may be reiterated though the other may not And so haue I laid before you as many particulars as I thinke obserueable in this Text which I will now vnfold briefly and in their order First then of the Author He is here called Iesus Saint Paul calleth him the Lord Iesus Though Sacraments be Ceremonies yet are they Ceremonies of efficacie Were they onely of significancie the Church might haue some power to ordaine them but being of efficacie their ordination belongeth onely to God because the efficacy floweth from his Spirit and of his Spirit none can dispose but himselfe As onely God is the Author of Sacraments so did hee institute them by the second Person by him that is the Sauiour of the world doth hee institute the Sacraments of sauing grace the Sacraments are his most liuely picture therefore he was fittest for to draw them He was fittest as Iesuâ— for to draw them and as the Lord to enioyne the obseruation of them therein especially stands his Kingdome in his Church to prescribe the meanes vnto eternall Life But how doth he do it you shall learne that in the Institution I therein obserued the time and the manner The time while they were eating saith St. Matthew after Supper saith St. Luke Saint Paul the same night that he was betrayed St. Paul and St. Luke are easily reconciled for the Passeouer was solemnized at the same time and St. Luke meaneth when they had done with that so far as concerned the Paschal Lamb but were not yet risen for that there was another Ceremony to be performed as the Iewish Ritualls obserue and that Ceremony was this The Master of the Family after the Passeouer was eaten distributed with solemne words concerning the deliuerance out of the Egyptian captiuity bread and wine before that was done Christ instituted the Sacrament and so it might be while they were eating though it were after Supper Where out of St. Pauls addition that it was the night wherein Christ was betrayed we may obserue that for the terrour of the Crosse which he fore-saw Christ did not omit to doe any thing which concerned his office and was to be for the comfort of his Church Secondly obserue that they were not at a prophane but a sacred Banquet which hindered not but they might be meete guests for Christs holy Supper while they receiued one Sacrament they were not vnfit for another And this teacheth vs the reason why though Christ gaue the Sacrament to the Apostles while they were feasting the Church commands vs to take it fasting For their feast was sacred the Church forbids that which is prophane so doth St. Paul 1. Cor. 11. yea the Iewes were to sanctifie themselues before the receiuing of the Passeouer How may we then come vnprepared to ours that the meate of our soules may the better be receiued we must not be prepossest with the food of our bodies Where by the way you may learne how to answer the cauill against our Liturgie which saith that the Diuell entered into Iudas after his vnworthy receiuing of the Sacrament For put the case he were not at the Eucharist which notwithstanding will not easily be proued because the best Harmonists are against the conceipt and so are the Fathers Greeke and Latine But put the case he were not there yet was he at the Passouer that is plaine in the Euangelists and the Passeouer was a Sacrament and so in effect the matter is all one Secondly obserue on these words While they were eating that before the Sacrament of the Old was abolished for it was not abolished but by the death of Christ Christ instituted the Sacrament of the New that because we haue alwayes so much need of grace wee might neuer be without the meanes thereof So did he substitute Baptisme to Circumcision the Ministry of the Gospell to the Priesthood of the Law the Lords Day to the Iewish Sabbath Seeing then Christ hath been so carefull of vs we must not be wanting to our selues if we want grace the blame must not be laide on him but on vs. Thirdly Christ abolished the Ceremoniall Law but not all Ceremonies We consist of a body and a soule and God doth conuey grace vnto the soule by the body which cannot be done without Ceremony But ours are fewer in number than were the Iewes Austin though they are not inferiour in power yea they are much more commodious though they be lesse burthenous Our charge being easier and our comfort greater our sinne is lesse excusable and our neglect more challengeable if we doe not practise such easie meanes to compasse so great a benefit Enough of the Time I come now to the Manner of the Institution where wee must first see what Elements were chosen and here we finde bread and wine Of this choice the reason is inquired Some thinke it occasionall because the Father of the Family did after the Passeouer distribute bread and wine Some thinke Christ tooke an occasion from that ceremony to institute this by this Truth to accomplish that Type Others thinke the reason to be Propheticall Cap. 1. Malachy foretold that from the rising of the Sun vnto the going downe of the same Gods Name should be great amongst the Gentiles and in euery place incense should be offered to his Name and a pure Offering the word is Mincah and so doth import an accessory to the ancient Sacrifice that was made commonly of fine flower and wine this accessory might in some cases be a principall as appeares in the Law Some rise higher vnto the dayes of Melchisedech and because hee offered bread and wine and Christ was a Priest after the order of Melchisedech therefore hee made vse of his Sacrifice and perpetuated it to this heauenly vse Now the bread and wine which Melchisedech brought out when hee met Abraham are by many of the Fathers thought to be a Sacrifice I might adde a fourth Originall that is Manna and the water out of the Rocke wherewith God sustained the Israelites in the wildernesse St. Paul calleth them spirituall meate and drinke 1. Cor. 10. But to leaue these points which are subiect to dispute I will come to that which is more cleare and that is Bread and Wine are the choisest of food bread strengtheneth mans heart and it is the sustenance of all other sustenances the Psalmist giueth Wheate as it were kidnies of fat not onely alluding to the forme of the graine but also to the effect thereof and God by the Prophet when he threatneth a famine expresseth it by breaking the staffe of bread as if without it all food were heartlesse As for wine the Psalme teacheth vs that it was made to cheare vp mans heart The Parable of the Trees telleth vs it cheareth both God and man Iudges 9. In the Probleme Esdras 3. What is strongest wine is brought in as one Ecclesiasticus hath made almost a whole Chapter of it and holdeth that there is no life without it be
opinion of ignorant people towards them that are bad is to vilifie those that vndertake the defence of that which is good This hath beene alwayes the practice of the enemies of the Church whether Infidels or Hereticks as appeares by the Ecclesiasticall Storie and at this day the Romanists vse the very same method who spend more Bookes in reproaching their Aduersaries persons then in refuting of their Arguments and thriue better by this indirect course then they could by any that is direct You haue heard from what we must be separated It remaines that now in few words you heare How farre This it set downe in three verbes 1 Walking 2 Standing 3 Sitting wherein there is a gradation for standing is more then walking and sitting more then standing but this gradation is somewhat strange for though in Exhortations wee doe rise from the lowest degree to the highest yet in dehortations wee vse to fall from the highest degree to the lowest As for example when we exhort to liberalitie we tell men that it is not enough for them to haue a charitable heart they must also haue a good eye neither will a good eye suffice except they haue a liberall hand so do we by degrees draw them to the height of vertue but when wee dehort as for example from murder we tell men that they must be so farre from shedding bloud that they must not vtter so much as an vnkinde word yea they must bee so farre from letting loose their tongue that they must set a bridle vpon their hearts so doe wee endeuour to hold in the verie first motions of sinne Strange then may it seeme that these words being a Dehortation should follow the course of an Exhortation and in marshalling of sinnes should begin at the least but the reason is The Psalmist sets downe the method by which sin first entred vpon man and euer since doth worke it selfe into man to the end that we may obserue how we must preserue our selues from it and take heed that it preuaile not so farre as to bring vs to a desperate case There are three degrees here specified which ascend one aboue the other First the Serpent tries whether hee can worke in vs an vnresoluednesse of heart and tries whether we be stedfast in our faith and here must we begin to withstand him and not be brought to any parley such deliberation must be auoyded for it is no better then the receiuing the Serpents poyson into our vnderstanding which must be the guide of our life but if wee haue beene so foolish as to walke in his counsell wee must take heed that we bring not forth the fruit of that wee haue conceiued and let not our life witnesse that wee haue beene inueighled by his Counsell we must not stand in his way But it is too vsuall with men to be ouertaken with this second degree of sinne wherein the Serpent will not suffer them to rest He will carrie them forward to the consummation of gracelesnesse he will make them his seedsmen like vnto himselfe he is not contented to haue poison except he also poison others and whom he cannot worke to be a Serpent on him hee will roare like a Lyon euen so doe wicked men when they are come to the height of sinne they neuer cease till they haue corrupted or oppressed those that are good answerable to this contagious disposition of theirs the Septuagint and the Vulgar call their Chaire the Chaire of Pestilence for it is obserued as a malignancie that doth attend the pestilence that they who are infected take great delight to infect others also But when men come so farre they are euen past hope nothing remaines but that iudgement ouertake such Miscreants the floud must drowne these Gyants fire and brimstone from Heauen consume such Sodomites and such Israelites must bee corrected with the Babylonian captiuitie But I conclude You see how farre a man may goe in sinne if we will be as thorowly separated from it as we ought we must haue these three degrees alwayes before our eyes for we can neuer know certainely how to keepe our selues in the way that doe not know how farre wee may goe out of the way wherefore let vs take heed vnto these degrees that we slip not if it may be into any of them or if we slip in yet that we goe not so farre as to be past recouerie this is required in the first part of our Vow that Vow which we made vnto God in Baptisme PSAL. 1. VERS 2. But his delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth hee meditate day and night THe Article that is required on our part in the Couenant whereinto we are entred with God or the Vow which we haue made in Baptisme doth as I haue told you consist of two parts an Abrenunciation of the state wherein we stand by Nature and a Dedication of our selues vnto a better state whereunto we are called by Grace You haue heard of the first of these two parts of the Abrenunciation but you haue not heard of the best that is the Dedication The Abrenunciation is required Non per se sed propter aliud not that wee should rest in it but that wee should tend vnto a farther end by it The reason is plaine it is but Remouens impedimentum non efficiens communionem Heb. 12 1â— it is but the laying aside of the waight and sin which doth easily beset vs and clog vs in our race we haue not by it a Communion with God Men plow their ground but it is that it may bee the fitter to receiue good seed and they purge their bodies but it is that they may be the better able to digest good meat euen so the first part of our Vow serues to make way vnto the second true Pietie is like Iacobs Ladder which hath one foot vpon the Earth and the other in Heauen it is not enough to ascend from the earth we must also climbe vp into Heauen when we haue really shaken off our corrupt course we must then betake our selues vnto a better And that is expressed in the second part of our Vow Wherein we must obserue two points First Whereunto then in What sort we must dedicate our selues that whereunto is the Law of the Lord and the Text tels vs How and How long we must dedicate our selues thereunto How we must first receiue it into our Inward man our delight or Will with a Delight must be in the Law from thence it must spred it selfe ouer the whole Man we must meditate thereon You see How The Text also tels vs How long euen Day and Night this Dedication must neuer be giuen ouer These be the particulars whereof now briefly and in their order First we must see Whereto wee must bee dedicated and wee finde that it is The Law of the Lord. When wee finde that wee haue freed our selues from our serpentine guides then must wee bee aduised in
33 34. Well Master thou hast said the truth c. p. 358. 10. Sermons on the 19. Chapter of Exodus p. 367. c. 5. Sermons preached at Saint Maries in Oxford Luke 3. v. 7 8 9. Then said he to the people that came to bee baptized of him O Generation of vipers c. p. 473. A Sermon preached at Pauls Crosse Luke 18. v. 7 8. And shall not God auenge his owne elect c. p. 531. Jn the third Alphabet 8. SErmons preached at the Feast of the Natiuitie of our Sauiour Esay 9. v. 6 7. For vnto vs a child is borne c. p. 1. 6. Sermons preached at the Feast of the Natiuitie of our Sauiour Haggai 2. v. 6 7 8 9. For thus saith the Lord of Hosts yet once it is a little while and I will shake the Heauens and the Earth c. p. 57. A Sermon preached at New Colledge in Oxford vpon the Annuntiation Day Luke 2.28 Haile thou that art highly fauoured c. p. 113. A Sermon on Palme Sunday Matthew 26.40 41. What could yee not watch with me one houre p. 127. A Sermon on Good Friday Marke 14. v. 35 36. And he went forward a little and fell on the ground and prayed c. p. 136. A Sermon preached at Saint Peters in Oxford on Easter day 1. Corinth 15.20 Christ is risen from the dead c. p. 151. A Sermon preached in Wells on Easter Day Matthew 26. v. 26 27 28. And as they were eating Iesus tooke bread and blessed it c. p. 161. 3. Sermons preached in Wells at the Feast of Whitsontide Ephes 4. v. 7 8. c. ad 17. But vnto euery one of vs is giuen grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ c. p. 177. A Sermon preached in Westminster before his Maiestie and the vpper House of Parliament at the opening of the Fast Iuly 2 1625. 1. Kings 8. v. 37 38 39. 40. If there be in the land famine if there bee pestilence c. p. 200. 2. Sermons preached at Wells at an Ordination of Ministers Matthew 28. v. 18 19 20. All power is giuen to me in Heauen and Earth c. p 221. A Sermon preached at a Visitation in Bathe Zacharie 11 v. 7. And I tooke vnto me two staues the one I called Beautie c. p. 249. Another Sermon preached at a Visitation in Bathe 1. Cor. 15.10 By the grace of God I am that I am c. p. 261. A Sermon preached at an Assize in Winchester Esra 7. v. 26. And whosoeuer will not doe the law of thy God and the law of the King c. p. 273. A Sermon preached at an Assize in Oxford Psal 75. v. 2 3. When I shall receiue the Congregation I will iudge vprightly c. p. 282. A Sermon preached in Wells at the Inauguration of King Iames Psal 118. v. 24 25. This is the day which the Lord hath made c. p. 299. A Sermon preached at Saint Maries in Oxford Nouemb. 5. Luke 9. v. 53 54 55 56 But they would not receiue him because his face was as though he would goe to Ierusalem c p. 307. Jn the fourth Alphabet A Sermon preached in Welles a man doing Penance for Incest Psal 50. v. 21. These things hast thou done c. p. 1. A Sermon preached in Wells a woman doing Penance for Incest Gal. 6. v. 1. Brethren if a man be ouertaken in a fault c. p. 10. A Sermon preached in Wells a man doing Penance for Incest with his wiues daughter 1. Cor. 5. v. 1 2 3 4 5. It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you c. p. 18. A Sermon preached in Welles two doing Penance for Incest a man and his wifes daughter Leuit. 20. v. 14. Likewise if a man taketh a wife and her mother this is wickednesse c. p. 32. A Sermon preached in Welles foure doing Penance for Incest committed by one with his wifes daughter by the other with his wises sister Deut. 27. v. 22 23. Cursed is he that lieth with his Sister the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother c. p 42. A Sermon preached in Welles one doing Penance for hauing two wiues Mal. 2. v. 15. And did he not make one yet had he abundance of spirit c. p. 53. A Sermon preached in Welles certaine persons doing Penance for being at Conuenticles where a woman Preached 1. Tim. 2. v. 11 12 13 14. Let the woman learne in silence with all subiection But I suffer not a woman to teach c. p. 67. A Sermon preached at Welles one doing Penance for Blasphemie Leuit. 24. v. 15 16. And thou shalt speake vnto the children of Israel saying Whosoeuer curseth his God shall beare his sinne c. p. 79. A Sermon preached in Wells a Schismatick doing Penance 1. Cor. 3.18 Let no man deceiue himselfe If any among you seeme to be wise c. p 94. A Sermon preached at Farnham on Saint Iames his Day being the day of King Iames his Coronation Iames 1.12 Blessed is the man that indureth tentation c. p. 107. A Sermon preached at White-Hall Iohn 2.16 Make not my Fathers House an House of Merchandize p. 122. A Sermon preached at Greenwich Psal 32. v. 5. I said I will confesse my sinnes c. p. 132. A Sermon preached at White-Hall Luke 22. v. 60 61 62. And immediately while he yet spake the Cocke crew c. p. 143. A Sermon preached at Greenwich Matth. 3.16 17. And Iesus when hee was baptized went vp straight way c. p. 159. A Sermon preached at White-Hall 1. Iohn 3. v. 20 21. For if our heart condemne vs God is greater then our heart c. p. 176. Meditations vpon diuers Texts of Scripture AN EXPOSITION OF THE FIRST PSALME VERS 1. 1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsell of the vngodly nor standeth in the way of Sinners nor sitteth in the seate of the scornfull THis Psalme stands first in order and for the matter it well deserues to stand first Venerable Bede giues the reason Hic Psalmus fine titulo quia ipse est titulus this Psalme hath no inscription because it selfe is an inscription it containes the argument of all the other Psalmes and if of all the Psalmes then of all the Bible know them and know all yea know all in the best manner Non Theoreticè sed Practicè we may behold therein Man as a liuing Bible the Man Christ exactly of whom not a few of the Psalmes entreate and other men proportionably whose affections are here limmed and described be they good or bad The diuision then of this Psalme is the same with that of the whole Bible in both wee must obserue a Couenant and Parties thereunto the Parties are God and Man Man is remembred in the entrance Blessed is the man God in the close of the Psalme The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous c. The
a Communicating of the worke vnto others we must bee good dispencers of the grace of God and edifie others with our gifts And here we see a difference betweene Rationall and Irrationall Trees of Irrationall Trees as of other Creatures the rule is true Vos non vobis they yeeld much good for which themselues are neuer a whit the better but Rationall Trees reape good of that where with they doe good they doe good because they bring forth fruit and from this themselues also reape good because the Fruit continues their owne and shall be reckoned vnto them in the day of the Lord. Finally by His fruit wee may vnderstand such Workes as belong to euery mans Vocation For as in an Orchard there is varietie of fruit Apple-trees Peare-trees Plum trees c. and euery tree endeauours to sucke iuice answerable to his kind that it may beare such fruit and an Apple-tree doth not turne a Plum tree nor a Plum-tree a Cherrie-tree c. but euery tree contents it selfe to bee of its owne kind So in the Church are there varieties of Callings Pastors People Magistrates Subiects Euery one is to walke as he is called of God 1. Cor. 1.20 learne what belongs thereto and not incroach vpon or entermedle with that which belongs to others Except men heed this whatsoeuer good they seeme to doe it is not accepted the Saying of the Romane Generall to the Souldier that kept the tents when he should haue beene fighting in the field Non amo nimiùm diligentes will be vsed of God if he call vs to one profession and we busie our selues about another God will not like such busie bodies As the Fruit is kindly so is it also Timely the Tree bringeth forth fruit in his Season As there are diuers seasons in the yeere so are there fruites for euery season the health of our body doth require it should be so for whose sustenance these fruites were prouided that is vnkind to bee taken in Winter which was fit in Summer neither will that serue at Autumne which was made for the Spring Euen so the qualities of men haue their seasons and as the Preacher saith There is a time for euery thing Cap. 3. a time for weeping and a time for laughing a time for peace and a time for warre Nehemiah doth blame the people that Wept Cap. â— and biddeth them goe and Feast God reproueth the people that did Feast because it was then a time to Fast Rehoboam was stared by the Prophet Esay 22. 1. Kâ—ays 12. 2. Coâ—â—â—â— 19. when he would haue warred vpon Israel Iehosaphat is rebuked by a Prophet for that hee would haue societie with the King of Israel The ground of this varietie is We may not rebuke when we should comfort nor comfort when we should rebuke the Habits of vertues must be alwayes in vs but the Acts must be exercised vpon their iust occasions You see by this time that the Tree proues well in regard of the Principall Good that is expected from a Tree neither is it lesse true in regard of the Accessorie Good The Accessorie good are Leaues and indeede the Accessorie are a great good of the Tree for they are Ornamentum arboris and Operâ—mentum fructuum they make the Tree more pleasant to behold and serue for to defend the Fruit from the iniurie of the weather therefore are they compared to the haire of a mans head which if it should be missing euery man sees how much deformitie and discommoditie would come vnto our head But this is but the out side of the Parable Good Workes haue their Circumstances which in doing them must bee obserued and are as behoofefull to the Worke as Leaues to the Tree both to recommend it and also to defend it for Example He that giues must giue with cheerefulnesse hee that obeyes must doe it with willingnesse hee that reproues must doe it with charitablenesse c. take away these Circumstances and a churlish gift is not worth thankes stubborne seruice cannot content neither will a man be reclaimed by a malicious reproofe put these Circumstances to it and if euer a man will be thankfull it will be to him that giues vnto him cheerefully if any seruant will please it is hee that doth his dutie willingly and if euer an vntoward nature will be altered Charitie must season the reproofe Due circumstances giue a sweete influence vnto a good worke and they are the best Apologie to stop the mouthes of slanderers Such Leaues a good Tree beares and a good Man obserues such Circumstances And he obserues them Constantly for his Leafe Neuer fadeth The reason why the Leaues fade and fall is the disproportion betweene the heate and the moysture when the heate is too weake and so the moysture fals backe to the roote or else is too strong and consumes it faster then it can be supplied by the roote so that if the Leafe neuer fade there must needes euer be a good proportion betweene them The Grace of God is compared sometimes to Fire sometimes to Water because it hath a warming and cooling propertie a drying and a moystning It warmeth vs when we are ouer cold as we are too often in doing good and when through indiscreete zeale wee are ouer hot then doth Grace coole vs and keepe vs in a good temper Sometimes wee are ouer drie and spating in doing well Grace then serues to moysten vs and make vs more friuitfull and when we grow luxuriant it drieth vp our superfluities and brings vs to a meane from the due proportion of these qualities ruling our Actions it comes to passe that as a Tree casteth not his Leaues so wee faile not in the Circumstances which must order our good workes Fruit without Leaues or Leaues without Fruit make but an imperfect good Tree So good Workes without due Circumstances and Circumstances without good Workes make but an imperfect Man As then the Trees of Paradise were all good for foode and pleasant to behold Gane 2. good for foode in regard of their Fruit and beautifull to behold in regard of their Leaues euen so should the Spirituall Trees bee I meane Christian men their workes should be both vsefull and gracefull otherwise they are not answerable to this Tree neither doe they attaine the perfection of Christian men And let this suffice to shew that the Tree proues well As it Proues well so it is well Approued for what it doth Prospers yea it is as well Approued as it Proues well for Whatsoeuer it doth prospers The Prospering of the Tree may well bee expounded out of the Parable of Trees Iudg. 9. where the Oliues fatnesse is said to bee that wherewith they honour God and man and the Vines Wine that wherewith they Cheere both That is the good vse that is made of them is their Prosperitie And what is the Prosperitie of a Rationall Tree but that our Workes set forth Gods Honour and edifie men Onely the Rationall
this World passeth away and All these things must be dissolued and how should the little World euer come to a stand when the Great World makes away so that wee must prouide for another place Wee must nay euery man doth will he nill he he doth for his Life is but a Way he is euery day euery houre euery moment onward somewhat toward Heauen or Hell But the Way notes not only a Course but a setled Course There are many startings aside both of Good and Bad the best many times slep aside into by-paths but that is not Via eorum the Iust mans way for he commeth to himselfe againe and with greater alacritie returnes to his Religious Course And the wicked out of fashion or fancie doe oftentimes trie the right way but that is not Via eorum it is not the wicked mans way for he quickly distastes it and takes againe his former Roade therefore the Scripture doth not by the Way vnderstand that which we doe by sits but that which wee doe constantly and wherein wee perseuere So then it is Common to all men to go a Way and hold a setled Course but yet the Course which all take is not the same the Text will tell you that though a Way bee Common yet not the same Way Here are two mentioned The Righteous mans Way which I told you is a righteous way and the Way of the wicked which I told you is a wicked Way The Scripture doth mention a Straight and a Crooked a Narrow and a Broad Way the way of the Eagle and the way of the Serpent a way vpward and a way downeward a way to Life and a way to Death the way of God and the way of the Diuell the Straight Narrow Eagles Way the way vpward to Life which is Gods way that is the way of the Righteous or the righteous Way the Crooked Broad Serpentine Way the way downeward to Death which is the way of the Diuell that is the Way of the wicked or the wicked Way I neede say no more of these Wayes that heretofore haue said so much of the difference betweene Good and Bad men It shal suffice to haue added thus much vpon occasion of this word Way and the â—arietie thereof specified in this Verse Let vs come on then to the Iudiciall Prouidence that worketh vpon these Wayes And here I told you there is also some thing Common and some thing Proper both these Wayes are wrought vpon by the prouident Wisdome and Power of God he Discernes them hee Rewards them both were there no other proofe the triuiall Verse confirmes it Entèr Praesentèr Deus est vbique Potentèr His Eyes behold all the wayes of Men and his Eye lids trie them all that which is applyed to Baltazzar Mene Mene Tekel Vpharsin Dan 5. concernes euery one more or lesse Dauid hath made the 139. Psalme in describing this Generall Eye and Hand of God and the Sonne of Syrach hath excellently exprest it Chap. 23. and we shall really denie God and be plaine Manichees if we did exempt any thing from him and not subiect all things to his Iudiciall Power T is true that some things he permits vnto the Creatures but it is neither an ignorant nor an negligent Permission he knowes whereabout they goe and holds the bridle in his owne hand most maiestically doth God in Esay let Zenacharib vnderstand as much Chap. 37 in an answer that he giues vnto that insolent Message I know thine abode and thy going out and thy comming in and thy rage against me because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come vp into mine eares therefore will I put my hooke in thy Nose and my bridle in thy Lips and turne thee backe the way by which thou camest But I need not enlarge this point of Gods Generall Iudiciall Prouidence for it will be farther confirmed by the particular branches thereof If these particulars be true the Generall cannot bee denied because the Generall is included in the Particular Though then it bee Common to both Wayes that they come vnder Gods Iudiciall Prouidence yet come they not vnder it both alike it workes vpon either after a speciall manner first vpon the way of the Iust Nouit Deus The Lord knoweth that Way The Knowledge of God here meant being not Generall but Speciall we must enquire what manner of Knowledge this is I cannot better informe you then by paralleling Gods speciall Knowledge of Man with Mans speciall Knowledge of God for Hee which knowes God is also knowne of him 1. Cor. 8. Et qui ignorat ignorabitur 1. Cor. 14.38 Now the speciall Knowledge that Man must haue of God stands in two points in Distinguendo Colendo he must first learne to distinguish God from all others and that Contra and and Supra he must oppose him to all that seemes but is not God hee must not thinke him like vnto Idols that haue eyes and see not eares and heare not hands and handle not c. For hee must beleeue that God is priuie to the Wayes of men and disposeth all things at his Pleasure As we must thus oppose God to those which seeme but are not Gods so must we preferre him also before all to whom that name is communicable bee they Angels or Men for though there bee some thing like in both yet doth God infinitely exceed in that wherein he is like This is the first branch of our knowledge which stands in Deo Distinguendo in distinguishing God from all others The second branch stands in Deo Colendo in our Carriage towards God and that also consists of two branches Contemplation and Dilection our Eye must euer bee on him our Heart must euer be towards him Psal 27 4. One thing haue I desired of the Lord saith King Dauid and that will I still require that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the faire Beautie of the Lord and to visit his holy Temple and how busie is the Eye of the Spouse in the Canticles in viewing her Beloued from top to toe As the Beautie of God drawes the Eye of Man continually to behold it so being beheld 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man cannot behold it but he must fall in loue with it It was wittily replyed by an Ancient Father Saint Basil as it is thought vnto Iulian the Apostata when hee wrote vpon an Apologie of Christian Religion presented vnto him 〈…〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Certainly it is impossible for him that knowes God as a Christian ought not to thinke hee is bound to loue him in the highest degree with all his Mind with all his Soule with all his Heart with all his Strength as the Law speakes This being the speciall Knowledge that we must haue of God we must obserue that Gods speciall Knowledge of Vs is answerable hereunto He Knowes His first Distinguendo as in the departure out of Aegypt
is longed for also when it is wanting in our nature By the Fall amongst other endowments this was lost Psal 62. â— The Sonnes of men are become vanity the sonnes of noble men are but a lie God then beholding them must needs finde wanting what in the Creation hee bestowed vpon them and what hee findeth wanting that he desireth may be recouered Behold how hee sheweth himselfe as a Father that might deale with vs as a Iudge what hee might exact hee desireth and desireth as a Father the supply of that the want whereof hee might punish as a Iudge hee taketh more delight to see vs recouered mercifully then iustly to perish in our sinnes The words must not be vnderstood exclusiuely Hee desireth Truth in the inward parts as if he desired it not also in the outward The inward is his Peculiar a closet whereinto none can enter but himselfe and as his residence is specially there so doth his eye principally looke into that wee may not thinke that the Holinesse that will content the Creature will content the Creator also when we go about to reforme wee must goe as deepe as Gods eye goeth and not thinke that all is well vntill all is well there But when we are prouided for that Mat. 5.29 wee must Let our light shine also before men the outward parts must haue Truth in them also God that is the Author of societies loues the bands of them also and by commanding the obseruation and commending the obseruers testifieth his good will towards them to the confusion of all Equiuocaters that diuorce the Inwards from the Outwards and care not how much fraud they vse outwardly while they please themselues with a counterfeit truth inwardly Wee must entertaine both such a truth in the Inward parts as manifesteth it selfe in the Outward and giueth good content both to God and Man But marke God that desireth Truth in the inward parts commendeth not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he doth not bid vs root out our Affections but order them aright he calls not for stupidity but simplicitie he wills vs to flie all serpentine wiles but to entertaine a singlenesse of mind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyril vnleauened affections are much set by of God and sincerity is a vertue that yeelds sweet sauour vnto him Finally our Repentance our Confidence must specially be seasoned with this vertue for vnto them is the Text specially applyed And let this suffice for the regard that is yeelded to Sincerity I come now to the meanes by which it may be had and that is by diuine instruction of our Heart The Heart is here meant by the hidden part which elsewhere is called the Hidden man of the Heart why it is called Hidden in some sort I told you before as also why it is called a Part and not Parts the entrall is single and it hath a couering as it appeareth in the anatomizing of our bodies But by the entrall is meant the Vnderstanding the thoughts whereof are knowne onely vnto God They that write of the Temple of Salomon doe many of them parallel it with our persons which are temples of the Holy Ghost as that was partly vncouered and partly couered so haue wee an Outward and an Inward man and as that part of the Temple which was couered was partly Sanctum and partly Sanctum Sanctorum so haue we in our Inward man a couert seate of our desires which must be holy as you haue hitherto heard and a couert seate of the rule of our desires which must be more holy and that is our Heart there doth God reside as in his most Holy place and from thence by our conscience giueth order to the whole course of our life This place or power must be furnished with Wisedome The Apostle doth teach vs to distinguish betweene the Wisedome of this world and the Wisedome of God whereof the former is seeming the latter is Wisedome indeed This Wisedome is nothing but that guiding knowledge wherewith the Conscience must be furnished our desires haue no reason of themselues that which they haue they haue by participation of the higher power which is therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it is the guide of the inferiour powers now you know the vertue of a guide is Wisedome take away Wisedome hee will bee but a bad guide a bad did I say nay a blinde guide for Wisedome is his Eye and you know what our Sauiour Christ saith Mat. 6.22 The light of the body is the Eye if therefore thine Eye be single the whole body shall be full of Light if thine Eye bee euill the whole body shall be full of darknesse This Wisedome is nothing else but those good and sound Principles of Direction which should giue order to our affections which of them should stirre when and how farre did not Wisedome giue this order out of a true iudgement past vpon the Obiect Feare would stirre where Hope is called for and we would Ioy where wee should Grieue but that each affection taketh his proper turne and obserueth its iust measure wee are beholding vnto Wisedome But whence is this Wisedome Iob 38.36 Iob moued the question who hath put Wisedome in the inward parts or who hath giuen vnderstanding to the heart hee answereth himselfe fully in the 28. Chapter and the summe of his Answere is that God is the giuer thereof The reason may be taken from the nature of Wisedome which is answerable to the name thereof C. 6. â— 23 so saith the Sonne of Syrach 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wisedome is as the name thereof importeth and it is not reuealed vnto many Fuâ—lâ— Misâ— l. 1. c. 5. Now it hath its name from Tzaphah which signifieth to couer And indeed true Wisedome had a double Couering in the dayes of King Dauid a Couering of Ceremonies that darkened the things and a Couering of Infidelity that made most men incapable of them only God could remoue these Couerings cleare the Mysteries of Religion and giue men eyes for to discerne them not that God vseth not the ministery of men and by men informeth vs of our duties but they can goe no farther then the Outward man Ambros Cathedram habet in Coelo qui docet corda none but our Master which is in Heauen can open our hearts and worke these good instructions into our consciences This is the tenour of the Couenant of Grace Behold Ier. 31.32 the Day is come saith the Lord that I shall make a new Couenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Iuda I will put my Lawes into their inward parts and in their Hearts will I write them and so saith Saint Paul 2. Cor. 3.17 Ibid. v. 18 where the Spirit of the Lord is there is libertie libertie from both the Couerings so that Men with open face behold the glory of the Lord. And indeed who should repaire these guifts when they
is not the first time that we are beholding to Gods grace the very word Regeneration may teach we had this cleane heart and right spirit when we were first created for wee were created after Gods image sinne lost it grace restored it now you know that if a Tenant forfeit his Lease and a Land-lord after re-entry restore it to him againe this is a worke of his goodnesse which is more then a worke of his ability for many are able and doe it not therefore if any being able doe it the inducement is not his ability but his goodnesse the like must we conceiue of God it was his pittying mercie that imployed his almighty power to repaire what we had ruined to recouer what we had lost to restore what we had forfeited a cleane heart and a right spirit Finally both the creating and the renewing are actus continui workes that God neuer intermitteth otherwise we should quickly come to nothing or rather which is worse then nothing become fire-brands of hell for wee dayly forfeit by sin and God may daily take aduantage of our breach of his Couenant Adde hereunto that our Regeneration is not in facto but in fieri and therefore needeth a perpetuall influence and supportance for this cause though Dauid were now in the state of grace yet doth he begge grace of God though God had created in him a cleane heart yet doth he desire that God would create a cleane heart in him and though he bad renewed in him a right Spirit yet doth he pray that God would renew a right Spirit within him so doth he wisely prouide against forfeitures and religiously beg the increase of that which he had receiued But I conclude sicut rogauit Dauid it a debet vnusquisque nostrûm saith S. Hierom Dauids prayer is a praier that beseems vs all we all beare about vs a body of sin and we should all desire that it might be abolished We should indeed but who doth who doth enquire into the vncleannesse of his heart and the crookednesse of his spirit or who taketh notice whether there be in him at all any part of Regeneration nay who doth shew that there is any Nazianzene Oratione 43. writing de Encaeâ—ijs doth giue a good obseruation how a man should know whether his heart haue any part in this Creation or his spirit in this Renouation yesterday thou wert a time seruer to day thou art not ashamed of thy Sauiour Christ yesterday thou didst affect the praise of men to day thou settest more by an honest life yesterday thou wert delighted with vain spectacles to day thou art giuen to diuine meditations c. if thou find such a change Haec mutatio dextrae excelsi God hath put to his mercifull power to make thee a new man if it be otherwise with thee and the day following find thee as bad as thou wert the day before thou hast no part in Regeneration A fearfull case because the Psalmist mouing the question to God Psal 24. Who shall ascend into the mountaine of the Lord who shall stand in his holy place answers Euen he that hath innocent hands and a pure heart Wherfore be ye renewed in the spirit of your minds put on the New-Man Eph. 4.25 which after God is created in righteousnes true holines or because this is a worke too hard for any one of vs Let vs euery one pray with K. Dauid in this place Create in me a clean heart ô God renew a right spirit within me AMEN PSAL. 51. VERS 11. Cast mee not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from mee KIng Dauids desire set forth in the first part of this Psalme is that hee may be restored vnto and preserued in the state of grace How he desires to bee restored you haue hitherto seene you haue seene how hee sueth first in generall that Gods Mercie would relieue his Miserie Gods great mercy his deepe miserie Secondly in speciall how hee brancheth his owne sinne and Gods grace hee confesseth sinne which himselfe committed and that which he inherited from his parents and hee beggeth a two-fold grace that the cure may be proper to each kind of sinne finally he would not haue a plaister narrower then his sore nor a medicine that could not throughly remedy his disease Thus he desires to be restored But to be restored is not enough a Penitents desire must carrie him farther for how shall it appeare that hee doth vnfainedly sorrow for sinne and affect goodnesse except he be as desirous to continue in as to bee brought vnto the state of grace 〈◊〉 Pet. 2. Nay Saint Peter will tell vs that it were better neuer to haue knowne the way of righteousnesse then after wee haue knowne it to returne like dogges to our vomit and like swine to our wallowing in the myre Wherefore the second desire was necessarie for King Dauid and must bee exemplarie vnto vs. Let vs come then to it It is set downe in this and the following Verse and conceiued in a double prayer first in deprecation and secondly in supplication a prayer against that which King Dauid deserued and a prayer for that without which King Dauid could not perseuere we will meddle now onely with the former prayer But in the passage I may not forget a good note of Saint Bernards where he commends King Dauids method Serm. 3. de Penticost and obserues that after hee hath prayed Create in me a cleane heart O Lord renew a right spirit within me he prayeth seasonably Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me When we offend we fall into sinne and out of fauour and when we repent wee must not desire to be receiued into fauour vntill we are first acquitted from sinne otherwise wee shall betray that we wish there were no Sanction of the Law but as for the transgression of the Law we are not much moued therwith wheras the least sinne must be more irkesome to a repenting soule then the most grieuous punishment But let vs breake vp this prayer wherein I will note two things 1. the Manner and 2. the Matter the manner is a prayer against the matter is that which King Dauid deserued Now that which he deserued comprehends two fearefull iudgements 1. Reiection and 2. Depriuation I will cleare these two tearmes vnto you While we are in the state of grace wee haue communion with God and God hath communion with vs God receiueth vs into his family and we attend him we weare his liuerie and are knowne to belong vnto him the first giueth vs free accesse vnto his presence and the second is a participation of his holy spirit Sinne as much as lieth in it dissolues both these communions for we deserue by it first that God discharge vs of his seruice giue vs no longer place in his family which is that which I called Reiection Secondly we deserue that God take from
vs his liuerie leaue vs no marke of our reference to him and this is that which I called depriuation But more distinctly in reiection we will obserue 1. from what Place and state both are included in Gods presence Secondly with what disgrace and danger a sinner deserues to bee reiected we may gather them both out of the words Cast out In the depriuation we will obserue first Whereof secondly how farre a sinner may be depriued Whereof first of what gift of the Holy spirit then What worth there is in the gift spiritus tuus thy holy Spirit or the Spirit of thy Holinesse a most precious gift of this a sinner deserueth to be depriued But how farre that appeareth in aufer as the taking away which wee will resolue into these two Notes the first is the taking backe of the spirit which God once gaue him and therefore some render it Ne recipias withdraw not secondly the spirit is so taken backe that nothing of it remaines with a sinner it is not a diminution but an ablation a stripping him wholy of the Spirit of God Finally both these reiection and depriuation must bee considered not in themselues but also in their consequences and the consequences are two and they much aggrauate the fearefulnesse of the iudgement The first is We cannot be reiected of our old good Master but wee shall fall into the hands of another who is much worse and wee shall be forced to weare a much worse Liuerie if we be stript of his Looke whatsoeuer good we lose we shall fall vnder the contrarie euill if we bee reiected if we be depriued This is the first Consequence A second is that such a sinners Case is desperate God will heare no mans praiers for him and he wil giue him no grace to pray for himselfe And what can follow but that being brought into so bad a case he senselesly runne a gracelesse course which commeth to the maine point of my Text which I told you was a desire of perseuerance in grace whereunto nothing can bee more opposite then this reiection and depriuation which is prayed against by our penitent King And so haue I broken vp this Text the parts whereof I shall now open farther vnto you God grant they may further our religious repentance First then of the manner of the Prayer I told you it is a deprecation a praying against When we are in danger we must not be senselesse bee it but corporall how much more if it be spirituall Now that we are sensible wee can giue no better proofe then if wee pray against the danger yea the more earnest wee are in prayer the more doe wee manifest the prouident feare of our soules Dauid had committed enormous sinnes adultery 1. Cor. â— 6 1. Iob. 3.15 murder of adulterers Saint Paul tels vs that none shall enter into the Kingdome of Heauen and of the murderer Saint Iohn tels vs that hee hath not eternall life abiding in him King Dauid finding himselfe in this danger had reason to fall vnto this kind of prayer especially hauing before his eyes the wofull example of his Predecessor Saul But what needed hee 1. Sam. â— God had promised that it should goe well with him and with his seed also and that when they sinne though hee will punish them he will not withdraw his Mercy as he did from Saul whom hee cast out from before his eyes yea and Dauid for his particular had his pardon brought vnto him by Nathan It is true But it is as true that he that doth recouer out of a desperate danger is not so soone secure as hee is safe behold it in a corporall danger If a man were ready to fall into a deepe pit and a stander by timely stretch out his hand and recouer him hee cannot so soone recouer his spirits as hee saued his life you shall see him looke wan feele his heart tremble scarce get a word from him or make him stand vpon his feet he will aske some pretty time before hee can come to himselfe againe And may we thinke that hee that found himselfe vpon the brinke of Hell that saw himselfe entring at the gates of aeternall death that was singed with the flames of that vnquenchable fire and felt the palpable darkenesse of that euerlasting night though by Gods mercy hee tumbled not into the pit came not into the Chambers of death was not deuoured of the fire nor cast into the vtter darknesse thinke wee I say that hee can soone forget those affrighting spectacles that hee can suddainly calme those stormes which they raised in his soule that hee can as soone be secured as hee is safe certainly he cannot they that haue beene exercised in such conflicts yeeld vndenyable proofe and therefore wonder not that King Dauid notwithstanding Gods gracious promise as if hee did forget it maketh this kind of prayer vnto God Adde hereunto that God doth not giue his promises to make vs idle but to exercise our faith in importuning God for a performance 1. â—im 4.8 Pietie hath the promise both of this life and of that which is to come yet doe wee not forbeare dayly to say the Lords Prayer that we may speed of both Our rule then is That wee must vse Gods Promises as directions in not as dispensations from the deuotion we owe vnto God And let this suffice touching the manner of the Prayer Let vs come now to the matter And first let vs looke to the Reiection wherein the first particular was the Place from whence a sinner deserueth to bee reiected that is here called the presence of God God from the beginning of the world had a speciall place whereat hee appeared to the Patriarkes and they performed their deuotions at it the learned gather it out of the 4. of Genesis where God threatneth that Cain should bee a vagabond and Cain complaineth that hee was cast from the presence of God that is excommunicated from the visible Church and the seuering of the sonnes of God from the sonnes of Men seemeth to haue bin in regard of the meeting in that speciall place But howsoeuer that may be doubted it is out of all question that when God made the Israelites a nationall Church hee had a visible presence amongst them hee commanded the Tabernacle to be built for that purpose whereinto he entred in the Cloud and rested betweene the Cherubims on the Mercy-seat This was the typicall presence of a spirituall residence of God of his gracious dwelling amongst his people This was a thing so much reuerenced by the Patriarkes Psal 27. that they held it a great blessing to enioy it Vnum petij aith King Dauid One thing haue I desired of the Lord and that will I still require that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the faire beauty of the Lord and to visit his holy Temple As it was a comfort to them to enioy
of Gods of such turning there is too much in the world But our returne here meant is a returne to him from whom wee went we went from God therefore to him we must teturne againe lost sheepe that we are we must returne to our Shepheard from whose fold wee straied the onely and great shepheard of our soules prodigals that we are we must returne to the Father that we forsooke euen to our Father which is in Heauen or to keepe my former Simile we turned from the Sunne to the shadow and so became darke and cold ignorant and vntoward we must turne from the shadow to the Sunne againe that we may bee light and warme and recouer againe the knowledge and the loue of God A quo habet homo vt sit 〈…〉 70 apud ill im habet vt benè sit if at any time we bee ill wee must not looke that it will be well with vs vntill we come to God that made vs. Put now these two points together Vndè and Quò and we may resonably conceiue what Conuersion is it is that which by another word is called Repentance and indeede the word in the Originall doth import that vertue But marke that whereas Repentance is a compound thing of our turning from the world and turning vnto God it hath its name rather from turning vnto God then turning from the world turning from the the world hath no commendations in it except it be to the end that wee may turne vnto God as also turning to the world is no Sinne it deserueth no blame vnlesse in doing it we turne from God the offence is properly in turning from God as Repentance consists properly in turning vnto God Such a kind of turning is the successe which King Dauid hoped would follow vpon his teaching conuertentur the sinners the transgressors will be conuerted if I teach them thy way a confident speech yet very likely whether you looke vpon vias tuas thy wayes or docebo I will bee the master Gods Wayes are Gods Lawes now of Gods lawes we read in another Psalme Psal 19. that they are perfect conuerting the soule his testimonies are sure Fâ—â— 1. 1. Cor. 2. Heâ— 4. 2 〈◊〉 3. and giue wisedome to the simple they are the power of God vnto saluation in them is the euidence of the Spirit they are sharper then any two edgedsword sinally they are able to make a man wise vnto saluation there is then good hope of Conuersion from the efficacie of Gods lawes and indeede they are able to worke fidem infusam a sauing faith Docebo is a good ground of hope also for that is able to worke fidem acquisitam a morall perswasion it worketh that which maketh way to the other while what we thinke credible by reason of the speaker wee are wrought to belieue by the word which hee speaketh wicked men commonly scorne good men as fooles when they tell them of the vanitie of the world and the danger of sinne they suppose because that they had neuer any experimentall acquaintance with it the iudge of it most absurdly but when they shall haue a Nebucadnezzar an Antiochus one that hath beene as deepe in sinne as themselues can goe turne Penitent declaime against dehort from an ill life they cannot but muse they cannot but doubt they cannot but bethinke themselues in what state they stand Or if they may shift of such a Teacher because they thinke noueltie doth abuse his iudgement and the nature of man is delighted with change yet when they shall heare a Salomon a Dauid a Prodigall that was first in the state of Grace and hauing fallen foule into sinne is come to himselfe againe and vpon an experimentall comparison of both passeth an indifferent iudgement giueth grace giueth sinne each his due his thundrings and lightnings against sinne cannot but shake the greatest Oakes the tallest Cedars make the obstinatest sinners to tremble and bring them vpon their knees to Sing the Psalme of mercie the Adder that cannot be charmed by this inchanter will neuer be rid of his poyson vntill his poyson riddeth him his case is desperate hee that will not heare a Penitent malefactor will neuer be conuerted by any Preacher I haue dwelt long enough on the vnfolding of the Meanes and the Successe as we are to looke into them seuerally Let vs now in a word or two consider them ioyntly and see how reasonable it is that those Meanes be vsed for this Successe teaching for conuerting A man is a reasonable creature and Conuersion is an act of the reasonable soule and therefore not to be expected but from meanes that can worke our reason ordinarie meanes of this kind there is none but teaching feare of the sword may ouer-awe the outward man and hinder vs from doing what wee would but it cannot alter the inward man and make vs well what wee should whether it be truth or goodnesse that is commended vnto vs it is not torturingâ— but instructing that must make vs belieue the one and loue the other Magistrates may compell to the vse of the Meanes but without the naturall meanes no hope that euer any one will entertaine these vertues The more barbarous hath beene and is the tyrannie of the Church of Rome which vseth the Inquisition insteed of Instruction and laboureth to conuert soules by subuerting of whole states Secondly as without teaching there is no conuerting so if a man should be conuerted without teaching his conuersion cannot please God Rom. 14 2â— for Quicquid non est ex fide est peccatum as good that were neuer done which we doe without the guidance of our Conscience because God looketh that in his seruice especially wee should shew our selues reasonable Wherefore let vs leaue Monkes to their blind obedience and the superstitious Papist to his implicit faith let vs turne to God but so that we first be taught his wayes let not our Conuersion out runne our Instruction let them walke hand in hand together I conclude There is not one of vs which doth not sometime or other by bad counsell or euill example mislead others out of the way what must we doe then We learne here of King Dauid Let vs by good counsell by good example bring them or some others into the way againe the rather because it is a worke of the highest perfection to be Gods instrument to bring sinners from hell to heauen Dan. 12.3 Daniel hath foretold that Teachers shall shine as Starres in the firmament and Saint Paul that the Conuerted shall be the Conuerters crowne and Glorie in the day of the Lord. 1. Thess 2.19 LOrdwe are all apt to goe astray and how many stumble at vs that fall before vs when thou doest vs the fauour to lend vs thy hand let not vs denie ours to them that are downe let vs teach them what thou hast taught vs and let it profit no worse with them then it doth with vs let vs both be
worth is meant by his Praise for Praise is the due of worth God is most worthy and therefore most rightly to bee praysed What God deserueth Dauid will yeeld for he intends to be Praeco a proclaimer of Gods praise He will shew it forth Narrando and Enarrando the word signifieth both he wil not only deliuer a plaine history of it but he will also make a feeling CoÌ„mentarie vpon it This he will do but wherwith That also is set downe in the Text he will doe it with his Mouth with his Mouth that others might heare and that Mouth shall bee his owne it shall bee the Interpreter of his owne heart You haue heard his good intent but it is a true proâ—erbe Man purposeth God disposeth therefore for the doing of what hee intended Dauid presumeth not of himselfe but imploreth the helpe of God O Lord open thou my Lippes The Lippes are as the doore of the mouth a doore shut vp naturally in regard of the seruice of God and therefore he had reason to desire that it may bee supernaturally opened Lord open thou God onely hath the key which will open this doore so open our Lippes that they may shew forth the prayse of God These points which I haue touched offer themselues to our consideration in the parts of my Text but if we lay together these parts there wil arise two other good Obseruations out of the whole The first is the true vse of our abilities when wee receiue them from God we must vse them to glorifie him if God open our Lippes our Mouth must shew forth his Praise The second Obseruation is implied which is If our mouth be vsed to worse purposes then certainely some other then God doth open our Lippes I haue laide before you the Contents of this Scripture God so open my Lippes and your eares that my mouth may shew forth and your hearts be affected with Gods Praises and our duties that shall be opened therein The first point that I specified was the Praises of God The word Praise as many other elswhere doth signifie not the Act but the Obiect or to speake it plainely not the due but the merit of goodnesse so Saint Paul telleth the Thessalonians that they are his hope his ioy 1. Thes 2. â—9 his crowne in the day of the Lord hope that is the thing hoped for ioy that is the thing wherein he shall ioy and Crowne that is the thing for which he shall be crowned so here the Praises of God is that for which God deserueth to be praised so strict a coniunction is there betweene the Act and the Obiect and so inseparable should the one be from the other that the name of the one may very fitly be vsed for the other he that is good should receiue praise and he that receiueth praise should bee good Gene. 1.31 God saw all that hee had made and loe it was verie good and presently hee kept his Sabbaoth whose natiue vse is glorifying of and glorying in that which is good And herein should God be a Precedent vnto man hee should not put asunder what God hath conioyned but as the very word here admonisheth let Praises be a Synonymon for goodnesse But when we come to determine what Goodnesse is vnderstood in this word Praise some will haue vs looke backe vnto the Verse going before and will haue the goodnesse here meant restrained to the Righteousnesse there specified to the Euangelicall Righteousnesse the mercie of God in Christ whereof Dauid had good proofe And indeede that is the prime Goodnesse of God and calleth for the highest degree of Praise God deserued praise when hee made man of the dust of the earth so goodly a creature of so base stuffe but hee deserued much more praise when hee redeemed sinfull man from the flames of hell and made him with his owne Sonne an Heire of the Kingdome of Heauen to bring so forlorne a wretch to so exceeding happines must needs bee a matter worthy of extraordinary Praise Ephes 1.6 S. Paul maketh praise the end of that great Worke and in the Reuelation the Angels and Saints all fall downe before the I hrone and giue glorie for the same for that it was a worke not onely of Almightie Power but also of vnspeakable Grace therefore had they reason to giue glorie for the same This is true but yet Praise must not in this place bee so restrained Dauid before his fall had more contemplations of God then one and made his Psalmes accordingly and indeede the verie word here vsed for Praise is Tehillah and hath good cognation with Tehillim the Title of the Psalmes therefore may we well extend the one as farre as the other the argument of the Praise as farre as the Argument of the Psalmes and then you shall find that there is no Booke in the Bible whose Argument will not come vnder some one or other Psalme of Dauids he hath Psalmes of the Creation Psalmes of Redemption Psalmes Historicall and Propheticall Legall and Sapientiall Psalmes hauing beene so copious and in such varietie hauing indited Psalmes before his fall it is not likely that after his fall hee will confine his thoughts and not be so large in Gods praises nor intermeddle with all sorts of them Certainely when God is called the praise of Israell Psal 22. ver 3. it must be conceiued in that widenesse which is mentioned Psal 145. All thy workes praise thee O Lord for God is totus laudabilis nothing is in God nothing commeth from God that is not praise worthy So that there is something to be obserued in the word Tua thy praise that is the praise which is proper vnto Thee Gregorie Nyssen writing the life of another Gregorie called Thaumaturgus giueth a good note Nulla vera est Laus c. There is no praise truely so called which consisteth not in that which the person praised may accompt to be his owne now that I accompt his owne which abideth with him for euer By this rule praise is proper only vnto God for with him onely in Goodnesse is there no variablenesse nor shadow of change He that praiseth man cannot praise him but as a mutable creature so good to day that he may be bad to morrow hee waxeth and he waneth euen like the Moone yea and when hee is full of goodnesse as the Moone of light yet are there Maculae in Lunâ as staines in the Moone so haue there beene blemishes in the best of those which haue beene but meere men the Scripture that hath Chronicled the Patriarches liues hath Chronicled their faults also God onely is as the Sunne 1. John 1.5 he is Light in whom there is no darknesse at all as he is constantly so is he entirely Holy Therefore Praise when it is applied vnto men is a word of limitation it implieth inconstancie or defect it neuer so praiseth but leaueth some place for dispraise but when it is applied vnto
God it is a phrase of Equipollencie Exod. 23. it is all one with God which is fairely insinuated vnto Moses wheÌ„ he desireth to see Gods face you shal find in the pursuit of that story that Gods glory Gods goodnes are aequipollent tearmes and it must be our endeauour as far as humaine frailtie will permit herein to resemble God to be nothing to doe nothing but that which may deserue praise And let this suffice concerning the first point the praise of God Let vs now see what King Dauid intends to doe about this praise his intent is to shew it forth I told you the word doth signifie Narrare and Enarrare to deliuer Gods praises by way of Historie and then vpon that he studieth to make a feeling Commentarie In King Dauids Psalmes you may find all kind of Histories you may well call them an abridgement of the Historicall Bookes yea and of the Propheticall too which are a kind of Historie there are few Narrations that tend to the praise of God whereat he hath not touched But his speciall commendations stands in the Enarration in the Commentarie that hee maketh vpon Diuine History he maketh vs see herein that which otherwise we would not heede he maketh vs sensible of that which otherwise wee would not regard Take a touch of it in some particulars Hee hath made many Psalmes of the Creation reade the 8. reade the 19. reade the 104. see how powerfully hee doth worke the obseruation thereof into the hearts of men in the 8. Psalme marke those words O Lord our Lord how excellent is thy name in all the Earth and againe What is man that thou art mindfull of him Or the sonne of man that thou visitest him And how powerfull are those words Psalme the 19. The heauens declare the glorie of God and the firmament sheweth his handie worke Day vnto day vttereth speech c. but beyond all goeth 104. Psalme Blesse the Lord O my soule O Lord my God thou art verie great thou art clothed with honour and maiestie c. the 107. Psalme is about Gods Prouidence but marke the Burden that is added to euerie branch Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare his wondrous workes that he doth for the children of men The same method doth he vse in opening the Redemption Psalme 103. the Law Psalme 19. and 119. the Deliuerance out of Aegypt in many Psalmes it were endlesse to goe ouer all particulars take it for a generall rule you shall find in him neuer a Historie whereupon he doth not make such a Commentarie wherein hee doth not point out some thing that is obseruable and endeauour to make vs sensible thereof and to entertaine it as matter of Gods Praise and this is that which he meaneth by shewing forth Wherby with all hee teacheth vs that the occurrents of Gods Prouidence which befall our persons fall out in our times or any way offer themselues vnto vs must be looked into with such a reflecting such an adoring eye that we must take notice of and giue honour vnto God for his power his wisedome his goodnesse his iustice his mercie that shineth herein and sheweth it selfe vnto the world Thus wee must learne to shew forth the praise of God Dauid addes moreouer wherwith he will shew it forth with his mouth with the Mouth that others might heare the Praises And indeede ore fit Confessio as fraudis so Laudis Luke 12.9 men therewith as they must confesse their sinnes so must they set forth Gods praises shew them forth vnto the world for he that will not confesse God before men God will not confesse him before his blessed Angels The Church is a Body and what befals any member may befall euerie one be it matter of hope or feare sorrow or ioy therefore ought euerie man to communicate to the other his case and his knowledge to worke in them by the same meanes the like affection which hee feeleth in himselfe yea though we doe not feele it yet should we haue a fellow-feeling each of the others affections wherof wee cannot ordinarily take notice except each be informed by the others Mouth The Mouth being the ordinarie meanes of communication the trumpe whereby wee doe mutually stirre vp our selues vnto the Prayses of God But when mention is made of the Mouth wee must not exclude the Heart for though the instrument be the Mouth yet the Musitian is the Heart he causeth the tune of the voice to sound and addeth the Dittie to the Tune and certainely the Musicke will neuer be wel-come to God should any part of man be wanting thereunto Psal 103. therefore Dauid thus cals vpon himselfe Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within me blesse his Holy name Gregorie the Great worketh this obseruation out of the word Meum my mouth there be many saith he that praise God but not with their owne mouth such as are the couetous the wantons c. They personate some other they seeme to take vnto themselues another mans tongue when they vtter that which they conceiue not in their own hearts But let such men know that their Praiers shall neuer haue accesse vnto Gods eares whose hearts are estrainged from Righteousnesse Wherefore let vs imitate Dauid in another place 〈…〉 who said that his Soule should be filled as it were with marrow and fatnesse when hee praiseth God with ioyfull Lippes Where withall we learne a good propertie of him that praiseth and that is hee performeth it with pleasure and indeede no man can sincerely praise 〈…〉 but he must delight in that which hee doth praise for praysing is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nyssen speaketh a louing disposition And Saint Austin â—auâ—at Deum veraciter qui eum amat he praiseth God sincerely that loueth he loueth him vnfainedly and if our delight be not in him we must not thinke that we doe as we ought praise him In a word you heard before that Deus was totus Laudabilis wholy to be praised and we must be toti Laudantes haue no part of body or soule that must not be an instrument to sound forth Gods praise our whole life should be a Psalme thereof And let this suffice touching King Dauids Intent The Intent is good but men may intend more then they can doe good men haue beene ouer consident in their good meanings Saint Peter thought he would neuer forsake Christ and hee would die in his desence yet when he was put to it hee not onely cowardly shrunke from him but also fearefully denied him wherefore Dauid is well aduised hee presumeth not of his owne strength but hath recourse vnto Gods helpe O Lord open thou my lippes The Lippes are the doore of the mouth a doore that is shut vp therefore neede to be opened and it is worth the marking that the word which we translate open is not onely of the same originall with a doore in the Hebrew tongue
onely he would haue vs vse our tongues so well as that wee may be at the day of Iudgement praised by him Yea sâ—eing praysing is a delightfull employment God would thereby cheere vp our spirits with a sweete foretaste of that life which we shall leade in heauen for praysing is the Angels worke in the Church Militant we haue both praying and praysing but in the Church Triumphant there is onely praysing there is no praying at all that Eucharisticall sacrifice shall continue when all Propitiatories doe cease for praise is the euerlasting sacrifice of the New Testament and of that the saying is true Praise shall neuer depart from the mouth of a Christian Iewes and Christians haue both agreed to repeate daily this Text in their Liturgie out of that which you haue heard you may gather that it is not without cause that they haue so done Wee say it daily I pray God wee may haue learned this day to say it well hereafter so may we that now in Gods House on earth speake his praise sing for euer Halelu taâ— praise yee the Lord with the Saints in Heauen The words as I haue opened them are conceiued in a Prayer but as they are read in the I salter they represent a Prophecie the odds is not great because a good Prayer if it bee conceiued for spirituall grace is indeede a prophecie for he that disposeth to sue doth purpose to grant What shall we say then to these things But euen pray that seeing God hath the key of our Eares as well as of our Tongues and by the temper of our eares wee may guesse what will bee the temper of our tongues and he that hath a deligh to heare his dutie will haue a tongue readie to yeeld God his due and God will neuer open his tongue that suffers the Diuell to keepe the key of his eare Let vs I say pray that by being willingly deafe we doe not become vnwilling dumbe but that Christ by his Ephphata would rid vs of the spirit both deafe and dumbe that hauing heard these words as we ought we may vse our tongues as is meete That we may so doe let vs all ioyntly present our humble petitions vnto God in the words of my Text. O Lord open thou our Lippes and our mouthes shall shew forth thy praise Blessed are they O Lord that dwell in thy House Psal 8â— they shall alwayes bee praysing thee SELAH PSAL. 51. VERSE 16. For thou desirest not Sacrifice else would I giue it thou delightest not in burnt offering KIng Dauid in thankfulnesse for Gods mercie promiseth religiously to serue him but whereas Gods seruice is either Morall or Ceremoniall he voweth a Morall and not a Ceremoniall seruice Of this choice he yeeldeth a reason and that reason is Gods good pleasure he maketh Gods pleasure to set bounds vnto his Vow and is willing to enlarge or contract his Vow according to Gods pleasure To contract it as appeares in that which he speaketh of the Ceremoniall worship for he forbeares it and to enlarge it as appeares in that which he speaketh of the Morall for that is it which he obserueth as acceptable vnto God On this Verse which now I haue read wee shall heare of his conceipt concerning the Ceremoniall worship and what hee conceiueth of the Morall worship which is answerable thereunto when I open the next Verse I shall then shew vnto you The Ceremoniall worship is exprest in two words Sacrifice and Burnt offerings which words may betaken either in a large or in a restrained sense In a large so may you reduce vnto them all Ceremoniall worship in a restrained and so they comprehend the two offerings which the Law required for a Ceremoniall reconciliation of a sinner Take them which way you will my Text sets downe Gods disposition towards them and King Dauids conformitie to that disposition of God Gods disposition is twofold First he doth not desire them secondly he doth not delight in them before they are offered he doth not desire them neither doth hee delight in them when they are offered so must you in this place difference Gods Desire and his Delight To this disposition of God King Dauid doth conforme his seruice he professeth that hee would haue tendered these Ceremoniall offerings if God had affected them and onely because God did not affect them therefore he doth not tender them both these propositions are wrapt vp in these words Else would I giue it I would giue sacrifices and burnt offerings if thou didst desire them if thou didest delight in them but thou desirest not sacrifices thou delightest not in burnt offerings therefore doe not I presume to giue them to reconcile my selfe by them These be the Heads whereunto I purpose to referre whatsoeuer I shall deliuer in farther opening of this Text Now because you may mistake in your Deuotion as the Iewes did be perswaded in the feare of God to listen attentiuely to what shall be said that you may learne of King Dauid to passe a true iudgement vpon all Ceremoniall worship and vpon all corporall seruice Let vs come then to the particulars whereof the first is those words wherein the Ceremonies are exprest and they are two Sacrifice and Burnt offerings Which words may bee taken first in a large sense they may comprehend all kind of animat Offerings that were burnt vpon the Altar for of them some were Merocausta burnt but in a part the rest was the Priests portion alone or else he did share in it with him that presented the sacrifice Other Offerings were called Holocausta they were wholly burnt neither the Sacrificer nor the Offerer had any part therein God reserued it wholly to himselfe so that if wee thus farre enlarge these words they wrap in them all kinde of corporall Sacrifices Ruffinus and others giue them so wide a signification That signification is true but happily it is not so proper to this Text a more restrained sense may better fit this present Argument Obserue then that these wordes doe containe the two Offerings which God in Moses Law prescribed for the reconciliation of a sinner hee was required to bring one expiatory the Law calleth it a sinne-offering and that is it which is here as else-where meant by the generall name of Sacrifice another Dedicatory which was called an Holocaust and is here translated a burnt offering but you must vnderstand it burnt not in part but wholly therefore it is sometimes called a whole-burnt-offering These two Offerings went together in the ceremoniall reconciliation of a sinner we find it so in Leuit at the purifying of a woman after Child-birth Chap. 12. at the cleansing of a Leper Chap. 14. finally at the expiation of the Tabernacle or Temple and therein of the whole Church of Israel Chap 16. In all these places you shall find that they goe together But to looke a little farther into these Offerings there are two remarkable things in them 1. the Mystery and
preserued by that Kings daughter and bred as if hee had beene her sonne There was a mysterie in it God typed out in his person the condition of his people whose deliuerer he was then designed to be Hee was vnexpectedly to set them free when in their owne eyes their case was most desperate Neither was his person only typicall his qualities also were heroicall Acts 7.22 first his Intellectuall skilfull in all the learning of the Egyptians to say nothing of his fortie yeares contemplation in Midian of which Philo Iudaeus there are foure morall vertues which they call Cardinall he had them all in a high degree Prudence God gaue him the spirit of Policie Numb 11. as it appeares by the storie of the seuentie Elders to whom God gaue part of his Spirit when they were made his assistants in the gouernment Iustice the apologie which he maketh vpon the rebellion of Korah Dathan and Abiram witnesseth that I haue not taken one Asse from them Numb 10. neither haue I hurt one of them the Holy Ghost giueth him this testimonie Heb 3.2 that hee was faithfull in all Gods house Temperance how little was hee transported with the loue of profit Heb. 11. or pleasure that thought the rebuke of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt and chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enioy the pleasure of sinne for a season Fortitude no man can doubt of that who considereth that being a single man in shew a meane man hee should aduenture to goe to so mightie a King in so vnpleasing an errand not fearing the Kings wrath when hee had exasperated him nor desisting from vrging what hee had in charge though hee were threatned by him certainly God that sent him on that message indued him with an extraordinarie courage Besides these Morall he was renowmed for his Theologicall vertues his Faith and his Hope Saint Paul hath chronicled Heb. 11. and ranged him with the most famous Worthies And in Charitie hee did exceed them all hee is not only commended for the meekest man that liued Numb 12 3. but so indulgent were his bowels towards his vngracious charge that hee desired rather to be blotted out of Gods Booke of Life Exod 32 v. 3â— then they should be punisht as they deserued Finally no Nationall Gouernour of the Israelites besides Moses did euer communicate as a type in the threefold honour of Christ Moses was a Prophet Deut. 34. and there neuer liued such a Prophet as Moses was for his Bookes containe the foundation of all prophesie therefore doe the Fathers call him Oceanum Theologiae the great Sea of Diuinitie He was a Priest yea Sacerdos Sacerdotum Nazian hee did not only act the function but also consecrated Aaron and his sonnes therevnto Finally hee was a King a mightie King not only ruling the twelue Tribes but also conquering their enemies the Amalekites the Midianites the Ammonites the Bashanites but aboue all the Egyptians and also he sacred his successor Iosuah giuing him part of his glorie I haue insisted the longer in this delineation of Moses perfections to the end that you might perceiue that though God Almightie can compasse his will by the weakest of meanes yet he vseth to endow men proportionably to that wherein he meaneth to employ them he doth performe waightie workes by worthy men such a one was Abraham the Father of faithfull men Dauid the Father of faithfull Kings and our Moses called to be the Law giuer of Israel This Person so eminent a person went betweene the parties to the Couenant The Parties are two each called by two names The first is called the Lord God Lord that is the name of his nature Iehouah hee is of none and all things are of him God that is the name of the persons subsisting in the nature or in whom the nature doth subsist Elohim signifieth all three so that we haue here Trinitie in Vnitie and Vnitie in Trinitie euen the true God and such a one is he that is the first partie to the Couenant Neither is it enough to conceiue of God in grosse wee must so as it were resolue him We must behold God the Father that becommeth our Father God the Sonne that maketh vs sonnes and God the Holy Ghost that vouchsafeth vs to be his Temple all three persons act their part in the Couenant Notwithstanding all three concurre yet must wee take speciall notice of the second Person Verbum Dei as the Chalde Paraphrase calleth him here Esay 63 v 9. Mal 31. Acts 7. and throughout this Chapter The Angell of Gods presence the Angell of the Couenant that is Christ he was the Angell that conuersed with Israel in the Wildernesse And indeed it was hee that in this Couenant became the Bridegroome of the Church for the day of the Couenant was a wedding day as anon I shall shew you more at large The true knowledge of this first partie maketh much to the Dignitie the Commoditie the Constancie of the Couenant Dignitie for with whom can wee contract more honourably then with our Lord God The higher he is aboue vs the more honour in the contract is done vnto vs. And this Partie maketh the Contract as Profitable as it is honorable 〈◊〉 2. Ezâ—k 16. not only because he can doe vs good that is the Lord God but also because he will doe it because his contract maketh vp a marriage knot Finally a Couenant made with such a partie is a Couenant of salt Iames 1.17 an vncorruptible Couenant there is no variablenesse nor shadow of change with him and therefore in regard of him we need not feare any diuorce The second Partie is also set forth by two names the house of Iacob the children of Israel which yeild vs a Ciuill and a Mysticall Obseruation The Ciuill is in the first name therefore are they called the house of Iacob because they were his ofspring Reade Genesis the tenth and you shall finde that all Nations in the beginning of the World did this honour to their first Ancestours they were called by their name after this patterne were the Edomites Moabites Ammonites Ismaelites distinguished by the stocke from whence euery one sprang Conquests and Colonies haue long since altered this fashion neither can wee now tell the true originall of any Nation vnder the Sunne except that of the vagrant Iewes who by Gods special prouidence remaine yet vnconfounded with other Nations The mysticall obseruation is in the second name the same people are also called children of Israel Israel was a second name giuen to Iacob signifying that hee had preuailed with God and his Enemies should not preuaile against him Now because that blessing was to be not only Personall but Nationall his posteritie communicated in his second name and Iacob confirmed it vnto them in the benediction which he gaue to the twelue Patriarches In these two names then we are
immediately vpon their Creation after Gods Image how foully were they ouer-reacht by the Serpent How shamefully did they plunge themselues in sinne in the full integritie of their nature And if they could stand so little in the fulnesse of grace how little shall we bee able to stand that come so short of their their measure Least therefore we make no vse of our abilitie God must be pleased to doe for vs that which he was not pleased to doe for them hee must in compassion of our frailtie either keepe off temptations or arme vs against them hee must giue vs grace to make vse of his grace In any other sense to conceiue that the first grace is indifferent and our will doth determine it is an Arminian dreame Not that we are excusable if hauing abilities we doe not vse them for temptations worke not physically but morally perswade they may they cannot compell and it is plaine that wee doe not vse that care and conscience in trying the fallacies wherewith wee are tempted to disbelieue God and those allurements which endeauour to withdraw vs from God as wee doe in reading the discourses of humane Arts and entertaining aduises concerning our worldly State Therefore wee are without all excuse and should iustly perish for our sinne when wee neglect the meanes that are giuen vs of God inward or outward And indeed all would so perish that haue them because all would so neglect them did not God as well follow as preuent some with his grace prouide by a second that they receiue not the first grace in vaine You haue not yet heard the vttermost that God doth for vs toward the performance of this condition for the condition must bee performed not for a day or a yeare but all our life long it is not enough for to heare Gods voyce to day and to morrow to despise it to day to bee true to him and to bee false to morrow our Faith and our Charitie must be as lasting as our life But alas our faith and our charity haue their wanings they fall often into a sowne wee breake euery day with God and if wee breake with him hee is no longer bound to vs yet he doth not so deale with vs nor take the aduantage which wee doe giue him hee is like a kind Landlord who when his Tenant neglecteth his Couenant and he by vertue of the Lease may make a re-entry forbeares and giues his Tenant leaue to salue the forfeiture hee is long-suffering toward vs and giueth vs space to repent and returne to our good God which is alwayes ready to receiue vs vnto grace and to pardon our offences Yet we may not presume of this vpon the Couenant for when God doth it hee doth it vpon another ground vpon the ground of Predestination Yea that which the kindest Land lord vseth not to doe God out of his goodnesse doth supply vs with those helpes whereby wee may recouer againe his fauour by the ministry of his word or some other meanes hee seasonably worketh in vs repentance and faith and indeed this is a great hight of grace Philip. 〈◊〉 that hee that beginnineth this good worke in vs will perfect it to the day of the Lord that wee are thus preserued by the power of God and that hee doth so put his feare into vs 1. Pet. 1. that wee depart not from him totally or finally What shall wee say then to these things Seeing that God by grace is Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end the author and the finisher of the performance of the condition required therefore though wee performe what wee are commanded yet must wee giue him the glory and hee that doth glory must glory in the Lord. I will shut vp this first obseruation with two good Admonitions The first shall bee this when wee receiue these commands from God Heare my voyce keepe my Couenant let vs humbly pray with Saint Austin Da domine quod iubes iube quod vis Lord enable mee to obey thee and then lay vpon me what commandement thou wilt Or rather if you will let vs pray as the Church teacheth vs when wee heare the ten Commandements Lord haue mercie vpon vs and encline outr hearts to keepe thy Law And God giue vs all this Spirit of Grace and Prayer 1. Epist 1. The second admonition let vs take from Saint Peter Brethren giue all diligence by the practice of Christian vertues to make your calling and election sure for if yee doe these things you shall neuer fall If wee follow the first admonition God will not bee wanting vnto vs if the second wee shall not bee wanting vnto our selues Thus much of the first Obseruation The second followeth We must not sticke at that which God requires because that which God offers doth infinitely exceed it That which God requires is neither thanke worthy nor in comparison of any worth It is not thanke worthy for what thankes doth a man deserue for yeilding that which he doth otherwise owe to God nay which God as before you haue heard doth giue him to bestow I will not againe amplifie these two points I adde a third what thankes doth a man deserue for working his owne perfection for to heare Gods voice and to keepe his Couenant are the perfection both of our head and of our heart they were first qualified for this vse and this vse is their happinesse It is true that so long as Concupiscence doth distemper our soule these imployments at first are not so pleasing they rellish as medicines to a sicke bodie And if you marke it well this is no small difference betweene Vertue and Vice wickednesse is sweete in the mouth and a man hideth it vnder his tongue but when hee hath swallowed it it is like the gall of Aspes vnto his conscience but with vertue it is cleane otherwise the first time wee enter thereupon is the harshest time Eccles 6. Vers 24 25. the longer wee are acquainted the better friends shall we be Put thy feet saith the sonne of Syracke into wisdomes fetters and thy necke into her chaine bow downe thy shoulder and beare her and be not grieued with her bonds Vers 28 29. for at last thou shalt find rest and it shall be turned to thy ioy For then shall her fetters be a strong defence for thee and her chaine a robe of glorie He that maketh his eare liable to Gods voice maketh his eare happie and he maketh his heart happie that maketh it stedfast in the Couenant of God for wherein can hee take more contentment And doth a man deserue thankes for thus bringing his owne person to perfection Put the case these things were thanke worthy yet certainly in comparison they are but of little worth for of what worth is the obedience of a seruant in regard of the fauour of a Soueraigne that vouchsafeth him to bee his Fauourite Of what worth is our loue of God which is our
they doe presume First see their modestie You must call to mind that in the message sent them there were two parts the one shewed what God required of them the other what he offered to them In their answere they shew much modestie in regard of both parts I will shew that modestie first that respects what God doth offer Obserue then that in their answere they passe that ouer insilence they doe not capitulate with God for it And indeed the stipulation of our dutie must bee absolute and not conditionall though Gods promise to vs bee conditionall and not absolute And why we owe our dutie to God absolutely and Gods mercie is not due to vs but out of his gracious promise So that to capitulate would imply a deniall of our natiue obligation and that we would not obey were it not for the adoptiue besides wee should seeme to doubt whether God will be as good as his word as God hath reason to doubt of vs that we will not be so good as our word So that to put a difference betweene Gods fidelitie and ours this branch of the Israelites modestie may beseeme vs all it may beseeme vs rather assuredly to expect then vnmannerly to capitulate for that which God doth promise so deale children with their Parents Subiects with their Soueraignes and we much more ought so to deale with God our Father and our Soueraigne in Heauen Our eies yea and our hearts too must be more vpon that which God requires then vpon that which God doth promise Not that we may not hearten our selues with that which God doth promise yea and remember God of it also in our Prayers after the example of the Patriarch Iacob Gen. â—8 But if wee bee silent wee doe in godly humilitie insinuate that we hold our selues vnworthy of it and we shall speed neuer a whit the worse For what wee forbeare to doe out of this consciousnesse of our vnworthinesse God will supply out of his abundant goodnesse hee will set an honourable estimate vpon our dutie and will take it as worthy of whatsoeuer hee doth promise We cannot vnderualue our selues so much as God will ouerualue vs. The second branch of their modestie is that replying to that which God requires they doe not limit him but yeild their obedience as farre as he requires it Yea if you compare the clauses you shall find that God spake but indefinitely If you will heare my voice If you will keepe my Couenant but they doe answere vniuersally All that the Lord hath said we will doe they submit themselues vnto Gods charge in the largest sense And indeed this is true Pietie not to carue out our owne obedience but to let God carue it out we must absolutely captiuate our wits vnto his wisdome and surrender our wils wholy vnto his pleasure his Law must be the bounderie of our life Hitherto you haue seene that in their answere there is much modestie much modestie you haue seene they doe not presume But I told you that if we looke vpon the words a second time we shall find that there is ouer much confidence in them we shall find that they doe presume They presume first of their Abilitie faciemus we doe not thinke Gods commandements impossible we will doe that which God commandeth wee thinke wee may aduenture to promise so much Cap. 4. Saint Iames checkes mans confidence in a smaller matter goe to saith he you that say to day and to morrow we will goe to such a place and there buy and sell c. whereas you should say if we liue if the Lord will If our Abilitie bee so small in regard of those things which are here below and concerne this animall life that we may not presume of our selues but vnder such a condition how much more must we adde a condition when wee speake of those greater matters those that concerne our spirituall life here wee should adde if Gods grace be sufficiently vouchsafed me if hee shall be pleased that his strength bee made perfect in my weaknesse For Auxilium speciale is more extraordinarie then generale and we must begge the speciall the generall will not suffice is this case If King Dauid confessed and did as it were wonder at Gods grace that himselfe and his people offered their goods so willingly vnto God how much more commeth it of grace and grace to be wondred at that a man doth wholly and cheerefully deuote himselfe vnto the seruice of God Therefore we must all remember that Item which Christ gaue to Saint Peter a great vndertaker in this kind Marke 1â— the spirit is willing but the flesh is weake and imitate Saint Paul a more modest vndertaker who affirmeth of himselfe I can doe all things Phil. 4. but it is through Christ which strengthneth me Wherefore what the Israelites omitted we must in all these vowes supplie If God shall conuert if God shall incline our hearts otherwise our vndertaking will sauour of too much confidence and we shall be guiltie of presuming It was too much that they presumed of their abilitie but see their confidence goeth farther they presume of the extent of their Abilitie also faciemus omnia we will doe all that the Lord commandeth vs. Certainely if they will doe so much they will doe more then euer any man did or can doe except him that was both God and man our Lord Iesus Christ To make this plaine vnderstand that in the Law there are two parts the Affirmatiue and the Negatiue and either hath something in it which is impossible to be done in this life The Affirmatiue requires that wee Loue God with all our hearts with all our minds with all our strength and our neighbour as our selfe The Negatiue Ne concupiscas Thou shalt not lust It is confest by all that are not Pelagians or Pelagius like that neither of these can be performed in this life Touching the Affirmatiue I will say no more then that which Saint Bernard obserued that whereas in our Charitie thereis Affectus and Actus the Affection and the Action we must exspect in heauen the integritie of our Affection as the reward of the best endeauours of our Action while we are in this world and if the integritie of our affection be aboue the reach of this life much more the integritie of our Action which flowes from the other and is correspondent to it I will insist a little longer vpon the other clause the negatiue part of the Law The rather because if I can make it plaine that wee cannot performe the negatiue it followeth vndeniably that wee cannot performe the affirmatiue For as one instance to the contrarie ouerthroweth an vniuersall affirmatiue so if we be tainted with the least spot of concupiscence our Charitie cannot be entire Obserue then that I may treade the steps of the Romanists and ouerthrow their conceite of Morall perfection in this life out of their owne principles that in regard of the negatiue
the Trumpet sounding in his eare Surgite mortui venite ad iudicium I will not stand to allegorize the two siluer Trumpets still sounded while the Sacrifice was burning at the Altar Verse 7. I will only bid you remember Saint Iudes note of Sodome and Gomorrah whose perpetuall burning God hath left as a remembrance of the euerlasting fire of Hell Some are yet more desperate and call for the Day of the Lord Let it come Let vs see it as you may read in the Prophets Foole hardie wretches that desire that which they will neuer be able to endure Luke 23.30 Vpon the first ouerture of it their hearts will faile them they will bee at their wits end they will call to the Hils and Rockes to couer them The Kings of the earth the great men the mightie men bond and free all sorts of men shall then crie out The great day of the Lambes wrath is come Reue. 6 1 Pet. 4.18 and who is able to stand And indeed If the righteous scarcely be saued where shall the wicked and vngodly appeare But to leaue them The last obseruation that I will giue vpon this dreadfull state shall be That wee are much bound vnto God that wee liue not vnder the Old Testament but vnder the New that God hath brought vs not vnto Mount Sinai but vnto Mount Sion Where God appeares in our nature and commeth meeke and in the forme of a seruant so sensible of our infirmities that hee cryeth not Esay 42.2 his voice is not heard in the street hee will not breake a bruised reed nor quench smoking flaxe He putteth vpon vs a light yoke and an easie burden his doctrine is a Gospel their feet are beautifull that bring it Esay 52 â— 7 this yeara is an yeare of Iubile his Trumpet soundeth nothing but deliuerance his Light is comfortable like the Sunne Psal 45.2 Cant. 5. v. 16 for he is the Sonne of Righteousnesse his lips are full of Grace his Mouth is most sweet In this Hill all things are louely there is nothing dreadfull at all And why God hath giuen vs the Spirit of Adoption which is the Spirit of Loue Rom 6 2. Tim 1. and of a sound minde so that wee can indure the very top of Mount Ston whereas they could not endure the bottome of Mount Sinai Time will not giue me leaue to pursue this comparison you may amplifie it out of Saint Paul 2. Cor. 3. Heb. 12. And if you will haue it to the full you must paralell the whole Oeconomic of the New Testament with that of the Old Only let me giue you this note for a farewell to this point That as the Patriarkes that were brought vnto Mount Sinai did beare themselues out vnder those terrors by casting their eyes forward vnto Mount Sion the place of comfort So wee lest we grow carnally secure during our abode at Mount Sion and surfet vpon the comforts thereof must cast our eyes backward vpon Mount Sinai and rowse our selues with the terrours thereof The solace of Sion is to none so pleasant as to him that commeth newly from Sinai their soules doe best rellish the Gospel whose consciences haue first sinarted from the Law or that haue beene exercised by that hopefull feare the point that commeth next to be handled in my text Hopefull feare then is the impression that was made on the Israelites by the dreadfull Harbingers of God First Feare Feare is argued from quaking For wee vsually say that men quake for feare And indeed what is quaking of the bodie but a consequent of feare in the soule For the spirits are conueyed by the arteries the sinewes and the veines into the outward parts to sustaine confirme them inable them to their functions and the vitall parts send them forth abundantly while themselues are secure But while we are or suppose our selues to be in any great danger all those forces repaire vnto and endeuour to safegard those principall inward fortresses especially the heart Whereupon the outward parts being vnfurnished fall as it were into a shaking Palsie and so Quaking is a consequent of feare But let vs fit this impression vnto the apparition and so you shall find that it followeth thereupon If there were nothing in these Harbingers but an Image of Gods Maiestie yet you shall not find in all the Bible that euer any man had any extraordinarie glimpse of Gods glory that did not vpon the apprehension thereof become as it were dead and giue himselfe ouer for a dead man Reade the storie of Gedeon and Maneah in the Booke of Iudges and of the Prophets whose inspirations were accompanied with Visions Ezechiel Daniel others the generall rule is Si te nouerim Domine me ipsum nouerim I shall neuer know how vile how fraile I am by any thing so well as by presenting my selfe before the glorious Maiestie of God Let vs descend to the second Image that is to bee beheld in these dreadfull Harbingers the Image of the Law and let vs see how that worketh feare The Image of the Precept I told you it is scarching and you cannot therewith search a man but you make him feare Aske Saint Paul he tried it and will tell you so he found by surueying himselfe That the Law was spirituall and hee was carnall and out of a sensible acknowledgement that his strength was nothing proportionable to the Law 〈◊〉 7. 〈◊〉 19. he brake out into those passionate words O wretch that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death King Dauid surueyed the Law and the excellent properties of the Law but what is the vpshot of his meditation Euen this Who knoweth how oft he offendeth Lord cleanse me from my secret faults keepe thy seruant from presumptuous sinnes lest they haue dominion ouer me And verily no man can behold himselfe in that glasse and consider what manner of person he is but hee will bee driuen to that prayer in the last Penitentiall 〈◊〉 143 Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant O Lord for in thy sight shall no flesh liuing be iustified The Precept then maketh afraid And doth not the Sanction also Certainly it doth The Prophets that had a sight of God armed with vengeance against sinners how doe we find them affected and affrighted Câ—ap 6. Esay saw the Lord sitting vpon a Throne high and lifted vp his traine filled the Temple aboue it stood the six winged Seraphins c. it is a Vision of iudgement and it made Esay crie out Woe is me for I am vndone 〈◊〉 3.2.16 c. Habakuk had a Vision of the like argument which he describeth more at large and heare what was the effect When I heard it my belly trembled my lips quiuered at the voice rottennesse entred into my bones Psal 119 Dauid confesseth of himselfe My flesh trembleth for feare of thee O Lord and I am afraid of thy iudgements But you will say
contented with so much as he doth reueale but we should spend all our time and paines in obedience and conforming our selues to Gods Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hâ—mil de Sement tom 1 Ioâ—l 2.23 Esay 61. Reuel 21 Gal. 5. Rom 6. Therefore doth Gods Law and a showre of raine come in Hebrew both from one root to signifie that wee should drinke it in as fruit trees doe raine to be the better for it In Ioâ—l it is plainly called the raine of righteousnesse and of raine Athanasius his obseruation is good though the substance of it be but one yet doth it yeild sustenance for diuers fruits Sure I am that the Scripture calleth vs Trees of Life Trees of Righteousnesse and we should bring forth fruits of the Spirit which is called the fruit of Sanctification haue a man neuer so much knowledge if hee goe no farther then knowledge hee can deserue no better a name then the Deuill hath who from his knowledge is called Daemon Nâ—mdicit Qui non seâ—it sed nonâ—â—cieâ—â— fructâ—m â—â—omâ—er enim oportet ferre 〈…〉 Nam cetheri â—â—serâ—cors fueris 〈◊〉 rapinâ—s sis dâ—dities â—on cris bonus but the Scripture denominateth a good man from his vertue Chasidh But there remayneth one note more which Theophylact maketh vpon this description Hee saith not euery tree which hath not borne but euery tree which is not bearing for wee must alwayes bee bearing fruit though the other day thou wert mercifull if to day thou be an extortioner thou shalt not goe for a good tree And God himselfe doth iustifie this doctrine telling vs that all the righteousnesse of an vnconstant good man shall be forgotten Those that be planted in the House of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God 〈…〉 they shall still bring forth fruit in their old age they shall be sat and well liking The Tree described Psal 1. and Reuel 21. confirme this truth To shut vp this description of a member of the Church out of it we must learne these few Lessons First God expecteth to behold in vs rather our workes then his owne what we yeild then what wee receiue and our care must be rather to doe our duties then boast of our gifts seeing for those not these we are called to an account Secondly we must beare fruit according to our kind Men doe not gather Grapes of thornes nor figges of thistles it is vnnaturall for Vines to beare hawes or Figge-trees burres wee betray our selues rather to bee in then of the Church if we beare such fruit and though wee cannot bee challenged for being idle yet shall wee be for being ill imployed If to beare fruit were enough the case of the wicked would bee better then that of the godly for as wild trees commonly beare greater burthens then the grafted or planted you know Aesops reason for it so doe the wicked commonly abound in workes more then the good But God considereth not How many but How good yea the more of euill workes the worse so that when we come to cast vp our account wee must consider not so much the number as the qualitie of them remembring to write vpon the euill vanity of vanities all is but vanity and vexation of spirit for what fruite is there in those things whereof we shall be then ashamed wee must desire to beare that fruit which may abound to our accompt Philip. 4. And so haue I deliuered vnto you so much of my Text as concerneth the persons speaking of them so farre as I haue beene occasioned by their resemblances I come now to the Iudgement whereof wee must consider first the Cause where we shall see that God obserueth his owne Law and cutteth vp no tree in this siege that his vengeance layeth to his Church but such as are no fruit trees It is a clause in the couenant Deut. 2â— that as God maketh vs fruit trees so we should beare good fruits if we faile he is no longer tied to continue vs trees or performe vnto vs the blessing Sanction of his Law Deut. 28. his Iustice requireth that hee make good the second sanction which curseth sinners and come to eradication But to open this cause a little fuller wee must obserue that Gods dealing with men though it bee acted by his Power yet it is ordered by his Iustice neither doth he vse his power vntill he haue examined our deserts this is vndoubtedly true in plagues though not in blessings In blessing he preuenteth vs but he neuer striketh vntill he bee pronoked therefore the Scripture seldome mentioneth any iudgement of God but it prefaceth it with some cause thereof first giuen by man you may reade it in the doome of Adam the old World Sodome Gen. 3.6 1â— Chron. 2. and Israel In this place the not bearing of good fruit is expressed as the cause of the iudgement which followeth the not bearing I say of good fruit For whereas the Commandements of God are Affirmatiue or Negatiue The Affirmatiue are those for which our faculties were giuen vs the performing of the Negatiue are but with standings of such impediments as hinder vs therein Adde hereunto that the Affirmatiue is the measure of the Negatiue so that wee know not how farre we must withstand but by knowing how much we are bound to doe moreouer the Deuill that hee might haue vs at leasure to doe what wee should not maketh vs neglect to doe what we should Because then we should striue to the heighth of vertue for homo est animal officiosum man is made for vertuous action and his commendations is well doing and doing ill is but a necessarie consequent of not doing well as appeareth by the Parable of the vncleane spirit it is impossible for a man to be idle it would imply a contradiction to the definition of the soule therefore the transgression of the Affirmatiue Commandements are here called in question they are alleadged for the cause of Iudgement Si sterilitas in ignâ—m mittitur rapacitas quid meretur Fulgent Serm. de dispen Duplex fructus bonus Gratiae Poenitentiae Aust de Contritione cordis And if Omâ—ssions be so punished what is due to Commissions It is Fulgentius his collection If barrennesse burne in hell what shall wickednesse seele the deeper men goe in sinnes the greater is the account they haue to giue But lest men should not well conceiue this cause wee must learne of Saint Augustine that there is a double good fruit of Grace and of Repentance we should indeed principally take heed of Omissions and bee filled with the fruits of righteousnesse but if insteed of those good fruits we fall into sinnes of commission there is a second good worke wherewith we must relieue ourselues a worke of repentance in the defect of the first this second must succeed Though God might by the Law punish vs for want of the first yet from the Gospel wee haue this comfort that he
of death and being the stronger rifled that strong mans house so that we may well say If God bee with vs who can bee against vs if we relie vpon his wisdome wee shall neuer be circumuented neither shall we be opprest if we relie vpon his Power therefore the Church doth well to make her prayer vnto Him But how doth she pray First feruently for she cries In the Ceremoniall Law Incensio went before Ascensio the Sacrifice was set on fire before it yeilded an odour of sweet smell ascending vnto God besides the siluer trumpets sounded aloud with varietie of other Musicke while the Sacrifice was burning These were but types whereof the morall was that we must not be lither in deuotion but expresse a feruencie therein And we haue a good Precedent in our Sauiour Christ who prayed with strong cries Heb 5. King Dauid doth expresse his earnestnesse by many sit Similies of parched ground that gapes wide for the showres of raine Psal 41. of a chased Hart that breatheth and brayeth after the water brookes Psal â—4 Nâ—â—m of the passions of Louers which are very violent And God liketh such deuotion for sitit sitiri he longeth to be longed after But we must remember that there is Clamor Cordis Oris a crying of the heart and the mouth And as God is specially Inspector so is he also Auditor Cordis as his eyes are specially vpon our hearts so are his eares open thereunto Non vox sed votum non cordula musica sed Cor Non Clamans sed Amans cantat in aure Dei God doth best vnderstand and accept the sighes and groanes of our spirit which cannot be exprest And yet Ex abundantia cordis os loquitur the sire that is in the heart will not be supprest a vehement passion will make a vehement eloâ—ution Psal 39. But when we crie we doe it to manifest the earnestnesse of our affections and extremitie of our distresse not to rowse God as if he could not otherwise heare that were a conceit fit for the worshippers of Baal â— King 18. Tertull. de Oratione whom Elias scoffes for it for quibus arterijs opus si pro sono audiamur if the crie of the voice were the measure of deuotion he that hath the most Stentorean voice should be most deuout but we must know that no crie of the lips can ascend higher towards God then it is carried vp by the feruencie of the heart though the seruencie of the heart can ascend vnto God though the tongue bee mute for God said to Moses why cryest thou when hee spake neuer a word Whether wee pray only with the heart or also with the voice we must be remembred by this practice of the Church to be earneest therein earnest in our Soliloquies when wee enter into our Closet much more when we are mustered in the holy Assemblies must our deuotion offer a gratefull violence vnto God according to that good paterne which we haue Psal 130. The Church prayeth earnestly not only so shee prayeth constantly also she cryeth day and night The foure Beasts in the Reuelation day and night cease not saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almightie which is the practice of the Triumphant Church Moses was willed to make all things according to the patterne that was she wed him in the Mount therefore he instituted that the Sacrifices should burne day and night Of the day there is no question and it is put out of all question concerning the night also by those words in the Psalme Behold Psal 134 blesse yee the Lord all yee seruants of the Lord which by night stand in the house of the Lord 1. Chron. 9 33. and that phrase which we meete withall often in the Scripture of keeping Gods watches The New Testament should herein answere the Old and wee are willed therein to pray continually 1. Thess 5. The Diuines haue a rule Precepta affirmatiua tenent semper sed non ad semper the habits of vertue must euer bee in vs but wee must performe the Acts when we haue iust occasion certaine times we must appoint our selues for Prayer not only in the day but also in the night so did Dauid he remembreth it often and no doubt but others did it aswell as he for the Church speaketh thus in Esay Esay 26. With my soule haue I desired thee in the night with my spirit within me will I seeke thee early Christ spent nights in prayer Acts 16. and Paul and Silas prayed and sang prayses vnto God at midnight And the Canonicall houres which are mentioned in the old Liturgies were distributed aswell through the night as through the day To say nothing of the Vigils at solemne times But so much of the publike old Deuotion which was vsed in the night long since degenerated and is out of vse euen in the Church of Rome as Bellarmine confesseth though priuately men may pray at all houres and no doubt but many doe aswell in the night as in the Day Some not contented with that limitation of affirmatiue Precepts to congruous time do mingle our Meditations with our actions so Saint Ambrose Clamant opera tua clamat sides clamat affectus De Cain 〈◊〉 Abel clamat passiones clamat sanguis whatsoeuer good wee doe or crosse wee suffer patiently that is a reall prayer But to let passe these Obseruations which may haue their good vse as may that also which vnderstandeth Prosperitie by Day and Aduersitie by Night and telleth vs that we must pray in whatsoeuer state wee are I will obserue vnto you that which is more proper and profitable and which will shew you that indeed the Church Militant doth crie day and night take the words as strictly as you can Obserue then that a man prayeth many wayes First in his owne person as Dauid did who professeth of himselfe that in his aduersitie he gaue himselfe vnto prayer wee haue his practice in the Psalmes and we haue Christs not only practice but precept Watch and pray yea Matth. 26. Chap. 6. and direction too When thou prayest enter into thy chamber c. Finally this dutie is made a part of our Catechisme no man therefore should be ignorant of it no man should neglect it Secondly we pray when any member of the Church doth pray for Christ hath taught euery man to say our Father so to include others aswell as himselfe euen all that are members of the same bodie so Singuli orant pro omnibus 〈…〉 omnes orant pro singulis euerie man prayeth for all the Church and all the Church doth pray for euery man And this is no small part of the Communion of Saints which wee beleeue in our Creed for God will that Oratio bee Insigne charitatis that out prayer be a perpetuall Badge of our mutuall Charitie Thirdly euery man prayeth when the Minister serueth God he doth not only pray for vs but we also
pray in him marke the forme of his words they are all plurall We confesse wee beseech wee pray c. he is the Minister of the Church and it is the whole Churches Deuotion that he presenteth vnto God Fourthly whether we pray or other members of the Church or the Minister wee must obserue that in all these prayers there is something transient and something permanent the Act is transient the Memoriall is permanent 1 Kin 18. learne this out of Salomons Dedicatorie Let these my words wherewith I haue made supplication before the Lord be nigh vnto the Lord our God day and night but you will say this is but a wish reade the beginning of the next Chapter and you shall see that there God granted it 〈◊〉 10. and the Angell told Cornelius that his prayers were come vp for a memoriall before the Lord. Fiftly The Church Triumphant prayeth for the Militant in generall as not ignorant of the condition out of which it selfe is come and out of which it wisheth the Militant freed as appeares by that voice of the soules vnder the Altar their crying loud voice which saith Reuel 6. How long O Lord holy and true doest thou not iudge and auenge our bloud on them that dwell in the Earth This is Piè credibile wee may defend it without any offence to Pietie But that which the Church of Rome buildeth hereon the Innocation of Saints because they make Intercession we may not admit it trencheth too much vpon diuine Attributes and hath too much cognation with their Doctrine of Transubstantiation therein they giue as it were an vbiquitie vnto Christs Bodie and here to the soules of the Saints But I will not trouble you with Controuersies neither is that point so naturall to this Text only take this Item that out of the generall Intercession of the Saints for vs wee can neuer gather our particuar Inuocation of them no nor generall neither Finally our Sauiour Christ doth only put sweete odours into our Prayers that they may come acceptable vnto God Reuâ—l 8. 〈◊〉 8. but also himselfe maketh perpetuall intercession for vs vnto him his bloud cryeth better things then doth the bloud of Abel Put now all these together Christ the Head his Bodie the Church that part which is Triumphant that which is Militant all the members all the Ministers thereof you cannot doubt but the Elect do pray day and night But euery man in his owne case must remember a good obseruation of Saint Chrysostomes That Oratio propria our owne prayers make all the other prayers vsefull vnto vs They auaile for vs by way of Impetration but if wee desire to be accepted of God wee must contribute our owne deuotion with theirs for they doe not pray to make vs idle but to supply the interrupting of our prayers which is occasioned by our honest vocation or necessarie refreshing during which time we need not doubt but that we are remembred aswell to God as of God This constancie of prayer fauoureth not the Euchites who turned all Pietie into Prayer as if there were nothing else to bee done the Church hath long since branded them and many of the Friers may goe for their Cousin Germans Matth. 6. Neither doth it fauour the Heathenish Battologie which Christ condemneth De Orandâ— Deâ— ad Probam Saint Austin helpeth vs out with a distincton Absit ab oratione multa locutio sed non desit multa precatio si fernens perseuerat intensio Christ forbiddeh bare Lip-labour but Heart-labour hee doth not condemne pray as long as you will so your heart pray as well as your tongue Put now together the Persons and the Deuotion and then wee see the Elect must pray or else they shall not haue what God doth purpose them for as Christ saith Aske and you shall haue so Saint Iames saith you haue not because you aske not How absurd then are they that make this prophane Collection I am elected therefore it skilleth not whether I serue God Thou vaine man he that electeth to the end electeth to the meanes yea the election mentioned in my Text is vnto this Seruice for when thou art elected into the Church thou art elected to be a Priest thy person is elected to be a Temple and prayer is that Sacrifice which euery man must offer in that House of Prayer Can any man bee more elect then Christ was And yet the Gospel teacheth that hee sought for all things vnto God by prayer yea in our owne case when he was in an agonie he prayed most earnestly most constantly But how can wee doubt of this that the Elect must pray whereas it is most true that no Prayers are acceptable vnto God but those that come from the Elect Iohn 9. For God heareth not sinners but if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him hee heareth The Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord saith Salomon but the prayer of the righteous is his delight There is a quarrell betweene vs and the Church of Rome Prou. 15. whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those things which God offereth vnto vs doe worke ex opere operato produce their effects out of their inherent or adherent efficacies but wee are both agreed that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those things which we tender vnto God are accepted of God ex opere Operantis according as the person is religiously disposed in acting them wherefore we must wash our hands in innocencie and so compasse the Altar of God and pray as beseemeth the Elect in Faith Austin Epist 121. Hope and Charitie I haue dwelt long enough vpon the Nature of Deuotion let vs come at length vnto the Power thereof I told you that the religious deuotion of Gods Elect is very powerfull Saint Iames telleth vs that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very effectuall a little before my text wee reade that it will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bring vnder those things which it hath to doe withall In thâ— Law it is figured in Isha â—euit 1. that is Ignitio or a fierie thing which you know is piercing and so preualent Chrysostome saith it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is Defensiue it is Offensiue it hath in it all power requisite for preseruation of our selues and confusion of our enemies hee that can doe nothing if hee can pray can doe all things neither can any thing conquer him that can be vigilant and feruent in prayer But to come closer to my Text that sheweth vs with whom it preuayleth euen with him to whom the Church doth pray that is with God We reade that Iacobs name was changed into Israel to signifie a Prince with God or as the Angell himselfe openeth it one that hath preuailed with God and so by Gods power shall preuaile with men but marke the reason of this was because of his importunitie in prayer for the Text saith Gen. 32. he
commeth from Edom and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Thankesgiuing in the Reuelation But I draw to an end The conclusion of all my Text is this If at any time wee bee distressed and not relieued the fault is not in God it is in vs for our Deuotion is tired ouer-soone wee are all modicae fidei men of little faith and though the spirit be willing yet the flesh is weake and the weaknesse of the flesh preuaileth more then the willingnesse of the Spirit Wherefore we must all pray vnto God to giue vs the Spirit of Grace and Prayer ANd Lord we beseech thee helpe our vnbeliefe and increase our faith yea Lord pray thou that our faith faile not and the more thou doest exercise our patience the more earnest let vs be for thy deliuerance deliuerance from our corporall deliuerance from our spirituall foes that well ouercomming our Militancie here on earth we may bee Triumphant with the Saints in Heauen where wee shall turne our Prayers into Prayses and sing day and night honour prayse strength and power bee vnto him that sitteth vpon the Throne and to the Lambe for euermore AMEN SVNDRIE SERMONS DE TEMPORE PREACHED VPON SEVErall Occasions by the Right Reuerend Father in God ARTHVR LAKE D. of Diuinitie Lord Bishop of Bathe and Welles LONDON Printed by R. Young for N. BVTTER 1629. יהוה EIGHT SERMONS ON THE NINTH CHAPTER Of the Prophecie of ISAIAH ISAIAH 9. VERS 6 7. For vnto vs a Childe is borne vnto vs a Sonne is giuen and the gouernment shall be vpon his shoulders and his Name shall bee called The wonderfull Counsellour The mighty God The euerlasting Father The Prince of Peace Of the increase of his Gouernment and Peace there shall bee no end vpon the Throne of Dauid and vpon his Kingdome to order it and to establish it with Iudgement and Iustice from henceforth euen for euer The zeale of the Lord of Hosts shall performe this THis is the first Lesson appointed for this Morning Prayer and appointed fitly For the Argument well fits the Time We are now met to praise God for the Morning of the Church Zacharie Luke 1. doth so call the Birth of Christ saying The day spring that is the Morning from on high hath visited vs Yea Christ himselfe Reuel the last vers 16 doth call himselfe The bright Morning starre And verily his Birth was the most blessed Morning that euer the Church saw whether you respect the Night that went before or the Day that followed after it was the blessedest Morning that euer the Church saw The Night was long and darke a Night of want of warre so wee reade in the last of the former and the first verse of this chapter But the Day that followed was a cleare and lasting Day a Day of haruest a triumph Day so we are taught in the foure verses that goe immediately before my Text. A great alteration Who could worke it who could turne that night into this day what Sunne shone forth in so great strength In such a case man was like to moue such a doubt therefore the holy Ghost hath resolued it and his resolution of that doubt is my Text. Loe here is one that can vndertake that work who he is How excellent he is we are taught here and that in regard of his Person and of his State For of his Person here are the Natures wherein it subsisteth here is the People to whom it belongs It subsists in two Natures 1. The Nature of Man Hee is a Childe 2. The Nature of God Hee is the Sonne The Person subsisting in these two Natures belongeth vnto whom To Vs was hee borne he was giuen to Vs saith the Prophet Esay and Esay was a Iew. Christ then belongeth to the Iewes though the Iewes must not bee vnderstood according to the flesh but the spirit To these Iewes was he vouchsafed by taking and giuing Natus he tooke his nature from them and Datus what he tooke he with aduantage bestowed vpon them But of what degree was he amongst them here commeth in his State He was a King The Gouernment shall be vpon his shoulders The Gouernement that was Royall for verse 7. it is called The Throne The Kingdome of Dauid He shall sit vpon that and that is the Gouernment that shall bee layd vpon his shoulders And happy are the People that haue such a King You will confesse it if you consider his Excellencie The Excellencie both of his Person and of his State Of his Person that appeares in his endowments Of his State that appeares in his managing thereof The Endowments of his Person are Royall Reade his Titles He shall bee called and what he is called that he certainely is Hee shall be called by those names that expresse such vertues as most beseeme a King our King For a King ouer and aboue the Vertues which are common to him with his Subiects must haue more than ordinary Wisedome and Power And see this King is called for his Wisedome The wonderfull Counsellour for his Power The mighty God But mistake not his Kingdome it is not of this World He that is our King is The Father of Eternity that is Of the World to come And as his Kingdome is not of this World so is not the condition of his People worldly it is Peace and Peace is not the portion of this world but of that which is to come Our King is the Prince of this Peace You see how the Person is endowed and thereby how excellent the Person is There is an Excellencie in his State also it appeares in the Effect in the Cause The Effect for of this Kingdome there are no bounds and the felicitie of the Subiects is also boundlesse so saith the Text Of the increase of his Gouernment and Peace there shall be no end Such an Effect must haue an answerable Cause it hath Iustice and Iudgement are the Pollicie of this State with these as a wonderfull Counsellour he doth order as a mighty God he doth support his State And he doth it vncessantly From henceforth and for euer As the Effect so the Cause this is eternall therefore that These Truthes concerning Christs Person and State are not onely affirmed in the body of the Text but also assured in the close thereof Much you haue heard and yet no more than shall bee He that hath promised can doe it such is his Power Hee is the Lord of Hosts Nay hee cannot but doe it such is his Loue for his Loue is Zeale So concludes the Prophet The zeale of the Lord of Hosts shall performe this You haue heard the summe of this whole Text and therein see a most exquisite picture of our Sauiour Christ certainely it is the fullest the liueliest that euer the holy Ghost in so few words exprest in any part of the Old Testament For here Christ is not only drawne from top to toe but drawn also with those varieties that befell him from eternity to eternitie
worke man was excellent though he see him not so the eminency of the Gouernour may be seene when hee is not seene it may be seene in the eminencie of his people Surely the corporall Heauen doth not more declare the glory of God Psalme 19. nor the corporall Firmament his handy worke than the mysticall heauen and the Firmament of the Church doe set forth vnto the world the glory of Christ But enough of the correspondencie of one excellencie to another let vs descend now to the particulars of the later and speake first of the growth And here we see how Christus mysticus doth answer Christum naturalem also In describing of the King the Prophet beganne at his childhood of which St. Luke saith that Christ grew in wisedome in stature and in fanour both with God and man And what doth the word increase intimate but a childhood as it were of the Church from which it groweth forward Certainely the Scripture doth follow the Simile and fetcheth as Christ out of his mothers wombe so the children of God out of the Churches wombe by a new birth And as Christ sucked his mothers breast so doe these children liue at first by reasonable milke as Saint Peter speaketh suckt from the Churches two breasts the Old Heb. 6. and the New Testament As he so they come at length to stronger meat and both come to the age of a perfect man Christ naturally the Church mystically Ephes 4. And this doctrine is taught by other Similies also In the Prophets wee reade of Vine-plants which grew and spread farre Dan. 2. of the little stone in Daniel cut without hands which grew into a great Mountaine In the Gospell the Kingdome of heauen is compared to mustard seed the least of seeds but not of the least growth it becommeth a Tree and it is compared to leauen and who knoweth not how that disperseth it selfe throughout the whole lumpe But this is plain in the story Crescite multiplicamini was a blessing that concerned as well the spirituall as the naturall propagation of man both had a like small beginning Before the Floud one Adam and one Eue from whom sprang all the children of God after the Floud there was but one Family to people all the world and but a piece of that to people the Church Abraham had but one Isaac whose off-spring was to become a mighty Nation hee that marketh how it encreased in Egypt will say that it encreased indeed Come to the New Testament what a small beginning had the Church thereof but what an increment doe we find of it And when the Gospel was in this later age new planted how few were they from whom it spread It were no great matter to weary you with relating out of the Prophets Texts that handle this increase But it needeth not the matter is plaine And this is the vse euen the comfort of the Church that when we see but a cloud no bigger than that of Elias wee may prognosticate that the whole heauens shall bee ouercast there will follow more as truly as when a few graines are sowen there will arise many eares and each loaden with many graines God somewhere in the Prophet vseth that Simile and speaking of the Church hee promiseth that hee will sow it with the seed of men So that wee may vse those words of Zachary Cap. 4. Who hath despised the day of small things for they shall reioyce and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seuen they are the eyes of the Lord which runne to and fro through the earth For there is an increase and this increase is boundlesse But before I come to the measure of the increase I must a little obserue what that is which doth increase it is here specified to be the Gouernment and the Peace thereof What the Gouernment and what the Peace is you heard before at this time I am onely to obserue that both of them increase for it is remarkeable that they both increase When mortall Princes inlarge their Dominions they are faine withall to encrease their garrisons Witnesse the Romane Empire which neuer kept so many Armies as when they had most Prouinces And no maruell for what they conquered by the sword they were faine to hold by the sword for but for feare they were not obeyed by them whom they held by force Quem metuunt oderunt Et quem quisque odit periisse expetit are too euident and too much experienced rules All Nations haue had the triall of it in their conquests But it is not so with the Kingdome of Christ where hee enlargeth his Dominions he bringeth Peace the inseparable companion of his Dominions and why he maketh all his Subiects naturall The Romanes in the end found that to be the best policie to denizen whole Countreyes whom they conquered and giue them the same immunities with the Citizens of Rome And sure this was a better prouision for their peace than the sword could bee But this was but a morall perswafion vnto peace it could not worke the heart and alter it that was still indisposed thereunto as appeares by many rebellions and warres of those that had these immunities when fit occasion was offered them But our Sauiour Christ changeth the heart In the eleuenth of this prophesie it is excellently figured by the cohabitation of the Wolfe and the Lambe the Leopard and the Kid c. Haue men neuer so saluage dispositions yet when they come vnder the Gouernment of Christ they put them off and become as meeke as tame as the Lambes and Kids in the flocke of Christ He that readeth the stories how barbarous other countries yea our own countrey was before it was christianed will acknowledge the truth hereof I will only instance in two well knowne persons St. Paul and St. Austine what they were before they haue each of them registred with their own pennes St. Paul in his Epistles St. Augustine in his Confessions what they became who knoweth not that hath read the Writings of them both The ground of all is None commeth vnder Christs gouernment but hee is new-borne not so much naturalized as indeed made a naturall subiect and we see in our own Country how true the affection is as of a naturall Prince to his Subiects so of naturall Subiects to their Prince This City lodgeth no garrison neyther doth any other except the frontier Towne that is armed against the forraigne enemie and yet we all readily obey euen so is it and much more so in the Kingdome of Christ where the gouernment commeth peace commeth with it they both goe together they both increase But how farre surely without stint of time or place of the encrease saith our Prophet there is no end Where the Prophets doe speake of the increase of the gouernment they ioyne withall the increase of the peace Psalme 72. Esay 60. Micah 4. c. The increase is as I termed it boundlesse
the naturall sense there is in the body but it is from the head intercept the insluence of the head and you extinguish the sense of the body And as it fareth with the body in regard of sense so doth it in regard of motion also The like appeares in the spirits that haue their original from the heart in the bloud that streameth from the veines In the great world you haue many like spectacles the Sun and the Light the Streames and the Fountaine the Rootes and the Trees euery one of these you may perceiue endure not if the effect be seuered from the cause How much lesse may wee expect any enduring in those spirituall effects did they not receiue continuance from this spirituall cause It is our comfort that considering there is a mutability in vs this mutability preuaileth not because of the Kings constant influence vpon vs. Wee sinne and recouer we are in danger and escape neyther our inward weakenesse nor our enemies outward mightinesse destroy Gods gifts in vs or so hinder their increase but that they become Catholick for all which we are beholding to the constant policie of the King who neuer faileth to support vs but continueth ours vnto the end But the Prophet speaketh of this policie as if it began when hee spake these words Christ was not borne till some hundreds of yeares after The answer is easie you had it before The efficacie of Christs birth wrought long before he was borne not only in the time of this Prophet but euen from the time of Adams fall A scruple there ariseth how these words can be true that our King shall so rule for euer seeing a time shall come as the Apostle teacheth 1 Cor. 15 when he shall giue vp his Kingdome to his Father The answer is if wee respect the Kingdome of Grace That as the effect shall not cease increasing till it become boundlesse that is haue attained all his parts and degrees so the cause shall worke till the consummation of that effect till all enemies be put downe and wee are throughly perfected And in this sense both cause and effect are termed endlesse because they shall continue till the worlds end If you extend it to the Kingdome of Glory it hath an eternity also though not of Restauration but of Conseruation though he shall cease restoring of vs further when we are fully restored yet shall hee neuer cease preseruing vs because wee can no longer be than wee are preserued You haue heard the constant Policie of the King wherein standeth the second branch of the Excellency of the State what remaineth but that if wee were affected with the growth and desired to bee partakers of it wee submit our selues vnto the cause thereof the Policie of the King that we yeeld our disorderly selues to be set in order by him and repose our weake selues to be supported on him who will prescribe no Lawes of order but those that spring from Iustice that spirituall Iustice which will abide the tryall at Gods barre and worke the highest kinde of righteousnesse in our liues Neyther doth he only prescribe it but possesse vs of it also and lest it should faile he supports it in vs his Iudgements are as watchfull ouer vs as his Iustice they rectifie vs when wee breake order and bridle vs that wee doe not breake it And this he doth vncessantly by bringing vs from growth to growth in the state of grace and prescruing vs in this growth in the state of glory Hee will bee vnto vs a lasting blessed cause that there may be in vs no end of that blessed effect O Lord I am out of order and I am very weake thon art that Counsellour that knowest how to set mee right againe and that Almighty God which onely canst sustaine me Lord rule me by thy lustice and by thy Iudgements bridle me that I may bee conformable to the holy members of thy Church and euer continue conformable vnto them Let thy worke neuer cease in mee so shall I neuer cease to bee thy Subiect if thy Policie faile me not I shall euery day grow on to the fulnesse ef grace and shall therehence proceede to the eternity of glory Which I beseech thee to grant vnto mee that art the fountaine both of Grace and Glory THE EIGHTH SERMON The zeale of the Lord of Hosts shall performe this THese are the last words of that Text whereof you haue heard often but haue not yet heard all The whole Text was diuided into a Doctrine and a Warrant The Doctrine deliuered the Substance and Excellency of Christs Person and State both which I haue at sundry times so far vnfolded as the time would giue leaue it were tedious now to repeat were it onely the heads whereof I haue distinctly spoken In stead of that repetition I only recommend vnto you the laying together the parts and therehence the gathering of a description of the Catholicke Church Which what is it but a Kingdome such as I haue described growing in grace without stint of Place or term of Time vnder and by meanes of such a Person as being God and Man is called to be the King thereof royally endowed with Wisedome and Power eternall to worke an eternall good both which he employes ordering and stablishing by Iustice and Iudgement the disorderly and feeble members of his Church and that without intermission vntill he hath brought them to the fulnesse both of grace and glory More than this in the nature of that Catholicke Church which we beleeue in the Creede there is not neyther is there any thing more that we would desire to bee therein So that we may take this Text as a full Commentary thereupon and to our comfort vnderstand the riches that are treasured vp in that Article But to leaue the Doctrine and come to the Warrant The Doctrine containeth a large Promise the Warrant sheweth that it shall be performed and sheweth this by renewing those impediments that may crosse the performance thereof The impediments that stay a man from being as good as his word are of two sorts they proceede ab extra or ab intra from without or from within From without wee may bee ouer-ruled from within wee may change our minde Neyther of these can hinder God hee cannot bee ouer-ruled for he is the Lord of Hosts hee cannot vary in himselfe because of the greatnesse of his loue which is termed zeale So that the remouall of these two impediments from God are the principall argument of these words Let vs looke into them That Gods Word shall stand That his Counsell is immutable yea That heauen and earth shall passe and yet his Word neuer passe are Maximes in the Scripture and therfore haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credibility enough in themselues but yet so farre doth the holy Ghost condescend to the weakenesse of our Faith as to point vnto these grounds which will content euen reason it selfe Reason when it questioneth the word of
Temple then building by Zorobabel Some haue thought that the Temple which was standing when Christ was incarnate was not the Temple built by Zorobabel but another which Herod built But we must take heede of that opinion for it hath two euils in it 1. Flauius Iosephus it giueth the holy Ghost the lye in this place 2. and it cherisheth the Iewes vaine expâ—ctation of their Messias It is true that Herod enlarged that Temple and added many buildings to it but he did not demolish the old neither indeed could he and this prophecie continue true for God promised that Christ should come euen into this Temple that now was building And seeing that Temple with all the additions of Herod hath many hundied yeares since according to Christs prophecie beene so destroyed that there remaineth not one stone vpon another the Iewes doe more than vainely yet looke for a Messias especially seeing God hath manifested to the world that it was not only totally but sinally also destroyed The Iewes had good proofe hereof in the daies of Iulian the Apostata when Euseb hist l. 4. Chrys orat 2. in Iudaeos notwithstanding that wicked Emperour encouraged and furthered them to re-edifie it fearefull tempests from heauen destroyed in the night what they did in the day God then making good against Iacob what in Malachie hee spake against Esau Thus saith the Lord of hosts Mal. 1. they shall build but I will cast downe they shall call them the border of wickednesse the people against whom the Lord hath indignation for euer But I will leaue them to God whom God hath left to the world as a spectacle of stupiditie and a bridle to hold vs in from like contempt It is plaine the place here meant was Zorobabels Temple vpon that place was the glory conferred Malachie cap. 3. said it should bee so hee said that the Lord should come into his Temple and he should sit downe there and refine the sonnes of Leui and rectifie the diuine worship The Gospel teacheth vs that it was so for hee was not onely presented in that Temple when he was a babe and when hee was twelue yeares old a disputant there with the doctors but also when he was solemnely inaugurated he first purged the Temple of buyers and sellers then he reformed the doctrine and the discipline at seuerall times when he resorted thither at solemne feasts there he made his sermons and wrought his miracles so that he might truly say to the high Priests when he was arraigned before them I sate daily with you teaching in the Temple Mat. 26. I will adde one text more which may serue in stead of all when his parents that had lost 〈◊〉 found him in the Temple they expostulated with him in these words Sonne why hast thou serued vs thus Luke 2. thy father and I haue sought wee sorrowing Christ replyes vnto them Why sought yee me did you not know 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wee render it Wist yee not that I must goe about my fathers businesse but the words may well beare another sense also Wist yee not that it was sit for mee to bee in my fathers house for so he calleth the Temple elsewhere and so speaketh St. Paul Heb. 13. Iohn 2. Christ as a sonne was ouer his owne house Some referre hither that speech of Christ touching the paying of tribute Mat. 17.26 The sonnes are free because that money is thought to haue beene originally a taxation for the Temple and by the Romanes conuerted to other vses when they collected it But enough of the place only take this note out of the coniunction of the place and the gift That Christs comming to be the glorie of the Temple giueth vs to vnderstand that his Kingdome was not temporall but spirituall he came not to raise an earthly Monarchie but to gather a people vnto God The next point that I obserued is the amplification both of the place and the gift of the place in regard of the meannes which is noted in the word this house The Iewes had two Temples one built by Salomon a glorious one this built by Zorobabel a poore one The Iewes wept when they saw the foundations of it and God testifieth that it was as nothing in their eyes and this nothing as it were moued Herod to make those additions before specified that it might become like something Marke Christ came not vnto Salomons Temple but vnto Zorobabels so that the Temple which had most of earthly cost had nothing in it but the type of Christ and that Temple that had least of earthly glory had most of heauenly it had the truth Christ came thither in person God regardeth not outward pompe neyther doth he tye his presence thereunto as if he would not be where there is no worldly state nay commonly where there is least of the world Heb. 11. God is there most and they haue greatest familiarity with him who haue worst entertainement in the world Did not our Sauiour Christ giue vs an excellent representation hereof in his own person Col. 2.9 Phil. 2.7 2 Cor 4.7 the Godhead dwelt bodily in him but that body bare the shape of a seruant the Apostles carried about the world heauenly treasures but they carried them in earthen vessels An ancient Father obserues wittily that when the Church was so poore that it had but wooden chalices it had golden Priests wee may adde People too and when the ornaments of the Church became golden then the Priests and People became wooden Gods Word was heard more reuerently hee was serued more deuoutly when the Church met in caues in woods in deserts than euer he was in townes and cities and these most stately fabricks This must be obserued in the question of the visibility of the Church or rather conspicuity The Aduocates of Rome seeme to triumph much against the reformed Churches as if the obscurity wherein sometimes they lay hidden Cont. Auxent did preiudice the truth which they profest they forget St. Hilaries admonition Male nos cepit parietum amor c. We are ill aduised to measure faith by multitude of professors Epist 48. or by goodly temples where the profession is made St. Austine will tell vs Ecclesia aliquando obscuratur aliquando obnubilatur multitudine scandalorum The glory of the Church is subiect to Eclypses it was so in the Old Testament as appeares by Elia's complaint 1 Reg. 19. They haue slaine all thy Prophets and throwne downe thine altars Cont. Lucifer and I am left alone It hath beene no better vnder the New Testament witnesse St. Hierome Ingemuit totus mundus se Arianum factum miratus est Arianisme so got the vpper hand that the Orthodoxe faith scarce durst be known in the whole Catholick Church In the Old Testament God promised by Zephanie cap. 3. I will leaue in the middest of thee an humble and poore people and they shall trust in
be otherwise minded will they nil they they shall one day finde that they haue no exemption from them Thus saith the Lord is our warrant regard not our persons regard that Lord whose Embassadors wee are receiue the words wee speake so long as we speake his Words not as the words of men but as the Word of God Finally couple Thus saith with the Lord of Hosts The Lord of Hosts noteth Gods Power Thus he saith noteth his Will Our soules shall finde little rest on Gods Power if it be not sure of his Will for God can doe many things which he will not doe though he cannot will any thing which he cannot doe Luke 3.8 God could raise vp Children vnto Abraham of stones but hee would not but the many miracles which he hath wrought shew that hee can doe what he will The coupling then of these words Thus saith the Lord of Hosts imports Gods willing power and powerfull will which amount vnto an authority fit to build our Faith vpon and to giue law vnto our Conuersation I haue sufficiently shewed you What the warrant is wee must now in few words see Why it is repeated so often For I dare say you shall not finde any passage in the Scripture where Thus saith the Lord is so often read in so few lines The reason is the weightinesse of the matter whereunto it is annext Mortall Princes vse not to signe Bils the contents whereof are triuiall matters many things are done by vertue of their Authority whereunto their signature is not vsed Euen so ordinary matters passe in the Word of God without nay speciall vrging of his Authority when that is prefixt the point is of great regard and if it be often ingeminated it giueth vs to vnderstand that we must take speciall notice of euery clause of it What must wee gather here then but the weightinesse of euery branch of this Text And indeede if you haue not forgotten what hath been obserued on euery part thereof you will easily confesse that there is not one of them which is not so weighty as to deserue Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Was not the shaking of Heauen and Earth the shaking of all Nations a weighty point and therefore deserued it not to be signed with Thus saith the Lord of Hosts If the shaking did deserue this signature much more did the Comming of the desire of all Nations especially seeing he came to fill the Temple with glory and as it deserued so it was signed with Thus saith the Lord of Hosts If the giuing of Glory were a matter of great moment what shall wee say of the degree of Glory Surely it required a great ability so great as we would hardly haue beleeued had we not bin heartened by Thus saith the Lord of Hosts and it must proceed from so great bounty as may be testified by the same Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Finally the peace wherein we possesse whatsoeuer good is contained in Christs presence doth so passe mans vnderstanding that to establish his heart in the beliefe thereof he needes this signature Thus saith the Lord of Hosts At length to conclude You haue heard in the former Sermons What in this Whom you must beleeue you must not separate Whom from What that which we must beleeue doth no doubt most pleasantly affect vs because it is our good but he whom we must beleeue doth most firmely secure vs because he is the Author of that good As then when wee gather fruit from a tree we doe not fixe our eyes onely vpon the boughes from whence we immediately gather it but also thinke vpon the roote which feeds those boughes and maketh them to bee fruitfull so in our religious meditations we must couple the Author with the Matter of blessings that God may be glorified as well as our soules are benefited If we say with Saint Paul I know whom I haue beleeued then we shall be secure that he will safe-keepe whatsoeuer any of vs committeth vnto him hee will keepe our soules keep our bodies and all that which himselfe hath bestowed vpon them Grace and Peace Christ will keepe them vntill his day his second day the day wherein the great and the little world shall receiue their last shaking Then shall the desire of all Nations which at first came in Humility returne againe in Glory hee shall returne to fill his House his Church with glory conformable to his owne Glory Then hee will open vnto vs all his treasures of siluer and gold and therewith adorne his Spouse which being Triumphant shall infinitely exceed her selfe as she was Militant Then shall our Peace come to the full and none shall be able to take our blessednesse from vs because none shall be able to separate betweene vs and Christ They shall not if we build our Faith vpon Gods reuealed Will vpon his Almighty Power vpon my Text Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Now let vs that are a handfull of his Host while we are militant so giue glory vnto the Lord of Hosts that we may hereafter bee triumphant and hauing palmes in our hands and crownes on our heads with harpes and tongues wee may sound and sing ioyntly and cheerfully Halleluiah Praise ye the Lord and with the whole Host of the Kingdome of Heauen saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts Heauen and Earth are full of thy Glory Amen יהוה A SERMON PREACHED Vpon the ANNVNTIATION day LVKE 2.28 Haile thou that art highly fauoured the Lord is with thee Blessed art thou among women THis is a part of the Gospell appointed for this day and this day goeth commonly for the Annuntiation day whether the day haue his right place in the Calender I leaue to be disputed by Chronologers what is meant by the Annuntiation is an argument fitter for Diuines certainly for the Pulpit the third part of this Chapter treats thereof and it is conceiued in forme of a Dialogue In the Dialogue there are two speakers the Angell Gabriel the Virgin Mary and each of them maketh two speeches the Angell to the Virgin and the Virgin to the Angell The Angell in his first congratulates the Virgin whom hee informeth from God that she shall bee the mother of Iesus Christ Good newes but strange strange that a Virgin should be a mother this Virgin the mother of that Childe The Virgin thought so nay she said so whereupon the Angell addeth his second speech importing that though the thing be wonderfull yet the meanes are powerfull these must be thought vpon as well as that and she must resolue that nothing shall hinder it because it is the Holy Spirit that will doe it So spake the Angell The Virgin replies vnto him to his first speech shewing her willingnesse to vnderstand the message which hee brought that is gathered out of her question Quomâ—do c. to his second shewing her readinesse to obey so soone as shee vnderstood it that appeares in her submission Ecce c.
word doth encourage them to dye for who would be troubled when he is called to lay his wearied bones at rest But as the word hath that encouragement so hath it a better also and which doth comfort more For notwithstanding the rest expected yet the parting of soule and bodie is irkesome the rather because we see that this sweet companion our body must vndergoe so different a condition from the soule The soule goeth to Abrahams bosome there to be feasted with the foode of Angels but the body must turne to dust and become the foode of wormes And who can endure this surely he that remembers that it is but for a moment the body doth but sleepe it shall awake againe and awake to be of the same condition with the soule for so much we are taught in the next word which is Primitiae first fruits aequiualent to the Resurrection a phrase well befitting the season To vnderstand it we must obserue that in the Law there were two kinds of first fruits One generall consisting of the first of all the Holy Lands increase Leuit. 23. Verse 10. 17. and those might bee offered at any time of the yeare another speciall that was restraind to certaine seasons Easter and Whitsontide The first season was Easter day for the Passouer was slain vpon Good friday the day whereon Christ dyed the next was to bee a holy Conuocation wherein Christ continued in the Graue and the day following was the sheaff of first Fruits to be presented to the Lord and that was the first day of the weake the very day wherein Christ rose from the dead So that this word Primitiae is vere significant and shewes how the Truth did answer the Type Christs Resurrection was meant by that first fruits Hauing found the originall of the phrase let vs now rip it vp and inquire into the meaning of it and then we shall finde that it intimates two things Christs Prerogatiue and our Communion First of Christs prerogatiue Though the Resurrection belong to Christ and them that slept yet first to Christ first dignitate causatione some adde tempore also but I leaue it to bee disputed by the learned that may passe inter piè credibilia but these two are articles of faith for doubtlesse Christ had it in a greater measure and the measure that we haue we haue it from him First of the digintie Vnumquodque recipitur ad modum recipientis as was Christs capacitie so was his participation his capacitie was infinitely beyond ours his participation must be answerable The capacitie may bee conceiued by his Vnction and his Vnion Our Mysticall vnion comes farre short of his Hypostaticall and the vnction of him the Head farre exceeds the droppes that distill therefrom into euery one of vs that is but a Member when he rose his glorie was without all comparison The best of men is but a Starre of what magnitude soeuer hee bee but Christ is as the Sunne at the presence whereof the glory of all starres vanisheth Therefore is hee Reshith Biccure the first fruite of first fruits as the Law speakes eyther word notes an eminencie the first alluding to his title The Head the other to his title of First borne how much more eminent then is he when both are ioyned together This is his first Prerogatiue intimated by his being The first fruits But as he is Primus dignitate so is he causatione also Scrm. 10. de Pasâ—h for he caused his owne and is the cause of our Resurrection His owne St. Bernard so differenceth him from others Reliqui suscitantur solus Christus resurrexit Well may others be raised Christ only rose hee only by himselfe could conquer death Therfore though the word be passiue yet must it be vnderstood actiuely Christ was so raised that he raised himselfe and that not onely merito but efficacia also as the Godhead graced the manhood to merit it so was the manhood inabled by the Godhead to atchieue it But Christ rose though in se yet pro alijs in his owne person for our good that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his purchase by death 1 Pet. 2.9 This is meant in the Law of First fruits when God telleth the Israelites they shall be presented to make you accepted and therefore as hee was the cause of his owne so is he the cause of ours also Primum in vnoquoquegenere est causa reliquorum God hath giuen eternall life but this life is in the Sonne He that hath the Sonne hath this life and he that hath not the Sonne hath not this life Ioh. 1.5 for he only is the quickning Spirit and hath the keyes of death and hell But Causa is eyther aequiuoca or vniuoca Christ is Causa Resurrectionis in both senses he is Causa aequiuoca euen to the wicked for he is iudge and therefore shall summon all in the Graue his Angels shall gather as well tares as wheate and the goats as well as the sheep shall he call before him Yea hee shall not only cause their rising but their incorruptibilitie also for it is by his Almighty power that they shall bee supported to endure their torment This causation only is not here meant but causatio vniuoca also for he is Primitiae faciens primitias what himselfe hath he makes others to enioy and therefore Theophylact obserues well Primitiae ad sequentes respectum habent these first fruits haue respect to others as if one of many should beginne to doe that wherein he is afterward to be followed by others And this appeares in our Communion Communion in name and in the condition answerable to the name In name For as Christ so wee are called Primitiae so speakes Ieremy cap. 2. v. 3 Israel was holinesse to the Lord and the first fruits of his encrease and S. Iames cap. 1. v. 18. Of his owne will begot hee vs that we should bee a kinde of first fruits of his Creatures and Reuel 14. These are redeemed from among men being the first fruits of God and the Lambe Hee is not so then the first fruits as if we were left to prophane vses for though in comparison of vs Christ is the First fruits yet in comparison of the world we also are so esteemed Leuit. 23. and therefore there is a second First fruites mentioned in the Law which was offered at Whitsontide and represented the Church to whom the Law was giuen and vpon whom was poured the Holy Ghost But as we communicate in name 1 Cor. 15. so doe wee also in the condition answerable to the name for Christus est Typus Christianorum As wee haue borne the image of the earthly Adam so shall we of the heauenly also To open this Point a little farther Christus is Typus victoriae vitae There bee two things wherein the first fruits doe warrant vs communion with him Victorie and Life Victorie ouer all ouer enemies they shall all be subdued no
to giue so hee may giue as much or as little as hee will for hee may doe what hee will with his owne but hee doth not onely follow his Will but the counsell of his Will as this Apostle teacheth vs Occumenius and the counsell of his Will or his Wisedome doth respect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the endowment of the Church As in our body naturall God hath ioyned beauty and commodity in framing the limmes so that euery one hath that proportion as is most comely and vsefull so the Church though vna yet is varia though it be but one body yet hath it diuers members and though the one body be quickned with the same spirit yet in euery member the spirit doth varie his gifts and the Church thereby is the more beautified and benefited so that no man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufficient of himselfe but hee is thereby vrged to desire the Communion of Saints wherein stands our mutuall comelinesse and comfort Seeing then Christ giues as hee thinkes meete euery man is bound to thanke him for that which hee hath and enuie must not make him murmure for that which hee hath not It is absurd for a man to dislike with the dispensation of Christ it is as if the members of the body should grudge that they haue not the endowments each of the other wherein if God should satisfie them the deformity and discommodity which would follow would quickly make them weary of their desires Though Christ be thus discreet in giuing yet is hee kindly bountifull also for he giues to euery one St. Ambrose hath a good rule In donis officiorum diuer sitas est non Naturae all drinke of the same spirit though they drinke not the same draught As in our naturall body there is no member that liues not by the soule no more is there in the mysticall Bodie any member that liues not by the Spirit Christ will haue euery one haue some token of his loue and will haue euery one stand the Church in some stead The Church I say for the particle All is limited by Vs. There are gifts that are bestowed vpon all the world as wee acknowledge in our daily grace The eyes of all things looke vp vnto thee O Lord and thou giuest them their meate in due season thou openest thy hand and fillest with thy blessing euery liuing thing Psal 145. but the graces here meant are the peculiar of the Church you heard it in the Gospell this day The spirit is such a thing as the world cannot receiue but the Church seeth and knowes him and he shall abide with her for euer for it is onely the Church that can say The Let is fallen to her in a faire ground she hath a goodly heritage But the gifts that as vpon this day descended on the Apostles were visible gifts and they had corporall effects speaking in diuers languages casting out diuells curing of diseases treading vpon serpents c. these gifts we haue not how then haue we the spirit that descended this day Gregory the Great answereth well Thou hast it though it appeare in another sort Thou canst not speake diuers tongues but of what Nation soeuer thou art thou canst speake the language of Canaan and it is as great a miracle that all Nations vnderstand the same heauenly language as that the same person should speake all languages Thou canst not cast out Diuels out of mens bodies but out of their soules thou mayst and cure the diseases of their soule though thou canst not the diseases of their body yea bruise thou mayst the old Serpents head though thou canst not safely tread vpon a Snake In a word thou mayst doe many things inuisibly and spiritually which are not inferiour to those things which the Apostles did visibly and corporally and doubt not but if thou beare the fruit of the Spirit the Spirit of Christ doth rest vpon thee And if wee doe solemnize the memory of Saints how much more should we solemnize the memory of the Sanctifier wee are all bound to keep this day holy to the Lord because this day the Lord gaue that gift which doth concerne vs all Wherefore let vs all say BLessed be the Lord God euen the God of our saluation hee daily loadeth vs with his gifts euen the spirituall gifts of Grace Hee that giues them fill vs with them that as we are called to be so we may be indeed comely and profitable members of the mysticall Body of Christ and liue for euer conformable to our Head Amen THE SECOND SERMON On Trinity Sunday at an Ordination of Ministers EPHES. 4.11 He gaue some to be Apostles some Prophets and some Euangelists and some Pastors and Teachers THE passage of Scripture contained from the 7. to the 17. Verse doth informe vs of the reasons which perswade Christians to agree in Gods truth These reasons are two drawne the one from the meanes whereby the other from the end for which the Church receiues the spirituall gifts of God The meanes is Christ And touching Christ St. Paul teacheth vs in this passage what he doth and what right he hath to doe it That which hee doth is expressed three wayes but all yeeld but one sense 1. He giues grace 2. He bestowes gifts 3. He fils all things that is his gift is a filling grace Grace is a free gift a gift Donum non salarium not an hyre of our labour but an argument of Gods fauour And this gift is free it is grounded vpon no obligation all gifts of men are in part due as the reciprocall between equals for loue challengeth loue or those that are not reciprocall between vnequals be they Honoraria or Eleemosynaria whereof the inferiour oweth the former to his superior in acknowledgement of his eminency and the superiour owes the latter vnto his inferiour out of a fellow-feeling which hee must haue of his wants but Gods gifts can neither bee deserued nor requited neither doth he finde ought worthy his regard in vs neither doth any danger of his moue him to commiserate vs His gift then is absolutely free But this is common to the gifts as well of Creation as of Redemption but the Scripture restraines the word Grace vnto the gifts of Redemption which are not onely non debita but indebita whereof God owes vs no one but he owes vs the contrary that is plagues and therefore hee doth giue not only non dignis to those that are without all merit of good but also indignis to those that are full of the merits of sinne The word then is plainly Euangelicall and signifieth such blessings as accompany the New Testament those blessings are most properly termed Grace This grace hath a power to fill which no other thing hath and it fils sistendo and explendo desiderium it fixeth our wandring desires so that we desire no other obiect and this is able to satisfie to the full and satisfie the whole man Now
a commendable highth than by profitably reading of those places You shall learne thus much also that factus Christianus is much more pious than is natus he that out of a forlorne state is by the mercie of God brought to the state of grace when he is come to the yeares of discretion doth abound much more in the fruits of righteousnesse than he that is borne in the state of grace and so will euerie true conuerted sinner abound more than he that neuer tooke a grieuous fall But I must hasten to the preheminencie of Grace a preheminencie beyond St. Pauls preheminency euen by the testimonie of St. Paul himselfe Not I but the grace of God that is with me he correcteth himselfe as if he had presumed too farre Where marke that though a man worke with grace not only per effectum but also per consensum not only to the producing of the effect but also vnderstanding and willing it for hee is instrumentum rationale and God doth not deale with men as with blockes and bruit beasts yet is a man but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Instrument the principall Agent is the grace of God And although there be two workers yet must they not be reputed coordinate but subordinate neither doth man worke otherwise than as hee is moued by grace and the children of God are led by his spirit Whereby you may gather how wicked a doubt that is which now doth perplexe the Church Whether forsooth our will determines Gods grace or Gods grace determines our will in the point of iustification Certainly St. Paul thought the point out of question when he vsed this correctiue Not I but the grace of God that is with me mecum or quae in me The grace of God doth not cooperate with our free will except it bee first regenerated by grace Therefore the defence of free will is idly gathered hence seeing Papists meane it in actu primo and St. Paul speakes here de actusecundo He is most vnthankefull then and so vnworthy of grace that doth not giue the preheminence to the grace of Adoption cooperant in all his workes of pietie And so to the cooperant grace of Edification must we giue the glorie of all the workes of our Ministrie Paul planteth and Apollo watereth it is God that giueth the increase wee haue heauenly treasures but we conuey them in earthen vessels the foolishnesse of preaching is ours the demonstration of the Spirit is from Heauen Non vos estis qu◠loquimini sed Spiritus Patris Matth. 10. wee speake the words God openeth the heart wee wash with water Christ with the Holy Ghost we giue the bread and wine Christ his body and blood Ros coelestis sacit messem terrestrem wee may not thinke better of our selues than of Ministers the power of whose worke dependeth on the Spirit of our Master wee are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but Christi a second grace is the cause why our first is not frustrate so was it before the fall much more is it so now I haue done with the particulars of my text two things I gathered out or the whole bodie of it which I will note in a word The first is St. Pauls sinceritie who giueth the glorie vnto God of the originall of the gifts and of the vse of the gifts wherewith he was endowed condemning all sacriledge of this kinde What God told Zorobabel re-edifying the Temple of the earthly Hierusalem the same is fulfilled in the restauration of our heauenly neyther by armie nor strength but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts men shall bring forth all the stones thereof with shouting crying grace grace Zach. 4. Therefore let vs say Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy name giue the praise for of thee and through thee and for thee are all things all things that belong to the being of thy Church the being both of Pastor and People Let him that glories glorie in the Lord. As St. Paul dealeth sincerely in regard of Gods glorie so doth he also modestly in regard of himselfe as he extolleth God so doth he abase himselfe witnesse the extenuation of his endowment of his employment and the correction of that speech wherein hee might seeme to value himselfe at too high a rate I cannot stand to amplifie this vertue of his though the pride of our nature deserues to haue it amplified that it may be admonished thereby I will onely commend vnto your meditation King Dauids Psalme Lord I am not high minded I haue no proud looks c. and Christs exhortation to vs to become as little children hee that exalteth himselfe shall bee humbled and that humbleth himselfe shall bee exalted Let vs not therefore bee ashamed to cast downe our selues that the Lord may lift vs vp and seeing our helpe standeth in the Name of the Lord and without Christ we can doe nothing for quis te discreuit and what hast thou that thou hast not receiued because it is hee that worketh in vs both to will and to doe let vs continually pray Lord make speed to saue vs Lord make haste to helpe vs saue and helpe both Pastor and People that both may truly say with St. Paul By the grace of God I am that I am and euery one may haue this sweet repose of conscience Gods grace was not bestowed on me in vaine Finally the Apostle ascribing before his sinnes to himselfe and his vertue to God doth teach that we are sufficient to our owne ruine not so to our rising according to that of Hosea Destructio tua ex te c. Therefore the Minister must with meeknesse teach the contrary minded 2 Timothie 2. I haue set before you an exact patterne of a good Pastor and Christian wee should all endeauour to conforme thereto but this is rather to bee wished than hoped because of the frailtie of our nature Wherefore a timely suruey of the Church is requisite to make such a suruey is the reason of this meeting The world hath many Saules blasphemers oppressors wicked liuers but you vse to present All as Pauls you say All is well when euery man may see that much is amisse Remember that this is Iudicium ante iudicium a medicinall Iudgement before a mortall the iudgement of man to preuent the iudgement of God Doe not by cruell indulgence exempt any from the iust censure of the Church to expose your selues and them to the intolerable vengeance of God Rather let vs all ioyne of Saules to make Paules that so wee may repaire the decayes of the Church and heare a comfortable doome when we all come before the Tribunall seat of Christ THe Lord giue vs all this effectuall grace the vndoubted pledge of eternall glorie Hee that hath begunne in you a good worke perfect it till the day of the Lord. Amen IHS A SERMON PREACHED IN TRINITY CHVRCH IN WINCHESTER AT An ASSIZES 1610. EZRA 7. vers 26. And whosoeuer will not doe
the law of the Lord thy God and the Kings law let him haue iudgement without delay whether it be to death or banishment or confiscation of goods or imprisonment THese words that I haue read vnto you are the close of a Commission granted by Artashasht King of Persia at that time also King of the holy Land vnto Ezra a religious Priest and learned Scribe of the Iewes This Commission consisteth of manie branches the last commands the creating of Iudges in the Territorie of Iewrie concerning whom it is expressed How they ought to be qualified and Whereunto they are authorised Their quality is set downe vers 25. their authority is the argument of my Text a great authoritie because it is of the Sword the King giues this power that biddes them giue Iudgement But that their power may be as good as it is great they must vse it against malefactors so saith the King against them that will not doe the law and against them they must vse it so that first they frustrate not the end of the law A iudgement vnseasonable is vnprofitable they must therefore giue iudgement without delay Secondly they must not sway the indifferencie of the law to haue respect of persons in iudgement is not good they must then giue iudgement against whomsoeuer whomsoeuer will not doe the law But there are lawes diuine and humane the Iudges must proceede against the violaters of both against them that will not do Gods law against them that will not do the Kings law but with two cautions they must take heed that the God be the God of Ezra the true God they must no maintaine false religion and they must not forbeare to giue iudgement against them that violate the kings lawes though he be a king of Persis a false religion doth not hinder him from being a lawfull Soueraigne the Iudge must not foster seedes of rebellion They that violate the lawes of that God of this king the Iudge must draw his sword against them But how farre may he draw it and how deepe must he strike with it Surely so farre as the Magistrate is Gods instrument for the peoples weale so farre may he be his instrument for their woe His prouidence reacheth to their liues liuings and libertie so farre may his vengeance reach also thus farre he may draw his sword But he must giue no deeper wound therewith to offenders than offenders giue to the law the degrees of punishment must answer the degrees of offences some must dye some be fined some restrayned euery one as he deserues You see the substance of this Scripture withal conceiue that theron we must consider of these two points The power the vse of the sword the vse two-fold lawfull full I speak to them that haue vnderstanding therfore need I touch these particulars but briefly but that I touch them not vnprofitably I beseech you in the feare of God to iudge what I say And first some may demand why being to speake in the name of God vnto Iudges sent from a Christian king I remember vnto them the instruction of a king indeede but a heathen king such an author as may much lessen your regard of the matter It may but not except it be mistaken For besides that it is correspondent to the like in Moses and the Prophets Ezra acknowledgeth in the next verse that this Commission was indited by diuine inspiration God put it into the heart of the King And were it not so yet it is of no small moment to heare reason concord with religion The vse of this power is the more obseruable when it is enioyned by the pen not onely of God but also of man yea the lesse likely a Heathen King is to write it the more faulty a Christian Iudge if he set light by it Heare then what is your power it is to giue iudgement But iudgement is either of Discretion or Iurisdiction the first is common to all the second belongs but to a few all may discerne right from wrong but all may not right them that suffer or correct them that doe wrong He that takes the sword vngiuen shall perish with the sword as Christ told Peter Mat. 26. and told it him when hee was too busie with his sword it is not giuen to euery man And it is well that it is not giuen our affections do with such a false light delude our iudgements that where there are scarce moates we see great beames in other mens eyes but beames in our owne are so insensible Matth. 7. as if they were not so much as moates And as wee apprehend so would wee proceed Our strength would be the law of vnrighteousnesse Wisd 2. and as Tacitus well notes Malice the more vniust it is the more violent How many Cains would there start vp in the world that would kill their owne brother Abel onely because his deedes were good and theirs euill And if some would not be so vnnaturall yet would they be so vnreasonable as Simeon Leni of whom their own father pronounced Cursed be their wrath for it was fierce and their rage for it was cruell Genesis 48. we are so partiall and impotent when we haue the law in our owne hands and may satisfie our own lusts that wee will proceede without cause or at least aboue measure God knowing this vnbridlednesse of our nature hath laid this charge vpon all priuate men Auenge not your selues but giue place towrath for vengeance is mine and I will repay saith the Lord Rom. 13. Whatsoeuer therefore they pretend of the lawes of honour that apologize for Duels in a ciuill in a Christian common weale they should be reputed no better and it were good if they did fare no better than murderers they would not be so common if they were branded with their true name and had their iust reward Priuate men may not reuenge But who may It is only his right that is the Law-giuer or theirs that hold from him to recompence euery man according to his deeds Gods law is Deut. 19. that when two striue together they shall stand before the Lord euen before the Iudges where the Iudges are there the Lord is Psal 82.1 God standeth in the assembly of Gods he iudgeth among Gods the Apostle therefore calleth them the Ministers of God Rom. 13. So that a Iudge doth not only represent the person of a King but is in part with him the Deputie of God When the burden was too heauie for Moses God assisted him with the Seuentie but marke how he inaugurated them He took of the Spirit of Moses and conferred it on the Seuentie intimating his immediate presence and concurrence with them Wherefore what Shecaniah spake to Ezra cap. 10. when he lamented the disordered liues of the Iewes that must I say vnto you Arise for the matter belongeth vnto you bee of good comfort yea and courage too for this age moues more than teares and do it Giue
First Gods Worke Deus fecit God made the time a Day Secondly Mans Acknowledgement Haec est dies the Church doth Kalender it for a high day As we must learne thus discreetly to distinguish times so we must also learne to solemnize them Religiously In performance whereof the text will teach vs What we must doe and How That which wee must doe is reduced to two Heads wee must take full comfort in such a Day we must reioyce and be glad in it Reioyce with our bodies Bee glad in our soules both bodie and soule must expresse a comfortable sense Neither must wee only take comfort in it but pray also for the happie continuance of it for the continuance Saue Lord we may be depriued of it for the happie continuance of it Prosper Lord it may be in vaine bestowed on vs. These be the things that must bee done But How that is When and by whom When Now at the verie same time that Wee haue ioyed in the Day must Wee also bee praying for the continuance thereof And whom doth the Psalmist meane by We Looke vnto the beginning of the Psalme and you shall find the parties thus specified Israel the House of Aaron all that feare the Lord the Common-weale the Church the Cleargie the Laitie all whom the Day concernes must take notice thereof and expresse this dutie thereon You see the summe of this Scripture which I will now God willing enlarge farther and apply vnto our present occasion But before I enter vpon the particulars I may not forget to let you vnderstand that this Psalme hath a double sense an Historicall and a Mysticall the Historicall concernes King Dauid and the Kingdome of Israel the Mysticall toucheth Christ and his Church The Mysticall hath warrant from the Gospell wherein Christ doth apply some branches of this Psalme vnto himselfe the the Historicall is cleare in the Bookes of Samuel which intreat of the aduancement of King Dauid If we follow the Mysticall then the Day here remembred is Easter day or the Day of Christs Resurrection and that was a Day indeed the Sunne of Righteousnesse then shone forth in great strength and brought life and immortalitie to life But if we follow the Historicall sense then was the Day here remembred the Day of K. Dauids succession vnto Saul a verie Festiuall Day to Israel though not so high a Feast as is our Easter day The Fathers Commentaries runne most vpon the first sense our occasion is better fitted with the latter wherefore without preiudice to the former we will insist thereon leauing the Mysticall we will insist only vpon the Historicall sense of these words The first point therein is the discreet distinguishing of Times All times are not alike there are nights and there are dayes the time here specified is a Day Saint Basils Rule must guide vs in vnderstanding this word he tels vs that when the Holy Ghost speaketh of a Day in this and many other places wee must not plod vpon the course of the Sunne but looke vnto the occurrents of the time the occurents are of two sorts prosperous or aduerse the former is vsually called Day and the later Night We haue not then to doe with a Naturall but a Metaphoricall Day But Metaphors haue their reasonable grounds and because they are Implicitae Similitudines close couched resemblances we must vnwrap them that wee may see the resonablenesse that is in the vse of them If we doe this in our present Metaphor the reason will be apparent why a prosperous state is tearmed a Day For a Day is caused by the Sunne rising who by his beames sendeth to the earth Light and Heate Light by which all things are discerned and may bee distinguished and Heate by which they are quickened and cherished Euen so in a prosperous State there is something that answereth to the Sunne and that is a good King and well may the King bee tearmed a Sunne in the Common-Weâ—le as the Sunne is tearmed a King in the midst of the Planets A good King then like the Sunne ouer-spreads the Common-Weale with Light and Heate Light all things doe appeare in their right hue flatterâ—e or tyrannie doth not blanch or beare out falshood as truth and good as euill euery one beareth his proper name and is reputed no better then he is which is no small Blessing of a State if we take notice of that which is occurrent in euerie Historie That the best men haue beene branded as the vilest and the vilest haue beene commended for Worthies so farre hath darknesse ouercast the iudgement of the World seeke no farther then the storie of Christ and his Apostles the Scribes and the Pharisees As a good King doth remedie this perueâ—snesse of iudgement by a truer light so doth hee by a vegetable heate put heart into those that deserue well and further their well fare it is no small blessing you may gather it out of the 72. Psalme where the cheareful face as it were of the State doth speake the comfortable influence of a good King you may amplifie this point by that difference which in the 104. Psalme you finde betweene a day and a night The night is a time wherein the sauage beasts doe range abroad men retire and appeare not but in the day men goe freely abroad to their labour and the sauage beasts retire euen so in the time of an ill gouerned Common-Weale all sorts of beastly men as filthy as Swine as greedie as Wolues as cruell as Tigres as deceitfull as the Crocodile these and such like riot and controule and without shame satisfie their lust and then it is dangerous to be iust to be mercifull But the countenance of a good King chaseth such vermine away and none vnlike vnto him find Grace with him or appeare before him the 101. Psalme hath no other argument but this very point and Solomon hath exprest it in seuerall Prouerbs This blessing of Light and Heat of distinguishing and cherishing the good from and aboue the bad springs from a good King if hee bee only a Head of the Common-Weale many Heathen Kingdomes enioyed such Dayes vnder their Augustus Traians Adrians and the like But if the King be also a member of the Church a King of Israel as King Dauid was then doth he yeild vnto his State another Day vnto the Ciuill hee addes a Spirituall Day for as Constantine said well A good King is Episcopus ad extra Ecclesiam as the Pastors are ad intra though he may not administer sacred things yet must hee command them to be administred to bee administred sincerely that no Errours or Heresies dimme the heauenly Light and to be entertained reuerently that the people may feele the sweet inflaence of Grace Epistola ad Bonifacium hee maketh Lawes for the promulgation of the sauing truth of God as Saint Austine teacheth and by wholsome Discipline brings the people to be aswell religious as loyall no lesse dutifull children of God
then obedient subiects to their Prince By this that you haue heard wee may learne how to reckon dayes we must not put into our morall Kalender all times for Dayes wee must looke whether the Sunne be vp not the Sunne which runneth in the corporall Firmament but the Sunne of the Politicke or Ecclesiasticall State wee must see how much Light how much Heat is deriued into either of them how much the King doth aduance our temporall our eternall prosperitie so we must measure dayes And if we doe we shall find how much the world doth oftentimes mistak and wee shall find them children of the night which thinke themselues children of the day wee shall find that they are couered with grosse darknesse when they thinke they doe partake of the Light This is the case of the Turkish Monarchie if wee looke to a ciuill day and Kingdomes that are enthrawled to Antichrist if we looke to the spirituall day the time of neither of these Gouernments may properly be called a Day But when wee looke vpon a faire Sunshine day and see how welcome it is to the earth we must be put in minde thereby of Gods blessing vouchsafed vs and learne to illustrate our Metaphoricall by such a naturall day Certainly the time wherein wee now liue is a very cleere Day the Ciuill State hath long enioyed abundance of Peace and the Gospel hath free passage in the Church euery man sits quietly vnder his owne Vine and boldly doe wee assemble in this place to heare Gods Word these bee plaine euidences of a Day a double Day such a Day as few Nations haue enioyed for either the Sword rageth amongst them or the light of the Gospel hath not shined vnto them It is then worth the marking that our time is a Day But there is something more which I may not omit This Day began such a Day as our Chronicles for many generations doe not report the like When we reade the storie of Ioshua who commanded the Sunne to stand still and stretched forth one day to the length of two we all wonder and well we may for it was a great wonder to see two dayes come together and neuer a night betweene But had not we as great a wonder haue we not had so long a Day hath not our Metaphoricall matched that Naturall Yea it hath gone so farre beyond it as the Metaphoricall exceeds the Naturall reade our Chronicles and you shall find how seldome we haue had two such Dayes together as Queene Elizabeth hath made with King Iames immediatly succeeding both double Dayes Dayes of Church and Dayes of Common-Wealth Looke beyond Queene Maries time was at least a spirituall Night King Edwards time a short though a Spirituall and a Ciuill Day also King Henrie the Eighth his time was neither Night nor Day Henrie the Seuenth his time was a spirituall Night but a Ciuill Day Richard the thirds time was a Night both Spirituall and Ciuill if you goe yet more vpward you shall not find it much better only by comparing this you shall find how short their times come of ours to whom God hath vouchsafed this double Day wee may fitly call it duplex Festum such a Day must needs be a Festiuall Day a double Day a double Feast And indeed it hath set vpon it the markes of a Festiuall thereunto I told you must concurre two things First Operatio diuina Secondly Recognitio humana Gods worke and Mans acknowledgement Gods worke must goe before Deus fecit is the first character of an Holiday Why doth one day excell another saith the sonne of Syracke Chap. 33 Seeing the light of the dayes of the yeare commeth from the Sunne the knowledge of the Lord hath parted them asunder and hee hath by them disposed the solemne times and Feasts some of them hath hee chosen and sanctified and some of them hath hee put amongst the dayes to number But this is not all that is to be obserued in Gods making of the Day the Lord doth not only appoint such a time but doe something thereon for which it deferues such a title Obserue then that a time of aduersitie is called the day of the Lord but yet God is not said to make it a Day but rather he maketh that day a night one and the selfe same time is called in the Scripture both day and night In the fift of Amos Mich 3. Zeâ—â— â—â— we reade Is not the day of the Lord darknesse it is darknesse and there is no light in it Micah and Zephanie accord therewith A strange composition there is when the same time is called both Day and Night A Day it is called only in regard of the euidence all shall see plainly what it is and therefore it is called the Reuelation of the iust iudgement of God Gods iudgements are alwayes iust but they doe not alwayes appeare so to all but God hath appointed a time wherein he will so cleere it that the wicked themselues shall not bee able to denie it in regard of this euidence that time is called a Day But if you looke to the substance of things that doe befall them in that Day then sure it is not a day but a night they are dismall and dreapfull things either corporall or spirituall and in these two points standeth the substance of a metaphoricall Night A second reason why God is said to make the time a Day is because he is the sole cause thereof It is true that God createth darknesse and woe but he doth it not but as he is prouoked by man man doth sin if God send plagues but of light and prosperitie God is causa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also the occasion and the cause of blessednesse are both of God moued only by his owne goodnesse doth hee doe good vnto men especially the good of this double Day such as was the Day of Israel For if you looke vpon the people they were most sinfull if vpon the enemies of King Dauid they were most malicious and violent so that had not Gods goodnesse and his power the one past by the sinne the other represt the malice of King Dauids Aduersaries the Day could neuer haue dawned King Dauid had neuer sate vpon that Throne Well may God then bee tearmed the Authour of the worke which had so little probabilitie of being if you looke vpon all other things excepting God In a word the very phrase teacheth this lesson That when wee see alterations in the World we must no more doubt of the Author of the Metaphoricall then wee doe of the Naturall Day God is the Authour of both and of both with like facilitie Hee lighteth our candle and maketh our darknesse to be light Psal 18. Though we may not neglect second causes yet must we ascend as high as the first It was Heathenish Idolatrie when the Gentiles saw the benefits that came from the Sunne in lightning and warming the earth to make
the Sunne a God and giue the price of the Creatour vnto his creature whereas they should haue argued from it vnto him and conceiued the eminencie of his goodnesse from whom such good things did proceed And wee shall not be farre from Idolatrie if the comfort of peace and Religion affecting vs our hearts ascend no higher then the immediat cause thereof which is our King and wee doe not giue glorie vnto God which out of his loue to vs hath set him vpon the Throne if we doe not discerne that The Lord hath made our Day What our sinnes were that might haue hindered it I need not tell you the Pestilence that did attend the dawning of the Day was an intimation from God how vnworthie wee were but his pleasure was that we should fall into his hands not into the hands of our enemies For as we were vnworthie so they were inraged witnesse their treason that immediatly was discouered manifold plots of treason but all defeated by the prouidence of God Wherefore we must say not only that wee haue a Day but also that the Day which we haue was made by the Lord and conclude Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy name be prayse Deus fecit is not enough to the making of a Festiuall the Church must come in with Haec est dies when God goeth before in working something in the Time the Church must not bee behind in giuing the due estimate to the time we must not esteeme all dayes alike when God doth not worke alike vpon all But nothing is required of vs to the making of a Festiuall but only acknowledgment of Gods Worke take a view of all the Festiuals of the Iewes you shall find that they did no more no more then commemorate that on such a day God did doe such a worke And the Christian Church hath trod the very same steps and hath not thought it fit to suffer any of the remarkable workes of God to passe vnregarded whether they concerne the whole Church or any particular State they haue stamped vpon the time of those workes Haec est Dies This is not a day to bee forgotten and therefore haue enioyned the Anniuersarie Commemoration thereof Yea and euery priuate Family and person that hath receiued any extraordinarie blessing from God may make vnto himselfe such an Aniuersarie and refresh the memorie of that time wherein God hath done him some great good And let this suffice for the discreet distinction of times Let vs now see how religiously we must solemnize them Though to the making of the Day no more be required of vs then this acknowledgement Haec est Dies This is the Day yet to the vsing of it more is required here wee must consider What must be done and How That which must be done I reduced to two Heads First we must take full comfort in the Day and secondly pray for the happie continuance thereof In expressing the comfort the Psalmist vseth two words which are fitted to the two principall parts of man his bodie and his soule so the vse of them in the Originall Language teacheth and Venerable bede doth so distinguish them Exultemus corpore laetemur animo let the bodie as it were dance for ioy and the soule reioyce Both partake of the Day the bodie principally of the Ciuill Day and of the Spirituall Day the Soule is the principall partaker yet so as that each in either doth congratulate the other if the Day bee Ciuill the soule congratulates the bodie the bodie which is exultant for his day if the day be spirituall then the bodie congratulateth the soule the soule that is gladded at the heart for her Day So then the bodie cannot exult but the Soule will bee glad neither can the soule be glad but the bodie will exult there is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the word Nos let Vs Exulte let Vs reioyce noteth that what is proper to either part redounds to the whole person And the Holy Ghost in coupling of both these words doth put vs in minde that neither part must be wanting in performing of this worke because either part doth share in the Day and so you shall find that King Dauid doth oftentimes rowse his soule and rowse his bodie also to performe this Eucharisticall Sacrifice he remembreth Carnem Cor his flesh and his spirit his glorie that is his tongue and all that is within him And no maruell for he would recommend himselfe as well to God as to men and wee must thinke that our workes of Pietie are imperfect if either part be wanting But as when the Moone and the Sunne doe meet aboue the Horizon and each doth contribute his light to the making of a Day the light of the Moone is not sensible in comparison of the light of the Sunne so should the impression which is made by worldly things which are as changeable as the Moone be dimme or darkened as it were by the impression made by spirituall things which are more constant then the Sunne And the ioy of our bodies must so be tempered as may not hinder the predominant gladnesse of our soule all the world must see that though wee prize both the Dayes the ciuill and the spirituall yet the rate which we set vpon the spirituall doth infinitely exceed that which wee set vpon the Ciuill If this lesson were well learned the world should not haue so many wofull experiments of those who being put to their choice whether they will lose had rather enioy the ciuill day with the losse of the spirituall then by sticking to the spirituall hazard the ciuill but we must chuse rather to be glad in soule then exult in bodie if we cannot doe both together But whether we doe expresse our comfort by one only by the bodie or also by the soule we must keepe both parts vnto their proper Obiect that is to the Day though wee expresse our affections by meats drinkes triumphs and other solemnities yet may we not while we signifie our ioy by them exulte or ioy in them And yet behold the most part of men little thinke on the Day their thoughts and senses are taken vp for the most part with the Accessories eating drinking c. they doe these things more freely and are more frolicke then ordinarie the state of the Common-Weale or of the Church commeth little into their thoughts it is not much remembred at their Feasts To remedie this the Church hath appointed that we should begin this solemnitie in the Church there first heare in how good case we are and breake forth there into spirituall prayses and thankesgiuings and make a religious acknowledgment of our blessed Day Of our blessed Day but not forgetting the Author thereof God that hath made vs such a Day No hee must bee the principall Obiect of our reioycing If wee exclude him or giue him not the first place we shall not be farre from the sinne of the
Angels and Adam who fell They were contented to reioyce in their Day but not in him that made it and so when pride made them vnthankfull Iustice bereft them of that wherein they ioyed And wee may forfeit our Day if wee make them patternes of our ioy King Dauid is a better example who in all his Psalmes of thankesgiuing doth more remember by whom then how happie he was The last thing which I obserue on this point is that ioy must gee with the day The Philosopher can tell vs that pleasure is an adiunct of felicitie vpon this principle is Saint Iames his rule built If any man be merrie let him sing the neglect of this taking comfort hath a heanie doome in Moses Deut. 28. Because thou diddest not serue the Lord thy God with ioyfulnesse and a good heart for the abundance of all things therefore thou shalt serue thine enemies in hunger thirst and nakednesse c. It was not then without cause that Nehemias did reproue the Iewes for weeping when the time remembred them of feasting and indeed what a senslesse thing is it when God taketh pleasure in the prosperitie of his seruants when Angels doe congratulate our happinesse and the rest of the world doth either admire or enuie it for vs to be senslesse and giue no token of our thankfull remembrance of it And if such neglect deserue blame what blame deserueth the murmuring libelling slandering malecontent that maketh a Night of our Day and confoundeth the bright Sunshine with an ominous Ecclipse Such spirits as they are vnworthy of the Day so it were good they were made more sensible of it by experience of the opposite Night Out of all this that you haue heard touching our comfort we may learne that Saint Chrysostomes rule is true Non est parua Virtus gaudere de bonis there is more required vnto full comfort then euery one either heeds or performeth if we will take comfort as we ought wee must not omit any one of those branches which I haue exprest But enough of the comfort I come now to the Prayer As wee must take full comfort in the Day so must wee pray for the happie continuance thereof first of the continuance Saue Lord. The words are Hoshingnana which in the Gospel is rendred Hosanna solemne words vsed by the Iewes at the Feast of Tabernacles When they were in their passage to Canaan they had no other Houses but Boothes or Tabernacles God was pleased to figure the Church Militant in the forme of a Campe when they came into the Holy Land and possessed Cities God would not haue them thinke they cease to be Militant and therefore commanded them once a yeare to dwell in Tents and thereby remember that they must bee alwayes readie to betake themselues againe to such moueable Houses and that they wanted not enemies that would put them to it But marke in what place the Tabernacles were to be pitched euen at Hierusalem which signifieth The Vision of peace there were they to haue a spectacle of warre Neither were the Tents only pitcht at Hierusalem but also round about the Temple to let them vnderstand what that was which was maligned not only their Ciuill but also their spirituall Day for both they were to pray Hoshignana Saue Lord let not their wicked imaginations prosper that haue euill will either at Hierusalem or at Sion The point implied herein is that both our Dayes are changable the Ciuill Day though it be as glorious as the Day of Salomons raigne yet may it haue a rent as great as Salomons Kingdome had when he lost ten Tribes of twelue yea when all twelue were carried away in captiuitie Neither may the Ciuill Day only be changed but the spirituall also the Temple may be burnt aswell as the Citie the Priest destroyed aswell as the Citie the Priest destroyed aswell as the Prince the mists of Idolatrie yea and Infidelitie may ouercast the Church It is plaine in the storie of the Iewes who at first were Idolaters and now are become plaine Infidels Neither hath the New Testament any exemption from this change the Easterne and Westerne Churches shew that all are subiect to the same condition Therefore whilst we stand we must take heed of a fall and the best heed is to pray Saue Lord. As we must pray for the continuance so must we pray that that continuance may be happie We see that though the Sunne bee aboue the Horizon and so apt to make a Day yet many so gges and mists rising from the earth ouercast the Skie and intercept the comfortable influence of the light euen so though God vouchsafe neuer so good a Prince a Prince vnder whom we enioy abundance of peace and the free passage of the Gospel such may be our gracelesnesse that wee shall be the better for neither of them not for the peace that will not make our times a Day if we abuse it in riot and luxurie extortion and imurie diseases that the malignitie of our nature hath made almost inseparable companions of ciuill peace and prosperitie As our vntowardlinesse may hinder the Ciuill Day so may it the Spirituall also if wee loath the heauenly food as many prophane persons doe or as many ouer-curious take an occasion from it to rent the seamelesse Coate of Christ and fall to Sects and Schismes and how many Churches that might haue beene happie haue beene by these meanes most vnhappie Wee haue not wanted Gaules of this kinde which haue fretted our Spirituall Day as our Ciuill is much dimmed by the voluptuousnesse of our times You see then there is good reason of the second branch of the Prayer Prosper Lord let not thy blessings O Lord be receiued in vaine let either sort his blessed effect Religion in the Church and peace in the Common-Weale I haue shewed what you must doe in solemnizing of a Festiuall there remaine two things which I will touch in a word the first is When this must bee done then by whom both these containe the manner How we must doe this dutie these things must bee done ioyntly and they must be done vniuersally Iointly that is noted in the word Now Saue Now send Now Prosperitie we must fall to our prayers euen when we are singing prayses Chap. 11. It is very true which the sonne of Syracke obserueth In the day of prosperitie there is a forgetfulnesse of affliction and in the day of affliction there is no remembrance of prosperitte this is the vsuall course of men Psal 118. but he giueth a good admonition when thou hast enough remember the time of hunger and when thou art rich thinke vpon pouerne and need let vs not forget our prayers when wee are at our prayses When the Church is Triumphant there shall bee then only Ioy and prayse shall be our only worke but while the Church is Militant Dolor Voluptas inuicem cedunt there is a vicissitude of faire and foule weather prosperitie and
aduersitie therefore as wee must praise God for the one so must wee pray against the other at the same time wee must doe both But who are they that must doe it the text hath no more but Wee but if you looke vnto the beginning of the Psalme you shall find a Commentarie vpon that word you shall find that this must be done vniuersally Israel must doe it The House of Aaron must doe it all must doe it that feare the Lord if all be the better for the Day the dutie of solemnizing the Day belongeth vnto all to the Ecclesiasticall to the Ciuill State both must acknowledge what they receiue both must acknowledge the Day whereon they did receiue it The Day wherein the blessed Sunne did arise vnto vs all the fruits of whose Raigne are this great calme from stormes of warre and plentifull publication of Gods sauing truth wee must all acknowledge both these blessings As we must all acknowledge them so must we all take full comfort in them we must not defraud the Day of our ioy seeing the day brings comfort vnto vs it brings comfort to our bodie and comfort to our soules therefore our bodies and soules must reioyce in it In it but not forgetting him that made it that is God As for the Day wee are most beholding to him so in him must we ioy most But our comfort must not make vs forget our danger danger from without danger from within danger from our owne vntowardlinesse danger from the maliciousnesse of our enemies this double danger must make vs seeke to him that made our Day that he would make it a perpetuall Day that hee would hinder whatsoeuer impediment we may iustly feare from our enemies and not suffer vs to be an impediment of our owne blisse I shut vp all with the very words of my text Our times are such as that we haue good cause to vse the first words This is the Day which the Lord hath made and if we must say this this must draw from vs that which followeth the religious solemnizing of the day we must exhort each the other and be perswaded by our mutuall exhortation to vow the expressing of our comfort Wee will reioyce and bee glad in it and deprecate whatsoeuer imminent danger with Saue Now wee beseech thee O Lord O Lord we beseech thee send vs now Prosperitie AMEN A SERMON PREACHED AT SAINT MARIES IN OXFORD ON THE fift of Nouember 1614. LVKE 9. VERS 53 54 55 56. 53. But they would not receiue him because his face was as though he would goe to Ierusalem 54. And when his Disciples Iames and Iohn saw it they said Lord wilt thou that wee command that fire come downe from Heauen and consume them euen as Elias did 55. But Iesus turned about and rebuked them and said yee know not of what spirit you are 56. For the Sonne of man is not come to destroy mens liues but to saue them Then they went to another Towne FAthers and Brethren Reuerend and Beloued in the Lord We solemnize this Day in a religious acknowledgement of the King and his Kingdomes our Church and Common-weales vnspeakable deliuerance from an vnmatchable Treason In furtherance of this common Pietie to refresh our memorie and quicken our deuotion I haue chosen this storie which containes an vnpartiall censure of an inordinate Zeale inordinate Zeale in two Apostles who are therefore vnpartially censured by our Sauiour Christ And this storie haue I the rather chosen at this time to speake of in this place because here is the hope of Church and Common Weale the Seed aswell of the Gentrie as of the Clergie And it is for such that the Factors of Rome doe trade to make Aduocates of the one and of the other Actours of their holy Fathers most barbarous Designes Wherefore it is very behoofull that they aboue others bee not only inured to detest but informed also vpon what ground they should detest such sauage such hellish counsels and attempts Now better informed they cannot bee then if they be furnished with sound rules of a good conscience which they may oppose to all deceitfull Romish ones wherewith the vnlearned are insnared and they peruerted that are vnstable The Romanists boast of their manifold studies of Diuinitie and indeed they haue manifold I would they were as good as they are many But their Cases of Conscience are that vpon which they principally relie and wherewith their Kingdome is most supported And no maruell for they are euen for the Lay-mans studie and their Power of the Keyes is chiefly managed by these Cases It is most true that all parts of their Diuinitie are full fraught with sophistrie but when we come to this part ouer and aboue what impietie what iniquitie what impuritie doe we find Others occasionally may vnder take other points I wish they would prouided alwayes that they doe it soundly discreetly considering what a precious what a tender thing a good Conscience is It is not euery mans skill aright to handle it But I haue now to doe with a point of Iniquitie with an vnlawfull reuenge of persons afflicted for Religion We haue here a Reuenge proposed by such afflicted persons and we haue Christs doome passed therevpon that such reuenge is vnlawfull See it in the Text. First the Affliction The Samaritans would not receiue Christ And this Affliction was for Religion Christ was not receiued because his face was as if he would goe to Ierusalem It was great inhumanitie not to entertaine a stranger but the reason improues it as high as Impietie if we therefore fare the worse at the hands of men because wee are well disposed to serue God Being so farre vrged Zeale cannot hold surely Iames and Iohn could not as was their name so were they Sonnes of Thunder were they called and the Exhalations they breath are very hot And yet marke though they are bold to propose yet are they not so bold as to resolue They propose their Desire their Reason Their desire is Fire a cruell weapon and they would not haue it spare a iot it must consume their enemies make a finall and a fearefull spectacle of these vngodly Samaritans A sharpe desire And yet they sticke not at it and why it is not singular they haue though not a Rule yet an Example for it Elias did so that is the reason He dealt so with the old Samaritans when they wronged him and shall these new Samaritans escape better that thus wrong Christ This they propose But they doe not resolue as if they were conscious to themselues that they may erre they submit their desire to God and to Christ They desire Fire consuming Fire but it is from Heauen they would haue no other then God would send Nay they would not haue that except Christ be pleased Master wilt thou if thou say Nay we haue done Behold Nature and Grace and how Grace doth stop the furie of Nature Grace doth somewhat but the Fountaine
vncharitablenesse in our supernaturall cognation Naturall brethren maligne each the other either because the affection of Parents is vnequall or because they shall not haue equall part in the Inheritance but GOD embraceth all his children with the same loue and they are all called to be heires of the same Kingdome therefore they should all haue alike tender bowels one towards another As the name of Brethren calleth for compassion so doth the name of spirituall also by spirituall is ment he that is strong in Faith and hath not yeelded to temptation he that is led by the Spirit and hath not fulfilled the lusts of his Flesh the more he is so spirituall the more compassionate he must be Greg. Mag◠Vera iustitia compassionem habet falsa indignationem It is a shrewd argument that our righteousnesse is pharisaicall and not Christian if we rather insult then shew pittie who more spirituall then GOD then Christ then the Angels The best of men cannot match the meanest of them in the holines of Spirit and yet the Angels reioyce at the conuersion of a sinner Luke 19.7 and how doth Christ the good Sheepeheard take comfort in the recouerie of the lost Sheepe And as for GOD you read his disposition in that countenance and cheere wherewith the Father receiued his prodigall child Where there is lesse kindnesse there is lesse of the Spirit as in the Diuell who calumniateth amplyfieth sinnes aggrauateth Iudgements and we are too like him if our bowels be crueltie You see who must shew compassion and read their duties in their names But if their names will not worke enough the ground that the Text addeth inforcing this dutie doth more strongly presse them and the ground is considering thy selfe least thou also be tempted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our eies happily are watchfull but are more fixed vpon others then vpon our selues we take delight to pry farre into other mens faults and a pleasing thing it is to flesh and blood to be learned in such arguments But it is but a propertie of Vultures and Rauens that quickly sent carrion and hast vnto it the Holy Ghost here taketh off our eyes from other obiects and fastens them vpon our selues we are the book which our selues should most study we should know none so well as our selues But when we are brought so farre as to study our selues we study like the Pharisee read nothing in our selues but our owne perfections if GOD hath giuen vs any guifts we need no spectacles to read it the characters are alwayes of the largest sise yea we oftentimes read more then is written and giue thankes to GOD for that which he hath not bestowed or not bestowed in that measure which we suppose we haue Because of our ouer great docilitie to study this argument the Scripture passeth by it and reads vs another lesson the lesson of our infirmities looke we must vpon our selues yea and to our selues also but that which we must behold and heed is least thou also be tempted Consider Quia homo es habens naturam mutabilem saith THEODORET No man in this world is so spirituall but he is also carnall St HIEROME with this Text censured the Heretickes of old and we may censure some that liue at this day who thinke that a righteous man is such a tree as can beare no bad fruit but posse peccare is the portion of euerie mortall man and he that standeth may fall for we all walke in the middest of snares Aut sumus aut fuimus aut possumus esse quod haec est euen he that hath ouercome temptation knowes how hard a thing it is to be tempted And if it be hard then should not we be hard hearted towards them whom it foyleth Which obseruation is not vnnecessarie because our nature is as prone to rigor as it is to sinne we are to haue an eye to both and indeed nothing will make vs sooner auoid the temptation vnto rigor then the acknowledgment that our felues are prone to sinne it is St AVSTINS rule Nil sic ad misericordiam inclinat ac proprij periculi cogitatio he that knowes he may need mercie hath a good inducement to shew mercie Wherefore as to the comfort of the Penitent I may promise her that her teares are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though she sow in teares Basil she shall reape inioy so let me aduise you to forgiue and it shall be forgiuen vnto you He that is mercifull doth good to his owne soule saith SOLOMON Prou. 11. Ecel 8. Eph. 4. Colos 3. Wherefore despise ye not a man returning from his sinne be courteous one towards another and tender hearted forgiuing freely as God for Christ sake forgiueth you St PAVL doth teach vs this lesson in this Text the Text is documentum exemplum the matter of it informeth vs yea the phrase is a good patterne vnto vs in deliuering an argument of mercie he vseth not a word that doth not sauour of mercie Homo noting the pronesse of our nature to sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the occasions of sinne praeoccupatus the surprisall all in fauour of the Penitent And what meaneth the name of Brother Spirituall the Spirit of Meeknesse Consider thy selfe Thou mayst be tempted Are they not as water cast vpon the fire of our zeale to temper it if it grow too hot Then looke we on the words all call vpon vs that as we are eye witnesses and eare witnesses of this Penitents confession contrition so we should let GOD and the Angels see how full we are of compassion Compassion that must moue vs all to pray to GOD for her that God by the power of the keyes may loose her from those bands wherewith her sinne her crying sinne hath tyed her God heare vs and worke by vs and in vs that she may be fully restored and her fall may make vs all to beware Amen Blessed are the mercifull for they shall find mercie A SERMON PREACHED IN THE CATHEDRAL CHVRCH OF WELS AT WHAT TIME A MAN DID PENANCE FOR INCEST WITH HIS WIVES DAVGHTER 1 CORINTH 5. VERSE 1 c. 1 Jt is reported commonly that there is fornication amongst you and such fornication as is not so much as named amongst the Gentiles that one should haue his fathers wife 2 And ye are puffed vp and haue not rather mourned that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from amongst you 3 For J verily as absent in body but present in spirit haue iudged already as though J were present against him that hath so done this deed 4 Jn the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ 5 To deliuer such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saued in the day of the Lord Jesus THE present occasion led me to this Text and this Text that I haue read vnto you well fitteth
the present occasion for we haue to doe with a sinne and a censure euen such a sinne and such a censure as is contained in this Text. The sinne is first exprest then it is amplyfied It is exprest first in regard of the kind it is fornication secondly in regard of the degree that fornication is Incest yea it is Incest of the worst sort that a man should haue his fathers wife The Incest being so bad it is not onely exprest but also amply fied in respect first of the haynousnesse it was such as was not so much as named amongst the Gentiles secondly in respect of the notoriousnesse the fame thereof spread farre and neare it is commonly reported Now sinnes call for censures great sinnes for seuere censures they doe but the Corinthians were deafe they heard not they were not moued with the cry of this sinne though it were verie loud they sinne in not reforming sinne St PAVL therefore telleth them whence their sinne sprang and wherein it stood It sprang from too much selfe-conceit they were puffed vp and too little fellow-feeling for they sorrowed not from these roots sprang their senslesse carelesnesse they put not away from them the man that had done the sinne But St PAVL had a more quicke eare and a more tender heart as a lawfull superiour he supplieth their negligence and censureth the incestuous person whom they spared as it appeares in the rest of the Text wherein we see what the censure was and whereunto it serueth The censure was Excommunication but it is set out in very high termes for it is called a deliuerie vnto Satan the words imply more then they expresse Excommunication consists of two parts a priuatiue and a positiue an excommunicate person is excluded from the Communion of Saints and subiected to the Prince of Darknesse the latter part is here exprest but the former is presupposed and is therefore omitted because it was mentioned before in the Corinthians fault this is the censure which St PAVL inflicted And the inflicting of it is performed by two acts the first is St PAVLS he doth iudicially pronounce it in his owne person But here is some thing markable in his person which is said to be absent and present wheresoeuer he was as an Apostle he was neuer out of his Dioces neither was any of his Dioces any where out of his reach for though he was absent in his body yet was he with them in his spirit Vpon these prerogatiues of his person though he were as farre off as Ephesus is from Corinth yet did he giue sentence against the incestuous Corinthian so saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I haue already iudged What he pronounceth iudicially that doth he require the Corinthians to denounce solemnly this act is implyed when as St PAVL would haue the man excommunicated at Corinth he would haue it there denounced that himselfe had excommunicated him And he would haue it denounced solemnly First In regard of the place for he would haue it done in the face of the Church the Corinthians being gathered together and his spirit with them Secondly He would haue it done solemnly in regard of the proceeding for he would haue it done with the authoritie and by the efficacie of our Lord Iesus Christ with his authoritie in his Name by his efficacie by his Power So that although St PAVL haue a hand in this censure and the Corinthians also yet would he haue neither of them reputed other then Delegates from and Instruments of Christ he giueth the warrant and he maketh good the censure Lay all these parts of the doome together and you will find that it is tremendum iudicium a very dreadfull sentence for how dreadfull a thing is it for a man to be cast out of the Church To haue him that hateth him made Lord ouer him I meane Satan To haue this done by an Apostle In the assembly of the whole Church Authorized by Christ and by Christ inabled to inflict this censure Certainly this must needs be a most dreadfull Iudgment you would thinke him that is vnder it to be a most forlorne wretch But yet despaire not of him the last clause of my Text will tell you that the sentence is not mortall but medicinall Now you know that a medicine hath two properties first it doth paine then it doth ease and if you will beleeue the Prouerbe Nulla medicinat'am est salutaris quà m quae facit dolorem the more it doth paine the more it will ease Certainly it fareth so with a ghostly medicine it doth paine it serueth for the destruction of the flesh but it will ease thereby the spirit shall be saued And this saluation you shall then feele when it is most behoofefull in the day of the Lord Iesus Christ We beleeue that he shall come to iudge both the quicke and the dead and thrice happy may an enormous sinner thinke himselfe if he can haue boldnesse then to stand before the Sonne of Man And herein standeth his hope that this Iudgment will preserue him from that this lesser from that greater this temporall from that eternall if an enormous sinner make that vse of it which Christ intendeth So that these last words must be marked as a mitigation of that sharpnesse which was in the sentence and a consolation of the true Penitent And so haue you the briefe of my Text. That we may all be fore-warned and this Penitent recouered let vs in the feare of GOD listen to that which shall now be farther but briefly obserued and applyed out of this both sinne and censure I begin with the sinne the kind of it is fornication Fornication though it be often vsed to note the vnlawfull coniunction of single persons which otherwise may lawfully marrie yet doth the word import properly the generall nature of all incontinencie or vnlawfull coniunction the sinfulnesse whereof that I may the better set before you I must first acquaint you with certaine vndeniable principles The first is That though it be common to man and beast to couple male and female in their seuerall kinds for procreation yet because the body of a man is inhabited by a reasonable soule euen these sensuall acts should be reasonable by participation reason should haue such power ouer the body that a man should not come vnto this coniunction out of a disorderly lust but a regular couenant not aduenturing vpon it but admitted thereunto by Marriage he must testifie that he is a man and not a beast The second principle is The same reason of state that preseribeth proprietie in all other things doth require it especially in the choyce of mates in those which are to come together so neere as to become one flesh for proprietie is the whetstone of loue and care neither of which would be so great as they should be except they were grounded in wedlock in which is a mutual appropriating of the wedded bodyes each to the other whence it is that
vntill the tenth Generation but against Incest he is more seuere Deut. 271 for he would not onely haue a generall curse pronounced against it whereunto he commanded all the people to say Amen but touching the Moabites and Ammonites the first spawne of Incest that we find in the Scripture though they were the posteritie of LOT whom GOD loued for AERAHAM's sake Deut 23. yet doth he command that they shall not enter into the Congregation of Israel for euer Israel is forbidden to seeke their peace at any time RVBEN is a second example marke what his owne Father IACOB said of him when he blest the Patriarkes Ruben thou art my first borne my might Gen. 49. the beginning of my strength the excellencie of digniâ—â—â— and the excellencie of power these were the preeminences of his birth-right but he forfeited them all for Incest as appeares in the verie next words of his Father Vnstable as water thou shalt not excell because thou wentest vp to thy Fathers bed then defiledst thou it He went vp into my couch A third example is ABSALON he abused his Fathers Concubines therefore he came to an infamous end he was hanged by the haire of his owne head he dyed childlesse and so his name did rot Leu. 8. The Land of Canaan spued out the old Inhabitants for Incest and GOD threatneth the destruction of Israel for that a man and his sonne would goe in to one maid Amos 2. By GODS Law no lesse then death was the punishment of Incest Leu. 10. The Lawes of the Land are more mercifull vnto you the Penitent that suffer you to breathe and leaue you to the censure of the CHVRCH But if you mind what you haue heard touching that censure and drinke in St AVSTINS conceipt therof you shall find cause enough to feare and freedome from death may seeme vnto you worse then death But yet your case is not desperate for there yet remaines one point in the Text which may yeeld a mitigation to your feares and a consolation to your Soule The censure is not mortall but medicinall as appeares in the end whereunto the censure serues Now a medicine you know doth first paine then it doth ease yea it doth therfore paine that it may ease so doth this ghostly censure it serues for the destruction of the flesh there is the paine but there followeth ease vpon it the spirit shaâ— be saued First of the paine As the flesh signifieth sometimes the substance sometimes the corruption of the outward man so may the destruction signifie either the mortalitie or the mortification thereof mortalitie if the censure proceed from the power which is proper to an Apostle but if it signifie the power which is common to Bishops with the Apostles it noteth mortification it signifieth the crucifying of the flesh with the lusts thereof the putting off the old man and the dying vnto sinne And indeed this we intend by our Ecclesiasticall censures We intend that you should root out the sinne for which you doe penance and so destroy your flesh This is painfull to flesh and blood but vt valeas multa dolenda feres you must brooke the paine that you may enioy the ease that followeth thereupon the spirit shall be saued The spirit noteth the soule or the grace thereof the sauing of the soule is the preseruing of grace therein if the soule loose grace it looseth it selfe in regard of all well-being and it were much better for it not to be at all then to be without grace so that the saluation of our spirit is no small part of our happinesse Which must the rather be esteemed because if our spirit fare well it will make euen the flesh that is destroyed in regard of the corruption to be farre better in regard of the substance for it shall be purged from dead works to serue the liuing GOD. But when shall we reape this easâ— out of paine In the day of our Lord Iesus Christ Though a peniten euen in this life shall find some case in his Conscience yet the full benefit of Ecclesiasticall censure is reserued to the day of the Lord because all this life we must be mortifying our flesh especially enormous sinners must be so imployed the greatest of their ease in this world must haue a mixture of paine but in the day of the Lord they shall haue ease without all delay But what day of the Lord is meant here Euerie mans particular day of death or the generall doomes day An account must be made at both and if we vse the Ecclesiasticall censure well we shall find that this Iudgment preuents that this temporall the eternall For as CHRIST at his first comming came not to destroy but to saue so his Ministers that dispense the Gospel vse their power not to destruction but to edification But I thinke the day of the Lord signifieth properly the last day CHRIST will publikely manifest before the CHVRCH tryumphant the effect of the Keyes which he hath committed to his Ministers to be exercised publikely in the CHVRCH militant he will then reueale how all stand bound in Heauen which were neuer loosed on Earth and all whom the CHVRCH hath loosed in Earth shall then appeare to be loosed in Heauen I end The successe which St PAVL had when he inflicted this sentence was that the Corinthians became verie sensible of their fault and the Incestuous person of his St PAVL himselfe doth witnesse this 2 Cor. 7. where he amplyfieth both their godly sorrowes and his congratulating indulgence towards them both Oh that like successe might blesse my paines that I may giue as good a testimonie to this Congregation for their hatred of sinne as St PAVL gaue to the Corinthians and to this Penitent the like mittigation of his Censure as St PAVL to that Incestuous person So may this penitentiall sheet of his be turned into a white robe of righteousnesse his teares into ioy and all we that are humbled for him in the Church militant be with him exalted in the Church tryumphant Amen A SERMON PREACHED IN THE CATHEDRAL CHVRCH OF WELS AT WHAT TIME TWO DID PENANCE FOR INCEST A MAN AND HIS WIVES DAVGHTER LEVIT 20. VERSE 14. Likewise if a man taketh a wife and her mother this is wickednesse they shall burne him and them with fire and there shall be no wickednesse amongst you NO sooner doe you heare this Text but I am ure you vnderstand this spectacle you vnderstand what sinners these persons are what doome this Law doth passe vpon them And indeed their sinne and Gods doome are the maine parts of my Text. But more distinctly In the sinne we must note first the fact then the haynousnesse thereof The fact is vnnaturall adulterie Adulterie because one man taketh more women then one that is plaine adulterie And this adulterie is vnnaturall because there is the neerest reference betweene the women the one a Mother the other her Daughter to take two
man dyed innocently not the whole Congregation which followed but they which led the Congregation were to be guiltie of his death Secondly The imposing of hands vpon the Malefactor was the making of him as it were a politicke Sacrifice for mundi expiatio est malorum occisio as the Priest so the Prince hath his Sacrifice to offer as the CHVRCH so the Common weale the execution of Malefactors is a propitiating of GOD. And GOD in the Common-weale of Israel in cases wherein he refused the Ceremoniall was well pleased to haue this Sacrifice and to admit it as expiatorie of the Common-weale I told you of the thing before but of the deuoting of the person to pacifie GOD I could not speake till I came to this place You the Penitent may hereby see how zealously the State should be bent against you and how much it concernes vs to see Iustice done vpon you Hauing thus sufficiently opened the punishment I come now to shew you vpon whom it must be executed Quicunque vpon him whosoeuer he be that curseth or blasphemeth here must be no respect of persons high or low rich or poore be he what he may be he is liable to punishment if he curse his God Though it be a false-one yet if it be his the Law saith plainly he shall beare his sinne The words may be vnderstood either as a relation or as a commandement As a relation what other Nations doe how zealous they are for the honour of their Gods In the Storie of the wonders which GOD wrought in deliuering the children of Israel out of Aegypt we find that when Pharaoh would haue the Israelites sacrifice to their GOD in the Land of Aegypt Exod. 8. Loe said Moses shall we sacrifice the abhomination of the Aegyptians before their eyes and will they not stone vs How did Nebuchadnezzar cause the Furnace to be heated to consume those that would not worship his golden Image What a doe kept Demetrius the Siluer-Smith when St Paul was thought to blaspheme Diana Protagoras was banished Socrates was put to death for disgracing the gods of Athens The Mahumetans lay on many stripes vpon them that disgrace their Alearon I will omit the solemne Bellum sacrum of the Graecians Thus the words may be conceiued by way of relation and then see how GOD argues Doe the Heathen punish those who dishonour or curse those that are onely gods in their erroneous reputation Much more then ought he to be punished that blasphemes the true GOD. Thus doth GOD oftentimes shame his owne people for their Impieties by setting before their face the Pietie that is in Infidels Hath a Nation changed their Gods which yet are no Gods Ier. 2. But my people hath changed their glorie for that which doth not profit And againe Mal. 3. Will a man rob God Yet ye haue robbed me So that the punishment cannot be denied to be iust by true Religion which is held most iust by the glimmering light of Reason But the words may haue in them more then a bare Relation they may containe a commandement also a commandement that whosoeuer curseth God though it be but his God that is a false God shall be punished for conscientia erronea ligat so long as any man in his conscience is perswaded that he is the true God he must worship him as if he were such It is true that when he commeth to the knowledge of his error Esay 8. Esay 2. he may then curse his false gods he may cast them to the Bats and to the Moles But so long as his vnderstanding is clouded with error his Reuerence must follow the Rule of his Conscience It is good Diuinitie that is deliuered in the Booke of Wisdome touching Idolatrous periured persons They shall be iustly punished Cap. 14. both because they thought not well of God giuing heed vnto Idols and also vniustly swore in deceit despising holinesse â—or it is not the power of them by whom they sweare but it is the iust vengeance of sinners that punisheth alwayes the offence of the vngodly And no maruell for were it a true GOD they would vse him so their ignorance is not antecedent but concomitant and such ignorance doth not excuse the quantitie much lesse doth it excuse the qualitie of sinne But to leaue his God and come to the Name of the Lord. Here Quicunque must be repeated againe we may lesse admit exception of persons amongst them that blaspheme the Name of the Lord then amongst them that curse their God But here we meet with a markable distribution of quicunque whosoeuer Whether saith the Text he be a Stranger or borne in the Land Though morally all men are bound and may be perswaded by Ministers and others to acknowledge and worship the true GOD yet politickly Infidels cannot be compeld And why It is a worke that needeth the assistance of supernaturall grace which is not annext vnto the Sword Notwithstanding the Ciuill Sword may take vengeance vpon all euen Strangers Infidels that openly blaspheme the Name of the Lord though they may be tollerated in their false yet may they not open their mouthes against the true Religion Quicunque whatsoeuer Stranger doth so he must be stoned And if a Stranger much more he that is borne in the Land for he is tyed to honour GOD by a double obligation a natiue a votiue as a man as a member of the Church Now the more obligations the more guilt the more guilt the more iust the punishment therefore Quicunque whosoeuer borne in the Land blasphemeth the Name of the Lord he must be stoned to death I must carrie Quicunque a little farther the root of Blasphemie may be without vs or within vs Without vs the Diuel who may suggest it and then it is no sinne of ours though a sinne except we consent vnto it and delight in it Within vs it may be three-fold First Ignorance Secondly Infirmitie Thirdly Malice There is great odds betweene these to GOD-ward St Paul blasphemed but he did it ignorantly he did not beleeue that IESVS was the CHRIST St Peter blasphemed but he did it of infirmie he did it being ouertaken with feare of death The Pharisees they also blasphemed but they did it out of malice they did it against their owne conscience Now of these three Rootes the two first leaue place for repentance St Peter and St Paul are ensamples thereof Math. 12. Not so the third it is the sinne against the Holy Ghost not to be forgiuen in this world nor in that which is to come But howsoeuer there is this odds to GOD-ward yet in regard of the Magistrates sword there is no difference Quicunque be the root ignorance be it infirmitie be it malice he must be stoned to death his body must be made an expiatorie Anathema or Sacrifice by the State whose Soule notwithstanding vpon repentance may be saued in the day of the Lord. And verily the Blasphemer
be ready to entertaine that which GOD prescribes So shall we be sure either at all not to deceiue our selues or if we haue beene ouertaken by carnall selfe-conceit we shall not refuse to be fooles that we may be wise GOD vouchsafe vs this preuenting Prouidence and recouering Repentance as that we may not either stray at all or if we stray that we may returne againe till we come to that place where there is no feare of straying no need of returning whither GOD our mercifull Father bring vs through Jesus Christ our Sauiour that is made the wisedome of GOD vnto vs by the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit of Wisedome into vs. To this one GOD in three persons be rendred all honor and glorie c. Πάντοτε δόξα Θηῶ. SVNDRIE SERMONS PREACHED AT COVRT By the right reuerend Father in God ARTHVR LAKE late Lord Bishop of BATHE and WELLES PRVDENTIA LONDON Printed by T.C. and R.C. for N. Butter 1629. A SERMON PREACHED AT FARNEHAM ON St IAMES HIS DAY BEEING THE DAY OF KING IAMES HIS CORONATION IAMES 1. VERSE 12. 12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tryed he shall receiue the crowne of life which the Lord hath promised to them that loue him THIS day directs vs to this Epistle and these words thereof are not vnfit to refresh a solemne vse that to our great and common comfort hath beene made of this day The vse was a Coronation and a Coronation is a principall point in this Text but the Coronation that was then beheld is past that whereof we are now to heare is to come yet this mutuall helpe they will yeild the one to the other that which is to come may call to mind that which is past and by that which is past we may the better conceiue that which is to come Yea by comparing them we shall perceiue that that which is to come is much more desirable then that which is past For although flesh and blood may affect that which is past per se as if to be a Soueraigne on earth vpon any condition were a soueraigne good yet a Christian doth not he cannot as he ought digest those vexations which sowre euen a kingly state but propter aliud in hope to be a copartner of a greater a quieter crowne in Heauen This hope doth St Iames cherish in these words he animates great personages to be constant notwithstanding all troubles knowing that their patience is not in vaine in the Lord. That he speakes to great personages appeareth in the tenth verse Let the rich reioyce when he is brought low where he teacheth two lessons First That great men may be brought low Secondly That yet they must reioyce That great men may be brought low is not strange to reason therefore St Iames doth onely represent that truth in a knowne yet a liuely resemblance of fading and withering hearbes and flowres But that notwithstanding they are brought low they must reioyce is an harder truth reason whose principall it is that nothing delights in its owne destruction will not yeeld it Our Apostle therefore workes an assent thereunto out of supernaturall grounds he sets downe two faire ones in my Text whereof the first openeth the nature the second the end of patience The nature of patience is briefly but fully set downe here ratione obiecti subiecti The obiect is temptation but because thereof there are diuers sorts here is added a note of difference it is such temptation as maketh tryed men The subiect is Man but not euerie man it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man of more then ordinarie place and worth and his worth is here distinctly set downe in two points wherein it principally doth consist and the points are answerable to the two parts of the obiect The first part of the obiect is Temptation that layeth on load vpon the outward man in regard thereof he must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he must hold out vnder his burden The second part of the obiect is the tryall and that inquires into the inward man in regard thereof he must hold out out of that loue which he beareth to GOD. When such an obiect meeteth with such a subiect there ariseth the vertue patience You haue heard the nature thereof now heare the end The end is suitable to the vertue a happy end of so worthy a vertue the end is blessednesse and what would not a man doe to compasse blessednesse But what is this blessednesse though all desire it yet few are agreed about the nature of it quot capita tot sensus euerie man striueth for his owne To compose this difference the Holy Ghost must interpose and define he doth it here behold a full definition in two words A crowne of life without life there is no blessednesse and no life is blessed without this crowne You see the end one thing remaines the assurance that this is the end of patience that we haue here also in two verbes The Lord hath promised it and the patient man shall receiue it The warrant is good that hath GODS word and here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is he that warranteth it but his warrant is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a promise so that the crowne must be claymed not by the Law but by the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that is the Lord may by vertue of his Law command patience but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 putteth vs in mind how much we are beholding vnto the Gospel by which he vouchsafeth a recompence Yea though he doth vouchsafe it and besides his promise the patient man hath no right vnto it he needs not distrust 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is as true as the Gospel he in all be sure of it You see the substance of this Scripture and see that it brancheth it selfe into pataence and a recompence whereof the patient man may not be proud and yet he is most sure Let vs now run ouer these points orderly I pray GOD we may doe it profitably also The first is the obiect of patience and that is called temptation here see how the phrase is changed of the rich man it was said before that he was brought low here it is said that he endureth temptation that was a vulgar phrase this is facred that might be vnderstood by reason this onely by faith you will confesse it if we doe a little rip vp the nature of it GOD made man though vpright yet mutable the root of mutabilitie was Freewill by which man may encline to either side Notwithstanding this mutabilitie man did owe vnto GOD a constant and absolute obedience whether he would performe it it was to appeare his Vnderstanding and his Will were to be exercised the one with arguments the other with occasions which might discouer the one the resolution the other the election of man what way he would take the right-hand or the left the way of life or death These arguments and occasions
by many afflictions enter into the Kingdome of Heauen we must be baptised with CHRISTS baptisme and drinke of his cup And if you marke the eight beatitudes in the first Sermon of CHRIST you see that they run almost all of them vpon a passiue obedience and place blessednesse in the Crosse A blessednesse then there is in suffering but few would affect it did they not hope for a better after it therefore St Iames addeth what hereafter they are to expect and that is the crowne of life This I told you is a full definition of blessednesse a definition that better resolueth then those many but different that are found in Philosophy Blessednesse presupposeth life and the life is not blessed without a Crowne But the life and the crowne may either be considered in diuers times or knit together in one time If they be considered at diuers times then life belongs to this world and the crowne to that which is to come so that the Apostle saith that the crowne to come is for the life that is past and a man that lookes for the crowne must haue a care of this life Cap. 8.10 Cap. 3.11 For he shall be crowned that striueth lawfully therefore CHRIST in the Reuelations saith Esto fidelis tibi dabo coronam and againe hold fast that none take thy crowne 2 Tim. 4. and St Paul I haue fought a good fight I haue kept the faith from hence forth there is layd vp for me a crowne of righteousnesse c. Haec vita est negotiatio they that here exercise their faith and hope by charitie shall find a reward in Heauen But if we ioyne life and the crowne and referre them both to the time that is to come then doth the crowne expresse the condition of the life in Heauen For though the word life of it selfe vsed absolutely doe signifie a blessed life as appeares in many passages of Scripture yet the crowne doth more distinctly represent vnto vs the manner of that life and it represents three things the perpetuitie the plentie the dignitie thereof The perpetuitie for as a Crowne hath neither beginning nor ending so is it the liuely Image of Eternitie and in this respect it is called an immarcescible and immortall crowne and a Kingdome that cannot be shaken En Ps 6. Talia sunt Dei dona saith Chrysostome valida decore plena at in hominibu◠non ita est sed qui est in gloria non est securus qui autem securus non est in gloria in Deo vtraque concurrunt Secondly the crowne notes the plentie because as the Crowne compasseth on euerie side so doth that which is plentifull satisfie on euery part and nothing is wanting in this life therefore the Scripture in seuerall places runneth ouer euerie part of our body and power of our soule and sheweth how euerie one shall haue his content the eye in beholding GOD the eare in hearing the musicke of Heauen the tongue in praysing c. The last is the dignitie and that is principally noted by a crowne as it appeares by the vse that is made thereof on Kings heads And indeed what is eternall life but a Coronation day the Scripture indescribing it remembreth all parts of a Coronation the robes long white robes of righteousnesse which we shall put on then the oyle of gladnesse wherewith we shall be annointed then the Scepter which CHRIST shall put into our hands to bruise therewith all Nations the Throne whereupon we shall sit with CHRIST the Feast whereat we shall eat and drinke with him finally in steed of a Bishop or Archbishop to performe these ceremonies we shall haue the great Bishop of our soules IESVS CHRIST and he shall doe it in the presence not of earthly Peeres but of the heauenly both Saints and Angels Ad hereunto that this Crowne is significantly called a crowne of life to distinguish it from the Crowne of mortall Princes which is but a dead crowne whereas this is a liuing In a mortall Kings Crowne there is gold and flowers and pretious stones but all are dead the gold and flowers and pretious stones whereof our Crowne consists are all liuing for the Lord himselfe is the Crowne In that day shall the Lord of Hosts be for a Crowne of glorie Esay 28. and a Diadem of beautie to the residue of his people and the people shall be a Crowne of glorie in the hand of the Lord and a royall Diademe in the hand of GOD. And no maruell for the life to come is the marriage day wherein the Spouse shall receiue her Crowne vpon her resurrection as CHRIST receiued his Crowne at his resurrection St Paul is plaine for it Hebr. 2. This phrase then of the Crowne of life is more then a militarie phrase the Souldiers in triumph wore Insigne sine regno but here Insigne ceniungitur cum regno and the name of Crowne is vsed rather then any other ornament because ornamenta caetera membrorum sunt singulorum capitis ornatus totius corporis est dignitas You haue heard what is Patience and what is the Recompence thereof one thing remaineth that the patient man may know vpon what ground he may expect this recompence That is set downe here by the Apostle in two Verbes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof each hath his Nowne annext vnto it to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is annexed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expresly and betweene this nowne and that verbe there is a strong coniunction for the Lord is so great a person as by the Law may command our patience and yet so good a person is he that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he hath promised a recompence See then our title it is from GOD but grounded not vpon the Law but the Gospel And indeed if you looke into St Paul we shall find that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a word proper to the Gospel especially in the Epistle to the Galathians so that we must not stand vpon desert but acknowledge GODS mercie for as it is Psal 103. Coronat te miserationthus 2 Tim 4.8 It is true that St Paul calleth it Coronam iustitiae but there is Iustitia fidelitatis as well as aqualitatis The ground of merit euen in the Creation was GODS Contract which he vouchsafed to make with his Vassall notwithstanding the Obligation of his naturall alleageance This Contract consisted of mutuall Couenants which Couenants were proportionable to the Contractors Mans Conenant was of workes but workes proportionable to the abilities of man that is meane and finite GODS Couenant was of life proportionable to the magnificencie of GOD so that there was apparantly a proportion betweene the workes and the Worker the Rewarder and the reward but betweene the worke and the reward none at all Hence it is that betweene Adams obedience and GODS recompence thereof there could be no merit of condignitie which properly vnderstood compares and equalleth the
worke and the reward without any other respect but merit of congruitie there might haue beene seeing GOD was pleased freely and graciously to propose to the worke so great a reward and to bind himselfe by promise to performe his Couenant of life if man did performe his couenant of obedience And this congruitie carrieth with it a Iustice for GOD is no lesse iust when he keepes his word then when he equalleth a reward to a worke But his first word was Legall the word wherewith we haue to doe is Euangelicall a word published by the Prophets and Apostles wherein there is mercie not onely in that GOD proposeth a reward to the worke but also for CHRISTS sake bestoweth the reward notwithstanding our defects in the worke for touching the worke of our passiue obedience St Pauls rule is true Non sunt condignae passiones c. Saint St Bernard openeth St Pauls meaning fairely and fully lest any man should restraine it out of a vaine conceit of any worth of his owne Non sunt condignae saith he vel ad praeteritam culpam quae remittitur vel ad presentis consolationis gratiam quae immitticur vel ad futuram gloriam quae promittitur our momentaine afflictions which are but for a little time doe worke an exceeding eternall weight of glorie Vsura sortem excedit Away then with all pride and let no Romanists presume of more then GODS free mercie for all our title is concluded in The Lord hath promised And what he promiseth shall be performed that appeares in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there must be no distrust no distrust if the person be not mistaken to whom the promise is made that is to the patient man he shall be sure of it There is a question An iustus possit excidere a gratia but of this which is in my Text there is no question Papists Lutherans Protestants all are agreed that he that perseuereth to the end shall be saued shall be glorified And I would to GOD the world did take more care to perseuere then to dispute of the certaintie of perseuering Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the future tense intimates that Beatitudo hic parari potest possideri non potest we must stay our time and in due time we shall not faile Nazianz. trat 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let vs not be wearie of well-doing for in due time we shall reape if we faint not The last point that I note is that whereunto St Iames applyes both the nature of patience and also the description of the end thereof it is to resolue rich-men humbled that they must reioyce and I doubt not but by this time you will say they must reioyce Let affliction be vnsauourie yet temptation rellisheth well for what generous nature doth not affect to haue his vertue most conspicuous especially that vertue which is the life of all vertue I meane the loue of God There is then matter of Ioy included in the nature of the Crosse If in the Nature much more in the End for this end is blessednesse and this blessednesse is the Crowne of life looke how many words so many seeds shall I say nay clusters of ioy The Moralist teacheth that pleasure is inseparable from blessednesse and how sweet life is aske but the Naturalist whose axiome that is Skin for skin and all that a man hath he will giue for his life And as for a Crowne all Histories will teach vs that there hath beene no kind of Festiuitie amongst the Ancients whereof one token was not the wearing of a Crowne But if we consider moreouer that the blessednesse here mentioned is entire the life heauenly the Crowne eternall then I am sure there will be no question made of the ioy the ioy that attends the end of patience Let Iulian seeke to disgrace the Crosse and not endure it vpon his Standard he shall find it in the verie entrals of beasts crowned to his confusion Let all the enemies of the Church crowne vs here with thornes as they did our Sauiour CHRIST yet let vs be of good courage as his so ours shall be changed into a Crowne of glorie Affliction is not destructiue nay that which is the path of death in the eyes of men is vnto the godly the path of life The wicked thinke to doe vs hurt as Iosephs brethren did when they sold him but as Ioseph answered GOD meant it vnto good and so doth he worke our good out of the malice of all our Foes Sicut non minuitur patris dilectio quod Christus passus sit ita neque nos minus diligimur quod tentamur If we suâ—â—er with CHRIST we shall raigne with him GOD will bring vpon Dauid a blessing for Shimei his curse and all that suffer for CHRIST shall one day haue occasion to sing that part of the eighth Psalme which belongs to you no lesse then to CHRIST Lord what is man that thou art so mindfull of him Thou hast made him a little lower then the Angels by affliction but hast crowned him with glorie and honour The conclusion of all is Kings are not free from nay they are most subiect vnto the Crosse they must not be the worse for it nay their vertue must become the more resplendent by it so shall they be twice happy happy here on earth in that they beare the Crosse vpon their Crownes and happy in Heauen where GOD shall set the Crowne vpon all their Crosses GOD grant all states according to their degrees this Patience that they may euerie one in Heauen receiue his measure of the Recompence Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnesse sake A SERMON PREACHED AT WHITE-HALL IOHN 2.16 16 Make not my Fathers House an house of merchandize THE whole Chapter is a portion of this dayes Liturgie and the latter part thereof containeth a preparation against Easter for that Feast drew neere as we read at the 13 verse and we read there also that CHRIST then went vp to Hierusalem First He went vp to be a good example vnto others of obeying the Law Secondly to giue a solemne beginning to that Function whereunto he was not long before inaugurated at his Baptisme When for these ends he came into the Temple at the verie entrance he perceiued the prophanation thereof and therefore the first worke that he vndertooke was to reforme that place In this Reformation he manifested potentiam potestatem power and authoritie power in his deed and in his word authoritie but a Miracle in both His deed was a miracle St Hierome commenting vpon the like reported Math. 21. affirmeth that it was the greatest Miracle that euer CHRIST wrought If that much more this for CHRIST was now lesse knowne and worse attended therefore it was the more strange that being but one man in shew a meane man he should not onely set vpon but expell also out of the Temple so great a multitude and that of no meane ones yet such was
euidence of the tongue were enough but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports that there is an inward sense of the outward euidence And indeed St Cyprian telleth vs concerning the inward sense that confession is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conscientiae St Austin that it doth pondus animi profâ—rre St Ambrose He that confesseth ingemit cuâ—pae dolore speakes with sighes and groanes that cannot be exprest And indeed this inward sense must be the first step of Confession and we must be resolued of that truth which is deliuered by Nazianzene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is a principall thing in Confession to be touched at the heart But then ex abundantia cordis os loquitur and therefore St Austin saith that to confesse is ex occulto et tenebroso procedere alluding to Lazarus his comming out of the graue and to shew that indeed we detest sinne a true penitent will vtter it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nazianz. so did Manasses so did the prodigall child and so doth King Dauid in this place If any man be spare of speech in this kind Tertullian will tell him that dissimulatio est consilium contumaciae it is to be doubted that he is not so out of charitie but he may be reconciled againe to his sinne whereas Confessio error is is professio deserendi and he that outwardly and inwardly doth confesse obligeth himselfe to forsake sinne both to GOD and man Obligeth himselfe I say for the verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is iudiciall and the obligation is the stronger by how much the stipulation is more solemne and if the arraignment passe before GOD and men there is no trauersing of such an Indictment the Indictment which our selues put in and our selues doe signe to be Billa vera But as Confession signifieth a giuing in of euidence or rather the finding of the Bill of Indictment so we must particularly see against whom the Bill is found King Dauid finds it against himselfe he layeth the blame where it was deserued and confesseth against himselfe It was condemned long since for an Heresie in vnchast Martion to hold peccata non voluntate sed necessitate patrari with that maxime he thought to excuse his incontinencie For the ground of this pretended necessitie men haue sought to opposite places some to Heauen and some to Hell the opinion is ancient that setcheth it from either Adam was the Author of the first he layd his sinne to GOD The woman that thou gauest me gaue me of the fruit and I did eat And no lesse ancient is that that fetcheth it from Hell Eue layd the blame vpon the Diuel The Serpent said she beguiled me and I did eat These Masters haue had many Schollars I would they had not still But to the first the sonne of Syrach spake in his dayes Say not the Lord hath caused me to erre for he hath no need of sinfull men he is a GOD of pure eyes and cannot behold wickednesse And to the second St Austin Non est hoc tollere sed geminare peccatum the excuse is worse then the fault for as strong as the Diuel is suadere potest cogere non potest he may verie powerfully commend it vnto vs but it is neuer entertained but by our good will So that we may spare much vnnecessarie paines of climing into Heauen to know what GOD hath decreed or descending into Hell to inquire after the Diuels power we must stay at home and there sind the right partie for man as Soloman speakes peruerteth his owne waies and euerie man saith St Iames when he is tempted is baited and led aside by his owne lusts so that the rhetoricall translatio criminis whether it be de compendio or per circuitum as St Austin speakes on this Text must haue no place in Confession herein quo quis humilior eo laudabilior the lesse excuse the more grace And if men in Confession may not deriue their blame to others how much lesse may they vaunt of that which they doe amisse And yet how many are there which not onely some out their owne filthinesse but also glorie in their shame Isay 3. The shew of whose countenance witnesseth against them who discouer their sinne as Sodom did Cap. 6. and desire not to hide it of whom GOD complaines in Ieremie Were they ashamed when they committed abhomination They were not ashamed neither could they blush Too too many there are that set themselues down in the seat of the scorner and thinke that it is their highest commendation not onely to haue sinews of Iron in their necke but plates of Brasse on their fore-head to be not onely incorrigible but impudent also whose sinnes that are indeed the workes of darknesse are become so shamelesse as to walke abroad at noone day Witnesse the blasphemies the impurities the violences that are so frequent obiects of euerie mans eyes and eares But this is not to confesse against our selues for to confesse against our selues is to be humbled not to be exalted it taketh downe our pride and doth not hearten our shamelessenesse This is the first branch of that euidence which we giue in and it was the first thing noted by imposing of hands vpon the Sacrifice But there was another meant also which was the pointing out of the meanes and person by whom we are relieued and that is GOD in CHRIST which is taught in the second part of the euidence the confessing to the Lord. To confesse to the Lord is not to informe him of that which he doth not know but rather as St Austin speakes Affectum nostrum patefacimus in te Domine confitendo tibi miserias nosiras we adde nothing to GODS knowledge Chrysâ— 5. but rather reueale our assection to GOD-ward Confessio fraudis nostrae est laudis Dei which the verie word Iadah in Hebrew notes including in it both But the affection that we reueale in our Confession is double it is affectus timoris and confidentiae which looke to the two Artributes of GOD that temper his prouidence in gouerning the world I meane Iustice and Mercie for confessio peccatorum est testimonium conscientiae timentis Deum as St Chrysostome no man can doe it but he doth acknowledge and tremble at the lustice of GOD. Yet not the Iustice onely doth affect him but the Mercie also for confessio poenitentis ad laudem pertinet ignoscentis because as we tremble when we consider GOD is iust so considering that he is mercifull we hope in him also Thus to seare thus to hope is to giue glorie vnto GOD and to giue him glorie is to confesse vnto him You expect haply that importuned by the Romish Commentaries on this place I should fall vpon the controuersie of Auricular confession but I know that the Pulpit especially in the time of Lent is rather for Ghostly counsell then for disputes and therefore I forbeare onely giuing this note that our Church doth not condemne it as simply euill and
should rise againe The last point of this Text remaines which is the correspondencie betweene the rising and the fall which I told you consists in three points First Peter was soone downe and soone vp the same night that he was wounded he was healed and cured the same night that he fell sicke many perish through their procrastination and their case becommeth desperate before they enter into consideration thereof no sooner did the cocke crow CHRIST turne and looke but Peter came to himselfe But what doe we doe What vse doe we make of the time giuen vs to repent How little doth aduersitie prosperitie words stripes preuaile with vs We are so farre from repenting quickly that we doe not repent at leasure And what is the reason We doe not make vse of good meanes whilst GOD doth grant them vs The Cocke did crow and Peter did remember CHRIST turned and lookt Peter went out and wept bitterly he did not receiue the grace of GOD in vaine It were to be wisht that we did herein resemble him and not frustrate either the outward or the inward Meanes Esay 47. But the Minister may complaine I haue laboured in vaine I haue spent my strength in vaine Yea GOD himselfe may complaine Rom. 10. All the day long haue I stretcht forth my hand vnto an vnbeleeuing and gaine saying Nation Or if we are not so gracelesse as to neglect the two former correspondencies certainly it is a hard thing to find the man that is like to St Peter in the third and proportioneth his Repentance to his Offence Great faults should not be a little sorrowed for but we should afflict our soules for sinne as much as we haue solaced them therewith Certainly St Peter did so Yea Clemens Romanus obserueth that St Peter euerie night about the crowing of the Cocke did rise and pray with teares vntill the morning If he did lament so vncessantly in whom inward pietie did not faile but onely the outward constancie was shaken what should we doe that sinne so willingly and with so high a hand We should better obserue and obserue more dayes of Humiliation then most of vs doe Bitter teares if euer are now most seasonable not onely the compunction for our owne sinnes but compassion also towards the distracted Churches woefull calamitie doth importune vs for them We make grieuous lamentation for a friend if his soule be departed from his body but who is much troubled for himselfe when GOD by sinne is driuen from his soule If but a neighbours House or some small Village be laid wast by casualtie of fire as many as heare of it are moued with compassion and readily afford some succour But how many Townes yea Countreys Members of the Orthodoxe Church are exhausted and made desolate by famine sicknesse the attendants vpon the blood-thirstinesse of the Sword and there are few Samaritans that haue any Bowels All like the Priest and the Leuite passe by yea and passe ouer these troubles as if they did nothing concerne them but onely to administer Table-talke or fill vp the wast of their idle times I will onely remember you of GODS censure of such stupiditie And I pray GOD it may make vs all more sensible of our owne and of the Churches case In the day of the Iewes calamitie did the Lord God of Hosts call to weeping and to mourning to baldnesse and to girding with Sack-cloth and behold ioy and gladnesse slaying Oxen and killing Sheepe eating flesh and drinking wine Let vs eat and drinke for to morrow we shall dye So said those senslesse wretches But it was renealed in mine eares saith the Prophet Esay by the Lord of Hosts Esay 22. surely this iniquitie shall not be purged from you till you dye saith the Lord God of Hosts He said it to them and in them to vs happie are we if other mens harmes make vs beware But I conclude This Text is an example and an example is the easiest doctrine for apprehension and most powerfull in operation so that if we doe not learne it there is something amisse in our head and there is something amisse in our heart if we be not the better for it Wherefore let vs all turne to him and humbly beseech him that we may be made mindfull of our frailtie and set in a good course of our penitencie that we may be as apt to rise as we are to fall and iudge our selues as seuerely as we gracelesly offend our God So may God accept our teares clense our soules and make vs all as he did repenting Peter his faithfull seruants in this world and glorious Saints in the world to come A SERMON PREACHED AT GREENWICH MATTHEW 3. VERSE 16 17. 16 And Iesus when hee was baptized went vp straight way out of the water and loe the Heauens were opened vnto him and hee saw the Spirit of God descending like a Doue and lighting vpon him 17 And loe a voyce from Heauen saying This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased IN this dayes Gospel our Sauiour CHRIST taught Nicodemus Ioh. 3. that Except a man be borne againe or from aboue he cannot see he cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heauen and St. Iohn the Apostle teacheth how a man may know whether he be so borne againe or no. He that beleeueth that Iesus is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Christ or Anointed of the Lord is borne of God Now a fairer proofe of that Article or a more sufficient warrant for our saith therein the whole Bible doth not yeeld then that which was deliuered at the Baptisme of CHRIST and is contained in those words that now I haue read vnto you For here you must my Text doth will you so behold GOD the FATHER anointing Iesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power as St. Peter speaketh Acts 10. And see with all how wel the Text fitteth the time for this is Trinitie Sunday and what is the Text but a report of the cleare the comfortable presence concurrence of the blessed Trinity in Sacring Iesus to be the Christ Here is Pater in voce Filius in carne Spiritus Sanctus in columba the Sonne in our nature receiues the Vnction the Holy Ghost in the shape of a Doue becomes the Vnction and the Father in a voyce from Heauen beareth witnesse to the grace that floweth from that Vnction In this great worke euery Person beareth his part But more distinctly in this Sacring of Iesus wee may learne from my Text First What were the circumstances Secondly What was the substance of it The circumstances were two First the Time when Iesus was baptized Secondly the Place without the water or vpon the Riuers side for Iesus came straight way out of the water and loe c. In the substance we shall see first Quis who it was that was Sacred it was euen the same Person that was baptized the Sonne of GOD in the nature of man it was Iesus Secondly
hath bestowed vpon thee length of dayes thy time is not reckoned by nights but by dayes And some men that liue long all their life long neuer see the Sunne their time is night it is an vncomfortable time No sense hath his contenting obiect they are all couered with darknesse yea and if it be a waking night insteed of contenting euerie sense is haunted with discontenting obiects Such nights doe many liue in this world which haue presented vnto them many eye-soares and at whose eares doe enter many heart-breake sounds whose perfumes are the damps of loath-some prisons whose bed is little case whose sustenance is the bread and water of affliction whose robes are fetters and manicles finally whose consorts are wretches no lesse forlorne then themselues Such a night how many liue yea of what length are such nights of theirs But Lord thou hast vouchsafed my life to bee a Day the Sun is vp to me and I haue the pleasure of beholding the light my eye wanteth not content my eare hath her pleasures and euerie sense is cherished according to his kind I haue not beene pinched with famine I haue not been consumed with sicknesse theeues haue not spoyled me I haue not beene exposed to the tyrannie of malice my life hath beene a day yea many dayes for my prosperitie hath not beene like the good day of an Aguish man which hath been succeeded with painfull fits but euerie day hath beene a day the Sunne hath not set the clouds haue not ouer-cast the Sunne so that all my whole life seemeth to haue beene but one day But there are Winter dayes and Summer dayes short and long It had beene well if my life had onely beene a day though that had beene but a Winters day at least manie Winter dayes But to haue my day yea my dayes and haue them at length how much better doth it make my state In a Winter day as the Sunne stayeth not long so it warmeth not much but in a Summer day the longer it staieth the more it warmeth then my length of daies are attended with the warmth of daies and to haue both length and warmth what more can a man desire for this life Yes a man would haue the stinting of them hee would not haue them end vntill himselfe say enough And so farre hath Gods mercie gone with me he hath satisfied me I neuer had my appetite satisfied more to the full with the most delicate meates then my heart is sariat with my daies It is enough Lord now let me die But I forget thou hast done much for me in my naturall life how much more hast thou done for me in my spirituall My spirituall life also hath beene a Day it hath beene I say a day and no night The Soule hath a night no lesse then the bodie and much heauier is the night of the soule then that of the bodie the darknesse is more vncomfortable the terrors thereof are more intollerable How vncomfortable is it for a man who naturally desireth to be happie to be ignorant both where hee must seeke it and how he must come at it and so to wander all the daies of his life in vanitie And did he walke onely in Vanitie the discomfort were not small for it is no small discomfort still to hope and yet still to haue his hope faile But for a man to haue vexation of spirit added vnto vanitie whereas we abhorre nothing more then miserie out of the guilt of conscience to be harrowed with the fore-runners of eternall miserie how intollerable is this How vncomfortable how tedious is this spirituall night Or rather how desireable how comfortable is that day which hath freed me from that night I was in it I was borne borne in it for Lord no man commeth out of his mothers wombe but he is borne in the night and the day doth not dawne to him vntill he is new-borne out of the Churches wombe Therefore doe the ancients fidy call Baptisme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 illumination because then he that commaunded light to shine out of darknesse doth shine vnto vs in the face of Iesus Christ and we are translated out of darknesse into his marueilous light It is my blessing that I am light in the Lord made light not light of my selfe but illightned by him Lord if thou hadst not illightned me I could neuer haue seene thou that restoredst his sight that was borne blind corporally hast wrought a greater miracle in restoring my sight that was borne blind spiritually Let others boast in whole or in part of the strength of nature I doe I wil confesse that the eyes of my mind are a gift of grace these eyes that see that which I see and cannot but be blest in seeing it in seeing Gods saluation a blessed sight that discouers that obiect How glad was Abraham when he saw the Ramme which was an exchange for Isaac his sonne How glad was Hagar when shee saw the fountaine wherewith shee refreshed both her selfe and her babe And were they glad at the sight of these things How glad then should I be that see a Lambe the Lambe of God that offereth himselfe to be a ransome for me How glad should I bee that see the Well the well of liuing waters which onely can quench my thirst Isaacs danger was nothing to mine well might his soule for a time bee parted from his bodie both were to goe to a blessed rest but my danger was that soule and bodie both must haue burned euerlastingly in hell Hagars thirst was nothing to my thirst shee trauelled in the hot sands and I in the middest of many tyring sinnes no corporall paine can so spend our spirits as the conflicts doe of a troubled soule How willingly then doe I behold the Lambe Behold the water Euen the Lambe and water that are my Iesus Many saluations there are but no saluations of God but in him there is no name vnder heauen giuen by which we may be saued but onely the name of Iesus he is indeed a Diuine Sauiour the highest degree of saluation is placed in him Let others make their peace by other meanes I will be ransommed onely by this Lambe let others quench their thirst in puddle streames I will drinke at this well this saluation of God which God hath made me see For Lord thou hast not dealt with me as thou diddest with Moses to whom thou shewedst from mount Nebo the land of Canaan but sufferedst him not to enter in what thou hast shewed me thou bestowest vpon me and hee that hath eyes to behold thy saluation by seeing doth enioy the same It is not so true in Nature as in Grace Intellectus fit omnia certainely this is euerlasting life euen to know thee to be the onely God and whom thou hast sent our Sauiour Iesus Christ for by beholding with open face this thy saluation we are changed into the same Image from saluation to saluation by the spirit of Christ O
Lord that art pleased I should liue I blesse thee for that my time hath not beene night but day euen Summers daies long and warme cheerefull and fruitfull But the day of my Soule hath beene much better then the day of my bodie seeing the Sunne of righteousnesse hath also risen vnto me who hath so illighned me that hee hath discouered thy saluation to me That saluation which freeth me from all I feare and supplieth vnto me all that I want my eyes are vpon both yea my selfe is possest of both And what couldest thou haue done for me Lord which thou hast not done that hast blest me so corporally that hast blest me so spiritually I haue no more to expect in this life and therefore I willingly surrender it to thee this long-liued bodie this spirituall-liued soule Hoping that both shall turne their length into eternitie and their daies shall bee yet much more cleare and much more warme where God is the Sun and both light and heat are such as proceed from that Sunne A Meditation vpon Psalme 39. VERSES 12 13. 12. Heare my prayer O Lord and giue eare vnto my erie hold not thy peace at my teares for I am a stranger with thee and a soiourner as all my fathers were 13. O spare me that I may recouer my strength before J goâ— hence and be no more seene O Lord I am mortall I see it I feele it but it is thou that hast cleared mine eyes and quickned my sense which otherwise are to dimme and dull to read or acknowledge what notwithstanding I beare engrauen in capitall letters and the condition of my nature maketh palpable Yea so are my senses taken vp with other obiects and so little am I willing to know that whereof if I be not willingly blind I cannot be ignorant that except thou hadst rowsed me and thy afflicting hand stung me I should certainely haue beene both deafe and dumbe I should not haue heard thee neither shouldest thou haue heard from me But Lord the bitter Potion that I haue taken from thy hand hath wrought thus farre as to make mee confesse that it is too hard to be digested by me if thou doe not delay it I must needs perish by it Yet Lord I know that it is not the end whereat thou aymest thou meanest not to take me out but weane me from the world This vse if I make of thy rod thou wilt quickly giue ouer to lay on stripes I haue made this vse I now doe better know my selfe I liued before as if I were not onely in but also of the world I vsed not the things of this world but enioyed them rather Now I find that I haue here no abiding place I am but a soiourner a Tenement I haue here but no free-hold the goods that I haue I account them not mine otherwise then by loane and therefore am as readie to leaue them as I haue an vncertaine title to them And if I am but a soiourner in this place I must needs be a stranger to the personnes little commerce with them little affection towards them haue I. And why should I haue more seeing they will haue little with me and beare little towards mee I am crucified to the world and the world is crucified to me Weedes grow neere the corne and corne neere the weeds but yet the neerenesse is not without a strangnesse for neither doe their rootes sucke the same iuice in the ground neither aboue ground doe their stalkes beare the same fruit euen so thy children O Lord that cohabit with the children of this world neither inwardly nor outwardly liue by nor walke with the same spirit which the worldlings haue My roote is in heauen and my fruit heauenly I am transplanted from the wild Oliue into the true and grow no more in the fields but in the Paradise of God Neither is this my single condition I haue it common with my Fathers I am their heire and their inheritance is descended vnto me what they were not I desire not to be neither would I be more inward with the world then they desired to be Happily flesh and bloud may suppose that it hath a greater interest in things of this life and neerer cognation with the men of this world but it is a supposall of flesh and bloud I make it not the Iudge of my state neither according to it do I esteeme my selfe I haue better Parentage and better can I proue my Pedigree I acknowledge none for my fathers that had their portion in this life from them I descended that vsed the world as if they vsed it not and walked with thee with those Pilgrims I professe my selfe a Pilgrim and my life but the life of a way-faring man that is on his way to the Holy land Therefore as they so I desire not to bee surcharged with earthly things neither to surfeit on the vanities of this life I desire to liue but it is that I may keepe on my way to haue the things of this life but no farther then they are necessarie for my iournie I haue enough if I haue enough to doe this Measure vnto me so much and so temper my crosse that I may not come short of this I desire not to be immortall in a state of mortalitie farre be that from the heart of thy seruant onely let me not bee dis-inabled to my iournie so long as I am fit to walke therein and to walke towards thee Forbeare to sowre my life and make bitter my daies I would serue thee cheerefully I would serue thee couragiously deiect me not enfeeble me not let not thy heauie hand ouerwhelme me with heauinesse of heart neither let thy punishing hand enfeeble my fainting spirits It is not long I desire to liue neither is it continuall ease that I affect I know that the later is not safe too much ease is the bane of pietie and more haue gone to heauen from the Racke then from their Downe-bed And as for the former it is against the Decree thou hast made our daies but a span long and the time of our pilgrimage is but a moment scarce worthie the name of time What then is my desire That of this little thou shouldest affoord me a little a little breathing before I breath out my last Let me be a while what before long I must cease to bee a vigorous Pilgrim let me walke strongly that before long shall not be able to walke at all let me foretaste heauen on earth and trie me with the vse of earth how much I preferre heauen before it If thou continually affright my conscience with the horror of sinne if thou daily for sinne afflict my bodie if thou put no end to the malice of men and if thou cloud the state of thy seruant with incessant disgrace how shall I so forlorne a wretch so distressed a caitife not be ouer-whelmed with dispaire and proue restiue in my way How shall I inwardly or outwardly
Therein what dost thou shew Lord but how powerfull thy grace is and what an alteration it can worke in me I acknowledge this and Lord let me feele that truth which I acknowledge make hast to moisten him that early seeketh to thee I should haue sought vnto thee in the morning of my age and happie had I beene if I had so timely sought vnto thee I had not so long continued in the wildernesse Yea the trees which now scarce blossome would then haue beene loaden with ripe fruit the seed which is now scarce in the blade would haue shot an eare and beene white for haruest But Lord I that neglected that morning to testifie my griefe therefore take holdfast of another morning as much as I can I redeeme the time the day hath dawned I suffer not the Sunne to shine in vaine so soone as I can see my way I take my way to thee I come earely I would speed betimes See Lord my desire in my haste and Lord let thy grace hasten like my desire yea preuent my desire who cannot desire so timely as I would Onely O Lord I take notice of my Day and would not haue it spent in vaine Turne my morning into high-noone let the Sunne of righteousnesse ascend vnto his greatest highth but proportion my desire to thy light and let mee so beginne betimes as that I perseuere vnto the ende let my later workes bee better then my first let my motions bee not violent which slacken as they goe on and are weakest in in the end but let them be naturall yea supernaturall motions let them increase as they goe on and the neerer my race draweth to an end the hotter let my zeale bee towards God Let me thirst the more let me the more desire those waters that moysten my drougth and refresh my wearinesse so let me appeare before thee But where art thou In thy Sanctuarie thy holy place How reuerent is that place And how vnfit am I to bee seene there Is that a place for a wildernesse Paradise is a better obiect of the eyes of God where God may see all that he hath made and see it good and blesse it being so but sinne hath no place in Paradise Gods eyes cannot endure it yea therefore were the Cherubins set with the flaming sword that sinners might not approach the place of God How senslesse then am I that being such as I am dare approach the place of God being such as it is True Lord I am senslesse indeed if I come onely as a drie as a thirstie land such an obiect is not for the holy eyes of God it is not to approach his presence But if the drie land bee also thirstie then thou callest Ho all yee that thirst come yee to the waters and he that hath no money buy and eat yea come buy wine and milke without money and without price If the barren land be wearie thou callest O Lord Come vnto mee all that labour and are heauie loaden I will ease you I will giue you rest Seeing this thirst this desire is acceptable vnto God euen where there wanteth the fatnesse and fruitfulnesse of good workes and God whose Throne is heauen and whose footestoole is the earth will looke to that man euen to him that is poore and of a contrite heart though I want righteousnesse yet because I hunger and thirst after it I am not afraid to be seene in the Sanctuarie of God yea in the Sanctuarie to looke vpon God For I know what he will shew vnto me euen his Power and Glorie hee will shew them both to me nay he will shew them both on me His power that shall worke on me and his glorie that shall crowne me He will make me as a water garden and plant me with most generous plants by his power that so I may flourish and bee comly in the eyes both of Angels and men Yea God will shew his power and God will giue me glorie that my eyes beholding them my mouth may speake of them speake of the workes of God and tell what he hath done for my bodie and for my soule O Lord other creatures partake thy Power partake thy Glorie but all doe not see it wee that are indued with reason not onely haue them but perceiue them and it is our happinesse that we know what blessings wee haue Lord let me neuer be so stupid as not to behold thy Mercies and when I doe behold them let mee also feele how blessed I am whom thou vouchsafest to possesse them so shall I more and more confesse that thou O Lord art my God and being my God I shall make haste to thee my Soule shall make haste and so shall my bodie also my drie and wearie bodie and soule shall goe out of this world wherein there are no springs of life and thirstie and longing as they are they shall approach thy Sanctuarie and there Lord let them see not onely feele thy Power thy Glorie quenching my thirst and satisfying my Desire Amen A Meditation vpon Psalme 90. VERSES 11 12. 11. Who knoweth the power of thine anger euen according to thy feare so is thy wrath 12. So teach vs to number our dayes that wee may applie our hearts vnto wisedome THE FIRST PART SInne and wrath by nature should go hand in hand and as deepe as we plunge our selues in to sin so deepe should we sinke in wrath Wee should if Iustice measured vnto vs as we deserue but mercie hath prouided better for vs and God is pleased to proportion the smart of stripes to the feare which we haue of them the lesse feare the more smart and the lesse smart the more we feare Thou hast left it O Lord in the power of a sinner how farre thou shalt take vengeance of his sinne Let the Law speake neuer so terribly let sinne offend neuer so grieuously let the curses be neuer so many let the plagues be neuer so manifold yea let thy countenance be ouer-cast with neuer so thicke a cloud let the burning coales that are kindled by thy wrath be neuer so scorching rore the waues of thy ouer-flowing indignation neuer so hideously and bee the whirle-wind of thy wrath neuer so tempestuous feare onely feare the feare of a penitent Soule that trembles at the voice of thy Law that melteth at the sight of thy Iudgements that accuseth it selfe that condemeth it selfe that is readie to ioyne with God to doe Iustice vpon its sinfull selfe this feare I say that least armeth it selfe against God is best armed and preuailes best by stooping most And this is powerfull weakenesse a conquering captiuitie a match ouer-matching that for which we can otherwise find no match This power O Lord hast thou giuen to repentant feare a blessed power and yet there are few that vse it though all doe stand in neede of it And why Who armes himselfe against that whereof he hath no regard Men sinne but little doe they thinke that
their sinnes offend God and if they offend they shall be punished because God is not onely sensible of his wrongs but also Iudge of our liues as he hath prescribed the precepts of his Law so hath hee added sanctions thereunto and as the precept sheweth what we must doe so what he will doe we learne out of the Sanction if we faile to obey thou O Lord wilt not faile to strike for there is Wrath with thee and from thee will that wrath breake out on vs. And woe be to vs if it breake out for thy wrath O God is a powerfull wrath And indeed how can it be otherwise if it be thine who art a God of power Can wee looke into thee and not apprehend Almightinesse in thee But our eyes are too weake to pierce so farre happily in that that comes from thee a naturall man may behold what power there is in thee Heauen and earth are the worke of thy hands nay they are the Host that attends thy Person if they are mightie thou much more for what they haue thou gauest them and in proofe thereof thou takest from them at thy pleasure As the Sunne did shine first at thy command so at thy command it hath lost his light it was from thee the fire receiued his burning qualitie and when thou forbaddest it it could not burne thou madest the waters flow thou spakest but the word and they were sollid like a wall Thou fixedst the Globe of the earth and it stood still and when thou didst vtter thy voice it quaked it trembled for very feare when thou sendest foorth thy spirit thou renewest the face of the earth and all things wither and returne to nothing if thou with-draw thy spirit How powerful then art thou O Lord at whose command is the power of euerie creature and fighteth for thee against thine enemies The Sunne can scorch them the fire consume them the aire poyson them the earth swallow them and how many spectacles haue we of such Iudgements But what speake I of these greater souldiers of thine and weapons of thy wrath How many beasts in the fields How many birds of the ayre How many fishes in the Sea haue vndertaken Gods cause against man and executed remarkable Iudgements vpon sinners But I doe not yet come home enough hee that readeth the plagues of Aegypt and considers what a destruction God wrought by frogs and flies and lice the least whereof wrested a submission from Pharaoh and his Kingdome and forced them to confesse their vnablenesse to resist can he choose but be amazed at the sight of Gods power when these creatures so farre in their owne nature vnder the power of man when he commands them to be his Executioners so farre ouermatch the stoutest of men But what looke I without vs for the sinnewes of Gods wrath What sinnewes may wee find euerie man within himselfe If God bee pleased to reward vs according to our deseruings he shall need no other we wil doe him this seruice our selues Our wits will not only faile vs but insnare vs our hearts will be so farre from eschewing that they will carrie vs headlong into all mischiefe our eyes will see fearefull visions our eares bee filled with dreadfull sounds our tongues will betray vs our feete miscarrie vs our hands offer uiolence vnto vs no power of our soule no part of our bodie wherewith we haue conceiued or acted sinne that will not lay on some deadly stroke vpon vs for sinne But of all the souldiers of God wherin we are most feelingly to behold the Power of his wrath there is none comparable to our owne Conscience which laieth on so heauie a burden and peirceth with so deadly a sting that there is no man whom it cannot crush with its waight and which will not runne mad if he throughly feele the smart thereof I will not draw a man down into hell where into notwithstanding wrath will tumble sinfull man I might there shew him vtter darknesse the priuation of that light which shineth in heauen vnquenchable fire in opposition to the Waters of life that streame in heauen the weeping and wailing insteed of the endlesse musicke that is aboue the murmuring gnashing of teeth insteed of the triumphant songs of blessed Soules finally the tormented and tormenting fiends insteed of the blessed Sainâ—s and Angels that are aboue And what are all these but euidences of the power of Gods wrath And is the power so large so palpable and yet vnknowne Can it be such and yet not discerned of man If he climbe into heauen God manifesteth it there and he finds it in earth if his thoughts fal thither neither can he descend into hell but there he shal meete it nay he must goe from himselfe or else God will force him to behold it Why then doth thy seruant Moses moue this question who knoweth it Is it not because men doe not heed it and so though they should yet take no notice of it And indeed Lord if any be ignorant his ignorance is inexcusable and yet some such beasts rather then men are there that are willing not to know what they are not willing to regard Or if men be not so grosse as thus to winke with their eyes that they may stupifie their hearts yet do their lusts dim their sight and they see so imperfectly that they they are but weakly affected with it Hence coÌ„meth it to passe that thy minatorie words and works stay so few from falling into sin and reclaime so few that are fallen there into they do not belieue that thou wilt strike vntill they feele thy stroakes are on them The Israelites would not as Moses had good proofe for fortie yeere and wee are no better then they though our triall hath beene much onger then theirs we haue no vsefull knowledge of the wrathfull power of God This question may well bee moued of vs euen of vs to whom God hath vouchsafed the same power ouer his wrath our little feare argueth our little knowledge and we may not thinke that we haue any true knowledge which doth not end in feare such a feare as can hold Gods hand or at least moderate his stroake is the onely argument that wee haue profited in that schoole of the great and lesser world wherein we haue so full so plaine a Lecture read vnto vs of the powerfull wrath of God A Meditation vpon Psalme 90. VERSE 12. So teach vs to number our dayes that we may applie our hearts vnto wisedome THE SECOND PART THou dost manifest thy power O Lord and we are the monuments of it our mortalitie is therein are grauen the capitall Letters that describe thy powerfull wrath For what is mortalitie but a reall voice in our eares or presenting rather vnto our eyes the doome of sinne Thou madest vs immortall and immortalitie was a part of thy Image which art eternall our time then had no terme it could not be defined by any kind of period But
sinne hath abridged what had no bounds it hath brought our life within a short compasse it is measured by dayes and dayes are aâ— the first so the least part of Time which thou hast made And these dayes are not infinite in vaine should a man desire to number that which cannot bee numbred Iacob said his dayes were few Dauid that his were but a span long Saint Iames that no mans life is more lasting then a bubble a man would thinke a litle Arithmeticke would cast vp so small an account a man seemes to need no better a master then a man for what man is he that is ignorant of this principle That man is mortall and that it cannot be long before he returne to dust And yet Moses that was learned in all the sciences of the Aegyptians amongst which Arithmeticke was one desireth to learn this point of Arithmetick onely of thee O Lord why Is it because as Iob speaketh thou hast determined the nuÌ„ber of his dayes Would Moses haue thee reueale to euerie man the moment of his end Such speculations may wel beseeme an Aegyptian an Israelite they doe not beseeme Thy children O Lord know that it is not for them so to know times and seasons which thou keepest in thine owne power and are a secret sealed vp with thee we should not prie into that counting house nor curiously inquire into that summe It is not then a Mathematicall numbring of daies that Moses would be schooled in but a morall he would haue God not simply to teach him to number but to number so and so points out a speciall manner a manner that may bee vsefull for the children of God And indeed our petitions must beare this mark of profitable desires and we should not aske ought of thee but that by which if we speed wee may become the better he that so studieth his mortalitie learnes it as he should and it is onely thou O Lord that takest him out such a lesson But what is the vse O Moses that thou wouldest haue man make of such a knowledge Euen to applie his heart vnto wisedome O happie knowledge by which a man becomes wise for wisedome is the beautie of a reasonable soule God conereated him therewith But sinne hath diuorced the soule and wisedome so that a sinfull man is indeed no better then a foole so the Scripture calleth him and well may it call him so seeing all his carriage is vaine and the vpshot of his endeauours but vexation of spirit But though sinne haue diuorced wisedome and the Soule yet are they not so seuered but they may be reunited and nothing is more powerfull in furthering this vnion then this feeling meditation that wee are mortall For who would not shake hands with the world that knows we must shortly appeare before God Yea who would not prouide for that life which hath no end that seeth that this hastneth so fast vnto an end Finally who would suffer the arrowes of Gods wrath that summon vs vnto Iudgement to passe vnregarded seeing the due regard thereof is able to turne a Tribunall into a Throne of grace Surely affliction if we discerne the hand that infflicts it is the best schoole of wisedome yea of the best sort of wisedome the wisedome of the heart it turneth knowledge into practise and maketh vs more tender hearted then we are quicke sighted it doth not onely discerne that God is a consuming fire but melts at the very sight of him it doth not onely know that Gods word is a hammer but feeleth the force thereof in a broken and contrite spirit it conceiue feares so soone as it heareth threats and is no sooner touched but it is reclaimed And this is Wisedome the true wisedome of a mortall man whose best helpe against mortalitie stands in the awful regard of Gods offended fauour Seeing then O Lord this is the fruit of that desired knowledge and hee is best seene in the length of his dayes that is most humbled with the sense of thy wrath and he needs least to feare death that doth as hee ought most feare thee vouchsafe to bee his master that desireth to bee thy scholler and let grace teach what nature doth not discerne that I moulder into dust because I corrupt my selfe with sinne so shall I bee wearie of my naturall folly that negotiates for death and affect true wisdome that is the Tree of life with this I shall endeauour to furnish not onely my head but my heart also and that which now is the seate of deaâ—h shall then become the receptacle of life that life which beginnes in thy feare which is the onely in-let of euerlasting ioy A Meditation vpon Lament 5. VERSE 21. Turne thou vs vnto thee O Lord and we shall bee turned renew our dayes as of old WEe are mutable and what wonder Seeing we are creatures we cannot know that we were made of nothing but wee must acknowledge that to nothing we may returne againe and indeed thither we hasten if we bee left vnto our selues For marre our selues we can but we cannot mend our selues wee can dedestroy what God hath built but we cannot repaire what we doe destroy Wretched power that is onely able to disinable vs and hath no strength but to enfeeble him whose strength it is I read of Adam the first monument of this vnhappie strength but I may read it in my selfe I as all his sonnes inherit as his nature so this selfe ruining power But when experience hath made me see how valiant I haue been against my selfe inflicting deadly wounds precipitating my person and misguiding my steps I become disconsolate and helplesse in my selfe what then shall I doe To whom then shall I seeke To the fiends of hell that sollicited me to sinne To the worldly vanities by which my lusts were baited Well may they adde to my fall raise mee againe they cannot they will not such euill trees beare no such good fruit and if they did they would rather haue me a companion in their sinne and in their woe then seeke to free mee from or ease me in either of them But happily the good Angels as they are more able so they are more willing to pittie to relieue mee but they behold thy face O Lord and stirre not but when thou sendest them and they only to whom thou sendest can be the better for them these heauenly spirits that attend thy Throne moue not but at thy becke and doe no more then thou commaundest I see then that if I stray it is thou that must fetch me home it is thou Lord that must lift me vp when I am slipt downe to the gates of death and my wounds will be incurable if thou bee not pleased to heale me Thou Lord hast made me know in what case I am and onely canst redresse my wofull case I seeke to thee and to thee onely To thy wisedome I commend my head illighten it shew me thy way thou that of nothing
madest me something vouchsafe to make me somthing that haue brought my selfe to nothing Yea worse then nothing for sinne is so it doth not onely abolish that good which thou hast giuen me but it filleth me with euill that is opposite to good yea to God And how much better is it at all not to be then to be a sinner To bee nothing then to be a feind of hell Neuer to haue seene the Sunne then to bee at enmitie with God This is the state where into I haue cast my selfe and thus farre haue I estranged my selfe from thee And how restlesse am I vntill I returne to thee O Lord Sinne forfeits many things besides God but let a man recouer all all besides will yeeld no content except a man recouer God And why Lord Thou art the soueraigne good and without thee nothing is good If I doe not partake the creature in reference to my Creator well may I haue it I shall haue no true comfort in it Take then all from me and leaue me God though I haue nothing yet shall I enioy all things for God is all in all Wherefore though I am sicke I doe not desire health I desire God and it is God that I desire when I am poore I doe not desire wealth I am senslesse of all other wants I hunger and thirst onely after God Seeing then thou Lord onely canst quiet canst satisfie my Soule if thou vouchsafe to turne me turne me vnto thee let me not make a stand before I come so far neither let me thinke my selfe recouered vntill I haue recouered thee Let others rest contented with the drosse of the earth or with the pompe of this world my originall is from heauen and I can find no rest vntill my affections rest there Therefore returne me vnto him from whom sinne hath estranged mee euen to thy selfe O God I beg this of thee because I can expect it from none but thee and from thee I am sure I shal not expect it in vaine For be I neuer so farre gone I cannot goe out of thy reach I can bee no more out of the reach of thy Grace then of thy Power as thou canst smite me so canst thou heale me and thou canst bring mee home as well as thou canst cast me out Lord I make no doubt of the successe if thou vouchsafe thy will for Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me whole onely thy power is equall to thy will and thou canst doe whatsoeuer pleaseth thee Be pleased then good Lord to put to thy helping hand that thy prodigall Child that by the first step of thy grace is come home to himselfe by a second step may come home to thee I desire no new blessing no such blessing as thou hast not vouchsafed to the sonnes of Adam yea to mee Thou madest Adam after thine owne Image and me in him holy and happie diddest thou make vs such sun-shine dayes were our former dayes cleare and warme without corruption without mortalitie though now we are both sinfull and wofull all our dayes are such euill dayes But thou O Lord that commandest at first light to shine out of darkenesse and dost continually exchange the night for day shine vpon mee let the Sunne of righteousnesse arise vnto me become my father make mee thy child giue me grace to serue thee and vouchsafe thou to blesse me create a new heauen and a new earth in this little world of mine wherein let righteousnesse dwell Yea and happinesse also let them rest on my bodie let them rest on my soule let them rest on both all the daies of this life vntill thou bee pleased to remoue both hence and consummate this thy fauour in the life to come Wherein my daies shall be though like yet much better then my dayes of old by so much better as glorification shall exceed the creation Thou seest O Lord the vpshot of my desire Now let my desire be a comfortable Prophesie of thy fauour disappoint me not of that for which thou hast made mee long so change me by grace here on earth that I may be what I hope to be by glorie in heauen where all things are made so new that they neuer can waxe oâ—d AMEN Meditation vpon Ecclesiast 41. VERSE 1. O death how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that liueth at rest in his possessions vnto the man that hath nothing to vexe him and that hath prosperitie in all things and is yet able to receiue meate WEe haue no abiding place on earth none haue but of those that would haue there are many Many there are O Lord that though they must die cannot indure to mind death nothing more vnsauorie to some then that their memorie should be exercised with the memorie thereof And who are they Surely they whom the earth most fauoreth are they that are best affected thereto where their goods are there they thinke it is good being And how should any bee willing to part from that wherein he findeth content and whereupon hee hath set his rest He it is that is not onely in but of the world not onely vseth but enioyeth the same and from that which is our ioy if we be seuered we cannot be seuered without paine Heauen is a blessed place and blessed is the state which all are promised that shall come thither But this truth we belieue we doe not see it surely the worldly happie man doth hardly credit it because he hath no sense thereof Sense that hath immediately to doe with the world as it is pleasured so doth it iudge thereof it iudgeth it the onely place of happinesse If it may be so happie as to be fed to the full with that which it desires if we haue goods and haue the vse of them what saith flesh and bloud should I wish for more And indeed what fuller definition can an earthly mind make of a blessed life then secure store and a comfortable vse of such goods which are the goods of this naturall life Although in themselues they are fleeting vanities yet sensuall reason honoureth them with the glorious title of substance it thinketh they are and are what they seeme because it iudgeth according as it wisheth and what it would haue them to be it holds them to be such And if man bee so vnhappily happie as to hold them without the opposition of enuie or malice and their wings are clipt from flying away the more proprietie we thinke we haue in them the more are we confirmed in our erroneous iudgement of them Nothing doth more roote a mans heart in the world then an ouer great calme wherin he sayles and rides at Anchor in the world worldly peace doth much helpe forward a worldly mind Especially if we bee lulled a sleepe by both charmes of this peace Securitie and Plentie if no bodie disturbe vs no bodie impaire what we haue gathered no casualtie no calamitie cloud the Sun shine of our day or sowre the