euill will persecute the good and the good may not partake of the vices of the bad What agreement hath the temple of God with Idols Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the vncleane thing and I will receiue you Out of the Egypt of this world hath God called his Sonnes We are forbidden all fellowship with the vnfruitfull workes of of darkenes not altogether with the workers For then wee must needs goe out of the world It is commanded Ierem 15. that the precious be separated from the vile yet so that they may returne to the good though the good may not turne to them It is good for the good to sunder themselues from the incorrigible wicked as being the first stayre of the ladder that leaues the earth and sets the first step of our iourney to heauen God in his eternall decree separated the elect from the Reprobate in his Vocation he sequesters them from nature and sinne When hee executes particular iudgement hee takes Israell from the Tabernacles of Corah when he will giue the generall he will seuer the Sheepe from the Goates Christ then who is the Prince of Peace causeth not quarrels betweene man and man as they are creatures but betwixt goodnesse and euill as they are contrarie natures That the sonnes of Beliall hate the sonnes of God Christ is not the cause but the occasion For when the Gospell separates vs from the world the world then bends his malicious forces against vs. So that Peace in sinne Ver. 51. Christ came not to send but Peace of conscience Phil. 4. The peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding c. Which because the wicked will not embrace therfore Fiue in one house shall be diuided the Father against the Sonne and the Sâ—…nne against the Father c. The Gospell doth not otherwise worke this diuision then the Law is sayd to make sinne because it made sinne knowne Or the Sunne is sayd to cause mothes because it causeth their appearance Let Paul continue a Pharise and the Pharises will loue him conuert he to a Christian and they will hate him Whiles we liue after the world we haue peace with the world none with God when we are turned to Christ we haue peace with God none with the world This ground laid we will consider for the better exposition of the words fiue circumstances The Fire Fewell Kindlers Smoake Bellowes Wherein we shall find Christs willing and the fires kindling Who wils goodnesse to his chosen which he is sure will enrage the wicked to their persecution The cause thus giuen the fire is left to be kindled by others For though Non sine Deo patimur yet non a Deo petimur The instruments of our afflictioÌ„ will be found vngodly who though they plead we haue done the will of the Lord shall goe to hell for their labour The Fire Is discord debate contention anger and hatred against the godly Euery man is composed of foure elementall humours whereof one is Choler resembled to Fire In whom this Choler is most adust puissant they are vsually most hote furious fiery But I speake here of nature for grace can alter nature and purge this corruption Regeneration is the best physicke to purge Choler Many medicines hath Philosophie prescribed against this spirituall disease but in vaine The Philosophers seruant could scoffe his Maister He inueighes against anger writes volumes against it ipse mihi irascitur and yet he is angry with me Onely grace can more then giue rules giue power to master this madnesse Fire and Contention haue some resemblances 1. Debate is like Fire for as that of all elements so this of all passions is most violent The earth is huge yet we walke quietly on it it suffers our ploughes to rend vp the entrals of it to teach vs patience The aire is copious yet admits our respiration The waters boystrous yet sayle we vpon them against them But Fire especially getting the vpper hand is vnmercifully raging it left nothing behind to witnesse the former happynes of Sodome The worlds last destruction shall be by Fire and God vseth that of all elements to expresse the very torments of hell adding Brimstone to it To this is the anger of God likened Our God is euen a consuming fire So doth debate exceede all passions flouds of correction can quench the turbulent an fiery spitit which is set on fire of hell Onely one extreame may driue out another as we hold our burnt finger to the fire by a new heat to extract the former So the fire of grace onely must draw out the Fire of debate or send it to the euerlasting fire to purge it 2. Contention is like Fire for both burne so long as there is any exustible matter to contend against Only herein it transcends fire for fire begets not matter but consumes it debate begets matter but not consumes it For the wicked study cause of contention as Benhadad against Ahab 1. king 20. So when the Pope could find no iust exception against Fredericke the Emperour he quarrell'd with him for holding the wrong stirrop when the great Prelate should mount his palfrey and thought he might easily mistake for Emperours are not vsed to hold stirrops yet hee was persecuted almost to excommunication for it It is wofull dwelling amongst debatefull men whose soules hate peace that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without naturall affection which Paul makes a reprobates marke striking all that stand in their way and not ceasing to burne till all matter cease to feede them Salomon discribes such with a firie comparison First ver 17. he cals him a Busi-body he passeth by and meddleth with strife belonging not to him he thrusts himselfe into impertinent busines and is like one that taketh a dog by the eares which hee can neither hold nor well let goe ver 18. He notes his politicke villanie As a mad-man who casteth firebrands arrowes and death and saith Am I not insport he scattereth abroad mortall mischiefes vnder the colour of iest And ver 20. lest the fire should goe out hee administers fewell himselfe Where no wood is there the fire goeth out ver 21. when he hath kindled this flame hee striues to spread and disperse it and is as coales to burning coales and wood to the fire The words of a tale-bearer are wounds and they goe downe into the innermost parts of the belly They penetrate and cruciate the most tender and sensible places 3. As a litle sparke growes to a great flame so a small debate often proues a great rent Behold how great a matter a litle fire kindleth The wind at first a small vapour yet gets such strength in going that it ouer-turnes trees and towers A back-biting tongue hath pulled downe strong citties and ouerthrowne the houses of great men Warre is compared to fire
with the workes that are therein shall be burnt vp The workes of mens hands the workes of their brines their very thoughts shall perish The Lords voyce shooke the earth and hee hath saide yet once againe I will shake not the earth onely but also heauen O blessed place that is not subiect to this shaking whose ioyes haue not onely an amiable countenance but a glorious continuance The things that are shaken shall be remoued but the things that are not shaken remaine for euer All the terrours of this worlde mooue not him that is fixed in heauen Impauidum ferient ruinae They that put their trust in the Lord shall be as mount Sion which cannot beremoued but abideth for euer But the Tabernacles and hopes of the wicked shall perish together For the world passeth away and the lust thereof but he that doeth the will of God abideth euer Whereon sayth August Quid vis Vtrum amare temporalia transire cum tempore an amare Christum viuere in aeternum Whether wilt thou loue the world and perish with it or loue Christ liue for euer 3. Myracle The rockes rent A wonderfull act to breake stones and rend rockes This giues vs two obseruations 1. This did foresignifie the power and efficacie of the Gospell that it should bee able to breake the very rockes As the death and passion of Christ did cleaue those solid and almost impenetrable substances so the publishing of his death and passion shall rend and breake in pieces the rockie hearts of men So Iohn Baptist said God is able of stones to rayse vp children vnto Abraham The hearts of Zaccheus Mary Magdalene Paul were such rockes yet they were cleft with the wedge of the Gospell This is that Rod of Moses able to breake the hardest Rockes till they gush out with flouds of penitent teares This is Ieremies hammer powerfull to bruise the most obdurate hearts The bloud of the Goate sacrificed of force to dissolue Adamant There is power in the bloud of Iesus to put sense into stones Blessed are you if you be thus broken-hearted for him whose heart was broken for you For the broken heart the Lord will not despise 2. Obserue the wonderfull hardnesse of the Iewes hearts The stones rent and claue in sunder at the cruell death of Iesus but their hearts more stony then stones are no whit moued They rend not their garments much lesse their hearts when as the earth rent the Stones her bones and the rockes her ribbes The flints are softer then they the flints breake they harden They still belch their malicious blasphemies the rocks relent the stones are become men and the men stones O the sencelesnesse of a hard heart rockes will sooner breake then that can be mollified Euen the hardest creatures are flexible to some agents flints to the raine iron to the fire stones to the hammer but this heart yeelds to nothing neyther the showers of mercie nor the hammer of reproofe nor the fire of Iudgements but like the stithy are still the harder for beating All the plagues of Egypt cannot mollifie the heart of Pharaoh It is wondrously vnnaturall that men made the softest hearted of all should be rigidiores lupis duriores lapidibus more cruell then wolues more hard then stones I woulde to GOD all hard-heartednesse had dyed with these Iewes but it is not so Howe often hath Christ beene here crucified in the word preaching his Crosse to your eares in the Sacraments presenting his death to your eyes thinke thinke in your owne soules haue not the stones in the walles of this Church beene as much moued God forbid our obduratenesse should be punished as theirs was since they would be so stony-hearted Ierusalem was turned to a heape of stones and the conquering Romanes dasht them pitifully against those stones which they exceeded in hardnesse Here let the wicked see their doome the stones that will not be softned shall be broken There is no changing the decree of God but change thy nature and then know thou art not decreed to death Stony harts shall bee broken to pieces with vengeance doe not striue to alter that doome but alter thy owne stony heart to a heart of flesh and so preuent it in the particular Wolues and goates shall not enter into heauen thou maiest pull starres out of heauen before alter this sentence but doe it thus Leaue that nature and become one of Christes sheepe and then thou art sure to enter No adulterâ—… nor couetous person sayth Paul shall inherite the kingdoâ—… of heauen this doome must stand but not against thee if thou bee conuerted Such were ye but ye are washed c. You are not such Had the Iewes ceased to be stones they had beene spared God will roote thornes and bryers out of his vineyard if thou wouldst not haue him roote out thee become a Vine and bring forth good grapes God threatens to breake the hairy sealpe of him that goes on in sinne yet mayest thou ward this blow from thy selfe Goe no further on in sinne When God comes in iudgement to visite the earth to shatter rockes and breake stones in peeces thou hast a heart of flesh mollified with repentance Let the earth quake and the rockes teare thy faith hath saued thee goe in peace 4. Miracle The graues were opened and many bodyes of Sanits which slept arose Concerning this two questions are moued 1. Where their soules were all this while before I answere where the scripture hath no tongue we should haue no eare Most probably thus their soules were in heauen in Abrahams bosome and came downe to their bodyes by diuine dispensation to manifest the power and Deitie of Christ. 2. Whither they went afterwards I answere by the same likelyhood that they died no more but waited on the earth till Christs resurrection and then attended him to heauen But these things that are concealed should not be disputed Tutum est nescire quod tegitur It is a safe ignorance where a man is not commanded to know Let vs then see what profitable instructions we can hence deriue to our selues They are many and therefore I will but lightly touch them 1. This teacheth vs that Christ by his death hath vanquished death euen in the graue his owne chamber That gyant is subdued the graues flie open the dead goe out This beares ample witnesse to that speach of Christ. I am the resurrection and the life he that beleeueth in me though he were dead yet shall he liue The bodies of the Saints what part of the earth or sea soeuer holds their dusts shall not be detayned in prison when Christ cals for them as the members must needs goe when the Head drawes them He shall speake to all creatures Reddite quod deuorastis restore whatsoeuer of man you haue deuoured not a dust not a bone can be denyed The bodyes of the Saints shall be raised sayth August Tanta
A Crucifixe Ephe. 5. 2. He hath giuen himselfe for vs an offering The good Politician directed Math. 10. 16. Be wise as Serpents The way home Math. 2. 12. And being warned of God in a dreame Semper Idem Hebr. 13. 8. Iesus Christ the same yesterday Gods bounty Prou. 3. 16. Length of dayes is in her right hand The lost are found Luke 19. 10. For the Sonne of man is come to seeke A Generation of Serpents Psal. 58. 4. Their poyson is like the poyson of Serpents Heauen made sure Psal. 35. 3. Say vnto my soule I am thy saluation The Soules refuge 1. Pet. 4. 19. Let them that suffer according The end of the Contents THE HAPPINES OF THE CHVRCH HEBR. 12. Ver. 22. But ye are come vnto Mount Sion and to the Citie of the liuing GOD the heauenly Ierusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels 23. To the generall assembly and Church of the first borne which are written in heauen and to God the Iudge of all and to the spirits of iust men made perfect 24. And to Iesus the Mediator of the new Couenant and to the bloud of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Abel THEY that make comparisons alteram partem deprimunt vt res alterius emineant debase the one part that they may aduance the honour of the other Our Apostle abates the glory of the Law that he may giue more glory where it is more deserued to the Gospell For if the ministration of condemnation be glory much more doth the ministration of righteousnesse exceede in glory The summe of the comparison is spent in these three generalls 1. There were Omnia terrena et externa all things outward and sauouring of earth ver 18. A Mount that might still be touched c. Here all Interna et coelestia spirituall and heauenly 2. There are all Obscura et caliginosa darke and difficult Blacknesse darknes c. Here all Clara et illustria cleare and conspicuous therfore the Prophet called Christ Solem Iustitiae The Sun of Righteousnesse and Iohn Baptist stiled him That light which lightens euery one comming into the world 3. There all were Terribilia fearefull and amazing not onely to the people ver 19. who intreated that the Word should not bee spoken to them any more But euen to Moses ver 21. So terrible was the sight that Moses said I exceedingly feare and quake Here all Amabilia et laeta louely as Rachel delightfull as Musike the Gospel is called the Message of peace Our Apostle therefore preacheth a double quantity in the Gospell Magnitudinem Gloriae multitudinem gratiae the greatnes of Glory to worke in vs reuerence the multitude of Grace to worke in vs loue obedience The Law was giuen by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Christ Iesus The excellency of Christ aboue Moses is exemplified in the third Chapter of this Epistle Moses verily was faithfull in all Gods house as a seruant But Christ as a Sonne ouer his owne house c. To the words the parts are generally two the Accesse and the Obiect First for the Accesse Yee are come What on your own feet without a Guide No Accessistis hoc est fide Euangelica perducti estis Yee are come that is yee are brought by the faith of the Gospel There is one that brings you God euery person in the blessed Trinity It is Opus Patris No man can come except the Father draw him Opus Filij Draw me we will runne after thee Opus spiritus sancti Let thy good spirit lead me into the Land of righteousnes Man is by nature in Zedechias case blind and lame Blind Non inuenisset viam nisi via inuenisset eum vnlesse the vvay had found him he could neuer haue found the way Lame he may know that the Temple of heauen hath a beautiful gate Grace but cannot come thither till God brings him loo sen his stupified ioynts and put into his hand the Almes of mercy This done he may enter into the Temple walking and leaping and praising GOD. Thus first he giues the Soule eyes vnderstanding then feet gracious affections and now expects that he should come God hath not so done all for thee that thou shouldest doe nothing for thy selfe A Deo sine te factus à te fine Deo infectus A Christo sine te refectus non à te fine Christo nec à Christo sine te perfectus God did create thee without thy selfe thou didst lose thy selfe without God without thy selfe Christ did redeeme thee but neither thy selfe without Christ nor Christ without thy selfe shall perfect thee Potest Dominus inueniri adueniri non praeueniri There may be a finding of God a comming to God but no preuenting of God Haue faith Hee that commeth to God must belieue and that of thine owne for there is no comming on anothers foote Thus that we might come to Christ Christ came to vs. Non de coelo merita nostra sed peccata traxerunt Not our merits but our maladies drew that great Physician from heauen to vs. Yee are not comming but come it is rather a time perfectly past then expectantly future Which plainely demonstrates that this is a description of the Church in her militant estate so well as triumphant Indeed either hath a relation to other a communion to other and the inestimable priuiledges of them both are wrapped vp together The connexion of Glory to Grace is so infallible that they often change names Heauen is called the kingdome of Holinesse and Holinesse is called the kingdome of Heauen Yee are saued by hope and Hee that belieueth hath euerlasting life and is passed from death to life So sure as if they were already in Heauen So Paul Our conuersation is in heauen from vvhence wee looke for our Sauiour Iesus Christ. The obiect or place of our arriual is described by many excellent and honourable titles First it is called a Mount but is there so much happinesse in that Feriunt summos fulgura montes the highest Mountaines are most danger'd to the violences of Heauen ver 18. There was a Mount burning with fire This is no Mountaine of danger or terror but Sion safe pleasant delightfull Sion the ioy of the whole earth the beloued of GOD the Iohn that leaned on the bosome of Christ. The Lord loues the gates of Sion better then all the dwellings of Iacob But though a Mount though Mount Sion yet it might be a solitary and vnfrecuented Hill like that whereunto the Diuell tooke Christ and shewed him the kingdomes of the world vvhere a man can onely see glory not enioy it Or like that mount Nebo or top of Pisgah whereon Moses might onely stand and behold the Land of Canaan Not so but on this Mount there stands a City a populous Citie and full of buildings like that wherein Christ
that is called by my Name as I haue done to Shiloh It lies in the power of sinne to make the most blessed places accursed God turnes a fruitfull land into barrennesse for the wickednesse of the inhabitants that dwell therein Ciuitatis euersio morum non murorum casus The ruine of a Citie is not the breach of the walls but the apostacie of manners Were our Fences stronger then the seuen-folde walls of Babylon the sinnes within would hurle downe the Bulwarkes without If there be Prauilegium among vs there is no Priuilegium for vs. This Sion then stands not on earthly foundations for at the generall dissolution the earth with all the workes in it Cities Castles Townes Towres shall be burnt vp If it were built on a saâ—…dy foundation when the raine the flouds and windes shall conspire against it it would fall and the fall of it would be great But Sion is built on Christ Behold I say in Sion a chiefe corner stone elect and precious he that beleeueth on him shall not be confounded This is conspicuous by the Antithesis of Mount Sion with the Gospell to Mount Sinai with the Law The Apostlecals that montem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a mount that might be touched if this had beene vpon earth it had also beene contrectabilis touchable but it is onely spirituall Hee alludes to Gods Prophesies and Promises Euangelium proditurum de monte Sion that the Gospel should come out of Mount Sion This is manifest to those that will consider and conferre these places Obad. vers 21. Esa. 2. 3. Mie 4. 2. Come let vs goe vp to the Mount of the Lord for out of Sion shall goe forth the Law and the word of God from Ierusalem Esa. 59. 20. with Rom. 11. 26. There shall come out of Sion the Deliuerer and shall turne away vngodlinesse from Iacob Sinai gaue thraldome by Moses Sion giues freedome and saluation by Iesus These two words giue vs two comforts of grace Fortitudinem quia mons Beatitudinem quia mons Sion Securitie because it is a mountaine Felicity because it is Mount Sion 1. Heere is considerable the validity and strength of grace that comes by Christ we are not built in a valley but on a mount A mountaine hath euer beene held the place of safety I said in my prosperity I shall neuer be moued What is his reason Lord thou of thy fauour hast made my mountaine so strong But alas what are all the mountaines of the earth to mount Sion Woe to them that trust in the mountaines of Samaria The prophane Edomite stands on his mountain and derides the iudgement of God The Syrians thought God only Deum montium a God of the mountaines It was vpon the high mountaine that Israel played the harlot Many sit on their mountains and giue defiance to heauen The couetous mans mountaine is his riches there he thinkes himselfe safe Soule rest thou hast much goods layd vp for many yeares The ambitious mans mountaine is his honour and who dares finde fault with so promontorious a celsitude yes Euery mountaine shall be brought low Sensualitie is the voluptuous mans mountaine there he refugeth himselfe against all reproofes But when the iudgements of God shall come vpon the earth in vaine they shal cry to the mountaines Fallon vs and to the hills Couer vs. As neyther against the waters in the former Deluge so nor against the fire in the latter dissolution shall the mountaines defend onely this Mount Sion shall saue vs. The mountaine of worldly confidence hath not more strength of defending against the assaults of men then danger of exposing to the violences of heauen Heere is the difference betwixt the worldlings building and the Christians 1. They thinke themselues onely to build high aspiring to an equality with mountaines and as low builders poore deiected and reiected creatures But indeed they build low for all sublunary things are low buildings onely he that builds on this Mount Sion builds high and sure when all oppositions and aduersary forces haue done their worst he stands firme like Mount Sion which cannot be remoued but abideth fast for euer The Wise mans mind is euer aboue the Moone yea aboue the Sun What turbulencies soeuer be in the world all is peace there In my Fathers house there are many mansions In domo it is a house not a Tabernacle Of my Father for if he hath afforded such a house for his enemies how glorious is that he hath reserued for himselfe and his friends Patris mei saith Christ My Father your Father is able to giue you a cottage for your short life My Father giues a house for euer There are Mansions à manendo not moueable tents but mansions Many enow for all none shall be troubled for want of elbow-roome Therefore let all Mountaines stoope to this The mountaine of the Lord shall be established in the top of mountaines and shall be exalted aboue the hills and all Nations shal flowe vnto it This is Gods Mountaine who hath chosen of all Nations Israel of all Tribes Iuda of all Cities Ierusalem of all Temples that of Salomon of all Mountaines Mount Sion 2. The worldlings thinke this Mountaine is but a dreame because they cannot see it nor touch it But our Apostle sayes it is intrectabilis it cannot be touched with earthly fingers no profane feet must tread in those holy Courts Naturall mens vnderstandings are led by their senses Plus oculo quà m oraculo they will belieue no further then they see Giue mee good cheare sayes the Epicure this I can see and taste and tell not me of your spirituall banket in heauen Giue me good liquour sayes the Drunkard the bloud of the grape this giues colorem saporem odorem colour to the eye sauour to the palate odour to the sent heauen hath no Nectar like this Giue me honour saith the Ambitious which may aduaunce me that from this Mountaine of preferment I may ouerlooke the inferiour world and behold vassals prostrate to my Celsitude this I can feele and see tel not me of your inuisible kingdome and Such honour haue all his Saints Giue mee gorgeous apparell sayes the proud this vvill make me admir'd giue me admission among the great ones tell not me of our Robe of Glory Giue me gold saies the Couetous this I can see it is my Sunne by day and my Moone by night I can spend my time delightfully in telling feeling treasuring this neuer tell me of your treasure in heauen Well if there be no remedy but Sense must be your Religion and this world your God take your choise these grosse palpable things trust you in these Mountaines but Lord giue vs this Mount Sion which our Lord Iesus Christ hath established for vs. Now sith we are built vpon a Mountaine let vs know that we are conspicuous all the world takes notice of vs. The faithfull
of God but it appeares not yet what we shall be Hast thou heere much peace there is more here wee haue desiderium pacis there pacem desiderij Heere a desire of peace there the peace of our desires Hast thou heere some ioy there is more now ioy with sorrow checker-worke white and blacke roses but thornes with them then ioy with safety safety with eternity such ioy as shall neuer be taken from vs. There Rex veritas Lex charitas pax foelicitas vita aeternitas If one day in lower Sion be better then a thousand daies in the tents of wickednesse then one day in vpper Sion is better then a thousand yeeres in this valley of teares If Peter was so rauished with Mount Tabor where onely Christ was transfigured what is he with this Mount Sion where all are glorified How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord If Gods Tabernacles be so louely what is his mansion If there bee such ioy in the remission of sinne what is there in the abolition of sinne If there bee now such sweet peace in thy heart such musicke in thy conscience what mayst thou thinke there is in heauen But because non capimus illa illa capiant nos we cannot comprehend those pleasures let those pleasures comprehend vs. Good seruant the ioy is too great to enter into thee therfore enter thou into the ioy of thy Lord. This Mount Sion did God giue to Christ and Christ to vs. God to his Sonne Yet haue I set my King vpon my holy hill of Sion The Sonne to vs A Lambe stood on Mount Sion and with him 144. thousand c. A Lambe in figure slaine from the foundation of the world A Lambe in fact led like a Lambe to the slaughter standeth sits not idle nor lies asleepe hee that kepeth Israel neyther slumbers nor sleepes whereon not as the two beasts his opposites that rise out of the earth and Sea but on a Mount What Mount not Sinai but Sion Other mountaines quake at his presence The hils melted like waxe at the presence of the Lord. But Sion heard and was glad and the daughters of Iuda reioyced Other mountains in homage to this haue skipped and danced about it The mountaines skipped like Rams and the little hils like Lambes He stands therefore is willing to defend on a Mount therefore able to defend on Mount Sion therefore ready to defend because hee is in the middest of his owne and sees his Church round about him So that though all the red Dragons on earth and blacke Deuils in hell rage against vs yet the Lambe on Mount Sion will defend vs. There now hee stands calling vs by grace there we shall one day behold him calling vs to glory vntill hee giue this glory to vs yea then and euer let vs giue all glory to the Lambe that stands on Mount Sion This is the place which the Lord chose and loues He refused the Tabernacle of Ioseph and chose not the Tribe of Ephraim But chose the Tribe of Iudah the Mount Sion which he loued This praise did inherit and inhabite Sion The Lord hath chosen Sion he hath desired it for his habitation This is my rest for euer heere will I dwell for I haue desired it Let the precedent of Gods affection worke in all our hearts a zeale to Sion The Lord that chose Sion chuse vs to Sion he that desired it his habitation make it the habitation of our desires It is his rest let it be ours that we may rest with him Here will I dwell saith he let vs all pray to dwell there Though it bee a hill a high hill though paines and toyle in getting vp yet let vs ascend for aboue there is eternall ioy The City of the liuing God the heauenly Ierusalem I come from the Situation to the Citie you heare where it is heare now what it is A City in a Mountaine Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the City of our God in the Mountaine of his holinesse Beautifull for situation the ioy of the whole earth is Mount Sion on the sides of the North the City of the great King God is knowne in her Palaces for a sure refuge Heere be foure circumstances 1. Quae sit not a Village but a City 2. Cuius not mans but Gods not a faigned but the liuing Gods 3. Qualis not earthly but heauenly 4. Quo nomine not Sodome or Samaria but the City of peace Ierusalem The Citie The Church may be compared to a Citie for three resemblances of Safety Vnitie Paucity 1. For safety Cities haue euer bene held the securest places So Lot said of little Zoar Let me escape thither my soul shall liue Cain fearing the execution of his curse built him a Citie for refuge and called it Enoch The motiue that caused those wicked to build a City was security lest we be scattered abroad vpon the face of the whole earth The Israelites had their Cities of refuge and a Law of their protection Num. 35. 27. But there is no Citie of sure refuge but this Citie of the liuing God It is ordinary with men to put too much trust like Israel in their walled Cities Except the Lord keep the Citie the watchman waketh but in vaine Shalt thou raigne because thou closest thy selfe in Cedar Thou thinkest thy selfe secure because an inhabitant of this famous London No thou liuest in an Iland therefore in danger of the Sea in a Christian Iland therefore in danger of the Turke in a Protestant Iland therefore in danger of the Pope in a chiefe City of this Iland therefore in danger of the diuell The Citie is perilous for pride the more spectators the more acclamations the larger the Theater the lowder the applause The solemne assembly in Cesaria puffed vp ambitious Herod to his owne destruction The people showted Vox Dei but the wormes confuted their flattery his folly Simon Magus ventured that flight in a Citie to which in an obscure Village he had neither been tempted nor would haue attempted And whether quicke commings in of money make not this Citie vnsafe to many soules miserable experience hath euinced Praeceps locum princeps damnum suddaine profit is capitall losse But suppose men care not so much for the safety of their soules are their bodies secure Thieues homicides fires deny it But if they scape all these fires yet not the last fire Your buckets may quench other fires not this no milke nor vineger can extinguish that wild fire As in the dayes of Noah a Doue could not set downe her foote for water so nor at this day for fire Let this meditation like a fortunate storme driue you to harbour the weakenesse of all Cities in the world to the safety of the Citie of God 2. For vnitie Familiarity hath the name Quasi eiusdem familiae as it were of the same
familie Concord and agreement is taught by the Corporation of one Citie Ierusalem is built as a Citie well compacted together Here is no need of Lawyers all are at peace Not a tell-tale not an Incendiary in it Inferiour Cities haue good orders for vnitie but all will not embrace the vnity of order Saepe inter ciues turbauerit amnia diues It must be as the rich will haue it or there is no rule These Citizens are not Urbani but Turbani It was Dauids care to cut off such vvicked doers from the Citie of GOD. Here they persecute vs from Citie to Citie going ouer the Cities of Israel not leaue vs till wee are driuen to this Citie then shall wee rest in peace euery one louing another and the Lord Iesus louing vs all 3. For Paucitie indeed a Citie is great compared with a Village but what is it in respect of the earth Are there fewe that shall be saued No there are many Christ is the first borne among many brethren Loe a great multitude which no man could number of all Nations and languages stoode before the Throne Are there many that shal be saued No few Many are called but few are chosen Christs is a little flocke The best courses haue the fewest followers Numerus paucior numerus melior Gods reseruation is a very small remnant a very Tenth In it shall be a Tenth many leaues the sappe is but a Tythe As the shaking of an Oliue tree two or three berries in the top of the vppermost bough foure or fiue in the outmost fruitfull branches They are compared to the Gleaning of the Grapes after the Vintage It was the Churches complaint Woe is mee for I am as the gleanings This was Gods collection I will take you one of a Citie and two of a familie God is a Shepheard that saues some from the Lyon taking out of his mouth two legges or the peece of an eare rescues a few from that vniuersall Apostasie Of the 600. thousand that came out of Egypt but two entred into Canaan Caleb and Ioshua Euen the best is but Titio ereptus ab igne a brand snatched out of the fire All flesh had corrupted their way onely Noah escaped Not one righteous in Sodome but Lot Foure hundred and fifty Prophets for Baal but one for the Lord foure hundred flatterers for Ahab one Michaiah for the truth Behold I and the children whom the Lord hath giuen me are for signes and for wonders in Israel So few and rare that they are gazed on for Monsters When they sate in councell against Christ none spake for him but Nicodemus Paul answering before Nero no man stood with him but all men for sooke him But to the Idol all consent Exod. 32. From young to old giuen to Sodomie Gen. 19. Pilate asking what shall be done with Iesus All cry Crucifie him There was a generall shoute for Diana two houres together Great is Diana of the Ephesians All both small and great rich poore free bond receiued the marke of the Beast in their foreheads The children of Israel are like to little flocks of Kids but the wicked like the Syrians fill the Country But those few Innocents speed best Though the number of Israel be as the sand a remnant shall be saued Among vs many rob the Church few adde to the dition of it there are many Vsurers few restorers Lord thou hast but a few names in Sardi That of Esdras concerning Israel is true of this mysticall Citie Of all the trees thou hast chosen thee onely one Vine of all the Lands of the whole world thou hast chosen thee one pit of all the flowers one Lilly of all the depths of the Sea thou hast filled thee one Riuer of all builded Cities thou hast hallowed Sion vnto thy selfe Of all the fowles created thou hast named thee one Doue of all the cattell thou hast prouided thee one sheep Among all the multitudes of peoples thou hast gotten thee one people If wee should diuide the world into thirty parts scarce fiue of them are Christian. Of those fiue the Pope challengeth at the least halfe Hee sayes I haue one Church in Italie one in Germanie one in Spaine one in France one in England One in England Now the Lord one day conuince him and grant vs he may haue none in England Now it is a quarrell betwixt vs and Antichrist whether they or we belong to this Citie we cannot agree about it One day it will be a quarrell betwixt Antichrist and the Deuill and they shall agree about it Now subdiuide all these fiue parts of the world whether theirs or ours and scarce one is truely sincere Hypocrisie hath one part Heresie another part Profanenesse a third part Luke-warmenesse a fourth God hath least that owes all O the small number sealed vp by the Spirit of the liuing God! Let this teach euery one to suspect himselfe when Christ said One of you shall betray mee they presently all cry Master is it I when he was asked whether onely few should be saued hee tells them of neyther many nor few but charged them to looke to themselues that they might be of the number Striue to enter in at the streight gate There is a City built in a broad field full of all good things but the entrance thereof is narrow besides the dangerous passage betweene a violent fire and a deepe water Study striue pray that thou maist passe through the narrow way by the sweet-guiding hand of Christ. Of God God is the Proprietary of this City Est vna ciuitas vna ciuitas vnus populus vnus populus vnuâ—… Rex vnus Rex vna Lex vna Lex There are two Cities two peoples two Kings and two Lawes For the Cities there is Babylon the great and Ierusalem the Mother of vs all For the peoples there is the seed of the woman and of the Serpent Corne and Tares Sheepe and Goates vessels of honour and vessels of dishonour Iacob and Esau Christ and Belial Nec est tertius nec ad tertium there is no third person nor designement to a third place For the Kings there is Christ Yet haue I set my King vpon Sion the mountaine of my holinesse and Satan the Prince of the power of the Ayre The Prince indeed not Mundi sed tenebrarum mundi not of the world but of the darkenesse of the world 2. Cor. 4. 4. you haue both these Kings together The god of this world had blinded the mindes of vnbeleeuers that the light of Christ might not shine vnto them For the Lawes Gods Law is Let euery oxe that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity Satans Law is the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life Gods Law is Thou shalt not sweare Satans thou
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
Feruour of Charitie These are couertly implied from Psal. 104. He maketh his Angels spirits his ministers a flaming fire Spirits there is the Puritie of their substance ministers there 's the Readinesse of their obedience Flame of fire there 's the heate of their Charitie Thus were the Cherubims of the Tabernacle made figuring these three vertues in the Angels Exod. 25. First they were made of Pure gold ver 18. This shewes the excellencie of their substance for gold is the purest and best of mettals To this Gods owne Word is compared We will make thee borders of gold with studdes of siluer Secondly they had two wings stretched out to witnesse Promptitudinem obedientiae Gabriel did fly swiftly Of all creatures the winged are the swiftest O that I had wings like a Doue then would I fly away and be at rest The most suddenly transient thing riches is compared to a winged creature Riches makes it selfe wings like an Eagle Thirdly they were made with their faces one towards another to manifest the truth of their loue not like proud men turning away their countenance from their brethren Lastly though one were toward another yet both toward the Mercie-seate beholding him in sight to whō they were beholden in dutie Thus we see 1. that their nature is pure and this their mansion declares which is heauen for into it shall enter no vncleane thing They are shining and singing starres When the morning starres sang together and all the sonnes of God shouted for ioy Heauen like fire Similem sibi reddit ingredientem makes that it receiues like it selfe 2. That their obedience is ready and swift their very name imports Angels Aquo dominatio ab eo denominatio for a name is giuen from some supereminent qualitie Hee rode vpon a Cherub and did fly 3. That their Charity is great appeares by their busie protecting vs grieuing at our falls reioycing at our perseuerance in good helping vs forward to saluation Let vs imitate them in foure things 1. In Puritie nothing is more pleasing to God It hath the blessing of this life of the life to come Of this life Truly God is good to Israel euen to such as are of a pure heart God is good to the whole vvorld with his common benefites better to Israel with extraordinary blessings but best of all to the Pure in heart with his sauing Graces Of the life to come Who shall stand in Gods holy place he that hath cleane hands and a pure heart Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Thereis no ioy like to this beatificall vision to see God is the height of happinesse But so shall the wicked they shal see him whom they haue pierced Diuines vsually distinguish of that sight They shall see the Sonne of man comming in a cloud they shall see him as man not as God as their iust Iudge not mercifull Sauiour 2. In Pietie and obedience wherein the Angels are ready and speedy resolute and absolute As they helpe vs to commaund the creature so let them teach vs to obey the Creator They fly when God sends them true obedience hath no lead at the heeles Paul herein was like an Angel hauing his Commission hee stood not to conferre with flesh and bloud Quantum morae addis tantum obedientiae detrahis So much as a man addes to delay hee takes away from obedience The truely obedient man doth not procrastinate Sed statim parat aures auditui linguam voci pedem itineri manum operi cor praecipienti He instantly prepareth his eare for the message Speak Lord for thy seruant heareth His tongue giueth a ready answer to the question Simon louest thou me Lord thou knowest that I loue thee His foote is shod for the iourney his feete be shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace His hand is fit for the worke Abraham stretched forth his hand to slay his sonne His heart is pliable to the Commander Paratum cor O Lord my heart is ready 3. In Charitie Angels looke vpon and loue one another and all loue vs Let this teach vs to loue them our selues Doe they seeke our peace and shall wee vncharitably warre It was the Angels song Luke 2. Pax in terris Peace vpon earth warre with none but with Antichrist the diuell The Angels haue no need of our loue vve of theirs Loue we that on earth which shall dwell vvith vs for euer in heauen Charitie 4. In humility those glorious spirits stoope to do vs seruice let vs not thinke it bad or base to serue one another in loue No one man can so farre exceede another as the Angels excell the best men doe they abase themselues to our succour and shall we in a foolish pride soorne our brethren The haughty peece lookes on the poore betwixt scorne and anger Touch mee not I am of purer mould yet Mors dominos seruis blended together in the forgotten graue none makes the finer dust we cannot say such a Ladies rottennesse smells sweeter then such a beggers Come downe thou proud spirit deny not succour to thy distressed brother lest God deny his high Angels to succour thee Thus for imitation now for application learne we other vses 1. This is terror to the vvicked who contemne and condemne the righteous Despise not these little ones for their Angels are with my Father in heauen Beware you that scoffe at poore Innocents their Angels may plague you They for their parts may be content to put vp abuses and to forgiue iniuries but their Angels may take vengeance Herod vexed certaine of the Church killed Iames with the sword and seeing it please the Iewes hee tooke Peter also They could not helpe this but their Angels did for an Angel of the Lord smote him that he died Thou maiest haue euasion from the executioners of men but no protection against the Officers of GOD. When they are bidden to strike they will lay on sure strokes Wee will destroy this place for the Lord hath sent vs to destroy it 2. They teach vs deuout reuerence so to behaue our selues as in the sight and presence of holy Angels The consideration of so blessed a company doth not onely Conferre fiduciam and afferre deuotionem but inferre reuerentiam saith Bernard When to Iacob in his dreame was presented that Ladder and the Angels ascending and descending on it wakening hee saies How fearefull is this place This is none other but the house of God and this is the gate of heauen Seneca said that the conceit of Cato and Plato such graue men in our company would restraine vs from euill but what are these to the holy Angels of heauen Wee are a spectacle to the Angels they are obseruers and witnesses of all our actions For this cause the vvoman ought to haue power on her head because of the Angels
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
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
making straight paths for our feete lest that which is halting be turned out of the way 3. The sacrifices must be Males because the best and most perfect things are to be giuen to God Multi homines pauci viri Let vs offer vp our masculine vertues growing to a perfect man to the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. We must aime at this perfect sacrifice Besides in the Law there were three other rules obseruable in the consecration of the first borne 1. That they should be seuen daies with the damme and the eight day be giuen to God Exod. 22. 30. wherein there vvas not onely a respondence to the rule of circumcision limited to the eight day Gen. 17. 12. But to preuent their fraud in offering to God things of no seruice being too soone taken from the damme 2. In voluntary oblations they were forbidden to dedicate to the Lord any of the first borne The firstling of the beasts which should be the Lords firstling no man shall sanctifie it The reason is because that vvas the Lords already Wee haue such names highly recorded on our Hospitall-walls painted on the windowes of our Churches often engrauen in marble the memorable tenent of worthy acts for excellent benefactors Yet All their beneuolence to God is not the Tenth of that they haue robbed God taken from his Church Foole giue of thine owne if thou wilt haue reward in Heauen first restore iustly what thou hast gathered vniustly To giue of that is not Liberaliter dare sed partialiter retribuere thou bestowest on God a Lambe of his owne Evve Doost thou looke for thanks for such a gift Alas it was Gods owne before 3. They were commanded neither to worke nor sheare the first borne Thou shalt doe no worke with the firstling of thy Bullocke nor sheare the firstling of thy Sheepe To curbe their couetousnesse though they would not deceiue the Lord of his first borne yet they would take so much profit of it as they could But they are restrained from diminution they must not present a worne Bullocke nor a shorne Sheepe Now if the Lord was so ielous of first borne beasts how is hee ielous of first borne soules Let vs not thinke our choisest and most excellent things too deare for God that hath made vs his first borne in Iesus Christ. 3. Lastly let vs vpon no condition part vvith our Birthright Hath God aduanced vs to this honour I will make him my first borne higher then the Kings of the earth then let vs neuer sell it Let there be no person profane as Esau who for one morsell of meate sold his Birthright Hath the elder brother Primariam potestatem Be Lord ouer thy brethren and let thy mothers sonnes bow downe vnto thee Let no lust subiect vs seruire minori to serue the younger The enemies rage against them but saith God to Pharaoh Let my sonne goe that hee may serue me if thou refuse to let him goe behold I will slay thy sonne euen thy first borne Thus saith the Psalmist God reproues euen Kings for their sakes Now Omne beneficium petit officium euery benefite is obligatory and binds to some thankful duty Hath God dignified vs with a Priuiledge he expects that our carefulnesse should neuer forfetit Naboth would not sell his Vineyard yet his Vineyard was but a part of his Inheritance his Inheritance but a part of his birthright Though Ahab profferd him a better vineyard or the worth of it in money yet saith Naboth The Lord forbid it me that I should giue the inheritance of my fathers vnto thee And shal we for trifles passe away our eternall Birthright It is a wretched bargaine yet the Blasphemer sweares away his birthright the Epicure feasts away his birthright the wine-bibber drinks away his Birthright the Lauish spends his birthright the couetous sels his birthright for ready mony There be some 1. that sell their Birthright it is said of the Lawyer that hee hath linguam venalem a saleable tongue the couetous venalem animam a saleable soule the harlot venalem carnem a saleable flesh Esau sold his birthright Ahab sold himselfe to worke wickednesse Iudas sold his soule for thirty peeces There is not a more wicked thing then a couetous man for such a one setteth his soule to sale because while he liueth he casteth away his bowels Others pawne their Birthright they are not so desperate as to sell it outright but they will pawne it for a while They seeme to make conscience of their waies generally and to be good husbands of their talents but when an opportune temptation comes with meat in the mouth a fit aduantage of much wealth of high honour of secret pleasure they will embrace and fasten on it though they pawne their soules for a season And indeed he that knowingly ventures to sin doth as it were morgage his birthright puts it to the hazard of redeeming by repentance But it is dangerous to be a Marchant venturer in this case the birthright is precious if that infernall Broker get but a colour of title in it hee will vse tricks to make thee breake thy day and then sue out a Iudgement against thee 3. Some lose their Birthright profane and negligent wretches that leaue their soule perpetually vnguarded vnregarded They may be carefull about many things but one thing is necessary to keepe their Birth-right While they sleepe the enemy sowes tares it is a wretched slumber that sleepes and slips away the birth-right 4. Others giue away their birthright these are specially the enuious and the desperate Malice giues it away and hath nothing for it The Ambitious bargaines to haue a little honour for his Birthright the Couetous to haue some gold for his birthright the voluptuous to haue some sensuall pleasure for his birthright but the malicious giues it away for nothing except it be vexation that doth anguish him and languish him The desperate destroying his body giues away his birthright hee hath nought for it but horrors within and terrors without These men serue the diuels turne for nothing Looke O miserable man vpon the Purchaser of thy Birthright Christ consider the price it cost him if thou sell that for a little pleasure that he bought with so much paine thou thinkest him an idle Marchant No Lord as thou hast giuē it to vs so keepe it for vs that hauing now the assurance of it in grace vvee may haue one day the full possession of it in glory Written in heauen This phrase is often vsed in the Scripture and is but a metaphor whereby God declares the certaintie of some mens eternall predestination and eternall saluation Tostatus makes three written bookes of GOD. 1. The great booke wherein are written all persons actions and euents both good and bad Out of this are taken two other bookes 2. The booke of Predestination consisting onely of the Elect. 3.
I haue belieued when the life shall witnesse the contrary thy lips affirme but thy works deny As our Sauiour said Opera testantur de me my workes beare witnesse of me that I am Christ so thou must say Opera testantur de me my works beare witnesse of me that I am a Christian. Thou shalt be saued for thy faith not for thy works but for such a faith as is without works thou shalt neuer be saued Works are disioyned A iustificando non a iustificato from the act of iustifying not from the person iustified If this Iudge for his owne merits giue vs saluation wee must shew him the faire copy of our conuersation Quicquid Christus operatur pro nobis operatur in nobis Whatsoeuer Christ vvorkes for vs he also workes in vs. If he hath freed vs from the damnation of sinne he hath also freed vs from the dominion of sinne Albeit in our iustification Fiet nobis secundum fidem nostram Be it vnto vs according to our Faith yet in saluation Reddetur vnicuique secundum operasua Euery man shall bee rewarded according to his workes Let not that which is a word of comfort to vs be a bill of inditement against vs. 4. The Sentence As there be two sorts of men to be sentenced so there is a double sentence one of Absolution the other of Damnation With Absolution our Sauiour begins in action with that let vs begin in meditation He begins with fauour O he is ready to shew mercy and comes slowly to wrath and iudgement In the Absolution are considerable foure circumstances A Calling a Commending a Reply and an Answere First the calling is set downe Math. 25. 34. Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world In which gracious speech wee may perceiue sixe gradations 1. Amabilis vocatio Come This was the voyce of Christ generally to all in the day of Grace is particularly to the Elect in the day of Glory Now he calls more then vvill come then he will not call all that would come Now he giues many Venite's Come to me all that labour If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke The Spirit and Bride say Come and let him that heareth say Come and let him that is athirst come Send not others but come your selues Come to no others eyther Saints or Angels but come to me Let vs take heed of that Discedite quia nolâ—…stis venire Depart from me good reason for you would not come vnto mee You declined my call when I was humbled Is not this the Carpenters Sonne I vvill decline you now I am exalted None of those men that were called shall tast of my supper But such as haue obediently heard his Come in holines shall also graciously heare his second Come in happinesse 2. Suâ—…is Benedictio Ye Blessed Neuer man was is or shall be but desires secundum sensum suum after his own sense to be blessed saith Aristotle though the most haue sought it out of the right vbi vvhere it vvas not to bee found In Christ onely it is found vvho is indeed the Father of blessednesse Mat. 3. 3. Blessed are the poore in spirit The first vvord of the first lesson of Christs first Sermon is Blessed So he beginnes so there he continues so here he concludes Come ye blessed a vvord able to make a man blessed 3. Patris dilectio Of my Father to be blessed of God is to be surely blessed Parents doe vvell in blessing their children Princes in blessing their people here 's the difference Benedicunt but not Beatificant they may wish them blessed but not make them blessed But saith God to Abraham In blessing I will blesse thee I haue blessed him and he shall be blessed All blessednes springs from that fountaine the Lord hath blessed vs and requires vs to blesse him who is ouer all God blessed for euer Amen This the vniuersall song of all creatures giues him Blessing honour c. 4. Foelicitatis Possessio Inherite Inheritance is of Birth not industry the younger brother is often of more desert then the elder yet cannot this make him his Fathers Heyre This is of Inheritance therefore not of merit It differs from an earthly Inheritance in three things 1. In that the Testator must be dead and the successor liuing in this God the Testator is euer liuing and his heyres before they can fully possesse it must bee dead Ambr. A temporall inheritance diuided is diminished one is of so much land shortned as is to another shared The heires heere are without number of all nations kinred and languages yet though the inheritance be imparted it is not empaired Tanta singulis quanta omnibus Euery one hath as â—…ch as any one Ardens 3. The partition of an earthly inheritance breeds among the coheyres enuy grudging but in this the ioy of one is the ioy of all Dispar gloria singulorum tamen communis laetitia omnium Aug. One starre may excell another starre in glory but none shall enuy another in glory There shall be no repining at anothers more glorious clearenesse where remaines in all one gracious dearenesse Inherite 5. Haereditatis Perfectio a kingdom The top of mans desires is a kingdom nil nisi Regna placent Yet if they be earthly kingdoms they will not satisfie Alexander is not content with his vniuersall Monarchy But here is a kingdom will satisfie you will say there are many Kings but one kingdome therfore not roome enough yes for the bounds of the least are not narrower then heauen it selfe 6. Regni Paratio Prepared for you Not merited in your times but prepared before all times It had no beginning in respect of Gods intention it shall haue no end in respect of your possession Gods decree to giue it vs had no beginning but shall haue an end our fruition of it shal haue a beginning but no end Gods mercy in both hath neither beginning nor end but is from euerlasting to euerlasting Had the Lord such care to prouide a kingdom for his children before they were then sure hee will giue it them at the appointed time So certaine are they of blessednesse that it is prepared for them from the foundation of the world For you not for all there is no vniuersall election God decrees not all to bee saued Then Christ should haue said thus Inherit the kingdome Paratum omnibus Datum vobis prepared for all and giuen to you but he saith Prepared for you therefore not purposed to all Seeing there is so good cheare prepared for vs let vs prepared for vs let vs prepare our selues for that like some dainty guest who knowing there is such delicate fare behinde keepes his stomacke for it Let vs disdaine the course diet of this world that dangers vs to the dropsie of couetice or the surfets of ryot We vse to fast on
the Eeues that vve may feast on the Holy-dayes let vs here abstaine from the table of sinne that wee may heereafter banket in the Kingdome of Heauen This is matter of comfort to vs heere the world condemns the godly therefore they shall haue a time of absoluing When that Generall Session comes then looke vp and lift vp your heads for your redemption draweth nye There is no mercy to be had in this vvorld for the wicked themselues are accusers witnesses iudges but at that day a poore mans case will be heard Therefore the poore committeth himselfe vnto thee for thou art the helper of the fatherlesse Christ vvill take the cause into his own hand The soules vnder the Altar cry with a loud voyce How long O Lord holy and true dost thou not iudge and auenge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth Yes it is fit euery one should haue a day of hearing This is theirs that shall be ours The righteous shall reioyce when hee seeth the vengeance Reioyce yes they haue no charity to vs on earth vve must haue no charity to them in hell 2. The Commendation followes the calling Mat. 25. 35. For I was hungry and ye gaue me meate I was thirsty and ye gaue mee drinke c. Christ witnesseth their faith from the effects they brought foorth fruits of mercy Thus it is euident that not according to the internall habite of faith and charity but according to the externall acts proceeding from them is the reward bestowed Christ before iustified them by their faith apprehending his merits now hee iustifies them by testimony of that faith arising from their vvorkes The point Christ insists in is their workes of mercy which are sixe visito poto cibo redimo tego colligo fratres Giuing them meat drinke harbour clothing visitation in sicknesse redemption from bondage Where obserue that the maine point Christ will scanne at the last is the point of mercy Not how wise nor how learned nor how iust but how mercifull Ambr. Now if a Scholler standing for preferment knew directly that one question vvherein hee should be opposed he would study a full and ready answer to it We all know that one and maine question wherein Christ vvill examine vs vvhat vvorkes of mercy haue we done if we haue gotten no demonstration of mercy vve are vvorthily condemned Now their mercy is commended partly in respect of the obiect and partly in respect of the act For the obiect it is done to Christ happy mercy that is done to the Lord Iesus it shall neuer passe vnrewarded Ioash forgot the kindnesse of Iehoiada but the King of heauen will remember all the good done vnto him Sayes that good malefactor Lord remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome I will not forget thee answeres Iesus To day thou shalt be with me in Paradise I was hungry and ye fedme I and me saith Christ. In regard of the act the thing they distribute and contribute is not bare vvords but actuall mercies food clothing c. This is the effect of a true faith not a verball but a reall working faith A faith not like that the Psalmist seemes to mention though in another sense I belieued ideo locutus sum and therefore I spake but such as the Apostle speakes of I belieued ideo operatus sum and therefore I wrought a faith working by loue It is easie to mistake Saint Paul Rom. 14. 22. Hast thou faith haue it to thy selfe before God vnlesse vve expound him by S. Iames Iam. 2. 18. Hast thou faith shew thy faith by thy workes If vve vvill be the children of Abraham who is the Father of them that belieue wee must bee so by Sara vvho is the mother of them that obey They that vvill be trees of righteousnesse in Gods garden must not bee like the fig-tree in the Gospell that had onely leaues no fruit but like the tree that brings forth her fruit in due season Or like Aarons rod that of a dead sticke hauing life and sappe put into it presently bare Almonds fruit no leaues spoken of Some giue words enow contrary to Moses who was a man of few vvords The Papists vvill rather loose a penny then a Paternoster these vvill giue ten Paternosters before one penny They giue the words of Nepthali pleasant words but no meate As if the poore were like Ephraim fed with the wind Or as if their word were verbum Domini the word of God that men might liue by it Salomon sayes Wisedome is good with an inheritance so good counsell is good vvith an almes If a famished man begge bread of thee and thou onely fallest to instruct his soule but deniest food to his body hee may reply as Hushai said to Absolon of Achitophels counsell The counsell that Achitophel hath giuen is good but not at this time Martial demands of Caius a small piece of siluer Quod vel donanti non graue Caius blamed him for his idle profession of Poetry counselled him to study the Lavv that vvould enrich him To him Martial Quod peto da mihi tu non peto consilium Giue me that I aske thee I doe not aske thee counsell Many are like S. Peters fish it had money in the mouth but not a hand to giue it Or like Diues his dogs they can licke a poore man vvith their tongues else giue him no reliefe Diogenes a witty begger would vsually walke in a place where earthen Statues were erected in honour of some that died for their country To them he would pray to them reach out his hand bow and beg being asked the reason he answered Nihil aliud quà m repulsam meditor I thinke of nothing but a repulse and deniall Wee haue many such liuing Statues meere Idols that haue mouthes and speake not eyes and pity not hands and giue not the poore are sure of nothing but a repulse 3. The reply or question vpon this commendation made by the Saints Math. 25. 37. Then shall the righteous answere him Lord when saw we thee an hungred and fedde thee or thirstie and gaue thee drinke c. This is no deniall of that truth Christ hath auouched But 1. to magnifie Christs mercy who takes these workes as done to himselfe which are done for his sake Let no couetous Churle plead he wants subiects vpon whom to exercise his mercy Pauper vbique iacet which way can he walke and not behold one hungry another thirsty c 2. To testifie their humilitie that albeit these things are true yet they acknowledge no merite in them they haue not done so much of these as they ought Besides they might haue an after-consideration of their sinnes past which valued with their good works they find one to out-weigh a thousand The Papists ostent their merits on earth the Saints dare not doe so euen ready for heauen but cast downe their crownes before the Throne saying
is so weake in apprehension that GOD is faine to lead him as it were by the senses Not that there is a necessary receiuing of Christs materiall bloud by euerie one that shall be saued so it might sprinkle vpon the souldiers that crucified him who yet might go to hell But it is receiued Mentaliter Sacramentaliter there is a mentall and a sacramentall application Thus wee are said to drink his bloud that receiue it spiritually by faith The Papists in their opinion are fed orally with the very materiall bloud of Christ but then surely none of them can goe to hell for hee that eates the flesh and drinkes the bloud of the Sonne of Man hath eternall life But now the Priests for feare belike lest too many of the people should be saued and so Purgatory the Popedomes pillar be quite ouerthrowne haue taken away the Cup from them and turned Christs Bibite omnes into Bibite non omnes Drinke ye all into drinke ye onely Priests not the rest When they had giuen this bloud so high an honor they thought it too good for the common sort First they said it is really in the Cup there they gaue it too much then they tooke it from the people there they gaue them too little First they strained it and then they restrained it But they answere the people haue this bloud in the bread for that is flesh and can there be flesh without bloud If so why then doe themselues take the Cup Eyther it is necessary for the people or superfluous for the Priests Vnlesse they value a Clergy mans soule at a higher rate then a Lay-mans as if Christs bloud were not shed for the one so well as for the other But to let goe their sacrilegious absurdities let vs content our selues spiritually to receiue this bloud shed for vs and communicated to vs. This bloud is ready for application if our hearts be ready for apprehension To vs it is though not elementally yet alimentally profitable There is a bloud that nourisheth as the Pelican her young ones with her owne bloud Christ so feedes our soules to saluation with this bloud There is a bloud that mollifies as the warme bloud of a goate softens the Adamant wee haue obdurate hearts if Christs bloud cannot melt them There is a bloud that purgeth as the Kids so the bloud of Christ cleanseth vs from all sinne There is a bloud that colours as the Deeres so doth Christs bloud giue a pure colour to his Church Thou art all faire my loue These are they which haue washed their robes and made them white in the bloud of the Lambe This bloud is Semen vitae substantia gratiae fundamentum iustitiae aedificium meriti magna charta coeli A fluxe of bloud in the head is stanched by opening a veine in the foote but here to saue all the members from bleeding to death bloud must be drawne from the Head As Eue came out of Adams side sleeping so the Church is taken out of Christs side bleeding Thus God disposed it in mercy Ut effundatur sanguis Christi ne confundatur anima Christiani that Christs bloud should be spilt to saue our soules from spilling Of Aspersion in relation to the typicall maner Moses tooke the bloud and sprinkled it on the people To this alludes Paul here and Peter calling it the sprinkling of the bloud of Iesus Christ. In the Passeouer the dores were sprinkled with the bloud of the Paschall Lambe and the destroying Angell passed ouer them All those whom the eternall iudgement shall passe ouer must haue their hearts thus sprinkled We haue many spots had need of many droppes For a spot of auarice a drop of this bloud for a spot of lust a drop of bloud for a spot of drunkennesse a drop of bloud for a spot of oppression a great drop of bloud for the wounds and gashes of oathes execrations blasphemies many drops of bloud to stanch them Yea we are not onely sinners but saith Micah Sinnes therefore must be sows'd and drench'd in this bloud that wee may be be cleane That speaketh better things then that of Abel This is a Metaphor to shew the force of Christs bloud so preuailing with God as if it had a tongue The comparison is between Abels bloud and Christs now Abels is said to cry The voyce of thy brothers bloud cryeth vnto mee from the ground Clamitat in coelum vox sanguinis So Christs bloud is said to speake Quot vulnera tot voces so many wounds so many words There is great respondence of Christ to Abel Abel was slaine by his brother Christ by his brethren the voice of the Iewes was Crucifie him Abel was slaine because he sacrificed Christ was slaine that he might be sacrificed Cain enuied Abel because he was accepted the Iewes hated Christ because hee was good Abel might say to his brother For my sacrifice dost thou kill me Christ did say to the Iewes For which of my good workes doe you stone mee Abel was so slaine that his bloud was aboundantly shed and that in many places for it is said Vox sanguinum the voice of blouds So Christs bloud was let out with thornes scourges nailes speare As Cain sustained a threefold punishment he was cursed in his soule a vagabond on earth vnprosperous in his labours So are the Iewes plagued they haue no place they can call their owne when they haue heaped vp riches some other takes them away they cannot see their owne City but they must pay for it they are cursed in their obstinate blindnesse thus according to their owne request the bloud of Christ is vpon them and vpon their children But now Christs bloud speakes better things Abels cryed vindictam Christs speakes misericordiam That Lord see and reuenge this Father forgiue them they know not what they doe God hath an eare of mercy so well as of Iustice. If he heard that bloud speaking for confusion then he will heare this speake for remission If hee heard the Seruant he will much rather heare the Sonne if he heard the seruant for spilling hee will much more heare the Sonne for sauing Postula à me saith God to his Son Aske of me and I will giue thee the Father will deny the Sonne nothing Thus hath he saued vs Prece Pretio by his bloud and that a speaking bloud if that bloud speake for our safetie nothing shall confound vs. Now the bloud of this Mediator our Lord Iesus speake for vs to the Father of mercy that the Holy Ghost may seale vs vp to eternall redemption To whom three persons one blessed God be praise for euer Amen THE WORLDS GREAT RIDERS OR The rage of Oppression PSALME 66. 12. Thou hast caused men to ride ouer our heads wee went through fire and through water but thou broughtest vs out into a wealthy place THIS verse is like that Sea Math. 8. 24. So tempestuous at first that the vessell was
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
themselues The godly at last shall be as mighty men Zach. 10. 5. treading downe their enemies in the myre of the streets in the battell and they shall fight because the Lord is with them The grieuousnesse of these afflictions must teach vs two vsefull lessons Patience Prayer 1. Patience Acts. 5. The Apostles departed from the presence of the Councell reioycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ. A true Christian reioyceth in his tribulation especially when it is for his Sauiours sake and takes greater pleasure in his yron fetters then a proud Courtier doth of his golden chaine Reu. 14. Blessed are they that dye in the Lord. But if it be so blessed a thing to dye in the Lord what is it to die for the Lord Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints It was Hardings inuectiue against our reuerend learned and precious Iewell that Protestants were worse then the Deuill for whereas bread and water and the crosse could scarre away Deuils Princes could be rid of them by no meanes but Fire To whom that excellent Bishop answeres that though it pleased his malicious humour to make but a ieast of the bloud of Gods Saints yet it was no more ignominie for Lambes to suffer what Christ suffered then it was praise and credit for wolues to betray him as Iudas did Our patience is our crowne and others conuersion Eusebius from Clement reporteth that when a wicked accuser had brought S. Iames to condemnation seeing his Christian fortitude hee was touched in conscience confessed himself a Christian and so was taken to execution with him Where earnestly beseeching S. Iames to forgiue him he after a little pawse kissed him and said Peace be to thee brother and they were beheaded together O blessed Patience which not onely gets honour to our selues but brings other to saluation and in all glorifies God 2. Prayer This was the Apostles refuge in the time of affliction Act. 4. 24. Bernard in a Fiction doth excellently expresse this necessity enforce this duty He supposeth the kings of Babylon and Ierusalem by whom hee meanes the world and the Church to bee at warre one against the other During this hostility a souldier of Ierusalem was fled to the Castle of Iustice. Siege was laid to this Castle and a multitude of enemies enuironed and entrenched it round There lyes neere this Souldier a faint-hearted coward called Feare this speakes nothing but discomfort and when Hope would step in to speak some courage Feare thrusts her out of dores Whilst these two opposites feare and hope stand debating the Christian Souldier resolues to appeale to the direction of sacred Wisedome who was chiefe Councellor to the Captaine of the Castle Iustice. Heare Wisedome speake Dost thou not know faith she that the God whom wee serue is able to deliuer vs Is he not the Lord of hostes euen the Lord mighty in battell we will dispatch a messenger to him with information of our necessity Feare replies What messenger Darkenesse is on the face of the world our walls are begirt with an armed troupe which are not onely strong as Lyons but also watchfull as Dragons What messenger can eyther scape through such an hoast or finde the way into so remote a Countrey Wisedome calls for Hope and chargeth her with all speed to dispatch away her olde messenger Hope calls to Prayer and sayes Lo heere a messenger speedy ready trusty knowing the way Ready you can not sooner call her then she comes Speedy shee flies faster then Eagles as fast as Angels Trusty what embassage soeuer you put in her tongue shee deliuers with faithfull secrecie She knowes the way to the Court of Mercie and shee will neuer faint till shee come to the chamber of the royall Presence Prayer hath her message away she flies borne on the sure and swift wings of faith and zeale Wisedome hauing giuen her a charge and Hope a blessing Finding the gate shut she knockes and cryes Open ye gates of righteousnes and be ye open ye euerlasting dores of glory that I may enter and deliuer to the King of Ierusalem my petition Iesus Christ heares her knock opens the gate of mercy attends her suite promiseth her infallible comfort and redresse Backe returnes Prayer laden with the newes of consolation she hath a promise and she deliuers it into the hand of Faith that were our enemies more innumerable then the Locusts in Egypt and more strong then the Gyants the sonnes of Anak yet Power and Mercie shall fight for vs and we shall be deliuered Passe wee then through fire and vvater through all dangers and difficulties yet we haue a messenger holy happy accessible acceptable to God that neuer comes backe without comfort Prayer And here fitly I will end our Misery come to Gods Mercy Desolation hath held vs long but our consolation is eternall But thou broughtest vs out into a wealthy place The Song you see is compounded like Musike it hath acutum and graue high and low sharp and flat Thou causedst men to ride ouer vs. But thou broughtest vs out Sorrow and ioy trouble and peace sowre and sweet come by vicissitudes Inuicem cedunt dolor et voluptas This discord in Musike hurts not but graceth the song Whiles greefe and pleasure keepe this alteration in our life they at once both exercise our patience and make more vvelcome our ioyes If you looke for the happinesse of the wicked you shall find it in primis at the beginning but if you would learne what becomes of the righteous intelliges in nouissimis you shall know it at last Marke the vpright man and behold the iust for the end of that man is peace We were sore oppressed but thou broughtest vs out into a wealthy place Euery word is sweetly significant and amplifies Gods mercie to vs. Foure especially are remarkable the Deliuerer the Deliuerance the Deliuered and their felicitie or blessed aduancement So there is in the Deliuerer aliquid Celsitudinis Thou Deliuerie Certitudinis Broughtst out Deliuered Solitudinis vs Happines Plenitudinis Into a vvealthy place There is highnesse and lownesse surenesse and fulnesse The Deliuerer is great the Deliuerance certaine the Distressed grieuous their exaltation glorious There is yet a first word that like a key vnlocks this golden gate of mercy a veruntamen But This is vox respirationis a gaspe that fetcheth back againe the very life of comfort But thou broughtest c. We were fearfully endangered into the hands of our enemies they rode and trode vpon vs and droue vs through hard perplexities But thou c. If there had beene a full point or period at our miserie if those gulfs of persecution had quite swallowed vs all our light of comfort had beene thus smothered and extinguished we might haue cryed Perijt spes nostra yea perijt salus nostra our hope our help is quite gone He had mocked vs that vvould haue
spoken Be of good cheere This same But is like a happy oare that turnes our vessell from the rocks of despaire and lands it at the hauen of comfort But c. Thou Thou onely without helpe or succour of either man or Angell that art able to saue with a few as well as with many that art A man of vvarre Exod. 15. and commest armed against thine enemies with a speare of wrath and a sword of vengeance Thou of whose greatnesse there is no end no limits no determination Thou O Lord without any partner either to share thy glory or our thanks Thou broughtest vs out Thou of thy owne goodnesse so well as by thy ovvne greatnesse hast deliuered vs. No merite of ours procured or deserued this mercy at thy hands but our freedome comes onely by thy Maiestie of thy mercy Here were no armes of flesh nor Armies of Angels in this worke of our Redemption but Thou hast brought vs out that vvee might praise thy Name Therefore wee say Blesse the Lord O our soules O Lord thou art very great thou art clothed vvith honour and maiesty Eduxisti Broughtest out Great workes become a great God Opera testantur de me saith our Sauiour My workes beare witnesse of mee I heale the sicke cleanse the Leprous giue sight to the blinde raise the dead cast out deuils Will you not belieue O ye carnall eyes vnlesse you see will you trust your fiue senses aboue the foure Gospels vers 5. Come then and see the workes of God See workes not a fancie speculation or deceiuing shadow but reall visible acted accomplished workes Eduxists Sensus assensus Let demonstration conuince you the Snare is broken and we are deliuered The Lord workes potenter and patenter There is not onely manifold mercy but manifest mercy in his doings He brought vs out When the vngodly see vs so low brought that persecutors ride ouer our heads they are ready to say Where is now their Gâ—…d Behold hîc est Deus our God is heere where there was need of him opus Deo a work fit for the Deity to performe Misery had wrapped and entangled vs the wicked hands had ty'd vs as the Philistines did Samson with the bands of death Here then was Dignus vindice nodus a knot worthy the finger of God to vntie He looked downe from the height of his Sanctuary from heauen did the Lord behold the earth For what purpose To heare the groning of the prisoner to loose those that are appointed to death Behold the waters went ouer our soule yet we were not drowned Malice had doomed vs to the Fire but our comfort is Nihil potestatis in nos habuâ—…sse ignem that the fire had not power ouer vs. They trode vs vnder their cruell insultations but the Lord hath lifted vs vp The Lord of Hosts was with vs the God of Iacob was our refuge Vs. To this act of God if we tye the Subiect wherein hee workes and knit to Eduxisti Nos which I called verbum solitudinis a word of former wretchednesse and calamitie we shall finde our misery a fit obiect for GODS mercy Especially if you set the others malice against our meeknesse their wickednesse against our weakenesse the persons whom God deliuers the persons from whom will greatly commend the mercy of our deliuerance It is a pleasure to God to haue his strength perfected in our infirmitie When the danger is most violent in it own nature and our sense then is his helping arme most welcome Esa. 17. In the day of griefe and of desperate sorrow the haruest shall be great a plentifull croppe of ioy Qui Deus est noster Deus est salutis He that is our God is the God of saluation and vnto God the Lord belong the issues from death He delights to haue vs say in this deepe extremity Eduxisti Thou hast brought vs out When Ionas was taken vp by the Mariners put from the succour of the Shippe no helpe in any Rockes nor mercy in the waters neither means nor desire to escape by swimming for he yeelds himselfe into the iaws of death with as mortified affection as if a lumpe of lead had beene throwne into the sea a man would haue thought that saluation it selfe could not haue saued Ionas Yet Ionas shall not die Here is now a deliuery fit for God a cure for the almightie hand to vndertake Mans extremity is Gods opportunity Distressed desire is importunate It is time that thou haue mercy vpon vs yea the time is come But if God doe not presently answere we are ready to pant out a groane of despaire The time is past If our importunity preuaile not wee thinke all opportunity is gone But God sayes Tempus nondum venit the time is not yet God waites the maturity of the danger the more to increase his honour As Alexander cheared himselfe when hee should fight with men and beasts haughty enemies and huge Elephants Tandem par animo meo periculum video I see at last a danger somewhat equall to my minde Will you heare when this time is come Iohn 11. Martha tells Christ Master if thou hadst beene heere my brother had not died Christ knevv this before vers 15. Lazarus is dead and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there that you might belieue Obserue the different thoughts of God and man Martha is sorry Christ is glad She thought that the time of helpe was past Christ thought that the time was not opportune till now Iairus his seruant comes and tels him Thy daughter is dead trouble the master no further This was the word Christ expected to heare And now he sayes Be not afraid onely beleeue Heare the Israelites desperate complaint The waters of the Sea roare before their faces the wheeles of the Chariots rattle behinde their backs hereon they cry to Moses Were there no graues in Egypt that thou hast brought vs hither to die Now saith Moses Feare not stand still and see the saluation of God From that hath beene spoken and that which follows we may obserue two workes of Gods mercy Which consist Remouendo Promouendo the one remouing avvay much euill the other preferring to much good Eduxisti shewes his kindenesse in freeing vs from calamity In locum opulentum his goodnesse in exalting vs to dignity The former is an act of deliuerance the latter of aduancement So there is Terminus à quo from whence vvee are freed and Terminus ad quem to which vvee are exalted For the former wee haue God heere Educentem bringing out of trouble Sometime wee finde GOD Ducentem leading guiding directing Wilt not thou O Lord goe forth vvith our hoastes And Hee ledde them through the wildernesse by the hand of Moses and Aaron Sometimes Inducentem vers 11. Thou broughtest vs into the net thou hast laid affliction vpon our loynes Sometimes Adducentem Thou O Lord hast brought vs home to thy selfe
this dutie Of Trauellers Captiues sick-men sea-men others subiect to the manifold varieties of life For Trauellers They wander in the Wildernesse in a solitary way hungry and thirstie their soule fainting in them They cry vnto the Lord in their trouble and he deliuers them out of their distresses For Captiues They sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death fast bound in affliction and yron Their prayers find a way out of the prison to God and God deliuers them out of the prison to liberty For Sick Because of their transgression they are afflicted their soule abhorreth all manner of meat and they draw neere vnto the gates of death The strength of their prayers recouers the strength of their bodies For Mariners They reele to and fro staggering like a drunken man and are at their wits end They by their prayers appease the vvrath of God and hee appeaseth the wrath of the vvaues and winds Now the burden of the Song to all these deliuerances is this O that men vvould therfore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and for his wonderfull works to the children of men And because these foure dangers are short of the innumerable calamities incident to mans life therefore in the end of the Psalme much misery is heaped vp and the Lord is the scatterer dissoluer of that heape that all flesh might sing Saluation is of the Lord. And because these mercies are infinite so that vvhat Christian may not say with Dauid Thy goodnesse hath followed mee all the dayes of my life Therefore I infer with Paul In all things giue thanks So our Psalmist My mouth shall be filled with thy praise all the day long What is meant by All the day saith Augustine but a praise without intermission As no houre slips by thee without occasion let none slippe from thee without manifestation of gratitude I will praise thee saith he O Lord In prosperis quia consolaris in aduersis quia corrigis In a prosperous estate because thou dost blesse me in affliction because thou doost correct me Fecisti refecisti perfecisti Thou madest mee when I was not restoredst me when I vvas lost supplyest my wants forgiuest my sinnes and crownest my perseuerance But as Quò acerbior miseria eò acceptior misericordia the more grieuous the miserie the more gracious the mercy So the richer benefite requires the hartier thanks Great deliuerances should not haue small gratitude vvhere much is giuen there is not a little required To tell you what God hath done for vs thereby to excite thankfulnesse would be to lose my selfe in the gates of my Text. I told you this was the ground and module of the Psalme But I know your curious eares care not so much for plaine-song you expect I should runne vpon Diuision Heare but the next generall point and I come to your desire reseruing what I haue more to say of this to my farewell and last application I come from the Debt to be paid to his Resolution to pay it I will goe into thy house I will pay c. Though he be not instantly Soluendo he is Resoluendo He is not like those Debters that haue neither meanes nor meaning to pay But though he wants actuall he hath votall retribution Though hee cannot so soone come to the place where this payment is to be made yet hee hath already paid it in his heâ—…rt I will goe I will pay Here then is the Debters Resolution There is in the godly a purpose of heart to serue the Lord. This is the child of a sanctified spirit borne not without the throbs and throwes of true penitence Not a transient and perishing flower like Ionah's Gourd Filius noctis oriens moriens but the sound fruit which the sap of grace in the heart sends forth Luke 15. VVhen the Prodigall Sonne came to himselfe saith the Text as if he had been formerly out of his wits his first speech was I will arise and goe to my Father and will say vnto him Father I haue sinned And what he purposed he performed he arose and went I know there are many that intend much but doe nothing and that earth is full of good purposes but heauen onely full of good works and that the tree gloriously leaued with intentions without fruit was cursed And that a lewd heart may be so farre sinitten and conuinced at a Sermon as to will a forsaking of some sinne VVhich thoughts are but swimming notions and vanishing motions embrions or abortiue births But this Resolution hath a stronger force it is the effect of a mature and deliberate iudgement wrought by Gods Spirit grounded on a voluntary deuotion not without true sanctification though it cannot without some interposition of time and meanes come to performe that act which it intends It is the harbinger of a holy life the little clowd like a hand that Eliah's seruant saw pointing to the future showres of deuotion Well this is but the beginning and you know many beginne that doe not accomplish but what shall become of them that neuer begin If he doth little that purposeth and performes not what hope is there of them that vvill not purpose It is hard to make an Vsnrer leaue his extortion the vncleane his lusts the swearer his dishallowed speeches when neither of them saith so much as I vvill leaue them The habite of godlinesse is farre off when to vvill is not present we despaire of their performance in whom cannot be wrought a purpose But to you of whom there is more hope that say vve will praise the Lord forget not to adde Dauids execution to Dauids intention God loues the present tense better then the future a Facto more then a Faciam Let him that is President ouer vs be a precedent for vs. Hebr. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold I come not I will come but I do come to doe â—…y will O GOD. You haue heard the matter and manner of the Song the Substance is Gratitude the Forme a Resolution to giue it To set it in some Diuision or Method That euery present soule may beare his part heere be three straines or staires and graduall ascents vp which our contemplations must mount with Dauids actions 1. An entrance into Gods house I will goe into thy house It is well that Dauid will bring thither his praises himselfe But many enter Gods house that haue no businesse there that both come and returne empty-hearted that neither bring to God deuotion nor carry from God consolation 2. Therefore the next straine giues his zeale he vvill not come empty-handed but with burnt offerings Manifold and manifest arguments of his harty affection Manifest because burnt offerings reall visible actuall and accomplished works Manifold because not one singular oblation but plurally offerings vvithout pinching his deuotion 3. But yet diuerse haue offered Sacrifices and burnt sacrifices that stunke like Balaams in Gods nosthrils tendring
Bullocks and Goates not their owne hearts Therefore the third straine affirmes that Dauid will not onely offer beasts but himselfe I will pay thee my vowes So that in his Gratitude is obseruable Quo Loco Modo Animo In what place Gods house after what manner vvith burnt offerings with what mind I will pay thee my vowes His deuotion is without exception all the labour is to worke our hearts to an imitation I will goe into thy house The first note hath two straines Place Entrance The place he purposeth to enter is described by the Property Domus Proprietary Dominus This house was not the Temple for that was after built by Salomon but the Tabernacle or Sanctuary GOD had his house in all ages as the wise Creator of all things he reserued to him a portion in all things Non propter indigentiam sed in re cognitionem not that hee had need of them but that he might be acknowledged in thē Though he be Lord of all Nations in the world because the Maker of all men yet he reserued a particular number of men appropriated them to himselfe and these he called Suum populum His people Though thousands of Angels stand before him and tenne thousand thousands of those glorious spirits minister vnto him yet he culleth and calleth out some particular men to celebrate his seruice sanctifying or setting thē apart to that office these he calls Suos ministros His Priests his Ministers Though he be a Spirit immortall most rich and Lord of all things the earth is his and the fulnesse thereof yea heauen and the glory thereof If I were hungry I would not tell thee for the world is mine c. yet he reserueth to himselfe a certaine share of these inferiour things and this hee calls Suam sortem his portion His tythes his offerings Though he be Eternall first and last without beginning without end God of all times and yet vnder no time with whom a thousand yeares is but as one day and euerlastingly to be honoured Yet hee reserueth to himselfe a certaine time wherein hee lookes for our generall worship this he cals Suum Diem his day his Sabbaths Though hee be the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity vvhose Name is Holy though infinite and comprehended in no place Yet he sets apart some speciall place wherein his great name shall be called on and this he calls Suam Domum His house So Math. 21. My house shall be called the house of prayer Here I will goe into Thy House God neuer left his Church destitute of a certain sacred place wherein he would be worshipped Adam had a place wherein he should present himselfe to God and God did present himselfe to him Paradise God appeared to Abraham in a place and sanctified it and there Abraham built an Altar for it was holy When hee commanded him to sacrifice his Sonne Isaac hee appointed him a place on a mountaine And on this very mountaine was afterwards Salomons Temple built 2. Chron. 3. Iacob according to the seuerall places hee dwelt in built seuerall Altars to serue God on The Israelites were translated out of Egypt for this very cause that they might haue a place to sacrifice to the Lord. When they were come into Canaan God commanded and directed Moses to make a Tabernacle which was but mobile Tabernaculum to bee dissolued when Salomons glorious Temple was finished Now all these particular places were consecrated to the seruice of God and called Loca Dei Gods Places as Dauid calls this Domum Dei Gods House This is the first note of the straine the Place The next is his Entrance wherein obserue 1. That Dauids first care is to visit Gods house It is very likely that this Psalme was written by Dauid eyther in exile vnder Saul or in persecution by Absalon or in some grieuous distresse whereout being deliuered hee first resolues to salute Gods House Chrysostome in Opere imperfect or whosoeuer was the Author of that booke notes it the property of a good Sonne when hee comes to towne first to visite his Fathers house and to performe the honour that is due to him We finde this in Christ. Math. 22. so soone as euer he came to Ierusalem first he visits his Fathers house He went into the Temple What the Sonne and Lord of Dauid did there the same course doth the Seruant of his Sonne take heere First I will goe into thy House Oh for one dramme of this respect of Gods house in these dayes Shall that place haue a principall place in our affections we would not then thinke one houre tedious in it when many yeares delight vs in the Tents of Kedar This was not Dauids opinion One day in thy Court is better then a thousand Nor grudge at euery penny that a Leuy taxeth to the Church as if Tegumen parietibus impositum was enough bare walls and a couer to keepe vs from raine and aliquid ornatus was but superfluous except it be a cushion and a wainscot seate for a Gentlemans better ease The greatest preparation vsually against some solemne feast is but a little fresh straw vnder the feete the ordinary allowance for hogs in the stye or horses in the stable For other cost let it be Domus opportuna volu◅m a cage of vncleane birds and so it must bee so long as some sacrilegious persons are in it It was part of the Epitaph of King Edgar Templa Deo Templis Monachos Monachis dedit agros He gaue Temples to God Ministers to those Temples and maintenance to those Ministers But the Epitaphs of too many in these dayes may well run in contrary termes They take Tenths from good Ministers good Ministers from the Churches yea and some of them also the Churches from God But here Quicquid tetigero vlcus erit that which I should touch is an vlcer and I will spend no Physicke in immedicabile vulnus vpon an incurable wound but leaue it Enserecidendum Domini to be cut off with the sword of Gods vengeance 2. Obserue the reason why Dauid would goe into Gods house and this hath a double degree To giue him 1. Praise 2. Publike praise 1. Praise Might not Dauid praise God in any place Yes Dauid might and must blesse the Lord in any place in euery place but the place that is principally destin'd to this purpose is Domus Dei Gods House The name which God imposed on his house and by which as it were he Christned it was Domus orationis the house of prayer As Christ Math. 21. deriues it from Esa. 56. My house shall be called the house of prayer Therefore those houses were called in the Primitiue times Dominica the Lords houses and Oratoria houses of prayer deuoted to the praise of God I might heere take iust cause to taxe an error of our times Many come to these holy places and are so transported with a desire
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
couetous hogs or oppressing Tygers If thou be such heere is no more mercy for thee then if there were no Sauiour If there be no carefull obseruation of the Law there is no conseruation by the Gospell No good life no good faith no good faith no Christ. Be not deceiued God is not mocked 7. Well yet Repentance makes all euen wheresoeuer it comes or God is not so good as his word Yes God will be so good as his promise but here 's the doubt whether thou wilt bee so good as thy purpose Thou canst charge God no further then to forgiue thee repenting not to giue thee repentance sinning Promisit Deus poenitenti veniam non peccanti poenitentiam He hath made a promise to Repentance not of Repentance This is Gods tresure what is the reason the malefactor went frō the crosse to heauen Dedit poenitentiam qui dedit Paradisum God gaue him repentance that also gaue him Paradise Art thou sure God will put this almes into thy polluted hand It is dangerous ventring the soule on such an vncertainty He that sins that he may repent is like one that surfet◅ that he may take Physicke And whether this Physicke vvill worke on a dead heart is a perillous feare Alas vvhat teares are in flint what remorse in a benu◅ed conscience Tutum est poenitenda non committere certum non est commissa deflere It is safe not to doe what thou mayst repent it is not certaine to repent what thou hast done It is the fashion of many to send repentance afore to threescore but if they liue to those yeares they doe not then ouertake it but driue it before them still Be not deceiued God is not mocked You see now what trust is in colours how easily you may deceiue your selues how vnpossibly mocke GOD. Leaue then excuses to the wicked that will be guilty and God shall not know of it Bernard reckons vp their mitigations Non feci c. I haue not done it or if I haue done yet not done euill or if euill yet not very euill or if very euill yet not with an euill mind or if with an euill mind yet by others euill perswasion Be not deceiued God is not mocked If we cry with that seruant Haue patience and I will pay thee all the Lord may forbeare in mercy But if wee wrangle I owe nothing and God is too hasty to call me from my pleasures hee vvill require the vttermost farthing I haue held you long in this Disswasiue part of the Caution The Perswasiue was also much included in it and therefore I will but touch it God is not mocked God is often in the Scripture called the Searcher of the heart Iere. 17. The heart is deceitfull aboue all things and desperately vvicked who can knowe it Who Ego Dominus I the Lord know the heart So Salomon in his prayer Thou onely knowest the hearts of all the children of men So the Apostles about the election of one in Iudas roome Thou Lord which knowest the hearts of all men Now hee that knowes the heart cannot be mocked It is hard to beguile the eye of man looking on vs how much more to deceiue the eye of God looking in vs Therefore Quod non audes facere aspiciente conseruo hoc ne cogites inspiciente Deo How vaine a thing then is it to be an Hypocrite As if God had not a window into the heart to discerne it Hypocrites saith Augustine haue Christianum nomen ad iudicium non ad remedium The name of Christians to their condemnation not comfort Their words are like an Eccho they answere Gods call but neuer come at him Good company they will admit to better their credite not their conscience Like crafty Apothecaries they haue one thing written in their papers and markes another thing in their boxes But because euery man is as hastie to condemne an Hypocrite as Dauid was to condemne the Oppressor in the Parable vvhen the Tu es homo lyes in his owne bosome I vvill touch two or three particulars If we looke into Popery we shall find it vniuersally a professed study to mocke GOD. They make shew by their abundant prayers of an abundant zeale when as if God saw not the heart they thinke the worke done is sufficient Those Qui filo insertis numerant sua murmura baccis keepe number and tale no matter with what mind no nor yet to whom whether to this Angel or that Saint to our Lord or to our Lady Yea it is recorded that the Papists in Scotland about Henry the 8. his time of England vsed to say the Lords Prayer to Saints Insomuch that when a little knowledge came into some mens hearts of this absurdity there arose great Schisme And one Fryer Toit◅ was gotten to make a Sermon that the Pater noster might be said to Saints So were the people diuided that it was a common question To whom say you your Pater-noster Call you these zealous prayers Be not deceiued God is not mocked As much might be said for their vncleane Celibate Their single life makes shew of great purenes as if their adulteries Sodomitry experimentall brothelry vnmatchable vncleannesses were not knowne They ostent their Chastitie when Vrbs est iam tota Lupanar What would they but mocke God No lesse for their fastings How deadly a sinne is it to eate flesh on a Friday yet is it no sinne with them to be drunke on a Friday A poore labourer plowes all day at night refresheth himselfe with a morsell of Bacon hee is an Heretike A gallant Gentleman hawkes all day at night sits downe to his varietie of fishes curious wines possets iunkets O he 's a good Catholike An Hypocrite he is rather Famam quaerunt abstinentiae in delicijs They seeke the credite of temperance among full tables ful pots Famam quaerunt but Famem fugiunt They desire praise but they refuse hunger But God is not mocked For our selues If there be any here because my Text depends on that occasion that robbes his Minister of temporal food and yet makes shew to hunger after his spirituall food though he may coozen man vnseene eyther by his greatnesse or craftines Let him know that Gdo is not mocked If there be any fraudulent Debter that deceiues his brother of his goods and then flatters his conscience that the merits of Christ shall acquit him so packes all vpon Christ let him pay it let him know that God is not mocked The bloud of Christ was not shed to pay mens debts but Gods debts It hath vertue enough but no such direction Thou iniurest Christ to lay such reckonings on him No Vende solue viue de reliquo Sell that thou hast pay that thou owest liue of that thou reseruest If there be any Vsurer that deales altogether in letting out that lets out his money to men his time to Mammon his body to pining his mind to repyning
rest in thee Nothing but the Trinity of persons in that one Deity can fill the triangular concaue of mans own heart The fire flieth to his sphere the stone falleth to his center the riuers run to the sea as to their end and rest and are but violently detained in any other place The needle touched with the Loadstone stands euer trembling and quiuering till it enioy the full aspect of the Northerne Pole Thus the Lord is onely our Center the very life of satisfaction full of perfect and infallible comfort and he alone can content the boundlesse apprehension of this intellectuall eye All other are but shadowes and vanities but this matter obiected in my Text satisfies The world cannot but this can the hope of Gods calling and his glorious inheritance c. 5. Clearnesse of space betwixt the Organ and the obiect For the interposition of some thicke and grosse body preuents the faculty of the Eye The quickest eye cannot see through hils and a crasse cloud is able to hide the Sunne from vs at noone day On necessity that wee may behold with our vnderstandings eyes this celestiall obiect the hope of our calling there must be a remouing of all thicke and impenetrable obstacles 1. Some haue whole mountaines betwixt their eyes and heauen the mountaines of vaineglory hinder their sight They are rauished with the brauery of earth they thinke there is no heauen but at Court no further scope of ambition then to be great in this world If you tell them of the glory of Gods Inheritance giuen to his Saints alas they beleeue not your prattle they cannot see it They cannot indeed for who can see through mountaines 2. Others to make surer preuention against their sight of heauen haue rolled the whole earth betwixt that and their eyes These are the couetous who are rooting downe to the Center If you tell them of this hope c. they answere Non videmus nisi terram wee see nothing but earth Well may they say so for what eyes can see through the vast and condensed body of the earth 3. Others yet haue interiected such obscure and pitchy clouds between their sight and this Sunne of glory that they cannot see Whether of errors that darken the light of the truth Or of affected ignorance that blindes their owne eyes Or of blasphemous Atheisme they will see nothing but what they doe see Where is the promise of his comming Since the Fathers fell asleepe all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation Nil noui video I see no new thing it was so and it is so Non aliud vidêre patres aliudue nepotes Aspicient Or of rude and crude impieâ—…ies which both bleare their owne eyes and shadow heauens graces from them Thus the Deuill deales with theÌ„ as the Pharises seruants dealt with Christ first they blinde him and then buffet him and bid bim prophecie who smote him First hee puts out their eyes with their owne iniquities and then leades them about to make himself sport They cannot see the way to blisse they haue blinded themselues interposed such clouds betwixt them and heauen that this glorious light cannot shine vnto them There must be then a clearer space and this God grants to faith Stephen full of the holy Ghost looked vp stedfastly into heauen and saw the glory of GOD c. Behold I see the heauens open and the Sonne of man standing on the right hand of God Though this bee taken for more then a spirituall sight yet hence we haue this comfort that our eyes of Faith shall see God now in Grace and our eyes of flesh heereafter in glory 6. Lastly the obiect must be stable and firme for if it moue too swiftly it dazeleth the eye and cannot be truly according to the perfect forme of it beholden An oare in the riuer often seems to the passengers as if it were brokeâ—… by reason of the swift and violent motion of the water An arrow cuts the ayre with such quicknesse that we can scarce discerne it which lying at the marke is easily seene God hath therefore answered our desires and fitted our vnderstandings with a stable obiect which Paul calls an exceeding eternall waight of glory A waight substantiall and permanent not a light transient matter nor a swift voluble nature but waighty Therefore let vs not looke on the things which are seene but on the things which are not seene for the things which are seene are temporall but the things which are not seene are eternall It is here called an Inheritance which none can take from vs that subtle Lawyer Satan shall neuer be able to picke cauils against it You must not expect that I should enter into a particular resolution of our obiected comforts I must reserue that to a more liberall time Onely now let vs set them in our meditation and settle our selues to attaine them Contemne we condemn we the foolish choice of worldlings in regard of our portion and better part neuer to bee taken from vs. Why should I dislike my gold because he preferres his copper The least dramme of these ioyes shall outwaigh all the pleasures of earth And as one torment in hell shall make the reprobate forget all earthly vanities so the least drop of this pleasure shall take from vs the remembrance of our former miseries Wee shall not thinke on our pouerty in this world when we possesse those Riches and forget our contemptible basenesse when God shall giue vs that Glory of Saints Hee shall not much remember the dayes of his life because God answereth him in the ioy of his heart God giue vs to see these things now in grace that we hereafter may see them in glory Amen THE COSMOPOLITE OR WORLDS FAVOVRITE LVKE 12. 20. But God said vnto him Thou foole this night thy soule shall be required of thee then whose shall those things be which thou hast prouided THIS is the Couetous mans Scripture and both like an vnflattering glasse presents his present condition what he is and like a fatall booke premonstrates his future state what hee shall bee And because as no man would be thought of others or will thinke himselfe a worldling so nor apply to himselfe the terrour of this Text therefore this Scripture doth both indigitate and single him out with a Tu es hâ—…mo and when it hath set himselfe before himselfe it tels him how he shall stand before the Tribunall of God vvith a lost name with a lost soule with a lost world with a lost and neuer to be recouer'd heauen We shall perceiue more plainly the Cosmopolites fearefull iudgement if we take a precursory view of the Parables former passages First we haue the Rich man vers 16. prospering in his wealth not onely in the vsurious gaines which his money fraud oppression or vniust dealing might get but euen in those things which God by the hand of nature did reach
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
whom the world commendeth is approued but whom the Lord commendeth An ounce of credit with God is worth a talent of mens praises Frustra commendatur in terris qui condemnatur in coelis The world commends but God condemnes which of these iudgements shall stand I might heere inferre doctrinally that all Couetous men be fooles and that in his censure that cannot deceiue not be deceiued but I should preuent the issue of this Text to say and shew this now I therefore content my selfe to say it now to shew it anon It may be cauill'd that Follie is rather a defect in the vnderstanding Couetousnes in the affections For so they distinguish the soule into the intellectuall and affectionate part How then is this attribution of foole proper to the worldling The truth is that the offence of the will affections doth mostly proceed from the former error of the mind Our desire feare loue hatred reflecting on euill obiects arise from the deceiued vnderstanding So there is a double errour in the couetous mans mind that makes him a foole 1. He conceiues not the sufficiencie of Gods helpe and therefore leaues him that will neuer leaue his Hee thinkes Gods treasury too empty to content him he sees not his glory and therefore will not trust him on bare promises The good man sweetens his most bitter miseries with this comfort The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance But all Gods wealth cannot satisfie him O nimis auarus est cui Deus non sufficit He is vnmeasurably couetous whom God himselfe cannot satisfie Heere is one argument of his folly 2. Hauing left God who rested on would not haue left him hee adheres to the world which cannot helpe him The minde of man like the Elephant must haue somewhat to leane vpon and when the Oliue Fig tree Vine are refused he must put his trust vnder the shadow of the Bramble When the Israelites had forsaken the King of Heauen they make to themselues a Queene of heauen Moses is gone vp make vs gods which shall goe before vs. Admiratur mundum reijciens Dominum He falls off from God and falls in with the world Here be both the parts of his folly He hath committed two euils for saken the fountaine of liuing waters and hewed himselfe a broken cesterne We see the Patient let vs come to The Passion or suffering This is the point of warre which my Text sounds like a Trumpet against all worldlings This night shal thy soule be required of thee Fauour them in this and they thinke all well but in this of all they must not be fauoured This suffering is aggrauated by foure circumstances Quid. What the Soule A quo of whom of thee Quomodo how shall be required Qando when this night What. The Soule thy soule not thy Barnes nor thy croppe neither the continent nor content not thy gods which thou holdest deare not thy body vvhich thou prizest dearer but thy soule which should bee to thee dearest of all Imagine the whole conuexe of heauen for thy Barne and that were one large enough and all the riches of the world thy graine and that were crop sufficient yet put all these into one ballance and thy soule into the other and thy soule out-waighes out-values the world What is the whole world worth to him that loseth his soule The Soule is of a precious nature One in substance like the Sunne yet of diuers operations It is confined in the body not refined by the body but is often most actiue when her layler is most dull Shee is a carefull hous-wife disposing all well at home conseruing all formes and mustring them to her owne seruiceable vse The senses discerne the out-side the circumstance the huske of things she the inside the vertue the marrow resoluing effects into causes compounding comparing contemplating things in their highest sublimity Fire turnes coales into fire the body concocts meat into bloud but the soule conuerts body into spirits reducing their purest formes within her dimensiue lines In mans composition there is a shadow of the Trinity For to make vp one man there is an elementary body a diuine soule and a firmamentall spirit Here is the difference In God there are three persons in one essence in vs three essences in one person So in the Soule there is a trinity of powers vegetable sensitiue rationall the former would onely be the second be and be well the third be be well and befor euer well O excellent nature in whose cabinet ten thousand formes may sit at once which giues agitation to the body without whom it would fall downe a dead and inanimate lumpe of clay This Soule shall be required Thy Soule which vnderstands what delight is and conceiues a tickling pleasure in these couetous desires But to satisfie thy soule thou wouldst not be so greedy of abundance for a little serues the body If it haue food to sustaine it garments to hide it harbour to shelter it liberty to refresh it it is contented And satietie of these things doth not reficere sed interficere comfort but confound it Too much meat surfets the body too much apparell wearies it too much wine drownes it onely Quod conuenit conseruat It is then the soule that requires this plenitude and therefore from this plenitude shall the Soule be required Thy Soule which is not made of a perishing nature as the body but of an euerlasting substance And hath by the eternity therof a capablenes of moreioy or moresorrow it must be euer in heauen or euerin hell This night must this Soule receiue her doome thy Soule shall be required That Soule which shall be the bodies perpetuall companion sauing a short diuorce by the hand of death in the graue but afterwards ordained to an euerlasting re-vnion Whereas all worldly goods being once broken off by death can neuer againe be recouered The soule shall returne to the body but riches to neyther and this Soule must be required This is a losse a crosse beyond all that the worldlings imagination can giue being to How differ the vvickeds thoughts dying from their thoughts liuing In the daies of their peace they forget to get for the soule any good Eyther it must rest it selfe on these inferiour props or despaire of refuge The eye is not scanted of lustfull obiects the eare of melodious sounds the palate of well rellishing viands But the soules eye is not fastned on heauen nor her eares on the Word of God her taste sauours not the bread of life she is neither brought to touch nor to smell on Christs Vesture Animas habent quasi inanimata vivunt regarding their flesh as that pamperd Romane did his and their soules as he esteemed his horse who being a spruce neat and fatte Epicure riding on a leane scragling Iade was asked by the Censors the reason His answer was Ego curo meipsum statius verò equum I looke to my selfe but my
enter If thy foot offend thee saith Christ out it off Heereupon when the penitent confessed to S. Anthony that he had kicked his mother he vrged him with that Text the man went and cut off his foot but S. Anthony honestly to make him amends set it on againe Were these not goodly constructions So the new elected Pope in his solemne Lateran Procession must take copper money out of his Chamberlaines lap and scatter it among the people saying Siluer and gold haue I none but such as I haue I giue vnto you And is not this a probable truth a praise-able bounty Seuen yeares penance is enioyned to a deadly sinne because Miriam was separated seuen dayes for her leprosie and God saith to Ezekiel chap. 4. I haue giuen thee a day for a yeare Oh genuine and most neighbourly concording of Scriptures When Gods word subiects Priests to Kings their Glosse subiects Kings to Priests at least to Popes But as when they determined to kill the Emperor Henry the seuenth that they might be sure to poyson him they stucke not to poyson their owne God in the Sacrament So purposing to teare the honour and deface the maiesty of Kings they first offer violence to the sacred word of God In these damnable Glosses it is hard to decide whether Pharise is beyond Papist or Papist beyond Pharise But Dum haec malè construunt seipsos malè destruunt Their euill construction of the Scriptures brings a worse destruction to themselues They make that serue the turne of their policie which God meant to serue the turne of his glory The Pharises cleaued to the letter but despised the Spirit so do Papists Hoc est corpus must bee materially there for this they wrangle fight burne the contradicters yet few of them care to finde it spiritually there Dabo claues I will giue thee the keyes therefore none can enter heauen except the Pope open the dores Whereas Peters two keyes one of knowledge the other of power are fitted to two lockes Ignorance and Induration But wee know who keepes the keyes and lets in many thousands to heauen without the Popes leaue These things saith hee that is holy and true hee that hath the key of Dauid he that openeth and no man shutteth that shutteth and no man openeth Some of the Rabbins affirmed that God requires two things concerning his law Custodie and Worke custody in heart worke in execution The Pharises thought it enough to haue it in their frontlets not in their hearts So the Romist hath his opus operatum prayers numbred on beades fastings pilgrimages c. and then cryes like Saul Blessed bee thou of the Lord I haue performed the commandement of the Lord. The Pharises iustified themselues by their workes and would not sticke to say of the Law All this haue I kept from my youth Doe not the Papists so doe they not climbe to saluation by their owne works iustify themselues Those thought it not only easie to fulfill the Law but possible to doe more then they were bound to They thought it not worth thanks to performe what they were bidden Gods Law was too little for their holinesse They plyed God with vnbidden oblations gaue more then they needed then was commanded I pay tithes of all said that Pharise of all it was more then he needed If God would haue a Sabbath kept they ouer-keepe it let a house be on fire that day they would not quench it And what other is the boasting opinion of the Romanists it is nothing with them to content God they can earne him supererogate of him Yea these Iewish Papists haue done more then enough for themselues many good vvorks to spare for others this they call the Churches Treasure they sell them for ready money But Christ taught vs all to say We are vnprofitable seruants intimating that doe what we can yet God is a loser by the best of vs. To omit the miserable penances of the Pharises pricking themselues with thornes and wounding their flesh with whips wherein it is not possible for a Papist to goe beyond them If the misvsing macerating lacerating their owne bodies be a meanes to come into heauen surely the Pharises should enter farre sooner then the Papists Yet were those kept out and shall these enter Except your righteousnesse shall exceed the righteousnes of the Scribes and Pharises ye shall not enter into the kingdome of Heauen The people were so besotted on them that they thought if but two men should goe to heauen the one must bee a Scribe the other a Pharise But here was strange newes neyther of them both shall come there So the Papists thinke that if but two men be saued one must be a Fryer the other a Iesuite Hee that should say neyther of them both was likely to speed so well should haue the whole multitude stare vpon him for such a Paradoxe The Pharises brag'd much of Moses Chaire iust so doe our Papists of Peters Chaire The Pharises iustified it that there was no error in theirs the Papists affirme that there 's no possibility of error in theirs The Pharises thundred against the poore people This people who knoweth not the Law are cursed So the Pope thunders his curses and excommunications against vs but we blesse God his thunder cannot reach vs. I would other places had no more cause to feare his thunder Then would they answere him as Gregory the fourth was answered when he purposed peremptorily to proceed against Lewys le Debonayre the French Bishops answered in flat termes Si excommunicaturus veniret excommunicatus discederet If he came to excommunicate hee should be sent back excommunicated The Pharises compassed Sea and Land to make Proselytes and when they had made one they make him twofold more the child of hell then themselues Doe not our Seminaries so Yes they are Compassers too like their grand Master Iob. 2. much like those Circulatores and Circumcelliones a limbe of the Donatists They creepe into Ladies houses I had almost said into their Chambers the Pursuiuant in modesty hath forborne the Gentlewomans bed and missed him Confession and Penance are the principall wheeles whereupon the Engine of their policie runnes By the first they find out mens secret inclinations by the other they heape riches to their Tribe They will not lead a Nouice into the maine at first to make him belieue the Popes infallibility of Iudgement authoritie to decrowne Kings to make Scripture no Scripture and no Scripture Scripture c. This meat is too tough it will not downe therefore they court his affections with pleasing delights smooth semblances and moderate constructions as neare to the religion from which they would peruert him as possibly may be afforded So by degrees they gaine him God and the Truth loseth him In their owne Countreys places of freedome they vizour their hearts in England they vizour their faces too The Pharises made difference of oathes
remittentis not natura transgressionis the mercy of the forgiuer not the qualitie of the sin that maketh it veniall All transgressions are mortall in themselues and by repentance all veniall in Christ. The least sinne legally considered is mortall the greatest sin Euangelically considered is pardonable This difference we approoue yea wee say that small sinnes are more easily pardoned and great sinnes when they are remitted are more hardly remitted For certainly offenders are more or lesse punished accoding to the qualitie of the offence An eye with an eye but bloud with bloud and life with life Yet still say we not that a sinne is in it owne nature veniall For euen the least is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the transgression of the Law It is for the doctrine of Rome to lessen sinne and to extenuate punishment and that for two reasons First that they might please the people with some liberty and next that hereby they might build vp their Purgatory For they assigne mortall sinnes to hell and veniall to that purging fire They offer herein a double wrong both to their owne modestie and to Gods mercy To their owne modestie for they extenuate their faults in sinning to Gods mercy for they disparage his goodnesse in forgiuing They affirme that sinnes of omission weakenesse forgetfulnesse and ignorance be Praeter legem Dei but not contra legem Dei that they be Besides the Law of God not Against the law of God This doctrine like the lippes of that strange woman drop as an hony-combe and are smooth as oyle But their end is bitter as worme-wood sharpe as a two-edged sword This is a dangerous delusion for hence they come so to neglect those lesse sinnes that Peccata minima be at last thought Nulla As they haue certaine Orders among them Fryers Minorites Fryers Minim's and then Nullani Nullans So sinne bates and dwindles from a Minorite or lesse sinne to a Minim or least sinne and from a Minim to a Nullan to be no sinne at all Thus Incipit esse licitum quod folet esse publicum The commonnesse takes away the haynousnesse from being generally practised it comes to be vniuersally allowed Euery sinne is committed against God Against thee thee onely haue I sinned Looke vpon the infinite Maiestie offended and by that iudge the quality of thy offence There be sinnes of weaknesse sinnes of ignorance and sinnes of malice Those of weakenesse are said to be committed against God the Father whose speciall attribute is Power Those of Ignorance against God the Sonne whose speciall attribute is wisedome Those of malice against God the Holy Ghost whose speciall attribute is loue Whether then they be of weakenesse of ignorance or of malice they offend either the Power of God or the Wisedome of God or the Loue of God therefore acknowledge Secundum magnitudinem Dei magnitudinem peccati confesse the least sinne great and bad that hath offended a Maiestie so Great and Good 2. Minima plurima sinnes lesse haynous are the most numerous Many littles make a mickle Small droppes of raine commonly cause the greatest flouds Quò minus violentum eò magis perpetuum the lesse violence the longer continuance The drisling sleete that falls as it were in a mist fills the chanels they swell the riuers the ouercharged riuers send foorth their superfluous waters ouer the conteyning bankes now the medowes are polluted the Corne-fields spoyled the Cattell drowned yea euen houses and townes and inhabitants endangered and firme continents buried vnder a deluge of waters Many little sands gather'd to an heape faile not to swallow a great Vessell De paruis grandis aceruus erit You haue Eagles Hawkes Kites and such great fowles of rapine flying alwaies alone but the sparrowes and pidgeons that deuour the graine by innumerable troupes There were not more grieuous plagues to the Egyptians then came by the contemptiblest creatures as frogges lice flyes locusts by reason of the monstrous swarmes couering the face of the earth and darkning the Land and deuouring the fruit of the whole Country Yea euen killing the people that there was no remedie found for their life Thus great destruction ariseth from little causes therefore Non contemnenda quia parua sed metuenda quia multa Let vs not despise our sinnes because they are little but feare them because they are many saith Augustine The smal drops of sinne continually falling haue drowned many soules As they haue been our Armes to fight against GOD so God will make them his Armies to confound vs. Timenda ruina multitudinis etsi non magnitudinis Let vs feare them for their number though we slight them for their nature A pace is but a little space of ground yet a thousand paces make a mile and many miles bring to hell Si negligis quia non pessima caueas quia plurima If they be not the worst they are the most and is it not all to one purpose vvhether one Goliah or a thousand Philistims ouercome thee The bird brings so many little strawes as makes vp her nest the reprobate so many little sticks as makes vp his owne burning pile Augustine saith there is in Sinne both weight and number Et si non timeas quando expendis time quando numeras Iudge them by tale and not by waight Put a wanton speech a loose gesture into the balance though Christ found it heauy euery soule shall for whom he did not beare it yet it is censured vix culpa a little faulting a little failing so little that vvere it lesse it were nothing But now leaue thy Geometry come to Arithmetike beginne to number thy vvanton works and vnchristian gestures and carnall thoughts now loe they come in by troupes and heards thicker then the frogges into Egypt miraris numerum thou standest amazed at their number and now cryest Miserere mei Deus Lord haue mercy on me a most wretched sinner Yet when thy recognition hath done the best and thy memory represented those swarmes of sinnes to thy conscience thy view is as farre short as will be thine answer neither can extend ad millesimam vel minimam partem Thou hast not seene one of a thousand Who can vnderstand his errors O Lord cleanse thou mee from my secret faults Thus it is not Trutina but ScrutinuÌ„ that will teach thee the danger of these little sinnes Thou didst neuer stâ—…ale thy neighbours goods by breaking into his house therefore pleadest not guiltie to that Law Thou shalt not steale Examine thou shalt find past from thee so many couetous wishes as make vp a robberie Thou art no swearer yet through the dore of thy lips haue scaped out so many idle words as being put together will make vp a blasphemie Thou neuer madest the member of Christ a member of a harlot by vncleannesse yet thou hast giuen indulgence to as many lustfull thoughts and desires as beeing summed will make vp a great adultery I feare that many who
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
Discedite but depart the Church without the blessing they will not stay till Christ bids them Goe They venture therein wretchedly and dangerously if they could so conceiue it to depart without the Peace of God It is an vsuall complaint of man in distresse Quare direliquisti me Domine Why hast thou forsaken me O Lord God iustly answeres Quare direliquisti me Home Why didst thou forsake me first O man Would you needs depart when you should not you therefore shall depart when you would not Discedite Depart indeed a wofull reiection Depart from me yee cursed why cursed good reason you would not tarry for a blessing Thus is God euen with the wicked Recedistis à me recedam à vobis You left me I therefore leaue you Will you go without bidding Abite get you gone He that will goe into captiuity let him go Deus prior in amore posterior in odio God loued vs before we loued him hee doth not actually hate vs till we first hate him Nunquam deserit nisi cum deseritur Hee forsakes not vs till wee forsake him no man can take Christ from thy soule vnlesse thou take thy soule from Christ. God complaines of the Iewes that they had left him My people haue forsaken mee Forsake thee O Lord liuing Father of mercies and God of all comfort Will a man forsake the snow of Lebanon and the old flowing waters that come from the Rockes If any will do so then heare the curse O Lord the hope of Israel all that forsake thee shall bee ashamed and they that depart from thee shall be written in the earth because they haue forsaken the Lord the fountaine of liuing waters But let them that cleaue to the Lord heare the blessing I will not leaue thee nor forsake thee Let vs hang on the mouth of God for decision of all our doubts direction of all our waies like the Centurions seruants Going when he bids vs comming when he cals vs doing what he commands vs. At his Word let vs arise and goe on earth at his Call wee shall arise and goe to heauen Hee that obeyes the surge in grace shall haue the surge in Glory Hee that goes in the wayes of Holinesse shall go into the courts of Happinesse Hee that goeth forth weeping bearing with him precious seed shall come againe reioycing and bring his sheaues with him They that haue done well shall goe into euerlasting life Thus much of these two words as they belonged to that person the Leper Now let vs vsefully apply them to our selues First let vs obserue from this Arise 1. It is Christ that giues the Surge which reuiueth vs we can neuer stirre from the seate of impietie till hee bids vs Arise No man can come to me except the Father draw him The Spirit of Christ must draw vs out of the black and mirie pit of iniquity as Ebedmelech drew Ieremy out of the dungeon We cannot arise of our selues Nature hath no foote that can make one true step toward heauen That which is borne of the flesh is flesh not fleshly in the concrete but flesh in the abstract We cannot speake vnlesse he open our lips God sayes to the Prophet Cry What shall I cry the Spirit must giue the word All flesh is grasse c. Wee cannot stand vnlesse hee giues vs feet Sonne of man stand vpon thy feete alas he cannot but ver 2. The Spirit entred into me and set me vpon my feete We cannot see except hee giues vs eyes Intelligite insipientes Bee wise O yee fooles Alas they cannot but Da mihi intellectum do thou O Lord giue them wisedome Bee yee not conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of your minde that you may proue c. There are first two verbes Passiue then an Actiue to shew that we are double so much Patients as we are Agents Being moued we moue Acta fit actiua voluntas when God hath enclined our will to good that will can then incline vs to performe goodnesse If we cannot speake without lips from him nor walke without affections from him nor see except hee giue vs eyes then neither can we arise except he takes vs by the hand as Peter tooke the Creeple and lift him vp and immediately his feete and ancle bones receiued strength If the spirit of our Lord Iesus giue vs a Surge our lame soules shall grow strong and liuely in the nerues of graces we shall Arise and walke leaping and singing and praising God 2 We must arise for wee are naturally downe By nature a man lyeth in wickednesse by grace he riseth to newnesse of life Nature and Religion are two opposites I meane by nature corrupted nature and by Religion true Religion for otherwise the accepting of some Religion is ingraffed to euery Nature It is Nature to bee dead in sinnes it is Religion to be dead to sinne It is Nature to be Reprobate to euery good worke Religion to be ready to euery good worke It is nature to be a Louer of ones selfe 2. Tim. 3. 2. Religion to deny ones selfe Luk. 9. 23. It is nature for a man to seeke onely his owne profite Religion to Serue others by loue Nature esteemes Preaching folly Religion the power of God to saluation There are two lights in man as in heauen Reason and Faith Reason like Sara is still asking How can this bee Faith like Abraham not disputes but beleeues There is no validity in Morall vertues Ciuill mens good workes are a meere carkase without the soule of Faith They are like that Romane that hauing fortunately slaine his three enemies the Curiatij comming home in triumph and beholding all the people welcome him with acclamations onely his sister weepe because hee had slaine her loue hee embittered his victories with the murder of his owne sister Carnall men may doe glorious deeds flourish with braue atchieuements but they marre all by killing their owne sister the deare soule Thus we are downe by Nature Grace can onely helpe vs vp and make vs arise If you aske how Nature hath deiected vs how we came originally thus depraued I answer We know not so well how we came by it as we are sure we haue it Nihil ad prâ—…dicandum notius nihil ad intelligendum secretius Nothing is more certainely true to be preached nothing more secretly hard to be vnderstood Therefore as in case of a Town on fire let vs not busily enquire how it came but carefully endeuour to put it out A Traueller passing by and seeing a man fallen into a deep pit began to wonder how he sell in to whom the other replyed Tu cogita quomodo hinc me liberes non quomodo huc ceciderim quaeras Do thou good friend rather study how to helpe me out then stand questioning how I came in Pray to Christ for this Surge
to enioy for euer and euer Now yet further to encourage our going let vs thinke vpon our company Foure sweet associates go with vs in our Iourny good Christians good Angels good works our most good Sauiour Iesus Christ. 1. Good Christians accompany vs euen to our death If thou go to the Temple they will go with thee Many people shall say Come and let us go vp to the Mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob If thou say Come let vs build vp the walles of Ierusalem they will answer Let vs rise vp and build So when Ioshua protested to Israel do what you will but as for mee and my house we will serue the Lord they ecchoed to him God forbid that we should for sake the Lord to serue other gods we also will serue the Lord. Thou canst not say with Elias I am left alone there be seuen thousand and thousand thoâ—…sands that neuer bowed their knee to Baal 2. Good Angels beare vs company to death in our guarding after death in our carrying vp to heauen Angelis mandauit He hath giuen his Angels charge over vs There are malicious deuils against vs but there are powerfull Angels with vs. That great Maiestie whom wee all adore hath giuen them this commission Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heires of saluation An Angell counsels Hagar to returne to her Mistresse an Angell accompanies Iacob in his iourney an Angell feeds Elias an Angell pluckes Lot out of Sodome Gaudent Angeli te conuersum illorum sociari consortijs The Angels reioyce at our conuersion that so their number might haue a completion 3. Good workes beare vs company Good Angels associate vs to deliuer their charge good workes to receiue their reward Though none of our actions bee meritorious yet are none transient none lost They are gone before vs to the Courts of ioy and when wee come they shall welcome our entrance Virtutis miseris dulce sodalitium What misery soeuer perplexeth our voyage vertue and a good conscience are excellent company 4. Lastly Iesus Christ beares vs company Hee is both Via and Conuiator the way and companion in the way When the two Disciples went to Emaus Iesus himselfe drew neere and went with them If any man go to Emaus which Bernard interpreteth to be Thirsting after good aduice he shall be sure of Christs company If any man entreate Iesus to goe a mile he will go with him twaine None can complaine the want of company whiles his Sauiour goes along with him Truely our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Iesus Christ. There we finde two Persons of the blessed Trinity our Associates the Father and the Sonne now the Holy Ghost is not wanting The grace of the Lord Iesus Christ and the loue of God and the communion or fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with you all Amen Goe we then comfortably forward and God will bring vs to our desired Hauen But Pauci intrant pauciores ambulant paucissimi perâ—…nt Few enter the way fewer walke in the way fewest of all come to the end of the way their saluation Men thinke the way to heauen broader then it is But straite is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth vnto life and few there bee that finde it All say they are going to glory but the greater number take the wrong way A man somewhat thicke-sighted when he is to passe ouer a narrow bridge puts on spectacles to make it seeme broader but so his eyes beguile his feete and he fals into the brooke Thus are many drowned in the whirle-poole of sinne by viewing the passage to heauen onely with the Spectacles of flesh and bloud They thinke the bridge broad so topple in Happy eyes that well guide the feete and happy feet that neuer rest going till they enter the gates of heauen Thus much for the Pasport now we come to The Certificate Thy faith hath made thee whole Wherein Christ doth comfort and encourage the Leper First he comforts him that his faith was the meanes to restore health to his body then thereby hee encourageth him that this faith encreased would also bring saluation to his soule I might here obserue that as faith is onely perceiued of God so it is principally commended of God The Leper glorified God and that with a loud voyce there was his thankfulnesse he fell downe at Christs feet there was his humblenesse The eares of men heard his gratitude the eyes of men saw his humility but they neither heard nor saw his faith But how then saith Saint Iames Shew mee thy faith Himselfe answeres By thy workes It cannot be seene in habitu in the very being yet may easily be knowne in habente that such a person hath it No man can see the winde as it is in the proper essence yet by the full sailes of the ship one may perceiue which way the winde stands The sap of the tree is not visible yet by the testimony of leaues and fruites we know it to be in the tree Now Christ sees not as man sees man lookes vpon the externall witnesses of his gratitude and humility but Christ to that sap of faith in the heart which sent forth those fruits Thy faith hath saued thee The words distribute themselues into two principall and essentiall parts The Meanes Thy faith Effects Hath made thee whole The meanes is partly Demonstratiue Faith partly Relatiue Thy faith The Quality and the Propriety the Quality of the meanes it is Faith the Propriety it is not anothers but Thy faith Faith This is the demonstratiue quality of the meanes of his healing But what was this Faith 1. There is a faith that beleeues veritatem historiae the truth of Gods word This we call an Historicall Faith but it was not this faith King Agrippa beleeuest thou the Prophets I know that thou beleeuest 2. There is a faith that beleeues Certitudinem Promissi the certainety of Gods promises that verily is perswaded God will bee so good as his word that he will not breake his couenant with Israel nor suffer his faithfulnesse to faile vnto Dauid yet applyes not this to it selfe but it was not this faith 3. There is a faith that beleeues Potestatem Dicentis the Maiestie and Omnipotencie of him that speakes so the deuill that God is able to turne Stones into brâ—…d so the Papist that he can turne bread into flesh and cause one circumscribed body to supply millions of remote places at once But it was not this faith 4. There is a faith beleeues se moturam Montes that it is able to remoue Mountaines a miraculous faith which though it were specially giuen to the Apostles In my name shall they cast out deuils take vp Serpents cure the sicke by imposition of hands say to a Tree
be so invisible but the fruites of a good life will declare it Thus by degrees you see what is the right sauing faith As a Lapidary that shewes the buyer an orient pearle and hauing a little fed his eye with that outpleaseth him with a Saphyre yet out-values that with some Ruby or Chrysolite wherwith rauished he doth lastly amaze him with a sparkling Diamond transcending all Or as Drapers shew diuers cloathes of excellent colours yet at last for a Master-piece exceed all wiâ—…h a piece of Scarlet So there are diuers vertues like Iewels but the most precious Iewell of all is Faith And there are diuers degrees of faith as diuers coloured cloathes but the sauing faith is arrayed in the Scarlet robe hath dipped and died her selfe in the bloud of her Sauiour Iesus yet is she white pure white as the snow of Lebanon so are all that be washed in that red fountaine They haue washed their robes and made them white in the bloud of the Lambe Thy Faith This is the property of that faith that healed him his owne faith But how could Christ call it His faith when as faith is Gods gift It is indeed Datum so well as mandatum Commanded This is his Commandement that we should beleeue on the name of his Sonne Iesus Christ. So also giuen To you it is giuen in the behalfe of Christ to beleeue on him And This is the worke so well as the will of God that ye belieue on him whom he hath sent But this is not giuen without meanes as the woman of Tekoah said to Dauid GOD doth deuise meanes What 's that Faith comes by hearing Now when God hath giuen a man Faith he calls it his Thy faith for what is freer then gift So the Prophet calls it their own mercy They that wait on lying vanities for sake their owne mercy As the water in the Cesterne is said to be the Cesternes though it haue it from the fountaine But yet how doth Christ call it his faith had he a faith by himselfe There is one faith therefore not more his then others In regard of the Obiect vpon whom our faith reflects there is but one faith in regard of the subiect wherein faith resides euery one must haue his owne faith There is no saluation by a common faith but as all true beleeuers haue one and the same faith so euery true beleeuer hath a singular and indiuiduall faith of his owne Thy faith thine for two reasons to distinguish his Person from common men Faith from common Faiths 1. To distinguish his person from others the Nine had not this Faith They beleeued not but thou beleeuest Thy faith this declares him to be out of the common road Thoushalt not follow a multitude to doe euill that Bâ—…llua multorum capitum must not lead thee Some were deuoted to Christ but they could not come nigh him for the prease It was the multitude that rebuked the blind mans prayers As a riuer leades a man through sweet medowes greene woods fertile pastures fruit-loden fields by glorious buildings strong Forts famous Cities yet at last brings him to the salt Sea So the streame of this world carries along through rich commodities voluptuous delights stately dignities all possible content to flesh and bloud but after all this brings a man to death after death to iudgement after iudgement to hell Heare one of the Romists authenticall pleas for their Church falls to the ground vniuersality They pleade Antiquity so a homicide may deriue his murder from Cain They plead vnity so Pharises Sadduces Herodians combined against Christ. They plead vniuersality yet of the ten Lepers but one was thankfull The way to hell hath the greatest store of passengers Company is good but it is better to goe the right way alone then the broad with multitudes It is thought probably that at this day Mahometisme hath more vnder it then Christianity though wee put Protestant and Papist and Puritan and Separatist and Arminian and all in the scale to boote and that meere Paganisme is larger then both Where many ioyne in the Truth there is the Church not for the many's sake but for the Truths sake Saint Augustine teacheth vs to take Religion not by tale but by waight Numbers make not a thing good but the waight of truth Some are so manerly that they will not goe one steppe before a great man no not to heauen Many say with Hushai Whom the people and all the men of Israel chuse his will I be But they leaue out one principall thing which Hushai there put in as the prime ingredient Whom the Lord chuseth they leaue out the Lord. But Ioshua was of another minde Chuse youwhat gods soeuer you will serue I and my house will serue the Lord. The Inferiour Orbes haue a motion of their owne contrary to the greater good men are moued by Gods Spirit not by the Planetary motions of popular greatnesse Let vs prize righteousnes highly because it is seldom found The pebles of the world are common but the pearles of graces rare The vulgar streame will bring no vessell to the land of peace 2. To distinguish his faith from the common faith Thine another kinde then the Pharises faith To belieue the Word but traditions withal vera fides non pura fides is a true but not a pure faith To beleeue the Maior of the Gospell not the Minor Vera non sana fides is a true not a sound faith To belieue a mans own saluation how debauchedly soeuer he liues nec vera pura sana nec omnino fides is neyther a true pure sound faith nor indeed a faith at all but a dangerous presumption To belieue thy owne reconciliation by the merits of Christ and to strengthen this by a desire of pleasing God is a true found sauing faith and this is Fides tua Thy Faith Whosoeuer vvill goe to heauen must haue a faith of his owne In Gedeons Campe euery souldier had his own pitcher among Salomons men of valour euery one wore his owne sword and these were they that got the victories The fiue wise Virgins had euery one oyle in her owne lampe and onely these enter in with the Bridegroome Anothers eating of dainty meate makes thee neuer the fatter Indeed many haue sped the better for other mens faith so the Centurions seruant was healed for his masters sake As thou hast beleeued so be it done vnto thee But for the saluation of the reprobates Though Moses and Samuel stood before me saith the Lord yet my minde could not be toward such people Though Noah Daniel and Iob interceded yet they should deliuer but their owne soules by their righteousnesse Pious mens faith may often saue others from temporall calamities but it must be their own faith that saues them from eternall vengeance Lutâ—… was wont to say There is great Diuinity in Pronounes Thy faith One
gratious God hath made vs able Ministers of the New Testament not of the letter but of the Spirit for the letter killeth but the spirit giueth life The proper office of the Law was to threaten terrifie condemne Lex non damnans est ficta pictalex sayth Luther That law that doth not condemne is a fained and a painted law But the power of the Gospell is to conuert and saue The Lord hath annointed me sayth the Prophet in the person of Christ to preach good tydings vnto the meeke to bind vp the broken-hearted to proclaime libertie to the captiâ—…es and the acceptable yeare of the Lord to comfort all that mourne The law was called the Ministration of death but the Gospell like Iohn Baptist points vs to Christ a Sauiour Behold the Lambâ—… of God tâ—…king away the sinne of the world The law menaced death but the Gospell assures vs There is no damnation to them which are in Christ. When the law like a sterne Seriant arresteth thee Pay that thou owest the Gospell produceth an acquitâ—…ance â—…ealed in the bloud of Iesus and sayes to thy faith All is payed Quod lex operum minando imperâ—…t lex fidei credendo impetrâ—…t What the law of workes commanded threatning the new law of fayth obtaineth by beleeuing 2. The Gospell is also more glorious and that both in regard of the Countenance and Continuance For beautie more glorious because it is more honourable to be the messenger of mercie and life then to be the minister of terrour and death A deathsman is accounted base but their feete are beautifull that bring tydings of peace and pardon If the ministration of condemnation be glorie much more doth the ministration of righteousnes exceede in glorie For Continuance Moses glory is done away but the glory of Moses his Lord remaines for euer The law was giuen by Moses but grace and truth came by Christ Iesus The type is vanished banished but the substance abideth euer When that which is perfect comes that which is in part is done away There was a second Testament to succeed the first but after the second shall succeed none So that if any man shall wilfully and finally euacuate to himselfe the vertue of this new Couenant there remaineth no more sacrifice for his sinnes Therfore the Apostle concludes If that which is done away was glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious The bloud of Christ doth mystically run fresh to the end of the world therefore the Gospell must be preached that this bloud may be applied The Gospell is that Star that must bring vs to Christ therfore shall shine till our soules come to him in glory The very subiect of the Gospell is euerlasting life therfore it shall not leaue vs till it hath brought vs thither 2 This Vntill giues matter of exhortation instructing vs to waite with patience for this blessed tyme to be content to stay for Gods Vntill It is a sweet mixture of ioy in trouble the certaine hope of future â—…ase Thou art captiued thou shalt be freed thou art persecuted shalt triumph thou art fought against shalt raigne thou art derided but thou shalt shine in glory Onely quietly expect this Vntill Yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry But Vntill this recompense of reward comes ye haue neede of patience Labour not a violent extrication of thy selfe abide and waite Till we all meete in the vnitie of fayth c. We are got through the gate let vs now enter the Citie werein we shall find fiâ—…e principall Passages or Streets What aâ—…ting â—…ting Who We yea we All all the Saints Wherin In Vnitie that vnitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whereof Of the Faith knowledge of Gods Sonne Whereunto To a perfect man Vnto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. What Meeâ—…e The meeting of friends is eâ—…er comfortable When the brethrâ—…n heard of vs they came to meete vs as farre as Appiâ—… forum whom when Paul saw he thanked God and toâ—…ke courage They haue sullen and tetricall spirits whom the sight of good friends cannot cheare Fraternum verè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ecâ—… quâ—…m bonum c. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in vnitie Some things are good but not pleasant as afflictions they are not sweet yet proâ—…table It was good for me that I haue beâ—…e afflicted that I might learne thâ—… statutes Other things are pleasant but not good The wicked take delight in sinne which sâ—…ayeth the soule But this is both Bonum and Iuâ—…undum good and pleasant also There is a threefold meeting of the godly 1 In this life with their soules in their bodies 2 After death of their soules without bodies 3 At the last day of both together in glory 1. In this life and here the communis terminus of their meeting is Gods house Where alwayes Christ himselfe is one of the number Wheresoeuer two or three of you be gathered together in my name I will be in the midst of you But to haue his blessed societie we must not only bring our bodyes but our minds with them Quomodo erit Christus in medio nostrum â—…i nobiscum non erimus How should Christ be with vs if we be not with our selues Plus valet consonantia voluntatum quâ—…m vocum The harmonie of our voyces is not so pleasing to God as of our hearts This is the happiest meeting in this world The denyall of this comfort made the soule of Dauid sicke cast downe disquieted within him And his reuiuall was that he might goe vnto the altar of God vnto God his exceeding ioy Indeede the vngodly thinke not thus they are more delighted with the tabernacles of Meshek and the tauernes of Kâ—…der In the 2. of Luke when Ioseph Mary had lost Iesus comming from Ierusalem they sought him among their kinsfolke and acquaintance But they found him not till they came to Ierusalem there he was in the Temple The children of God when they seeke Christ find him not in the world among their kinred friends in the flesh but in Domo Dei in the house of God It is dangerous to be absent from these holy meetings least we misse of our Sauiours companie God did not promise to meete thee here thou vsurer at the Banke thou drunkard at the alehouse thou sluggard on thy vnseasonable couch but at the Church Christ comes to appeare to vs and we are gone some about our farmes of couetousnes others about carnall pleasures In vaine we seeke God if not in his right Vbi where he hath promised to be found Fugienti bonum consortium obuenit corruptum corrumpens sodalitium He that eschewes Christian meetings shall be met withall either by the Deuill when he is lazy or by the Deuils friends when he is busie 2. When death
eye Faith like the Hand layes vnremoued hold on Christ Hope like the Foote walkes toward him in an holy expectation patiently enduring all wrongs in hope of sweet issue Sight which belongs to the Eye shall fully apprehend him when it is gloryfied In this bright knowledge we shall all meete Our present knowledge shall be excelled by our future in 5. differences 1. In qualitie this is an abstracted knowledge of Christ absent that a plenary knowledge of Christ present Ex abstractiua fit intuitiua notitia The light of a lampe vanisheth when the glorious sunne appeareth If our knowledge were mundus eruditionis a world of learning yet is it but eruditio mundi the learning of the world of narrow bounds in regard of the knowledge in heauen 2. In quantitie euen that we know now shall be known then in a greater measure The orbes elements planets plants the herbes of the field parts of our own bodyes we know now but alas weakly in regard of that perfection which this future life shall giue vs. Indeed the Christian for his owne sauing health knowes so much as is able to make him euerlastingly blessed for he knowes Christ his Sauiour and that is eternall life But then he shall know him in a higher measure and perfectly see those things now vnconceaueable Paul heard vnspeakable words in his rapture aboue which below he confesseth not possible for man to vtter 3. In perfection or maturitie Our knowledge heere growes from degree there it shall be one and the same receauing or requiring no augmentation They goe from strength to strength how long till they appeare before God in Sion 4. In continuance Earthly knowledge is momentany all skill in tongs and arts is like the authors mortall and shall come to an end The most famous Artists haue often either mette with a derogate name or beene buried in obliuion The study of Christ is onely eternall and shall not be abrogated but perfected we shall know then as we are knowne 5. In vnitie various dissonant and not seldome repugnant is humane knowledge indeed not worthy the name of knowledge for it is Opinion Man is contrary to man yea man to himselfe this same vnum sentire to be of one minde is difficult if not impossible to be found Though wee ayme our knowledge at one marke yet some shoote on the right hand some on the left some short others shoote ouer hauing a knowledge that puffeth vp Whose learning hath in it some poyson if it be let goe without the true correctiue of it But at this expected day we shall all meete in an vnitie of knowledge Of the Sonne of God That eternall Sonne of God who in the fulnesse of time became for vs the Sonne of man shall then be more clearly knowne to vs. We now beleeue his truth of perfection we shall then see his perfection of truth We shall brightly apprehend the vnconceiueable mysterie of him who is Filius Dei sine matre filius hominis sine patre the Sonne of God without mother the sonne of man without father If any aske whether our knowledge shall extend no further then to Christ our Sauiour There is no doubt but as we know our elder brother set in his throne aboue all the powers of heauen so we shall also knowe the rest of our fraternitie Loue is a grace that neuer fades and therefore shall haue knowledge to make way before it We shall loue the Saints I may inferre wee shall know them Peter knew Moses and Elias on the Mount whom yet before he neuer saw why then should we not know them in heauen and if them why not other of our glorified friends If nothing but that which is earthly and sauours of corruption shall cease and fall off like Eliah's mantle then knowledge must needs remaine being a diuine grace pure and euerlasting as the soule But seeke we to know the Sonne of God here to be our Sauiour and without doubt hereafter we shall know him to be our glorifier Whereunto To a perfect man Before hee speakes in the plurall number of a multitude We shall All meete noweby a sweete kind of Solaecisme he compacts it into the singular all into one We shall All meete to a perfect man Here lie three notes not to be balked 1. This shewes what the vnitie of the Saints shall be one man Here they are sometimes sayd to haue one heart one soule there they shall be one man That not a carnall corruptible sinfull man for he may dissent from himselfe but a perfect man Not materially for there shall bee distinct bodies and soules still as here but metaphorically in regard of the neuer-iarring harmonie Oh sweete musicke where the symphonie shall exceedingly delight vs without diuision without frets 2. The whole Church is compared to a man we haue often read it compared to a body here to a man As in other places to a Body cuius Capâ—… est Christus whose Head is Christ so our Apostle here ver 16. speaketh of our growing to the Head which is Christ. So in this place to a Man cuius anima est Christus whose soule is Christ. Now the soule in the body encreaseth not augmentatiuely but secundum vigorem transfusing into the bodie her vertuall powers operations more strongly Christ is euer the same Heb. 13. Iesus Christ yesterday and to day and the same for euer In this soule there is no mutation but the body encreaseth with the encrease of God For as Christ encreaseth the strength of his grace in vs so we grow to perfection 3. Full perfection is onely reserued for heauen and not granted till we meete in glory then shall the Church be one perfect man We may be now mundi saith Aug. cleane yet still mundandi to be cleansed Not so perfect but still glad of mercie Our puritie is not in facto but in fieri inchoate not finished though begunne All our righteousnes consists in the not imputation of our sinnes Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquitie Summa perfectio imperfectionis confessio Our greatest cleannesse is the free acknowledging our vilenesse The other immunitie shall be when there are no passions in men no lusts capable of sinne nowe it is well if wee liue without scandall without eruption though not without corruption Non sine culpaâ—…ed sine querela And so the commendation of Zacharie must be vnderstood which calleth him righteous walking in all the commaundements of the Lord blamelesse He liued blamelesse in the worlds eye not in the Lords If thou shouldest marke iniquitie O Lord who shall stand Especially when his eye of iustice onely shall looke vpon it Vae etiam laudabili vitae hominum si remota misericordia discutiatur Woe to the most commendable life of man if mercie bee remooued when it is examined It is enough to proue Zacharie a sinner in that hee
was a Priest For it was imposed on the Priest first to offer for his owne sinnes and then the sinnes of the people which had beene needlesse if the Priest had not beene guiltie of sinne and liable to condemnation The iustification of Dauid seemes to rise higher Psal. 17. Thou hast tryed me and shalt find nothing What! hath God tryed him the searcher of the hearts that sees into all the inward cabbins and hidden concaues of the soule and shall he find nothing not great impieties not lesse infirmities nothing This phrase seemes generall yet is not totally exclusiue nothing against Saul no trecherie or iniustice against the Lords annointed So it is by Euthymius and must bee restrictiuely considered Otherwise Dauid had many sinnes originall I was conceiued in sinne actuall and publicke in slaying not a Philistine but an Israelite an Israelite his subiect his honest and worthy subiect and that by the sword of the vncircumcised and yet more by a wile sending for him home and making him drunke And to ripen this blister he adulterizeth with his wife he hath had many wiues robbes his poore neighbour of his singular comfort onely wife These were apparant vniustifiable impieties which makes him fall to a Psalme of mercy Haue mercy vpon me O Lord haue mercy vpon me heale my soule for I haue sinned against thee These were knowne to the world no doubt diuers others were knowne to his owne heart and yet more which neither the world nor his owne heart knew who can tell how oft he offendeth O cleanse thou me from my secret faults Yet in the matter of Saule thou canst find nothing As Bishop Latimer once said in his Sermon before King Edw. 6. For sedition me thinkes for ought I know if I may so speake I should not need Christ. Dauid was no traitour but Dauid was an adulterer He was in many personall faults an offender but as a subiect he was a good subiect as a King an excellent Prince No lesse is the praise of Iob a perfect and vpright man none like him in the earth Which yet is not to be taken for a positiue but comparatiue commendation There was none like him in that part of the earth and he was perfect in regard of those vitious times Heare himselfe speake How shall a man be iust with God and ver 28. I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent Let then the Pelagian drinke neuer so deepe in this iustifying cup of their owne righteousnes and let the Papist as deeply pledge him yet perfection is reserued for another world when we shall meete to a perfect man Here we may haue it partially there gradually here so much as belongs Ad viam to our way Phil. 3. Let vs as many as are perfect be thus minded there onely that is proper Ad patriam to our countrey ver 12. not as though we were already perfect but following after c. Let vs 1. be humble in acknowledging our owne wants and sinnes who cannot to God contending with vs answere one of a thousand Nec millessimae nec minimae parti sayth Bern. 2. Labour to perfection in forgetting those things which are behind and reading forth vnto those things which are before 3. Comfort our endeuouring hearts with this sweete encouragement we shall one day meete to a perfect man To the measure of the stature The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before translated Age is now better by our New and according to Beza Stature If any will here ground that in heauen we shall liue in that measure of Christs age and stature wherein he dyed I subscribe not but am silent It is not safe wading without a bottome Onely thus much there shall be nothing wanting to make our glory perfect and whether you conceaue the 33 yeare of a mans age to be the beauty and compleat perfection I dispute not This implies a spirituall stature whereunto euery Saint must grow Whence inferre 1. That we must grow vp so fast as we can in this life ioyning to faith vertue to vertue knowledge c. We must encrease our talents enlarge our graces shoote vp in talenesse grow vp to this stature For Gods familie admits no dwarfes stunted profession was neuer found If the sappe of grace be in a plant it will shoote out in boughes of good wordes and fruit of good workes alwayes expected the winter of an afflicted conscience If a table and consumption take our graces they had neuer good lungs the true breath of Gods Spirit in them 2. God will so ripen our Christian endeuours that though we come short on earth we shall haue a full measure in heauen We haue a great measure of comfort here but withall a large proportion of distresse there we shall haue a full measure heapen and shaken and thrust together and yet running ouer without the least bitternesse to distast it This is a high and a happie measure Regard not what measure of outward things thou hast so thou get this measure Trouble not thy selfe with many things this one is sufficient the better part the greater measure neuer to be lost or lessned Open both thine eyes of Reason and Faith and see first the litle helpe that lyes in great worldly riches As the partrich sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not so he that getteth riches and not by right shall leaue them in the 〈◊〉 of his dayes and at his end shall be a fâ—…e A bird that steales young ones from other birds and tenderly nourisheth them is mocked for her motherly kindnes when they are fligge Euen now shee had many running after her by and by they giue her the slip are all gone pleasures delights riches are hatched and brooded by the wicked as their owne But when God at whose command they are calls them away they take them to their heeles like fugitiues they are gone and no officer can bring them backe The rich man may shut vp his wealth for a season but as a bird in a cage if it spye a hole open it is gone and flyes farre enough beyond recouerie towring like an Eagle euen vp toward heauen were thy measure neuer so ample as full as his Barnes Luke 12. yet but a night a peece of a night all is gone The first borne of death shall deuoure his strength sayth Bildad and it shall bring him to the King of terrors what helpe is in weaknes neuer talke of helping thee with fine floure and the best grapes the richest excrements of wormes silken garments thou wilt one day say this is no succour No that is succour which will help thee in anguish of thy soule and distresse of thy consience calme the troubles of thy spirit and heale the wounds of thy broken heart when the horrour of death and terrours of sinne sharpened with a keene edge of Gods Iustice shall beseege thee now let the thing be praysed
as strictly examine your going out as it did your coÌ„ming in Nonne telluris tres tantum cubiti te expectant doe not only three cubites of ground allotte themselues to receiue you Onely a graue remaynes and all you that boast of your great lands shall at that day say haec terrâ—… mea and terra tua this is all my land this is all thy land euen so much roome as thy dusts will take vp all the remainder of mighty Hercules will scarce fill a little pitcher A litle quantitie of ground hath nature proportion'd thee distst thou possesse as much as euer the Tempter shewed Christ. When certaine Philosophers intentiuely beheld the Tombe of Alexander sayth one Heri fecit ex auro thesaurum bodie aurum ex eo facit thesaurum Yesterday he treasured vp gold to day gold treasures vp him Another Yesterday the world did not content him to day ten cubites containe him Socrates carried Alcibiades bragging of his lands to a mappe of the world and bad him demonstrate them Alcibiades could not find them for alas Athens it selfe was but a small and scarce discernable point A wiser man spake otherwise of his lands O Ager quà m multorum fuisti eris nunc meus postea mescio cuius O Land how many mens hast thou beene and shalt be now mine and herafter I know not whose So litle ground contents vs when we are dead But when the wicked shall rise againe would it not serue them still with all their hearts Had they not rather lie in rottennesse then combustion Were not a cold graue more welcome then a hote furnace Yes rather had they be dead without sense then aliue in torment Now they beg not a cittie though a little one as Zoar not a house though poore and bleake as Codrus his not an open ayre though sharpe and irkesome scorched with the Indian Sunne or frossen with the Russian cold there is no hope of these fauours Giue them but a mountaine to fall on them and a rocke to hide them and they are highly pleased Here is a strange alteration for the wicked When they shall goe from a glorious mansion to a loathsome dungeon from the table of surfet to the table of vengeance from fawning obseruants to afflicting spirits from a bed of downe to a bed of fire from soft linnen and silken couerings to wish a rocke for their pillow and a mountaine for their couerlet Nay and yet they that commanded so farre on earth cannot command this peece of earth to doe them such a kindnesse They could in the dayes of their pride speake imperiously enough this land is mine this towne is mine as Naball sayd Shall I take my meate and my drinke c. but nowe they feele it was none of theirs not one hole must shelter them not one hillocke doe them seruice Nothing helpes when God will smite mountaines and rockes are no defence when God pursues Doest thou thinke to raigne because thou cloathest thy selfe in Cedar What is Cedar against thunder GOD hath a hand that can strike through Forts Rockes and Bulwarkes The seuenfold wals of Babilon cannot defend the Tyrant within them The heauens melt at the presence of the Lord if he touch the mountaines they smoake for it The of-spring of the reuiued world offer to build a Tower whose toppe might reach to Heauen What securitie could be in it Are not thinges nearer to heauen more subiect to the violences of Heauen lightning thunder and those higher inflammations Feriunt summos fulgura montes In se magna ruunt summisque negatum est stare diù God soone made it a monument of their follie and his power He giues confusion of their voyces and their worke at once When God raigned from heauen that greatest showre that euer the earth did or shall sustaine you knowe their shifts They thinke to ouer-climbe the iudgement and being got vp to the highest mountaines looke downe with some hope on the swimming valleys When the water began to ascend vp to their refuged hils and the place of their hope became an Iland loe now they hitch vp higher to the toppes of the tallest trees till at last the waters ouertake them halfe dead with hunger and horror The mountaines could not saue them in that day of water nor shall the mountaines in this day of fire It is not then the defence of forts or ports the secrecie of caues or graues the bottome-burroughes of hils or vaultie dens of rockes not a league with all the elements of the world beastes of the earth stones of the street that can secure them Be hidden they cannot what should they then wish but death they that once trembled to die doe nowe more quake to liue they would bee glad of a riddance and kisse the instrument of their annihilation They would prise and embrace it as the best happynes that euer saluted them if like beasts they might perish to nothing Here they enuie the storke stagge rauen oake for long life and chide nature for their owne shortnesse But at this day they would change with any flower though the continuance thereof were not so much as Ionah's Gourds and thinke not to be was to be happy The pangs of the first death are pleasures in respect of the second But what hope is there of their securitie or refuge in mountaines when ver 14. The very heauen shall depart a sâ—…rowle that is rolled vp together and euerie mountaine and Iland shall be moued out of their places Heauen is expansum tanquam linteum diducta laâ—…ina but shall then be folded vp like a garment whose beautie is not seene or rolled together like a volume whose large contents are as it were abridged not that the matter of the world shall be quite abolished For as we say now of grace Adolet non abolet naturam gratia so we may say of glorie Perficit non perdit mundum gloria Corruption shal be taken away not all the matter that was corrupted But if all things be thus narrowly searched how shall the vngodly hope to lye hidden We haue now considered the horror of the Reprobates let vs looke to the Iudge from whom they desire to be hidden From the presence of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the lambe In whom we find an omniscience and an omnipotence which circumstances the time allowes me but to mention First for his all knowing Wisdome From the face It was euer the fashion of guiltines to flie from the presence of God Adam had no sooner sinned but he thrusts his head in a bush Sins ineuitable effect is Shame Though impudence beare it our for a time Ier. 6. They were not ashamed when they had committed abomination yet they shall one day beare the reproch of their sinnes and be ashamed yea euen confounded Shame must come either first to repentance Rom. 6. what fruit had you then in those things wherof
euery good and faithfull Seruant the vaile is taken away and Christ sayes enter thou into the ioy of the Lord. 2. By this meanes we haue in this world a free accesse to the Throne of grace by our prayers the vaile and separation of sinne and wrath is rent asunder by Christ and a cleare way made for our supplications The Propitiatory and Mercie-seate the Cherubims of glory shadowing it the very presence of God were within the Holyest and the people might not approach it but stood without a farre off Our Sauiour hath torne away this vaile and opened our petitions a free passage to the Seate of mercie in heauen Hauing such an high Priest ouer the house of God sayth Paul immediately after the clearing our way through the vaile Let vs draw neare with a true-heart in full assurance of faith c. Wee see howe farre our prerogatiue excelles that of the Iewes They were seruants we are sonnes and cry Abba Father they had Priests we are Priests they had a barre to vs that vaile is rent away Let vs therefore come boldly vnto the Throne of grace that we may obtaine mercie and find grace to helpe in time of neede This is singular comfort that poore subiects may bee sure of accesse to the King with their petitions yea more bee heard in all their desires yea most of all haue an Aduocate at the Kinges right hand to plead their cause But then remember the Psalmists caution If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not heare mee Let the seruants of Baal cry neuer so loudly if lewdly their prayers are not heard To the cryes of vnfaithfull sinners the vaile is vp still and like a thicke cloud reuerberates beats backe their orisons that they cannot ascend to the Throne of grace Onely faith makes a free passage and a cleare conscience hath a cleare voyce that can peirce heauen 3. The breaking downe of this vaile did make the Holyest and the other part of the temple all one Whereby was signified that of two was made one Iewes and Gentiles one Church He is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken downe the middle wall of partition betweene vs. So that now those the Iewes called dogges eat the bread of the children yea they are the children and Iaphet is perswaded to dwell in the tents of Sem. She is also Beloued that was hated euen the Church of the Gentiles is the Spouse of Christ. The vaile that hindred Paul cals the Law of commandements contained in ordinances this he abolished for to make in himselfe of twaine one new man Heauen gate is no wider open to a Iew then to a Grecian In Christ Iesus neither circumcision auaileth any thing nor vncircumcision but a new creature And as many as walke according to this rule peace be on them and mercie and vpon the Israel of God The Sum of the Gospell as of the world is not confined to lighten Iudea onely but shines vniuersally There is not one priuiledge wherein the Gentile hath not as franke a share as the Iew the sonnes of Hagar are adopted the sonnes of God and the free Ierusalem aboue is the mother of vs all All this did our blessed Sauiour worke for vs by renting the vaile That he might reconcile both vnto God in one body by the crosse hauing slaine the enmitie therby Oh then let vs keepe the vnitie of the Spirit in the bond of peace Christ hath made vs at one let vs not make our selues twaine The vaile is rent why set we vp new schismes in doctrine iarres in conuersation The bill of diuorcement is cancelled let vs loue our husband Christ and for his sake euery man his brother Let vs set vp no more vailes least we doe it with the curse of building more Iericho's There is no bond so sure as Religions no ligaments so strong as faith and a good conscience Wretched man that breakest these tâ—…es and rentest thy selfe from them to whome thou art by Christ vnited A mothers yea a Fathers blessing forsakes thee and thou buildest vp a new vaile which thou must looke for no more Christs to come rent asunder 4. The renting of the vaile teacheth vs that when men sinne rebelliously against God no prerogatiue shall doe them good The Temple was one of their principallest priuiledges their glory their crowne The Temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord. It was a figure of the Church militant as Solomon the builder was a figure of Christ. For this Temples sake God often spared them So Daniel prayes Cause thy face to shine vpon thy Sanctuary that is desolate Yet when they fall away from God and crucifie their Messias this prerogatiue helpes not For here Gods owne hand rents the vaile and after giues the whole fabricke a spoyle to the Gentiles If ye will not heare if ye will not lay it to heart I will send a curse vpon you I will curse your blessings yea I haue cursed them already because you doe not lay it to heart It lies in mans sinne to make God curse his very blessings and to punish the nocent in the innocent creatures We see the way how wee may loose Temples and peace and Gospell and all priuiledges by running the courses of disobedience Who can number the blessings we haue enioyed by the Gospell Let vs beware least our vngracious and vngratefull liues robbe vs not of that with all the appertinent comforts They that haue trauelled the Belgicke Prouinces can witnesse the miserable footsteps of warre and the tyrannie of desolation Churches and Cities haue no more monuments but the ruined foundations to testifie that they were Sin made way for bloud and massacre Idolatrie puld downe those wals which otherwise the most sacrilegious hand should haue forborne If there had beene no enemie to rase them they would haue falne alone rather then couered so blasphemous impietie vnder their guiltie roofes Peace is within our walles prosperitie within our palaces blessed for euer be our God of peace for it Yet we haue a subtle aduersarie Sacriledge that incroacheth sore vpon vs and hath taken many of Gods houses in possession We cannot say They haue burnt vp all the Synagogues in the land but they haue done very wickedly to the Lords Sanctuaries The wals stand and it is well if in many places they do so but there is not a Leuite to feede the people alas how can there when there is nothing left to feede a Leuite Couetousnes would do as much hurt with vs as warre hath done with our neighbours it would but I trust in the Lord Iesus it shall not Though they haue rent away Gods right Tithes and offrings they shall neuer rent away Gods Truth and Gospell rent themselues from it indeede they are likely to do 5. Lastly The Vaile was rent By renting the part God did threaten the subuersion of
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
Which mysterie they thus resolue that the Lyon of Iudah should one day giue himselfe for vs a perfect expiatory Sacrifice Thus Once in the end of the world hath hee appeared to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe 7. The last poynt is the Effect Of a sweet smelling sauour Here is the fruit and efficacie of all Neuer was the Lord pleased with sinfull man till now Were he neuer so angry here is a pacification a sweete sauour If the whole world were quintessenced into one perâ—…ume it could not yeeld so fragrant a smell We are all of our selues putida putrida cadâ—…vera dead and stinking carkases the pure nostrels of the most holy cannot endure vs behold the perâ—…ume that sweetens vs the redeeming bloud of the Lord Iesus This so filles him with a delightfull sent that hee will not smell our noisome wickednesse Let me leaue you with this comfort in your bosomes How vnsavoury soever our owne sinâ—… haue made vs yet if our hand of faith lay hold on this Saviours censor God will sent none of our corruptions but we shall smell sweetely in his nostrels Beâ—…d for all O deare Iesus Mori debâ—… tusolvis 〈◊〉 peccaviâ—…us tu â—…uis Opus sine exemplo gratia sine merito châ—…as sine â—…do We should die thou payest it we haue offended thou art punished A mercie without example a favour without merite a loue without measure Therefore I conclude my Sermon as we all shut vp our prayers with this one clause Through our Lord Iesus Christ. O Father of mercie accept our Sacrifice of Prayer and Prayse for his Sacrifice of payne and merite even for our Lord Iesus Christ his sake To whom with the Father blessed Spirit be all glory for ever Amen THE GOOD POLITICIAN DIRECTED MATTH 10. 16. Be ye wise as Serpents and harmelesse as Doues OVâ—… of euery creature simply considered there is some good to bee learned The diuine Poet sweetly The World 's a Schoole where in a generall siâ—…rie God alwayes reads dumbe lâ—…ctures of his glorie It is a three leau'd booke Heauen Earth and Sea and euery leafe of this booke euery line of euery leafe euery creature in this vniuerse can read to man for whom they were made a Diuinitie lecture In a speaking silence they preach to vs that Deitie which made both them and vs and them for vs. Seculâ—…m Speculum the world is a glasse wherein wee may behold our Creators Maiestie From the highest Angell to the lowest worme all instruct vs somewhat For one and the same almightie hand that made the Angels in heauen made also the wormes on earth Non superior in illis non inferior in istis Besides this generall lecture they haue all their particular schoole Salomon sends vs to the Aâ—…t to learne Prouidence Esay to the Oxe to learne thankfulnesse Many beasts doe excell Man in many naturall things Nos aper auditu praecellit aâ—…anea tactu Vultur odoratu Lynx visu simia gustu The Bore excels vs in hearing the spider in touching the Vulture in smelling the Lynx in seeing the Ape in tasting Some haue obserued that the art of curing the eyes was first taken from the Swallowes The Eâ—…gles haue taught vs architecture we receiued the light of Phlebotomie from the Hippopotamas The Egyptian bird Ibis first gaue to Physicians knowledge how to vse the Glister The Spider taught vs to Weaue Here the Serpent instructs vs in Policie the Doue in simplicitie Now we are falne among Serpents stinging serpents enemies to man can wee fetch away any good from them Yes those very venemous and malicious creatures shall afford vs Documenta not Nocumenta they shall teach vs not touch vs. I may say of them as it is sayd of the Iewes Hostes sunt in cordibus suffragatores in codicibus They are our enemies in their hearts our friends in their bookes The malice of Serpents is mortall their vse shall be vitall So it may so it shall if our sobrietie keepe the allowed compasse For our imitation is limited qualified We must not be in all points like Serpents nor in all respects like Doues but in some but in this Be ye wise as serpents harmelesse as doues Perhaps other vses might be accommodated As the Serpent might teach vs how with wisedome to dwell below on the earth and the Doue with wings of innocence to flie vp to heauen aboue We may in earthly matters keepe a serpentine and winding motion but to heauen with the Doue we must haue a strait course But I confine my selfe to the pith of the Text and our Sauiours meaning Be wise as Serpents innocent as Doues The words may not vnfitly be distinguished into a Perhibition Cohibition as it were the Raines and the Curbe The Perhibition allowance or Raines Be wise as serpents The Cohibition correctiue restraint or Curbe Be harmelesse as Doues They must goe hand in hand without disiunction Vnited they are commodious parted dangerous There is a necessitie of their vnion to our peace diuide them and you loose your selues Witte without innocence will offend others Innocence without witte will not defend our selues Prudentia sine simplicitate malitia simplicitas sine prudentia stultitia Witte without innocence is wickednesse innocence without witte is foolishnes Whosoeuer hath the one and wants the other must needs be either guiltie of follie or of dishonestie Least we be too craftie and circumuent others let vs keepe the innocencie of the Doue least we be too simple and others circumuent vs let vs keepe the wisedome of the Serpent Let vs first see from the Serpent how we should bee wise and then goe to the Doue for innocence Sixe principall Lessons of Wisedome the Serpent may teach vs. 1. Their first policie is by all possible meanes to defend their head If they must encounter with danger they expose their whole body to it but howsoeuer they will safeguard their head They write of them that though all a serpents body be mangled vnlesse his head be cut off which he cunningly hides by a kind of attractiue power and vigor one part will come to another againe This is to vs a singular document of Wisedome to looke well to our Head Christ is our Head and the sinewes and nerues that knitte vs to him is our Faith and Hope let vs preserue these indanted indamaged We fight against an enemie that seekes especially to wound vs there He strikes indeed at euery place he hath sayth Ierome noâ—…ina mille mille nocendi artes therefore Paul chargeth vs to Put on the whole armour of God that we may be able to stand against all the wâ—…les of the Deuill but especially the head Aboue all take the shield of Faith and the Helmet of saluation saue the Head Protect all parts if it be possâ—…le let not oppression wound thee in the hand nor blasphemie in the tongue nor wantonnes in the eye nor couetousnesse
he is Not future euents but present condition may be thus learned Neither day nor night scapes a good man without some profite the night teacheth him what he is as the day what he should be Therefore said a Philosopher that all waking men are in one common world but in sleepe euery man goes into a world by himselfe For his dreames doe signifie to him those secret inclinations to which hee thought himselfe a stranger though they were home-dwellers in his heart Euen those fancies are speaking images of a mans disposition And as I haue heard of some that talke in their dreames and then reueale those secrets which awake they would not haue disclosed So may thy dreames tell thee when thou wakest what kind of man thou art The hypocrite dreames of dissimulation the proud woman of paint and colours the theefe of robberie and booties the Iesuite of treasons Let them aske their very sleepe qualeâ—… sint what manner of men they arâ—… For so lightly they answere temptations actually waking as their thoughts doe sleeping Thus onely a man may make good vse of his dreames Here let vs obserue that God doth sometimes draw men to him suis ipsorum 〈◊〉 by their owne delights and studies No doubt these Magi were well acquainted with dreames it being amongst Ethnickes and Peripatetickes a speciall obiect of diuination Therefore there is a booke bearing the name of Aristotle De diuiâ—…ne pâ—…r somnium Many â—…ors these men had swallowed by dreames now behold in a dreame they shall receiue the truth So God called them by a Starre whose profession was to relie too much on the Starres Quare per Stellam vt per Christum ipsa materia erroris fieret salutis occasio Why by a Starre that through Iesus Christ the very matter of their error might be made a meanes of their saluation Per 〈◊〉 illâ—…s vocat quâ—… familâ—…ria illis consâ—…tudo fecit God cals them by those things which custome had made familiar to them They that are stung with Scorpions must be cured by the oyle of Scorpions Thus God allures men to him as Fishermen 〈◊〉 with such baites as may bee somewhat agâ—…ble to them Paul is occasioned by the Alâ—… 〈◊〉 the vnknowâ—… God to make knowne the true God the 〈◊〉 Iesus Doth Dauid loue the Sheepe-folds he shall be a Shepheard still From following the eâ—…s great with yong he brought him to feed Iacob his people and Isrâ—…ll his â—…ritance Doth Peter loue fishing he shall goe a fishing still though for more noble creatures to catch souleâ—… Doe these Magicians loue Starres and Dreames behold a Starre and a Dreame shall instruct them in the truth of God Old Isâ—… takes occasion by the smell of his Sons garments sauouring of the field to pronounce a spirituall blessing The smell of my Sonne is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed Ierome notes of Amos that he begins his Prophecie with roaring The Lord shall roare from Sion Because he being a field-man kept the woods where hee was wonted to the roaring of Lyons Iudaei signa quaerunt Doe the Iewes seeke a signe Why Christ will there euen among them worke his Myracles Doth Augustine loue eloquence Ambrose shall catch him at a Sermon All things shall worke to their good that are good Omnia etiam peccata All things euen their very sinnes sayth Augustinâ—… 〈◊〉 in his Essayes writes that a libidinous gentleman sporting with a Courtezan in a house of sinne chanced to aske her name which she sayd was Mary Whereat he was stricken with such a remorse and reuerence that he instantly not onely cast off the Harlot but amended his whole future life Well-beloued since this is Gods mercie to allure vs to him by our owne delights let vs yeeld our selues to be caught What scope doth thy addiction leuell at that is not sinfull which Gods word doth not promise and afford What delight can you aske which the Sanctuarie giues not Loue you hunting learne here to hunt the Foxes the little Cubbes those craftie sins sculking in your bosomes Would you dance let your hearts keepe the measures of Christian ioy and leape like Iohn the Baptist in Elizabeths wombe at the saluation of Iesus Delight you in running Paul sets you a race So runne that ye may obtaine You shall haue good company Dâ—…id promiseth that he will run the way of Gods commandements Peter and Iohn will runne with you to Iesus Loue you Musicke Here are the Bels of Aaron still ringing the treble of Mercie and the tenor of Iudgement Leui's Lute and Dauids Harpe There are no such songs as the songs of Sion Would you be merry Reioyce in the Lord alwayes and againe I say reioyce If euer you found ioy like this ioy the peace of conscience and ioy of the holy Ghost backe againe to the world Louest thou daintie cheare here be the best cates the body and bloud of thy Sauiour the bread of life no hunger after it Wilt thou drinke much Drinke my wine and my milke drinke yea drinke abundantly O Beloued Bibâ—…e 〈◊〉 as the originall imports drinke and bee drunken with loues pledge the health that Christ begun euen asauing health to all nations Are you ambitious there is no preferment like that to be had here in the Court of the King of Kings Dauid iudged it no little thing to bee Sonne in law to a King but what is it then to bee a King Desire you stately buildings Alas the whole world is but a Cottage a poore transient Tabernacle to the Mansions promised by Christ. Lastly are you couetous Yet I need not aske that question but take it as granted Why then here is gold more precious then that of Arabia or of Hauilah rust or theefe may distresse that this is a treasure can neuer be lost What should I say more What can winne you Which way soeuer your desires stands God doth allure you The best thinges in earth or in heauen are your baite With these doth the Lord seeke you not for any need that he hath of you but for your owne saluation When the fairest of all Beloueds doth thus wooe vs let him winne vs and espouse vs to himselfe in grace that wee haue the plenary marriage in glory You see the Manner of their Warning The Matter That they should not returne to Herod Why not to Herod Because the Lord now lets them see his hypocrisie For howsoeuer he pretended Ver. 8. to come and worship him yet he intended not seruire but sâ—…uire not to honour him but to murder him He cals the Wisemen priuily as if hee quaked at the propagation of this newes for it came vpon him like the pangs of death He commands them to inquire de infante not de rege of the babe not of the King for that title galled him to the heart That I may worship him Dirum facinus tingit colore pietatis
continet verbum Domini nisi verbum Dominum There is nothing contained in the word of God but God the Word Nor is he the Center onely of his Word but of our rest and Peace I determined not to know any thing among you saue Iesus Christ and him crucified Thou hast made vs for thee O Christ and our heart is vnquiet till it rest in thee It is naturall to euery thing appettere centrum to desire the Center But our life is hid with Christ in God We must needes amare where wee must animare Our mind is where our pleasure is our heart is where our treasure is our loue is where our life is but all these our pleasure treasure life are reposed in Iesus Christ. Thou art my Portion O Lord sayth Dauid Take the world that please let our Portion be Christ. We haue left all sayth Peter and fellowed thee you haue lost nothing by it sayth Christ for you haue gotten me Nimis auarus est cui non sufficit Christus Hee is too couetous whom Iesus Christ cannot satisfie Let vs seeke this Center sayth August Quâ—…ramus inueniendum quaeramus inuentum Vt inveniendus quâ—…ratur paratus est vt inuentus quâ—…ratur immensus est Let vs seeke him till wee haue found him and still seeke him when we haue found him That seeking wee may find him he is ready that finding we may seeke him he is infinite You see the Center The referring Line proper to this Center is Semper Idem The same There is no mutabilitie in Christ no variablenes nor shadow of turning All lower lights haue their inconstancie but in the Father of lights there is no changeablenes The Sunne hath his shadow the the Sonne of righteousnesse is without shadow that turnes vpon the Diall but Christ hath no turning Whom he loues he loues to the end He loues vs to the end of his loue there is no end Tempus crit consummandi nullus consumendi misericordiam His mercie shall be perfected in vs neuer ended In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with euerlasting kindnesse will I haue mercie vpon thee sayth the Lord thy Redeemer His wrath is short his goodnesse is euerlasting The mountaines shall depart and the hils be remoued but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the couenant of my peace be remoued sayth the Lord that hath mercie on thee The mountaines are stable things the hils stedfast yet hils mountaines yea the whole earth shall totter on the foundations yea the very heauens shall passe away with a noyse and the elements shall melt with heate but the Couenant of God shall not be broken I will betroth thee vnto me for euer sayth God This marriage-bond shall neuer be canceld nor sinne nor death nor hell shall be able to diuorce vs. Six twentie times in one Psalme that sweet singer chants it His mercie endureth for euer Iesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for euer As this meditation distilles into our beleeuing hearts much comfort so let it giue vs some instructions Two things it readily teacheth vs a Diswasiue caution Perswasiue lesson 1. It diswades our confidence in worldly thinges because they are inconstant How poore a space doâ—… they remaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same To proue this you haue in the first of Iudges Ver. 6. a Iury of threescore and ten Kings to take their oathes vpon it Euery one had his throne yet there lickes crums vnder another Kings table and shortly euen this King that made them all so miserable is made himselfe most miserable Salomon compares wealth to a wild fowle Riches make themselues wings they flie away as an Eagle toward heauen Not some tame house-bird or a hawke that may be fetched downe with a lure or found againe by her bels but an Eagle that violently cuts the aire and is gone past recalling Wealth is like a bird it hops all day from man to man as that doth from tree to tree and none can say where it will roust or rest at night It is like a vagrant fellow which because he is big boned able to worke a man takes in a dores and cherisheth and perhaps for a while he takes paines but when he spies opportunity the fugitiue seruant is gone and takes away more with him then all his seruice came to The world may seeme to stand thee in some stead for a season but at last it irreuocably runs away and carries with it thy ioyes thy gods as Rachell stole Labans Idoles thy peace and content of heart goes with it and thou art left desperate You see how quickly riches cease to be the same and can any other earthly thing boast more stabillitie Honour must put off the robes when the play is done make it neuer so glorious a shew on this worlds stage it hath but a short part to act A great name of worldly glory is but like a peale rung on the bels the Common people are the clappers the rope that moues them is popularitie if you once let goe your hold leaue pulling the clapper lies still and farewell honour Strength though like Ieroboam it put forth the arme of oppression shall soone fall downe withered Beautie is like an Almanacke if it last a yeare t' is well Pleasure like lightning â—…ritur moritur sweet but short a flash and away All vanities are but butter-flies which wanton children greedily catch for and sometimes they flie besides them sometimes before them sometimes behind them sometimes close by them yea through their fingers and yet they misse them and when thâ—… haue them they are but butterflies they haue painted wings but are crude and squalid wormes Such are the things of this world vanities butter-flies Vel sequendo labimur vel assequendo lâ—…dimur The world it selfe is not vnlike a Hartechoke nine parts of it are vnprofitable leaues scarce the tythe is good about it there is a lâ—…ttle picking meate nothing so wholesome as daintie in the midst of it there is a coare which is enough to choke them that deuoure it O then set not your hearts vpon these things calcanda sunt as Ierome obserues on Act. 4. They that sold their possessions brought the prises and layed them downe at the Apostles feete At their feete not at their hearts they are fitter to be troden vnder feet then to be waited on with hearts I conclude this with Augustine Ecce turbat mundus amatur quid si tranquillus esset Formoso quomodo hâ—…reres qui sic amplecteris soedum Flores eius quà m colligeres qui sic a spinis non reuocas manuÌ„ Quà m confideres â—…terno qui sic adhâ—…res caduco Behold the world is turbulent and full of vexation yet it is loued how would it be embraced if it were calme and quiet If it were a beauteous Damosell how would they
Ricâ—… when he recâ—…ed of the wise men preciouâ—… 〈◊〉 Gâ—…ld Frankincense and Myrth Que 〈◊〉 ipsissiâ—…â—…la dedignatus essâ—…t Which if they had beene simply euill he would not haue accepted 2. In hiâ—… Life hee sanctified 〈◊〉 when hee was maintained 〈◊〉 hauing no garment to put on and the good women kept him by their contributions Hee was glad to borrow an Asse colt when he was to ride and to angle for monâ—…y in the sea when he payd tribute And 〈◊〉 if he wanted a bed to complaine Thâ—… Foxes haue holes and the birds of the aire haue nests but the Sonne of 〈◊〉 hath not whâ—…re to rest his head Hee sanctified Riches when hee called Zaccheus a wealthy vsurer and raised Lazarus a wealthy citizen had his Sâ—…d which gaue almes to the distressed and boâ—… his pâ—…se And like a Prince feasted thousands at one banket 3. In his Death He sanctified Pâ—…ertie when he had not a Graue of his owne but was buried in another mans Sepulchre nay not a sheete to wrappe him in but was beholding to another for his linnen And euen dying conuerted a poore malefactor on the Crosse by him He sanctified Riches when he accepted the kindnes of Ioseph whom Matthew calls a rich man Marke an honourable for his sepulture and Nichodemus his costly vnction euen an hundreth pound waight mixed with myrrhe and aloes Though riches be to some pernicious a fuming wine which turnes their braines yet to others they are a vessell wherein they may with more speed saile to heauen though no compasse starre or cause to bring them thether Others are called by Dauid â—…iri diuitiarum Men of riches because they possesse not their riches but their riches haue subiugated them We haue a kind of presage though we conceiue it not in saying of such a one He is a man of wealth The speach signifies him a slaue to his riches the wealth is not the mans but the man the wealths But otherwise a rich man may be a good man for wickednesse is not bound to wealthinesse as heate is to fire and arrogancie or lewdnesse may be incident to pouertie and basenes Pauper superbus a poore man proud was one of Cyprians twelue abuses A rotten log will yeeld as much saw-dust as a piece of good timber a peasant ill nurtured is also ill natured A great gentleman will shew more humble courtesie then a thrashing hind or a toiling ploughmaÌ„ Hagar was but a Gipsee a bondwoman yet was her excellent mistres Sara dispised in her eyes As Ierâ—…m reproued the Monkes Quid facit sub tâ—…ica pâ—…nitentis regimus animus So not seldome a â—…sset coate shrowds as high a heart as a silken garment You shall haue a palâ—…rie cottage send vp more blacke smoke then a goodly mannor It is not wealth therefore but vice that excludes men out of heauen The Fryers and Iesuites haue very strongly strangly backbited Riches but all their railing on it is but behind the backe secretly and in their hearts they loue it When they are out of the reach of eyes then Gold is their Sunne by day and siluer their Moone by night Some of them for enforced want like the foxe dispraise the grapes they cannot reach Or as Eusebius notes of Licinius the Emperor that he vsed to raile at learning to say nothing worse became a prince because himself was illiterate So they coÌ„mend nothing more then Pouerty because they are must be poore against their wills Others of them find fault with Riches whereof they haue great store but would that none should couet it beside themselues So the cosening Epicure made all his fellow guests beleeue that the banket was poysoned that all they refusing hee might glut himselfe alone These often cheate themselues and worke their owne bane whiles they so beat off others from the world and wrappe themselues vp in it to their confusion The foxe in the fable with diuerse other beasts found a rich bootie of costly robes and iewels Hee perswades the Lyon that he needs not trouble himselfe with them because he is king and may command all at his pleasure He tells the Stagge that if he should put them on they would so molest him that hee could not escape the huntsmen For the Boare hee sayes they would euill fauouredly become him and the wolfe he shuffles off with the false newes of a fold of Lambes hard by which would doe him more good So all gone he begins to put on the robes himselfe and to reioyce in his lucky fraud But instantly came the owners and surprised him who had so pusâ—…led himselfe in these habiliments that hee could not by flight escape so they tooke him and hanged him vp The subtle foxes Iesuites and Fryers diswade kings from coueting wealth because of their power to command all and Great men because it will make them enuied and hunted after for their trappings Countrey men it will not become they say and all the rest that it will hinder their iourney to heauen So in conclusion they driue all away and get the whole world for their master Pope and themselues But at last these foxes are caught in their owne noose for the deuill finds them so wrapp'd hamperd in these ornaments and their hearts so besotted on money and riches that he carries them with as much ease to hell as the charriot drew Pharaoh into the red sea For vs beloued we teach you not to cast away the bagge but couetousnesse Non facultatem sed cupiditatem reprehendimus We bid you vse the world but enioy the Lord. And if you haue wealth make you friends with your riches that they so made friends by your charitie may receiue and make way for you into euerlasting habitations It is not your Riches of this world but your riches of grace that shall doe your soules good Not my wealth nor my blood but my Christianitie makes me noble quoth that noble Martyr Romanus And though the Philosopher merrily when he was asked whether were better wisedome or Riches answered Riches for I haue ofteÌ„ said he seene poore wise men at rich fooles dores but neuer rich fooles at poore wise mens dores Yet wealth may be ioyned with wisedome goodnesse with greatnesse Mary and Martha may bee sisters righteousnesse and riches may dwell together Chrysostome on that aphorisme of Christ Yee cannot serue God and Mammon obserues that hee doth not say Yee cannot haue God and Mammon but ye cannot serue God and Mammon for hee that is the seruant of God must bee the master of his wealth The Lord Iesus is able to sanctifie and saue the rich mans soule as well as the poores and to send poore Lazarus into the bosome of rich Abraham Where consider not onely Qui sublatus but Quò sublatus Poore but good Lazarus is carried into Rich but good Abrahams bosome to signifie that neither Pouertie deserues heauen nor Riches
heauen hic affuit inde non defuit Humana natura assumpta est Diuina non consumpta est Hee tooke Humanitie he lost not his Diuinitie He abideth Mariae Pater the Father of Mary who is made Mariae Filius the Sonne of Mary To vs a child is borne to vs a sonne is giuen Whereon Emissenus Natus qui sentiret occasum datus qni resciret exordium Hee was borne that should feele death hee was giuen that was from euerlasting and could not die Natus qui matre esset iunior datus quo nec Pater esset antiquior He that was borne was younger then his mother hee that was giuen was as eternall as his father He was Sonne to both God and Mary Non alter ex Patre alter ex Virgine sed aliter ex Patre aliter ex virgine As the flowers are said to haue Solem in coelo patrem solum in terra matrem so Christ hath a father in heauen without a mother a mother on earth without a father Here is then the wonder of his Humanitie The euerlasting Father is become a litle child He that spreads out the heauens is wrapd in swadling clouts Hee that is the Word becomes an Infant not able to speake The Sonne of God calls himselfe the Sonne of man His Humilitie If your vnderstandings can reach the depth of this bottome take it at one view The Sonne of God calls himselfe the Sonne of man The omnipotent Creator becomes an impotent creature As himselfe sayth Greater loue hath no man then this that a man lay downe his life for his friends So greater humilitie neuer was then this that God should be made man It is the voyce of Pride in man I will bee like God but the action of Humilitie in God I will be man Proud Nebuchadnezzar sayes Ero similis altissimo I will be like the Highest meeke Christ sayth Ero similis infimo I will be like the lowest hee put on him the the forme of a seruant yea hee was a despised Worme God spoke it in derision of sinfull man Behold hee is become as one of vs but now we may say God is become as one of vs. There the lowest aspires to bee the Highest here the Highest vouchsafes to be the lowest Alexander a sonne of man would make himselfe the sonne of God Christ the Sonne of God makes himselfe the sonne of man God in whose presence is fullnesse of ioy becomes a man full of sorroâ—…es Eternall rest betakes himselfe to vnrest hauing whilst hee liued i passiue action and when hee dyed actiue passion The LORD ouer all things and Heire of the world vndertakes ignominie and pouertie Ignominie the King of glory is become the shame of men Pouertie Pauper in nativitate pauperior in vita pauperrimus in cruce Poore in his Birth for borne in another mans stable poore in his Life fed at another mans table poore in his Death buried in another mans sepulcher There are sayth Bernard some that are humbled but not humble others that are humble not humbled and a third sort that are both humbled and humble Pharaoh was humbled and cast downe but not humble smitten with subuersion not moued with submission Gothfrey of Boloigne was not humbled yet humble for in the very heate and height of his honour he refused to be crowned in Ierusalem with a Crowne of gold because Christ his master had bin in that place crowned with a crowne of thornes Others are both humbled and humble When he slew them they sought him they returned and enquired early after GOD. Our Sauiour Christ was Passiuely humbled hee was made lower then the Angels by suffering death the Lord did breake him Actiuely he humbled himselfe he made himselfe of no reputation and tooke vpon him the forme of a seruant he humbled himselfe Habitually hee was humbled Learne of me for I am meeke and lowly in heart Let this obseruation lesson vs two dueties 1. Esteeme wee not the worse but the better of Christ that hee made himselfe the Sonne of man Let him not lose any part of his honour because hee abased himselfe for vs. Hee that tooke our flesh is also over all GOD blessed for ever Amen There is more in him then humanitie not alia persona but alia natura not another person but another nature Though hee bee verus homo hee is not merus homo And euen that Man that was crucified on a crosse and layed in a graue is more high then the heauens more holy then the Angels Stephen saw this very Sonne of man standing on the right hand of God The bloud of this Sonne of man giues saluation and to whome it doth not this Sonne of man shall adiudge them to condemnation Vnder this name and forme of Humilitie our Sauiour apposed his Disciples Whome do men say that I the Sonne of Man am Peter answeres for himselfe and the Apostles whatsoeuer the people thought Thou art Christ the Sonne of the living God He cals himselfe the Sonne of man Peter cals him the Sonne of God The Iewes see him onely a stâ—…mbling blocke and the Greekes foolishnesse but Christians see him the Power of God and the Wisedome of God The wicked behold him without forme or comelynesse or beauty to desire him but the faithfull behold him crowned with a Crowne his face shining as the Sunne in his glory Therefore Quantò minorem se fecit in humilitate tantò maiorem exhibuit in bonitate Quanto pro me vilior tanto mihi charior The lower hee brought himselfe in humilitie the higher hee magnified his mercie By so much as hee was made the baser for vs by so much let him be the dearer to vs. Obserue it O man quia limus es non sis superbus quia Deo iunctus non sis ingratus because thou art dust of thy selfe be not proud because thou art made immortall by Christ be not vnthankefull Condemned world that despisest him appearing as a silly man The Iewes expected an externall pompe in the Messias Can hee not come downe from the Crosse how should this man saue vs They consider not that hee who wanted a Rest for his head Bread for his followers fed some thousands of them with a few loaues that hee which wanted a pillow giues rest to all beleeuing soules that hee could but would not come downe from the crosse that the deare price of their redemption might be payed Many still haue such Iewish hearts what beleeue on a crucified man But Paul determines to know nothing but this Iesus Christ and him crucified They can be content to dwell with him on mount Tabor but not to follow him to mount Caluary They cleaue to him so long as hee giues them bread but forsake him when himselfe cryes for drinke Oderunt pannos tuos O Christ they like well
thy robes of glory but not thy rags of pouertie They loue him whiles the people cry Hosanna but shrinke backe when they cry Crucifie him All pleaseth them but the Crosse all the faire way of delights they will accompany him but at the Crosse they part They would share with him in his kingdome but they will none of his vassalage The Lyon in a Fable had many attendants and he prouided for them good cheare They like well of this and are proud of their master to whom all the other beastes gaue awe and obedience But it chanced that the Lyon fell into the daunger of the Dragon who had got him downe readie to deuoure him His followers seeing this quickly betake them to their heeles and fell euery beast to his old trade of rapine Onely the poore Lambe stood bleating by and though hee coulde not helpe would not forsake his Lord At last the Lyon gets the victory and treads the Dragon vnder his feet to death Then he punisheth those revolting traytors with deserued destruction and sets the Lambe by his owne side The great Lyon of Iudah feeds many of the Iewes and at this day profane wretches whilest his bountie lasts Christ and none but Christ. But when the Red Dragon hath got him vnder nailed him to the crosse Crucified him dead away goe these runnagates no more peny no more Paternoster If affliction come for Christ his cause they know where to find a kinder Master Backe to the world one to his fraud and hee will ouer-reach others with the sinne of deceitfulnesse though himselfe be ouer-reached with the deceitfulnesse of sinne Another to his vsurie and hee chymically proiects money out of the poores bowels A third to his couetousnesse and hee had rather that the very frame of the world should fall then the price of corne A fourth to his Idols and hee hopes for cakes from the Queene of heauen as if the King of heauen was not able to giue bread If the Lord pinch them with distresse they runne to Rome for succour expecting that from a blocke which they would not tarry to obtaine from the God of mercie Then they cry like the Israelites Vp make vs gods to goe before vs for as for this Moses wee know not what is become of him But at last this Lyon conquers the Dragon ouercomes Sathan his damnation what shall he then say to those Rebelles that would not haue him raigne ouer them But Bring those mine enemies and slay them before me But the poore and pure innocent Lambs that suffer with him shall raigne with him Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnesse sake for theirs is the kingdome of heauen 〈◊〉 The other vse is St. Pauls Let the same minde be in you which was in Christ Iesus What mind is that Humilitie Ver. 7. He that thought it no robberie to bee equall with God humbled himselfe to become Man we should haue found it no robberie to be equall with Deuils and shall we be proud What an intolerable disproportion is this to behold Humilem Deum superbum hominem an humble God and a proud man Who can indure to see a Prince on foot his vassall mounted Shall the Sonne of God be thus humble for vs shall not we be humble for our selues For our selues I say that deserue to be cast downe among the lowest for our selues that we may be exalted He that here cals himselfe the Sonne of man is now glorified they that humbly acknowledge themselues to be the Sonnes of men that is mortall shal be made the Sonnes of God that is immortall In the first of King 19. There was a mightie strong winde that rent the mountaines and brake the rockes but God was not in the Wind the Lord will not rest in the turbulent spirit puffed vp with the wind of vaine-glory There was an earth-quake but God was not in the earth-quake He will not dwell in a couetous heart buryed in the furrowes of the earth and cares of the world There was a Fire but the Lord was not in the fire Hee will not rest in a cholericke angry soule full of combustion and furious heate There was a still soft voyce and the Lord came with it In a milde and humble spirit the God of heauen and earth will dwell The high and loftie One that inhabiteth eternitie will dwell in the contrite and humble soule It is a sweet mixture of Greatnesse and Goodnesse Vt dum nihil in honore sublimius nihil in humilitate submissius When the highest in dignitie are the lowest in courtesie Augustine called himselfe Minimum non solùm omnium Apostolorum sed etiam Episcoporum the least not onely of all the Apostles but of all the Bishops wheras he was the most illuminate doctor and best Bishop of his times Paul thought himselfe not worthy to be called an Apostle and behold he is called The Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not Paul but The Apostle Abraham that esteemed himselfe dust and ashes is honoured to bee the Father of all them that beleeue Dauid sits content at his sheepe-folds the Lord makes him King ouer his Israell But as Humilitie like the Bee gathers Honey out of ranke Weeds very sinnes mouing to repentance So Pride like the Spider suckes poyson out of the fairest flowers the best graces and is corrupted with insolence Vna superbia destruit omnia Onely Pride ouerthrowes all It thrust proud Nabuchadnezzar out of mens societie proud Saul out of his kingdome proud Adam out of Paradise proud Haman out of the Court proud Lucifer out of heauen Pride had her beginning among the Angels that fell her continuance in earth her end in hell Poore man how ill it becomes thee to be proud when God himselfe is humble Is come We vnderstand the person let vs come to his Comming And herein Ecce veritatem behold his Truth Did God promise a Sonne of a virgin Emanuell a Sauiour He is as good as his word Venit he is come Did the sacrificed bloud of so many Buls Goates and Lambes prefigure the expiatory bloud of the Lambe of God to be shed Ecce agnus Dei Behold that Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world Is the Seed of the woman promised to breake the head of the serpent Behold he breakes the heauens and comes downe to doe it For this purpose the Sonne of God was manifested that he might destroy the workes of the Deuill Did God ingage his word for a Redeemer to purge our sinnes Call his name Iesus for he shall saue his people from their sinnes Against vnbeleeuing Atheists and mis-beleeuing Iewes here is sufficient conviction But I speake to Christians that beleeue he is come Hac fide credite venturum esse qua creditis venisse Beleeue that he will come againe with the same faith wherewith you beleeue he is come alreadie Doe not curtall Gods
panis thou wantest bread God is thy bread of life We want a pillow God is our resting place We may be Sine veste non sine fide sine cibo non sine Christo sine Domo non sine Domino Without apparell not without faith without meate not without Christ without a house neuer without the Lord. What state can there be wherein the stay of this heauenly assurance giues vs not peace and ioy Are we clapt vp in a darke and desolate Dungeon there the light of the Sunne cannot enter the light of mercie not be kept out What restrained bodie that hath the assurance of this eternall peace will not pittie the darknes of the prophane mans libertie or rather the libertie of his darkenesse No wals can keepe out an infinite Spirit no darkenes can be vncomfortable where the Father of lights and the Sunne of righteousnesse shineth The presence of glorious Angels is much but of the most glorious God is enough Are we cast out in exile our backes to our natiue home all the worlds our way Whether can we goe from God Whether shall I goe from thy face or whether shall I flie from thy presence If I ascend c. That exile would be strange that could separate vs from God I speake not of those poore and common comforts that in all Lands and coasts it is his Sunne that shines his elements of earth or water that beares vs his aire we breath But of that speciall priuiledge that his gracious presence is euer with vs that no sea is so broad as to deuide vs from his fauour that wheresoeuer we feed he is our host wheresoeuer we rest the wings of his blessed prouidence are stretched ouer vs. Let my soule be sure of this though the whole world be traytors to me Doth the world despise vs We haue sufficient recompence that God esteemes vs. How vnworthy is that man of Gods fauour that cannot goe away contented with it without the worlds Doth it hate vs much God hates it more That is not euer worthie which man honours but that is euer base which God despises Without question the world would bee our friend if God were our enemie The sweetnes of both cannot bee enioyed let it content vs wee haue the best It may be pouertie puts pale leannes into our cheeks God makes the world fat but withall puts leannesse into the soule We decay in these temporall vanities but we thriue in eternall riches The good man laughes at destruction and dearth Doth sicknes throw vs on our weary beds It is impossible any man should miscarry that hath God for his Physitian So Martha confessed to Iesus Lord if thou hadst beene here my brother had not dyed Thy bodie is weake thy soule is strengthened dust and ashes is sicke but thy eternall substance is the better for it It is good for me that I haue beene afflicted that I might learne thy statutes Lastly doth the ineuitable hand of death strike thee Egredere anima mea egredere Goe forth my soule with ioy and assurance thou hast a promise to be receiued in peace Happie dissolution that parts the soule from the bodie that it may knit them both to the Lord. Death like the proud Philistine comes marching out in his hydeous shape daring the whole Hoast of Israell to match him with an equall combatant The Atheist dares not die for feare non esse that hee shall not be at all the couetous vsurer dares not die for feare male esse to be damned the doubtfull conscience dares not die because he knowes not an sit an non sit an damnatus sit whether he shall be or be damned or not bee at all Onely the resolued Christian dares die because he is assured of his election he knows he shall be happie and so lifts vp pleasant eyes to heauen the infallible place of his eternall rest He dares encounter with this last enemie trample on him with the foote of disdaine and triumphantly sing ouer him O death where is thy sting O graue where is thy victorie He conquers in being conquered and all because God hath sayd to his Soule I am thy Saluation The poore Papist must not beleeue this such an assurance to him were Apocryphall yea hereticall He must lie on his death-bed call vpon what Saint or Angell he list but must not dare to beleeue hee shall goe to heauen O vncomfortable doctrine able to loose the soule What can follow but feares without and terrours within distrustfull sighes and heart-breaking grones Goe away he must with death but whither he knows not It would be presumption to be confident of heauen How should Purgatory stand or the Popes kitchin haue a Larder to maintaine it if men might be sure of their saluation Herefore they bequeath so great summes for masses and Dirge's and Trentals to bee sung or sayd for them after they are dead that their soules may at the last be had to heauen though first for a while they be reezed in Purgatory If this be all the comfort their Priests Iesuites and Confessors can giue them they may well say to them as Iob to his friends Miserable comforters are ye all But he that hath Stephens eyes hath also Pauls heart and the Saints tongue He that with Stephens eyes can see that Sonne of man standing on the right hand of God as if his armes were open to wel-come and embrace him must needs with Paul desire to be dissolued and to be with Christ and with the Saints cry Come Lord how long Amen euen so come Lord Iesus Thus much for the matter of the Assurance let vs now come to the manner Dic Animae Say vnto my soule Say but is God a man hath he a tongue how doth Dauid desire him to speake That God who made the eare shall not he heare he that made the eye shall not â—…e see he that made the tongue shall not he speake He that sees without eyes and heares without eares and walkes without feete and workes without hands can speake without a tongue Now God may be sayd to speake diuerse wayes 1. God hath spoken to some-by his owne voice To Adam vocem audiuerunt they heard the voyce of God c. To Israel The Lord spake vnto you out of the midst of the fire ye heard the voyce of the words but saw no similitude onely you heard a voyce To Christ I here came a voyce from heauen saying I haue both glorified it and I will glorifie it This S. Peter testifies There came a voyce from the excellent glory This is my beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased 2. To omit visions and dreames and cloudes and Cherubins and Angells vrim and thummim God speakes also by his workes The heauens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handie worke Mâ—…nus loquuntur his workes haue a tongue Opera testantur de me
hee thinkes of Preachers as the Deuill sayd of CHRIST that we come to torment him before his time Well then Reioyce sayth GOD Let thy heart cheare thee in the dayes of thy youth But ironice hee mockes when hee sayes so Now quod Deus loquitur ridens tu lege lacrymans What God speakes laughing doe thou read lamenting If God once laughes itis high time for vs to weepe They will not heare God when he preacheth in their health God will not heare them when they pray in their sicknes They would not hearken to him in the Pulpit nor hee to them on their death bed 6. God speakes by his Spirit This spirit beareth witnesse with our spirit c. Perhaps this is that voyce behind vs as it were whispering to our thoughts This is the way walke in it This is that speaking Spirit It is not yee that speake but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you It is this Spirit that speakes for vs and speakes to vs and speakes in vs. It is the Churches prayer Let him kisse mee with the kisses of his mouth Sanctus Spiritus osculum Patris The holy Ghost is the kisse of God the Father Whom God kisseth he loueth Now by all these wayes doth God speake peace to our consciences and say to our soules that hee is our Saluation 1. Hee may speake with his owne voyce and thus he gaue assurance to Abraham Feare not I am thy shield thy exceeding great reward If God speake comfort let hell roare horrour 2. Hee may speake by his workes actuall mercies to vs demonstrate that we are in his fauour and shall not be condemned By this I know thou fauourest mee because mine enemie doth not triumph ouer mee 3. Hee may speake by his sonne Come to mee all that labour and are heauie laden and I will ease you 4. He may speake by his Scripture this is Gods Epistle to vs and his letters Patent wherein are granted to vs all the priuiledges of saluation An vniuersall Siquis Whosoeuer beleeues and is Baptised shall be saued 5. He may speake by his Ministers to whom he hath giuen the Ministerie of reconciliation 6. He doth speake this by his spirit he sendeth forth the spirit of his sonne into our hearts crying Abba Father By all these voyces God sayes to his elect I am your saluation To my Soule Many heare God speaking comfort to the corporall care that heare him not speaking this to the soule They heare him but they feele him not The best assurance is from feeling Come neare let mee feele thee my Sonne sayd Isaacto Iacob let me feele thee my Father say wee to God The thronging Iewes heard Christ but Zacheus that beleeuing Publican felt Christ. This day is saluation come to thy house My Soule There is no vexation to the vexation of the soule so no consolation to the consolation of the soule Dauid in this Psalme calls it his Darling Rescue my soule from their destructions my Darling from the Lyons The same Prophet complained of a great vnrest when his soule was disquieted within him Ionas of a grieuous sicknesse when his soule fainted Ioseph had a cruell bondage when The yron entred his soule So no comfort to the comfort of the soule In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy comforts haue refreshed my soule The wicked heare tell of Gods mercies communitur audimus verbum salutis but God speakes not to their soules Therefore they cannot say with Mary My soule reioyceth This ioy when God speakes peace to the soule is ineffabile gaudium a iubilation of the heart which a man can neither recitare nor reticere neither suppresse nor expresse It giues end to all â—…arres doubts and differences ouercomes the world non-sutes the deuill and makes a man keepe Hilary Terme all his life To my Soule Mine I might here examine whose this Mea is who is the owner of this my A prophet a king a man after Gods owne heart that confessed himselfe the beloued of God that knew the Lord would neuer forsake him holy happy Dauid ownes this meae hee knowes the Lord loues him yet desires to know it more Dic animae Mea say to My soule But let this teach vs to make much of this My. Luther sayes there is great diuinitie in pronounes The Assurance that GOD will saue some is a fayth incident to Deuills The very Reprobates may beleeue that there is a booke of Election but GOD neuer told them that their names were written there The hungry begger at the Feast-house gate smells good cheare but the Master doth not say this is prouided for thee It is small comfort to the harbourlesse wretch to passe through a goodly Citie and see many glorious buildings When hee cannot say Haec mea domus I haue a place here The beautie of that excellent Citie Ierusalem built with Saphyres Emeralds Chrysolites and such precious stones the foundation and walls whereof are perfect gold affords a soule no comfort vnlesse hee can say mea ciuitas I haue a Mansion in it The all sufficient merits of Christ doe thee no good vnlesse tua pars portio hee bee thy Sauiour Happy soule that can say with the Psalmist O Lord thou art my portion Let vs all haue oyle in our Lampes lest if wee bee then to buy beg or borow wee be shut out of doores like the fooles not worthy of entrance Pray Lord say vnto my soule I am thy saluation I am thy saluation The Petition is ended I will but looke into the Benediction wherein I should consider these foure circumstances Quis quid Cui quando Who What to Whom When. Who. The Lord to the Lord Dauid prayes He hath made a good choice for there is saluation in none other Thou hast destroyed thy selfe but in me is thy helpe The world failes the flesh fals the Deuill kils onely the Lord saues What. Saluation a speciall good thing euery mans desire who would not bee saued Euery man would goe to heauen though perhaps hee runnes a course directly to hell Beatus vult homo esse etiam non sic viuendo vt possit esse Man would be blessed though he takes the course to be cursed I will giue thee a Lordship saith God to Esau. I will giue thee a kingdome sayth God to Saul I will giue thee an Apostleship sayth God to Iudas But I will be thy saluation he sayes to Dauid and to none but Saints Indeed this voyce comes from heauen comes vnto earth but onely through the mediator betwixt heauen and earth Iesus Christ. Hee is the alone Sauiour Worldlings possesse many things but haue right to nothing because not right to him that is the heire of all thinges Christ. The soule is the perfection of the bodie Reason of the Soule Religion of reason Faith of Religion Christ of faith A man can warrant vs vpon earth that
our land is ours our garment ours our money seruant beast ours and that he is a theefe who robs vs of these But all the men in the world cannot warrant vs our Saluation but onely Iesus Christ. Therefore that we may haue assurance that all these are ours and that wee shall neuer answere for euery bit of bread we haue eaten and for euery drop of wine we haue drunke that our possessions are our owne our gold robes rents revenues are our owne let vs be Christs Whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the World or life or death or thinges present or thinges to come all are yours and ye are Christ's and Christ is Gods Be sure of saluation and be sure of all For he that spared not his owne sonne but deliuered him vp for vs all how shall he not with him also freely giue vs all things To whom My saluation not others onely but Mine A man and a Christian are two creatures he may bee a man that hath reason and outward blessings he is onely a Christian that hath faith and part in the saluation of Christ. God is plentifull saluation but it is not ordinary to find a Cui to whom Much of heauen is lost for lacke of a hand to apprehend it All passengers in this world presume they are going to heauen but we may guesse by the throng that the greater part take the broader way Christ leauing the earth in respect of his bodily presence left there his Gospell to apply to mens soules the vertue of his death and passion Ministers preach this Gospell people heare this Gospell all boast of this Gospell yet himselfe foretels that when he comes againe he shall scarce find faith vppon earth No doubt he shall find Christians enow but scarce faith Saluation is common as St. Iude speaketh When I gaue all diligence to write vnto you of the common saluation but few make it proper to themselues That God is my saluation and thy saluation this is the comfort When. In the time present I am Sum non sufficit quòd ere It is comfort to Israell in captiuitie that God sayes Ero tua redemptio I will redeeme thee But the assurance that quiets the conscience is this I am thy saluation As God said to Abraham feare not I am with thee Deferred hope faints the heart Whatsoeuer God forbeare to assure vs O pray we him not to delay this Lord say to our soules I am your saluation To conclude it is saluation our Prophet desires that God would seale him vp for his childe then certifie him of it He requests not Riches he knew that man may be better fed then taught that wealth doth but franke men vp to death He that preferres Riches before his soule doth but sell the horse to buy the saddle or kill a good horse to catch a hare He begs not honour many haue leapt from the high throne to the low pitte The greatest commander on earth hath not a foote of ground in heauen except hee can get it by entitling himselfe to Christ. He desires not Pleasures he knowes there are as great miseries beyond prosperitie as on this side it And that all vanitie is but the indulgence of the present time a minute begins continues ends it for it endures but the acting knowes no solace in the memorie In the fairest garden of delights there is somewhat quod in ipsis floribus angat that stings in the midst of all vaine contents In a word it is not momentany variable apt to eyther change or chance that hee desires but eternall saluation He seekes like Mary that better part which shall neuer be taken from him The wise mans minde is euer aboue the moone saith Seneca let the world make neuer so great a noise as if it all ran vppon Coaches and all those full of roarers yet all peace is there It is not sublunary vnder the wheele of changeable mortalitie that he wishes but saluation To be saued is simply the best plot beate your braines and breake your sleepes and wast your marrowes to be wealthy to be worthy for riches for honours plot studie contriue be as politicke as you can and then kisse the childe of your owne braines hugge your inuentions applaud your wittes doat vpon your aduancements or aduantagements yet all these are but dreames When you awake you shall confesse that to make sure your saluation was the best plot and no studie shall yeeld you comfort but what hath bin spent about it What should wee then doe but worke and pray worke sayth Paul Worke vp your saluation with feare and trembling and then pray with our Prophet Lord say to our soules thou art our saluation with comfort and reioycing THE SOVLES REFVGE 1. PET. 4. 19. Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their soules to him in well doing as vnto a faithfull Creator ATRVE Christians life is one daie of three meales and euery meale hath in it two Courses His first meale is Nascâ—… renasci to be borne a sinner to bee new-borne a Saint I was borne in iniquitie and in firme did my mother conceive me there is one Course Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdome of God there is the other Course His second meale is Benè agere malè pati to doe well and to suffer ill Doe good vnto all but especially to those that are of the houshold of Faith ther 's one Course of Doing c All that liue godly in Christ Iâ—…sus shall suffer persecution there 's the other Course of Suffering His third meale is Morâ—… viuere to die a temporall death to liue an eternall life The first is his Break-fast and herein he is naturally Natus daâ—… borne in sinne and condemned for sinne spiritually 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 borne againe in righteousnesse and iustified from sinne The last is his Supper wherein there is one bitter dish Death Statutum est omnibus semel mâ—…ri It is appoynted to all men to die once Omnibus semel plorisque bis to all once to many twice for there is a second death And that is truely a dâ—…th because it is mors vita the death of life the other rather a life for it is mors mâ—…rtis the death of death after which mors non erit vltra there shall be no more death Therefore rise that you may not fall rise now by a righteous life least you fall into an euerlasting death If the soule will not now rise the bodie shall one day bee raised and goe with the soule to Iudgement The second Course is incomparably sweet vinere post mortem to liue after death I say after death for a man mâ—…st die that hee may liue So that a good supper brings a good sleepe hee that liues well shall sleepe well Hee that now apprehends mercie mercie shall hereafter comprehend him Mercie is the vltimus 〈◊〉 no hope beâ—…nd
shall make them miserable that haue this preparation Agabus told Paul hauing first bound his hands and feet with his girdle Thus sayth the holy Ghost so shall the Iewes at Ierusalem bind the man that oweth this girdle Hereupon the rest of the Saints besought him with teares not to goe vp to Ierusalem But obserue that blessed Apostles resolued answer Paratus sum I am readie What meane ye to weepe and to breake my heart I am readie not to be bound onely but also to die at Ierusalem for the name of the Lord Iesus The account is past I am prepared Men that want this fore-resolution are like a secure citie that spends all her wealth in furnishing her chambers and furbishing her streets but le ts her bulwarkes fall to the ground Here is prouision for peace none for warre something for content of friends nothing for defence against enemies It is vsuall for young-men with wooden Wasters to learne how to play at the sharpe they are taught with foiles how to deale with points He is desperate that ventures on a single combate in the field and was neuer lesson'd at the Fence-schoole We shall be vnable to fight with euils themselues if we cannot well incounter their shadowes Mischiefes are like the Cocatrices eye If they see first they kill foreseene they die What our foresight takes from their power it addes to our owne it enervates their strength and corroborates ours For by this both they are made lesse able to hurt vs and we are more strong to resist them Since therefore we must passe through this fierie triall let vs first proue our strength in a gentle meditation as that martyr tryed his finger in the Candle before his bodie came to the fire 2. They must be made welcome when they are come Non vt hostes sed vt hospites admittendi They must not be entertained as enemies but as guests Their feete are beautifull that bring good tydings but crosses bring good newes They assure vs that we are no bastards If you endure chastening God dealeth with you as with Sonnes But if you be without correction then are yee bastards Non timeas flagellari sed exhaeredari Feare not to be scourged but to be disinherited There is so much comfort in sorrow as makes all affliction to the elect Carmen in nocte a song in the night Aduersitie sends vs to Christ as the leprosie sent those Ten. Luk. 17. Prosperity makes vs turne our backes vpon Christ leaue him as health did those Nine Dauids sweetest songs were his lacrymae In misery he spared Saul his great aduersary in peace he killed Vriah his deare friend The wicked sing with Grashoppers in faire Weather but the faithfull in this like Sirens can sing in a storme It is a question whether the Sun or the Wind will first make a man throw off his cloke but by all consent the Sun will first vncloke him Imagine by the Sun the warme heate of prosperitie by the Wind the blustring cold of calamitie by the cloke Christs liuerie a sincere profession Now which of these will first vncase thee of thy zeale The boystrous wind makes a man gather his cloke closer about him the hote silent Sun makes him weary of so heauy a burden he soone does it off Secure plentie is the warme Sunne which causeth many to dis-cloke themselues cast off their zeale as it did Demas who left Christ to embrace this present world But the cold wind of afflictio gathers it vp closer to him teacheth him to be more zealous When a man cannot find peace vpon earth he quickly runs to heauen to seeke it Plutarch writes that Antigonus had in his armie a valiant souldiour but of a sickly bodie Antigonus observing his valour procured his Physitians to take him in hand and he was healed Now being sound he began to fight in some feare to keepe himselfe a good distance from danger no more venturing into the vanne or forlorne place of the battell Antigonus noting and wondring at this alteration asked him the cause of this new cowardice He answers O Antigonus thou art the cause Before I ventured nothing but a diseased corpes and then I chose rather to die quickly then to liue sickly I invited death to doe me a kindnes Now it is otherwise with me for I haue somewhat to loose A poore and afflicted life makes a man bold in his religio it is nothing to part with hunger thirst cold contempt But when prosperous fortunes flow vpon him he dares not sticke so constantly to Christ. Would you haue the rich Marchant find fault with Idolatrie stand to iustifie Gods truth No he hath somwhat to take to and although he ventures much he would be loath to bee a venturer in this Yet this somewhat is nothing in regard of what he looseth because he will not loose his riches Affliction sometimes makes an euill man good alwayes a good man better Crosses therefore doe not onely chalenge our patience but euen our thankes Thy soule is sicke these are thy Physicke Intelligat homâ—… Deum esse medicum sub medicamento positus vreris secaris clamas Non audit medicus ad voluntatem sed audit ad sanitatem Vnderstand God thy Physitian he ministers to thee a bitter but wholesome potion thy stomach abhors it thou lyest bound vnder his hand whiles he workes vppon thee thou cryest to be deliuered he heares thee not according to thy will but according to thy weale We are chastened of the Lord that we should not bee condemned with the world Thou payest the Physitian of thy body though hee cannot heale thee wilt thou not thanke the Physitian of thy soule that hath healed thee The child cryes for the knife the parent knowes it can but hurt him though he weepe for it hee shall not haue it Such children are we to thinke God doth not vse vs kindly vnlesse he giue vs euery vanitie we affect In stead of these toyes that would make vs wanton God layes on vs the rod of correction to make vs sober Our flesh is displeased our soule is saued we haue no cause to complaine I come now from the Sufferance of the Saints to The Integritie of that Sufferance According to the will of God We haue sufferd enough except it be according to his will The manner commends the matter To goe no further this point is sufficiently directed by our Apostle Vers. 14. If ye bee reproached for the name of Christ happie are you for the Spirit of glorie resteth vpon you But let none of you suffer as an euill-doer For Chap. 2. 19. This is thanke-worthie if a man for conscience toward God endure griefe suffering wrongfully This our Sauiour taught vs. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnesse sake non qui patiuntur sed qui patiuntur propter iustitiam for theirs is the Kingdome of heauen Non mortes sed mores faciunt martyres
but the goates are not written in his booke The foundation of God standeth sure hauing the seale the Lord knoweth them that are his It is a goodly thing to be famous and remarkable in the world Est pulchrum digito monstrari dicier hic est It is a goodly thing to bee sayd this is the man whom the world honours but perhaps this is not he whom God honours He that suffers and does according to the will of God the Lord will take that man into his bosoâ—… Such honour haue all his Saints It is no great matter for men to be knowne to kings and nobles if the Lord know them not nothing to ride in the second Coach as Ioseph to be next to the Prince if they bee strangers to the Court of heauen Therefore let vs all lay hold on well-doing that we may haue comfort in well-dying Wee desire to shut vp our last scene of life with In manus tuas Domine commendo spiritum meum Lord Into thy handes I commend my spirit Behold while we liue GOD sayes to vs In manus tuas homo commendo spiritum meum Man into thy hands I commend my spirit As we vse Gods Spirit in life God will vse our Spirit at death If we open the doores of our hearts to his Spirit he will open the doores of heauen to our Spirit If we feast him with a supper of Grace he will feast vs with a supper of Glory If wee grieue his Spirit he will grieue all the veines of our hearts When such shall say Lord into thy handes wee commend our soules no sayth God I will none of your Spirit for you would none of my Spirit You shut him out when hee would haue entred your hearts hee shall shut you out when you would enter heauen Let vs therefore here vse Gods Spirit kindly that hereafter hee may so vse our spirits Let vs in life entertaine him with Faith that in death he may embrace vs with mercy So Lord into thy handes wee commend our soules keepe and receiue them O thou faithful Creator and God of truth through Iesus CHRIST Amen FINIS a 2 Cor. 3. 9. b Mal. 4. 2. c Iohn 1. 8. d Ioh. 1. 17. Heb. 3. 6. e Paraeus f Ioh. 6. 44. g Can. 1. 4. h Psal. 143. 10. i 2. Kin. 25. 7. k Acts 3. 2. Ber. l Heb. 11. 6. m Rom. 8. 24. n Iohn 5. 24. o Phil. 3. 20. 1 p Psal. 87. 2. q Math. 4. 8. r Deu. 34. 4. 2 s Ioh. 14. 2. t Gen. 30. 8. u Psal. 36. 6. x Ion. 3. 3. y Psal. 106. 28. a Heb. 9. 14. b Mat. 22. 32. c Psal. 49. 11. d Mat. 24. 2. 3 4 e Reu. 21. 27. 5. 6. f Rom. 4. 25. 7. Aug. g Iohn 3. 16. h Psal. 87. 2. i Psa. 78. 60. k Psal. 107. 34. l 2. Pet. 3. 10. m Mat. 7. 27. n 1. Pet. 2. 6. o Psal. 30. 8. p Amos 6. 1. q Esa. 21. 11. r 1. King 20. 23. s Ierem. 3. 6. t Luk. 12. 19. u Esay 40. 4. x Luk. 23. 30. a Psal. 125. 1. b Sen. c Iohn 14. 2. d Esay 2. 2. e Psal. 149. 9. f Mat. 5. 14. g Psal. 48. 2. h Rom. 2. 24. i 1. Pet. 2. 12. k Exod. 10. 23. l Iud. 6. 37. m Psal. 4. 6. n Reu. 2. 17. Sen. Greg. o Iob. 31. 24. p Dan. 4. 30. Ambr. Aug. q Gal. 4. 29. r Rom. 5. 1. s 1. Iohn 3. 2. t Ioh 16. 22. Aug. u Psal. 84. 10. x Mat. 17. 2. y Psal. 84. 1. a Mat. 25. 23. b Psal. 2. 6. c Reu. 14. 1. d Acts 8. 32. e Psal. 121. 4. f Psal. 97. 5 8. g Psal. 114. 4. h Psal 78. 68. i Psal. 132. 13. k Psal. 48. 4. c l Gene. 19. 20. m Gen. 4. 17. n Gene. 11. 4. o Psal. 127. 1. p Iere. 22. 15. q Acts 12. 23 r Psal. 122. 3. s Psal. 101. 8. t Mat. 10. 23. u Luk. 13. 23. x Rom. 8. 29. y Rom. 7. 9. a Mat 10. 16. b Luke 12. 32 c Esay 1. 9. d Esay 6. 13. e Esay 17. 6. f Esay 24. 13. g Mich. 7. 1. h Iere. 3. 14. i Amos 3. 12 k Gene. 6. 12. l Esay 8. 18. m Ioh. 7. 51. n 2 Tim. 4. 16 o Act. 19. 34. p Reu. 13. 16. q 1. Kin. 20. 27. r Rom. 9. 27. s Reue. 3. 1. t 2. Esdr. 5. 23. u Luk. 13. 14. x 2. Esd. 7. 6. Aug. a Reu. 18. 2. b Gal. 4. 26. c Psal. 2 6. d Ephes. 2. 2. e 2. Tim. 2. 19. f 1. Ich. 2. 16. Greg. g Hebr. 11. 10. h Iud. ver 14. i Psal. 49. 13. Aug. k 2. Cor. 5. 19. l 1. Iohn 5. 29. m Mat. 24. 51. a Hebr. 1. 6. b Rom. 8. 29. c Rom. 13. 4. d 2. Cor. 5. 20. e 1. Thes. 4. 3. f Mat. 6. 32. g Mat. 5. 34. h Rom. 6. 23. n Luk. 10. 16. o Mark 11. 17. p Mala. 3. 8. q Act. 8. 19. r Gala. 5. 22. s Ioh. 6. 63. Theodoret. t Prou. 20. 25. u 2. Chr. 26. 19. x Psal. 80. 13. y Iudg. 7. 22. a Iudg. 4. 9. b 1. King 21. 19 c Ier. 5. 29. 1 Sam. 5. 11. Exod. 12. 31. Aug. e Mark 12. 17. Aug. f Psal. 116. 12. g Psal. 51. 15. h Luk. 10. 39. i Gal. 1. 2. k Eph. 3. 14. l Act. 7. 60. m Luk. 6. 38. n 1. Cor. 8. 5. o Psal. 82 6. p Rom. 13. 1. q Ioh. 19. 11. r Rom. 13. 2. s Acts 17. 18. t Acts 14. 11. u Psal. 106. 28. x 1. Cor. 8. 4. y Psal. 135. 17. a 1. Thes. 1. 9. b 2. Cor. 4. 4. c Iohn 16. 11. d Rom. 16. 20. e Eph. 4. 27. f 〈◊〉 Cor. 6. 13. g Esa. 2. 20. * 1. Tim 6. 16. h Psal 104. 3. i Gal. 2. 20. k Col. 3. 3. l Ver. 4. m Prou. 23. 5. n Luk. 6. 25. o Mat. 27. 53. p Gene. 22. 14. q Heb. 7. 2. r Gala. 5. 12. s 2. Cor. 13. 11. t Gala. 4. 25. u Reu. 21. 2. x Gala. 4. 26 Hugo Card. y Psal. 132. 13. a 1. Pet. 2. 9. b Esay 5. 2. c Eph. 4. 3. d 1. Tim. 3. 15. e Psal. 122. 5. f Reue. 3. 7. g Iam. 1. 18. Phil. 3. 20. Ambr. h Ephe. 1. 3. i Iob 4. 19. k Iohn 17. 24. Plato l Gen. 12. 1. m Iere. 22. 29. n Hebr. 13. 14 Damasc. o Gene. 18. 8. Caluin p Gen. 18. 2. q Luk. 24. 4. r Iude. ver 6. s Col. 1. 20. t Esa. 6. 2. Greg. u Eph. 3. 10. x 1. Tim. 3. 16. a Mat. 24. 36. b Acts 1. 24. c Psal. 103. 20. d 2. Thes. 1. 7. 2. Kings 19. 35. e Reu. 12. 8. f Hos. 12. 9. g Gen. 19. 22. h Exod. 32. 10. i 2. Pet. 2. 4. k Mat. 18. 10. l Heb. 2. 16. m Greg. n Gene. 48. 16. o Exo. 14. 19. p Mal. 3.
Thou O Lord art onely vvoorthy to receiue glory and honour They haue nec boni inopiam nec in bono superbiam They are not poore in good workes nor proud of good workes They wrote their charity in the dust therefore did God write it in Marble They seeme to forget the works of mercie they haue done therefore are they remembred by Iesus Christ. 4. The answere of Christ Mat. 25. 40. In as much as yee haue done it to one of the least of these my brethren ye haue done it vnto me The miseries of my brethren are my own miseries Wee haue an high Priest touched with the feeling of our infirmities That invulnerable and glorified brest is still touched with the sense of our wounds Saul thou persecutest mee he sayes not mine but me me in mine He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye Surely he will pity the misery of euery one that is afflicted with the sorowes of all Quis recusabit pro Christo pati quando Christus compatitur patienti Who would refuse to suffer for Christ when he is sure that Christ suffers with him Here is excellent direction for our works of mercy that no sinister end draw them from vs but syncere loue to Christ. If any fish for the applause of men his bait shal be his owne hooke to snare himselfe Da Christo looke on the poore man and in that member behold the Head Christ. He that shall giue a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a Disciple he shall in no wise lose his reward A cup of water is but a small gift yet done in that Name and for that cause it is rewarded as an excellent worke of mercy It is the true note of a child of God to shew mercy to a Christian because he is a Christian. Naturall men haue their priuate ends and aduantagious respects in their beneficences Such a one shall doe me seruice flatter my addiction bring intelligences to mine eare I will make him my property my charity shal bind him to me Morall men will sometimes giue euen for pities sake but the true Christian doth it for Christ his sake and lookes no further Dooing good vnto all especially to them that are of the houshold of faith Some thinke that the best worke is to build Temples and Monasteries but indeed the best worke is to relieue not the dead but the liuing Temples of Christs mysticall Body It was an ancient complaint Fulget Ecclesia in parietibus â—…get in pauperibus The Church flourisheth in her glorious buildings but mourneth and pines away in her poore members Deny not due cost to the dead walls but first satisfie the liuing bowels that Christ may say Come yee blessed I come now to the sentence of Condemnation Math. 25. 41. Then shall he say to them on the left hand Depart from mee yee cursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the Deuill and his angels In this forme of damnatory iudgement are foure points considerable A Reiection of the vvicked a Reason of that reiection an Obiection against that reason a Confutation of that obiection In the Reiection are many particulars gradually inhancing their iudgement They are partly Priuatiue partly Positiue Depart from mee yee cursed there is Poenadamâ—…i Into euerlasting fire there is Poena sensus As there be two kindes of sinne Delictum and Peccatum Delictum est desertio boni Peccatum perpetratio mali the one a forsaking of that is good the other a committing of that is euill So there is a like proportion of punishment a depriuing of ioy and a giuing ouer to torment Heere is 1. A grieuous refusall Depart This seemes nothing to the wicked now such is their dead securitie Depart Why they are content to be gone Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily therefore their heart is fully set in them to doe euill But as when a Prince opening his long locked vp Treasurie graciously takes some in with him and saying to other ill-meriting followers Depart it will be a disgracefull vexation So when the glory of heauen and those vnualuable treasures shall be opened and dealt about to the faithfull vvhat horror will it be to the Reprobates to be cast off with a Depart Blessed are the eyes that see the things vvhich yee see saith Christ to his Saints For Kings haue desired to see them and were not suffered If it were such a Blessednes to see Iesus in humility what is it to see him in glory But from this the wicked are bidden Depart 2. The losse of Saluation From mee your Sauiour that was wounded for you that offered my bloud to you which was offered for you And if from mee then from all that is mine my mercy my glory my saluation Consider here what an excellent thing it is to haue familiarity with Christ on earth that he may not cast vs off as strangers from heauen He that would haue Christ know him there must not be a stranger to Christ here He must haue some fellowship with GOD How If wee walke in the light we haue fellowship with God and with his Sonne Iesus Christ. To walke in the darke is to haue fellowship with the Prince of darknesse to walke in the light is to haue fellowship with the Father of lights VVill a Reprobate that hath alwaies turned his back vpon Christ here presse into his company Vpon what acquaintance Yes Wee haue eate and drunke in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets as if they should say We haue fed at thy Communion table and heard thee preach in our Pulpits Still this proues no acquaintance for in the one you did eate Panem Domini non Panem Dominum the bread of Christ but not Christ with the bread In the other you haue heard Uerbum Domini not regarded Dominum verbi Your eare hath beene open but your conscience shutte Therefore ver 25. Non noui vos as familiar as you presume yet you are such strangers to me that I know you not They neuer vvillingly came neere Christ but to persecute him therefore hee shall then cast them farre enough off for euer 3. The deserued Malediction Yee cursed Hee is cursed that being borne in sinne liues in it and dyes in it without seeking recouery I call this curse merited because they loue it As hee loued cursing so let it come vnto him Hath he loued it Let him take his loue As hee clothed himselfe with cursing as with a garment so let it come into his bowels like vvater and like oyle into his bones ver 18. It was his outside let it be his linings it was his outward stuffe let it be his inward stuffing Euery one that hath not first a pardon by Christ must heare this curse pronounced against him from Christ. O then suffer not thine eyes to sleep till Christ hath sealed thee a Quetus est Giue