and expresse testimonies In the 1 Chron. 25. it is expresly said of Ieduthuâ— and his soâ—â—es that their office was to prophesie with a Harpe to give thanks and to praise the Lord. In the second of Chron. 30. 21. wee read that the Levites and Priests praised the Lord day by day singing with loud Instruments unto the Lord. And as ye heard even now out of 1 Chron. 16. that David at the time when he brought up the Ark unto Jerusalem then first delivered the 105. and 95 Psalms into the hands of Aâ—… and his sonnes to confesse or give thanks unto the Lord. And lastly to leave no place for farther doubt wee read Ezra 3. 11. That the Levites the sonnes of Asaph were set with Cymbals to praise the Lord after the ordinance of David King of Israel And that they sung together by course in praising giving thanks unto the Lord because he is good for his mercy endureth for ever For this reason the foure and twenty Courses or Quires into which the singers of the Temple were divided by King David to serve in their turnes consisted each of them of twelve according to the number of the tribes of Israel that so every Tribe might have a mouth and voyce to praise and to give thanks unto God for him in the Temple Thus we have seene what warrant to pray and call upon God in a set forme hath from the practice of the Church of God in the old Testament And if reason may have place in the publike service of God where one is the mouth of many there is none so proper and convenient For how can the Minister be said properly to be the mouth of the Congregation in prayer unto God when the Congregation is not first made acquainted and privy to what he is to render unto God in their names which in a voluntary and extemporary Prayer they are not nor well can be I am sure neither so properly nor conveniently as in a set forme which both they and the whole Church have agreed upon and offer unto God at the same time though in severall places in the self-same forme and words And this may be a second reason I meane from Vniformity For how can the Church being a mysticall Body better testifie her unity before God then in her uniformity in calling upon him especially our Saviour telling us that if but two or three shall agree together on earth as touching anything that they shall ask it shall be done unto them of his Father which is in heaven So prevailable with Allmighty God is the power of consent in prayer Let us now in the last place see what reasons they bring who contend altogether for voluntary prayer and would have no set formes used First they say it is the ordinance of God that the Church should be edified by the gifts of her Ministers as well in praying as preaching Ergo their prayers should be extemporary or voluntary because in reading a set forme this gift cannot be shewn To this I answer First that there is not in this point the same reason for Prayer and for Preaching for in prayer I meane Publique the Minister is the mouth of the Church unto God and therefore it were convenient they should know what he puts up to God in their names but in preaching he is not so Secondly Why should not the Pastours and Ministers of the Church edify the Church by their gift of prayer as well in composing a set forme of prayer for her use by generall agreement as in uttering a voluntary or extemporary prayer in a particular Congregation Thirdly Are not the members of the Church to be edified as well by the Spirit of the Church as the Church or some part thereof by the Spirit of a member But how can the Church edifie her members by her gift of prayer otherwise then by a set form agreed upon by her consent Fourthly Ostentation of gifts is one thing but edification by them another Ostentation of the gift of prayer is indeed best shewn in a voluntary or extemporary prayer but the Church may be edified as well by a set forme Yea such a forme in the publique service of God is more edificative then a voluntary And that both because the Congregation is first made acquainted therewith and secondly because they are better secured from being ingaged in ought that might be unfit to speak unto God either for matter or manner or such as they would not have given their consent to if they had been aware of it For now that extraordinary assistance of the Holy Ghost which was in the Primitive and Apostolicall times is long since ceased And all men to whom that office belongeth to speake to God for others are not at all times discreet and well advised when they speake to him at will and extempore but subject to miscariage Lastly I answer That the Church is to be edified by the gift of her Ministers in voluntary prayer loco tempore in fit place and upon fit occasions not in all places and upon all occasions And thus much to this objection But they object secondly that the Spirit ought to be free and unlimited and that therefore a Book or set forme of prayer which limits the spirit in praying is not to be tolerated or used To this I answer it is false that the acting of the Spirit in one Christan may not be limited or regulated by the Spirit of another especially the spirit of a particular man in the publike worship by the spirit of the Church whereof he is a member For doth not the Apostle tell us 1 Cor. 14. that even that extraordinary spirit of Prophecy usuall in his time might be limited by the spirit of another Prophet Let the Prophets saith he speak two or three and let the other judg If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by let the first hold his peace Is not this a limiting He gives a reason For the spirits of the Prophets saith he are subject to the Prophets Besides are not the spirits of the people as well limited and determined by a voluntary prayer when they joyne therein with their Minister as they are by a set forme True the spirit of the Minister is then free but theirs is not so but tied and led by the spirit of the Minister as much as if he used a set forme But to elude this they tell us that the Question is not of limiting the spirit of the people but of the Minister onely For as for the people no more is required of them but to join with their Minister and to testifie it by saying Amen but the spirit of the Minister ought to be left free and not to be limited But where is this written that the one may not be limited as well as the other We heard the Apostle say even now The spirit of the Prophets is subject to the Prophets If in prophecying why not in praying And
ceasing of Prophecy that is in the time of Maccabees which will not easily be granted Besides that we reade not that Antiochus cast any fire into the Temple Now if it speak of the vastation by Nebuchadnezzar then had the Jews before that time not onely a Sanctuary for sacrifice but also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Coâ—…ticula Dei that is either Proseucha's or Synagogues for either will serve my purpose But now you will say what profit is there of this long discourse were it so or were it not so as I have endeavoured to prove of what use is the knowledge thereof to us yes to know it was so is usefull in a threefold respect First for the right understanding of such places of the Old Testament where a House of God and assembling before the Lord are often mentioned there where neither the Ark of the Covenant nor the Tabernacle at such time were as besides the places before alledged we reade in the tenth of the first Book of Samuel of Sauls meeting with three men going up to God to Bethel and of a place called The Hill of God whence a company of Prophets came from the high place there prophesying with a Tabret Pipe and Harp before them in neither of which places can we finde that ever the Tabernacle was and as for the Ark we are sure it was all this time at Kiriathjearim till David solemnly fetcht it thence and if at any time the Ark might as now it was not be transferred to any of them upon occasion of some generall Assembly of the Nation that so they might have opportunity to ask counsell of the Lord and offer Sacrifice yet were they not the ordinary station thereof Secondly we may learn from hence that to have appropriate places set apart for prayer and Divine duties is not a circumstance or rite proper to legall worship onely but of a more common nature For as much as though Sacrifice wherein the legall worship or worship of the old Covenant consisted were restrained to the Ark and Tabernacle and might not be exercised where they were not yet were there other places for Prayer besides that which are no more to be accounted legall places then bare and simple prayer was a legall Dutie Lastly we may gather from this Description of Proseucha's which were as Courts encompassed onely with a wall or other like enclosure and open above in what manner to conceive of the accommodation of those Altars we reade to have been erected by the Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the Book of Genesis namely that the ground whereon they stood was fenced and bounded with some such enclosure and shaded with trees after the manner of Proseucha's as we may reade expresly of one of them at Beersheba That Abraham there planted a Grove and called upon the Name of the Lord the everlasting God Yea when the Tabernacle and Temple were the Altar of God stood still in an open Court and who can beleeve that the place of those Altars of the Patriarchs were not bounded and separated from common ground And from these patterns in likelihood after the Altar for Sacrifice was restrained to one onely place the use of such open places or Courts for prayer garnished with trees as I have shewed Proseucha's to have been continued still 1 TIM 5. 17. Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour especially they that labour in the Word and Doctrine THere are two things in these words to be explicated First what is meant here by Elders Secondly what is this double-honour due unto them For the first there is no question but the Priests or Ministers of the Gospel of Christ were contained under this name for so the New Testament useth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Presbyter for the Ministers of the Word and Sacraments in the Gospel whence commeth the Saxon word Priester and our now English word Priest And the Ancient Fathers thought these onely to be here meant and never dreamed of any other But in our time those who obtrude a new Discipline and Government upon the Church altogether unknown and unheard of in the ancient will needs have two sorts of Elders or Presbyters here understood one of such as preach the Word and Doctrine whom they call Pastours another of Lay-men who were neither Priests nor Deacons but ned as assistants to them in the exercise of Ecclesiasticall Discipline in admonitions and censures of manners and in a word in the execution of the whole power of the Keys These our Church-men call Lay-Elders and the Authors of this new device Presbyterians these Presbyters or Elders they will have meant in the first words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elders that rule or govern well whom therefore they call Ruling-Elders the other whom they call Pastours to be described in the latter words they who labour in the Word and Doctrine whom therefore they distinguish by the name of Teaching-Elders This is their exposition and this exposition the ground and foundation of their new Discipline but none of the Fathers which have commented upon this Place neither Chrysostome Hierome Ambrose Theodoret Primasius Oecumenius or Theophylact as they had no such so ever thought of any such Lay-Elders to be here meant but Priests only which administred the Word and Sacraments But how will you say then is this Place to be understood which may seem as they alledge to intimate two sorts of Elders some that ruled only others that laboured also in the Word and Doctrine The Divines of our Church who had cause when time was to be better versed in this question then any others have given divers expositions of these words none of which give place to any such new-found Elders as the Fautors of the Presbyterian Discipline upon the sole Authority of this one place have set up in divers forain Churches and would have brought into ours I will relate four of the chief of these expositions to which the rest are reducible The first is grounded upon the use of the participle in the Greek tongue which is often wont to note the reason or condition of a thing and accordingly to be resolved by a causall or conditionall conjunction According whereunto this Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 duplici honore digni habeantur or dignentur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to be resolved thus Elders or Presbyters that rule or govern the Flock well let them be accounted worthy of double honour and that chiefly in respect and because of their labour in the Word and Doctrine And so this manner of speech will imply two duties but not two sorts or orders of Elders and that though this double honour be due unto them for both yet chiefly and more principally for the second their labour in the Word and Doctrine and this way goes S. Chrysostome and other Greek Writers A second exposition is taken from the force and signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
and to rise from the dead the third day and that remission of sins should be preached in his Name among the Nations But where is this publication of remission of sins by Christ written for in those formall words we shall hardly finde it Let us take here the Angels key and we shall for they tell us that peace on earth is this good-will towards men Now do not the Prophets speak of some peace on earth which Messiah should bring with him when he comes yes surely well then let us look for this publication of remission of sins under that name and we shall finde it Isay 9. 6. Vnto us a Childe is born unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderfull Counsellor the mighty God the Father of eternity the Prince of peace that is of peace not between men and men but between God and men and of the increase of his government and peace shall be no end Isay 52. 7. How beautifull upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings that publisheth peace that bringeth good tidings of good that publisheth salvation that saith unto Zion Thy God reigneth which place S. Paul Rom. 10. 15. interprets of the publication of the Gospel of Christ. Esay 53. 5. The chastisement of our peace was upon him that is he suffered for the remission of our sins Is. 57. 19. quoted by S. Paul to the Ephesians Chap. 2. Peace to him that is afarre off and to him that is near saith the Lord and I will heal him Ezek. 34. 24 25. I the Lord will be their God and my servant David King Messiah a Prince among them And I will make a Covenant of peace with them So Chap. 37. 26. Hag. 2. 9. The glory of this latter house shall be greater then of the former saith the Lord of Hosts and in this place will I give peace saith the Lord of Hosts Zech. 9. 10. Shout ô daughter of Ierusalem behold thy King commeth unto thee and he shall speak peace unto the Heathen and his Dominion shall be from Sea to Sea and from the River unto the end of the earth Thus much of the Use to be made of the Angels expression in this heavenly Carol Now I shall propound to your consideration another and that taken from the argument it self namely that if Almighty God our heavenly Father be so graciously disposed to us-ward as to be reconciled unto us by forgiving us our trespasses then ought we semblably to be reconciled to our brethren and forgive them their trespasses when they have wronged or offended us Leo Serm. 6. de Nativit Natalis Domini natalis est pacis ergo singuli fideles offerant Patri pacificorum concordiam filiorum The Illation is good we have the authority of the Apostle S. Iohn to back it 1 Ioh. 4. 10. God saith he so loved us that he sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins What follows Beloved saith he if God so loved us we ought to love end another So I say if God be so gracious to forgive and be reconciled to us we ought as it were to eccho this his loving kindnesse and to forgive and be reconciled one to another This congruity and semblablenesse of our actions and affections one towards another with Gods favour and mercy towards us is the Rule and Reason not only of this but of many other duties he requires at our hands Thus the Jews were every seventh year to manumise their servants as an act of congruity and thankfulnesse to God who had delivered them when they were servants out of the land of Egypt and house of bondage They were bidden to use a stranger kindly because themselves had been strangers and God when they were oppressed had been compassionate and kinde towards them and redeemed them from their thraldome Likewise we reade in the Gospel Luk. 8. 36. Be ye mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull And Matth. 5. Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtain mercy In a word God hath revealed he will shew mercy to none but such as appear before him with this congruity Iames 2. 13. He shall have judgement without mercy that sheweth no mercy and therefore the tenor of our sentence at the last judgement runs Come ye blessed and be partakers of mercy because ye have shewed it But Goe ye cursed without all mercy into Hell fire because ye have shewed no mercy Thus we see how God requires this congruity in generall and as for the particular of reconcilement and forgiving our brother it is written in capitall letters and urged in such sort as it might not unfitly be termed the Livery of Christianity In so much that if we consider it duly it cannot but breed astonishment that the evidence and necessity should be so apparent and the practice among those who look for the benefit of Christ and call upon his Name so little regarded when as I dare boldly pronounce there is no remission of sins to be looked for at the hands of God without it An invincible argument whereof is That our Saviour himself in the prayer he hath taught his Church hath put in a barre against asking it but upon this condition Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us If we ask not with this disposition there is no promise that any such prayer shall be heard nay our Saviour tels us in plain terms it shall not If saith he you forgive not men their trespasses no more will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses How then can any man whose heart is fraught with malice and meditates revenge against his brother hear this and not tremble Is it not a fearfull thing for a man to carry in his own bosome not only an evidence that his sins are unpardoned but a barre too that he cannot ask the forgivenesse of them Let no man deceive himself Etsi enim multis bonis conscientiis abundemus saith S. Chrysostome reconciliatione tamen contemptâ nullum possumus promereri solatium As the fifth Commandement is called by the Apostle the first Commandement of promise so is this petition for forgivenesse of sins the only petition with condition and such a condition too as our Saviour dwels upon and enforces when he had delivered this form of prayer to his Disciples For he passes by all the rest of the petitions and singles out this alone to comment upon as that wherein the chiefest moment lay and without which all our prayer would be uneffectuall and to no purpose A further confirmation of which we have in that parable of Servus nequam Matth. 18. whom his Lord being moved with compassion when he besought him forgave a debt of ten thousand Talents But he finding one of his fellow-servants which ought him an hundred pence though he fell at his feet and besought him yet would not hear him but cast him into prison
their Brethren 14. Remember me ô my God concerning this c. There needs no more for understanding the meaning of the words Now therefore let us see what Lessons we may learn therefrom And in the first place that which is most pregnantly to be gathered thence and best fits our turn namely That to make provision for the maintenance of Gods worship and the Ministers thereof is a worthy work and of high esteem and favour with God forasmuch as Nehemiah commendeth himself unto the Divine favour and remembrance under that name of having done good deeds or kindnesses unto the House of God and the Offices thereof a manifest argument he took them to be most pleasing and acceptable unto him The truth of the observation appears not only by this but by other places of Scripture both of the Old and New Testament Let us take some survay of them And first for the furnishing a place for Gods worship take notice of that famous benediction and prayer of King David when his people offered so willingly and liberally towards the building of the Temple In the uprightnesse of my heart saith he I have willingly offered all these things and now I have seen with joy thy people which are present here to offer willingly unto thee O Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Israel our Fathers keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people and prepare their hearts unto thee 1 Chron. 29. 17 18. Surely therefore it was a most excellent disposition and such as he knew God prized and esteemed For entertainment and provision for his Prophets and Ministers in what account God hath it appears by his great sollicitude in his Law that they should not be neglected Take heed to thy self saith he Deut. 12. 19. that thou for sake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth What expression can go beyond this Again by that story of the Shunamite woman 2 King 4. 9. who entertained the Prophet Elisha and made provision for him when he should have occasion to passe that way Behold said she to her husband this is an holy man of God which passeth by us continually 10. Let us make I pray thee a little chamber on the wall and let us set for him there a bed a table and a stool and a candlestick and it shall be when he commeth unto us then he shall turn in thither How acceptable to Almighty God was this good office done to his Prophet appears by the double miracle he wrought for her both in giving her a childe when her husband was now so old she despaired and in raising him again to life when he was dead But let us come now to the New Testament and see whether the like be not to be found there lest otherwise any might think as some are prone enough to do the case were now altered And first also to begin here with the provision of a place for Gods worship the story of that Centurion of Capernaum in S. Lukes Gospel is worthy our consideration Who when he heard of Iesus saith the Text sent unto him the Elders of the Iews beseecbing him he would come and heal his servant The Elders came to Iesus and besought him instantly saying He was worthy for whom he should do this Why so For say they he loveth our Nation and hath built us a Synagogue Luk. 7. 4 5. Then Iesus saith the Text without any more ado went with them namely as well approving of their motive that he who had done such a work deserved that favour should be deign'd him Also concerning provision and entertainment for his Apostles and Ministers Are they not our Saviours own words and promise when he sent them forth He that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward Nay He that should give them but a cup of cold water should not lose his reward According to which S. Paul speaking of the Philippians bounty and communication towards him I have received saith he of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you an odour of a sweet smell a sacrifice acceptable well-pleasing unto God And 2 Tim. 1. 16. concerning the like good office done him by Onesiphorus he speaks in this manner The Lord saith he give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus for he oft refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain The Lord grant unto him that he may finde mercy of the Lord in that day Which is not much unlike this of Nehemiah in my Text if it had been spoken in the first person by Onesiphorus himself as it is in the third by Saint Paul Howsoever who will deny but it implies the same thing Now then if this be so as I think we have proved What shall we think of the times we live in when men account them the most religious to Godward who do or would unfurnish the House of God most who rob his Priests most But they have an excuse sufficient to bear them out and what is that The Priests they say have too much If this excuse would serve turn some of themselves perhaps might soon have lesse then they have for sure some body else as well as the Priest have more then they need and might spare some of it But whether the Priests have too much or not will not be the question Suppose they had hath God too much too For these men consider not that the propriety of such things as these is Gods and not the Priests and that to change the propriety of what is sacred by alienating thereof to a profane and private use I say not by diverting it from the Priests livelihood to any other holy use in case the Priest have more then needs is to rob God himself yea God tels us so much Malach. 3. 8. Will a man saith he rob his God as if it were a thing intolerable and scarce ever heard of yet ye saith he have robbed me But ye say Wherein have we robbed thee In Tithes and Offerings Ye are cursed with a curse because ye have robbed me For that 's the burden that goes with things consecrated Cursed be he that alienates them This Malachi lived at the same time with Nehemiah and the Jews say 't was Ezra whence this exprobration of his and this fact of Nehemiah in my Text may justly seem to have relation one to the other And thus much of my first Observation My second is That God rewardeth these and so all other our good deeds and works not for any merit or worthinesse that is in them but of his free mercy and goodnesse Remember me ô my God saith Nehemiah and wipe not out my good deeds Why is there any reward due to them of Justice No But remember me ô my God and spare me according to the greatnesse or multitude of thy mercy Thus he expounds himself And S. Paul taught us even now the self-same thing in his Votum or
Vrim and Thummim were something made by the hand of the craftsman But Nehemanides and R. Shelomo say it was opus divinum and given to Moses in the Mount or at least that God shewed him how to make it Some think it was nothing but the stones in the brest-plate by the shining whereof God did annuere by the not shining abnuere But Kimchi confutes this because it is spoken of as a differing thing in the same place where the stones are described But he himself says it is not certainly known what it was Nehemanides saith it was certain sacred names by the virtue whereof the letters of the brest-plate were enlightned and ordered so that the Priest might read the answer of God and that which caused shining was called Vrim that which made them legible Thummim The summe of these Opinions laid together is That this Oracle was either the stones of the brest-plate themselves or something in the folding of the brest-plate which by a divine virtue did cause the stones to shine and by the letters of the Tribes names in them as it were to expresse the answer of God For concerning the manner of this Oracle the Talmudists report thus much First no private man might consult with Vrim and Thummim but either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that was King or chief of the Consistory or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Consistory or Judges themselves and that in matters difficult and of great importance Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that enquired must stand with his face looking full upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Priest whom he asked and the Priest stood with his eyes fixed upon his brest where was the Vrim and Thummim Thirdly the voice was to be a soft still voice and not above one thing to be asked at one time But if they asked two things at once the answer was only unto the first but in case of extremity unto both and such was Davids case 1 Sam. 30. when he asked concerning the Amalekites who had burnt Ziklag Shall I follow this company saith he and shall I overtake them The Lord answers Follow for thou shalt surely overtake them and recover all Now if you ask how the Priest knew the answer of the Lord First you must remember there were twelve stones in the brest-plate and in those stones the twelve names of the sons of Israel either set or carved and that there might be a full Alphabet of letters there was also say they written upon the brest-plate Abraham Isaac and Iacob and these two words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Tribes of Israel or Jeshurun Now when the Lord answered the letters expressing the answer by the divine virtue of the Vrim and Thummim became 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. prominentes that is shewed forth themselves with a splendor that the Priest might read the answer of God As 2 Sam. 2. when David asked the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shall I ascend into any of the Cities of Iudah the letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Shimeon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Levi and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Iehudah put themselves forth or shone forth with a splendor that the Priest might read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ascend Though some of the Jews say the letters became 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is joyned themselves together and made a word which as I cannot conceive how it should be so I think it lesse probable And thus hitherto have you heard the divers opinions of the matter and manner of this Oracle of Vrim and Thummim Here is variety enough I leave to every one to make his own choice which he will beleeve only give me leave to adde thus much in way of censure of them which is that all seem against reason and likelihood to confound Vrim with Thummim in making them one and the same thing called by divers names in regard of divers effects and uses which I can the lesse beleeve because I finde Vrim alone used in matter of consultation with God whereby it seems Thummim had some other use In the 27. of Numb Moses commands Ioshuah in all businesse to consult the High Priest by the judgement of Vrim before the Lord but no speech of Thummim Again 1 Sam. 28. it is said that Saul asked counsell of the Lord when he was to go against the Philistims but the Lord answered him not neither by dreams nor by Vrim nor by the Prophets Here also is Vrim spoken of but no word of Thummim If I may therefore speak what I think I would say that Vrim and Thummim were a twofold Oracle and for a twofold use And that Vrim was the Oracle or part of the Oracle whereby God gave answer to those who enquired of him in hard and doubtfull cases therefore called Vrim or lights because as ignorance is called darknesse so is all knowledge a kinde of illumination or enlightening and that which bringeth knowledg is fitly called a light because it dispels the darknesse of our minds But Thummim was that Oracle or mean whereby the High Priest knew whether God did accept the Sacrifice or no therefore called Thummim that is Integrity because those whose Sacrifice God accepted were accounted Thummim that is just and righteous in the eyes of God because their Sacrifice was a shadow of Christs Sacrifice by acceptation whereof we are justified and made righteous before God For without doubt the Patriarchs and legall Church had some ordinary mean to know when their Sacrifice was accepted else had they been behinde the Gentiles for they had a sign to know when they did Litare that is when their false Gods accepted their false sacrifice and as the Devil was Gods Ape in giving Oracles so I verily beleeve he was in this also Nay Iosephus expresly affirms it of the Jews though for the particular I suppose he is mistaken For he saith that whensoever God did accept the Sacrifice the Onyx stone on the Priests left shoulder shone with an admirable splendor but this saith he ceased certain hundred years before his time and no wonder for when the Sun of righteousnesse drew near unto his rising those dimmer Vrim and smaller stars must needs lose their light Now that which Iosephus affirms of the Onyx stone on the left shoulder I suppose was mistaken for the Thummim on the left part of the brest-plate And lastly as I said before of Vrim so I think of Thummim that it was in use among the Patriarchs of old and that by some such means as this Abel knew that God accepted his Offering and Cain that his was refused And thus much of Vrim and Thummim considered personally in the High Priest now I come to consider it typically for as the High Priest himself was a type of Christ so must these Adjuncts of his also be types of something in Christ which we shall not be long a finding out if we remember again the signification of the words and
keeping a distance as it is said also of the Publicane in the Gospel that when he came into the Temple or Courts thereof to pray he stood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 afarre off saying God be mercifull to me a sinner For ye are to know that the great or brasen Altar called the Altar of burnt-offering whereon the sacrifices were offered stood not within or under the roof of the Temple but sub dio over against the door or Porch thereof in the middle of the Priests Court For at the entrance into the Temple or House of God Solomon built a large vestibulum or Porch on each side whereof stood those two famous Pillars of brasse the one called Iachin and the other Boaz Between this Porch and the great brazen Altar which stood without it the Priests the Ministers of the Lord are here commanded to weep and say Spare thy people ô Lord and give not thine heritage to Reproach This Rite of humiliation we finde mentioned in two other places of the Book of Scripture As first in that humiliation of Ezra for the peoples marrying of strange wives Ezra 9. Chap. 10. 1. where having rent his garment and mantle he cast himself down saith the Text before the House of the Lord viz. before the door or Porch thereof weeping and confessing and said Lord I am ashamed to lift up my face to thee my God for our iniquities are encreased over our head and our trespasse is grown up unto the heavens Another mention we have thereof in 1 Mac. 7. 38. when Nicanor proudly threatned that unlesse Iudas Maccabeus and his host were delivered into his hand if ever he returned in safety he would burn up the House of God Then the Priests saith the Text entred in namely into the Courts of Gods House and stood between the Altar and the Temple weeping and praying Which passage the Greek Interpreter of that Book did not well understand when he rendred it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before the Altar and the Temple For Ioseph Ben Gorion hath expresly in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very words of Ioel in my Text between the Porch and the Altar A like custome whereunto and as is probable taken up in imitation thereof is that of ours To read the Letany or our Parce Domine parce populo tuo kneeling at a low desk in the body of the Church before the Chancell door as was ordered by the first Injunctions of our Reformation when Procession was taken away or at the bottome of the steps or ascent unto the Altar as is used in the Cathedrall and Collegiate Churches And this may suffice for explication of the Rite which the Prophet here describeth Now the Lesson we are to learn from hence is That the nature of a right and religious Fast consists in an humble demission and abjection of our selves before Almighty God out of the apprehension of the greatnesse of his Majesty and our unworthinesse to finde any favour at his hands whom we have so much provoked by our sins For this to have been the meaning of that Ceremony besides the naturall signification of the deportment it self appeareth by the Exordium I but now quoted of Ezra's confession when he thus cast himself down before the Porch of the House of the Lord weeping Lord I am ashamed saith he and blush to lift up my face to thee my God For our iniquities are increased over our head and our trespasse is grown up to the heavens Besides thus to humble and bring us down is the end why God sendeth his judgements of Plague Famine or the like for the aversion whereof these solemne supplications and assemblies are ordained And therefore rightly at the beginning of our publique worship of God are we admonished to be humble by some of the first words we are to utter O come let us humble our selves and fall down before the Lord with reverence and fear Hence fasting and humbling a mans self go in Scripture for equipollent terms My cloathing was sackcloth saith David Psal. 35. 13. I humbled my self with fasting So Ahab humbled himself and thereby deferred his judgement 1 King 21. 29. Hezekiah humbled himself both he and all the Inhabitants of Jerusalem 2 Chron. 32. 26. Manasseh is said likewise to have besought the Lord and humbled himself greatly before the God of his Fathers 2 Chr. 33. No disposition fit so and apt for devotion as humility no more powerfull means to prevail with God and appease his wrath then this abjection of our selves Satis est prostrasse Leoni Let me with reverence apply it unto the Majesty of God For all Eminency is worshipped with humility reverence and submission that is as we are wont and rightly to speak by keeping a distance Therefore the soveraign or supreme Excellency of God must be adored with the lowest demission and greatest stoop the soul can make We finde by experience that that disposition of the eye which fitteth us to behold the visible Sun maketh a man blinde when he looketh down upon himself So here the apprehension of the transcendent excellency of God ten thousand times brighter then the Sun if truly admitted into our hearts will darken all our overweening conceit of any worthinesse in our selves The greater we would apprehend his power the more sensible must we be of our own weaknesse The greater we acknowledge his goodnesse the lesse goodnesse must we see in our selves The more we would apprehend his wisedome the lesse we are to be puffed up with our own knowledge As in a pair of skales the higher we would raise one skale the lower we pull down the other so the higher we raise God in our hearts the lower we must depresse our selves Hence we find the humblest natures and the most humbled condition to be the fittest for devotion I say the humblest natures are the most pliable and aptest to Religion whereas those which the world is wont to commend for brave spirits of all others buckle the worst thereto But let the world fancy what it will God seeth not as man seeth It is not the tallest Eliab but the humblest David who is the man after Gods own heart He that humbleth himself as a little childe the same is the tallest and goodliest soul for the Kingdome of God The Stars in the Firmament howsoever they here seem small to us yet are bigger then the earth so he that is despicable and small here in the eyes of men is there a great one in the eyes of God Let those therefore that think all worth resides in a lofty and brave spirit remember that the Devil was a braver fellow then any of them all and that his high and lofty spirit was the cause of his downfall and Apostasie from his Creator and so of that damnation to everlasting fire prepared for him and his Angels And as the humblest nature so the humblest or most humbled state and condition is the fittest also for
same prayer is again delivered in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whē you pray say Our Father which art in heaven that is doe it in haec Verba For what other phrase is there to express such a meaning if this be not Besides in this of S. Luke the occasion would be considered It came to passe saith he as Iesus was praying in a certain place that when he ceased one of his Disciples said unto him Lord teach us to pray as Iohn also taught his Disciples From whence it may not improbably be gathered that this was the custome of the Doctors of Israel to deliver some certain form of Prayer unto their Disciples to use as it were a Badge and Symbolum of their Discipleship at least Iohn Baptist had done so unto his Disciples and thereupon our Saviours Disciples besought him that he also would give them in like manner some forme of his making that they might also pray with their Masters spirit as Iohns Disciples did with theirs For that either our Saviours or Iohns Disciples knew not how to pray till now were ridiculous to imagine they being both of them Jews who had their certaine set houres of prayer which they constantly observed as the third sixt and ninth It was therefore a forme of prayer of their Masters making which both Iohn is said to have given his Disciples and our Saviours Disciples besought him to give them For the fuller understanding whereof I must tell you something more and the rather because it is not commonly taken notice of and that is That this delivery of the Lords prayer in S. Luke is not the same with that related by S. Matthew but another at another time and upon another occasion That of S. Matthew in that famous Sermon of Christ upon the Mount whereof it is a part that of S. Luke upon a speciall motion of the Disciples at a time when himselfe had done praying That of S. Matthew in the second that of S. Luke in the third yeare after his Baptisme Consider the Text of both and you shall finde it impossible to bring them into one and the same whence it follows that the Disciples when it was first uttered understood not that their Master intended it for a forme of prayer unto them but for a pattern or example onely or it may be to instruct them in speciall in what manner to ask forgiveness of sins For if they had thought he had given them a forme of prayer then they would never have asked him for one now wherefore our Saviour this second time utters himselfe more expresly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When ye pray say Our Father which art in heaven Thus their inadvertency becomes our confirmation For as Ioseph said to Pharaoh The dreame is doubled unto Pharaoh because the thing is established by God so may wee say here The delivery of this prayer was doubled unto the Disciples that they and we might thereby know the more certainly that our Saviour intended and commended it for a set form of prayer unto his Church Thus much of that set forme of prayer which our Saviour gave unto his Disciples as a precedent and warrant to his Church to give the like forms to her Disciples or members a thing which from her infancy she used to doe But because her practice is called in question as not warranted by Scripture let us see what was the practice of the Church of the old Testament then whose example and use wee can have no better rule to follow in the New First therefore wee find two set forms of prayer or invocation appointed by God himself in the Law of Moses One the form wherewith the Priests were to blesse the people Num. 6. 23. On this wise saith he shall Aaron and his sons blesse the children of Israel saying unto them The Lord blesse thee and keepe thee the Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace Is not this a set forme of Prayer For what is to blesse but to pray over or invocate God for another The second is the forme of profession and prayer to be used by him who had paid his Tithes every third yeare Deut. 26. 13. O Lord God I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house and also have given them unto the Levite and unto the stranger to the Fatherlesse and unto the widow according to all thy commandements which thou hast commanded me I have not transgressed thy Commandements neither have I forgotten them 14. I have not eaten thereof in my mourning neither have I taken away ought thereof for any uncleane use c. 15. Look downe from thy holy habitation from heaven and blesse thy people Israel and the Land which thou hast given us as thou swarest to our Fathers a Land that floweth with Milke and honey But what need we seek thus for scattered Formes when wee have a whole booke of them together The Booke of Psalmes was the Jewish Liturgie or the chiefe part of the vocall service wherewith they worshipped God in the Temple This is evident by the Titles of the Psalms themselves which shew them to have beene commended to the severall Quires in the same to Asaph to the sonnes of Korah to Ieduthun and almost forty of them to the Magister Symphoniae in generall The like wee are to conceive of those which have no titles as for example of the 105 and 96 Psalmes which though they have no such Inscription in the Psalme-booke yet wee finde 1 Chron. 16. 7. That they were delivered by David into the hands of Asaph and his Brethren for formes to thanke the Lord. This a man would think were sufficient to take away all scruple in this point especially when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 solve◠and all the reformed Churches use to sing the same Psalmes not onely as set formes but set in Meeter that is after a humane composure Are not the Psalmes set formes of Confession of Prayer and of Praising God And in case there had been no prayers amongst them yet what reason could be given why it should not bee as lawfull to pray unto God in a set forme as to praise him in such a one What therefore doe they say to this Why they tell us that the Psalmes are not sung in the Church unto God but so rehearsed for instruction of the people onely namely as the Chapters and Lessons are there read and no otherwise But if either wee doe ought or may sing the Psalmes in the Church with the same end and purpose that the Church of the old Testament did and it were absurd to say wee might not this exception will not subsist for what is more certaine then that the Church of Israel used the Psalmes for Formes of praising and invocating God What mean else those formes Cantemus Domino Psallite Domino and the like so frequent in them But there are more direct
ONE of â—srael Habak 1. 12. Art not thou from everlasting O LORD my God mine HOLY ONE Agreeably whereunto the Lord is said also now and then To swear by his HOLINESS that is by himself as in the Psalm before alledged v. 35. Once have I sworn by my HOLINESS that I will not lie unto David c. Amos 4. 2. The Lord God hath sworn by his HOLINESS that lo the days shall come upon you that he will take you away with â—ooks c. According to this sense I suppose also that of Amos 8. 7. is to be understood The LORD hath sworn by the Excellency of Iacob that is Jacobs most eminent and incommunicable One or by Iacobs HOLY ONE Surely I will never forget any of their works c. For indeed the Gods of the Nations were not properly and truly Holy because but partially and respectively onely Forasmuchas the Divine eminency which they were supposed to have was even in the opinion of those who worshipped them common to others with them and so not discriminated from nor exalted above all But the God of Israel was simply and absolutely such both in himself and to them ward who worshipped him as who might acknowledge no other and therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and by way of distinction from all other Gods called Sanctus Israelis The Holy One of Israel i. That sole absolute and onely incommunicable One or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Author of the Book of Wisdome cals him chap. 14. v. 21. that God exalted above all and divided from all without pareil there being no other such besides him There is none Holy as the Lord saith Hannah for there is none besides thee The Septuagint none Holy besides thee neither is there any ROCâ— like our God Wherefore it is to be observed that although the Scripture every where vouchsafes the Gentiles Daemons the name of Gods yet it never I think cals them Holy Ones as indeed they were not Thus you see that as Holinesse in generall imports a state of eminency and separation so this of God as I have described it disagrees not from that generall notion when I affirm it to consist in a state of peerlesse or incommunicable Majesty for that which is such includes both the one and the other But would you understand it yet better Apply it then to his attributes whereby he is known unto us and know that The Lord is Holy is as much to say He is a Majesty of peerlesse Power of peerlesse Wisdome of peerlesse Goodnesse and so of the rest Such a one is our God and such is his Holinesse Now then to Sanctifie this peerlesse Name or Majesty of his must be by doing unto him according to that which his Holinesse challengeth in respect of the double importance thereof namely To serve and glorifie him because of his eminency and to doe it with a singular separate and incommunicated worship because He is Holy Not to doe the former is Irreligion and Atheisme as not to acknowledge God to be the chief and Soveraign eminency not to observe the second is Idolatry For as the Lord our God is a singular and peerlesse Majesty distinguished from and exalted above all things and eminencies else whatsoever so must his worship be singular incommunicable and proper to him alone Otherwise saith Ioshuah to the people You cannot serve the Lord. Why For saith he He is an Holy God he is a jealous God that can endure no corrivall he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins if ye forsake the Lord and serve strange gods c. Whence in Scripture those who communicate the worship given unto him with any besides him or together with him by way of Object that is whether immediately or but mediately are deemed to deny his incomparable Sanctity and therefore said to prophane his Holy Name See Ezek. 20. 39. 43. 7 8. In a word all that whole immediate Duty and service which we owe unto God whether inward or outward contained under the name of Divine worship when either we confesse praise pray unto call upon or swear by his Name yea all the worship both of men and Angels is nothing else but to acknowledge in thought word and work this peerlesse preheminence of his power of his wisdome of his goodnesse and other attributes that is His Holinesse by ascribing and giving unto him that which we give and ascribe to none besides him that is To sanctifie his most Holy Name This is that the Holy Ghost would teach us when describing how the Seraphims worship and glorifie God â—sa 6. he brings them in crying one unto another Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory that is Sanctifying him From whence is derived that which we repeat every day in the Hymne To thee all Angels cry aloud the heavens and all the powers therein To thee Cherubim and Sâ—raphim continually doe cry Ho ly Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoth Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy Glory And because the pattern of Gods holy worship is not to be taken from earth but from heaven the same Spirit therefore in the Apocalypse expresseth the worship of God in the new Testament with the same form of hallowing or holying his Name which the heavenly Hoste useth For so the 4. Animalia representing the Catholique Church of Christ in the four quarters of the world are said when they give glory honour and thanks to him that sitteth upon the throne and liveth for ever and ever to doe it by singing day and night this Trisagium Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come that is the summe of all that they did was but to agnize his Sanctity or Holinesse or which is all one to Sanctifie his holy Name When therefore the same 4. Animalia are afterwards brought in chanting Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power riches wisdome and strength and honour and glory and blessing And again Blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever all is to bee understood as comprehended within this generall Doxologie as being but an exemplification thereof and therefore the Elogies or blazons mentioned therein to be taken according to the style of Holinesse in an exclusive sense of such prerogatives as are peculiar to God alone And according to this notion of sanctifying Gods name which I contend for would the Lord have his Name Sanctified Esa. 8. 13. when he saith Fear ye not their Fear that is the Idolaters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Gods for so Fear here signifies to wit the thing feared neither dread ye it But Sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himself and let him be your Fear and let him be your Dread that is your God Again chap. 29. 23. They shall sanctifie my Name saith he even Sanctifie the holy
upon him was to be made King 1 Kings 1. 33 34. In the Book of Esther Chap. 6. v. 8. of the Horse that King Ahasuerus used to ride upon put in the same rank with the Crown and royall apparell which none but the King might weare And of individuall Utensils thus appropriated and as it were dedicated to the alone use of persons of eminency our own times want not examples Whence naturall instinct may seem to prompt unto us that such appropriation is a testimony of honour and respect Sure I am that Almighty God hath revealed it to be a part of that honour we owe unto him Thus all the Utensils of the Tabernacle and Temple were sacred and set apart to that use and not the Utensils of the Altar onely but even the instruments of musick which David ordained to praise the Lord with in the Temple were not common but consecrated unto God for that end whence they are called 1 Chron. 16. 42. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Instrumenta musica Dei The musicall instruments of God that is sacred ones And 2 Chron. 7. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The musicall Instruments of the LORD Agreeably whereunto those who sung the fore-alledged song of victory over the Beast are said to have had in their hands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The harps of God that is not prophane or common but sacred Harps the Harps of the Temple for there they sung this their Antheme standing upon the great Laver or Sea of glasse which was therein Nay our blessed Saviour Mark 11. would not suffer a profane or common vessell to be so much as carried through his Fathers House accounting it as great a profanation as to buy and sell there And yet was not this abuse which is a thing well to be marked within those Septs of the Temple which the Jewâ— accounted sacred but in the outmost Court called Atrium gentium immandorum the place in which together with such as were unclean the Gentiles and uncircumcised were admitted to pray as that of the Prophet cited by our Saviour rightly rendred intimates My house shall be called a house of prayer to or for ALL NATIONS Consider Esay 56. 6 7. This Court therefore the Jews made no other account of then as of a prophane place but our Saviour proved by Scripture that this Gentiles Oratory was also part of his Fathers house and accordingly not to be prophaned with common use Lastly there was never any age of the Christian Church till of late wherein it was not commonly beleeved that God was to bee honoured by such appropriation or consecration as we speak of that is that Gods Name was in this manner to be sanctified But are there any will you say now that deny it Yes there are some in our age so far carried away into a contrary extreme to that they flie from that they hold that no oblation or consecration of things unto God by the devotion of men in the New Testament whether of Utensils goods times or places ought to be esteemed lawfull but that all distinction between sacred and prophane in externall things by vertue of such consecration excepting only the Sacraments is flat superstition Yet to him that seriously considers it it cannot chuse me thinks but seem strange and absurd to affirm as this assertion doth that men now in the time of the Gospel are exempted and freed from agnizing God to be Lord of the creature by giving some part thereof unto him then which no part of Divine Worship is more naturall and which hath been used by mankinde ever since the beginning of the world Yea in the state of Paradise among all the trees in the Garden which God gave man freely to enjoy one tree was Noli me tangere and reserved to God as holy in token he was Lord of the Garden So that the first sin of Mankinde for the species of the fact was Sacriledge in prophaning that which God had made holy They say It is true that in the Old Testament this way of honouring and acknowledging God was warranted by the Divine Law but in the New wee finde no precept given concerning it nor confirmation of that which was before Now God is not to bee worshipped with any worship but what he hath himself prescribed in his Word I answer What though there be no particular prâ—cept in the New Testament for this no more then for divers other duties which a Christian is bound to yet if a generall warrant be the particular needs not But our Saviour saith in his Gospel in that Euangelicall Sermon hee preached upon the Mount That hee came not to dissolve the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill or perfect them Think not saith he that I am come to dissolve the Law and the Prophets that is to take away the obligation of that rule of the duty of man to God and his neighbour given first by Moses in the Law and afterwards repeated and inculcated by the Prophets for so Prophets are here to be understood and not of predictions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but to fulfill them that is to supply accomplish or perfect those rules and doctrines of just and unjust contained in them by a more ample interpretation and other improvement befitting the state of the Gospel For surely this must be the meaning of this speech of our Saviour if we be more willing as we should to take a sense from Scripture then to bring one to it Doth not the whole context following evince it Indeed the Law that is the Legall Covenant or Covenant of works as Law is oft taken in the New Testament together with all the rites depending thereon is dissolved by the comming of Christ and a better Covenant with new rites established in stead thereof But the Law that is the Doctrine and Rule of life given by God contradistinct from those ordinances which were onely appendages of that Covenant though these were also in some sense perfected by bringing the truth and substance in stead of the figure and shadow thereof is not disannulled but confirmed and perfected by him in such manner as became the condition of the Covenant of the Gospel For that this confirmation is not to bee restrained to the Decalogue onely is manifest because our Savior in the following words insists upon other precepts besides it If it be said they are reducible thereto this will not serve the turn for so are all the rest of Gods Commandements Unlesse therefore it can be shewn that to honour God by an oblation of his creature is no part of the Law here confirmed by our Saviour Let no man be so daringly bold as to exempt himself and others from the obligation thereof unlesse he means to be one of them of whom our Saviour speaks immediately saying Whosoever therefore shall break one of the least of these Commandements and shall teach men so to do mark it he shall be called i. he shall be the least
in the Kingdome of heaven The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. loose or dis-binde as he doth both that abrogates and that observes it not much more he that affirmeth it unlawfull to be observed Nay how dare we disbind or loose our selves from the tie of that way of agnizing and honouring God which the Christian Church from her first beginnings durst not doe Irenaeus witnesse of that age which next succeeded the Apostles is plain Lib. 4. c. 34 Offerre oportet Deo saith he primitias creaturae ejus sicut Moses ait Non apparebis vacuus ante conspectum Domini Dei tui Et non genus oblationum reprobatum est oblationes enim illic sc. in V. T. oblationes autem hic sacrificia in populo sacrificia in Ecclesia sed species immutata est tantum quippe cum jam non à servis sed à liberis offeratur Vnus enim idem Dominus proprium autem character servilis oblationis proprium liberorum uti per oblationes ostendatur indicium libertatis It behoveth us saith he to offer unto God a present of his creature as also Moses saith Thou shalt not appear before the Lord thy God empty For offerings in the generall are not reprobated there were offerings there viz. in the Old Test. there are also offerings here in the Church but the specification only is changed For asmuch as offerings now are not made by bond but free men For there is one and the same Lord still but there is a proper character of a bond or servile offering and a proper character of free-mens that so even the Offerings may shew forth the tokens of freedome Now where in Scripture he beleeved this doctrine and practise to be grounded he lets us know in the XXVII chap. of the same Book Et quia Dominus naturalia legis per quae homo justificatur quae etiam ante legisdationem custodiebant qui fide justificabantur placebant Deo non dissolvit sed extendit sed implevit ex sermonibus ejus ostenditur i. That our Lord dissolved not but enlarged and perfected the naturall precepts of the Law whereby a man is just which also before the Law was given they observed who were justified by faith and pleased God is evident by his words Then hee cites some of the passages of that his Sermon upon the Mount Mat. V. 20. c. And a little after addes Necesse fuit auferre quidem vincula servitutis quibus jam homo assueverat sine vinculis sequi Deum superextendi verò decreta libertatis augeri subjectionem quae est ad Regem ut non retrorsus quis renitens indignus appareat ei qui se liberavit Et propter hoc Dominus pro eo quod est Non moechaberis nec concupiscere praecepit pro eo quod est Non occides neque irasci quidem pro eo quod est Decimare omnia quae sunt pauperibus dividere i. It was needful that those bonds of servitude which man had before been inured to should be taken off that so he might without Gives follow God but that the laws and ordinances of freedome should be extended and his subjection to the King encreased lest that drawing backward he might appear unworthy of him that freed him And for this reason our Lord in stead of Thou shalt not commit adultery commands not so much as to lust in stead of Thou shalt not kill not so much as to be angry in stead of to Tith to distribute all we have to the poore c. All which saith he in the same place are not solventis legem sed adimplentis extendentis dilatantis not of one that dissolves the Law but fulfils extends and enlarges it alluding still to that in our Saviours Sermon upon the Mount Besides those who are acquainted with Antiquity can tell that the Primitive Christians understood the holy Eucharist to be A commemoration of the sacrifice of Christs death upon the crosse in an oblation of bread and wine T is witnessed by the Fathers of those first ages generally Whereupon the same Irenaeus also affirmeth That our Saviour by the institution of the Eucharist had confirmed oblations in the new Testament Namely to thanksgive or blesse a thing in way to a sacred use he took to be an offering of it unto God And was not Davids Benediction and thanksgiving at the preparation for the Temple an Offertory Where note well that as he upon that occasion blessed the Lord saying Thine O LORD is the greatnesse the power and the glory all that is in heaven and earth is thine thine is the Kingdome Both riches and honour come of thee Ergo because all things come of thee of thine own have we given thee So doe Christs redeemed in their Euangelicall Song Apâ—â— 5. ascribe no lesse unto him saying Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive Power and Riches and Wisdome and strength and honour and glory and â—…g Yea the 24. Elders which are the Christian Presbytery expressing ch 4. ult the very argument and summe of that Hymnology which the Primitive Church used at the offering of bread and wine for the Eucharist worship God saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created TAKING therefore for granted that which the practise of the Church of God in all ages yea I think I may say the consent of mankinde from the beginning of the world beareth witnesse to that among those duties of the Sanctification of Gods Name wherewith his Divine Majesty is immediately and personally glorified of which I have before spoken this is one and a principall one to agnize and confesse his peerlesse Soveraignty and dominion over the creature by yeelding him some part thereof toward his worship and service of which we renounce the propriety our selves and that accordingly there are both things and persons now in the Gospel as well as were before the Law was given in this manner lawfully and acceptably set apart and separated by the devotion of men unto the Divine Majesty and consequently relatively Holy which is nothing else but to be Gods by a peculiar right I say that these are likewise to be done unto according to their degree of sanctity in honour of him whose they are Not to be worshipped with divine worship or the worship which we give unto God communicated to them farre be it from us to deferre to any creature the honour due unto the Divine Majesty either together with him or without him but yet Habenda cum discrimine To be regarded with a worthy and discriminative usance that is used with a select and differing respect from other things as namely if Places not as other places if Times not as other times if Things by way of distinction so called not as other things if Persons set apart
for ever that is they should sing the one hundred and sixth Psalm or one hundred thirty sixth which begin in this manner and were both of them not unfit for such an occasion And when they began to sing and praise saith the Text the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon Moab and Mount Seir which were come against Iudah and they were smitten A second place where such kinde of Prophets and prophecying as we speak of is mentioned is that in the first of Samuel in the story of Sauls election where we reade That when he came to a certain place called the Hill of God he met a company of Prophets comming down from the high place or Oratory there with a Psaltery a Tabret and a Pipe and a Harp before them and they prophecied and he with them Their Instruments argue what kinde of Prophecy this was namely praising God with spirituall songs and melody In what manner is not so easie to define or specifie But with an extemporary rapture I easily beleeve And if we may conjecture by other examples one of them should seem to have been the Praecentor and to utter the verse or ditty the rest to have answered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the extremes or last words of the verse For after this manner we are told by Philo Iudaeus that the Essens who were of the Iewish Nation were wont to sing their Hymnes in their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or worshipping places And after the self-same manner Eusebius tels us did the Primitive Christians having in all likelihood learnt it from the Jews whose manner it was the same is witnessed by the Author Constitutionum Apostolicarum in his second Book and fifty seventh Cha. where describing the manner of the Christian service after the reading of the Lessons of the Old Testament saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let another sing the Psalms of David and the people succinere or answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the extremes of the verses Some footsteps of which custome remain still with us though perhaps in somewhat a different way when in those short versicles of Liturgy being sentences taken out of the Psalms the Priest says or sings the first half and the People answer the latter quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As for example in that taken out of Psal. 51. 17. the Priest says O Lord open thou our lips The People or Chorus answer And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise But whatsoever the ancient manner of answering was thus much we are sure of that the Iews in their divine lauds were wont to praise God after this manner in Antiphones or Responsories as to let passe other testimonies and the use of their Synagogues to this day derived from their Ancestors we may learn by two speciall Arguments one from the Seraphims singing Esay the sixth where it is said that the Seraphims cried one unto another saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts the whole earth is full of his Glory Note they cryed one unto another Secondly from the use of the Hebrew verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in the proper and native signification thereof being to answer is also used for to sing as in the Psalm where we translate Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving sing praise upon the Harp unto our God in the Hebrew it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Answer unto the Lord in thanksgiving sing praise upon the Harp unto our God And Isay 27. 2. In that day sing ye unto her a vineyard of red wine In the Hebrew Answer ye unto her And Numbers 21. in Israels song of the Well Spring up O Well sing ye unto it In the Hebrew it is Answer unto it And Moses speaking of those that were worshipping the golden Calf Exodus 32. 18. It is not the voyce of them that shout for mastery nor the voyce of them that cry for being overcome but the noise of them that sing do I heare In the Hebrew the voyce of them that answer one another And so in other places But to put all out of doubt look Ezra 3. 11. where it is expresly said The Levites the sons of Asaph sung together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord because he is good for his mercy endureth for ever Hence was derived the manner of praying and praising God in the Christian service alternis vicibus in a musicall way and as it were by way of prophecying and versifying even though we do but speak it only as you know the Poet says Amant alterna Camaenae Thus I have taken occasion somewhat to enlarge this particular That we our selves might the better understand the reason of what we do and what precedents and whose example we follow therein And thus much of prophecying I come now to the second thing I propounded to speak of namely what was that fault among the Corinthians which the Apostle here taxeth For the right understanding whereof I say two things First for the offenders that they were the women and not the men That which the Apostle speaketh concerning men being by way of supposition only and to illustrate his Argument against the uncomly guise of the women à pari this appears because his conclusion speaks of women only and nothing at all of men Secondly for the quality of the fault it was this that the women at the time of praying and prophecying were unveiled in the Church notwithstanding it was then accounted an unseemly and immodest guise for women to appear open and bare-faced in publique How then will you say should it come to passe that Christian women should so much forget themselves as to transgresse this decorum in Gods House and service which they observed other where I answer from a phantasticall imitation of the manner of the she-Priests and Prophetesses of the Gentiles when they served their Idols as their Pythiae Bacchae or Maenades and the like who used when they uttered their Oracles or celebrated the rites and sacrifices of their Gods to put themselves into a wild and extaticall guise having their faces discovered their hait dishevelled and hanging about their ears This these Corinthian women conceiting themselves when they prayed or prophecied in the Church to be acting the parts of she-Priests uttering Oracles like the Pythiae or Sibyllae or celebrating sacrifice as the Maenades or Bacchae were so fond as to imitate as that sex is prone to follow the fashion and accordingly cast off their veils and discovered their faces immodestly in the Congregation and thereby as the Apostle speaks dishonoured their heads that is were unseemly accoutred and dressed on their head which he proveth by three Arguments partly from Nature which having given women their hair for a covering taught them to be covered as a sign of subjection the manner of this covering being to be measured by the custome of the Nation Lastly by an Argument à pari from men
thy prayer be heard to offer something unto him either for relief of the poor the Widow the Orphan and distressed one or the maintenance of his service and worship If God will be with me saith Iacob Gen. 28. and keep me in this way that I go and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on c. Then shall the Lord be my God and this stone which I have set for a pillar shall be Gods house and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee See the use of vowing by such as came to pray in Gods House Eccles. 5. 4. If thou commest before God in any of these ways thou shalt not come empty-handed But send not thy prayer single and alone the prayer with Alms is the prayer God loveth Hear what himself saith Psal. 50. 14. Offer unto God thanksgiving Alms is an Offering of Thanksgiving and pay thy vows unto the most High So call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me Now I come to the second thing I propounded The power and efficacy which Prayer and Alms have with God Thy prayers and thine alms saith the Angel are come up for a memoriall or are had in remembrance in the sight of God God is said to remember our prayers when he grants them our Alms and good deeds when he rewards them or in a word when he answers either of them with a blessing as on the contrary he is said to remember iniquity when he sends some judgement for it So God is said to remember Hanna when he heard her prayer for a Son 1 Sam. 1. 19. and Nehemiah speaking cap. 5. 19. of his deeds of mercy and bounty shewed unto his poor brethren returned from captivity says Think upon me or remember me ô my God for good according to all that I have done for this people Thus were Cornelius his prayers and alms remembred Prayers therefore and alms be they performed as they should be are powerfull and approved means to obtain a blessing at the hands of God To speak first of prayer What is it that prayer hath not obtain'd It hath shut and opened heaven see the story of Eliah It hath made the Sun and Moon to stand still reade the book of Ioshua It is the key that openeth all Gods treasures and blessings both spirituall and corporall for spirituall blessings Cornelius we see obtained thereby illumination and instruction in Gods saving truth And S. Iames saith If any man lack wisdome let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally and it shall be given him Ephraim in the 31. of Ieremy prays for converting grace Turn thou me ô Lord and I shall be turned To whom God presently replies Is Ephraim my dear Son Is he a pleasant Childe For since I spake against him I doe earnestly remember him still Therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy on him saith the Lord. Prayer obtains remission of sins I said saith David Psal. 32. I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou maist be found Prayer also obtaineth corporall blessings When heaven was shut and it rained not Eliah prayed for rain and it rained Hannah prayed for a Son and she conceived If we be sick saith S. Iames cap. 5. The prayer of faith shall heal the sick Nehemiah prayed that he might finde favour in the sight of King Artaxerxes and found it Chap. 2. 4. But some man wil say If prayer have such power and efficacy how comes it to passe that many even godly men oft pray and yet speed not I answer There are divers causes thereof Either we pray not as we ought or we are not disposed as we ought to be when we pray We pray not as we ought either when we pray not heartily or not constantly For God regards not formall and superficiall prayer but prayer that comes from the heart and loves to be importuned before he grant as our Saviour tels us in the parable of the woman and the unjust Judge whom though at first he would not hear yet importunity made him doe her justice Or secondly we rely not upon God as we ought when we pray but trust more to second means to our wit to our friends or the like then to him And this seems to be that wavering in prayer S. Iames speaks of when he bids us pray in faith without wavering Chap. 1. that is without reeling from God to rest upon second means but as with our mouth we pray to him so should our hearts rely upon him to give us what we ask we often pray to God for fashion but indeed we look to speed by others and so God takes himself mocked and then no marvell if he hears us not If it were our own case we would not listen to such suiters Or thirdly we pray and speed not when we make not Gods glory the end of what we ask Ye ask saith S. Iames and receive not because ye ask amisse that ye might consume it upon your lusts Or fourthly we may ask something that crosseth the rule of Divine providence and justice and then also we must not look to speed David prayed for the life of his childe by Bathsheba Vriahs Wife but was not heard because it stood not with the rule of Divine justice that so scandalous a sin which made the Enemies of God to blaspheme should not have an exemplary punishment In like manner sundry times when the children of Israel rebelled against the Lord and murmured against Moses and Aaron their Governors Moses poured forth very earnest prayers to God for removing his judgements from off the people but God would not hear him because their sins were scandalous and committed with so high a hand that it could not stand with the rule of his justice not to inflict punishment for them Again sometimes and that too often we are indisposed for God to grant our request as first when some sin unrepented of lies at the door and keeps Gods blessing out Psal 66. 18. If I regard saith David iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me And his Son Solomon observed it Prov. 28. 9. where he says He that turneth away his eare from hearing the Law even his prayer shall be abomination So God would not hear Ioshua praying for the Israelites when they fled before the men of Ai because of Achans Sacriledge Get thee up saith God why liest thou thus upon thy face Israel hath sinned for they have taken of the accursed thing that is the thing that cursed were those that medled therewith Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their Enemies because they were accursed Neither will I be with you any more except ye put the accursed thing from among you Or lastly
our Prayers often are not heard because we appear before the Lord empty we do not as Cornelius did send up prayers and alms together we should have two strings to our bow when we have but one This is another indisposition which unfits us to receive what we ask of God For how can we look that God should hear us in our need when we turn away our face from our brother in his need When we refuse to give to God or for his sake what he requires why should he grant to us what we request Hear what an ancient Father of the Church S. Basil by name in concione ad Deum Novi quosdam saith he qui jejunarunt qui orarunt qui ingemuerunt verùm ne unum quidem obolum in egenos expenderunt Quae utilitas hîc est reliquae virtutis I have known saith he many who would fast who would pray who would sigh but not bestow one half-peny upon the poor But what then will their other devotion profit them Adde to all these reasons of displeasure a reason of favour why God sometimes grants not our requests namely because we ask that which he knows would be hurtfull for us though we think not so We ask sometimes that which if he granted us would utterly undoe us As therefore a wise and loving Father will not give his child a knife or some other hurtfull thing though it cries never so much unto him for it so does God deale with his children And how wise soever we think our selves we are often as ignorant in that which concerns our good as very babes are and therefore we must submit our selves to be ordered by the wisdome of our heavenly Father Moreover we must know and beleeve that God often hears our prayers when we think he doth not and that three manner of ways As namely first when he changes the means but brings the end we desire another way to passe we ask to have a thing by our means but he likes not our way but gives it us by another means which he thinks better S. Paul that he might the better glorifie God in serving him desires the prick of the flesh might be taken from him God denies him that means but grants him grace sufficient for him that so being humbled by the sight of his own infirmity he might glorifie God for his power in mans weaknesse And is it not all one whether a Physitian quench the thirst of his Patient by giving him Barberies or some other comfortable drink as by giving him Beer which he cals for Secondly God often grants our request but not at that time we would have it but defers it till some other time which he thinks best Daniel prays for the return of the Captivity in the first year of Darius but God defers it till the first of Cyrus we must not therefore take Gods delays for denials The souls of the Saints under the Altar Rev. 6. cry out aloud for vengeance God hears that cry and cannot deny the importunate cry of innocent blood yet he defers it for a little season saith the Text and why because their fellow-servants and Brethren that should be slain as they were might be fulfilled Lastly God sometimes grants not the things we ask but gives us in stead thereof something which is as good or better And then we are not to think but that he hears us And thus much concerning the power and efficacy of prayer Now I come also to shew the like of Alms how powerfull a means they are to procure a blessing from God Not thy prayer onely saith the Angel but thine Almes also are come up for a remembrance in the sight of God For Alms is a kinde of prayer namely a visible one and such an one as prevails as strongly with God for a blessing as any other Hear David in the 41. Psalm Blessed is he that considereth the poor the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble 2 The Lord preserve him and keep him alive and he shall be blessed upon earth and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies 3. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing thou wilt make all his bed in his sicknesse A place so evident as flashes in a mans eye But hear Solomon speak too Prov. 19. 17. He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord and that which he hath given he will pay him again And Pro. 28. 27. He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse Also Prov. 11. 25. The liberall soule shall be made fat and he that watereth shall be watered also himself Likewise Eccles. 11. 1. Cast thy bread upon the waters for thou shalt finde it after many days These are for corporall blessings and of this life but hear also for spirituall blessings and those of the life to come David Psal. 112. quoted by S. Paul 2 Cor. 9. He hath dispersed he hath given to the poor his righteousnesse remaineth for ever c. That is he shall be remembred not onely in this life but in the life to come Luke 16. Make to your selves saith our Saviour friends of the unrighteous Mammon that is of these deceitfull and uncertain riches that when you fail they that is the friends you have made may receive you into everlasting Tabernacles that is that God looking upon the Almesdeeds you have done and hearing the prayers and blessings of the poor may reward you with eternall life So S. Paul 1 Tim. 6. 17 c. Charge them that be rich in this world that they trust not in uncertain riches but in the living God That they doe good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternall life Non memini saith S. Hierome me legere mala morte mortuum qui libenter opera charitatis exercuit habet enim multos intercessores impossibile est multorum preces non exaudiri What should I say more Shall we not receive our sentence at the last day according to our works of mercy Come ye blessed of my Father and inherite the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world For when I was hungry ye gave me meat when I was thirsty ye gave me drink c. ye know the rest O the wonderfull efficacy of Alms in prevailing with God! What favour doe they finde in his sight how are they remembred but not for any merit in them which is none but of his meer mercy and mercifull promise who accepts them in Christ our Saviour Whence is that prayer of Nehemiah c. 12. concerning this case of good works Remember me ô my God concerning this and spare me according to the greatnesse of thy mercy Thus much of the efficacy and prevalency which prayer and Alms have with Almighty God
and to the Widow according to all the Commandements which thou hast commanded me Look down from thy holy habitation from heaven and blesse thy people Israel and the land which thou hast given us as thou swarest to our Fathers a land that floweth with milk and honey What we have seen in these two sorts is to be supposed to be the end of all other Offerings in pios usus which were not sacrifices namely to acknowledge God to be the Lord and giver of all As we see in that royall Offering which David with the Princes and Chieftains of Israel made for the building of the Temple 1 Chron. 29. where David acknowledgeth thus Thine ô Lord is the Kingdom and thou art exalted as Head over all Both riches and honour come of thee and thou reignest over all and in thine hand is power and might and in thine hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all Now therefore our God we thank thee and praise thy glorious Name For all things come of thee and of thine hand have we given thee For this reason there was never time since God first gave the Earth to the sons of men wherein this acknowledgement was not made by setting apart of something of that he had given them to that purpose In the state of Paradise among all the trees in the garden which God gave man freely to enjoy one tree was Noli me tangere and reserved to God as holy in token that he was Lord of the garden So that the first sin of Mankinde for the species of the fact was Sacriledge in profaning that which was holy For which he was cast out of Paradise and the Earth cursed for his sake because he had violated the signe of his fealty unto the great Landlord of the whole earth Might I not say that many a man unto this day is cast out of his Paradise and the labours of his hands cursed for the same sin But to go on After mans ejection out of Paradise the first service that ever we read was performed unto God was of this kinde Abel bringing the best of his flock and Cain of the fruit of his ground for an Offering or Present unto the Lord. The first spoils that ever we read gotten from an Enemy in war paid tithes to Melchisedek the Priest of the most high God as an acknowledgement that he had given Abraham the Victory Melchisedek blessing God in his name to be the possessor of heaven and earth and to have delivered his enemies into his hand To which Abraham said Amen by paying him Tithes of all Iacob promiseth God that if he would give him any thing for at that time he had nothing he would give him the tenth of what he should give him Which is as much to say as he would acknowledge and professe him to be the giver after the accustomed manner For the time of the Law I may skip over that it is well enough known no man will deny it But let us come to the time of the Gospel which though it hath freed us from the bondage of typicall Elements yet hath it not freed us from the possession of our Fealty unto God as Lord of the whole earth 'T were strange me thinks to affirm it I am sure the ancient Church next the Apostles thought otherwise I will quote for a witnesse Irenaeus who Lib. 4. cap. 32. tels us that our Saviour when he took part of the Viands of his last Supper and giving thanks with them consecrated them into a Sacrament of his body and blood set his Church an example of dedicating part of the creature in Dominicos usus Dominus saith he dans discipulis suis consilium primitias Deo offerre ex suis creaturis non quasi indigenti sed ut ipsi nec infructuosi nec ingrati sint eum qui ex creatura panis est accepit gratias egit c. Et novi Testamenti novam docuit oblationem quam Ecclesia ab Apostolis accipiens in universo mundo offert Deo ei qui alimenta nobis praestat primitias suorum munerum in novo Testamento But this is no proper occasion to follow this argument any further I will therefore leave it and adde a second reason why God requires Alms and such like offerings at our hands Namely that we might not forget God our blessed Saviour Mat. 6. and Luk. 12. 33 c. speaking of this very matter of alms Lay not up saith he for your selves treasures upon earth but â—ay up for your selves treasures in heaven For where your treasure is there will your heart be The proper evill of abundance is to forget God and our dependence upon him the remedy whereof most genuine and naturall is to pay him a rent of what we have So shall we always think of our Landlord and lift up our hearts to heaven in whatsoever we receive and enjoy Yea when this service is so acceptable to God that he promiseth a great reward to those who thus honour and acknowledge him how can it choose but detain our hearts in heaven in that respect also when we shall so often think of God not onely as the Lord and giver of what we have but as the rewarder also of the acknowledgement we perform PSAL. 112. 6. The Righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance A Word fitly spoken saith Solomon is like Apples of Gold in pictures of Silver that is gracefull and comely so is a Text of Scripture fitly chosen and rightly applied to the occasion Such an one as I take it is this I have now read not chosen by me but appointed by order to be used at these times of commemoration I shall need no other preface to commend it to your attention Let us therefore see what is the sense and meaning thereof The Righteous that is the bountifull shall be in everlasting remembrance In remembrance with God in remembrance with men with God in the world to come and in this world with men how and in what manner These are the severall heads I shall treat of and first of the first the Subject The Righteous or the bountifull man Righteousnesse in a speciall sense in the Hebrew and the rest of the Orientall Tongues of kinde to it signifies Beneficence or Bounty both the Virtue and the work and therefore by the Hellenists or Septuagint is it translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word so frequent in the New Testament for that we call Alms. 'T is a known place Dan. 4. according both to the Septuagint and vulgar Latine Peccata tua Eleemosynis redime iniquitates tuas misericordi is pauperum where in the Originall for Eleemosyna is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iustitia as we in our English render it Break off thy sins by righteousnesse and thine iniquity by shewing mercy to the poor This notion of righteousnesse is to be found thrice together in the 12. of Tobit ver 8. Prayer saith old Tobit
This rule of congruity I say is the reason why at the day of our great account we shall be judged according to our works of mercy and bounty To do as we would be done to hath place not onely between man and man but between God and men Nor is this I speak of manifest by the form of our last sentence onely but by other Scriptures beside what else means that of our Saviour Luke 16. Make unto your selves friends of the unrighteous Mammon that is of these slippery and deceitfull riches for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Scriptures Dialect is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting Tabernacles Or what means that of S. Paul 1 Tim. 6. 17. Charge them that be rich in this world that they trust not in uncertain riches but in the living God That they do good that they be rich in good works laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternall life Laying up a good foundation c. in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here it is observable that works of Beneficence are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the foundation of the reward we shall receive in the life to come If any but S. Paul had said so we should have gone near to have excepted against it for an error Works the foundation of eternall life No that shall not need but the foundation of that blessed sentence we shall receive at the last day for them and that is evident by the form thereof which we have alledged whatsoever is meant a great priviledge sure is hereby implied that these works have above others A like place to this we have in the old Testament with application particularly to Alms or works of mercy Tobit 4. 9. For thou layest up for thy self a good treasure against the day of necessity in the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. which answers to the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here give me leave to tell you what a late sacred Critick hath observed concerning the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in that place of Timothy namely that the signification thereof there is not Vulgar but Hellenisticall agreeable to the use of the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereto it answers for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies as it doth Radix or fundamentum but besides this in the Rabbinicall Dialect it is used for Tabula contractus a Bill of contract a Bond or Obligation whereby such as lend are secured their loan again That therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which answers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the first sense doth answer the same likewise in the second and accordingly the Apostles meaning to be that those who exercise these works of beneficence do provide themselves as it were of a Bill or Bond upon which they may at that day sue or plead for the award of eternall life Vi pacti but not Vi meriti In the same sense he takes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 2. 19. The foundation of God standeth sure having this seal The Lord knoweth them that are his And let every one that nameth or calleth upon the name of Christ depart from iniquity The mentioning of a Seal here implies a Bill of contract for Bils of contract had their Seals appendent to them each side whereof had his Motto the one suiting with the one party contrahent the other with the other That to this S. Paul alludes Gods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he standeth sure that is Gods Bill of contract or his Chirographum having a Seal according to the manner the one side whereof carrieth this Motto The Lord knoweth them that are his the other this Let every one that calleth upon the Name of Christ depart from iniquity Thus God remembreth the Righteous or charitable man in the world to come He remembreth him also in this For that which the Apostle saith of godlinesse that it hath the promise of this life as well as of that to come is most properly and peculiarly true of this righteousnesse of bounty and mercy other righteousnesse indeed must not look for reward till hereafter but this is wont to be rewarded now For spirituall blessings we have the example of Cornelius who for his Almesdeeds found favour with God to have S. Peter sent unto him to instruct him in the saving knowledge of Christ Thy prayers and thine Almesdeeds said the Angel are come up in remembrance before God Now therefore send to Joppa and inquire for one Simon Peter c. For temporall blessings hear what David says Psa. 37. 25. quoted before I was young saith he and now am old yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging their bread He is ever mercifull and lendeth therefore his seed is blessed This blessing is the mercifull and charitable mans peculiar that his children shall not want who was liberall and open-handed to supply the want of others But think not that God remembers the charitable man with a temporall blessing in his posterity onely for he remembers him also in his own person Thus the same David Psal. 41. 1. Blessed is he that considereth the poore the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble 2. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive and he shall be blessed upon the earth and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies 3. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing c. And doth not his Son King Solomon say the same Prov. 19. 17. He that hath pâ—ty upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord and that which he hath given he will pay him again But this perhaps some will think may be applied to the reward in the life to come If it be it would much illustrate that of S. Pauls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I now spake of But Prov. 28. 27. is a place not capable of this exception He that giveth to the poor shall not lack but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse Thus we have seen how the righteous man is in remembrance with God Now let us see how the same is and ought to be in remembrance with men And it may be inferred from the former for why should not we remember those whom God doth The practice in the Church of God hath been accordingly The Jews when they make mention of any of their deceased Worthies are wont to do it with this Encomium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est Memoria ejus sit in benedictione Otherwhile with this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Memoria ejus sit ad vitam futuri seculi And of their Rabbies in generall when they mention them they say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Magistri nostri quorum memoria sit ad benedictionem Which encomiasticall scheme is taken from that of Solomon Pr. 10. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
prayer for the house of Onesiphorus for like good service done to the Offices of Gods House The Lord saith he grant unto him that he may finde mercy of the Lord in that day that is the day of Judgement which is Tempus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when every one shall receive according to his work The controversie therefore between the Romanists and us is not whether there be a reward promised unto our works we know the Scripture both of the Old and New Testament is full of testimonies that way and encourageth us to work in hope of the reward laid up for us We know that in keeping of Gods Commandements there is great reward Psa. 19. 11. And that unto him that soweth in righteousnesse shall be a sure reward Prov. 11. 18. We know our Saviour saith Mat. 5. 12. Blessed are ye when men revile and persecute you for great is your reward in heaven Also that he that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward And whosoever shall give a cup of gold water only to one of his little ones in the name of a Disciple shall not lose his reward Mat. 10. Again we read Luk. 6. 35. Love your enemies Do good and lend and your reward shall be great and ye shall be the children of the Highest we know also what S. Iohn saith 2 Ep. v. 8. Look to your selves that ye lose not those things which ye have wrought but that ye may receive a full reward But the Question is Whence this Reward commeth whether from the worth or worthinesse of the work as a debt of Justice due thereto or from Gods mercy as a recompence freely bestowed out of Gods gracious bounty and not in justice due to the worth of the work it self Which Question me thinks Nehemiah here in my Text may determine when he saith Remember me ô Lord for my good deeds according to thy great mercy And the Prophet Hosea Chap. 10. 12. when he biddeth us Sow to our selves in righteousnesse and reap in mercy And S. Paul Rom. 6. 23. where though he saith that the wages of sin is death yet when he comes to eternall life he changeth his style But saith he eternall life is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the gracious gift of God through Iesus Christ. For as for our works they are imperfect and whatsoever they were we owed them to him in whom we live and have our being whether there were any reward or not promised for them Neither do we hereby any whit detract from that Axiome That God rewardeth every man according to his work For still the question remaineth the very same Whether there may not be as wel merces gratiae as merces justitiae that is Whether God may not judge a man according to his works when he sits upon the Throne of Grace as well as when he sits upon his Throne of Justice And we think here that the Prophet David hath fully cleared the case in that one sentence Psa. 62. 12. With thee ô Lord is mercy for thou rewardest every one according to his work Nay more then this we deny not but in some sense this reward may be said to proceed of Justice For howsoever originally and in it self we hold it commeth from Gods free bounty and mercy who might have required the work of us without all promise of reward for as I said we are his creatures and owe our being unto him yet in regard he hath covenanted with us and tied himself by his word and promise to conferte such a reward the reward now in a sort proveth to be an Act of Justice namely of Iustitia promissi on Gods part not of merit on ours Even as in forgiving our sins which in it self all men know to be an Act of Mercy he is said to be Faithfull and Iust 1 Ioh. 1. 9. namely of the faithfull performance of his promise for promise we know once made amongst honest men is accounted a due debt But this argues no more any worthinesse of equality in the work towards the obtaining of the reward then if a promise of a Kingdome were made to one if he should take up a straw it would follow thence that the lifting up of a straw were a labour of a work worth a Kingdome howsoever he that should so promise were bound to give it Thus was Moses carefull to put the children of Israel in minde touching the Land of Canaan which was a type of our eternall habitation in heaven that it was a Land of promise and not of merit which God gave them to possesse not for their righteousnesse or for their upright heart but that he might perform the word which he sware unto their Fathers Abraham Isant and Iaacob Whereupon the Levites in this book of Nehemiah say in their prayer to God Thou madest a Covenant with Abraham to give to his seed the Land of the Canaanites and hast performed thy word because thou art just that is true and faithfull in keeping thy promise Now because the Lord hath made a like promise of the Crown of life to them that love him S. Paul sticks not in like manner to attribute this also to Gods Justice Henceforth saith he 2 Tim. 4. 8. is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse which the righteous Iudge shall give me at that day and not to me only but to all them that love his appearing Upon which S. Bernard most sweetly as he is wont Est ergo quam Paulus expectat corona Iustitiae sed justitiae Dei non suae Iustum quippe est ut reddat quod debet debet autem quod pollicitus est Lastly for the word merit It is not the name we so much scruple at as the thing wont now adays to be understood thereby otherwise we confesse the name might be admitted if taken in the large and more generall sense for any work having relation to a reward to follow it or whereby a reward is quocunque modo obtained In a word as the correlatum indifferent either to merces gratiae or justitiae For thus the Fathers used it and so might we have done still if some of us had not grown too proud and mistook it since we think it better and safer to disuse it even as Physitians are wont to prescribe their Patients recovered of some desperate disease not to use any more that meat or diet which they finde to have caused it And here give me leave to acquaint you with an Observation of a like alteration of speech and I suppose for the self-same cause happening under the old Testament namely of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 changed into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Righteousnesse into that which findeth mercy for so the Septuagint and the new Testament with them render the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iustitia not only when it is taken for beneficience or alms as in that Tongue it is the ordinary word in which use we are wont
that we may the better proceed we will first see the generals wherein all or the most agree and after come unto the particulars wherein they disagree The first wherein all agree â—s that this Vrim and Thummim was some thing put in the Brest-plate which was fastened to the Ephod over against the heart of the High Priest And thus much the Scripture witnesseth Exod. 28. 30. where God saith to Moses And thou shall put in the Brest plate of Iudgement the Vrim and the Thummim which shall be on Aarons heart when he goeth in before the Lord. And for this cause as most think was the Brest-plate made double that the Vrim and Thummim might be enveloped therein The second thing wherein all agree is that this Vrim and Thummim was a kinde of Oracle whereby God gave answer to those that enquired of him and from hence the Septuagint call the whole Brest-plate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which some turn Rationale but might more truly be turned Orationale for an Oracle is as it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Voice of God though this Voice or Revelation were of divers kinds for at sundry times and in divers manners saith S. Paul God spake in old time to our Fathers The Jews therefore make four kinds of Divine Revelation First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Prophecy which was by dreams and Visions The second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 afflatus Spiritus sancti as was in Iob David and others The third Vrim and Thummim which was the Oracle The fourth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 filia vocis which was usuall in the second Temple after the Oracle had ceased as Mat. 5. at Christs Baptism there came a voice from heaven saying This is my welbeloved son in whom I am well pleased and Ioh. 12. when Christ said Father glorifie thy name There came a voice like thunder saying I have both glorified it and will glorifie it again But to return again to our purpose That Vrim and Thummim was an Oracle of God besides the consent of Jews and others it is plain by Scripture Num. 27. when God had commanded Moses to put his hands upon Ioshua and to set him over the congregation in his stead he addes And he that is Ioshua shall stand before Eleazar the Priest who shall ask counsell for him by the judgement of Vrim before the Lord. So 1 Sam. 23. when David was to ask counsell of the Lord he called for the Ephod wherein the Oracle was and whereas before he had once or twice asked counsell of the Lord concerning Keilah to prevent the objection how the Lord answered it follows in the next by way of a Prolepsis That Abiathar then Priest when he fled to David to Keilah brought the Ephod with him ver 6. Lastly in the second of Ezra when certain of the Priests which returned from Captivity could not finde their names written in the genealogies it is said that Ezra commanded they should not eat of the most holy things till there rose up a Priest with Vrim and Thummim that is till God should by Oracle reveal whether they were Priests or no whereby it also appears that this Oracle had then ceased And for more light to that we have in hand it will not be amisse to observe that Teraphim among the Idolaters was answerable to the Vrim and Thummim of the holy Patriarchs Both were ancient for Rahel is said to have stollen away her Fathers Teraphim And Vrim and Thummim seems to have been used among the Patriarchs before the Law was given because the making of it is not spoken of among other things of the Ephod And because God speaks of it to Moses demonstratively 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Vrim and the Thummim Both also were Oracles for the Jews and others agree Teraphim were small Images made under a certain constellation which they used to consult both in things doubtfull and things future supposing they had a power to this effect received from heavenly influence much like to puppets made of wax and like matter which our Wizzards still use unto like purpose And therefore Ezek. 21. we reade that the King of Babel among other divinations consulted also of Teraphim And the King of Babel saith the Text stood at the head of the two ways to use divination consulting with Teraphim he looked in the liver And Zac. 10. 2. Surely saith the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Teraphims have spoken vanity and the Soothsayers have seen a lie and the Dreamers have told a vain thing Besides from this like use of Teraphim with the holy Vrim and Thummim we may reade Ephod and Teraphim joyned both together as things of like kind as Hosea 3. The children of Israel saith the Lord shall remain many days without a King and without a Prince and without an Offering and without an Image and without an Ephod and Teraphim Yea of so near a nature was this Teraphim unto the Vrim and Thummim that Micah he that had an house of Gods when he had made an Ephod because he had no Vrim and Thummim he put Teraphims in stead thereof as we may gather Iudg. 17. 18. where we may see also that when the children of Dan enquired of the Lord concerning their journey it pleased him to give answer by the Idolish Teraphim So we may gather likewise that the Israelites after Ieroboams schism having no Vrim and Thummim used Teraphim in the Ephod and therefore it is that Hosea threatens that they shall be without Ephod and Teraphim Having hitherto shewn how far it is agreed about Vrim and Thummim in the next place the points of difference ought to be considered which are either about the matter whereof it was made or in the manner how God answered by it For the matter some will have it to be nothing else but the writing or carving of the great name Iehovah which was put within the folding of the brest-plate and that it was called Vrim and Thummim because by the knowledge of the mystery of Iehovah in the Trinity our minds are enlightned and understandings made perfect Some other there are of the same opinion but they will have it called Vrim and Thummim because by the virtue of that name written Sacerdos verba sua illustrabat perficiebat And moreover they say the brest-plate was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the brest-plate of judgement because by it the Lord gave as it were sentence and judgement what was to be done in hard and doubtfull matters And this is the opinion of Rabbi Shelomo Some other will have it called the brest-plate of judgement because that by it the judgement of the Judges if it were amisse was hereby as it were pardoned because the High Priest was to bear the sins of the people The Authors of this opinion are mentioned by R. Shelomo Aben Ezra saith it was so called because by it the judgement and decrees of the Lord were known And he thinks also that
the exercise of devotion as the poor and mean rather then the rich and full Wherefore Agur desired of God not to give him more then food convenient for him lest being full he should deny him and say Who is the Lord Such likewise is the state of adversity and affliction whence it is that God useth this discipline of his corrections and judgements to make us crouch and bow down unto him when he seeth us ready to forget him Whence David Psal. 94. 12. pronounceth the man blessed whom the Lord chastiseth and Psal. 119. ver 67 71. Before I was afflicted saith he I went astray but now I have kept thy word It is good for me that I have been afflicted For diseases say the Physitians must be cured by contraries It was pride that caused the disloialty and rebellion both of men and Angels against their God and Maker Whence it is that Syracides saith Ecclus. 10. 12. The beginning of pride is when one departeth from God and his heart is turned away from his Maker 13. For pride is the beginning of sin and he that hath it shall pour out abomination If pride be the beginning of our rebellion against God then must lowlinesse be the proper disposition of those who fear and worship him And so Tanto quisque est vilior Deo quanto est pretiosior sibi Now then to return to our Argument of Fasting we may observe beside the ceremony specified in my Text that all other Rites or Ceremonies used by the Ancients in this solemne devotion or yet continued by us imply nothing else but lowlinesse and humility partly to work and beget it partly to expresse and signifie it They are reducible to three heads 1. of habit 2. of gesture 3. of diet For habit it was anciently sackcloth and ashes by the coursenesse of the sackcloth they ranked themselves as it were amongst the meanest and lowest condition of men by ashes and sometimes earth upon their heads they made themselves lower then the lowest of the creatures of God For the lowest of the elements is the earth then which we use to say a man cannot fall lower Qui jacet in terra non habet unde cadat For gesture they sate or lay upon the ground which in the Primitive Church was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 humicubatio a naturall ceremony both to expresse and ingenerate or encrease this disposition of lowlinesse and abjection of our selves and as frequently practised by our devout Fore-fathers as it is seldome or never used amongst us It were a thing most comely and undoubtedly most profitable if either these ceremonies or some other answerable to them were revived amongst us at such times as these If we were all of us this day attired if not in sackcloth which perhaps sutes not so well with the custome of our Nation yet in the dolefullest habit of mourners if we lay all groveling upon the ground would not such a rufull spectacle would not the very sight of so uncouth an assembly much afflict and move us The mournfull hue of Funerall solemnities we know by experience will often make them to weep who otherwise have no particular cause of sorrow how much more when they have But the principall ceremony and which we still retain is abstinence from meat and drink whence this kinde of supplication hath the name of Fasting the end thereof being as to bring down our bodies thereby the better to humble our souls so to expresse and testifie the same Mores animi sequuntur temper amentum corporis If the body be full and lusty the minde will be lofty and refractory and most unfit and uncomposed to approach the Divine Majesty with reverence and fear How uncomposed is that heart to sue to God for mercy and aversion of his judgements which is fraught with rebellious unclean and lustfull thoughts like so many dogges barking within it But these are all ingendred and cherished by full feeding and cannot be easily quelled unlesse they be starved When I fed Israel to the full saith the Lord Ier. 5. 7 8. then they committed adultery and assembled by troups in harlots houses c. Ieshurun saith Moses in his Propheticall song Deut. 32. 15. waxed fat and kicked and forsook the Lord that made him and lightly esteemed of the Rock of his salvation Wherefore S. Paul was fain to pinch his body and bring it down with Fasting I keep under my body saith he 1 Cor. 9. ult and bring it into subjection lâ—st that by any means when I have preached unto others I my self should be a cast-away Hilarion a religious young man when after much abstinence and course diet he felt his flesh still unruly and rebellious Ego inquit Aselle faciam ut non Calcitres nec te hordeo aâ—am sed paleis Fame siti te conficiam such is the danger of a pampered body and such the necessity of keeping it under But as Fasting is a Physicall means if it be used to purpose to take down the loftinesse of our minds and affections by subtracting the fuell and foment of our lusts which is full feeding so is it a ceremony chosen for that naturall effect it hath to signifie and testifie that by reflection upon our vilenesse and unworthinesse we strike the sail of our high flying affections and humble our selves before the Majesty of Almighty God upon such occasions as these For as we use feasting not only to beget but also to expresse and testifie our erection and chearfulnesse of heart in times of joyfulnesse whence in the Old Testament to rejoyce before the Lord is put for to feast before him So is fasting when we would intend our devotions used not only as a means to further but also as a ceremony whereby we testifie our sorrowfull dejection and humiliation of minde before God Well then you see what is the chief end we are to aim at in this our solemne abstinence namely to take down our proud hearts and bring them to a state of lowlinesse and humility a disposition so acceptable and prevailing with God to check our high-mounting passions and allay the smoaking flames of our unruly lusts which as it is at all times requisite in some measure whensoever we approach the Majesty of God to sue for mercy and forgivenesse so then especially and in a more then usuall manner when God shakes the rod of his judgements over our heads and biddeth us down and prostrate both soul and body before him lest his wrath break us in pieces if we will not bow He that hath attained this hath fasted well he that hath not may hereby know he hath not done enough or not as he should do If the boiling of our lusts be cooled and calmed if the swelling conceits of worth in our selves be taken down with a true and feeling apprehension of our vilenesse and wretchednesse through sin which maketh us the most unworthy creatures in the world if those ramping weeds of contempt and