119.6 respect unto all thy Commandements If I i Ps 66.18 regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not heare me Ezekiel saith If the wicked k Ezek. 18.21 22. will turne from all his sinnes that he hath committed and keepe all my Statutes and doe that wâ—â—ch is lawfull and right he shall surely live he shall not dye Christ charged his Ministers to teach all Nations to observe l Mat. 28.20 all things whatsoever he hath commanded them He also saith Yee are my m Iohn 15.14 friends if yee doe whatsoever I command you And concerning the duty that all owe unto his n Luke 10 16. Church hee saith Who so heareth you heareth me and he that desoiseth you despiseth me and hee that despiseth mee despiseth him that sent me If any neglect to heare the o Mat. 18.17 Church let him be unto thee as an Heathen man and a Publicane When one is in converting or turning unto God he is said in holy Scripture p Luke 15.17 to come to himselfe to q Psal 22.27 remember himselfe to take his owne estate into r Ezech. 18.28 Of repentance consideration Concerning repentance it is said in the first part of the * T. 2. p. 256. Homily thereof There is nothing that the Holy Ghost doth so much labour in all the Scriptures to beate into mens heads as Å¿ Acts 17.30 repentance amendment of life and speedy returning unto the Lord God of hostes * p. 258. Afterward there is signified That repentance is a returning againe of the whole man unto God from whom wee bee t Rom. 3.23 fallen away by sinne But that the whole discourse therof may be the better born away wee shall first consider in order foure principall points that is from what we must returne to whom wee must returne by whom we may be able to convert and the manner how to turne unto God First from whence or from what things we must returne Truly we must returne from those things whereby wee have beene withdrawne pluckt and led away from God and these generally are our sinnes which as the holy Prophet Isaiah doth testifie doe u Isa 59.2 separate God and us and hide his face that he will not heare us But unâ—â—â— the name of sinne not onely those grosse words and deeds which by the common judgement of men are counted to be filthy and unlawfull and so consequently abominable sinnes but also the filthy lusts and inward concupiscences of the flesh which as Saint Paul testifieth doe w Gal 5.16 17. 1 Pet. 2.11 Rom. 7.23 resist the will and Spirit of God and therefore ought earnestly to be bridled and x Gal. 5.24 kept under We must repent of the y Isa 44.20 Isa 59.13 false and erroneous opinions that we have had of God and the wicked superstition that doth breed of the same the z Rev. 9.20 unlawfull worshipping and service of God and other like All these things must they forsake that will truely turne unto the Lord and repent aright For sith that for such things the a Eph. 4.6 wrath of God commeth upon the children disobedience no end of punishment ought to be looked for as long as we continue in such things Secondly we must see unto whom we ought to returne The Lord saith Returne as farre as unto mee We must labour that we doe returne as farre as unto him and that we doe never cease nor rest till we have b Phil. 3.12.13 14. Act. 17.27 apprehended and taken hold upon him But this must be done by c Eph. 3.17 faith For sith that God is a Spirit he can by no other meanes be apprehended and taken hold upon Therefore thirdly we are to consider by whom we must returne unto God because we have of our owne selves nothing to present us to God and doe no lesse flee from him after our fal then our first Parent Adam did who when he had sinned did seeke to d Gen. 3.8 hide himselfe from the sight of God Wee have therefore neede of a Mediatour to bring and reconcile us unto him who from our sinnes is angry with us The same is e Col. 1.22 Iesus Christ And hee himselfe in his Gospell doth cry out and say I am the f Iohn 14.6 way the truth and the life no man commeth to the Father but by mee * P. 259. Fourthly as concerning the manner of our
wherefore David having experience of Gods goodnesse in his deliverance from the hand of Saul said I will love thee O Lord my strength The Lord is my rocke and my fortresse and my deliverer my God my strength in whom I will e Ps 18.1.2.3 trust my Buckler and the horne of my salvation and my high tower I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to bee praised so shall I bee saved from mine enimies It proceedeth also from beliefe in God and in his word which beliefe God graciously giveth unto those that feare him and diligently pray for the same as Saint Paul signifieth to the Ephesians saying In whom wee have boldnesse and accesse with f Eph. 3.12 confidence by the faith of him Ieremiah saith Cursed bee the man that g Ier. 17.5.6.7.8 trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme and whose heart departeth from the Lord. But blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is The seventh duty is to call upon God The seventh duty to call upon God And that is to pray unto him David saith offer unto God thankesgiving and pay thy vowes unto the most High and h Ps 50.14.15 call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me It proceedeth also out of beliefe as it is written How shall they i Rom. 10.14 call on him in whom they have not beleeved People obedient to Christ and his k Mat. 18.17 Church which humble themselves and faithfully endeavour to observe all the ordinances of Christs Church have the promise to be heard when they call on the Lord and doe in the name and mediation of Iesus Christ aske such things as bee agreeable to his will as Saint Iohn saith Whatsoever we l 1 Ioh. 3.22 aske wee receive of him because wee keepe his Commandement and doe those things that are pleasing in his sight The eight duty is to honour Gods Holy name The eight duty To honour Gods holy name And for the performance thereof wee pray when we say Hallowed be thy name They that make conscience of breaking the third Commandement of m Exod 20.7 taking his name in vaine are such as have a regard to honour his n Mal. 3.16.17.18 name By the Name of the Lord is not onely meant a word or words proper to the Creator whereby he is distinguished from all creatures in speaking of him or unto him but also sundry other things whereby the Lord becommeth knowne unto us The name of the Lord is observed sometimes to signifie God himselfe his holy being which is infinite almighty c as where it is said The o Prov. 18.10 Name of the Lord is a strong Tower the righteous runneth into it and is safe Where name may signifie also power and protection So in Moses where it is said If thou wilt not observe to doe all the words of this Law that are written in this Booke that thou maist feare his glorious and fearefull p Deut. 28.58 Name The Lord thy God then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderfull c. It signifieth also the will and Commandement of God as where it is said whosoever will not hearken unto my words which my Prophet shall speake in my q Deut. 18.19 Name I will require it of him Officers under the Royall Majestie use the word name in the like sense when they say I charge thee in the Kings name c. It also signifieth the religion or worship of God as where it is said in Micah All people will walke every one in the name of his god and wee will walke in the r Micah 4.5 name of the Lord our God for ever and ever Other significations it is observed to have It is our duty to honour to reverence both with soule and body with heart and mouth and with due respect for to esteem whatsoever Name God is called by or knowne The Lord said by Samuel unto Eli Them that s 1 Sam. 2.30 honour me I will honour And his Omnipotencie looketh for honour to be performed by us unto him signifying it by his Prophet Malachie saying A sonne honoureth his Father and a servant his Master If then I bee a Father where mine t Mal. 1.6 honour And if I be a Master where is my feare The ninth duty To honour Gods holy word saith the Lord of Hosts unto you O priests that despise my name and yet yee say wherein have we despised thy name The ninth duty is to honour Gods holy word David saith I will worship towards thy holy Temple and praise thy Name for thy loving kindnesse for thy truth for thou hast magnified thy u Ps 138.2 word above all thy name Christ saith to his Father Sanctifie them through the truth thy w Ioh. 17.17 word is truth And David saith unto the Lord Thy x Ps 119.142 Law is the truth Now for to make mention of any sentence in any deliverie by the Kings Majestie or by the Parliament or by the Convocation without due reverence thereto is justly a lightnesse or rather a lewdnesse Likewise for to mention any sentence of holy Scripture Gods holy word without due reverence thereto both with heart and voice honouring it as a word that y 1 Pet. 1.23.24 25. endureth for ever and as that whereby we shall every one without respect of persons bee z Iob. 12 48. judged in the last day lightly to alleage any divine deliverie is by all that truely feare God judged to proceed from a heart full of impiety and iniquity Isaiah signifieth that wee are to a Isa 66.5 tremble at Gods word and in no wise to make jests with any of it or rashly to utter any part of it but when wee speake any portion of holy Scripture to have a most serious care that it may tend directly to the glory of God and as much as may bee to the b Eph 4 2â— edification of the hearers Also we are not onely at all times with feare and honourable respect to recite holy Scripture when wee have occasion thereto but also to bee obedient or obediently enclined unto every document thereof which wee mention Else our honouring of Gods word is but a c Mat. 15.8.7 lip honour whereof Christ saith This people draw nigh to mee with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips but their heart is farre from me Which doing Christ in the verse afore signifieth to be but a kind of hypocrisie Herein saith Christ is my Father glorified or his word honoured that yee beare d Ioh. 13.8.16 much fruit so shall ye be my Disciples He is not accounted a true honourer of the Lawes of a Realme which meerely with due regard doth rehearse them but hee that also conscionably endeavoureth to live according to every of them The tenth duty to serve God truly all the dayes of
saith to the Ephesians See then that yee walke circumspectly not as fooles but as t Eph. 5.5.16.17 wise redeeming the time because the dayes are evill Wherefore be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is To the Romans he saith u Rom 12.2 Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good that acceptable and perfect will of God Iesus the sonne of Sirach saith Doe nothing without w Ecclus 32.19 advice and when thou hast once done repent not Solomon saith He that walketh with wise men shall bee x Prov. 13.20 wise but a companion of fooles shall be destroyed The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge and the eare of the y Prov. 18.15 Of Iustice wise seeketh knowledge Concerning Iustice that is said to be a vertue whereby to every one his own is rendred or given Hereunto the Apostle exhorteth saying z Rom. 13.7 Render to all their dues tribute to whom tribute is due custome to whom custome feare to whom feare honour to whom honour a Isa 56.1 Isaiah saith Thus saith the Lord keepe ye judgement and doe justice Christ saith b Mat. 22.21 Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesars and unto God the things which are Gods Isaiah complained saying c Isa 59.4.14.15 None calleth for justice nor any pleadeth for the truth Iudgement is turned away backward and justice standeth afarre off for truth is fallen in the street and equity cannot enter Of Tempetāce Concerning Temperance it is defined to be the vertue which moderateth the pleasures of the flesh which are taken by tasting and touching Saint Paul saith d Rom. 13.14 Make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof The Lord Christ saith Take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be e Luke 21.34 overcharged with surfetting and drunkennesse and cares of this life and so that day come upon you unawares Every one saith Saint Paul that striveth for the masterie is f 1 Cor. 9.25 temperate in all things now they doe it to obtaine a corruptible crowne but we an incorruptible Iesus the Sonne of Sirach saith g Ecclus. 31.12 15 16 17 19 20 27 28 29. If thou sit at a bountifull Table be not greedy upon it and say not there is much meat on it Iudge of thy neighbour by thy selfe and be discreet in every point Eate as it becommeth a man those things which are set before thee and devoure not lest thou be hated Leave off first for manners sake and bee not unsatiable lest thou offend A very little is sufficient for a man well nurtured Sound sleepe commeth of moderate eating Wine is as good as life to a man if it bee drunke moderately Wine measurably drunke and in season bringeth gladnesse of the heart and cheerfulnesse of the minde But wine drunken with excesse maketh bitternesse of the minde with brawling and quarrelling There are more profitable instructions concerning temperance in the said Booke called Ecclesiasticus and many in the Bookes of Solomon and the rest of the Holy Scripture Of Forritude Concerning Fortitude or strength the other vertue it is delivered to bee that whereby painfull labours yea and the perils of death are both undergone and also unto the very end endured Solomon saith The wicked flee when no man pursueth but the righteous are h Prov. 28.1 bold as a Lyon Saint Peter saith If you suffer for righteousnesse sake happy are yee and bee not i 1 Pet. 3.14.15 afraid of their terrour neither bee troubled Saint Paul saith My brethren bee k Eph. 6.10.11 strong in the Lord and in the power of his might put on the whole armour of God that yee may be able to stand against the wiles of the Divell And to the Corinthians hee saith Watch yee stand fast in the faith quit you like men be l 1 Cor. 16.13 strong David complaineth that some set not their heart aright and whose spirit was not m Ps 78.8 9 10 stedfast with God The children of Ephraim being armed and carrying bowes turned backe in the day of battell They kept not the Covenant of God refused to walke in his Law The n Rev. 21.8 fearefull and unbeleeving c. saith Saint Iohn shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death The duty of Souldiers Such as are sent forth unto warre ought to pray for to bee endued with the spirit of fortitude and * Ps 144.1 and 18.39 valour They are also to remember the Gospels Cōmandement o Luke 3.14 Doe violence to no man neither accuse any falsely and be content with your wages It is the duty of all Christians to live prudently justly temperately and couragiously So shall they keepe the golden meane to doe nothing too much nor nothing too little So shall they observe the Scriptures rule p Prov. 4.27 Turne not to the right hand nor to the left remove thy foot from evill CHAP. 84. Of the seven gifts of Grace IN the first part of the Service of Confirmatiō or Bishopping it is prayed for such as receive that Blessing of the Church saying Strengthen them wee beseech thee O Lord with the Holy Ghost the Comforter and daily increase in them thy manifold gifts of Grace the spirit of wisdome and understanding the spirit of counsell and ghostly strength the spirit of knowledge and true godlinesse and fulfill them O Lord with the spirit of thy holy feare Sixe of these gifts of Grace are by the Prophet Isaiah reckoned up together and foretold should be in Iesus Christ where hee saith There shall come forth a rod out of the stemme of Iesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him the q Isa 11.2 spirit of wisdome and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledge and the feare of the Lord. In Iesus Christ dwelleth all the r Col 2.9 fulnesse of the Godhead bodily God gave not the spirit by ſ Ioh. 3.34 measure unto him And of his t Ioh. 1.16 fulnesse we all receive Hereby saith Saint Iohn wee know that we dwell in him and hee in us because he hath given us of his u 1 Ioh. 4.13 spirit And S. Paul saith If any one have not the w Rom. 8.9 Spirit of Christ the same is none of his He meaneth If one have it not in some measure In Baptisme some measure of Christs x 1 Cor. 12.13 Gal. 3.27 Spirit is received and in y Acts. 8.14.15.16.17 Bishopping an ampler measure thereof is obtained if one duly prepared according to the prescription of Holy Church doth submit to that Divine ordinance and receive the same Cōcerning Wisdome there is a memorable delivery of many sundry properties to bee therein in the
and unfainedly to y Rom. 8.29 Phil 3.13.14.15 strive to come neerer and neerer unto that marke Wee that are but z Wis 2.2 sparkes of spirit in small lumpes of clay if the Angels and Arch-Angels of heaven doe stand in a Iude. 9. awe of God ought to serve him acceptably with reverence and godly b Heb. 12.28.29 feare For our God is a consuming fire CHAP. 85. Of sundry fruits of the Holy Spirit IN the third part of the * T. 2. p. 119. Homily concerning Prayer it is said Because the soule is much more precious and excellent than the body therefore we ought first of all to crave such things as properly belong to the salvation thereof as the gift of Repentante the gift of Faith the gift of Charity and good Workes remission and forgivenesse of sinnes patience in adversitie lowlinesse in prosperitie and such other like fruites of the Spirit as Hope Love Ioy Peace Long-suffering Gentlenesse Goodnesse Meekenesse and Temperance which things God requireth of all them that professe themselves to be his children Saint Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians saith The c Gal. 5.22 23. fruit of the spirit is Love Ioy Peace Long-suffering Gentlenesse Goodnesse Faith or Faithfulnesse Meeknesse Temperance And on some of these nine there shall be now some briefe observation because they are matters necessary for our consideration in that if they be in any measure in us they are testimonies that we have the Spirit of God and are d Rom. 8.9 his In the first part of the * T. 2. p. 209 210. Homily for Whitsunday it is said O but how shall I know that the holy Ghost is within me some man perchance will say Forsooth as the e Mat. 7.16 17 18 19 20. tree is knowne by his fruit so is also the Holy Ghost The fruits of the Holy Ghost according to the minde of Saint Paul are these Love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faithfulnesse meeknesse temperance c. If thou see that thy workes be vertuous and good consonant to the prescript rule of Gods Word savouring and tasting not of the flesh but of the spirit then f 1 Iohn 3.18 19 20 21 24. assure thy selfe that thou art indued with the Holy Ghost otherwise in thinking well of thy selfe thou doest nothing else but g Iam. 1.26 Gal. 6.7 8 9. deceive thy selfe Of Love The first mentioned fruit of the Spirit is Love Saint Iohn saith Every one that h 1 Iohn 4.7 8. loveth is borne of God and knoweth God He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is Love By this shall all men know saith Christ that ye are my Disciples if ye have i Iohn 13.35 Love one to another In the fourth part of the * T. 2. p. 235. Homily for Rogation weeke it is said Love and charity is the onely k 1 Iohn 3.10 Livery of a Christian man Saint Paul unto the Corinthians reckoneth up sixteene properties of Love saying l 1 Cor. 13.4 5 6 7 8. Charitie suffereth long and is kinde Charity envieth not Charity vaunteth not it selfe is not puffed up doth not behave it selfe unseemely seeketh not her owne is not easily provoked thinketh no evill rejoyceth not in iniquity but rejoyceth in the truth beareth all things beleeveth all things hopeth all things endureth all things Charity never faileth The necessitie of Charitie is declared in many places of the Divine Service but in a most Divine manner in the whole Homily thereof The prayer therefore for it the Collect to be reade on Shrovesunday called Quinquagesima is profitable to be said often by us O Lord which doest teach vs that all our doings without Charity are m 1 Cor. 15.1 2 3. nothing worth send thy Holy Ghost and power into our hearts that most n 1 Cor. 12.31 excellent gift of Charity the very o Col. 3.14 bond of peace and all vertues without the which whosoever liveth is counted p Iam. 2.20 26 1 Tim. 5.6 Luke 15.32 Of Ioy. dead before thee The next fruit of the Spirit is Ioy. In the * T. 2. p. 210. Homily for Whitsunday the first part thereof it is said Who will not marvell at that which is written in the Acts of the Apostles to heare their bold confession before the Countill at Ierusalem and to consider that they went away with Ioy and gladnesse q Acts 5.41 rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer rebukes and checkes for the name and faith of Christ Iesus This was the mighty worke of the Holy Ghost who because hee giveth patience and joyfulnesse of heart in temptation and affliction hath therefore worthily obtained this name in holy Scriptures to bee called a r Iohn 14.16 Comforter The Lord saith Isaiah will comfort Zion he will comfort all her wast places and hee will make her wildernesse like Eden and her Desert like the Garden of the Lord ſ Isa 51.3 Ioy and gladnesse shall bee found therein thanksgiving and the voyce of melody The redeemed of the Lord shall returne and come with singing unto Zion and everlasting t Isa 35.10 and. 51.11 joy shall bee upon their head they shall obtaine gladnesse and joy and forrow and mourning shall flee away The third fruit of the Spirit is Peace Of Peace Peace in conscience is so precious a matter in this present world as that congregations are not to depart from Church untill the u Phil. 4.7 Peace of God which passeth all understanding or the like blessing bee said which the Church hath appointed For with the like manner of blessing did God in former times ordaine his Priests to w Numb 6.23 24 25 26 27. blesse his people the Iewes saying The Lord blesse thee and keepe thee the Lord make his face shine upon thee and bee gracious unto thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee Peace Sundry times doth the Divine Service most divinely informe us hereof saying O God which art Author of x 1 Cor. 141 33. Peace lover of y Ps 133.1 2 3 Eph. 4.16 cōcord c. And give unto thy servants that Peace which the world z Iohn 14.27 cannot give that both our hearts may be a Ps 108.1 set to b Mat. 228.20 obey thy commandements and also that by thee wee being defended from the feare of our enemies may passe our time in c Ier. 6.16 Ps 116.7 8 9. rest and d Isa 30.15 1 Pet. 3.4 Ps 31.2 quietnesse Most memorable is that Collect appointed to be read on the 21. Sunday after Trinity viz. Grant wee beseech thee mercifull Lord to thy faithfull people pardon and Peace that they may be e 1 Iohn 1.7 9. Ps 31.2 Ps 73.1.13 Iam. 4.8 cleansed from all their sinnes and serve thee with a f 1 Pet. 3.4 quiet minde In the third part of the * T. 1.
wherefore the earthly Prince should loath and abhorre the sight of us what paines would we take to remove and put it away How much more ought we with all diligence and speed that may be to put away that uncleane o 2 Cor. 7.1 filthinesse that doth p Isa 59.1 separate and maken division betwixt us and our God and that hideth his face from us that he will not heare us The Apostle to the Hebrewes saith Wee desire that every one of you doe shew the same q Heb. 6.11 12. diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end that yee be not sloathfull but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises To the Clergy Saint Paul saith Preach the Word be r 2 Tim. 4.2 instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine Solomon saith Be thou ſ Prov. 27.23 diligent to know the estate of thy flockes and looke well to thy heards In another place he saith Seest thou a man t Prov. 22.29 diligent in his businesse he shall stand before Kings he shall not stand before meane men Of Watchfulnesse IN the * T. 2. p. 252. Homily against Idlenesse it is said Let us u Iam. 4.7 1 Pet. 5.8 9. resist the Devill with our diligent watching in labour and in w 1 Pet. 4.19 well doing For he that diligently exerciseth himselfe in honest * See Mat. 12.44 where the originall of the word empty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also signifieth being idle businesse is not easily catched in the Devils snare Saint Paul saith unto Timothy x 2 Tim. 4 5. Watch thou in all things Christ saith y Mat. 26 41. Watch ye and pray lest ye enter in temptation What I say unto you I say unto all z Mar. 13.37 Watch. Of Contentednesse IN the * T. 2 p. 106. Homily against the excesse of Apparell it is said Let us content our selves quietly with that which God sendeth be it never so little And if it please him to send us plenty let us not waxe a Prov. 30.9 1 Tim. 6.17 18. proud thereof but let us use it moderately aswell to our owne comfort as to the reliefe of such as stand in necessity Afterward it is said Every Christian ought to content himselfe in our Saviour Christ thinking himselfe sufficiently * A most considerable sentence garnished with his heavenly vertues Saint Paul saith Godlinesse with b 1 Tim 6.6 7 8. contentment is great gaine For wee brought nothing into this world and it is certaine we can cary nothing out and having food and rayment let us be therewith content Let your c Heb. 13.5 conversation be without covetousnesse and be content with such things as ye have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Saint Paul said concerning himselfe I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be d Phil. 4.11 content Of Simplicity IN the * T. 2. p. 106. Homily against the excesse of Apparell it is said Let us take unto us simplicity chastity and comelinesse submitting our necks to the sweet e Mat. 11.30 yoke of Christ The Lord Iesus said to his Apostles Behold I send you forth as sheepe in the midst of Wolves be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmlesse or f Mat 10.16 simple as doves Saint Paul said to the Corinthians I feare lest by any meanes as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty so your minds should be corrupted from the g 2 Cor. 11.3 simplicity that is in Christ In another Epistle he saith He that giveth let him doe h Rom. 12 8. it with simplicity And I would have you wise unto that which is good and i Rom. 19.19 simple concerning evill Concerning himselfe he said Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in k 2 Cor. 1.12 simplicty and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world and more abundantly to you wards Singlenesse of minde is one of the heavenly vertues Let us heare what David saith of the contrary nature They speake vanitie every one with his neighbour with flattering lips and with a l Psal 12.2 3. double heart doe they speak The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things Of Zealousnesse IN the second part of the * T. 2. p. 131 132. Homily concerning the place and time of prayer it is said But now forasmuch as ye perceive it is Gods determinate pleasure ye should resort unto your Churches upon the day of holy rest seeing yee heare what displeasure God conceiveth what plagues he powreth upon his disobedient people seeing ye understand what blessings of God are given what heavenly commodities come to such people as desirously and zealously use to resort unto their Churches seeing also ye are now friendly bidden and joyntly called beware that ye slacke not your duty take heed that you suffer nothing to let you hereafter to come to the Church at such times as you are ordinarily appointed and commanded Ever memorable is that which the Lord said to the Angell of the Church of the Laodiceans I know thy workes that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou were cold or hot So then because thou art lukewarme and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouth As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be m Rev. 3.15 16 17 18.19 Ier. 48.10 as in the margent zealous therefore and repent Paul signified of some that had a n Rom. 10.2 zeale of God but not according to knowledge Hee telleth Titus therefore whereof all should be o Tit. 2.14 zealous namely of good workes Great also ought to be the zeale of every Christian concerning Gods house his Temple and every part of his publike worship and concerning every circumstance thereto ordained by the Church that nothing thereof be profaned but every particular with all due reverence used or performed according to the example of Iesus Christ of whom it is said that the p Iohn 2.17 zeale of his fathers house had eaten them up Of Modestie IN the * T. 2. p. 94. Homily against Gluttony and Drunkennesse it is said Almighty God to the end that wee might keepe our selves undefiled and serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse according to his word hath charged in his Scriptures so many as looke for the glorious appearing of our Saviour Christ to lead their lives in all q Tit. 3.12 13. sobriety modesty and temperance whereby wee may learne how necessary it is for every Christian that will not be found unready at the comming of our Saviour Christ to live sober minded in this present world forasmuch as otherwise being unready he r Mat. 25.10 11 12. cannot enter with Christ into glory And being
that we may with sure trust desire and crave the salve of his mercy bought and purchased with the blood of his dearely beloved Sonne Iesus Christ to heale our deadly wounds withall For surely if we doe not with earnest repentance g 2 Cor. 7 1. 1 Iohn 3 3. Iam. 4.8.9 cleanse the filthy stomacke of our soule it must needes come to passe that as wholesome meat received into a raw stomacke corrupteth and marreth all and is the cause of further sicknesse so shall we eate this wholesome Bread and drinke this Cup to our eternall destruction Thus we and not other must throughly h Ier. 7.5 Ps 119.59.60 examine and not lightly looke over our selves not other men our owne conscience not i Mat. 7.1 2 3 4 5. Ecclus. 19.8 other mens lives which we ought to doe uprightly truly with just correction Let as take heed we come not with our sinnes unexamined into this presence of our Lord and judge If they be worthy blame which kisse the Princes hand with a filthy and uncleane mouth shalt thou be blamelesse which with a k Mat. 23 25 26 27.28 stinking soule full of covetousnesse fornication drunkennes pride full of wretched cogitations and l Mat. 15.18 19 20. thoughts doest breathe out iniquity and uncleannesse on the Bread and Cup of the Lord The Church therefore in the Communion-Service saith Iudge therefore your selves brethren that you bee not judged of the Lord. Greatly and ever observable is the Counsell of Ieremiah in his Booke of Lamentations Let us m Ier. 3.40 search and try our wayes and turne againe unto the Lord. The Apostle saith to the Corinthians n 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether you bee in the faith prove your owne selves To the Galatians hee saith If a man thinke himselfe to bee something when he is nothing he deceiveth himselfe But let every man o Gal. 6.3 4 5. prove his owne worke and then shall he have rejoycing in himselfe alone and not in another David saith Stand in awe and sinne not p Ps 4.4 Commune with your owne heart upon your bed and be still Ezekiel saith Then shall ye q Ezek. 36.31 remember your owne evill wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loathe your selves in your owne sight for your iniquities and for your abominations The cause of the licentiousnesse of these times The neglect of this duty of examining and judging our owne meditations speakings and doings is the cause of the licentiousnesse of these times whereof it is complained by the Church in her 113. Canon Some about Easter time when they receive thinke a little upon themselves whether they bee in open variance with their next Neighbour and it may be before they goe to the Communion will signifie some condiscending unto a reconciliation But it is the custome with many within few dayes after Easter all the yeare long untill Easter come againe for to make no conscience of living in discord envying True Christians do not only at Easter but all the year long oftentimes take an examination of their whole conversation how it agreeth to the Commandements of the Gopel of the Lord Iesus Christ bearing alwayes in remēbrance Christs words viz. r Iohn 12.48 The word that I have spoken the same shall judge you in the last day And that of every ſ Mat. 12.36 37 idle word that men shall speake they shall give account in the day of judgement For by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned Also true Christians doe beleeve and often thinke or Saint Pauls words to the Corinthians viz. We must all t 2 Cor. 5.10 11. appeare before the judgement seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Also Saint Peters words And if ye call on a Father who without respect of persons u 1 Pet. 1.17 judgeth according to every mans worke passe the time of your sojourning here in feare Davids practice is written for our imitation who in Ps 119. saith w Ps 119.59 60.120.15.63.66.148.97 I thought on my wayes and turned my feet unto thy testimonies I made hast and delayed not to keepe thy Commandements My flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am afraid of thy judgements I will meditate in thy Precepts and have a respect unto thy wayes I am a companion of all them that feare thee and of them that keepe thy Precepts I have remembred thy name O Lord in the night and have kept thy law Mine eyes prevent the night watches that I might meditate in thy Word O how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day The neglect of examining and judging our owne mindes and lives by the rule of all the Commandements of Christs holy Gospell for to amend them according to his holy expresse word as wee are advertised in the last part of the most sacred Letany it is the cause of so much difference about religion now in the Christian world As many as have their eyes in their owne x Eccles. 2 14. heads and not in the corners of the earth onely upon others As many as obey Christs Commandement y Mat. 7.1 2 3 4 5. Iudge not that ye be not judged For with what judgement ye judge yee shall be judged and with what measure yee mete it shall be measured to you againe And why beholdest thou the Mote that is in thy brothers eye but considerest not the Beame that is in thine owne eye Or how wilt thou say to thy brother let me pull out the Mote out of thine eye and behold a Beame is in thine owne eye Thou Hypocrite first cast out the Beame out of thine owne eye and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy Brothers eye As many as doe not meerely talke of the strait gate and narrow way but also their owne selves with their whole heart z Luke 13.24 Mat. 7.13.14 strive to enter in at the same becomming a 1 Cor. 3.18 fooles that they may bee wise b Isa 55.7 forsaking all their imaginations and c Rev. 3.17 false riches and d Mat. 19.22 Ier. 4.14 possessions in spirit which they have received from the e 1 Cor. 2.12 spirit of the world not from the Spirit of God which are contrary to the testimony and approbation of Gods expresse Word and of the Divine Service of the Church of England As many as forsake their f Prov. 9.6 owne chosen way and onely walke in the g Ier. 6.16 Ps 139.24 old way according to the direction of the universall holy Scriptures and the prescription and instruction of our Mother the Church of England in her bookes of Divine Service who unfainedly strive to doe like David to h Ps 119.32 runne the way of Gods
Commandements to be i Ps 119.29 30 removed from the way of lying and to have God grant them his law graciously who choose the way of truth and lay Gods judgements before them who pray to be k Ps 119.33 taught the way of Gods Statutes for to keepe that way unto the end thereof who l Ps 119.14 rejoyce in the way of Gods Testimonies as much as in all riches who pray to be made m Ps 119.27 understand the way of Gods Precepts who pray to bee quickned or made lively in the way of the Lord who pray to God for to n Ps 138. â—3 24 search them and know their hearts to try them and to know their thoughts and to see if there be any * Or way of paine or griefe as it is rendred in the Margent wicked way in them and to lead them in the way everlasting Such as are like David thus affectioned doe honour the godly wisdome of the Church of England their Mother o Phil. 2.16 held forth in the books of her Divine Service and doe at length by the grace of our Lord Iesus and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost come into the p Act. 4.32 Ier. 32.39 unity of the most holy faith and upright life prescribed in the said sacred Bookes and in the other bookes of her Doctrine discipline established by publike coÌ„mon Authoritie But it is now with some as it is mentioned in holy Writ There is a generation that are pure their owne eyes and yet is not q Pro. 30.12 13 14. washed from their owne filthinesse There is a generation O how lofty are their eyes and their eye lids are lifted up There is a generation whose teeth are as swords and their jaw-teeth as knives c. Of such also the same Divine Writer saith All the wayes of a man are r Prov. 16.2 cleane in his owne eyes but the Lord weigheth the spirits Every way of a man is Å¿ Prov. 21.2 right in his owne eyes but the Lord pondereth the hearts To neglect examining judging and amending ones own selfe and to be a censurer of others is the damnable Pharisaicall nature Saint Luke recordeth that the covetous Pharisees heard Christs sayings and derided him And he said unto them Yee are they which t Luke 16.15 14. justifie your selves before men but God knoweth your hearts for that which is highly esteemed amongst men is an abomination in the sight of God And he spake this Parable unto certaine which u Luke 18.9 10 11 12. trusted in the uselves that they were righteous and despised other Two men went up into the Temple to pray the one a Pharisee the other a Publicane The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himselfe God I thanke thee that I am not as other men are Extortioners unjust Adulterers or even as this Publicane I fast twice in the weeke I give tithes of all that I possesse c. Christ tels the Laodicean Angel what he thought of himselfe saying Thou sayest I am w Rev. 3.17 rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poore and blinde and naked c. Saint Paul foretold that wisedome in ones own eies or selfe wisdome good opinion of ones owne wayes and the like spirituall pride would be the disease of the last dayes And he reckoneth it up in the first place of the seventeene reigning sinnes of these times saying unto Timothy This know also that in the last dayes perilous times shall come for men shall be x 2 Tim. 3.1 2 3 4 5. lovers of their owne selves c. not y 2 Cor. 13.5 examiners z 1 Cor. 11.28.31 judgers and a Ezech. 36.31 condemners of themselves according to the requiry of the holy Gospell Much considerable hereto is that ever memorable sentence of the Holy Ghost delivered by Saint Iohn Every one that hath this hope in him namely to be like God in holinesse and righteousnesse and to see him as he is when hee shall appeare b 1 Iohn 3.3 purifieth himselfe even as hee is pure The meeter of the fift verse in the 4. Psalme is memorable Sinne not but stand in awe therefore examine well your heart And in your chambers quietly see you your selves convert CHAP. 90. Of seeking Gods Kingdome and the righteousnesse thereof IN the prayer for raine it is said O God heavenly Father which by thy Sonne Iesus Christ hast promised to all that seeke thy Kingdome and the righteousnesse thereof all things necessary for their bodily sustenance c. In the booke of the Wisedome of Solomon it is said c Wisd 1.12 13 14 15 16. Seeke not death in the errour of your life and pull not upon your selves destruction with the worke of your hands For God made not death neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the living For he created all things that they might have their being and the generations of the world were healthfull and there is no poison of destruction in them nor the Kingdome of death * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inferoruÌ„ juxta vulgatam versionem atque Innianam or hell upon the earth For righteousnesse is immortall But ungodly men with their words and workes called it to them for when they thought to have it their friend they consumed to nought and made a covenant with it because they are worthy to take part with it In the first part of the * T. 2. p. 275. Homily against Disobedience and wilfull Rebellion it is signified That as long as in the first Kingdome the subjects continued in due obedience to God their King so long did God embrace all his subjects with his love favour and grace which to enjoy is perfect felicity whereby it is evident that d 1 Sam. 15.22 23. Ier. 7.22.23 obedience is the principall vertue of all vertues and indeed the very root of all vertues and the cause of all felicity But as all felicity and blessednesse should haue continued with the continuance of obedience so with the breach of obedience and the breaking in of rebellion all vices and miseries did withall breake in and overwhelme the world We were e Psal 51.5 shapen in iniquity and in sinne did our mothers conceive us f Iob 14.4 uncleane have we beene borne into this world And growing up in the world commonly when wee come to the yeares of discretion more or lesse there seizeth on us the g Psal 143.3 4. power of darknesse Other Lords h Isa 26.13 besides the Lord God have had dominion over us Satan hath had his i 2 Tim. 2.26 Eph. 2.1 2 3. kingdome more or lesse upon us But God would that wee should bee as his people the Colossians were whiles they were here in this world delivered from the k Col. 1.13 1 Pet. 2.9 power of
darknesse and translated into the Kingdome of his deare Sonne For which cause he sendeth to us his Ministers for to open our eyes and to turne us from darknes to light and from the l Acts 26.18 power of Satan unto God that we may receive forgivenesse of sinnes and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Iesus Christ But to attaine hereunto we are required to do our parts also namely to m Mat. 6.33 seek for Gods Kingdome and the righteousnesse thereof The Kingdome of God which now wee are to seeke is his Kingdome of n Rom. 5.21 grace and Christ saith Behold the Kingdome of God is o Luke 17.21 within you Holy Church hath authorized for our helpe in devotion a booke called The imitation of Christ wherein are very many most heavenly meditations and exhortations In the first Chapter of the second booke thereof there are very usefull observations hereto whereof wee may make good use in our seeking of Christs Kingdome And they are as followeth The Kingdome of God is within saith Christ p Ioel 2.12 Turne thee unto the Lord with all thine heart having q 1 Iohn 2.15 16 17. and 5.4 forsaken this wretched world and thou shalt r Mat. 11.29 finde rest for thy soule Learne to contemne Å¿ 2 Cor. 4.18 outward things and to addict thy selfe to t Col. 31.2 spirituall so shalt thou perceive the Kingdome of God to come unto thee For the u Rom. 14.17 Kingdome of God is righteousnes peace joy in the Holy Ghost which the wicked w Isa 57.20 21. enjoy not Christ will x Iohn 14.18 2 Cor. 6.16 come unto thee and comfort thee if thou make a y Luke 1.17 Isa 40.3 4 5. as in the Epistle for Saint John Baptists day sit resting place for him within thee For all his z Psal 45.13 glory and beauty is within there doth he gladly abide With the a Eph. 2.16 17. inner man doth he oftentimes walke and reason sweetly and b Prov. 8.31 delight himselfe pleasantly and agree notably and familiarly continue Goe too now O faithfull soule prepare thine heart for this Bridegroome that he may c Ps 101 â— c. Song 3.4 come unto thee and dwell within thee For thus he saith If any man love mee hee will keepe my word and my Father will love him and we will d Iohn 14.23 come unto him and will dwell with him The Preface afore the said booke which Preface is intituled A godly Preface made by him whosoever he was that translated this booke out of the Latine tongue into French is a most singular delivery of many foundations unto true devotion and very worthy every Christians often reading through Moreover as the Kingdome Rule Reigne Dominion sway and preheminence which God hath in his people is to be sought after within our inward man and to bee expected there to e 2 Pet. 1.19 arise begin and to be administred more and more by the f Rom. 8.14 Spirit of Iesus Christ so also the g Prov. 15.9 righteousnesse of that Kingdome is to bee seeked which the Spirit of Christ h Heb. 1.8 9. administreth not onely i Hos 10.12 inwardly within mans spirit but also so as it k Ps 15.2 Psal 119.1 2 3 4 5 6. worketh outwardly wherethrough every man woman which are subjects of Christs Kingdome of Grace are inflamed with fervent zeale and an unfained desire and striving to worke righteousnesse in every l Psal 106.3 Mat 7 23. Isa 33.15 Gen. 18.19 Mat. 7.12 particular matter of this present world And that therunto m Luk. 1.74 75 1 Iohn 2 29. and 3.10 tended Christs Kingdome of Grace it may appeare unto us out of the most holy delivery of the Church in the third collect for Grace where it is said Grant that this day we n Iude 2.4 fall into no sinne neither runne into any kinde of danger but that all our doings may bee ordered by thy governance or Kingdome to doe alwaies that which is righteous in thy sight through Iesus Christ our o Isa 32.1 and 61.1 2 3. Rom. 6 13 18 19. Phil. 4.13 1 Cor. 15.57 58. Lord. Amply and wonderfull gloriously have the Prophets and Apostles written of Christs Kingdome of Grace and the Lord Iesus Christ himselfe hath much expressed the mystery thereof by parables To be a subject of Christs Kingdome is the p Rev. 2.17 new name which none knoweth saving he that receiveth it Many are the q 1 Cor. 3.9 10 priviledges which the subjects thereof doe enjoy which are not thought of by such as sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death and have no desire to depart thereout and to seeke for to have the divine governance to bee Å¿ Eph. 4.15 16. 2 Pet. 3 18. more and more within them To conclude when by the enlightning of Christs holy Spirit we doe in see that the comming of his Kingdome of grace is to be attended for to be received inwardly in our spirits we must also remember what holy Church as it were inculcateth to us in the Gospell to bee read at Baptisme that wee for our parts are to receive it with such an humility of minde as is in a little child The Lord there saith Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not for to such belongeth the Kingdome of God Verily I say unto you whosoever doth not receive the Kingdome of God as a t Mat. 10.15 little child hee shall not enter therein One must forsake u Mat. 16 2â— Luk. 14.26.33 himselfe and all that he hath w 2 Tim. 3.2 selfe-love x Prov. 3.7 selfe-wisedome y Ier. 4.14 vaine thoughts z 2 Thes 2.12 1 â— Isa 28.15 untrue beliefes whatsoever spirituall possession in his minde which hee enjoyeth which the Spirit of God hath not given to him and enstated him in Ones soule must be as a a Psal 131.2 weaned child as David saith his was Also Christs Kingdome is to bee seeked with obedience unto the universall ordinances of Christs Church of us with all conscionable zealous obedience unto every particular ordinance of the Apostolical Church of England For every particular ordinance thereof as wel the ceremonial as the other serve to prepare us to introduct us to plant us and to establish us in the said divine Kingdome It may be * Such as submit themselves to yeeld obedience to the universall ordinances of the Church observe aspiritual fire in the disobedient observed in all places concerning all persons which refuse to yeeld obedience unto the ordinances of the Church of England that they have not peace in their b Eph. 5.6 Rom. 2.8.9 consciences because of their c Mat. 18.17 Luke 10.16 disobeying the wife or Spouse of Iesus Christ If that Almighty God so commended the
house of the Rechabites for keeping all the precepts and for doing according to d Ier. 35.18 15. all that they were commanded by Ionadab their father much more doth he expect that people should doe according to every particular which e 1 Tim. 3.15 Isa 2.2 3. Micah 4.1 2. Zech. 8.23 Act. 15.2 4 6 22. holy Church prescribeth unto them We are also hereto for to remember the counsell given by Isaiah f Isa 55.6 7. Seeke ye the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is neere We are to seeke afore the doore be g Mat. 25.10 11 12. shut against us and afore the master of the house be h Luke 13.25 26 27. risen up as Christ admonisheth The Lord by Hosea saith That it commeth to passe that there is a time when such as have dealt treacherously against the Lord which will not frame their doings to turne unto their God but retaine the spirit of Whoredome in the midst of them and not know the Lord but walke on in spirituall pride They shall goe with their flockes and with their heards to seeke the Lord but they shall not i Hos 5.6 find him he hath withdrawne himselfe from them Ieremiah signifieth of the manner of k Ier. 50.4 5. seeking the Lord where he saith In those daies and in that time saith the Lord the children of Israel shall come they and the children of Iudah together going and weeping they shall goe and seeke the Lord their God They shall aske the way to Zion with their faces thitherward saying Come and let us joyne our selves to the Lord in a perpetuall covenant that shall not be forgotten We are not to travell toward Canaan for to enjoy there the milke and honey retaining within our selves a lusting after the l Exod. 16.3 1 Cor. 10.6 fleshpots of Egypt Also unlesse we seeke the Lords kingdome with our m Ier. 29.13 whole heart we shall never finde it It is most memorable what is written in the booke of Chronicles That all Iudah had sworne with n 2 Chron. 15.12 15. all their heart to seek the Lord and sought him with their whole desire and he was found of them and the Lord gave them rest round about There are some that seeke as they say after Christs kingdome but it is according to the imagination of their owne heart and not according to the prescriptions expressed in Gods word and declared in the Divine Service of the Church And it commeth to passe with them as Isaiah saith o Isa 29.8 9 10. It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth and behold he eateth but hee awaketh and his soule is empty or as when a thirsty man dreameth and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint and his soule hath appetite So shall the multitude of all Nations bee that fight against mount Zion Stay your selves and wonder cry ye out and cry they are drunken but not with wine they stagger but not with strong drinke For the Lord hath powred out upon you the spirit of deepe sleepe and hath closed your eyes c. CHAP. 91. Of the Christian unity IT is the last of the complaints which the holy Fathers of the Church have made in the sacred prayer after the Letany in the last Fast booke There hath beene little or no care among us to keepe truth and peace together for the preserving of our Church State In the Collect for Simon and Iudes day wee are taught to pray Grant us so to bee joyned together in unity of spirit by the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles that we may be made an holy p Ephes 2.19 20 21 22. Heb. 3.6 1 Pet. 2.5 See also the margent temple acceptable to thee through Iesus Christour Lord. In the Collect for All Saints it is said Almighty God which hast knit together thy Elect in one communion and fellowship in the mysticall q Eph. 2.22 23. and 4.15 16. body of thy Sonne Christ our Lord grant us grace so to r Phil. 3.17 Heb. 13.7 follow thy holy Saints in all vertuous and godly living that we may come to those unspeakable joyes which thou hast Å¿ Isa 64. 4 5. Psal 31.19 Mat. 25.21 prepared for them that unfainedly love thee through Iesus Christ our Lord. In the prayer for the whole state of Christs Church militant here in earth it is said We beseech thee to inspire continually the universall Church with the spirit of truth unitie and concord and grant that all they that doe confesse thy holy name may * 1 Cor. 1.10 agree in the truth of thy holy word and live in t 1 Cor. 12.13.25 Ioh. 17.21.22.23 unity and u Eph. 4.16 Col. 2.19 Eph. 5.2 Ioh. 13.35 godly love In the Collect to be read after private absolution it is said Preserve and continue this sicke member in the w Ps 122.3 Act. 1.4 Eph. 5.3 Ps 133.1.2.3 unitie of the Church In the second Collect for Peace it is said O God which art Authour of peace and lover of concord c. In the Collect to be read on the fourth Sunday after Easter it is said Almighty God which dost make the mindes of all faithfull men to bee of one x Phil. 2.1 3.2.5 and 3.16 will c. In the sacred Letanie it is said That it may please thee to give to y Ps 67. Zechar. 14.9 Eph. 1.10 Is 11.9 all Nations unity peace and concord In the first part of the * T. 1. p. 89.90 Ps 22.27.28.29 Ezech. 37.22 Homily against contention it is said Among all kinds of contention none is more hurtfull than is contention in matters of Religion Eschew saith Saint Paul foolish and unlearned z 2 Tim. 2.23.24 questions knowing that they breed strife It becommeth not the servant of God to fight or strive but to be meeke toward all men This contention and strife was in Saint Pauls time among the Corinthians and is at this time among us English-men For too many there bee which upon the Ale-benches or other places delight to set forth certaine questions not so much pertaining to edification as to vaine glorie and shewing forth of their a 1 Tim. 6.20 cunning and so unsoberly to reason and dispute that when neither part will give place to other they fall to chiding and b 1 Tim. 6.3.4.5 contention and sometime from hot words to further inconvenience Saint Paul could not abide to heare among the Corinthians these words of discord or dissention I hold of c 1 Cor. 3.3.4.5 Paul I of Cephas and I of Apollo What would he then say If he heard these words of contention which be now almost in every mans mouth d Iam. 4.11 Rom. 14.12.13 Hee is a Pharisee he is a Gospeller he is of the new sort he is of the old faith hee is a new broched brother he is a good Catholike father
of the Lord Iesus Christ should onely live walke dwell rule and raigne Saint Paul unto Timothy signifieth that people till they bee penitent for their sinfull life and doe bring forth fruits meet for repentance are in the snare of the n 2 Tim. 2.26 Devill taken captive of him at his will Saint Iohn foretold how that o Rev. 20.2 7 8 9. Satan should bee bound a thousand yeares and after that he must bee loosed a little season when the thousand yeares were expired Satan should be loosed out of prison and should goe out to deceive the Nations which are in the foure quarters of the earth Gog and Magog to gather them together to battell the number of whom is as the sand of the sea And that they would goe up on the breadth of the earth and compasse the campe of the Saints about and the beloved City but fire should come downe from God out of heaven and devoure them Saint Paul likewise foreknowing how that in the time when Satan was let loose out of the prison wherein hee had beene bound a thousand yeeres p Mat. 24.12 iniquity would abound and the love of many would waxe cold foretelleth what sinnes would raigne then yea in the professours of the name of Christianity saying This know also that in the q 2 Tim. 3.1 2 3 4 5. last dayes perillous times shall come For men will be lovers of their owne selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents unthankfull unholy without naturall affection truce-breakers false accusers incontinent fierce despisers of those that are good traitors heady high-minded lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God having a forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof How mighty soever the Devill is and that he is like a roaring Lyon yet if the obedient people of God doe resist him Saint Iames saith that he will r Iam. 4.7 flee from them Saint Iohn saith He that is begotten of God keepeth himselfe and that ſ 1 Ioh. 5.18 wicked one toucheth him not Such as doe t Iam. 4.8 9 10. draw nigh unto God cleansing their hands and purifying their hearts submitting themselves unto God humbling themselves in the sight of the Lord unto such as Iames saith God draweth nigh he giveth grace he lifteth them up into u Ephes 1.3 and 2.6 heavenly places in Christ Iesus Iob the obedient child of God witnessed by God himselfe to be a perfect and upright man a fearer of God and an eschewer of evill was by Gods Almighty power and wisdome w Iob 1.1 10. hedged in round about so that the Devils hand could not reach him untill for a time and with x Iob 1.12 limitation there was permission Wonderfull is the providence of God for such as y Psal 34.7 9 18. feare him and have a religious and conscionable z Psal 119.6 respect unto all his Commandements It is ever remarkably signified in the prayer towards the end of the most sacred Letany That such in whom is the sighing of a contrite heart and of a spirit sorrowfull for committing sinnes are graciously heard so that those evills which the craft and subtiltie of the Devillor man worketh against them be brought to nought and by the providence of Gods goodnesse be dispersed that the obedient servants of Christ being hurt by no persecution according as the Eternall Wisdome seeth it most requisite to dispose may evermore give thanks unto God in his holy Church through Iesus Christ our Lord. CHAP. 94. Of the Seven deadly Sinnes SAint Paul a 2 Tim. 3.1 2 3 4 5. reckoneth up seventeene deadly sins that among many professours of the name of Christianity would raigne in these latter times And holy Church according to the delivery of godly antiquity in the third part of the * T. 2. p. 293 294. Homily against disobedience and wilfull rebellion saith Thus you see that all good Lawes are by rebels violated and broken and that all sinnes possible to bee committed against God or man be contained in rebellion which sins if a man list to name by the accustomed names of the seven capitall or deadly sinnes as Pride Envie Wrath Covetousnesse Sloth Gluttony and Lecherie he shall find them all in rebellion and among rebells c. We are taught to pray in the sacred Letany From fornication and all other deadly sinne and from all the deceits of the world the flesh and the Devill Good Lord deliver us Of Pride IN the first part of the * T. 1. p. 7. Homily of the misery of man it is said The holy Ghost in writing the holy Scriptures is in nothing more diligent than to pull down mans vaine glory and pride which of all vices is most universally grafted in all mankinde even from the first infection of our first father Adam And therefore wee read in many places of Scripture many notable Lessons against this old rooted vice to teach us the most commendable vertue of b 1 Pet. 5.5 humility how to know our selves and to remember what we be of our selves In the first part of the * T. 1. p. 52. Homily of falling from God it is said Of our going from God the wise man saith That c Ecclus. 10.12 13. Pride was the first beginning for by it mans heart was turned from God his maker For Pride saith he is the fountaine of all sin He that hath it shall be full of cursings and at the end it shall overthrow him And as by pride and sinne wee goe from God so shall God and all goodnesse with him goe from us In the * T. 2. p. 109. Homily against excesse of apparell it is said That people in hell too late repenting themselves shall openly complaine with these words d Wis 5.8.9.13 What hath our pride profited us or what profit hath the Pompe of riches brought us all these things are passed away like a shadow As for vertue wee did never shew any signe thereof and thus we are consumed in our wickednesse In the second part of the * T. 2. p. 214. Homily for Whitsunday it is said Saint Gregory saith Pride is the roote of all mischiefe And Saint Austines judgement is this that it maketh men devils And * T. 2. p. 216. afterward it is said Wheresoever ye finde the spirit of arrogancie and pride c. Assure your selves that there is the spirit of the devill not of God albeit they pretend outwardly to the world never so much holines For the spirit of Iesus is a e Mat. 11.29 a lowly spirit c. Habbakkuk saith Behold his soule which is f Hab. 2.4 lifted up is not upright in him but the just shall live by his faith Whereby the Prophet giveth us to understand that faith whereby Gods people doe live is a property quite cōtrary to loftinesse of minde Also God g Iam. 4.6 resisteth the proud but giveth grace to
is dressed receiveth blessings from God But that which beareth thornes and briers is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned And againe where hee saith If wee sinne g Heb. 10.26 27 28 29. wilfully after that wee have received the knowledge of truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes but a certaine fearfull looking for of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devoure the adversaries Hee that despised Moses Law dyed without mercy under two or three witnesses Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath troden under foote the Sonne of God and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite unto the spirit of Grace Or else sinne against the Holy Ghost is committed by such who will not at all bee made partakers of that holy Spirit but doe as did many Iewes to whom Saint Stephen said Ye stiffe-necked and uncircumcised in heart and eares Yee doe h Acts. 7.51 alway resist the Holy Ghost as your fathers did so doe ye They also of whom Solomon mentioneth are not much differing where it is said I Wisedome will powre out my i Prov. 1.23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32. spirit unto you I will make knowne my words unto you Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out mine hand and no man regarded but yee have set at nought all my Counsell and would none of my reproofe I also will laugh at your calamity I will mocke when your feare commeth When your feare commeth as desolation and your destruction commeth as a Whirlewinde when distresse and anguish commeth upon you Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seeke me early but they shall not finde me for that they hated knowledge and did not chuse the feare of the Lord. They would none of my Counsell they despised all my reproofe Many of the Pharisees among the Iewes were of such a condition who of set malice against Christ k Ioh. 7 7. witnessing unto them that their workes wee evill against the common light of reasō with which Gods holy Spirit endueth l Ioh. 1.9 Rom. 2.14.15 mankind even universally said that Iesus Christ did cast out Devils by m Mat. 12.24 Beelzebub the prince of the Devils when as they and their n Mat 12.27 children had received it as an infallible principle that Satan did not cast out Satan but that onely in o Mat. 7.22 Mat. 9.38.39.40 Gods name and by Gods power the evill spirit was cast out And therefore unto them thus wilfully and spitefully speaking contrary to their very consciences the Lord said p Mat. 12.31.32 All manner of sinne and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men And whosoever speaketh a word against the Sonne of man it shall bee forgiven him but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not bee forgiven him neither in this world neither in the world to come It most greatly therefore concerneth all which would in life death and for ever have Gods mercy in Iesus Christ to take heed that they at no time speake or doe against the true light of conscience remembring that it is a fearefull thing to fall into the q Heb. 10.31.30 avenging hands of the living Gods CHAP. 97. Of sundry of Gods Curses upon disobedient people IN the first part of the * T. 1. p. 54. Homily of falling from God it is said The displeasure of God towards us is commonly expressed in the Scripture by these two things by shewing his r Ps 34.16 Ps 6.1 fearefull countenance upon us and by turning away his face or by ſ Lam. 3.44 Isa 59.2 hiding it from us By shewing his dreadfull countenance is signified his great wrath but by turning his face or hiding thereof is many times more signified that is to say that hee clearly t Deut. 31.17 18. Ier. 33.5 forsaketh us and giveth us over When God doth shew his dreadfull countenance towards us that is to say doth send dreadfull plagues of sword famine or pestilence upon us it appeareth that he is greatly wroth with us But when he withdraweth from us his Word the * A delivery what the true Word preached is right Doctrine of Christ his gracious assistance and aid which is ever u Ier. 23.22 joyned to his Word and w 1 Sam. 28.15 leaveth us to our owne wit our owne will and strength he declareth then that he beginneth to forsake us In the second part of the said * T. 2. p. 57. Homily it is said What deadly griefe may a man suppose it is to be under the wrath of God to be forsaken of him to have his holie Spirit the Authour of goodnesse to bee taken from him to be brought to so vile a condition that hee shall bee left meet for no better purpose than to be for ever condemned in hell That place of x Isa 5.5 c. Isaiah sheweth that God at length doth so forsake his unfruitfull Vineyard that hee will not onely suffer it to bring forth weedes bryars and thornes but also further to punish the unfruitfulnesse of it He saith he will not cut it he will not delve it and hee will command the Clouds that they shall not raine upon it whereby is signified the teaching of his holy Word which Saint Paul after a like manner expressed by y 1 Cor. 3.6 planting watering meaning that hee will take that away from them so that they shall be no longer of his Kingdome they shall bee no longer governed by his holy Spirit they shall be put from the grace and benefits that they had and ever z Luke 19.42 44 Mat. 23.37 38. Ps 81.12 13 14 15 16. Isa 48.18 19. might have enjoyed through Christ they shall be deprived of the heavenly light life which they had in Christ a Iohn 15.4.6.5.7 Rom. 11.17 20 22 23. whiles they abode in him they shall be as they were once as men without God in this world or rather in worse taking And to bee short they shall bee given into the power of the Devill which beareth the rule in all them that be cast away from God as hee did in Saul and Iudas and generally in all such as worke after their owne wils the Children of mistrust and b Eph. 2.2 unbeliefe In the first part of the * T. 2. p. 5. Homily concerning the right use of the Church it is said We shall not in this life escape his heavy hand and vengeance for this contempt of the house of the Lord and his due service in the same according as the Lord himselfe threatneth in the first Chapter of the Prophet Aggeus after this sort c Hag. 1.9 10 11. Because ye have left my house desert and without company
99. Of sundry of Gods blessings upon obedient people in this present life IN the first part of the * T. 2. p. 5. Homily concerning the right use of the Church it is said If we would with diligence resort to the house of the Lord together to serve the Lord with one accord and u Zeph. 3.9 consent in all holinesse and righteousnesse before him wee have promises of benefits both heavenly and worldly Wheresoever two or three be gathered in my name saith our Saviour Christ there am I in the w Mat. 18.20 middest of them And what can bee more blessed than to have our Saviour Christ x Psal 16.11.6.5 Ezech. 48.35 among us In the second part of the * T. 2. p. 93.94 Homily of Fasting it is said Godwhich heard y 1 King 21.29 Ahab and the z Ionah 3.10 Ninevites and spared them will also heare our prayers and spare us so that we after their example will unfainedly turne unto him yea he will blesse us with his heavenly benedictions the time that we have to tary in this world and after the race of this mortall life he will bring us to his a Mat. 7.21 heavenly Kingdome In the second part of the * T. 2. p. 212. Homily for Whitsunday it is said Our Saviour Christ departing out of the world unto his Father promised his disciples to send downe another Comforter that should b Iohn 14.16 continue with them for ever and direct them into c Iohn 16.13 all truth The blessing pronounced at the end of Evening-Service namely d 2 Cor. 13.14 The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with us all evermore Is it not a great comfort to a soule for to enjoy all the same Saint Iohn accounted the fellowship with Gods Spirit the Sūmum bonum the supreame happinesse in this world where hee saith z Pet. 1.11 to the little children in Christ That which we have seene and heard declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us and truely our e 1 Ioh. 1.1 2 3 fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Iesus Christ And these things write wee unto you that your joy may be full In the * T. 2. p. 193. Homily of the Resurrection it is signified That untill the generall resurrection in the last day whiles wee now are in this world Gods holy spirit may be had within our hearts as a f 2 Cor. 1.22 seale and g Eph. 1.13.14 Rom 8.15 16.23 pledge of our everlasting inheritance Yea saith that sacred * T. 2. p. 192 Homily unto every true member of Christ Thou hast received Christs body to have within thee the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost for to h Ioh. 14.23 2 Cor. 6.16 dwell with thee for to endow thee with grace to strength thee against thine enemies and to comfort thee with their presence And againe Christ now entred within us how dare we be so bold to renounce the presence of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost for where one is there is God i Col. 3.11 Ephes 4.6 1 Cor. 3.16 17. and 6.19 all whole in Majesty together with all his power wisdome and goodnesse and feare not I say the danger and perill of so traiterous a defiance and departure In the first * T. 2. p. 180. Homily of the Passion it is said God give us all grace to follow Christs k 1 Pet. 2.21 1 Iohn 2.6 examples in peace in charity in patience and sufferance that wee now may have him our ghest to enter and dwell within us so as we may be in full surety having such a pledge of our salvation If we have him and his favour we may be sure that we have the favour of God l Mat. 3.17 by his meanes In the third Exhortation afore the Communion it is said If with a true penitent heart and lively faith wee receive that holy Sacrament then we m Iohn 6.63.36 spiritually eate the flesh of Christ and drink his blood then we dwell in Christ and Christ in us we be n 1 Cor. 6.17 one with Christ and Christ with us In the * T. 2. p. 195. Homily of the Resurrection it is said Apply your selves good friends to live in Christ that Christ may still live o Gal. 2. 2 Cor. 4.10.11 in you whose favour and assistance if ye have then p Iohn 3.36 and 6.47 1 Iohn 5.20 have you everlasting life already within you then can nothing q Rom. 8.31 hurt you Whatsoever is hitherto done and committed Christ ye see hath offered you pardon and clearly received you to his favour againe in full surety whereof yee have him now inhabiting and r Rom. 8.9 10 11. Gal 4.6 1 Iohn 3.24 dwelling within you In the first part of Whitsunday * T. 2 p. 209. Homily it is said The Holy Ghost doth not thinke it sufficient inwardly to work the spirituall and new birth of man unlesse he doe also ſ 1 Cor. 3.16 dwell and abide in him In the first part of the * T. 1. p. 60. Homily against the feare of Death it is signified That a true Christian is the very t Ephes 5.30 member of Christ the u 1 Cor. 3.17 Temple of the Holy Ghost the w Rom. 8.14 15 16. Sonne of God and the very x Rom. 8.17 Iam. 2.5 inheritour of the everlasting Kingdome of Heaven Most memorable is that sentence of the Holy Ghost delivered by Saint Paul unto Timothy Godlinesse is profitable unto all things having promise of the life that y 1 Tim. 4.8 now is and of that which is to come David saith The Lord will give strength unto his people The Lord will blesse his people with z Psal 29.11 peace Wisedome saith in the booke of the Proverbs Whoso hearkeneth unto me shal dwell a Prov. 1.33 safely and shall be quiet from feare of evill And Solomon also saith b Prov. 3.16 17 18. Length of dayes is in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honour She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her Isaiah saith Since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the eare neither hath the eye seene O God besides thee what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him Thou c Isa 64.4 5. meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh righteousnesse those that remember thee in thy wayes Peter saith The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his eares are d 1 Pet. 3.12 open unto their prayers Hanani the Seer said The eyes of the Lord runne too and fro throughout the whole earth to shew himselfe strong in the e 2 Chro. 16.9 behalfe of him whose heart is perfect towards him David saith The Lord is
a Sunne and sheild the Lord will give grace and glory f Psal 84.11 no good thing will he with-hold from them that walke uprightly Saint Iohn saith Whatsoever we aske g 1 Ioh. 3.22 we receive of him because wee keepe his Commandement and doe those things which are pleasing in his sight And Isaiah saith unto Christs Church Behold the darknesse shall cover the earth and grosse darknesse the people but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory shall be seene upon h Isa 60.2 thee Saint Paul saith to the Ephesians In Christ also after that ye beleeved ye were i Ephes 1.13.14 sealed with that holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance untill the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory Yea Saint Peter signifieth that if faith vertue knowledge temperance patience godlinesse brotherly kindnes and charity be in us and abound we shall never k 2 Pet. 1.10 11. fall but so an entrance shall be ministred unto us abundantly into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Many more are the blessings which accompany Gods true Religion now in this life present which a devout soule may observe signified throughout all the Scriptures and the books of Divine Service Read Deuteronomy 28. Isaiah 60. and observe the 7. sundry blessings promised by Christ in Mat. 5. and to what conditioned people they are made likewise the 7. promises or blessings signified to the seven Churches of Asia in Rev. 2 3 CHAP. 100. Against separating from the Church of England by law established under the Kings Majesty in any manner IN the third part of the * T. 1. p. 36. Homily concerning good works it is signified That the world from the beginning untill Christs time was ever ready to l Exod. 32.1 7 8. fall from the Commandements of God and to seeke other meanes to honour and serve him m 1 Sam. 15.21 22 23. after a devotion found out of their owne heads and how they did set up their owne n Mat. 15.3 6 9. traditions as high or above Gods Commandements which hath happened also in our times the more it is to be lamented no lesse than it did among the Iewes and that by the corruption or at least by the o Mat. 13.25 26. negligence of them that chiefly ought to have preserved the pure and heavenly doctrine left by Christ What man having any judgement or learning joyned with a true zeale unto God doth not see and lament to have entred into Christs Religion such p 1 Tim. 4.1 2 3. false doctrine superstition idolatry hypocrisie and other q 2 Tim. 3.1 2 3 4 5. enormities and abuses so as by little and little through the sowre leaven thereof the sweet r Rev 11 3 7 8. bread of Gods holy Word hath been much hindred and layed apart For the reforming of the which the like things amisse the holy Fathers of the Church of England by the assent and consent of the Royall Majesty set forth the book of common Prayer the book of Homilies and the booke of ordering of Bishops Priests and Deacons for to declare the true worship of Almighty God and to be used in the publike performance of the same They also for the avoiding of diversities of opinions and for the stablishing of consent touching true Religion composed 39. Articles concerning fundamental matter in religion And for to keepe decency order and uniformity of Christian life throughout the whole Church there are made Constitutions Canons Ecclesiasticall 141. Moreover for the instruction of scholers in schooles and likewise for the use of all other people there is set forth by publike authority a Catechisme of a larger and of a shorter forme which is commonly called Nowels Catechisme And it expoundeth the 10. Commandements the 12. Articles of the Creed the 6. Petitions of the Lords Prayer and the Sacraments Baptisme the Supper of the Lord There is also the booke called God and the King which every subject ought to have for to be minded most constātly resolved according to the information of the same booke These aforesaid books are the bookes of the established doctrine discipline of the Church of England Now besides those books the law instruction or teaching of the Church our ſ Prov. 6.20 21 22 23. mother There is also the whole holy Bible by the appointmēt of the royal Majesty the ministery of learned Doctors in the Church t 1 Cor. 14.12.19 Hab. 22. Psal 67.2 set forth into our mother tongue and so published as that every man woman child may enjoy it for to u Ps 119.9 conforme their minds lives according to all the everlasting commandements of the same Seeing then that the Church of England doth thus w Phil. 2.16 hold forth the word of life eternall cherisheth nourisheth up her members therin even from their very infancie for so it is her ordinance that every particular person should be educated how greatly doe they sinne which doe in any manner x Iude 19. separate from her But some will say That shee her selfe is separated from other Christian Churches with which shee was at unity in times past Let us heare the words of the Church her selfe concerning this matter written in her 30 Canon where it is said So farre was it from the purpose of the Church of England to forsake and reject the Churches of Italy France Spaine Germany or any such like Churches in all things which they held and practised that as the Apologie of the Church of England confesseth it doth with reverence retaine those Ceremonies which doe neither endamage the Church of God nor offend the mindes of sober men and onely departed from them in those particular points wherein they were fallen both from themselves in their ancient integrity and from the Apostolicall Churches which were their first Founders There are others of sundry kinds which say we separate not from the Church but from her errors and from her superstitions or from her imperfections If any one will unpartially by all Gods expresse word examine what those wise ones in their owne eyes doe finde fault withall in any of the aforementioned bookes of the Church and what they doe y Isa 50.11 Ier. 16.20 setup to themselves for to follow hee cannot but by the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ which at length z Psal 25.12 13 14. Iohn 7.17 Mat. 7.7 8. bringeth every one into the way of truth which unfeinedly seeketh it for to walke faithfully therein unto his lives end plainly perceive that such have no more cause to separate in regard of any particular than others have in regard of the generall deliveries by the aforesaid Church of England in the bookes above named To God onely wise bee glory through Iesus Christ for ever Amen FINIS