ever a heaven on earth beyond the Poëtry of the Millenaries But can this earthly heaven agree with our Saviour's Ascension will not this want its intended effect if by the vertue of this the righteous also the members of his mysticall body shall not ascend when therfore it is said there shall be new heavens and a new earth wherein dwels righteousnesse we may understand it not only of the Heavens though some margents would so instruct us but also of the Earth though with this difference that in the new heavens there shall be righteousnesse and in the new earth there shall be no more unrighteousnesse the wicked and consequently wickednesse being taken away But whither shall the wicked at last depart some have placed their Hell next under the Sphere of the Moone induced by mistake of the parable of Lazarus and the Rich man between whom because there is express'd a discourse they have thought that Hell borders upon Heaven But parables being in effect Similitudes are not so properly intended for stories of truth as for the Illustration of it Besides we need not for proofe of the possibility of the dialogue imagine a neighbourhood of these different places since it were as easy for the divine power to make the Ear to heare from heaven to hell as it was to make the eie of his martyr Stephen accurately to discerne from earth to heaven Besides though their Imagination were granted it would not halfe serve the turn the distance from the concave of the Moone to the highest heavē so much exceeding the space between the earth and the Moone Most men then considering the extreme opposition of the just and wicked have accordingly suppos'd the places prepard for them to be at an extremity also of distance The wicked then must depart from the face of the Lord and this is their pain of losse whither shall they depart but into everlasting fire This is their pain of sense The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath and the fire shall devoure them Psal 21 2. And so indeed some literally thinke as Abulensis that the earth shall open and swallow them up into hell and then shall close upon them as it befell the three rebels Corah Dathan and Abiram In prosecution of which supposall some imagine that in the midst of the earth there shall be prepar'd a hollownesse of capacity sufficient for the multitude of the wicked and that since their bodies naturally heavy must descend towards the center they shall there make one unhappy masse or lumpe in eternall sorrow But such wild phansy we may rather restrain with the sobriety of that wise Jew the Authour of the second book of Esdras chap. 9. v. 13. Bee thou not curious how the ungodly shall be punish'd that is to know what God would not have thee know The humane wisdome of Aristotle did indeed examine the curious errours of the Philosophers about the Soule and the Christian wisdome of the learned Irenaeus studied the depths and madnesse of the Valentinians counting the knowledge of them as usefull as the defence vile and teaching us more happily to escape them then to understand them Led then by Scripture we may severely know that with fire the wicked shall be tormented the power of which we must acknowledge though we know not the kind and to them it may be said as it is in Isaiah chap. 5. 11 Behold all yee that kindle a fire that compasse your selves about with sparkes walke in the light of your fire and in the sparkes that you have kindled This shall ye have of my hand ye shall lie down in sorrow Yet does not the same Prophet crie-out again chap. 33.14 Who amongst us shall dwell with the devouring fire who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings He implies not yet the impossibility of them but the horrour For in sorrow they shall lie down they shall dwell with fire they shall dwell with death with Eternall death Seneca though a Heathen could say Mors timenda erat si tecum esse possit Death were a terrible thing indeed if it could be a part of a man's houshold if it could inhabite with a man And there it is so death feeds upon them It was the Lord that said Deutr. 32.41 42. If I whet my glittering sword and my hand take hold on judgment I will render vengeance to my enimies and will reward them that hate me I will make mine arrowes drunke with blood and my sword shall devoure flesh Here is the execution of the threatning The worme of Conscience shall feed on them that worm bred out of the Corruption of their owne foule sinnes Death shall feed on them Like sheepe they are layd in the grave death shall feed on them Psal 49.14 These sheepe shall become pasture and as Innocentius sayes as grasse when it is fed on is not pull'd-up by the rootes but only the blade of it is cropt that so it may perpetually renew so shall the wicked as the pasture of death perpetually renew to be fed-upon And this apprehension of Eternity is that which breaks the heart of the wicked The perpetuall hills did bow his wayes are everlasting sayes the Prophet Habakkuk c. 3.6 Incurvati sunt colles mundi ab itineribus aeternitatis ejus sayes the Latine Interpreter which some do mystically understand of mighty sinners that even the proudest and mightiest sinners in the world stoope and are heart-broken with the remembrance of the eternity of hell-torments Nor shall they have in that journy of eternity any companions to comfort them they shall have no companions but such as hunger thirst watching fire darknesse devils and desperation Yet will the Lord cast-off for ever and will he be favourable no more Is his mercy clean gone for ever doth his promise faile for evermore Hath God forgotten to be gracious hath he in anger shut-up his tender mercies as the Prophet David askes Psal 77. v. 7.8.9 You shall have the Lord 's owne answer by his Prophet Ezechiel c. 7.4 Mine eie shall not spare thee neither will I have pitty but I will recompence thy wayes upon thee O then let us tremble at God's judgment that we may never tremble under it Let us avoid it by meeting it He that by meditation continually feares hell has least need to feare Remember that instruction of our Saviour Pray that your flight be not in winter or on the Sabbath-day Matt. 24. That is sayes S. Chrysostome that it be not in such a time wherin thou canst make no escape In the winter the weather hinders thee from flying and on the Sabbath the Commandement stayes thee To all that are unready in their account in that day of judgment it shall prove a winter a Tempest And they shall find a severer command than on the Sabbath they must stay whether they will or no. Let us therfore judge our selves that wee may not be judg'd and that so when the Lord Iesus shall appeare
Speech of S. Gregory In natura humanitatis novit Christus diem judicii sed non ex natura humanitatis He knows it being man not as he is man But this day was a secret which he reveal'd not to his Disciples but to stay their curiosity told them It was not for them to know the times and seasons which the father had kept in his own power Upon which words saies S. Austin In vain is all search to know the end of the world since Truth it self had made known unto us thus much for truth that this truth is not to be known Dreadfull also is this judgment for the Sodainesse The former dreadfullnesse which was from the secrecy was in respect of our Knowledge but this from the Sodainesse shall be in respect of Preparation A man may be prepar'd against many things that shall come secretly but this shall also come sodainly the world shall not be prepar'd In such an houre as you thinke not the Sonne of man comes Matt. 24.44 The day of the Lord so comes as a theefe in the night for when they shall say Peace and safty then sadaine destruction comes upon them as travaile upon a woman with child and they shall not escape 1 Thess 5.2 3. As in the dayes of Noah and of Lot there was water and fire though not to purifie but confound so shall it be by fire in the day of the Lord. Indeed when he comes what should stay his Judgment for when he comes shall he find faith on the earth As in the dayes of Noah but eight righteous persons were found and as in the dayes of Lot but halfe so many in the Cities which were then destroy'd so shall it be in the day of the Lord though not strictly so few yet but very few shall then escape the wicked becomming fuell in that fire and their number increasing it when therfore the signes of that day come the world shall be surpriz'd with fear and horrour with such feare and horrour as shall be their first Hell Dreadfull is this Judgment for the Preparation also there shall be preparation for it in the Heavens in the Aire in the Seas in the Earth Preparation in the heavens in the Sunne and Moone They shall now be signes not of comfort but of Judgment The Sunne shall be turn'd into darknesse and the moone into blood before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come Joel 2.31 Which gastly darknesse in the Sunne and Moone the wicked shall not be able to neglect And though they did in this life neglect the signes of Gods Mercy yet shall they not be able to neglect these signes of his Justice They shall not escape this darknesse by a figure taking the Sunne and Moone for the Church which in the time of Antichrist shall be Obscur'd or phantastically making the Sunne to signifie the Devill and the Moone the Reprobate as Origen implies though this last would be no comfort to them They shall not escape this darknesse by saying the Sunne and Moone shall Seeme to be dark'ned because they shall be Out-shind by the Glory of Christ at his comming no this darknesse shall be a signe before the glorious comming of Christ They shall not escape this darknesse by making it only a kind of speech to signify the Calamity of that time for this were to make the signes rather in the earth than in the heaven But our Saviour sayes expressely There shall be signes in the Sunne and Moone Now what signes were in them if there were no Change in them Nor shall they escape it by quarrelling with the manner of effecting it which shall not be as some have ridiculously phansied by the vast clouds of smoake that ascend from the burning of the world this darknesse shall be before that fire or els there would be no body left to see that darknesse but it is said that at that dreadfull sight mens hearts shall faile them Nor shall this darknesse be effected by an eclipse the Astronomers can tell us that by an eclipse the Sunne and Moone cannot both at once be darkned the Sunne being eclips'd by the interposition of the Moone between his light and our eie the Moone being eclips'd by the interposition of the earth between the Sunne and Moone Nor need we suppose the interposition of some cloudes or the like darke bodies in that day to hinder their light He is able to deprive those glorious bodies of their light nay which is a greater wonder he is able leaving them their light to take from them their power of sending-forth their light as he tooke away the power of burning from the fiery furnace into which the three children were cast But shall we define the wayes of the Allmighty and appoint him his Counsailes No more may we appoint the Continuance of this darknesse which whether it shall be longer then the darknesse in Aegypt which lasted three dayes or shorter then the darknesse at our Saviour's Passion which lasted but three houres we have no more use of such knowledge then knowledge of the Continuance But this we know that it shall be long enough to prove the instant approach of the Lord 's comming and to drive the wicked not into repentance but into desperation But yet there must be more preparation in the heaven whiles preparation in the Starres For the Starres shall fall from heaven Matt. 24.29 though Reason and the Astronomer will undertake to demonstrate that a starre is of that bignesse that the whole earth is not able to intertaine a starre or two Besides that the heaven is incorruptible and the starres fix'd in that incorruptible body Indeed there is no absolute necessity to understand this Literally but yet S. Austin thought it not improbable and S. Chrysostome not only thought it probable but alleadges also that of the Prophet Isaiah 34.4 All the host of heaven shall be dissolved and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll and all their host shall fall downe as the leafe falls off from the vine and as a falling fig from the figtree What is this sayes that Father the Starres shall fall from heaven as the leaves fall from the vine whiles the vine has fruite so long it requires the use of leaves to protect it but afterwards the leaves fall away so whiles there are inhabitants on the earth the Starres in heaven will be needfull for the earth but when night it selfe shall cease to be then likewise the Starres shall be no more Which interpretation does no way disagree either with the wonder of that day which shall be a day of wonder or with the omnipotency of God who can easily make them lesse and make them fall who of nothing made them into this bignesse Irreverent it were for us to examine whether he will doe it by a miraculous compression of the substance of a starre or otherwise who can performe it so many wayes beyond the feeble and ridiculous guesse of Reason
Which literall interpretation if any man lesse like of he may take S. Anstin's who by the falling of the Starres understands the preparation that shall be against that day in the Aire For he thinkes it more probable that by this speech is meant that the Lightnings flames and fiery exhalations which shall be before the last day shall be so dreadfull that one would thinke the very Starres did fall from heaven And easily may the world be thus affrighted when as there shall be preparation in the very Powers of heaven which shall be shaken Matt. 24.29 The powers of heaven that is as the Holy Fathers teach us to expound it The blessed Angells of God in heaven shall tremble with reverent feare before the day of judgment at those dreadfull wonders which God will declare in the very heavens There shall be also preparation in the Seas The Sea and the waves shall roare Luk. 21.25 The height of the waves shall frighten those that dwell by the shoare and the Out-crie of the waves shall frighten those that dwell afarre off There shall be preparation also on the Earth The Sibylls tell us that at that time the beasts shall rune belowing and roaring through the fields and Cities that the Trees shall sweat blood and that the Sea shall throw-up fish on the drie ground Nay the Scripture tells us that Men shall be more amas'd that their hearts shall faile them for feare and for looking after those things that are comming on the earth Luk. 21.26 A sinner shall then be like a bird that has flowen about in the pleasure of the fields and at last falls into a nett So shall the sinner fall into a snare he shall be caught The pleasures of the wicked shall be like Jonah's gourd they shall for a time sit under the shadow of their honours of their wealth of their pleasure but these shall all passe away and leave them to the fury of the Sunne of righteousnesse God shall arme all heaven against them and a flood of fire after all shall be as a tenth wave for there shall come also a flood of fire unto which the Prophet David seem'd to allude Psal 50.3 Our God shall come and shall not keep silence a fire shall devoure before him and it shall be very tempestuous round about him But the Prophet Malachi is more evident cap. 3.1 Behold the day comes that shall burne as an oven and all the proud yea and all that doe wickedly shall be stubble and the day that comes shall burne them up sayes the Lord of hosts S. Paul told his Thessalonians as much 1 Epist. 1.7 8. That when the Lord Iesus shall be reveal'd from heaven he shall take vengeance in flaming fire S. Peter is more particular The earth and the workes that are therein shall be burnt-up 2 Pet. 3.10 and the elements shall melt with fervent heat And the heaven it selfe is reserv'd unto fire against the day of judgment 2 Pet. 3.7 nay that the heaven shall be sett on fire and be dissolv'd vers 12. and that the heavens shall passe away with a great noise vers 10. well therfore may we remember what the Lord said by the Prophet Joel 2.30 I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth blood and fire and pillars of smoake Yet concerning the order of this flood of fire S. Austin places it in the end of the day of Judgment though others would have it before that this face of the world may be destroyd before that great Session And then shall the signe of the Sonne of man appeare in heaven which some thinke shall be some insigne of our Saviour's Victory Some more particularly though without warrant thinke that it shall be the signe of the Crosse and that when darknesse shall have overcast the world there shall appeare in the East a Crosse of Light to foreshew the comming of the Lord. Others thinke this signe shall be the glorious wounds in our Saviour's body at which sight in the day of Judgment the Jews especially may be confounded Yet some others thinke it shall be that Prerogative Glory with which our Saviour shall then appeare But since the interpretation of this signe is kept as secret as the day in which it shall appeare Let us consider how dreadfull the Session it selfe shall be A Session which shall be usherd with the mighty voice of an Archangell and of a Trumpet It was the voice of a Trumpet which the Jews did use in their warres in their Temple in their Feasts in their Assemblies Numb 10. It was with the voice of a Trumpet that the Law was given at Mount Sinai but here the dead shall heare this Trumpet and this voice calling them unto judgment And then shall they see the Sonne of man comming in the Clouds with power and great Glory Matt. 24.30 They shall see that humane nature which was prophan'd on earth they shall see him come to be their Judge whom once they judg'd The Jewes that would not know him and the Heathen and wicked Christians that car'd not to know him shall now behold him not without horrour whom once they beheld not without hate or neglect But now they shall see him come in the cloudes with power and glory with glory for he shall come upon a throne of cloudes with power for he shall come upon a throne of cloudes the worke of his own hands yea all the wonders of that day shall be the works of his power and he shall come with power to judge the quicke and the dead He shall come with glory such glory that all the Angels shall with reverent obedience waite upon him upon him whom none but impudent and obdurate sinners durst contemne Will you see his glory Moses shall shew it to you as it appear'd to the Elders of Israel who saw the God of Israel and there was under his feet as it were a paved worke of a Saphire stone and as it were the body of heaven in his clearnesse Fxod 24.10 Will you see his glory S. John shall shew it to you as it appear'd to Him who saw a great white throne and him that sate on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them Rev. 20.11 Will you see his glory you shall see his Kingdome for then shall be fullfill'd that petition in our prayer Thy Kingdome come That shall be the first day of his glorious Reigne Behold his Assistants Angells Saints more especially the Apostles He shall come with all his holy Angells Matt. 25.31 Heaven shall be empty sayes S. Chrysostome in the day of judgment when all the Angells and the Saints of heaven shall descend from heaven to attend the Lord Iesus unto judgment O glorious judgment O dreadfull Judge before whom all the persons that have been from the creation and shall be till that day shall in that day all at once appeare when sinne shall have no cloake
nay when the body shall have no covering but all the whole world shall stand naked trembling either with horrour or reverence looking-up unto the Lord of glory He shall come with all his Saints who shall assist him in judging the world Doe ye not know that the Saints shall judge the world 1 Cor. 6.2 They shall assist him by their holy lives compar'd with the abhominations of the wicked They shall assist him by their consent and applause of his sentence against the wicked They shall assist him with honourable attendance being taken up into the aire at the time of this judgment and placed at his right hand The Apostles more especially shall assist him in this judgment Our Saviour himself told them as much Matt. 19.28 When the Sonne of man shall sit in the throne of his glory ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel And peradventure as some reverently thinke their seats shall be glorious cloudes proportion'd to their excellency who though they shall judge the World which resisted or despis'd their Doctrine yet more particularly shall they judge the twelve Tribes of Israel For when the Jewes shall be about to say for themselves that they could not beleeve in Christ because they were commanded to keep the Law of Moses the Apostles sayes S. Chrysostome shall judge them because they likewise did first obey the Law of Moses and afterwards chang'd that obedience into Faith in Christ So also meditates S. Jerom. Nor shall they only judge Men but also Angells Know you not sayes S. Paul that we shall judge Angells 1 Cor. 6.3 those wicked Angells that would have exalted themselves against the Almighty Behold also the Solemnity of this judgment in the Continuance of it For to the glory of this Session and of the Saints before the face of the wicked S. Austin thinks that it shall continue at least the length of a day Unto which some would extend the meaning of those words Matt. 24.27 As the Lightning comes out of the East and shines even unto the West so shall also the comming of the Sonne of man be As if our Saviour should spend the length of a day in passing from the East unto the West that so he might be beheld of all the world But the safest knowledge of these Circumstances must be obtaind not by the bold inquiry of study but by the modest expectation of experience The method of the actions in that day being chiefly to be learn'd in that day in which the sinnes of the whole world shall be reveal'd Which Manifestation of sinnes shall be one of the most wonderfull actions of our Saviours power in that day in which the Lord will search the World as he said he would search Ierusalem Zeph. 1.12 he will search it with candles there is light in the search he will not only search but also discover Thou didst it secretly said the Lord by Nathan unto David but I will doe this thing before all Israel and before the Sunne But how will the Lord in that day discover sinne even as the Sunne-beame pearcing into a room discovers the dusty atoms which before we saw not he will discover them as easily as he can discover the multitude of fishes now hid in the Sea if it should but please him as he speakes by the Prophet Isaiah 50.2 to drie-up the Sea and make the rivers a wildernesse and make their fish die for thirst But how will the Lord in that day discover sinne why S. Paul tels us 1 Cor. 4.5 that the Lord at his comming will both bring to light the hidden things of darknesse and will make manifest the counsailes of the heart It shall be donne by the power of God by the light of Revelation Yet how will the Lord in that day discover sinne why the bookes shall be open'd the bookes of men's consciences shall be open'd they shall be open'd whether they will or no and they shall be read not only by every man's ownselfe but also by all others not only every man's sinnes shall be made known to himselfe but also to every man els by the power of God and the miraculous light of revelation to every particular man as S. Chrysostome teaches us and S. Anselm who sayes that men's sinnes shall be seen as the Sunne is seen by every eie S. Basil sayes they shall be so revealed that they shall be heard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of all Angels and men And then will the Almighty pronounce Sentence upon the workes of men In the last day of the Creation God examin'd all his own workes and pronounc'd them all to be very good and in the last day of judgment he will examine all the works of men but what judgment will he pronounce of Them Surely he will say They are almost all very bad Yea he will pronounce a more dreadfull judgment upon the Authours of them who shall beginne their pain before their judgment is pronounc'd For as S. Bernard sayes The just shall be call'd first Christ shall first say unto the righteous come ye blessed of my Father that so the wicked sayes he may be the more tormented according to that of the Prophet David Ps 112.10 The wicked shall see it and be greiv'd he shall gnash with his teeth and melt away the desire of the wicked shall perish And then shall that burden of the wicked be layd upon them Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire O what a separation will that bee when the holy angells shall catch-up the Godly to meet Christ in the aire 1 Thes 4.17 then the wicked shall be cast into a furnace of fire In the beginning God divided between the light and the darknesse So will he doe at the last day What is the light in figure but the Just what the darknesse but the wicked So speakes the Apostle Eph. 5.8 Yee were sometimes darkness but now are yee light in the Lord that is you were once wicked but now are righteous In this world there is both light darknesse but in the end of the world the light and darknesse shall be separated In this world there are both good and bad but in the end of the world the bad shall be separated from the good Which separation is a part of the Execution for which this judgment is so dreadfull They shall depart from the face of the Lord but O whither shall they depart shall they depart as Cain to be vagabonds upon the face of the earth No there is no returne unto the earth though some have thought but never prov'd that the place of torment shall be on the earth and in the channels where the Seas now swell But this is oppos'd not only by truth but also by errour that errour of some who because it is said there shall be a new earth wherein dwels righteousnesse have therfore beleev'd that the godly at least a great part of them shall even here injoy for
doe in every Church keep a Catalogue of the Fasters And well may they rejoyce for would you scape Gods judgments Fast and remember Ahab remember the Ninivites who did not so much proclaim their Fast as they have proclaim'd God's Acceptance of it Would you overcome and cast on t the Devil fast by this our Saviour cast him out nay some devils can not be cast out but by Prayer and Fasting Matt. 17.21 The proud Devil can not be cast-out but by the Humility of Prayer and the unclean the Lustful Devil can not be cast-out but by the Purity of fasting Yet I will not propose unto you the fast of Moses of Eliah of our Saviour fasts of fourty dayes this were rather to bid you be miraculous then devout But I may Bid you behold the holy Anna the Prophetesse who having been a widow about fourscore and four years having renounced the world and departingnot from the Temple night nor day but serving God with prayers and fastings Luk. 2.37 was at last blest in the Temple with the sight of the Babe Christ Iesus the Lord of the Temple A reverend monument of temperance whether wee consider her Sexe her Age or her Devotion A most reverend monument of persevering temperance and of a temperance in all things Excellent was the temperance of those holy women which did despise the vanitie and pleasure of their looking-glasses when they brought them all to Moses as is recorded Exod. 38.1 Of which devout women it is there said that they did assemble by troopes to the door of the Tabernacle The Chaldie Interpreter sayes they came to pray the Greek says that they fasted and others render the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they did warre and aptly might it be renderd to warre that is the Lords Spirituall warfare and service So Moses speaks of the Levites that enterd-in to warre the warfare as the Margent shews from the Hebrew that is to performe the service and to doe the work in the Tabernacle of the Congregation Numb 4.23 So speakes S. Paul to Timothie that thou by them mightest warre a good warfare 1 Tim. 1.18 And you may a litle farther note the blessing of those women in some sort shadow'd-out in the gifts which they did present For of their looking-glasses as by custom of speech they are call'd though they were of brass as the margent notes from the Original as in these times we have some of steele Moses made a Laver for the use of the Tabernacle of the Lord And thus the instruments wherby they did adorne their bodies were chang'd into an instrument wherby through faith they might Sanctifie their Souls as the Priest by washing in the same did purifie his body And this temperance from outward things in these holy women did not it seems decay amongst the Jewes nay rather it increas'd even to a temperance from the most tempting pleasures of the body For so you may read of the Virgins that were shut-up in the Temple at Ierusalem as the Authour of the book of Macchabies relates Lib. 2. Cap. 3.19 which virgins S. Ambrose sayes Lib. 3. de virginibus were deputatae dedicated to the Temple at Ierusalem And it seems Anna the Prophetesse was of the like devotion who did the more abstain from bodily food sayes Tertullian ut magis spiritualibus deliciaretur that she might the more exquisitely be delighted with the Spirituall food Shee did indeed so devoutly diet her self as if being a Prophetesse she had foreknown that she was to runne a long race No marvaile then if the Christian Church which was to exceed the Jewish as much in purity of life as of knowledge took all occasions to imitate holy fasts Hence was the Spring fast or fast of Lent instituted to imitate for our proportion our Saviours abstinence not to attain the degree of it but the benefit Indeed if He fasted so that had no sinne as S. Ambrose's devotion argues how ought we to fast who without him are nothing but sinne And if he fasted so for the sinnes of others sayes S. Bernard how ought we to fast for our own sinnes The space of Lent as the piety of some has observ'd is the Tenth of the year though strictly somewhat more which if by holy exercises we Sanctifie unto God he will sanctifie the other nine parts unto us Besides it will shew our estimation of his fast and make us remember as S. Austin sayes the greatnesse of our wound by the greatnesse of his fast and the greatnesse of his cure by the greatnesse of our danger Hence also did they institute their quarterly fasts that at those seasons they might be the more fit both for prayer for the food of their souls by Gods blessing on the Ministers of the Church in that Age at those times to be ordain'd as also for Prayer and Thanksgiving for the food of our bodys the fruits of the ground which principally at those times are either in the seed or the blade or the eare either rotting ripening or ripe and therfore craving Gods more instant and seasonable blessing Hence also did they perform preparative fasts against the memorials of the Saints Saints regesterd in Gods word such as the attendants of our Saviour in his life not but that all true beleevers are truly Saints as having true sanctity but neither of their degree nor of their glory the divine wisdome making them starres of a greater magnitude in the heaven of the Church And thus they did not only Remember those greate examples of holinesse but also Imitate them and by the imitation of their Sanctitie learn'd to increase their own Hence also were their weekely fasts the wednesday fast amongst other reasons in remembrance of our Saviours Innocence and Danger it being on the day before his passion that the great consultation of the cheif Priests and Elders was held against his life as is collected from the beginning of the 26. Chapter of S. Mathew as also that on that day be was by ointment prepar'd for his buriall Yet this fast as Tertullian sayes did but passive currere was but permitted in the Church rather than commanded The Friday-day fast was instituted in a continuall remembrance of our Saviour's death as the Saturday-fast in remembrance of his Humiliation for our sakes in the Grave as also for our preparation unto a more holy celebrating of our Christian Sabbath And surely as it were a great offence to observe dayes and fasts with superstition in beleef of Merit doubtlesse it is an acceptable Sacrifice unto God to observe them with devotion For as the Apostle bids us flie all occasion of evill so by the rule of contraries he implies that we must gladly imbrace all occasions of good all occasions wherby we may make our Soules more obedient unto God by making our bodies more obedient to our Soules Fast and see how good and gracious the Lord is Hence were those frequent and private fasts of the Ancient Christians many
upon plentifull and flourishing Carmel they must be like the offerings that Jacob bid his sonnes carry down into Aegypt Gen. 43.11 they must be the best fruits the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which being drawn from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to sing with singular art and delight signifies such guifts as might seem fit to be praised by the most eloquent mouth and the most artificiall song Such must be the offering from our labour and then as the husbandman amongst the Israelites did for six yeares together Till the earth but the sev̄eth yeare rested eating that which grew of its own accord so whiles we are in this life we must be diligently imployed in our spirituall husbandry and when the seventh yeare the Sabbath yeare of Eternity shall come then shall we cease from our hard labour and be fed with such food as God will provide for us without our Labour O then let us labour so in our life of grace that here-after we may be at rest for ever in the life of Glory Which grant unto us O most mercifull Father thou that art the Great and True Husbandman for thy Sonne our Lord Iesus Christ his sake to whom with thy blessed Spirit three Persons and one God bee ascrib'd the Glory of Love and Providence in the conversion of thy Elect now and for evermore FINIS OF The Misery of Vncleanesse A SERMON BY BARTEN HOLYDAY Doctor of Divinity OXFORD Printed by Leonard Lichfield 1657. 2 Cor. 7.1 Let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and Spirit THe works of God being the similitude of his Nature were in their Creation like his nature truly good and so truly good that it was impossible for thē in their creatiō to be bad Thus as God is pure so likewise for his proportion Man was pure and then was man the work only of God but having since fallen from that puritie though he be still the workmanship of God yet we may say he is also his owne work since he is become unhappily what God made him not unclean In which estate though he still retains such workmanship as expresses the power of God yet does it fail to expresse God's Holinesse But God whose love is more constant than man's vanitie is changeable willing to restore man unto a puritie graciously remembers man that man may remember himself as here by his Apostle he remembers the Corinthians It was the voice of God Be ye holy for I am holy For the execution of which command the Apostle heer teaches the Corinthians an easy yet a happy way to perfect righteousnesse by cleansing themselves from Filthinesse Which that they may doe seriously he shews them how they may doe it skilfully and that you likewise may be prompted to the Imitation you may be prompted to the knowledge First then you may see what is to bee remov'd Filthinesse All filthinesse the kinds wherof are according to the parts of man the filthinesse of the Flesh and of the Spirit not but that every sinne defiles the whole man but that the unclenesse of some sinnes more appeares in one part than in the other Some more notoriously defile the Flesh the Body as Intemperance and Incontinence the one being a preparative to the other the blind miserably leading the blind into the pit And these were the sinnes of the old Heathen amongst whom for their lesse knowledge though they were more excusable yet we may doubt they were scarce more frequent Some sinnes again more notoriously defile the Soul the Spirit either in a false worship of the false image of God and such is Idolatry or in a malicious worshippe of the Enemie of God and such is witchcraft and the like impudencies of Satan the one pretending an imitation of God the other hating an Imitation of him These likewise were the frequent though the great defilements of the Heathen and are they not a worse filthinesse whiles as frequent amongst the Christians And though some of these crimes seem very different yet Satan's art often linkes them into a chain though single they are large enough and powerfull enough to detain man captive the strength of whose reason being maisterd by the strength and subtilty of the wine leaves him to the sigh of the wise and the scoffe of the bad And since the filthinesse of vice ugly and usefull may by the wisdome of comparison move us to vertue we may cast an eie on such a concret sinner a drunkard in his drunkennesse which he does best if we might so speak expresse when he does worst expresse it that is most truly when most shamfully And indeed he does it usually with such broad folly that of all kind of sinners he especially saves his enemies the ready and easy labour to call him fool and it were some degree of happinesse if shame though without grace could keep him from this sinne But this sinne that makes him sottish makes him impudent and by the bold art of hell heartens him to deride all that deride him wherin he fares as does a madman to whom when the physitian offers the cure of his madnesse he is ready to object madnesse to the physitian But as the right physitian is as wise as skilfull to be more busied about the cause and degrees then about these effects of his patient's maladie that so he may apply necessarie physique so does the true physitian of the Soul not regard the perversnesse of the drunkard that resists cure but the necessitie of the cure and in despite of despite goes on in his mercifull duty crying-out with the royall Prophet Isaiah 5.11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning that they may follow strong drink that continue untill night till the wine in-flame them till the wine pursue them but regard not the word of the Lord v. 12. Shall wee wish that They would heare this that will not intend to hear God they that prophane his Sabbaths but first themselves preferring the ridiculous lispings of their overmoistned associates before the articulate wisdome of God's word well may the Prophet crie woe unto them but they themselves shall hereafter crie woe unto themselves yet here also there is a woe to their estats povertie shall be their lot and which is the misery of their misery not by oppression but by folly a labouring man that is given to drunkennesse shall not be rich the wise man could say Eccles 19.1 If the labouring drunkard shall bee poor surely the lazie drunkard shall be a begger A woe there is here to their body also which they thinke they love a woe to their mind which they may know they abuse Who has woe sayes Salomon Prov. 23.29 Who has sorrow who has contentions who has babbling who has wounds without cause who has rednesse of eies They that tarry long at the wine they that goe to seek mixt-wine which at the last as Solomon sayes bites like a Serpent v. 32. Now the Serpent as Jacob
a table in the Church to that purpose which also for the Charity at it as Pontius Pautinus says was call'd the Lords Table And in the time of Monica S. Austin's mother there was a custome upon festivall days to stay in the Church four and twenty houres together and every man having brought thither his meat they gave after the feast what remain'd unto the poore Which custome when Monica would have used in the Diocesse of Milan S. Ambrose would not permit it it being not with them the custome to doe so Nor doth this Communion make us love only the poore but also our enemies the Pascall Lambe was to be eaten with unleaven'd bread this bread must not be eaten with the leaven of malice as the Apostle shews 1 Cor. 5.8 The Heathen though they reached not to the high precept of the Gospell to love their enemies charity being a thing unknown unto thē yet understood and practised a morall reconciliation of enemies For which purpose they had their feast Charistia as Valerius Max. tels us which principally was for the reconciling of Kinsfolk fallen out Theirs was Charistia but ours an Eucharistia a happy love or acknowledgement of Love Besides it is a Communion for the great and Mysticall Union or collection of so many unexpressible graces as are united in it imparted by it If therefore it were but for our own sakes we should be perswaded easily to frequent it and well might they here then extend their crie and their desire Give us this bread evermore S. Luke relates Act. 2.42 That in the Apostles time they did continue stedfast in prayer and Breaking bread that is in receiving the Sacrament For by this as Ignatius tells the Ephesians the power of Satan grows lesse and retires back being more powerfully resisted by the united devotion of so many Communicants And as S. Luke expresses the constancy of the Church in receiving the Sacrament so Iustin the Martyr 2. Apol. expresses the frequency saying that all in Townes and Villages met and received it every Sabbath S. Basil ad Caesariam says it was the custome to receive it four times in a Weeke S. Jerom epist 28. testifies of the Roman and Spanish Churches that they receiv'd it every day and S. Cyprian de Orat. Dom. Serm. 6. witnesses as much for the African Church And Tertullian de Oratione understands this Sacramentall bread by our Daily bread in the Lords prayer so likewise does S. Ambrose lib. 5. de Sacram. cap. 4. And if this says he be Daily bread why doest thou take it but once a yeare as some in the East or Greek Church did use to doe Receive that daily says he which may daily profit thee and so live every day that every day thou mayst be fit to receive it He that is not fit to receive it every day will be lesse fit to receive it once in a yeare He will be most fit for the Sacrament who will most frequent it the Sacrament being also a Preparative to it self He that has not a clean conscience is not fit to receive it once a yeare says S. Chrys in Ep. ad Hebr. hom 27. he that receives it but once a yeare shall never likely have a clean Conscience so shall never likely receive it once a yeare Some think a man may sometimes abstain in reverence yet such may know a man may frequent it with reverence True it is that the Centurion cried out unto our Saviour Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest come my roofe Mat. 8.8 And yet againe we know that Zachaeus receiv'd him joyfully Luk. 19.6 He that would abstaine from the Sacrament for Reverence is by his reverence fit to receive it He that ceases to sinne says S. Hilary must not cease to Communicate nay therefore he must not cease to Communicate because he ceases from sinne But he that finds himselfe not disposed to receive must know that he is spiritually sicke and therefore he must strive to dispose himselfe by repentance that he may eate of this food and recover his health He must remember that to frequent the Sacrament is frequently to remember the death of Christ and such remembrance ought to be as perpetuall as it is gratefull The Godly man must be like God as he is described Revel 4.3 where he is said to be like a Iaspar and a Sardine stone and to be incompassed with a Rainebow like an Emerald This mystically implys the nature of God the nature particularly of Christ and the nature of a Christian The Iaspar is a green stone and signifies flourishing perpetuity The Sardine is a stone like to blood and flesh and aptly fignifies the precious wounds in our Saviour's body And the union of these two shews that those wounds must be still fresh in our memory they must be as perpetually remembred as they are perpetually beneficiall The Raine-bow is a signe of God's covenant of Protection and the Emerald a glorious and green stone much of the nature of Iaspar signifies likewise the perpetuity and Glory of that protection So that he who pepetually remembers in this Sacrament the bloody Passion of our Saviour shall be both gloriously and perpetually incompassed with divine protection Yet for the frequency of receiving we need not descend to private prescriptions but use that moderate devotion of religious Congregations which constantly communicate once a month which practice where it may be may be the hope and endeavour of every good Christian a practise that may with a holy discretion preserve both a Frequency and a Reverence of this great Mystery which to receive is not left to our carelesse libertie but is the Commandement of our blessed Saviour Doe this in remembrance of me And as the Commandement is to all so also the Duty and therefore none to be excluded but notorious sinners they must be great sinners and known to be great sinners Iudas was admitted to it by our Saviour as the Christian Fathers generally believ'd though S. Hilary indeed differed from that perswasion and their collection from thence is very charitable they conceiving it to shew unto us that whiles a sinner is conceal'd as it was in Iudas his case so long the Church must be so charitable as to admit him a judgement that detests the rigour of private suspicion Let us not then whiles we would be over righteous be unrighteous and by thinking to exclude sinners increase their number their Guilt In what age in some unhappy places was there ever as of late years such sad neglect of this blessed Sacrament this Remedie against sinne And in what age in the mid'st of Zeale was there ever such various corruptions in religion Is not the Cause as well as well as the Effect Evident Let not such as in charity I hope detest the Socinian become by a mistaking zeale partakers with him in a contempt of the Sacrament To which that we may come with Reverence we must come with Faith