TRUTH May be blam'd but not sham'd A SERMON Upon Matth. 16. v. 13 14 15 16. Wherein Truth and Errour are brought upon the Stage acting their parts By WILLIAM HARVEY Minister of the Word O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the Truth c. Gal. 3.1 Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth Chap. 4.16 Quid de quoquo viro cui dicas saepe caveto LONDON Printed for the Authour 1657. Collegium S. Set Individuce Trinitatis in Academia Cantabrigiensi Matth. 16 Chap. vers 13 14 15 16. When Jesues came into the coasts of Cesarea Philippi he asked his disciples saying Whom do men say that I the Son of man am And they said So me say that thou art John the Baptist some Elias and others Jeremias or one of the prophets He saith unto them but whom say ye that I am and Simon Peter answered and said Thou art Christ the Son of the Living God IN these words we have two questions with their answers The questions are one and the same but the answers are distinct and different accoring to the different Spirits of the Common people and of the Apostles Both respond as they thought and as their genious prompt them The Apostles give in the judgement of the vulgar which is various and divers and they in the person of Peter wrapt as it were in the Clouds and their tongues touched with a Coal from the altar give in theirs viz. Thou art Christ the Son of the living God But first let us come to the plebeans and hear what opinions the vulgar had of our Saviour We have them in the thirteenth and fourteenth verses Some say that thou art John the Baptist Some Elias and others Jeremias or one of the Prophets To omit all other Circumstances of time and place where and when The external impulsive cause or occasion of the giving in of the peoples judgement was our Lords interrogation whom do men say that I the son of man am Or as S. Mark hath it whom do men say that I am Chap. 8. vers 27. Or as S. Luke whom say the people that I am Chap. 9. vers 18. By Son of man Christ meant himself which word is usual in Scripture and is expressed by the Prophet Daniel chap. 7. v. 13. I saw in the night visions and behold one like the Son of man came with the Clouds of heaven and came to the antient of dayes and they brought him neer before him And all this to intimate and point unto us that he was born man of the blessed Virgin Mary in all things like unto us Sin only excepted as the Apostle hath it Heb. 2. chap. vers 14 The end of his interrogation or question was not sinister as affecting popular applause or vain glory neither was it because he was ignorant of the peoples thoughts of him For he needed not that any should testifie of man for he knew what was in man John 2. chap. vers 25. But hearing the various conceits of the inconstant people he might the more fully and rightly inform them in the same The answer of the Apostles is fourfold a many headed Hidra which they give in the name of the Common people Some say that thou are John the Baptist some Elias and others Jeremias or one of the prophets Now John was a notable Doctour a man for holinesse of life innocency and sharpness in his reproofs above all in his time This John Herod not long before causeth to be put to death Our Lord treading in his steps and exceeding him in innoceney austerity in reproving of Sin and vehemency in his reprehensions the Common people conceited and perswaded themselves that he was very John the Baptist risen again from the dead so Luke chap. 9. vers 7. Because it was said of some that John was risen from the dead With which fond opinion Herod himself was big Matth 14.2 This is John the Baptist he is risen from the dead therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him Others took him for Elias that noble and heroick prophet in the time of king Ahab and Jezabel who slew the prophets of Baal smote the waters of Jordan and possed over as on dry ground and as too good for earth is carried in a fiery Charet to heaven 2 Kings 2.11 Thus we read Mark 6.15 Others said that it is Elias c. The ground of this mistake is the words in Malachi 4. chap. 5. verse Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. The Jews hereupon falsly imagined our Saviour to be that Tishbite come from heaven and so that prophesie of the prophet accomplished Thirdly others again think him to be Jeremias a prophet who was not onely ordained from his mothers womb to preach and prophesy to the people hut the whole course of this life was a free reprehending the sins and enormities of the times He prophesied the destruction of the Temple and the captivity of the Jewes in Babylon A sad Omen to as sad a consequence which they found too true by sad experience Christ therefore with the like zeal reprehending the priests and foreshewing the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem it self that most populous and flourishing Citie hence they blindly surmise him to be Jeremias Lastly others without positive affirming him to be this or that particular shoot their bolâ— and blindly say that he is one of the prophets So we read Luke 7.16 And there came a fear on all and they glorified God saying that a great prophet is risen among us and that God hath visited his people And Luke 9.8 And of some that Elias had appeared and of others that one of the old prophets was risen again And John 6.14 This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world And thus you have the several and promiscuous judgements of the people concerning our blessed Lord. All give in their verdict but rove at random and misse the white Yet the Commons although they err'd and and to use Chrysostoms words multo humilior quam opportebaâ—eorum de Christo erat opinio a nequitia tamen libera erat their opinion concerning Christ was far beneath him notwithstanding it was without tincture of wickedness On the contrary the opinion of the Pharisees savour'd of much malice For they said he was a Samaritan and had a devil and did eject devils through Beelz bub the prince of the devils Luke the 11th 15. John 8.48 And so I come to the Observations in the Text. First then it were not amiss after the example of our Saviour when he said whom do men say that I the Son of man am for us upon occasion to question and enquire what others speak of us to understand the several vo'es of the people and to hear their resolves that so we may take off all occasions of scandals in time and
maugre the menaces and threats of wicked men Let this never be forgotten of us But whosoever shall deny me before men him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven Matth. 10.33 And worthy is that of the Apostle to be writ in the tables of our hearts Rom. 10.9 10. That if thou shalt confesse with my mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved For with the heart man believeth unto righteousnesse and with the mouth Confession is made unto Salvation Secondly this more especially concerns the Ministers of God his word they of all other must freely deliver the truth b Nihil in sacerdote tam periculosum apud Deuw tam iurpe apud homineâ— quam quod sentiat vericatem non libere pronuneiare Ambr. Nothing in a Minister is so dangerous with a God and base with men then not to speak that freely which he thinketh to be truth I was spoken like a prophet As the Lord liveth what the Lord saith unto me that will I speak 1 Kings 22.14 And no lesse noble was it said by Nehemiah Should such a man as Iâ— flee chap. 6.11 These are the pillars of the Church if they fall down cometh the whole fabrick It is a shame to see a man of God turn tail for him to deny the truth is monstrous who will trust that sheepheard or rather that thief who seeing the wolf coming leaveth the sheep and flyeth John 16.12 He that sitteth as the stern must not leave it for every storm lest he hazardeth the whole vessel and so commit the Marriners to the mercy of the seas Look to this ye Embassadours of the most high God and betray not through your cowardise those souls comitted to your charge What more worthy of commemoration then that of he Apostles who when they were put into the common prison for preaching in the name of Christ presently they entred into the Temple early in the morning and taught saying We ought to obey God rather than men and boldly told them to their faces The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a tree him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgivenesse of sins Acts 5. 18.21.29.30.31 Who can but admire at the Constancy and brave spirit of Martin Luther who when he was by some of his friends disswaded from going to Wormes made this answer If every tyle of each house was a devil yet would I go thither O noble soul thy name will be had in remembrance to thy immortall praise Let my counsel be accepted of you my dear brethren of the Clergie Yea let the wise mans counsell be accepted of you c Prov. 19.10 Buy the truth and sell it not Let no panick fear possesse you when you should proclaim the glad tidings of the gospel and preach salvation through the merit of Christ He is the Son of the living God saith my Text who will own you his Champions and reward you with a crown of immortality if ye be constant What iâ— the world hate you for it Take this Cordial Be of good comfort I have overcome the world said your great Master once And if God be for us who can be against us Rom. 8.31 Take this for all even from him who is Alpha and Omega the first and the last he that liveth and was dead and hath the keyes of hell and of death Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be tryed and ye shall have tribulation ten dayes be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life Rev. 2.10 At for those Milk-sops those fearful watchmen ambodexters and trencher Chaplains who for sinister ends speak what God never put into their mouths against the plain text of Scripture denying the Lord that bought them and so making shipwrack of faith and a good conscience to the hazarding of many thousand souls Good God give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth If not the wish of the Apostle to all you that fear God shall be mine I would they were even cut off that trouble you Amen Gal. 5.12 FINIS
John saith 1 John 5.20 This is the true God and eternal life And Rom. 9.5 Who is over all God blessed for ever Amen Secondly As our Saviour is true God so likewise he is true man of the substance of his Mother born in the world This is manifest by his own words vers 13. Whom do men say that I the Son of man am To this purpose he hath the plain Epithete of Man given him Luke 23.47 Now when the Centurion saw what was done he glorified God saying Certainly this was a righteous man And the Apostle 1. Tim. 2.5 For there is one God and one Mediatour between God and men the man Christ Jesus Wherefore he is called the son of Mary Matth. 1.16 The seed of the woman Gen. 3.15 The seed of Abraham Heb. 2.16 Born of a woman Gal. 4.4 Yet notwithstanding though he be God and man he is not two but one Christ According to Athanasius his Creed One not by Conversion of the Godhead into flesh but by taking the manhood into God one altogether not by confusion of Substance but by unity of Person For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man so God and man is one Christ To this purpose the Apostle saith there is one Lord Jesus Christ 1. Cor. 8.6 And one Mediatour between God and men 1. Tim. 2.5 Thus we see he is but one Christ In the next place we have his office expressed in the word Christ Thou art Christ c. which word signifieth anointed For whereas Kings Priests and Prophets were usually anointed in the Old Testament upon their inauguration Exod. 29.7.1 Sam. 16.13 Hence they are called the Lords anointed Esay 48.1 So likewise was Christ anointed not with any external oil but with the Holy Ghost into a Kingly Prophetick and Priestly office Psal 45.8 John 3.34 Acts 10.38 First he was anointed a Prophet to make known the will of his heavenly Father concerning our redemption John 1.10 No man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him And in the next place that he might appoint us the Ministry of the-Word and the use of the Sacraments that by these as by instruments he might work effectually in his Church as Mark 16 15.16 Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Secondly he was anointed a Priest that he might offer himself on the Cross for us and by the sacrifice of his own body redeem us from our most sad and deplorable condition in the loins of our first parents and that he might ever intercede for us to his Father For by one offering he hath perfected for even them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 and chap. 9.24 For Christ is not ascended into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true but into heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us And Rom. 8.34 Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Thirdly he was anointed a King that he might rule and govern us by the Scepter of his power that is that he might preserve and defend us both from our corporal and spiritual enemies to wit the Devil Sin Death Hell and this wicked World Wherefore the Prophet thus speaketh Rejoyce greatly O daughter of Zion shout O daughter of Jerusalem behold thy King cometh unto thee he is just and having salvation c. Zach. 9.9 And the Evangelist Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world Matth. 25.34 From this Confession of Peter we may learn what is the duty of every Christian man even this freely to give an account of his faith According to that of the Apostle But sanctiste the Lord God in your hearts and be ready alwayes to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meeknesse and fear I Pet. 3.15 And to take off all excuse in this particular our Saviour himself saith Whosoever therefore shall confesse me before men him will I confesse also before my Father which is in heaven Matth. 10.32 Holy David maketh it a fruit of faith Psalm 116.10 I believed therefore have spoken a Veritas credenda laquenda The truth saith Prosper is to be believed and spoken Confession is of a high consequence and concerns Christains more then they think of This I believe wrings many a professor by the nose and toucheth as we say their câ—ppy hold How many have we that dare not confesse the truth openly for fear of men These are cowardly Christians who when they should fight betake them to their heels Some will make a fair flourish for a time they will take up the Cudgels with much seeming Confidence but when any cometh to play with them they presently lay them down Such a one was S. Peter Hear his high words Though all should be offended because of thee yet will I never be offended And further Though I should die with thee yet will I not deny thee Matth. 26.33.35 but look upon him a while after and then quantum mutatus ab illo one would not take him to be the same man How are the chariot wheels of his resolution taken off so that he drives heavily Mark him I pray I know not what thou sayest and again with and oath in his mouth I do not know the man And to make him superlative he falls more basely begins to curse and to swear saying I know not the man vers 70.72.74 Who would have taken Spira otherwise then a Chrisitian once but miserable man when he was urged to subscribe or else lose all and incurre the Popes displeasure straightwayes makes shipwrack of faith and a good conscience and after this by God his divine justice dieth in horrible despair Is not this an Epidemical disease What Thrasonian brags will our mungrel professours make in times of peace and prosperity Who better Christians now then they whilst this calm lasts it is a hard matter to finde out the true Mother a base hypocriticall Pharisee can scarce be discerned from a Nathaneel a true Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile but let one storm arise let the Sabeans take away their oxen and their asses or the Chaldeans fall upon their camels or let a prison be threatned them the least gust of adversity blow upon them and as Sathan falsly said of Job it may truly be said of them they will curse God to his face Most sad experience we have had of this in all ages and the Apostacy of our times is a sufficient test and proof of it Confesse we then the truth