thy prisoners out of the pitte wherein is no water Set then the frost against the raine and you may goe in Purgatory dry-shod If there be nothing left but fire I make no question but there is not a sparke difference betwixt Purgatory and Hell I should narrow vp the scope and liberty of Gods spirit if I should heere tie my discourse to the letter Wee went through fire and through water It is an effect of our persecution and may thus be resolued we were by their malice driuen to great extremity Fire and water are two elements which they say haue no mercy yet eyther of them more then our oppressors The time was that a red Sea diuided the waters and gaue dry passage to the children of Israel and of God Whereof the Psalmist heere sings vers 6. Hee turned the Sea into dry land they vvent through the floud on foote there did wee reioyce in him And the fire in an Ouen whose heate was septupled touched not those three seruants of the Lord. But these more incensed and insensible creatures haue no mercy nor can they inuent a cruelty which they forbeare to execute Some translations haue it Wee went into fire and into water which extends their persecution to our deaths and comprehends the latitude of mortall martyrdome And thus vnderstood the next words of the deliuerance Thou broughtest vs out into a wealthy place must bee meant of our glory in heauen But the euident circumstances following deny that interpretation therefore I adhere to the last and best Translation Wee went through fire and through water Wherein two things may seeme to be imported and imparted to our consideration 1. We went They went so conueniently as they might and so conscionably as they durst from the hands of their persecutors 2. The hard exigents they were driuen to when to passe through fire and water was but a lesse euill compared with that they eschewed Per mare mactantes fugimus per saxa per ignes 1. From the former obserue that it may be lawfull in time of persecution to flie This was granted yea in some respects enioyned by Christ. But must be warily vnderstood and the rule in a word may bee this When our suffering may stand the Church of God in better stead then our flying we must then lose our liues to saue Gods honour and our owne soules To deny God this fealtie and tribute of our blouds when his glory hath vse of such a seruice at our hands is not onely to deny him that is his owne by many deare titles of creation which was ex spiritu oris by the breath of his mouth and of redemption which was ex sanguine cordis by the bloud of his heart But to withdraw this iustly required testimony is to betray and crucifie him and scarce inferior to their periury whose false witnesse condemned him In this we restore to God his talent with profit not only our owne soule he gaue vs but as many more as our example workes vpon and winnes to him When the people admired the great bounty of Iohn called Eleemosynarius he answered them O brethren I haue not yet shed my bloud for you as I ought to doe for my masters sake and testimony In the early morning of the world did Abel dedicate Martyrdome without example and the Lord did approue it by accepting Abels sacrifice and Abel for a sacrifice I haue read that a worthy Martyr of ours Dr. Rowland Taylor wrote first with inke after with his bloud that it is not enough to professe the Gospell of Christ ad ignem exclusiue but we must cleaue to it ad ignem inclusiuè This was an honor that Christ accepted presently after his birth the Holocaust or Heccatomb of many innocent infants murdered and martyred for his sake So that suffering for Iesus is a thing to which he promiseth an ample reward No man shall for sake parents or friends or inheritance or liuing or life for my sake but hee shall haue in exchange a hundred fold so much comfort in this life and in the world to come life euerlasting But all times and occasions yeeld not warrant for such a seruice Much lesse can the Seminaries dying in England for treason arrogate to themselues the glory of Martyrdome though a vicious affectation of it hath hartned and hardned them to such a prodigality of their blouds They come not to maintaine the verity of Scriptures but the vanity of Traditions the entangling perplexities of Schoolemen the obscure tetricall and contradictory assertions of Popes who commands them to steale that with their liues which not onely is in inuolued beeing but in future contingence whatsoeuer the Romane Church that is the Pope shall heereafter constitute or declare 2. From the latter words Through fire and water obserue that the children of God must not expect a gentle and soft entertainment in this world but hard exigents when to flie from their enemies they are faine to passe through fire and water Affliction for the Gospell is called by Paul the markes of the Lord Iesus The world often sets a man as those three seruants of God were set in Daniels Prophecie On the one side a harmony of sweet musike the Cornet Flute c. on the other side a burning furnace hette aboue ordinary seuen times Worship the Idoll and enioy the delight of musicke not worship it and be cast into the fiery ouen Ioyne with the world in his vngodly customes and the world will loue feast tickle your eares with musicke Separate your selues and it will hate you Ioh. 15. If you were of the world the world would loue his owne but because I haue chosen you out of the world therefore the world hateth you Thou shalt bee like Abrahams Ramme tyed in a bush of thornes from which thou canst not extricate thy selfe till thou be made a sacrifice I haue read that Caligula the Tyrant being dead there were found in his Closet Duo libelli one called a sword the other a dagger wherein many were by name prick'd for death and destin'd to it in the Emperours bloudy intention Presumptuous enemies so cast lots on a Nation before they haue it and talke of diuiding a spoyle ere they come at it Iudg. 5. Haue they not sped haue they not diuided the prey So the proud aduersary in that wonderfull yeare 88. that came with an Inuincible Nauy and implacable fury the Ensignes of whose shippes weâ—…e victoria victoria brought ready with them instruments of torture as if the Land of peace and mercy had in it no such engines of cruelty and swallowed downe an abundant hope of our desolation They threw at dice for our wiues and daughters lands and vineyards houses and heritages shires and kingdome They purposed to driue vs through fire and water but fire and water was their destruction Fire broke the sinewes of their combination and the waues deuoured both their hopes
Another tempest comes and now hee vowes againe the seuen at least Deliuered then also he thought that seuen were too many and one Oxe vvould serue the turne Yet another perill comes and now he vowes solemnely to fall no lower if he might be rescued an Oxe Iupiter shall haue Againe freed the Oxe stickes in his stomacke and hee would faine dravv his deuotion to a lower rate a Sheepe vvas sufficient But at last being set ashore hee thought a Sheepe too much and purposeth to carry to the Altar onely a few Dates But by the way he eates vp the Dates and layes on the Altar onely the shels After this rate doe many performe their vowes They promise whole Hecatombes in sickenesse but they reduce them lower and lower still as they grow vvell He that vowed to build an Hospitall to restore an Impropriation to the Church to lay open his inclosures and to serue God with an honest heart brings all at last to a poore reckoning and thinkes to please the Lord with his empty shells There vvas some hope of this mans soules health vvhiles his body was sicke but as his body riseth to strength his soule falls to vveakenesse It is the reproach of Rome No peny no Pater noster let it not be our reproach and reproofe too No plague no Pater-noster no punishments no prayers Thy vowes are Gods debts and Gods debts must be payd He vvill not as men doe desperate debters dismisse thee on a slight composition No Iustè exigitur ad soluendum qui non cogitur ad vouendum He is iustly required to pay that vvas not compelled to vow Non talis eris si non feceris quod vouisti qualis mansisti si nihil tale vouisses Minor enim tunc esses non peior Thou remainest not the same hauing vowed and not performed as thou hadst beene hadst thou not vowed Thou hadst then been lesse thou art now worse Well then Beloued if wee haue vowed a lawfull vow to the Lord let vs pay it Let it not be sayd of vs that we doe Aliud sedentes aliud stantes one thing sitting in our chayre of sickenesse another thing standing in our stations of health The Lord doth not deliuer vs out of the bond of distresse that we should deliuer our selues out of the bond of obedience Be not deceiued God is not mocked for whatsoeuer a man soweth that shall he reape The next blow of his hand will be heauier because thou hast soone forgotten this Who can blame iustice if he strike vs with yet greater plagues that haue on our deliuerance from the former so mocked him with the falling fruites of our vowed deuotion Come wee then whose hearts the mercy of God and bloud of Iesus Christ hath softned and say with our Psalmist We vvill goe into thy house O Lord we will pay thee our vowes You see all the parts of this Song the whole comfort or harmony of all is Praising God I haue shewed you Quo loco in his house Quo modo with burnt offerings Quo animo paying our vowes Time hath abridged this discourse contrary to my promise and purpose In a word which of vs is not infinitely beholding to the Lord our God for sending to vs many good things sending away froÌ„ vs many euill things O where is our praise where is our thankefulnesse What shall we doe vnto thee O thou preseruer of men What but take the cup of saluation and blesse the Name of the Lord O let vs enter into his gates with thanksgiuing and into his Courts vvith praise let vs be thankefull vnto him and blesse his Name And let vs not bring our bodies onely but our hearts let our soules be thankfull Mans body is closed vp within the Elements his bloud within his body his spirits in his bloud his soule within his spirits and the Lord resteth in his soule Let then the soule praise the Lord let vs not draw neere with our lippes and leaue our hearts behind vs but let vs giue the searcher of the hearts a hartie praise Ingratitude is the deuills Text oathes execrations blaspemies lewd speeches are Commentaries vpon it But thankfulnesse is the language of heauen for it becommeth Saints to bee thankefull As therefore we would giue testimonie to the world and argument to our owne conscience that vvee serue the Lord let vs promise and performe the vvords of my Text We will goe into thy house with burnt offerings we will pay thee our vowes The Lord giue thankfulnesse to vs and accept it of vs for Iesus Christ his sake Amen MANS SEED-TIME AND HARVEST OR Lex Talionis GALAT. 6. 7. Be not deceiued God is not mocked for whatsoeuer a man soweth that shall he also reape THESE words haue so neere alliance to the former that before wee speake personally of them we must first finde out their Pedegree To fetch it no higher then from the beginning of this Chapter the line of their Genealogie runnes thus 1. Supportation of the weake vers 1. and 2. 2. Probation of our selues vers 4. 3. Communication of dueties to our Teachers vers 6. The first is an action of Charity the second of Integrity the third of Equity This last is the Father of my Text and it is fitte that we being to speake of the childe should first looke a little into his Parentage Patrique simillima proles It is this Let him that is taught in the word communicate to him that teacheth in all good things This one would thinke should stand like the Sunne all men blessing it yet Mammon hath suborned some dogges to barke against it Will they say Let him is onely permissiâ—…e They shall finde it was imperatiue Let there be light and there was light Though their sensible hearts want the obedience of these insensible creatures Or will they except against Taught as if they that vvill not be taught were not bound Indeed many are betâ—…er fed then taught otherwise they would not deny foode to his body that does not deny food to their soules Or perhaps they will plead Indignitatem docentis the vnworthinesse of the Teacher And what Paul shall be worthy if euery Barbarian may censure him But non tollatur diuinum debiâ—…um propter humanam debilitatem Let not God lose his right for mans weakenesse You haue robbed me saith God not my Ministers Will not all this quarrelling serue yet still Pauls proposition must haue some opposition Though we must giue something to our Teachers yet this charge doth not fetch in Tithes This this is the point proue this and you shall finde many a great mans soule as his Impropriations cannot be in a damnable Lapse I would say somthing of it but me thinkes I heare my friends telling me what Sadolet said to Erasmus Erasmus would proue that worshipping of Images might well bee abolished I grant quoth Sadolet thy opinion is good but this point should not bee handled because it vvill not
teares he that payes not this tribute of raine shall want the sun-shine of mercy The subsidies of our mouthes are our praises Tibi omne os confitebitur Lord open thou my lips and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise The subsidies of our eares are attention to his word Mary sate at Iesus feete and heard his word The subsidies of our heads are meditations of his power iustice mercy truth The blessed man doth meditate in the Law of the Lord day and night This reduceth Christianity to practice a rare habite and yet it is as possible to be good without it as to swallow and neuer chew the cudde A Sermon without consequent meditation may come to be remembred againe in hell The subsidies of our knees are geniculations I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ. Steuen kneeled downe prayed c. If our knees be too stout to pay this tribute heauen gate will be too low for our entrance The subsidies of our hands are almes to the poore the due paiment of this interest shall blesse and increase the principall Giue and it shall bee giuen you To the King wee pay Fifteenes to God Tenths these he hath separated to himselfe The honest Pharise could say Tyth and be rich the dishonest Christian sayes Tyth and bee poore But what men get by this detinie shall be their fatall destiny they shall leaue the gold behind them but carry the guilt with them to euerlasting fire Robbe not this Citie militant lest God turne you from the City triumphant Of the liuing God This hath beene an ancient attribute to God liuing and it is added heere partly for distinction partly for demonstration First it distinguisheth the owner of this Citie from other titular gods For there bee gods many and lords many The name of gods hath beene giuen to men to Idols to lusts Homines Dij mortales Idola dij mortui Libidines dij mortiferi Men are gods dying Idols dead lusts deadly There are 1. Dij deputati reputed and deputed gods such are Magistrates and Princes I haue said Yee are gods but these are mortall gods ye shall die like men You haue your life from this liuing GOD both the life of nature common with others and the life of power superiour to others The powers that be are ordained of God Pilate receiued that power from God whereby hee vniustly condemned the Sonne of God Thou couldest haue no power against me except it were giuen thee from aboue Wee must giue to those gods obedience eyther actiue or passiue actiue when they command well passiue though they command ill Otherwise we incurre damnation for obstinate disobeying as themselues haue damnation for vniust commanding These are momentany gods as men are Kings on the stage till the play is done 2. Dij fictitij fayned gods as Mars the god of warre Neptune the god of the sea c. They were strange gods that ran a whoring after women made way to their lusts if not by flattery by bloud Scarce ranker villany in the Deuils then was found in those gods This the Philosophers obiected against Paul that he was a setter forth of strange gods The superstitious Lystrians tooke Paul and Barnabas for such gods Dij descenderunt the gods are come downe to vs in the likenesse of men But Paul vers 15. points them to the liuing GOD that made heauen and earth Those fayned gods are confounded by this liuing GOD. 3. Dij manufacti gods made with mens hands Idols but these are dead gods Yea not onely dead but nothing An Idol is nothing in the world It is true that they haue matter and forme the gold brasse wood or stone whereof they are made be substances they haue something in esse naturae nothing in esse vitae they haue stuffe but no life in them They haue eyes and see not there is no breath in their mouthes S. Paul commends in the Thessalonians this happy conuersion from dead idols to the liuing God O that it were as easie to confute Idolaters as it is to confound Idols Res hominis conculcat talem Deum No Idol is so great a god but the foote of man can kicke it downe 4. Dij vsurpantes vsurping gods deuils So Paul calls Satan the god of this world Of the whole world What is then left for God Not so he is Deus improborum not elementorum God of the wicked not of the frame of the world The Prince of this world is already iudged A goodly god that is already iudged The God of peace shall tread Satan vnder your feet Not you but God shall tread him down to your comfort vnder your feet Therefore give no place to the Deuill for there is no place for the Deuill but where it is giuen him 5. Dij sensuales sensuall gods Some make their belly their god and delicate cheare his sacrifices Meates for the belly and the belly for meates but God shall destroy both it and them Others make gold and siluer their gods worse then Pagan Idolatrie they had gods of corne and of wine But These idols of siluer and of gold which they made for themselues to worship they shall one day castaway with malediction Some make their wife a goddesse dote vpon her with the extremest Idolatry a faire coloured peece of clay hath more worship then the Lord of heauen To some their Patron is a god they more quake at his frowne then at all the curses in the Bible These are not onely dead but deadly gods For demonstration the owner of this City is the liuing God both formaliter in himselfe and effectiuè to others who onely hath immortality Onely Are not Angels and mens soules immortall But God giues to them this immortality onely he hath it in himselfe Therefore hee is called the liuing God and the God of life there be three degrees of life all giuen by this liuing God 1. Vniuersall which consists of sense and motion of this the beasts participate Thou sendest forth thy Spirit and they are created 2. Rationall a life proper to man not to other earthly creatures 3. Supernaturall which belongs onely to the faithfull Christ himselfe is this life in vs. Now liue not I but Christ liueth in mee Haec vita reponitur deponitur nunquam This life is laid vp but neuer lost The world sees it not because it is hid with Christ in God We now feele it liue by it But when Christ who is our life shall appeare then shall we appeare with him in glory Behold here with comfort the master wee serue the liuing God Riches is a flying Master it hasts away with the wings of an Eagle Honour is a dying master it brings a man to the sepulcher and then goes backe with the Heralds Pleasure is a spilling Master Wo to them that laugh for they
shall weepe Satan is a killing master his wages is hell fire But all in grace is liuing and enliuing Idols are dead and neuer were aliue men are aliue but shall bee dead pleasures are neyther aliue nor dead Deuils are both aliue and dead for they shall liue a dying life and dye a liuing death Onely the liuing God giues euerlasting life Ierusalem This is the appellation of the Citie As Canaan was a figure of heauen either of them called the Land of Promise so locall Ierusalem is a type of this mysticall Citie There are many conceits concerning the denomination of Ierusalem Hierom thinks that the former part of the word comes from the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Holy because Ierusalem is called the holy Citie But then there should bee a mixture of two seuerall languages Greek and Hebrew to the making vp of the word The Hebrewes deriue it better they say Sem called it Salem Peace and Abraham Iireh The place where he attempted the sacrifice of his sonne he called Iehouah-Iireh The Lord will see Thus put together it is Ierusalem visiopacis This is more probable then from the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Ierom or from Iebus as Pererius This is euident from the 76. Psalme ver 2. In Salem is his Tabernacle and his dwelling place in Sion So that Salem Sion were both in one place The Iewes haue a Tradition that in one and the same place Cain and Abel offred in the same place Noah comming out of the Arke sacrificed in the same place Abraham offered Isaac in the same place stood Areunah's threshing floore which Dauid bought in the same place Melchisedek the Priest dwelt in the same place Salomon built the Temple and our Lord Iesus Christ was crucified But to let goe ambiguities Ierusalem is a City of Peace This is plaine Melchisedek was King of Salem that is King of Peace Gods Church is a Church of peace That of Plato ouer his dore is worth our remembrance Nemo nisi veritatis et pacis studiosus â—…trabit Let none enter but such as loue peace and truth Saint Paul is bold to his Galathians I would to God they were euen cut off that trouble you Contra rationem nemo sobrius contra Scripturas nemo Christianus contra Ecclesiam nemo pacificus senserit No sober man speakes against reason no Christian against the Scriptures no peaceable man against the Church Hee that is not a man of peace is not a man of GOD. Peace is the effect of patience if men would beare iniuries and offer none all would be peace It is the greatest honour for a man to suffer himselfe conquered in that wherin he should yeeld Be of one mind liue in peace and the God of loue and peace be with you A iust reward if we haue one mind and liue in loue and peace the God of loue and peace shall be with vs. Heauenly This Citie is on earth but not of earth This is not terrestriall Ierusalem She is in bondage with her children She was not onely then vnder the Romane seruitude literally but according to Pauls meaning allegorically shee could not attaine the liberty of the Spirit but abideth vnder the wrath of God and horrour of conscience But this Ierusalem is heauenly I saw the holy City new Ierusalem comming downe from God out of heauen prepared as a Bride adorned for her husband Now it is called Heauenly in three respects Of Birth of Conuersation of Inheritance Ortus coelestis quoad originem progressus coelestis quoad conuersationem finis coelestis quoad translationem Here is all heauenly Ierusalem that is aboue is free the mother of vs all In hoc quòd dicitur sursum originis altitudo quòd Ierusalem pacis multitudo quòd libera libertatis magnitudo quòd mater faecunditatis amplitudo quòd nostrum omnium charitatis latitudo The Church in the Creede hath three properties Holy Catholike knit in a communion The word Aboue intimates she is Holy the word Mother that shee is knit in a communion the word Of all that she is Catholike Ierusalem is a type of the Catholike Church in Election Collection Dilection First for Election The Lord hath chosen Sion That out of all Cities this out of all Nations Ye are a chosen generation a peculiar people enclosed from the Commons of this world Gods owne appropriation 2. For Collection that was walled with stone this hedged in with grace God planted a vineyard in a very fruitfull hill and he fenced it It is well mounded and the Citizens of it linked together with the Bond of peace 3. For dilection Beautifull for situation the Palace of the great King the Sanctuary of his holy worship his Presence-chamber the pillar and ground of the truth There was the seate of Dauid here the Throne of the Sonne of Dauid that openeth and no man shutteth that shutteth and no man openeth A heauenly Citie 1. In respect of her Birth and beginning heauenly For the Lord of heauen hath begate her of immortall seed by the word of truth Art thou a Christian behold thy honourable birth and beginning Was it an honourable stile Troianus origine Caesar Then much more Coelestis origine sanctus Euery Saint is by his originall heauenly Beare thy selfe nobly thou hast a celestiall generation 2. In respect of growth and continuance heauenly Our conuersation is in heauen Wee liue on earth yet saith the Apostle our conuersation is expresly in heauen Our affections are so set on it that wee scarce looke vpon this world wee so runne to our treasure there that wee forget to be rich here but like the Saints cast our money at our feet Act. 4. Corpore ambulantes in terris corde habitantes in coelis Our bodies walke on earth our hearts dwell in heauen To the hating and despising world vvee answere Nil nobis cum Mundo nil vobis cum Coelo Wee haue small share in this world you haue lesse in the world to come 3. In respect of the End Ideo dicitur coelestis quia coelum sedes eius Our soules are neuer quiet till they come to their wished home Thus hath GOD blessed vs with all spirituall blessings in heauenly places The Church in her worst part is below in her best aboue Earth is Patria loci but heauen Patria iuris As Irishmen are dwellers in Ireland but Denisons of England We dwell in houses of clay vvhose foundation is in the dust but are ruled by the Lawes of that supernall Citie Father my will is that those thou hast giuen mee may be with mee where I am Amator mortuus est in corpore proprio viâ—…us in alieno A Louer is dead in his owne body aliue in anothers Animus velut pondere amore fertur quocunque fertur saith August Loue waighes and swayes the soule whither soeuer it be carried Exi
which S. Paul deliuered to them in sacred writing Iustification onely by the bloud of Christ. If they be falne from this who can blame vs for falling from them It was high time to leaue them when they left the Lord Iesus So long as we preserue the truths antiquity wee must smile at their fond obiection of nouelty The Church of God is Catholike not Romane Catholike that 's iust as foolish a phrase as the by-word of Kent and Christendome Particular and vniuersall are contradictories If we haue any thing from them that they had from God it is our blessing that we haue kept it their woe that they haue lost it Esau's blessing and birth-right is lost to himselfe and giuen vnto Iacob They haue not so much reason to boast as we to reioyce Our Church had a substantiall being before but hath gotten a better being by the repurgation of the Gospell which is maintained by our Christian Princes iustly stiled Defenders of the ancient Faith It was Gods Floore before though full of chaffe but now since hee that hath his fanne in his hand hath purged it it is clearer in shew and substance It was before a wedge of pure gold but vsurped by the hands of Impostors that by their mixtures and sophistications for gaine and sinister respects augmented it into a huge body and masse It had the tincture of gold still but mingled with the drosse of traditions superstitions will-worships You ask where was the gold shew vs the place We answer it was in that masse now for extracting and purifying it from the drosse God gaue vs the touchstone of his word which made it sound manifests it to be sound The Lord doth not then forsake his the time was that the whole world seemed to groan factum se videns Arrianum beholding it selfe made Arrian yet God had his nūber Sardis is said to be dead thou hast a name that thou liuest but thou art dead yet there be a few names in Sardis which haue not defiled their garments When ordinary meanes faile by extraordinary the Lord gathers his elect The Israelites in the wildernesse wanted both Circumcision and Passeouer yet GOD made supply by Manna and the Pillar of the cloud 2. A Church is visible when it flourisheth not that the faith and secret election of men is seene but there are apparant signes by frequenting the Sanctuary and submitting themselues to the Ministery of the Word Now this visible Church is a mixt company of men professing the faith I call it mixt for in it are both beleeuers and hypocrites corne and tares it is a band of men where be some valiant souldiers and many cowards It is called a Church from the better not from the greater part The vngodly though they are in the Church are not of the Church as the superfluous humours in the veynes are not parts of the body but rather the sicknesse of it These professe veram fidem sed non verè the true faith but not truly Hence it appeares that there be two sorts of members in the Church members before God such as beside the outward profession keepe a pure heart a good conscience and faith vnfained Members before men such as haue onely the colour and huske of Religion in heart denying the power of godlinesse yet these are by vs to be esteemed members according to the rule of charity iudging the best 2. Now for Instruction what I haue to say consists in the examination of two points First whether the Church of England be a part of this Catholike Church then next whether the Church of Rome haue the same prerogatiue For our selues the most infallible marke of the true Church is the right ministration of the Sacraments and sincere Preaching the true Doctrine of the Gospell That is the true Mother and Spouse of Christ that brings forth children to him of immortall seed by the Word of GOD which abideth for euer not of traditions miracles dreames but of this incorruptible seed And when they are borne anew feedes them with syncere Milke out of her tvvo brests the two Testaments This you know in your cōsciences to be true in our Mother shee doth not giue vs pro lacte venenum but milke euen the same that Christ himselfe put into her brests When we grow strong shee giues vs meate not bones troubles vs not with the subtilties of the Schooles that haue Plus argutiarum quà m doctrinae plus doctrinae quà m vsus but Quod accepit a Domino what shee hath receiued of the Lord neither more nor lesse but iust weight She doth not say Haec dicit Papa but Haec dicit Dominus not thus saith the Pope in his Decretalls but thus saith the Lord in his Scriptures She doth say the truth in Christ and lyeth not her conscience bearing her witnesse in the holy Ghost She doth not sophisticate truth not mingle wine with water not dawbe the walls of Gods house with vntempered morter not build vpon the foundation straw stubble not adulterate the Word like a lustfull man whose end is not to encrease mankind but to satisfie concupiscence O then let vs hang vpon her lips that preserue this true knowledge and say with Peter Lord to whom should we goe Thou hast the words of eternall life Thus wee haue prooued the truth of our Church by Scripture but our aduersaries oppose the sufficiencie of this proofe by disabling the Scriptures They say wee cannot know Scripture to be Scripture but by the testimony of the Church It is false for the witnesse of man subiect to error is nothing to the testimony of GOD that cannot erre Therefore the Scripture is called the Testimonie because it beares witnesse to it selfe Besides the Church hath her beginning from the Word for there can be no Church without faith no faith without the Word no Word without the Scriptures So the Church depēds on the Scripture not the Scripture on the church The Lawyer that hath only power to expound the Law is vnder the Law But they obiect that Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the voice of the Church Paul intends there not that generall faith whereby wee belieue Scripture to be Scripture but that iustifying faith whereby we attaine saluation And this comes by the voice of the Church not of it selfe but as it is the ministerie of Gods Word Iohn is but Uox clamantis Christ is Verbum clamans Particular Churches haue erred therefore the best securitie from error is in the Scriptures This is a Lesbian rule able to decide all Controuersies and it is vitio hominum by the fault of bad Interpreters that it doth not For whether Aliorum incuriâ that despise it or Aliorum iniuriâ that peruert it it suffers martyrdome and may not be heard declare it selfe The Papist in expounding Scripture after his owne fancie makes himselfe Iudge not the Scripture But all their drift is with Gods losse to promoue
Others will haue something demonstrated to the vnderstanding nothing to the senses Some will haue a demonstration to the senses nothing to the vnderstanding some partly to both others expound it This body then it is thus This body is my body others say it is indiuiduum vagum But Quod multipliciter exponitur communiter ignoratur That which is so variously expounded is generally vnknowne The most iudicious among them cannot explicate it Corpore de Christi lis est de sanguine lis est Deque modo lis est non habitura modum What damnable cruelty then was it in them to burne silly women for not vnderstanding this their inexplicable mysterie Those gunpowder diuines condemned others to the fire for not knowing that which they neuer knew themselues Wee teach such erring soules bee corrected that they may bee conuerted not bee confounded Excommunicated for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saued in the day of the Lord Iesus 2. Whether a separation may bee iustly made from our Church for some errors or corruptions of life I know that diuers who were once among vs neuer of vs haue put out their owne lights indeed excommunicated themselues What 's their plea that our assemblies are full of enormities I answer that the defects and corruptions of a Church must be distinguished they are eyther in doctrine or in manners For doctrine some errors are Citra fundamentum some Circa fundamentum others Contra fundamentum Errors beside the foundation trouble errors about the foundation shake errors against the foundation ouerturne all So long then as no foundation is harmed it is not lawfull depart vntill the Church separates from Christ we must not separate from it In two cases there is warrant of separation First when the substance of Gods worship is quite corrupted What agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols when this is ver 17. Come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord when Ieroboam had set vp Idols in Israel the Priests and the Leuites left their suburbs and possession and came to Iudah and Ierusalem Secondly when the substance of doctrine is quite corrupted If any man consent not to the words of our Lord Iesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godlinesse c. From such vers 5. withdraw thy selfe Paul in the Synagogue at Ephesus preached for the space of three moneths together But when diuers were hardned and beleeued not but spake euill of that way he departed from them and separated the Disciples In these two cases lawfull not else For corruption in manners they make not Nullam Ecclesiam sed malam ecclesiam not no Church but a bad Church Wicked Scribes sitting in Moses chaire and teaching the things he wrote must be heard Whatsoeuer they bid you obserue that obserue and doe but doe not after their workes Separate from their priuate society not from the publike assembly But they charge vs that we deny Christ. I answere Deniall of Christ is double eyther in iudgement or in fact Deniall of Christ in iudgement makes a Christian no Christian denyall in fact the iudgement being sound makes him not no Christian but an euill Christian. When the Iewes had crucified the Lord of life they remained still a Church if there were any on the face of the earth and Ierusalem was still called the Holy City To them belonged the promise and to their children To them pertaineth the adoption and the glory and the couenants I would to God this bloudy issue were stanched but what age hath not complained it This mischiefe is intestine Amara persecutio in cruore martyrum amarior in pugna haereticorum amarissima in malis moribus domesticorum The persecution of Tyrants was bitter the poyson of heretikes more bitter but the euill liues of Christians most bitter of all Many walke of whom I haue told you often and now tell you weeping that they are enemies of the crosse of Christ. Whereupon saith Augustine How comes that great Champion to fall a weeping Could he endure stripes aboue measure prisons frequent shipwrackes perils by sea and land among enemies among false brethren hunger thirst cold wearinesse painfulnesse Did he fight with beasts after the manner of men was he rap'd vp among the Angels Did hee beare all these miseries was hee honoured with all these mercies and now does he weepe Yes sinne and sensuality was crept into the Church and this made that vndanted spirit fall a weeping Pax a Paganis Pax ab Hâ—…reticis nulla pax a falsis filijs We haue quiet from the Pagans quiet from heretikes but no quiet from wicked and exorbitant professors Our greatest enemies are they of our owne house Lord Iesus heale this plague Now wee haue proued and approued the truth of our owne Church at home let vs examine whether the Church of Rome be also a true member of this Catholike Assembly Errors that annihilate a Church are of two sorts some weakening others destroying the foundation Weakening error is the building of hay and stubble on the foundation the stubble burnt their soules may be saued A man breakes downe the windowes of his house the house stands though defaced he puls downe the lead or tiles the house stands though vncouered he beats downe the wals the house stands though deformed he plucks vp the foundation the house falls and ceaseth to be an house Those which destroy the foundation are the ouerthrowing errors by them a Church ceaseth to bee a Church Yet if an error be against the foundation we are to consider the persons whether they erre of malice or of weaknesse If of malice like Iannes and Iambres that withstood Moses resisting the truth it is no longer a Church But if of weakenesse wee must not so peremptorily conclude for Paul writes to the Galatians as a Church of God though they were peruerted to another doctrine embracing a fundamentall error of Iustification by works The Church of Rome doth wilfully obstinately destroy the foundation therfore may be concluded for no Church If they wil be iustified by the works of the law they are faln from Grace Let vs heare how they quit themselues First they would doe it by retorting all this backe vpon vs they tell vs flatly that we are no Church and thus they prooue it They say we haue no Bishops so no Ministers so no Sacraments therefore no Church Here they clappe their wings and crow Victory Victory As Manasseh against Ephraim and Ephraim against Manasseh and both against Iudah So they haue set our brothers against vs vs against our brothers Papists against vs all Behold the exigent we are in the Papists say we haue no Ministers because they are not made by Bishops the Puritans say we haue no Ministers because they are made by Bishops Which of these speake true Neither First to answer the Puritan Bishops may make
decay in Gods Spirit that begets yet because the faithfull are first in Gods intention of fauour and hee giues them that strength of grace to resist sinne and to serue him which the world hath not therefore they are called his Firstborne the excellency of his power Though we be weake in our selues yet his strength is glorified in our weakenes his Grace is sufficient for vs. 2. The name of the family was giuen to the first borne Is not my family the least of all the families of the Tribe of Beniamin saith Saul Gilead made his whole family to be called Gileadites For further exemplying of this priuiledge read Numbers chap. 26. ver 23. to ver 52. Is this dignity lost vnder the Gospell to the first borne in Christ no for euen the wicked dwelling among the righteous are for their sakes vouchsafed the name of Christians The name of the first borne hath christned all the familie 3. Priesthood and the right to sacrifice Moses sent twelue young men according to the twelue tribes of Israel to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings vnto the Lord. Those young men are thought to bee no other but twelue of the first borne of the chiefe of the Tribes to whom the right of sacrificing Priesthood did belong till the Leuites were separated for that end Take the Leuites in stead of all the first borne among the children of Israel Neither is this priuiledge lost by the Gospel Christ hath made vs Kings and Priests vnto God his Father to offer vp spirituall sacrifice of thanksgiuing to him Priests but Priests to God lest the Schismaticke should take aduantage thereby to trouble the ciuill state The Propitiatory sacrifice is offered for vs by our high Priest Iesus the sacrifices of our Priesthood are onely gratulatory 4. Double portion If a man haue two wiues one beloued and another hated and children by them both if the first borne sonne be hers that is hated yet when he maketh his sonnes to inherit though perhaps hee would fauour the sonne of the loued yet hee shall acknowledge the sonne of the hated by giuing him a double portion of all that he hath for hee is the beginning of his strength the right of the first borne is his So the elect haue a double portion not onely a share in the things of this life but much more in heauen Godlinesse hath the promise both of the life that now is and of that which is to come It is a false imagination that God makes none of his children happy in this life Abraham was rich Dauid a King But if he denies them opulencie hee neuer denies them content This is the cheefe riches for we see others Esurientes in popina as the by-word is staruing in a Cookes shop wretched in their highest fortunes The godly haue so much share of this world as may stand with their eternall blessednesse in the world to come And such may bee content with a small portion here that are sure of the inheritance heereafter Iehoshaphat gaue great gifts of siluer and gold and precious things to all his children but the kingdome hee gaue to Iehoram because he was the first borne Our Law giues the first borne sonne the inheritance God will not depriue his of it Thus hath Christ promised a double portion to the faithfull He shall receiue an hundred fold now in this time and in the world to come eternall life And indeed the Birth-right with the Iewes was a type of euerlasting life The consideration of this excellent priuiledge doth teach vs three lessons 1. That we are dedicated to God Exod. 13. 2. Numb 3. 13. Sanctifie to me all the first borne So Haâ—…nah dedicated her first borne Samuel to the Lord. Mary brought Christ to Ierusalem to present him to the Lord as it is written in the Law Euery male that openeth the wombe shall be called holy to the Lord. To robbe God of his tythes is sacriledge but to take away from him our soules this is the highest sacriledge In this we haue a sequestration from common vse we are no longer as we were They are mine saith the Lord not onely by a common right so al things are his The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse of it nor onely for a gratefull acknowledgement that the increase of all things comes from him But as the Israelites were Gods by a speciall claime because he preserued them in Egypt when the first borne were slaine For whose redemption he accepted the first borne of their beasts when he might haue commanded all lest this should seem grieuous to them he required but the first part Hee onely reserued what he preserued So we were all by nature in as much danger of Gods wrath as were the Israelites of the destroying Angell when the first borne of the Aegyptians were smitten dead But the Lord sprinkled the dores of our hearts with the bloud of his holy Lambe Iesus Hath the Lord spared vs then hee chalengeth vs. To take from man his owne is iniurious from God sacrilegious Glorifie God in your body and in your spirit why for they are Gods ye are not your owne saith the Apostle Thus hee confessed himselfe not his owne man There stood by me this night the Angell of God whose I am and whom I serue Wee are Gods possession the first borne which he hath redeemed by his owne First-borne Christ. This wee acknowledge when wee present our children to God in Baptisme Yet O strange and forgetfull inconstancy when wee haue giuen them to God in baptisme by a foolish indulgence wee take them away againe in education A Prince abhorres to haue his eldest sonne marry with a harlot this were to vilifie and ignoble that royall bloud And shall God brooke his First borne to be contracted with that vgly strumpet Sinne This were to forfeit and make void the right of primogeniture 2. Seeing we are Gods first borne let vs offer our first and best things to him The Lord hath deserued the priority of our seruice First seeke the kingdome of God and the righteousnesse thereof Our first studies our first labours must bee consecrated to God The Law required three properties in the sacrifices offered to God 1. They must be first borne vt illi reddamus prima qui nobis debil omnia that vvee should vvillingly giue him the first that had bountifully giuen vs all So vve must giue the first houre of the day the first vvorke of our hands the first wordes of our lips to the Lord. 2. They must bee cleane beasts for God abhorred the vncleane maimed or deformed Ye offer polluted bread vpon mine Altar If ye offer the blinde for sacrifice is it not euill if ye offer the lame sicke is it not euill offer it now to the gouernor will hee be pleased with it So vvee must hold vp to God cleane hands and send vp pure hearts
them Vnto them were committed the oracles of God They were first dâ—…positarij then oeconomi dispensers For out of Sion shall goe forth the Law and the word of the Lord from Ierusalem He sheweth his word vnto Iacob his statutes vnto Israel he hath not dealt so with any Nation So Christ to the Samaritan woman Saluation is of the Iewes Now as this crediting facit ad honorem persona cui confidimus Ambr. makes to the honour of the person whom we credit This was a great credit to the Iewes so it brings them to a strict account exigendum cum vsâ—…is as in the Talents God lookes for his owne with vsury Some of them kept them in their hands but not in their hearts alijs magis profuâ—…ura quà m ipsis Erasm. for the benefit of other more then of themselues Now this booke is the Touchstone or tryall of our workes whatsoeuer wee haue eyther thought said or done is eyther with or against this Law of God How we wrangle heere to iustifie many things which there will not abide the tryall How many arguments doth a contentious man produce to countenance his wrangling Law-suites Defensio iuris Intentio legis retardatio iniuriarum The defending of his right the purpose of the Law the keeping backe of iniuries forbeare one wrong and prouoke more and Correctio iniustorum the punishing of euill doers and be not these smooth colours who can now say Peccasti in litigando thou hast done ill in going to law but still we reckon vvithout our Oast thou thinkest thy penny good siluer as the foole thought his peble a diamond bring it to the test There is vtterly a fault among you because ye goe to law one with another Whether vvill God iudge thee according to thine owne humour or according to this precept Alas he vvill then try thee Secundum legem suam non secundum legem tuam after his law not after thy lust It is opus carnis and will not abide tentationem ignis Contention strife variance are works of the flesh they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God Hell fire wil confute alreasons So among others an angry word calls on a challenge they haue plausible reasons for it Their credit lyes vpon it and better lose life then reputation If being wronged they chalenge not or being chalenged they answere not the vvorld condemnes them cowards So they fight not so much against anothers life as against their owne reproach This were somewhat if it were tam bene quà m magnè propositum if the proiect were as Christian as it is Romane Now they must go to the field pray embrace forgiue then fight and kill But is this the Law that God vvil iudge by no that Law is Thou shalt not kill But perhaps they purpose not to kill yet saith God Returne not euil for euil how doth this agree with thy color humor Yet more peremptorily Aâ—…enge not your selues but giue place vnto wrath For vengeance is mine sayth the Lord. Will you steale this from him in a glorious theft hazard your soule more then your body thrusting one vpon an enemies sword the other on Gods sword Will you meet together in so bloudy a designe wherein vterque letaliter peccat saepe alter aeternaliter perit both sinne deadly often one or both perish eternally Thus your pretences may blanch it ouer with the name of honour but the law you must be tried by will finde it homicide For Vsury how is it bedawbed with arguments probabilities patronages examples Bookes haue been written to iustifie it But none of these is that law wherby the Vsurer must be iudged They doe not onely reason thus I must giue to the poore therefore I must take vsury of the rich an argument of Stand-gate hole I may robbe some that I may giue to others But they defend it by Scripture If thou lend money to the poore thou shalt not lay vpon him vsury Not on the poore therefore they inferre vvee may lay it on the rich Robbe not the poore because hee is poore faith Salomon therefore wee may robbe the rich because he is rich and can spare it Is not this a goodly strong argument So because it is said Exo. 22. 22. Ye shall not afflict the widow or fatherlesse child it must needes follow that they may trouble a woman maried or a child that hath a father There are infinite excuses but the Law of triall is Thou shalt not lend vpon vsury studie an answere to that question As much may be said for Impropriations what shall become of all our legal pleas our Alienations Prohibitions Customs Fines all fine excuses when Christ shal set the sacrilegious before him and read this Law Thou shalt not robbe God of his tythes and offerings VVhere now are all reasons and excuses This spirituall Court will admit of no corrupt customes no deuices Mee thou hast robbed by me thou shalt be condemned Lord enter not into iudgement with vs who shall be iustified in thy sight We cannot answere ex millibus vnum one of a thousand Helpe vs O thou Iudge and Sauiour let thy mercy as Iesus help vs against thy Iustice as Iudge VVe must come vnder probation defend vs from reprobation and let vs find approbation not for our workes but thy mercies O blessed Redeemer Amen Lastly others are to be iudged by the Gospell and this certainly bindeth our conscience heâ—…e for it shall iudge vs hereafter He that beleeueth not on Christ is condemned Now the Gospel requires of vs two things Faith and Obedience Faith Repent and beleeue the Gospel Obedience Ye haue obeyed from the heart that forme of doctrine Which obedience must be Prompta yee haue obeyed voluntaria from the heart discreta that true forme of doctrine Lyran. Indeed Obedientia Euangelica est ipsa fides Many thinke they are not bound to beleeue the Gospel but by this they shall be iudged True it is that all are not bound to it they to whom Christ neuer spoke was neuer spoken haue an excuse not of euery sinne but of this sinne that they haue not beleeued on Christ. It is obiected The Law bound all therefore the Gospel bindes all No for the Law was giuen to mans nature so though the knowledge was lost by mans default yet the bond remaines on Gods part The Gospel was neuer giuen to mans nature but after the fall and is aboue nature Adam was the roote of mankind in respect of nature not in respect of grace When God gaue the Law to him hee bound him and all his posterity to keepe it When he gaue the Promise to him faith to beleeue it hee did not withall giue it to all mankind Neither if Adam had afterwards falne from faith should all mankind haue falne with him The first Adam was not the roote of the Promise but the second But now to our selues we must
aduise thy sicke soule who after a desperate and inueterate wound lookest for a suddaine cure by repentance it is better to make this thy dyet then thy physicke Repent euery day that thou maist haue remission one day Melior medicus qui excludit morbos quà m qui curat He is a better Physician that keeps diseases off vs then he that cures them beeing on vs. Preuention is so much better then healing because it saues the labour of being sicke Thou allowest not a Surgion vnnecessarily to breake thy head to try his skill and the vertue of his plaister Sprindges were better taken away quae non prosunt because they doe no good then the setting of watchmen by them to warn trauellers ne noceant that they be not hurt by them Take away thy lusts quite this is the way to be sure for repentance may be like Baal so fast asleepe that all thy cryes are not able to waken her To conclude hee that will weare a crowne in heauen must be all his life on earth preparing the gold to make it Not that thy owne vertues crowne thee but that GOD without thy vertues will neuer crowne thee The robe of glory that is worne there must be spun and wouen heere spun out of the side of Christ by faith and embroydered with our good workes That eternall light ariseth from this internall life Lay vp in store for your selues a good foundation against the time to come that you may lay hold on eternall life The ground worke of saluation is made here that high Tower of glory that is built for thee in heauen hath the foundation of it laid vpon earth How should a man be Perfectus that was neuer factus well begun I wonder what perfection a wine-bibber lookes for sure to be a perfect drunkard What perfection expects the luxurious prodigall sure to bee a perfect begger What perfection hopes the couetous Churle that allowes himselfe a race of fourescore yeares and sets God at the latter end of it and he hath that place too with this condition that hee trouble not his minde about it till the last day comes Surely to liue vnblessed and to die vnpittied but that some now blesse God hee 's gone and other say it 's pitty he died no sooner All his proiections haue aimed at this perfection to make himselfe a perfect slaue What perfection dreames the Iesuite to himselfe but to become a perfect traitor What perfection is likely to the incontinent adulterer but to bee a perfect Lazar. What the malicious but a perfect villaine what the proud but a perfect foole what the blasphemer but a perfect Deuill They say earely holinesse proues ripe corruption but I am sure habituated prophanesse proues ranke damnation Alas how should they make an end that neuer begin This man began to build saith Christ but could not make an end how should they finish that neuer began you that spend your dayes in a lazie forgetfulnesse of religion examine your owne consciences do you euer think to be perfect Are you content still to be abortiue and shall you be perfected in the womb of the graue God hath giuen you time and meanes he did not say Sumite consumite take it and spend it at your pleasure O begin that you may continue and end heare to learne learne to doe doe to continue continue to be perfect Begin betimes lest Gods end come before your beginning Enter into the way of Piety and follow it striuing with all your powers to grow vp to a perfect man vnto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. And to Iesus the Mediator of the new Couenant and to the bloud of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Abel We haue considered the glory of the Citie the felicity of the Citizens we are lastly come to the Mediator who brings both these together and without whom they had beene euerlastingly asunder We are all by nature belonging not to Mount Sion but to the valley of Hinnon not to the celestiall Ierusalem but to the infernall Babylon not to the society of glorious Angels but of afflicting Deuils not to the Church of the first borne but to the assembly of abortiue reprobates wee had no reference to God as a kinde Father but as a seuere Iudge not to iust spirits made perfect from sinne but to lost spirits made perfect in sinne Thus were wee by nature but Iesus hath brought vs to Mount Sion c. How blessed a thing will it be to come vnto this Iesus It was Saint Augustines speciall wish to haue seene Christ in the flesh If there were such cōfort in seeing Christ humbled if such admiration in seeing him transfigured what ioy is it to behold him in heauen glorified How glorious a matter do some thinke it to stand in the Court of an earthly Prince to receiue a gracious looke to heare a royall word or to bee commanded some honourable seruice what is it then to stand in the Court of heauen to haue the King of Kings speake peaceably to vs to behold our Lord Iesus crowned with that immortall Diadem to sing his prayses as free from flattery as from inconstancy and to liue in that Paradise for euer Vbicunque fueris Domine Iesu wheresoeuer thou art O blessed Sauiour giue vs no more happinesse then to be with thee If thou be in the earth wee will trauell day and night to come to thee if on the sea with Peter we will swimme to thee if on the Crosse we will stand weeping by thee if riding in triumph we will sing Hosanna to thee if transfigured on Tabor we will bee rauished with thee but if sitting in thy heauenly Throne how blessed euen to looke vpon thee It is his will that we should be with him where he is and behold his glory Wee are now come to him by a coniunction mysticall wee shall then haue a vicinity locall and eternall The Mediator not a Mediator but The That Mediator that onely one For there is one God and one Mediator betweene God and men the man Christ Iesus God was angry man was guiltie Christ is the Mediator betwixt them who being God could satisfie God and beeing man could suffer for man We are lost and desire something to recouer vs what shall that be Mercy No God is iust he that hath offended must be punished Shall it be Iustice No we haue need of mercy that he who hath offended might be spared Here to be so merciful as not to wrong his iustice to be so iust as not to forget his mercy there must be a Mediator This must not be the world that was Gods owne before he made it not Angels for they are engaged for their owne creation and being finite cannot satisfie an infinite Maiestie by infinite punishment for infinite sinnes Gods Sonne must doe it now if hee come to satisfie for pride he must put on humilitie if for rebellion he must
put on obedience if for stubbornnesse he must put on patience he must serue if he will deserue this God alone cannot doe if to die he must be mortall this onely God cannot be Therefore this Mediator is made man to be himselfe bound as he is GOD to free others that are bound Man to become weake God to vanquish Man to die God to triumph ouer death This is that sacred Ladder whose top in heauen reaching to the bosome of God expresseth his Diuinitie his foote on earth close to Iacobs loynes witnesseth his Humanitie We are bankrout debters God is a sure Creditor Christ sets all on his score We are ignorant Clients God is a skilfull Iudge Christ is our Aduocate to plead our cause for vs. God is a iust Master we are vnfaithfull vnfruitfull vnprofitable seruants this Mediator takes vp the matter betweene vs. Of the new Couenant For Moses may seeme to be a Mediator of the Old Couenant I stood between the Lord and you at that time to shew you the Word of the Lord. This Mediatorship of the New couenant is a high office competible to none but the Lord Iesus Who should appeare betweene a iust God and sinfull men but he that is mortall with men and iust with God It is a Couenant for there is something agreed on both sides we couenant to belieue and God to forgiue A New couenant there was cold comfort for vs in the old A man reading Fac hoc et vines Doe this and thou shalt liue thinks of it as if he were bidden to catch a starre from the firmament take it for his labour But in the New Crede et vine belieue liue for euer The condition on mans part is belieuing the couenant on Gods part is Sauing Now though it be true that it is as easie for man of himselfe to fulfill the Law as it is to belieue the Gospel yet the New couenant Dat credere giues a man power to belieue for faith is the faire gift of God Praecipit non adiuvat Lex offert et affert Euangelium The Law giues commandement but not amendment the Gospel brings saluation to our hearts our hearts to saluation As it chargeth vs so it aydeth vs. As this Mediator giues Fidem quam credimus the faith which we belieue mercy and remission so also Fidem qua credimus the faith whereby we belieue grace to apprehend this mercy Christ hath obtained a more excellent ministery by how much also he is the Mediator of a better Couenant which was established vpon better promises Briefely here consider the excellencie of this New and Euangelicall Couenant aboue the Old and Legall In the beginning God made man righteous for he created him in his owne Image which the Apostle saies consisted in righteousnesse and the holinesse of truth But man soone defaced this goodly and godly picture This I haue found that God made man righteous but he sought out many inuentions waves to make himselfe wicked and wretched Hence it followed that our restitution was a greater work then our constitution The house was with more ease built vp new then repaired being old and ruinous That was done per verbum enuntiatum this per verbum annuntiatum There he spake the word and all things were created here the Word was made flesh Fecit mira tulit dira passus dura verba duriora verbera There it was done by saying Dic verbum tantùm here by doing yea by dying suffering grieuous words more grieuous wounds Factus in terris fractus in terris There all begun in Adam who was Terrae filius a sonne of the earth here all in Christ who is Coeli Dominus the Lord of Heauen Spirituall life is better then naturall firmer surer There man had onely a power to stand but with it a power to fall according to his owne pleasure heere he hath a certaintie of inseparable coniunction to Christ. He so stands as neuer to fall so liues as neuer to die so is loued as neuer to bee hated There Adam and Eue were married to propagate filios carnis children of the flesh heere Christ is married to his Church to beget filios spirituales children in the Spirit and that with a bond neuer to be diuorced Thus at first God commanded that to exist which was not before now he makes one contrary to be changed into another flesh into spirit darknesse into light corruption into holinesse greater miracles then changing stones into bread Dignus vindice nodus a knot worthy the finger of God to vntie Here is the wonderfull worke of the New Couenant we were made Ex spirituoris redeemed ex sanguine cordis created by the breath of Gods mouth but saued by the bloud of his heart Therefore not sixe Cherubims as in the vision of Esay nor foure and twenty Elders as in the Reuelation of Iohn but a royall Armie of heauenly souldiers were heard praysing GOD at the birth of Iesus Christ. In summe there is but one Mediator of the New Couenant neither Saint nor Angel hath any part in this dignity Melancth Idem est multos Deos fingere ac sanctos mortuos inuocare to worship old Saints is to make new Gods He that shall pray to dead men dishonours the liuing Mediator Saint Paul saith expresly There is one God and one Mediator betweene God and men the man Christ Iesus Whence it is manifest that it is the same blasphemous presumption to make moe Mediators then one that to make moe Gods then one Heere the Romanists distinguish Christ is the sole Mediator of Redemption not of Intercession Opus est mediatore ad mediatore Christum VVee must haue a Mediator of intercession to this Mediator of redemption A blind answere for Paul directly there speakes of prayers and Intercession ver 1. c. But say they Our prayers are to be made to God alone tanquam per cum implenda because our desires are fulfilled onely by him but vnto the Saints tanquam per eos impetranda because they are obtained by them As if Christ were so busie that hee could not tend to heare vs or so stately that hee vvould not bend to heare vs or so vniust as to deny his owne Venite and not to performe his promise Come vnto me all that labour We oppose against them that comfortable saying of S. Iohn If any man sinne we haue an Aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous They answere Indeed Christ is our chiefe Aduocate Saints and Angels secondary or subordinate Aduocates But the word Aduocate is borrowed of the Lawyers signifies him only that doth plead the iustice of his clients cause A stranger in the court may become a petitioner to the Iudge intreat fauor for the person guilty but Aduocates are Patrons Proctors of their Clients Angels in heauen Saints on earth are suitors in our behalfe to God but Christ alone is our Aduocate And
pollution Is not the hand enough no the foot also Remoue thy foot from euill Is not the foot enough no the lips also Guard the dores of thy mouth Refrain thy tongue from euill Is not the tongue enough no the eare also Let him that hath eares to heare heare Is not the eare enough no the eye also Let thine eyes be toward the Lord. Is not all this sufficient No giue body and spirit Ye are bought vvith a price therfore glorifie GOD in your body and in your spirit which are GODS When the eyes abhor lustfull obiects the eares slanders the foote erring paths the hands wrong and violence the tongue flattery and blasphemie the heart pride and hypocrisie this is thy Holocaust thy whole burnt offering I will pay thee my vowes The third and highest degree of this Song is Uowes I will pay thee my vowes And here among vowes I might sooner then with Burnt offerings lose the time your patience and my selfe This vow was no meritorious or supererogatory worke in Dauid But though the Lavv generally binds him to Gods seruice yet to some particular act of Gods seruice he may newly binde himselfe by a vow So Iacob vowed a vow saying If God will be vvith me c. This stone that I haue set for a pillar shall be Gods house and of all that thou shalt giue me I will surely giue the Tenth vnto thee Our Prophet did vow performance of that duty to which without vowing hee was obliged Psal. 119. I haue vowed or sworne and will performe it that I will keepe thy righteous iudgements There are many cautions in vowes which I must now vow to omitte Onely Salomons rule excepted Eccles. 5. When thou vowest a vow to God deferre not to pay it for hee hath no pleasure in fooles pay that thou hast vowed Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sinne Let nothing be vowed that is not Penes vonentem in the power of the vower and then the thing being good and thou enabled to performe it this vow must be kept For thy vowes are a heauy charge Psalm 56. Thy vowes are heauy vpon mee O God The Papists haue strange and often impossible vowes of Pouerty Virginity Pilgrimage I will teach thee to make these vowes too God enable thee to keepe them If thou wilt vow pouertie let it be in spirit Vow thy selfe not in the world a begger but a begger to Christ. Many blessed Saints haue serued GOD with their wealth and thought not that religion was only in them that begged If thou wilt vow virginity vow thy selfe a Virgin to Christ whether thou be married or single keepe the bed vndefiled that thou mayest be presented a pure Virgin to Christ. If thou wilt vow Pilgrimage let it not be to our Lady of Loretto or of Halle and Zichem indeed not to our Lady but to our Lord vow thy selfe a Pilgrime to Christ Loade not thy selfe with the luggage of this world lest it hinder thy iourney and cease not trauelling till thou come to thy Home the place of peace and eternall rest These are lawfull lawdible vowes the Lord send vs all to make them and to keepe them You see I am quickly got vp these two latter stayres Some more speciall vse remaines onely to be made and so giue way to conclusion I will take from these three branches a iust reproofe of three sorts of people Refusers Intruders Back-sliders Refusers to come being called Intruders that come being not prepared And Back-sliders that make vowes but not keepe them The first say not We will goe into thy house The second say We will goe into thy house but not with burnt offerings The last deny not both the former We will goe into thy house and with burnt offerings but non soluent vota they will not pay their vowes 1. Refusers or Recusants are of two sorts Papists and Separatists or Schismatikes 1. Papists and they haue so much recourse ad transmarina Iudicia to beyond-sea Iudgements that they dare not come into Gods house because of the Popes interdiction And the Popes haue so wrought and brought it about now that they will not onely in abstracto be had in reuerence but in concreto be feared with obseruation Though at first thirty Bishops there successiuely yeelded their heads to the blocke for Christ yet afterwards by change of Bishops in that See and of humors in those Bishops such alteration hath followed that Rome is no liker to what Rome was then Michals Image on a pillow of goates haire was like Dauid The cause therefore of their not communicating with vs is awe of the Popes Supremacie For some of their greatest Writers haue iustified our Communion booke to containe all doctrine necessary to saluation The not suffering them to come to Gods house is then rather a point of Popish policie and state then of Christian deuotion But indeed they are the Satanicall Iesuites that set them afoote The common people like the Mare mortuum a dead Sea would be quiet enough if these blustring windes did not put them into tumult And so long as those dogges can barke against Gods house the poore affrighted people dare not come there So that England may haue their bodies but Rome hath their hearts and the danger is fearefull lest Satan also come in for his share and take possession of their soules 2. Schismatikes who because their curious eyes looking through the spectacles of opinion spy some Morphew of corruption on the Churches face will vtterly forsake it There are some that refuse peaceable obedience as the Poet made his Playes to please the people or as Simon Magus was Christned for company The Separatists are peeuishly wretched discontent driues them from God and though they say they flie for their conscience indeed they flie from their conscience leauing all true deuotion behind them and their wiues and children vpon the Parish 2. Well they are gone and my discourse shall trauell no further after them but fall vpon others neerer hand There are some so farre from Refusers that they are rather Intruders They will come into Gods house but they will bring no burnt offerings with them no preparation of heart to receiue benefit in the Church They come without their wedding garment and shall one day heare that fearefull and vnanswerable question Friends how came you in hither These are the vtterly prophane that come rather with a lame knowledge then a blinde zeale For some of them good clothes carry them to Church and they had rather men should note the fashion of their habites then God the habite of their hearts They can better brooke ten disorders in their liues then one in their locks Others are the secure semi-atheisticall Cosmopolites and these come too and none take a truer measure of the Sermon for their sleepe beginnes with the prayer before it and wakens iust at the Psalme after it These thinke that God may be
in this coherence pardon me if I haue beene somewhat plentifull It was the induction to my Text and the dore thus opened let vs enter in to suruay the building Be not c. The whole may be distinguished into a Caution Reason The caution Be not deceiued God is not mocked The Reason For whatsoeuer a man soweth that shall hee also reape The Caution is partly Disswasiue Be not deceiued Perswasiue God is not mocked You may deceiue your selues you cannot deceiue God These two circumstances make against two defects Error Be not deceiued Hypocrisie God is not mocked The Disswasion Be not deceiued This is the voyce of a friend studying Aut praeuenire errori aut reuocare errantem eyther to preuent a man before he erres or to recall him erring A phrase often vsed by our Apostle Ephes. 5. Let no man deceiue you vvith vaine words Nihil facilius est quà m errare There is nothing easier then to erre There is no man but erres sometimeâ—… in via pedum often in via morum This prouision then is necessary 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deceits lye as thick vpon the earth as the Grashoppers did in Egypt a man can scarce set his foote besides them But to preuent the deceiuings of sinne is our Apostles intention Hebr. 3. Lest any of vs bee hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne Sinne is crafty and full of delusion there is no sinne but hath his couzonage Vsury vvalkes in Alderman Thrifty's gowne Pride gets the name of my Lady Decencie Idolatry as if it dwelt by ill neighbours praiseth it selfe and that for the purest Deuotion Homicide marcheth like a man of valour and Lust professeth it selfe Natures Scholler Couetousnesse is goodman Nabals husbandry and Enclosing Master Oppressors policie We were wont to say that blacke could neuer be coloured into vvhite yet the deuill hath some Painters that vndertake it Euills are neere neighbors to good Errore sub illo Pro vitio virtus crimina saepe tulit By that meanes vertue hath borne the blame of vices faults yea and more then that Vice hath had the credite of Vertues goodnes But be not deceiued When mens wits and the deuils to helpe haue found out the fairest pretexts for sinne Gods iustice strikes off all and leaues Sinne naked and punishable Many pretences haue been found out for many sinnes besides distinctions mitigations qualifications extenuations colours questions necessities inconueniences tolerations ignorances But when man hath done God begins One argument of Gods now is stronger then all ours Thou shalt not doe this Goe study to perswade thy selfe that thou mayest yet at last GOD takes away all thy distinctions when he poures his wrath on thy naked conscience Then where is thy paint If it preuaile not against the Sunne what will it doe against the fire God charged our first Parents that they should not cate of the forbidden fruite If you doe you shall dye The deuill comes first with a flatte Negatiue Non moriâ—…mini Ye shall not dye Then with subtile promises Yee shall be as Gods knowing good and euill But what is the euent They eate and they die are instantly made mortall and should haue died for euer but for a Sauiour GOD bids Saul slay all in Amalek 1. Sam. 15. Smite Amalek vtterly destroy all that they haue and spare them not Yet Saul spares Agag and the fatte cattell Why is this a fault I spared the best of the cattell for Sacrifice to the Lord. Will not this serue No God reiects Saul from beeing King ouer Israel who had reiected God from beeing King ouer Saul Be not deceiued God is not mâ—…ked Consider we here the examples of Uzzah and Vzziah For Vzzah God had charged that none but the consecrated Priests should touch the Arkâ—… Uzzah seeing the Oxen shake the Arke put forth his hand to stay it vp Was this a sinne to stay the Arke of God from falling Yes God proues it he layes him dead by the Arks side For Vzziah God had charged Numb 18. that none should inuade the Priests office The stranger that commeth nigh shall be put to death Vzziah will come to the Altar with a Censor in his hand to offer Incense Why is this an offence to offer to the Lord Yes GOD makes it manifest Vzziah is a Leper to his dying day God had coÌ„manded the Prophet sent to Bethel Thou shalt eate no bread and drinke no water there Well he is going homewards and an old Prophet ouer-takes him perswades him to refresh himselfe No saies the other I must not For so was it charged me in the Word of the Lord Thou shalt eate no bread c. But sayes the old Prophet An Angell spake to me saying Bring him backe that he may eate bread Well he goes Is not a Prophets word an Angels word authoritie enough No the Lord proues it he giues a Lion leaue to slay him Bee not deceiued God is not mocked The Iewes knew that they ought not to despise their Messias He is come Loe now they study arguments against him Iohn 7. Wee know this man whence hee is but when Christ commeth no man knoweth whence hee is And Search and looke for out of Galilee ariseth no Prophet Be these their cauills against Gods expresse charge Hee answers all vvhen he leaues their house vnto them desolate I hope I may take a little sayes â—…ehazi but enough tooke him for it a continuall Leproâ—…e The euill Seruant hath his plea Math. 25. I knew that thou wert a hard man c. Therefore I hid thy talent in the earth loe there thou hast that is thine But what followes ver 30 Cast yee that vnprofitable seruant into vtter darknesse there shall be weeping and gnashing of â—…eeth To come from example to application It is Gods coÌ„mand concerning Princes Touch not mine Anointed The Papists will touch them with the hand of death VVhy they haue warrant from the Pope Gods Word saies not so either in precept or precedent If any King in Gods booke had beene deposed by a Priest all the Schooles and Pulpits would haue rung of it wee should haue had no rule with the Church of Rome But it falls out happily Ut quod praecepto non iubetur etiam exemplo careat That as it is not commanded by charge so nor commended by examples But will they still argue for this shedding of the bloud-royall The gallhouse confutes them heere but their worst confutation vvill be confusion hereafter God sayes thou shalt not put thy money to vsury thou hast found out many distinctions to satisfie thy conscience or rather thy couetousnesse Gods word thy will are at oddes He sayes Thou shalt not thou sayest thou may est On these and these termes Hell fire shall decide the question Relieue the poore saith the Lord. Thou suckest their blouds rather but howsoeuer wilt giue nothing Why may we not doe with our owne vvhat wee list Well
must not liue in glory with Christ. Thus farre the Rich man acts now comes in Gods part which turnes the nature of his play from Comike purposes to Tragike euents He behights all peace and ioy to himselfe But God said Thou foole this night shall thy soule be taken from tâ—…e c. The words containe an Agent Patient Passion Question The Agent is God But God said The Patient is the rich Foole. The Passion This night shall thy soule be required of thee The Question which God puts to him to let him see his folly Then whose shall those things be vvhich thou hast prouided The Agent God The Rich man was purposing great matters but he reckoned without his host he resolues thus and thus But God said to him Hence two obseruations 1. That the purposes of men are abortiue and neuer come to a happy birth if God blesse not their conception Man purposeth and God disposeth The horse is prepared to the battell but the victory is of the Lord. It is a holy reseruation in all our purposes Si Deo placuerit If it shall please the Lord. Goe to now ye that say To day or to morow we will goe into such a Citie and continue there a yeere buy and sell and get gaine Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morow Ye ought to say If the Lord will For neither tongue can speake nor foote moue if the Lord shal eneruate them as he did Zaobaries tongue in the Temple and Ieroboams arme when he would haue reached it out against the Prophet In vaine man intends that whereagainst God contends Sisera resolues on victory GOD crosseth it with ouerthrow Yet thinks Sisera Iael vvill succour me For there is peace betweene Iabin King of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite No euen there â—…he arme of the Lord is ready to encounter him a draught of milke shall be his last draught and the hand of a vvoman shall kill him that hath escaped the hand of an Armie The Iewes may say We will flie away 〈◊〉 swift horses But God saith Your Persecutors shall be swifter Senacherib purposeth to lick vp Israel as the Oxe grasse and though he found the Land before him as an Eden to leaue it behind him as Sodome But God said He shall goe home without his errand An hooke in his nostrils shall reine him back The King of Babylon sayes in his heart I will ascend into heauen I will exalt my throne aboue the starres of God and I will be like the most High But God said Thou shalt be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit Hâ—…d made himselfe so sure of Christ that rather then to faile of cutting off the prophecied King he slayes his owne sonne Hee might so but he shall not touch Gods Sonne With what lauish promises do the Spanyards flatter themselues when they baptised their Nauie with the name of Invâ—…nsible England is their own they are already grasping it warme with gore in their clutches But God said Destruction shall inherite their hopes and the remainder of ruine shall be onely left to testifie vvhat they vvould haue done Mens thoughts promise often to themselues Multa magna many things great things they are plotted contriued commenced yet die like Ionah's Gourd when we should expect their refreshing Quia non fortâ—…it Deus because God hath not blessed them Ambition may reare turrets in emulation of heauen and vaine-glory build Castles in the ayre but the former shall haue no roofe as the latter hath no foundation Philip threatned the Lacedemonians that if he entred their Countrey he would vtterly extinguish them They wrote him no other answere but Si If meaning it was a condition well put in for hee neuer was like to come there Si S I non esset perfectum quidlibet esset But in the menaces of angry Tyrants and purposes of hastie intenders there is an If an included coÌ„dition that infatuates all Let our lesson hence be this That our purposes may be sped with a happy successe let vs intend in the Lord for the Lord. 1. Let vs deriue authoritie of our intentions from his sacred Truth which giues rules not onely to liue well and to speake well but euen ad bene câ—…gitandum to thinke well It is a wicked purpose to fast till Paul be killed to wreake malice to satifie lust Inauspicious and without speed are the intents whose beginning is not from God Let no purpose passe currant from thy heart till God hath set on it his stampe and seale of approbation Let his Word giue it a Fiat Whatsoeuer ye doe yea or intend to doe let both action of hand and thought of heart be all to Gods glory 2. Let vs in all our purposes reserue the first place for Gods helping hand Without mee yee can doe nothing saith Christ. But it is obiected that Paul spake peremptorily to his Corinthians I will come vnto you when I shall passe through Macedonia And Dauid I will goe to the house of the Lord. I answere Cor tenet quod lingua tacet they that had so much grace in their hearts wanted not this grace et noscere et poscere facultatem Domini to know and desire the Lords permission You shall neuer take men so well affected to good workes that doe not implore Gods assistance Though they doe not euer expresse in vvord yet they neuer suppresse in thought that reseruation If it please God as Paul doth afterwards in that place If the Lord permit If any will dare to resolue too confidently patronizing their temeritie from such patterns as if their voluntates were potestates let them know that like Taylours they haue measured others but neuer tooke measure of themselues that there is great difference betwixt a holy Propet or Apostle and a profane Publican 2. Obserue that God now speakes so to the Couetous that he will be heard he preacheth another kind of Sermon to him then euer he did before a fatall finall funerall Sermon a Text of Iudgement This night shal they fetch away thy soule For this is Gods Lecture himselfe reades it But God said Hee had preached to the vvordling often before and those Sermons were of three sorts 1. By his Word But cares of the world choake this Seed the heart goes after couetousnesse euen whiles the flesh sits vnder the pulpit This is the deuills three-wing'd arrow wealth pride voluptuousnesse vvhereby hee nailes the very heart fast to the earth It is his talent of lead which he hangs on the feet of the soule the affections that keepes her from mounting vp into heauen with the printed beauty of this filthy Harlot hee bewitcheth their mindes steales their desires from Christ and sends them a whoring to the hote Stewes of hell Thus is Gods first Sermon quite lost 2. By Iudgements on others whose smart should amaze him For God when hee strikes others vvarnes thee Tua
to dispense vvith it Thou shalt not worship an Idoll no not to saue my life Not to saue life as those three seruants of God professed to Nebuchadnezzar If the God wee serue will not deliuer vs yet we will not serue thy gods nor worship thy golden image Thou sayest Minimum est it is little but in minimis fidelem esse magnum est to be faithfull in a little is no little vertue Well done good seruant thou had beene faithfull in a little therfore I will make thee ruler ouer much Hee that is not carefull in a little is not to bee trusted for more If any man will corrupt his conscience for a pound what would he doe for a thousand If Iudas will sell his Master for thirty pence about some 22. shillings of our money what would he haue sold for the Treasury God neuer gaue a Non obstante for sinne The Pope indeed giues Buls and Indulgences Pardons for cursed works before their perpetration but God neuer allowes leaue to doe ill The Pope sayes Kill an hereticall King God sayes Touch him not woe to that soule who takes the Popes word before the Lords word God charged a Prophet that he should eate no bread nor drinke water in Bethel Another Prophet came saying An Angell spake to me blessed Angels speake truth nay more hee spake by the word of the Lord. Bring him backe that hee may eate bread and drinke water He did so but marke the euent returning home a Lyon slew him by the way Beleeue not a man beleeue not a Pope beleeue not a Prophet beleeue not an Angell against the word of the Lord. Let vs refuse iniquity in what extenuation of quantitie or colour of qualitie soeuer it be offerd vs. For sinne is like a bemired dog if it fawnes on vs it foules vs. And the least sinne is like a little leake in a shippe which if it be not stopped will sinke the whole vessell The Frenchmen haue a military Prouerbe The losse of a nayle the losse of an Army The want of a nayle looseth the shooe the losse of a shooe troubles the horse the horse indangereth the rider the rider breaking his ranke molests the company so farre as to hazard the whole Army From slender and regardlesse beginnings grow out these fatall and destructiue effects The dores are shut the theefe cannot enter a little boy is put in at the window and he opens the dore for the great thiefe so the house is robbed A charme is cast in at the window eye or eare that quickly vnlocks the dore of the heart till all the roomes be ransak't not a peece of vertue or one gemme of grace left Pompey marching to the warres requested to lodge his Army in a certaine Citie by whose borders he must needs passe the Gouernour answered that he would not trouble his Citie with so numerous and dangerous a guest Pompey then desired but entertainement and reliefe for his sicke souldiours who were perishing for want of succour the Gouernour thought sicke men could do them no mischiefe this was granted they admitted Being there a while they recouered their health opened the gates to the rest so became strong enough to take the Citie If Satan cannot get leaue for his whole Army of lusts yet he begs hard for his weake ones as sinnes of infirmitie but those sickly souldiours soone get strength to surprise the soule The trees of the Forrest held a solemne Parliament wherin they consulted of the innumerable wrongs which the Axe had done them therefore made an Act that no tree should hereafter lend the Axe a helme on paine of being cut downe The Axe trauels vp downe the Forrest begs wood of the Cedar Oke Ash Elme euen to the Poplar not one would lend him a chip At last he desired so much as would serue him to cut downe the bryers and bushes alledging that those shrubs did suck away the iuyce of the ground hinder the growth and obscure the glory of the faire and goodly Trees Hereon they were content to afford him so much when he had gotten his helme he cut downe themselues too These be the subtle reaches of sinne giue it but a little aduantage on the faire promises to remooue thy troubles and it will cut downe thy soule also Therefore Obsta principijs trust it not in the least Consider a sinne as indeed it is a crucifying of Christ wilt thou say I may crucifie Christ a little I may scourge his flesh wound his side pierce his heart a little What man loues the Lord Iesus who would either say it or doe it Consider thy falling into sinne a hurling of thy selfe downe from some high pinacle wilt thou say I may breake my necke a little Consider it a casting thy selfe into vnquenchable fire wilt thou say I may burne my soule and body a little As suffering wee thinke the least misery too great so sinning let vs thinke the least iniquitie too great So auoiding also little sinnes we shall finde great fauour with Iesus Christ. Amen FAITHS ENCOVRAGEMENT LVKE 17. 19. And he said vnto him Arise goe thy way thy faith hath made thee whole THESE words were spoken by our Sauiour Christ to the penitent and faithfull Leper For induction I will obserue two remarkeable circumstances preceding my Text. First that Christ did mend him and then commend him hee did purge him and praise him 1. Hee mended him curing first his body then his soule His body of the Leprosie a disease not more lothsome to endure then hard to cure The difficulty of healing it appeares by the answere of the King of Israel vpon the receit of the King of Syria's letters Am I God to kill and make aliue that this man doth send vnto me to recouer a man of his Leprosie intimating that onely God is able to cure the Leprosie His soule of the spirituall Leprosie and this was the perfection of health For this cure the Prophet so earnestly prayes Sana animam Lord be mercifull vnto me heale my soule for I haue sinned against thee This is a supernaturall cure fit onely for the great Physician of soules to performe the more difficult Quo minus in natura sit quod profit because nature hath no influence in her starres no minerals in her earth no herbes in her garden that can heale it 2 Hee commends him of all the ten cleansed there are none found that returned to giue glory to God saue this stranger God had his Tythe there whence he might least expect it Now what doth Christ commend him for For his thankefulnesse for his humility for his faith why these graces were Christs owne doth hee praise him for that himselfe had giuen him Yes this is Gods custome Sua dona coronat hee crownes his owne graces hee rewards his owne gifts Which teacheth how wee should vnderstand Reward in the Scripture Call the labourers and giue them their hire Whosoeuer
others vertues and good actions with praise It is the argument of a sullen and proud disposition not to commend them that do well Yet there is no ointment so sweet but there will bee some dead flies to corrupt it There bee certaine dogs that will barke at the Moone Critickes that spend the larger part of their time seeking knots in a bulrush The Snow is not so white but there is an Anaxagoras to make it blacke It was Gods commendation of Iob that there was none like him in the earth he had no fellow yet the deuill pickes quarrels and inuenteth slanders against him Traducers of their brethren I call not Damones but Damonis agunt I do not say they are deuils but they do the worke of deuils This mischiefe of deprauing hath also infected the Church Many a Preacher thinkes his owne glory eclipsed if the next Orbe be lightned with a brighter Starre Hence they fall to faulting and inueighing as if there were no way to build vp their owne credites but by the ruins of anothers disgrace God doth otherwise The Lord commended the vniust Steward because he had done wisely Though he had many faults yet Christ praiseth him for what was worthy praise his policy S. Paul found grosse errours in the Corinthians In this I praise you not that you come together not for the better but for the worse But wherein they did well he commends them ver 2. I praise you brethren that you remember me in all things Thus Ezekiel commends Daniel a Prophet of his owne time and thought it not any derogation from himselfe Behold Art thou wiser then Daniel As Salomon saith of beggers A poore man oppressing the poore is like a sweeping raine which leaueth no food behind it So a Minister disparaging a Minister is a breach whereby the deuill comes out and many soules go into hell Now to the words Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee whole The verse may be distinguished into a Pasport and a Certificate Arise go thy way there is the Pasport Thy faith hath made thee whole there is the Certificate Hee giues him first a Dismission leaue to depart then a Testimonie or Assurance both to certifie the Church actually that he was cleansed of his leprosie but especially to certifie his owne conscience that he was conuerted and that the faith of his soule brought health to his body In the Pasport or Dismission there are two words considerable Surge and Vade Arise Goe Surge ad incipiendum vade ad perficiendum First let vs speake of them secundum sonum then secundum sensum First according to the Historie then according to Mysterie Allegories are tolerable when they be profitable Nor can it be much from the Text by occasion of those two words spoken to the eares of the Lepers body to instruct your soules how to Arise from the Seate of Custome the couch of sinne and to Goe on in the way of saluation Arise The Leper casts himselfe downe and Christ bids him arise Humility is the Gentleman Vsher to Glory God that sends away the rich empty from his gates loues to fill the hungry with good things The ayre passeth by the full vessell and onely filleth that is emptie This is the difference betweene the poore and beggers both agree in not hauing differ in crauing The proud are Pauperes Spiritus the humble are pauperes spiritu Blessed are not the poore spirits but the poore in spirit for theirs is the Kingdome of heauen Such as felt their wants sought and besought God for supply Euery Valley shall be filled and euery Mountaine be brought low The lowly minde shall be exalted the high-towring ambitious shall be throwne downe How should God say to the Marchant that glories in his wealth to the Vsurer that admireth his moneyes to the Gallant that wonders that his good cloathes do not preferre him Arise alas they are vp already they were neuer down A dwarfe in a great throng seeming low on his knees was bidden by the Prince to stand vp alas he was before at his highest God cannot be so mistaken as to encourage their standing vp who neuer yet had the manners to cast themselues downe Descendite vt ascendatis ad Deum cecidistis enim ascendendo contra euâ—… Descend that yee may rise vp to God for you haue fallen by rising vp against God He that is a Mountebanke must leuell himselfe euen with the ground if humblenesse hath once throwne him downe and brought him on his knees he shall heare the Patron and patterne of humblenesse comforting him with a Surge Arise The guest that sets himselfe downe at the lower end of the Table shall heare the Feast-maker kindly remoue him Friend sit vp higher If Hester fall at Asuerus feete hee will take her by the hand and bid her arise When Peter fell downe at Iesus knees saying Depart from me I am a sinfull man O Lord He presently was raised vp with Feare not from henceforth thou shalt catch men Zacheus is gotten vp on high to see Iesus see him hee may with his eye of flesh but he must descend that hee may see him with his eye of faith Come downe Zacheus this day is saluation come to thy house Descend to the ground that thou maist be raised aboue the clouds Pride euen in good things Non ditio sed perditio is no argument of possession but destruction The haughtie-minded lookes alwaies beyond the marke and offers to shoote further then hee lookes but euer falls two bowes short humility and discretion who is heard to say with Paul Quorum ego sum primus I am the chiefe of sinners such an humble confession scarce heard of But Christ had giuen him a Surge on his former humbling Arise and beare my name before Gentiles and Kings c. Let vs all thus cast our selues downe in humility that the Lord may say to vs in mercy Arise Gâ—…e This was the word of Dismission wherewith Christ sends him away Though he were healed therein had his hearts desire what could he expect more of Christ why is he not gone No he has not yet his Vade hee will not go till he is bidden Hee found such sweetnesse in the Lord Iesus that could you blame him though he were loth to depart From another mans house we say after some small tarrying Let vs saue our credites and go before we are bidden but from the Lord let vs not depart without a dismission The hearts of the people were so set on Christ that hee was faine to send them often away Mat. 14. 22. Hee sent the multitudes away Math. 15. 39. Hee sent the people away As Simeon that Swanne which sung his owne funerall Nunc dimittis Lord now thou lettest thy seruant depart in peace This makes to the shame of their faces that without other cause then of wearinesse waywardnesse or wantonnesse will not tarry for their
made thee whole Faith in respect of the Obiect is called in Scripture The faith of Iesus Christ in respect of the subiect vvherein it is inherent it is my faith and thy faith Thy faith hath made thee whole Hath saued thee made whole not thy body only that 's but part the worst part but thy soule also Totum te thy whole selfe saued thee The other nine had whole bodies this tenth was made whole in soule too saued The richest Iewell Christ left to his Church is Saluation My heâ—…rts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saued Not their opulencie not their dignitie not their prosperitie was Saint Pauls wish but their Saluation If the deuils would confesse to vs the truth they would sâ—…y The best thing of all is to be saued That rich man would faine send this newes out of hell Let Lazarus testisiâ—… to my brethren lest they also come into this place of torment The teâ—…timony of saluation was blessed newes from the mouth of him that giues Saluation Iesus Christ. The vessell of mans soule is continually in a Tempest vntill Christ enter the Shippe and then follovves the calme of peace It is remarkeable that God giues the best gifts at last Christ gaue this Leper health bonum this was good For Vita non est viuere sed valere It is more comfortable to die quickly then to liue sickly He gaue him a good name that he returned to giue glory to God melius this was better But now lastly he giues him saluation Thy faith hath saued thee Optimum this is best of all Vltima optima Hath God giuen thee wealth blesse him for it hath hee giuen to thee health blesse him for it hath hee giuen thee good reputation blesse him for it hath he giuen thee children friends peaceable dayes blesse him for all these But hath hee giuen thee Faith especially blesse him for this hee hath giuen thee vvith it what we beseech his mercy to giue vs all Saluation in Iesus Christ. I conclude there is a faith powerfull to iustifie the soule by the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ but it neuer dwelt in a bosome that lodgeth with it lust and dissolutenesse If while we seeke to be iustified by Christ we our selues are found sinners is therefore Christ the Minister of sinne God forbid Which verse may not vnfitly bee distinguished into foure particulars Quòd sit Si sit An sit Absit There is a Concession a Supposition a Question a Detestation 1. The Concession Quòd sit that is so he takes it granted that all true Christians seeke their onely Iustification by Christ. 2. The Supposition Si sit if it bee so that in the meane time wee are found sinners 3. The Question or discussion An sit is it so is Christ therefore the Minister of sinne 4. The Detestation Absit God forbid Where let vs behold what the Gospell acquireth for vs and requireth of vs. It brings vs liberty the Law gendereth to bondage and that saith Aquinas Quantum ad Affectum and Quantum ad Effectum 1. The Law begets an affection of feare the Gospell of Loue. Ye haue not receiued the spirit of bondage againe to feare but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Breuissima apertissima duâ—…rum Testamentâ—…rum differentia Tiâ—…or Amor. There is a short and easie difference betwixt the olde Testament and the new Feare and Loue. 2. The Law brought forth onely seruants the Gospell sonnes Ierusalem aboue is free which is the mother of vs all Libera quòd liberata free because shee is freed For if the Sonne make you free you shall be free indeed This it brings to vs it also challengeth something of vs that wee vse not our liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by loue serue one another All things are free to vs by faith yet all things seruiceable by charity Vt simul stet seruitus libertatis libertas seruitutis that the seruice of liberty and liberty of seruice might stand together A Christian for his Faith is Lord of all for his loue seruant to all That therefore we might not abuse our freedome nor turne the grace of God into wantonnesse the Apostle after the reines giuen puls vs in with the Curbe though iustified by Christ take heed that wee bee not found sinners a checke to ouer-iocund loosenesse a correctiue not so much libertatis as liberatorum of our freedome as of our selues being freed In vaine wee pleade that Christ hath made vs Saints if our owne euill liues proue vs sinners Indeed as God couenants by the Gospell to remit our sinnes so wee must condition by the law to amend our liues For that faith to which the promise of Iustification and eternall life is made is a faith that can neuer be separated from charity Wheresoeuer it is there is loue ioyned with it bringing forth the fruits of righteousnesse which are by Iesus Christ vnto the glory and praise of God This is that faith to which all the promises of God are yea and Amen in Christ to the glory of God by vs. The Lord that hath made them Yea and Amen in his neuer-failing mercies make them also Yea and Amen in our euer-beleeuing hearts through our blessed Sauiour Iesus Christ. Amen THE SAINTS MEETING OR Progresse to Glory Ephes. 4. 13. Till we all meete in the vnitie of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God vnto a perfect man vnto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. THe first word of the Text is a gate to let in our considerations to contemplate this goodly citie which indeed is like Ierusalem a citie of 〈…〉 of the Lord vnto the 〈…〉 to giue thankes vnto the name of the Lord. And when we are in let vs number and ponder the towers powers of it for euery pinne and pinnacle shall afford vs comfort But we must first passe by this Portall Vntill and this very entrance will giue vs two obseruations 1. Teacheth vs that God hath ordained the Ministery of the Gospell to last to the end of the world Christ hath giuen Apostles Prophets Euangelistes Teachers To perfect the Saints and to edifie his bodie to continue Till we all meete in the vnitie of faith c. So was his promise after his Charge Math. 28. His charge Goe teach all nations his promise Loe I am with you alway vnto the end of the world God will send Shepheardes till euerie lost sheepe be brought to the folds of peace The Ministers voyce shall sound till it bee ouertaken by the Archangels Trumpe The ministration of the Law had an end but there is none to the ministration of the Gospell before the end of the world Hereof may be giuen a double excellency to the Gospell and prelation aboue the Law It is more Gratious Glorious 1. The Gospell is more
once 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 serpent to giue terrour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 was preserued not in campo 〈◊〉 in a 〈◊〉 of waâ—…e and sedition but Testimony tabernaculo sprowâ—…ng forth greene leaues of Truth and sweet blossomes of Peace Well let our enemies cry Non Pacem petimus Superi date gentibus iram Our voyce be for Peace Nulla salus bello Pacem te poscimus omnes Peace was that last and rich Iewell which Christ departing to his Father leaft his Spouse for a legacie Peace I leaue with you my peace I giue vnto you This Peace be with vs for euer Whereof This vnitie hath a double reference 1. to Faith 2. to Knowledge And the Obiect to both these is the Sonne of God Of the faith Faith is taken 2. wayes either passiuely or actiuely Vel pro â—…o Quo creditur Quod creditur Either for that whereby a man beleeues or for that which a man beleeues So it is vsed both for the instrument that apprehends and for the obiect that is apprehended If we take it for the former we may say there is also an vnitie of faith but by distinction Faith is one Ratione obiecti non ratione subiecti One in respect of the Obiect on which it rests not one â—…n respect of the Subiect in which it resides Euerie man hath his owne faith euerie faith resteth on Christ. The iust shall liue by his owne faith Nulla fides pro te nisi quae in te Euery man must see with his owne eyes reach with his owne hand haue oile ready in his owne Lampe that he may enter in with the Bride-groome He must labour in the vineyard himselfe that would haue the peny he shal not haue anothers pay It is a happie perfection of faith when we shall all beleeue in one Christ after one manner Not one with a Grecian faith another with a Romane a third with an Arrian a fourth with an Anabaptisticall but all meete in the vnitie of one holy Catholicke faith But if we rather take it Pro obiecto quod creditur for Christ in whom we haue beleeued we shall all meete in the vnitie of those ioyes comforts which we haue faithfully expected Some beleeued before the law some vnder the law others vnder the Gospell all shall meete in the vnitie of faith Receiuing the end of their faith the saluation of their soules Whether some beleeued in Christ to come or others in Christ alreadie come or we in Christ come and gone to glory Venturus venit diuersa sunt verba eadem fides To come or come are diuerse wordes but there is but one faith One Lord one Faith Now since faith must bring vs to our Beloued and by that we shal come to the Son of God how precious should it be vnto vs Let the great worldlings possesse their preposterous wishes Epicurus his pleasure Alexander his honour Midas his gold Be our delight desire prayer O Lord â—…ncrease our faith I beleeue Lord helpe my vnbeliefe There is nothing more honourable more rich more pleasant then to be a true beleeuer for against this no euill on earth no deuill in hell shal be euer able to preuaile Of the knowledge That knowledge which we nowe haue is shallow in all of vs and dissonant in some of vs. There is but one way to know God that is by Iesus Christ and but one way to know Christ and that is by the Gospell Yet there are many that goe about to know him by other wayes they will know him by traditions images reuelations miracles deceiueable fables But the Saints shall meete in the vnitie of the knowledge of the Son of God there shall be vnion and perfection in their knowledge at that day But it is obiected that Paul sayth knowledge shall vanish away The manner not the matter of our present knowledge shall vanish we shall not know by schooles tutors or arts in heauen so the manner of knowing ceaseth But the matter remaines for this is eternall life to know God Now we know Christ in some manner measure here but through a window or lattesse My beloued looketh forth at the window shewing himselfe through the lattesse Thus the Apostle Now we see through a glasse darkely but then face to face When a man sees a mappe of Ierusalem wherein is presented the Towers and Bulwarkes he presently conceiues what manner of Citie it is but imperfectly as a man that onely reades the description of forraine Countryes but when he comes thither beholds all the streets pallaces beautie and glory he esteemes his former knowledge poore in respect of his present satisfaction We are now pilgrims and know no more of our celestiall Countrey then we can see through the spectacles of faith in the glasse of the Scriptures In this mappe we read Ierusalem aboue described to vs a citie of gold whose wals are Iasper and her foundations Christall We read that this corruptible shall put on incorruption and this mortall immortalitie That there is blessednesse in the fountaine ioyes in shew beautifull in sense wonderfull in waight excessiue in dignitie without comparison and in continuance without end And that in Christ we are chosen before all worlds to be Burgesses of this incorporation But when we shall haue white garments put on our backes and palmes in our hands and shall sit with him in his throne feasting at his table of glory we shall then say as that noble Queene to Salomon It was a true report of thy glory O king that I heard before but now loe I see one halfe was not told me As worldlings about a purchase enquire what seat what delight what commodities are appertinent to it except like that foole in the Gospell they will buy first and see afterwardes So we may sweetly consult of our future happinesse without curiositie without presumption like those that neuer yet were at home now after much heare-say trauelling thitherwardes we aske in the way what peace what delight what content will be found there and how much the benefit of our standing house transcends our progresse There are three things buâ—…yed about Christ Faith Hope and sight By the two former we now liue without the latter by the latter we shall then liue without the former Now we liue by faith not by sight then we shall liue by sight not by faith But for our faith the world would tread vs downe for this is the victorie that ouercomes the world euen our faith But for our hope we were of all men most miserable the worldlings were far happyer When these two haue done their offices sight comes in We are now the sonnes of God it doth not appeare yet what wee shall be but wee know that when hee shall appeare wee shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Here is the benefite of sight These three are like 3. members of the body the hand foote
Elias tell Ahab of his Idolatries Iohn Baptist Herod of his lusts and then Thou art mine enemie The vngodly may pretend other causes but this is the true one The Pope refused to confirme an Archbishop elect when no insufficiencie could be found against him onely because of his age not considering that himselfe being older did manage a greater place But if the Archbishop was able to trauell to Rome and backe againe to England sure he was able to haue sate in the Chaire of Canturbury Age was the exception but the truth was the Archbishops honestie that he carried not with him to Rome a golden bottle to quench the Popes thirsty soule as many others dâ—d who returned home with as much wit as they went forth but not with so much money Such was the Popes pretense against Reimundus the good Earle of Tholouse that hee was an Hereticke but when his iust purgation and iustifying of himselfe would not pacifie his vnmercifull Holinesse nor get peaceable possession of his owne lands it was euident to all eyes that the Popes desire was not so much to haue the Earle part from his Heresie as from his Heritage Persecutors plead castigation of errours but they meane subersion of truth But great peace is prophecied to the Gospell Esa. 11. The Wolfe shall dwell with the Lambe and the Leopard lye quietly by the kidde c. And Micaâ—… 4. They shall beate their swords into plowshares and their speares into prâ—…ing hookes nation shall not lift vp a sword against nation neither shall they learne warre any more I answere God will either restraine the furie of these sauage beasts and turne Esaus threats into mildnes when hee meets Iacob Hee that sittes in heauen laughes at their combinings Or many Tyrants shall be conuerted to the faith of Christ subiecting their Crownes and laying downe their Scepters at the feete of the Lambe Or it may intend that outward vniuersall peace which was through all the world when Christ was borne in the dayes of Augustus But most specially that peace of conscience and Communion which shall be among the Saints who shall lay aside all querelous differences and be made one by the bloud of Iesus But when the Gospell came to vs in Queene Elizabeths dayes of so blessed memorie we also had much peace We had with Gloria in excelsis Deo sung also Pax in terris The iron gates of warre were shut vp and the long tossed Arke of our Church had an Oliue branch of flourishing peace bestowed on it The fury of an Aduersary was not knowne but Righteousnes and peace kissed each other Yet was not this peace without great Fires 1. There was a great fire of Anabaptisme a grosse peruerse and sottish sect that hadde washed off their Font-water as vncleane and thought it not enough to run out of Babylon vnlesse they ranne also out of themselues out of their wittes This combustion could not be well quenched onely we were happily rid of it by the shifting ground For when the flames were suppressed in England they burst out beyond Sea 2. There was a great fire of Brownisme an Ignis fatuus fastning on abundance of crude and squalid matter could not easily be extinguished It was blowne vp with the Bellowes of pride and because it might not haue the owne swinge it fell to direct rayling They say the Church of England may be their mother but is none of Gods wife why doe they not call her plaine Whore For such is a mother that hath children and no husband But these the whiles are braue Sons who care not to proue themselues bastards that their mother may be noted for an Harlot But the shame be their owne Integritie hers who hath not defiled her bed though they haue shamed her wombe But whiles they call her Saint Iohns Beast in the Reuelation let them beware least they proue themselues Saint Pauls Beast to the Phil. chap. 3. ver 2. Dogs Surely God neuer will leaue peaceable spirits in England to go dwell with railers at Amsterdam 3. There was a raging fire of the Papists who to mainetaine their spirituall fire of superstition made vse of materiall fireto set a whole land in combustion How vnspeakeable were their treasons agaynst that gratious Princesse which yet if we gather vp into one volume we shall find their last equalling all which should haue beene a fire a fire indeede such a one as hell it selfe could onely belch out But blesse we our God that with sweete showres of mercie rayned it out These fires haue beene kindled in a Land of peace though many teares haue beene showred vpon them earnest prayers sent vp to heauen for their quenching Yea and will be still so long as that crowne-shorn generation can transport their burning quils into England and their great Antichrist the Successor not of Peter but of Romulus sits on that fierie Chaire So long as hee is suffered to tyranize ouer nations to depose Kings and dispose Kingdomes who praies Peter and Paule as if they neuer had taught subiects to obey their Soueraignes to eradicat and cast out an Emperour from his royaltie Whereupon he conferred the Empire vpon Rodolphus with this blasphemous verse Petra dedit Petro Petrus diademâ—… Rodolpho All Kingdomes were to Peter giuen by Christ And Peter may dispose them as he list But as Cardinall Benno affirmes that when this Hildebrand would needs solmnly excommunicate the Em perour his Chayre burst in pieces being but newly made of suffâ—…cient tymber so if it were throughly broken to fitters neuer like Iericho to be rebuilded then and not till then Princes may raigne in peace From all this we may obserue 1. That this fire was kindled in Christs time and hath burned euer since For if this rage stroke at the head it will not fauour the members If the sawcie Deuill durst meddle and incounter with the Captaine he will not feare to set vpon a meane souldiour Remember sayth Christ the word that I sayd vnto you The seruant is not greater then the Lord if they haue persecuted me they will also persecute you We cannot expect that immunitie which our Sauiour neuer found In the securest and most quiet state of the Church we haue found this that sedition hath trode on the heeles of peace and persecution beene borne into the world with the feete forward for hast 2. That the godly must maintaine this fire for there must be in them no deficiencie of fewell They must hold fast integritie though this be the matter whereuppon this fire workes No peace must be had with them that haue no peace with God I deny not peace in ciuill affaires but in conforming our manners to theirs For righteousnesse must not yeeld to iniquitie Christ must be borne and being borne must raigne though Herod rage and the Deuill foame and all Ierusalem be troubled at it Dagon must yeeld to the Arke not the Arke to Dagon the
from patience Charitie couers a multitude of Sinnes sayth Peter All sinnes sayth Salomon Couers them partly from the eyes of God in praying for the offenders partly from the eyes of the world in throwing a cloake ouer our brothers nakednes especially from it owne eyes by winking at many wrongs offred it Charitie suffreth long the backe of loue will beare a load of iniuries There be two graces in a Christian that haue a contrary qualitie The one is most stout sterne the other most mild and tender Loue is soft and gentle therfore compared to the bowelles Viscera Misericordiae Faith is austere and couragious carrying Luthers motto on the Shield Cedo nulli I yeeld to no enemie of my faith So sayd our precious Iewel I denie my liuing I deny my estimation I deny my name I denie my selfe but the Faith of Christ and the Truth of God I cannot denie But loue is mild long-suffering mercifull compassionate and so hath a Cleare way to peace Neare Loue is also a very neare way to blessednesse and as I may say a short cut to heauen All Gods law was at first reduced to ten Precepts The lawes of nations though they make vp large volumes yet are still vnperfect some statutes are added as necessary others repealed as hurtfull But the law of God though contained in a few lines yet containes all perfection of duetie to God and man There is no good thing that is not here commanded no evill thing that is not here forbidden And all this in so short bounds that those ten precepts are called but ten Words Yet when Christ came he abridged this Law shorter and reduced the Ten into Two Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart and thy neighbour as thy selfe S. Paul yet comes after and rounds vp all into one God reduceth all into Tenne Christ those tenne into Two Paul those two into one Rom. 13. Loue is the fulfilling of the law Which is Compendium non dispendium legis saith Tertullian an abridging not enervating of the law of God So Augustin God in all his law Nihil praecipit nisi Charitatem nihil culpat nisi cupiditatem commands nothing but Loue condemnes nothing but lust Yea it is not onely the Complement of the Law but also the Supplement of the Gospell Ioh. 13. Novum mandatum A new commandement I giue vnto you that yee loue one another All which makes it manifest that Loue is a Neare way to heauen Sociable It is also for it is neuer out of company never out of the best company The delight thereof is with the Saynts that are in earth and with the excellent The two maine obiects of Enuie are Highnesse and Nighnesse the enuious man cannot endure another aboue him another neare him the envious man loues no neighbour But contrarily loue doth the more heartily honour those that are higher and embrace those that are nigher and cannot want societie so long as there is a Communion of Saints Loue is the way you heare our Course is Walking As cleare neare and sociable a way as loue is yet few can hit it for of all wayes you shall find this least travel'd The way of Charitie as once did the Wayes of Sion mournes for want of passengers This path is so vncouth and vnbeaten that many cannot tell whether there be such a way or not It is in their opinion but Via serpentis the way of a serpent on the earth or of a bird in the ayre which cutteth the ayre with her wings and leaues no print or tract behind her But some Chimâ—…ra or mathematicall imaginary poynt an Ens rationale without true being Viam dilectionis ignorant as the Apostle sayth Uiam pacis The way of peace they haue not knowne Others knowe there is such a way but they will not set their foote into it Their old way of malice and covetousnesse is delightfull but this is Ardâ—…a praerupta via a hard and a harsh way Indeede Artis tristissima ianua nostrae the entrance to this way is somewhat sharp and vnpleasant to flesh for it begins at repentance for former vncharitablenesse But once entred into this Kings high-way it is full of all content and blessednes Adlaetos ducens per gramina fluctus Walke in Loue. He doth not say talke of it but walke in it This precept is for course not discourse Loue sittes at the doore of many mens lips but hath no dwelling in the heart We may say truely of that charitie it is not at nome A great man had curiously engrauen at the gate of his Pallace the image of Bountie or Hospitalitie The needie Trauellers with ioy spying it approach thither in hopefull expectation of succour But still silence or an emptie Eccho answers all their cries and knockes for hospitality may stand at the gate but there is none in the house One among the rest his hungry trust thus often abused resolues to plucke downe the Image With these words If there be neither meate nor drinke in the house what needs there a Signe Great Portals in the Countrey and coloured Postâ—…s in the Cittie promise the poore Beggar liberall reliefe but they are often but Images Muta â—…utila signa dumbe and lame signes For Charitie is not at home onely the shadow without Speâ—…illectat inaâ—…i giues faire and fruitlesse hopes We are too much wearied with these shadowes of Charitie Ambrose makes two parts of Liberalitie Beneuolence and Beneficence Many will share the former but spare the latter They will wish some thing but doe nothing They haue open mouthes but shut hearts soft words but hard bowels To these S. Iohn giues aduise Let vs not loue in word nor in tongue but in deed and in truth Opposing workes to words veritie to vanity Verball complements are not reall implements and with a little inuersion of the Philosophers sense The belly hath no eares The starued soule delights not to heare Charitie but to feele it Oculate mihi sunt manus the poores hands haue eyes what they receiue they beleeue The gowtie vsurer hath a nimble tongue and though he will not walke in loue he can talke of loue for of all members the tongue Postrema senescit waxeth old last Let a distressed passenger come to some of their gates and he shall haue diuinitie enough but no humanitie wholesome counsell but no wholesome food They can afford them exhortation but not compassion charging their eares but in no wise ouer-charging their bellies They haue scripture against begging but no bread against famishing The bread of the Sanctuary is common with them not the bread of the Buttery If the poore can be nourished with the Philosophicall supper of good morall sentences they shall be prodigally feasted but if the bread of life will not content them they may be packing But sayth S. Iames If you say to the poore Depart in peace be warmed be filled
the eyes of Doues by the riuers of water washed with milke â—…d fitly set as a precious stone in the foile of a Ring A white doue is a pleasing sight but not like a white soule 2. Chastitie Nescit aduâ—…erij flaâ—…am inteâ—…erata Columba The Doue knowes not the luxurious pollution of an adulterate bed Who euer saw Doue sicke of that lustfull disease Happie bodie that hath such continencie and blessed soule which shall be presented a pure virgin to Iesus Christ. They are virgines and follow the Lambe whether sâ—…euer he goeth 3. Fruitfulnesse Most moneths in the yeare they bring forth young The faithfull are in this respect Doues for faith is euer pregnant of good workes trauels with them and on all occasions brings them forth 4. Amitie They loue their owne mates not changing till death giue one of them a bill of diuorce Gâ—…mit â—…urtur the turtle groanes when hee hath lost his mate Nature teacheth them what Reason aboue nature and Grace aboue Reason teacheth vs to reioyce with the wiues of our youth 5. Vnitie They liue feed flie by companies Many of them can agree quietly in one house Euen teaching vs how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in vnitie That as we haue one hopâ—… so to haue one heart Therefore the holy Ghost came downe in the likenesse of a Doue of all birds and it was the Doue that would not leaue Noahs Arke But these are but circumstances my Câ—…nter is their Innocence Columba simplex est animal felle caret rostro non lâ—…dit Other fowles haue their talons and beakes whereby they gripe and deuoure like vsurers and oppressors in a Common-wealth The Doue hath no such weapon to vse no such heart to vse it They write that she hath no gall and so free from the bitternesse of anger Talem Columbam audiâ—…imus non talem hominem We haue heard of such a Doue not of such a Man Who can say he hath innocent hands and a simple heart Indeed none perfectly in Gods sight yet some haue had and may haue this in part by the witnesse of their owne consciences Samuel could chalenge the Israelites to accuse him Whose â—…xe haue I taken Whom haue I defrauded Of whose hâ—…d haâ—…e I receiued any bribe And Iob sweetly My heart shall not condemne me for my dayes If I haue lift vp my hand against the fatherles let it be broken If I reioyced at the destruction of him that hated me For that is true Innocence sayth Augustine quae nec inimico nocet that hurts not our verie enemie If my land cry against me or the furrowes thereof complaine Let thistles grow in stead of wheat and cockles in stead of barley How few amongst vs dare thus plead So Dauid O Lord thou knowest mine innocencâ—… O blessed testimonie This is Munus aâ—…eneus a wall of brasse about a man In 〈◊〉 sperâ—…re bonum nisi innocens nâ—… potest To hope for good in the middest of euils no man can but the Innocent He goes fearlesse of danger though not secure Impauidum ferient ruinae Neâ—… suspectus est paâ—… quod se non 〈◊〉 fecisse He cannot looke to suffer that wrong which he knowes hee hath not done Innocence sayth Chrysoft is free in seruitude safe in danger ioyfull in bonds Cum humiliatur erigitur â—…um pugnat vincit cum occiditur coronatur When it is cast downe it is raysed vp when it fights it conquers when it is killed it is crowned This is that â—…elesnes which must be ioyned with the Serpents Wisedome So Paul to his Romans I would hâ—…ue you wise vnto that which is good and simple concerning euill This is an excellent mixture sayth Gregor Vt simplicitatem 〈◊〉 astâ—…ia serpentis instrueret vt serpentis astutâ—… simplicitas coluâ—…â—…emperaret That the wisedome of the Serpent might instruct the simplicity of the Doue that the Doues simplicitie might temper the Serpents policie So â—…eda on the first of Iob. Iob is sayd to be simple and vpright simple in innocencie vpright in discreet equitie Simplex quia alijs non lâ—…dit rectus quia se ab alijs non corrumpi 〈◊〉 Simple in that he did not hurt others vpright in that he suffered not himselfe to be corrupted by others Non mulâ—…ùm distat in vitio aut decipere aus decipiposse There is small difference in that vice which either deceiues or may be deceiued The one is weakenesse the other wickednesse This is that grace to which the gates of heauen stand open Innocence But alas where shall the robbers and workers of violence appeare What shall become of the vsurer No creature in heauen or earth shall testifie his innocencie But the sighes cryes and grones of vndone parents of beggard widdowes and Orphanes shall witnesse the contrary All his money like Hempe seede is sowed with curses and euery obligation is written on earth with inke and bloud and in hell with bloud and fire What shall become of the Encloser of Commons Who shall plead his innocence Hedges ditches fields and townes the weeping of the poore the very lowings of beastes shall witnesse against him Where shall fraud cosenage racking of rents iniurie periurie mischiefe appeare You may conceale your craft from the eyes of man defraud the minister beguile your neighbour impouerish the Common-wealth vnperceiued vnpunished but know that the Lord will not hold you innocent I conclude Make you the picture of Innocencie and hang it in your houses but especially draw it in the table of your hearts Let it bee a Virgin faire and louely without any spot of wrong to blemish her beautie Let her garments be white as snow and yet not so white as her conscience Let the teares of compassion drop from her eyes and an Angell holding a bottle to catch them Let her weepe not so much for her owne afflictions as for the wickednes of her afflicters Let the wayes be milke where she sets her foote and let not the earth complaine of her pressure Let the Sun offer her his beames the clouds their raine the ground her fruits euery creature his vertue Let the poore blesse her yea let her very enemies be forced to prayse her Let the world be sommoned to accuse her of wrong and let none be found to witnesse it Let peace lie in her lappe and Integritie betweene her brests Let religion kisse her lippes and all Lawes reuerence her Patience possesse her heart and humilitie sit in her eyes Let all Christians make her the precedent of their liues and studie the doctrine that her mouth teacheth Let the Angels of heauen be her guardians and the mercie of God a shield of defence vnto her Let her tread vpon iniurie and stampe the Deuill and violence vnder her feete Let her greatest aduersaries Oppression and Hypocrisie flie from her presence Let rapine malice extortion depopulation fraud and wrong be as farre
It is a monstrous wickednesse which he would die in the colours of godlinesse The Lord doth disappoint the purposes of Tyrants though their Bowes bee bent and their swords whetâ—…ed yet the marke shall be remoued and they shall rather wound themselues then their hated obiect Though they be great with child of iniquitie and conceiue mischiefe yet they shall bring forth but falshood Though those Iewes had bound themselues vnder a curse neither to eate nor drinke till they had killed Paul Yet if they had kept their vow they had fasted to death Though Sennacherib purposed to swallow vp Ierusalem at a morsell yet the Lord mocked his menaces Hee shall not come into this citie nor shoot an arrow there nor cast a banke against it Herod made himselfe sure of Christ but the Lord deceiued him againe and againe First he stroke him with extreme sottishnes that learning by the Wise men the birth of Christ yet though the matter in his thought touched his Crowne hee sends none of his Courtiers with them vnder pretence of gratifying them which might so haue seised on that innocent Lambe and not worshipped but worrey'd him But the Lord so confounded his wits with the spirit of giddines that the Magi goe alone Next now that his bloudie hopes depend vpon their returne behold they are sent home another way So that he saw that he was mocked Herod mocked the Wisemen and God shall direct the Wisemen to mocke Herod He pretended to adore whom he did abhorre and they doe eum vulpâ—… vulpinara beguile the Foxe yea rather â—…vicula lupum fallit the Lambe deceiues the Wolfe Simplicitie goes beyond subtletie A cane non magno saepe tenetur aper Here was Herods follie that he would not suffer the King of the whole world to be King in Iury that in feare of a Successor he would kill his Sauiour Nay further for feare of a strange heire he killes his owne heire Which occasioned Augustus to say that it was better being Herods Hogge then his heire Here then see his crueltie if his strength cannot take Iesus hee will trie his cunning and last when his cunning failes he fals to open violence againe sending forth men of warre Thus when Tyrants faile in their Politicians Rhetoricke they fall to the Carters Logicke You see the Informance let vs looke vpon their Performance They departed into their owne Countrey another way All which wanting time to prosecute the hystorie I will applie to our selues Their course home shall teach vs a course to our home euen to heauen and glory Wherein I desire to obserue these Circumstances Our selues naturally lost Our finding of Christ. Our charge not to returne to Herod But to goe to our owne Countrey And that by another way 1. Let it be granted that we haue all wandred from the way of life All we like sheepe haue gone astray wee haue turned euery one to his owne way I would to God euery one would sentire feele this in particular and not onely consentire consent to it in generall I am not come to call the righteous sayth Christ but sinners to repentance And Luke 15. he leaues the hypocriticall 〈◊〉 to their owne high-conceited puritie and seekes the lost sheepe We may here pawse and wonder at our misery at his mercie Wee were so lost that wee could neuer find him â—…e is so good that he sought and found vs Inuenit non quaerentes non pâ—…rdet inueâ—…s He found vâ—… not seeking him being found he will not loose vs. Come to me all that labour and are heauie laden and I will giue you rest The proud sinner who doth not find his sinne the careles who doth not feele his sinne is not called Onely sentsentibus morbum promittitur medicina Health is promised to those that feele their sicknes 2. Christ cals vs but how shall we come Behold he sends vs a Starre for direction his holy Word Lord to whom shall we goe Thou hast the words of eternall life Would you come to him that is vita the life You must come by him that is via the Way It is he Quò eundem whether we would goe it is he Qua eundem by which we must goe To his word then let vs come with an honest heart not to sleepe not to carpe not to gaze but to obserue attentiuely to remember faithfully and to practise obediently what is there taught vs. Neither must God onely for his part afford vs a Starre for guidance but we must also for our part bring feete to walke to him These are three 1. Contrition a heart truely sorrowfull for our former iniquities He that is cast downe by repentance shall be raised vp with ioy It is not possible to walke to God without this foote Hee that goes to heauen must wash his steps with teares And hee that hath this foote shall make large paces to glory Though he hath long lingred he will now hast as the malefactor stept by this foote from the Crosse to Paradise 2. Faith Sorrow may cast downe too fast too far Though the head haue leaue to ake yet let not the hand of faith be wanting to hold it Though the eye be blubbred with teares yet must it looke through all that water to the cleare Sunne Iesus Christ. When the Law hath done the office in making thy sinne manifest thanke it and take thy leaue of it as thou wouldest doe of a friend that hath done thee a good turne but now growes troublesome Put Moses behind thee sayth Luther and fixe thine eyes vpon Christ that Lambe of God which takes away the sinnes of the world Without this foot thou shalt step short of comfort Faith must bring thee to the fountaine of that Bloud which shall wash away all thy sinnes 3. Obedience this foote must be continually vsed all the dayes of thy life must thou trauell in the wayes of God with this foote It knowes and keeps Celeritie Integritie Constancie Celeritie I will runne the way of thy commandements It makes hast knowing that God will not bee pleased with halting obedience or with that zeale that onely goes a Parliament-pace The Creeple was carried to the Temple God loues not such limping zeale that is carried to Church on two Crutches Law Custome but that which with Peter and Iohn runs to the place where Christ is But it is God that maketh our feete like the feete of hindes Integritie it turnes not to the right hand nor to the left but goes straight on running with patience the race that is set before it Therefore sayth the Apostle Make straight paths for your feete least that which is lame be turned out of the way for all false wayes the Lord doth vtterly abhorre The wicked walke on euery side they haue circular goings on euery side of the truth but the true way they cannot find But Integritie is not so light heeld to
sayth Christ my workes beare witnesse of me We may thus vnderstand God ex operibus his actions preach his will 3. God speakes by his Sonne Hebr. 1. God who at sundry times and in diuers manners spake in tâ—…me past vnto the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last daves spoken vnto vs by his Sonne Hee is therefore called the Word Ioh. 1 The sacred Scriptures and sayings of the Prophets giuen by the inspiration of God for no prophecie is of private interpretation it came not by the will of man but holy men spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost are called Verbum Domini the word of the Lord. But to distinguish God the Sonne from those words he is after an eminent sort called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word or That excellent word As also hee is called not a light but That light not a lambe but â—…hat lambe Not a vocall word formed by the tongue beating the aire for hee was before eyther sound or aire But the mentall and substantiall word of his Father but Ipse Paterâ—… 〈◊〉 effigies lumenque a lumine vero According to that of Paul The brightnesse of his glory and expresse image of his person 4. GOD speakes by his Scriptures Whatsoever things were writen aforetime are written for our learning that wee through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might haue hope Scripta sunt they are written Things that go onely by take or tradition meete with such variations augmentations abbreuiations corruptions false glosses that as in a Lawyers pleading Truth is lost in the Quaere for her Related thinges wee are long in getting quicke in forgetting Therefore God commanded his law should be written Litera scripta manet Thus God doth effectually speake to vs. Many good wholesome instructions haue drop'd from humane pennes to lesson and direct man in goodnesse But there is no promise giuen to any word to conuert the soule but to Gods word Without this Antiquitie is noueltie Noueltie subtletie Subtletie death Theologia Scholastica multis modis sophistica Schoole Diuinitie is little better then meere Sophistrie Plus argutiarum quam doctrine plus doctrina quà m vsus It hath more quicknesse then soundnesse more fauce then meate more difficultie then doctrine more doctrine then vse This Scripture is the Perfect and Absolute rule Bellarmine acknowledgeth two thinges requireable in a Perfect Rule Certaintie and Evidence If it bee not certaine it is no Rule if it bee not euident it is no rule to vs. Onely the Scripture is both in truth and euidence a perfect rule Other writings may haue canonicall veritie the Scripture onely hath canonicall authoritie Others like oile may make cheerefull mans countenance but this like Bread strengthens his heart This is the absolute Rule And as many as walke according to this Rule peace be on them and mercie and vppon the Israel of God O that wee had hearts to blesse GOD for this mercie that the Scriptures are among vs and that not sealed vp vnder an vnknowne tongue The time was when a deuout Father was glad of a piece of the new Testament in English when he tooke his little Sonne into a corner and with ioy of soule heard him reade a chapter so that euen Children became Fathers to their Fathers and begate them to CHRIST Now as if the commonnesse had abated the worth our Bibles lie dusty in the windowes it is all if a Sunday-handling quite them from perpetuall obliuion Few can read fewer do reade fewest of all read as they should God of his infinite mercie lay not to our charge this neglect 5. GOD speakes by his Ministers expounding and opening to vs those Scriptures These are Legati a latere dispencers of the mysteries of heauen Ambassadors for CHRIST as if God did beseech you through vs so wee pray you in Christs stead that you would be reconciled to God This voice is continually sounding in our Churches beating vpon our eares I would it could pierce our consciences and that our liues would eccho to it in an answerable obedience How great should be our thankfullnesse God hath delt with vs as hee did with Eliah The Lord passed by and a great strong wind rent the mountaines and brake in pieces the rockes before the Lord but the Lord was not in the wind After the wind came an earthquake but the Lord was not in the earthquake After the earthquake a fire but the Lord was not in the fire And after the fire a still voyce and the Lord came with that voyce After the same manner hath God done to this Land In the time of K. Henry 8. there came a great and mightie Wind that rent downe Churches ouerthrew Altarages impropriated from Ministers their liuings that made Lay-men substantiall Parsons and Clergie men their vicar-shadowes It blew away the rights of Leui into the lappe of Issachar a violent wind but God was not in that wind In the dayes of King Edward the sixt there came a terrible Earthquake hideous vapours of Treasons and conspiracies rumbling from Rome to shake the foundations of that Church which had now left off louing the Whore and turned Antichrist quite out of his saddle Excommunications of Prince and people execrations and curses in their tetricall formes with Bell Booke and Candle Indulgences Bulls Pardons promises of heauen to all traytors that would extâ—…rpate such a King and kingdome a Monstrous earthquake but GOD was not in the Earthquake In the dayes of Queene Mary came the Fire an vnmercifull fire such a one as was neuer before kindled in England and wee trust in Iesus Christ neuer shall be againe It raged against all that professed the Gospell of Christ made bonefires of silly women for not vnderstanding that their ineffable mysterie of Transubstantiation burnt the mother with the child Boner and Gardiner those hellish bellowes that set it on flaming A raging and insatiable fire but God was not in that fire In the dayes of Queene Elizabeth of blessed memorie came the still voyce saluting vs with the songs of Sion and speaking the comfortable things of Iesus Christ and GOD came with his voyce This sweete and blessed voyce is still continued by our Gracious Soueraigne GOD long preserued him with it and it with him and vs all with them both Let vs not say of this blessing as Lot of Zoar Is it not a litle one nor bee weary of Manna with Israel lest GODS voyce grow dumbe vnto vs and to our woe wee heare it speake no more No rather let our hearts answere with Samuel Speake Lord for thy seruants heare If wee will not heare him say to our soules I am your saluation wee shall heare him say Depart from mee I know you not So sayth wisedome Because I haue called and yee refused I will therefore laugh at your calamitie and mocke when your feare commeth The gallant promiseth himselfe many yeares and in them all to reioyce
It is not the death but the cause that giues the honour of Martyrdome Indeed there is no man that suffers contrary to the will of God but many suffer not Secundùm not according to the will of GOD. In his concealed will he allowes the sufferings of the Reprobates this is his iust iudgement They are smitten but for their faults Moerent merentur they lament and deserue to lament When the Adulterer is wounded for his lust he cannot thinke himselfe a patient secundum beneplacitum Dei according to the will of God When the vsurer is fetch'd ouer for his extortion the depopulator for his enclosing the slanderer for his libelling all these suffer but not for conscience toward God not according to his will They onely are said to suffer according to his will that suffer first innocently then patiently 1. Innocently for the wicked suffer mali malè sed meritò Euill men beare euill things but after their deserts The Pope hath made many Saints from this kind of suffering Straw-saints such as Garnet was If they be first drench'd at Tyber and after hang'd at Tyburne Martyres sunt they can be no lesse then Martyrs Not seldome their names are put into the Rubricke but they stand there in those red letters for nothing els but to remember their red bloudie actions They may pretend some shew of religion as if for cause thereof they suffered but it is not a meene but a mixt cause not for faith but for faction not for truth but for treason It is obserued that as the Physitians say none die of an ague nor without an ague so none of them suffer for the Romish religion nor without the Romish religion Therfore as Aristides dying of the bite of a Weasell exceedingly lamented that it was not a Lyoâ—…so these Seminaries may greatly lament that they die not for the Lyon of Iudah but for the Weasell of Roe Not secundum voluntatem Dei but secundum voluptatem Antichrists not according to the will of Christ but according to the lust of Antichrist But hee can make them amends with Sainting them men shall kneele to them pray to them climbe to heauen by the ladder of their merites Alas poore Saints the Pope sends them to heauen but how if they were in hell before May wee not say of them as Augustine did of Aristotle woe vnto them they are praysed and prayed vnto where they are not and condemned where they are Vnlesse as the vision was to Ormus that among the Apostles and Martyrs there was a vacant place left in heauen which sayth he was reserued for a Priest in England called Thomas Becket and this reuelation was full twelue years before Becket dyed So except the Pope can make them Saints before they die I feare his authoritie can doe little afterwards Yet indeed the Pope is a great Saint-maker and hath helped abundance of men to heauen For he sent them thither through the fire for the cause of Christ he condemned cursed burnt them to ashes and thus spight of his teeth he hath helped to make them martyrs and Saints For our selues if wee suffer any wrong of men let vs be sure we haue not deserued it Our Innocence cómends our suffering for this is according to the good will and pleasure of God 2. Patiently a murmuring mind evacuates the vertue of thy sufferings For what glory is it if when ye bee buffetted for your faults ye shall take it patiently but if when ye doe well and suffer for it ye then take it patiently this is acceptable to God Let me therefore helpe your patience by two considerations 1. What Christ our head suffered for vs bitter words and more bitter wounds Obserue him Looke to Iesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the ioy that was set before him endured the crosse and despised the shame So let vs run with patience the race that is set before vs. If we cannot endure an angry word from our brothers mouth how would we suffer boyling lead boyling coales as the Martyrs did How to be crucified as our Lord Iesus was What would we doe then Shew me now one dram of this patience Among gallants a word and a blow among ciuill men a word and a writ The backe of Patience can beare no load But ought not Christ first to suffer these things and then to enter into his glory First he was crowned with thornes then crowned with honours Caput spinosum in terris si sit gloriosum in coelis That head must first weare a wreath of sorrow on earth that shall weare a wreath of ioy in heauen Hereunto are we called because Christ suffered for vs leauing vs an example that we should follow his steps 2. That all this is according to the will of God Our blowes come at least mediately from the hand of God And this hand is guided with prouidence temperd with loue Distressed worldlings cry out it was my owne folly that ran me into this danger or the malice of mine enemy vndid me or surfeit on such meat made me sicke So the cur bites the stone which could neuer haue hurt him but from the hand that threw it Looke vp to the first mouer O mad man and discharge the meanes The Instrument may be vniust in thy wrongs but the cause is iust from him that inflicted it What rod soeuer beats thee consider it according to the will of God and be patient His hand sets theirs on worke I hope thou wilt not dispute with thy maker The medicine of thy passion is composed by God himselfe no euils nor deuils shall put in one dram more then his allowance no man nor Angell can abate one scruple The impatient man wants eyther wisedome or obedience Wisedome if he be ignorant from whom his crosses come obedience if he knowes it and is not patient This is the Integritie of the Suffering now followes The Comfort of this Integritie Let him commit the keeping of his soule to God Euery man cannot with this confidence but qui patitur propter Deum recurrit ad Deum He that suffers for Christs testimonie is confident of Gods mercie Let vs come therefore vnto the throne of grace boldly that we may obtaine mercie and find grace to helpe in the time of need Here let vs obserue three circumstances Quis Quid Cui Who What to Whom Who They that suffer according to the will of God Felicitie thinkes it hath no neede of God But God is more daintie of spirituall comforts then to giue them to such as are confident in worldly comforts The Balme of the Spirit shall not be sophisticated or mixed veneno mundi with the poyson of this world Giue strong drinke to the heauie sayth Salomon God will not giue his consolations to those that are drunke with prosperitie mad-merry with the world but his wine to the heauy heart He will comfort them that mourne Let them that
pardon they for merits we for mercies they for iustifying workes of their own we only for our sweet Sauiour Iesus Christ. 3. They that will neither trust others with their soule not keepe it theÌ„selues but either do sell it for ready money as Esau sold his Birthright Iudas 〈◊〉 Iesus Or pawne it for a good bribe some large teÌ„ptation of profit pleasure or honor they will not sell it out-right but morgage it for a while with a purpose that seâ—…dome speeds to redeeme it Or loose it walking negligently through the streets of this great Citie the world their soule is gone they are not aware of it Or giue away their soule as do the enuious and desperate haue nothing in lieu of it but terrors without horrors within they serue the deuills turne for nothing 4. They that will trust God with their soule but haue no warraÌ„t that God will keep it They lay al the burtheÌ„ vpon the shoulders of Christ meddle no more with the matter As if God would bring them to heaueÌ„ euen whilst they pursue the way to hel or keep that soule for the body when the body had quite giuen away the soule He neuer promised to saue a man against his will As he doth saue vs by his Son so he comands vs. to worke vp our saluation with feare trembling He that lies still in the myrie pitt of his sin trusts to heauen for helpe out without his owne concurring endeuour may hap to lie there still 2. Dying there is no comfort but to trust the soule with God So Dauid Lord into thy hands I commit my spirit So Steuen Lord Iesus receiue my spirit with these words our Lord Iesus himselfe gaue vp the Ghost It is iustice to restore whence we receiue It is not presumption but faith to trust God with thy spirit The soule of the king the soule of the beggar all one to him Dauid a king Lazarus a beggar God receiues both their soules From giuing vp the Ghost the highest is not exempted from giuing it into the hands of God the poorest is not excepted There is no comfort like this when riches bring aut nequam aut nequicquam either no comfort or discomfort when the wardrobe furniture iunkets wine offend thee when thy money cannot defend thee when thy doctors feed themselues at thy cost cannot feed thee when wife childreÌ„ friends stand weeping about thee where is thy helpe thy hope all the world hath not a dramme of comfort for thee this sweetens all Lord into thy hands I commend my soule Thou hast redeemed me O thou God of truth Our Spirit is our dearest iewell howle and lament if thou thinke thy soule is lost But let thy faith know that is neuer lost which is committed to Gods keeping Spiritum emittis non amittis Duriùs seponitur sed melius reponitur That soule must needs passe quietly through the gates of death which is in the keeping of God Woe were vs if the Lord did not keepe it for vs whiles we haue it much more when we restore it While our soule dwels in our breast it is subiect to manifold miseries to manifest sinnes temptations passions misdeedes distemper vs in heauen it is free from all these Let the soule be once in the hands of God nec dolore pro peccato nec peccato prae dolore torquetur it is neither disquieted with sorrow for sinne nor with sinne which is beyond all sorrow There may be trouble in the wildernesse in the land of promise there is all peace Then may we sing Our soule is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the foulers the snare is broken and wee are escaped Inuadit Satanas euadit Christianus It is there aboue the reach of the deuill There is no euill admitted into the citie of heauen to wrastle with the citizens thereof Death is ready at hand about vs we carry deaths enow within vs we know we shall die we know not how soone it can neuer preuent vs or come too early if our soules bee in the keeping of God Man was not so happy when God gaue his soule to him as he is when he returnes it to God Giue it cheerefully and then like a faythfull Creator that thou giuest to him in short paine hee will giue thee backe with endlese ioy And so we come fittly from the Comfort of our Integritie The Boldnesse of this Comfort As vnto a faithfull Creator Wherein our confidence is heartned by a double argument the one drawne ex maiestate the other ex Misericordia from Maiestie from mercie His greatnes a Creator his goodnes a Faithfull Creator 1. Creator not a stranger to thee but he that made the. It is naturall to man to loue the worke of his owne hands Pigmalion dotes vpon the stone which himselfe had carued But much more naturall to loue his owne Images his children the walking Pictures of himselfe the diuided pieces of his owne body God loues vs as our Creator because his owne hands haue fashioned vs. But creauit vermiculos hee also made the wormes yeeld it and therefore non odit vermiculos hee hates not the very wormes Creauit Diabolum hee made the deuill no God made him an Angell hee made himselfe a deuill God loues him vt naturam as he is a nature hates him vt Diabolum as he is a corrupted nature an euill a deuil But we are not onely his creatures the workmanship of his hands but his children so Adam is called The sonne of God His owne Image fecit hominem in similitudinem suam he made man after his likenes in his Image We are more then opus Dei the meere worke of God for Imago Dei the very Image and similitude of God We may therefore be bold to commend our soules to God as a faithfull Creator Diuerse men haue that for their God which neuer was their Creator The proud man makes his Honour his god the couetous makes his gold his God the voluptuous makes his belly his God now whereas God not onely charged in the first Precept Thou shalt haue no other Gods before me but added further in the next Thou shalt not make to thee any Image or Similitude of any thing whether in heauen aboue or earth beneath or water vnder the earth c. These three sinnes seeme to crosse God in these three interdicted places For the proud man hath his Idol as it were in the aire the couetous man hath his Idol in the earth the drunken Epicure hath his Idol in the water Let them take their Gods to themselues let no Rachel that hath married Iacob steale away Labans Idols Our Creator is in heauen boldly giue thy soule to him who should better haue it then he that made it 2. The other argument of our comfort is that he is Fidelis a Faithfull Creator He is faithfull to thee how vnfaithfull soeuer thou hast beene
honour as to be Denisons of this Citie whereof once made free how contemptibly they will looke at the vaine endeuors of worldly men Thinke Beloued yea knowe how sweet soeuer the gaines of this lower Citie be it is yet far short of the gaines of heauen And you will one day say There is no Citie to the Citie of GOD. Where shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying nor any more paine Death with all his Apparitors that cite the whole vvorld to his Court sorrow crying paine shall be no more They shall persecute you from Citie to Citie saith Christ till at last we come to this Citie and then out of their reach O that this clay of ours should come to such honour Well may we suffer it to endure the Worlds tyrannie and to be afflicted by the Citizens thereof alas wee are but Prentises and they will vse vs hardly till our yeres be out When that day comes we shall be free possessors of this Citie You heare now the gate and the Citie what should you doe but enter Passe through the gate of grace a holy sanctified life and you shall not faile of the City of glorie Whither once entred you shall sing as it is in the Psalme Sicut audiâ—…imus ita et vidimus As we haue heard so haue we seene in the Citie of our God VVee see that now which was preached to vs yea and tenne thousand times more then euer could be vttered You shall say to Christ as the Queene of Sheba to Salomon I heard much of thy glory but behold the one halfe was not told me You saw Ierusalem before in a Mappe now you shall walke through the streets and obserue the towres and bulwarkes fully contemplate the glorie But my discourse shall giue way to your meditation The ioyes are boundlesse endlesse the Lord make vs free of this Citie Amen SPIRITVALL EYE-SALVE OR THE BENEFIT of Illumination EPHES. 1. 18. The eyes of your vnderstanding beeing enlightned that â—…ou may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance is in the Saints THE speciall grace that heere Paul prayes for his Ephesians is Illumination wherein is described to vs an Eye Obiect The eye is spirituall the obiect celestiall The Instrument isâ—…gracious the spectacle glorious The eye inlightned there is the organ the hope of Gods calling and the rich inheritance of the glorified Saints there is the obiect The Eye is described by the Situation Qualification The Site is the Understanding the Qualification is Inlightned The Eye Is the most excellent organ of sense Saint Augustine applies Seeing to all the senses Heare and see touch and see and the Psalmist hath Taste and see how gracious the Lord is Other senses discerne onely things neere them this remote and distant obiects Some say the roundnesse of the Eye resembles the Vnity of the Deity which is one and perfect and the triangular sight the Trinity of persons This is too curious happy is that intellectuall eye whose obiect is the blessed Vnity in Trinity and Trinity in Vnity whose delight is good yea God In a cleare eye the looker sees his owne image so God in a sanctified vnderstanding sees a limited resemblance of his infinite selfe And as some Physicians say that if looking in a sicke mans eyes they see their image there is hope of life but the want of this resultance is held an argument of instant death whereby they giue themselues a prognosticke signe whether the Patient will dye of that sicknesse or recouer it by the reflection of his eyes But it is certaine if Gods image be not in the vnderstanding instat mors animae the soule is in danger if it shine there there is comfort of life yea life of comfort Hence it is that the God of this world doth so striue to blind the minds of them that beleeue not ne imago Dei c. that the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ who is the Image of GOD should not shine vnto them God hath set two liddes to defend the corporall eye from annoyances So hee hath giuen the vnderstanding duas palpebâ—… Faith and hope to shelter it For the eye is not more tender to the body then the vnderstanding is to the soule And therefore Satan seekes by all meanes to hurt it eyther by offering it violent blowes which the shield of Faith beares off or by throwing dusts into it gifts blinde the eyes which the other lidde of hope for better riches keeps out The Situation Of this spirituall eye is in the Soule God framing mans soule planted in it two faculties the Superior that is the Vnderstanding which perceiueth and iudgeth the Inferiour that is the will which being enformed of the other accordingly followes or flies chuseth or refuseth The Scripture fauouring the simplest capacity compares these two powers of the soule to two knowne parts of the body The vnderstanding to the Eye the Affections to the Foote the eye directing the foote walking Euery man is naturally borne blinde and lame as Zedekiah captiuated to the King of Babylon first they put out his eyes and then they lamed his feete with fetters of brasse So is euery man by nature and therefore easily made a slaue to the king of infernall Babylon if the mercy of Christ should not redeeme him This consideration reacheth foorth to vs two vses the one of Instruction the other of Reprehension 1. This teacheth vs to desire in the first place the Inlightning of our eyes and then after the strengthening of our feete So that sweet Prophet ordereth his prayers Psal. 25. First Shew me thy wayes O Lord teach mee thy paths Then Lead me in thy truth First cleare my eyes then enable my feete Psal. 119. Make mee to vnderstand the way of thy precepts And then I will runne the way of thy Commandements Hee that would saile safely must get a good Pilot before good rowers Swift horses without a skilfull waggoner endanger more Hee that labours for feet before he hath eyes takes a preposterous course for of the two the lame is more likely to come to his iourneyes end then the blind Could hee runne as swift as Hazael and outstrip the young Hart on the mountaines yet being blinde he would hardly hitte the way to Heauen There is but one way thither by-paths innumerable it is a thousand to one against him that he misseth the right If he be set into it yet there are so many blockes rubbes obstacles put before him by the Deuill and the world that hee can no more goe into the true way then he could discerne it from the false But if a man hath eyes there is hope he will creepe to heauen though on lame feet Hee sees where Ierusalem stands and hath direction for the way as trauellers in scroles from such a village to such a city c. so the word of God
prescribes his iourney From Faith to vertue from vertue to knowledge from knowledge to temperance from temperance to patience c. till hee comes to enter into the euerlasting Kingdome of our Lord Iesus Christ. Hence we see there is somwhat more hope of a vicious person that hath a good vnderstanding then of an vtterly darke and blind soule though he walkes vpon zealous feete Let them knovv that they will come to heauen without eyes when the wicked come out of hell without feet Which lets vs see the kind loue of the Popish Clergie to their people and how vnfainedly they desire their going to Heauen when they pluck out their eyes send them thither So they may grope for it as the Sodomites did for the dore of Lots house That which they call the Mother of Deuotion Ignorance Augustine calls Pessimā matrem the worst Mother Pessimae matris Ignorantiae pessimae itidem duae filiae sunt scilicet falfitas et Dubietas illa miserior ista miser abilior illa perniciosior ista molestior There are two euill daughters of the most euill Mother Ignorance Falshood and Doubting the former is more miserable the latter more pityable that more pernicious this more troublesome Let them that plead so impetuously their Religion authenticall from the Fathers not cum Patribus reijci◅r read the opinion of a great Father concerning a maine point of their doctrine Ignorance Chrysostome saies Praecedit scientiae virtutis c◅ltum knowledge of vertue must euer goe before deuotion For no man can earnestly affect the good he knowes not and the euill whereof he is ignorant hee feares not So that true loue to good and hatred to euill cannot occurre to a heart nescient of them both For Scientia conscientiam dirigit conscientia scientiam perficit Knowledge rectifies conscience so well as conscience perfits knowledge Con must euer be in composition and so kindly vniting knowledge to deuotion there ariseth Conscience If they allow not then their people eyes they may as well lame their feet and so send them like the Syrian band in stead of Dothan to Samaria They say This is not the way to heauen nor is this the Citie of life follow me I will bring you to the man Iesus Christ whom yee seeke But he led them to Samaria 2. This reprehends a common fashion of many Auditors When the Preacher beginnes to analyse his Text and to open the points of doctrine to informe the vnderstanding they lend him very cold attention That part of the Sermon is spent in slumber as if it concern'd vs not But when he comes to apply his conclusions and to driue home the vse of his inferences by application then they beginne to rouse vp themselues and lend an eare of diligence As if they had onely need to haue their hearts warmed and not to haue their minds warned enlightned with knowledge But alas no eyes no saluation Your affections are stirred in vaine without a precedent illumination of your soules You must know to doe before you can doe what you know And indeed hee that attends onely to exhortation and not to instruction seemes to build more vpon mans zeale then Gods Word Both doe well together attend to the Doctrine and suffer also the Word of exhortation that you may haue both cleare eyes and sound feete those which God hath ioyned together let no man put asunder I come from the Situation to the Qualification Of this spirituall eye enlightned For this blessing the Apostle prayes to the Father of lights from whom comes euery good and perfect gift from him and from him onely comes this grace of Illumination Mans mind is not onely darke but darknesse till the Spirit of knowledge light on him and lighten him Though Zedekiah was in Nebuchadnezzars Court that great Monarch newly deliuerd of his monstrous ambition to whom all the glories and pleasures of the world came a gossiping yet hee saw none of this pompe and magnificence his eyes vvere wanting So blind Samson among the merry Philistins saw none of their rich apparrell costly cheere and glorious triumphs When the naturall man comes into the Temple among the Cōgregation of Gods Saints his soule is not delighted with their prayers praises psalmes and seruice he sees no comfort no pleasure no content in their actions True he doth not hee cannot for his vnderstanding is not inlightned to see the hope of their calling and the glorious riches which the Spirit of grace and consolation sheds into them Hee sees no whit into the awfull Maiestie of God filling all with his glorious presence and ruling all euents with his prouidence euen disposing euill to his glory Nothing of the beautie mercy pitie of his Sauiour sitting at the right hand of his Father not his Highnesse being in heauen nor yet his Nighnesse to his brethren on earth Nothing of Mount Sion the Citie of the liuing God the celestiall Ierusalem not of the company of innumerable Angels nor of the generall assembly and company of the first borne which are written in Heauen not of God the Iudge of all nor of the spirits of iust men made perfect nor of Iesus the Mediator of the new Testament nor the bloud of sprinkling that speaks better things then that of Abel What more then a world of happinesse doth this mans eye not see Hereupon wee call a meere foole a naturall The worldlings haue esteemed and misnamed Christians Gods fooles but wee know them the fooles of the world The greatest Philosopher is but a sot to the weakest Christian therefore Philosophy vnbaptized vvith grace is said to be monoculate to haue but one eye and that is of naturall Reason a left eye of the soule But the Christian hath two eyes the left eye of Reason whereby he may see into the secrets of nature as farre as the Philosopher and the right eye of faith which the other wanting cannot conceiue the mystery of godlinesse This mysterie to him is but like a high candle to a blind man God onely then must giue Salomon wisedome and to his Father a knowledge aboue his Teachers If any of you lacke wisedome let him aske of God The first Character our forefathers taught vs was Christs Crosse. Our first spelling lesson In the Name of the Father c. To teach vs that euen all humane knowledge much more diuine is deriued from Gods fountaine There are two reasons why we must all begge of God for our selues as Paul did for his Ephesians this grace of Illumination 1. Our spirituall blindnesse came vpon vs by Gods iust curse for our sinnes As the Philistins put out Samsons eyes for his many mischiefes done them so GOD on farre greater cause blinded Adam and his perpetuall issue He had pure and good knowledge but because his ambition was appetere prohibitum to desire that was forbidden his punishment was perdere concessum to lose that hee had