thy plagues O grave I will be thy destruction death with death and the grave with destruction Howbeit destruction here as it is applied to Israel seemeth not so much to signifie destruction in the vulgar acception that is the pulling downe of the houses or sacking of townes and villages as the dissolution of the state and downefall of the Kingdome of Israel and therefore the point herein to be seriously thought upon is the Soph Pasuck full point and fatall period of all earthly States Societies Common-wealths and Kingdomes All naturall things carry in their stile Corruptible all humane in their stile mortall all earthly in their stile Temporall to distinguish the first sort from things supernaturall which are incorruptible the second sort from things divine which are immortall the third sort from heavenly which are eternall The things which are seene saith the h 2. Cor. 4.18 Apostle are temporall but the things which are not seene are eternall It is the royall prerogative of him who i Apoc. 19.16 17.14 hath written upon his thigh and on his vesture King of Kings and Lord of Lords that his Kingdome is bounded with no limits nor confined to time the eternity whereof is proclaimed in holy Scriptures by five noble Heralds two Kings two Prophets and an Archangell The two Kings are k Psal 45 6. Thy throne O God is for ever David and l Dan. 4.32 Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion Nebuchadnezzar The two Prophets are m Cap. 17.14 His kingdome is that which shall not be destroyed Daniel and n Micah 4.7 The Lord shall reigne from henceforth even for ever Micah The Archangell is o Luke 1.31 32 33. Horat. car l. 1. od 3. Semotique prius tarda necessitas leti corripuit gradum Gabriel whose trumpet soundeth most shrill and giveth a most certaine sound Behold thou shalt conceive in thy wombe and bring forth a sonne and shalt call his name Jesus ver 31. He shall be great and shall be called the sonne of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David ver 32. And he shall reigne over the house of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdome there shal be no end ver 33. Of all other there shal be For all politike bodies are in some sort subject to the condition of natural bodies As these so they have their beginning or birth growth perfection state decay and dissolution And as the statures of men in this decrepit and feeble age of the world are much diminished and their life shortened so even States and Empires fall short of their former greatnesse and are like sooner to arrive to their period naturall end or to speake more properly civill death and dissolution called in my text destruction Some who have taken upon them to calculate as it were the nativitie of the world and erect a scheme of all the living have set the utmost day of the duration of the one and life of all the other to fall within foure hundred yeares according to an ancient tradition of the Jewes fathered upon the house of p Melancthon in Chron. l. 1. p. 10. Sex millia annorum mundus duo millia inane duo millia lex duo millia dies Messiae propter peccata nostra quae multa magna sunt deerunt anni qui decrunt Elias The world shall last sixe thousand yeeres two thousand thereof there shall be a vacuitie or emptinesse two thousand the Law shall continue and the dayes of the Messiah shall make out two thousand more of which if any be lacking by reason of our many and grievous sinnes they shall be lacking The Cabalists favour this conceit and labour to wierdraw it out of the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis where because they finde sixe Alephs or A's which in numerall characters signifie so many thousand yeares conclude the duration of the world from the first creation to the end shall make up just that number of yeeres And many also of our Christian Chronologists streining the letter of q 2 Pet. 3.8 One day with the Lord is as a thousand yeeres and a thousand yeeres as one day St. Peter too farre allot precisely sixe thousand yeares for the continuance of the world at the seventh thousand they beleeve we shall all begin to keepe our everlasting Sabbath in heaven For the period of particular Kingdomes Gasper q Pâ—ucer praesat in Chron. Carion Hanc periodum lege quadam sancitam divinitâ—s magnis Impeâ—iis fatalem esse universales mutationes afferre ostendunt omnium temporum historiae Peucerus observeth that it seldome or never exceedeth 500. years which he proveth by these instances following From the departure of the children of Israel out of Egypt to the building of the first Temple we finde much about five hundred yeeres run out the first as also the second Temple stood thereabouts the Assyrians ruled in Asia so long Athens was ruled by Kings Rome by Consuls just so many yeers From Augustus to Valentinian the last five hundred yeeres are reckoned all which time the seat of the fourth Monarchy of the world was fixed at Rome The Church of Rome in a sort continued in her puritie for five hundred yeeres After the Papacie and superstition grew to the height in the westerne parts before the thousanth yeere and five hundred yeeres after the happy reformation begun by Martin Luther Yet neither that tradition of the house of Elias nor the observation of Peucerus are of infallible certaintie r Acts 1.7 which the Father hath 〈◊〉 in his owne power It belongeth not to us to know times and seasons and though often God hath translated Kingdomes within the limits of five hundred yeeres yet not alwayes some have lasted longer as the Monarchy of the Assyrians some farre shorter as the monarchy of the Persians and after them of the Grecians The Christian Kings of Jerusalem finished their course within a hundred yeeres Men may probably ghesse at the circumvolution of great Empires and Kingdomes but neither can the Astrologers certainely foresee by the course of the starres nor Å¿ Bod. de rep l. 4. c. 2. ex Plat. pol. 8. Platonicks define by the accomplishment of the nuptiall number nor Politicians foretell by their intelligence with forreine States nor Magicians determine by conference with their familiar spirits but the Prophets of God onely forewarne by inspiration from him who hath decreed before all time the dayes of man and continuance of families and periods of Kingdomes and ages of the world and lasting of time it selfe That which Belshazzar saw t Dan. 5.25.26 a hand writing upon the wall all Princes and States may see and read in the records of heaven kept in holy Scripture Mene Mene thou art numbred thou art numbred thy yeares are summed thy dayes are appointed thine houre is set Be thou as great and glorious as Nebuchadnezzars Image
eternity yet I deny that this is any good description of time because every description ought to be per notius by something that is more known whereas eternity is farre more obscure than time it selfe all men have a common notion of the one few or none of the other Neither doe they give any better satisfaction who define time by duration For albeit there is a time of duration of every thing and a duration also of time it selfe yet duration is not time duration is the existence of any thing in time not the terme or time it selfe They define time most agreeable to the Scriptures who affirme it to be the continuall fluxe of moments minutes houres dayes weekes moneths yeeres ages from the creation of the world to the dissolution thereof after which the u Apoc. 10.6 Angel sware that time should be no more But I need to speake no more of time at this time because the word in my text is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 time but season or as it is here rendered The accepted time The season is that in time which light is in the aire lustre in metals the flower in plants creame in milke quintessence in hearbs the prime and best of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now there being a threefold season 1. Naturall which Husbandmen observe in sowing Gardeners in planting and graffing Mariners in putting to Sea Chirurgians in letting bloud Physicians in purging c. 2. Civill of which the Poet speaketh Mollissima fandi tempora which all humble suppliants observe in preferring petitions to Princes and great Personages 3. Spirituall which all that have a care of their salvation must observe in seeking the Lord while he may be found The Apostle in this place pointeth to this third and his meaning is Behold now presse hard to get into the kingdome of heaven for now the gate is open now labour hard in Gods vineyard for now is the eleventh houre now put up your petitions to the Prince of peace for now is the day of audience now provide your selves of spirituall merchandize for now is the mart now cast your selves into the Bethesda of Christs bloud for now the Angel troubleth the water now get a generall pardon for all your sinnes under the broad seale of the King of heaven for now is a day of sealing When the King commeth saith St. x Chrys in hunc locum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostome there is no time for sessions or assises but for pardon and favour Behold now the King is come to visit his subjects upon earth and from his first comming to his last the day of grace continueth Behold now is this accepted time He calleth it an accepted time saith St. y Ib. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostome because now God accepteth them to favour who a thousand times incurred his displeasure It is called in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a time of good will and favour as Calvin rendereth the words who biddeth us marke the order first a time of grace is promised and after a day of salvation to intimate unto us that salvation floweth from the meere grace and mercy of God We are active in sinne to our owne damnation but meere passive to the first grace we draw on damnation with the cart-ropes of vanity but God draweth us to salvation with the cords of love The speciall point of doctrine to which this ecce or index in my text pointeth is that we ought to take speciall notice of the time of grace beginning at the birth of our Saviour and ending to us at the day of our death and to all men that shall be upon the earth at the consummation of the world As the celestiall spheres are wrapt one in another and the greatest which the Philosophers terme the Primum mobile invelopeth all the rest so the parts of time are enclosed the lesser in the greater houres in dayes dayes in yeeres yeers in ages and ages in the time of the duration of the world To explicate then to the full the time of our Lords birth it will be requisite to treat 1 Of the age of the world 2 Of the yeere of the age 3 Of the day of the yeere in which the true z John 1.9 light that lighteneth every man that commeth into the world first shined on the earth 1 Of the age of the world The Jewes according to an ancient tradition received from the house of Elias make three ages of the world as it were so many stages of time 1 From the creation to the law 2 From the law to the Messias 3 From the comming of the Messias to the end of the world To each of these they allow two thousand yeeres counting thus 1 a Carion in Chron. Duo millia vacuum 2 Duo millia lex 3 Duo millia Messias post mundi deflagratio Saint y Aug. de civit Dei l. 22 c 30. Post hanc tan quam in die septimo requi escet Deus cum eundem septimum diem quod nos erimus in seipso faciet requiescere Austine doubleth these files and maketh reckoning of sixe ages 1 From Adam to the Deluge 2 From the Deluge to Abraham 3 From Abraham to Solomon 4 From Solomon to the captivity 5 From the captivity to Christs birth 6 From Christs birth to the day of judgement after which in the seventh we shall all keepe an eternall Sabbath in heaven By both which computations it appeareth that the birth of our Saviour fell late towards the declining and end of time as b Maxin Taur hom 6 de nativ In fine temporum natus est ille cujus aeternitatem nulla saeculorum tempora comprehendunt Maximus Taurinensis observeth Here the wit of man which like the Sea will still be working though oftentimes foaming out his owne shame curiously enquireth why the desire and joy of all mankind was so long delayed why he was so late born whose birth was of more importance than of all the Potentates Princes Kings Emperours and Monarchs of the whole world Was not Christ the bright morning starre how came it then to passe that he appeared not till the afternoone if not evening of the world Was not he the bridegroome whose * Marriage song Epithalamium Solomon by the spirit of prophesie endited in the booke of Canticles how could hee then heare his dearest Spouse breathe out so many sighes and shed such abundance of teares in so many ages still longing for his comming and crying c Cant. 1.1 Let him come into the flesh and kisse mee with the kisses of his lips Was not hee the good Samaritan which healed the wounded man after Moses the Levite and Aaron the Priest passing by left him as they found him and did him no ease at all how then could this tender hearted Chirurgian suffer wounded mankinde to lie so many ages weltring in his owne bloud and
take no pity on him To silence these curious questionists the most judicious Divines teach that albeit God hath speciall reasons of his will for every thing he determineth yet to us his will must stand for the last and best reason The fullest answer that can be given to that demand why Christ was borne in the dayes of the Roman Augustus about the two and fourtieth yeere of his reigne is that then was the fulnesse of time that is the time was fully come which God appointed before all time for the comming of his Sonne in the flesh And surely a fitter time could hardly have beene chosen whether we respect the condition of the patient or the quality of the Physician or the state of Judaea or of the whole world at that time First if we regard the condition of the patient before Adam fell and by his fall tooke his deaths wound there was no need of a Chirurgian or a Physician and after he was wounded it was fit that he should feele the smart of his wounds a while and by wofull experience find that he was not able to help himselfe With this reason d Summ. p. 3. q. 1. art 5. Non decuit à principio humani generis ante peccatum Deum incarnari non enim datur medicina nisi infirmis nec statim post peccatum conveniens fuit Deumincarnari propter conditionem primi peccati quod a superbia pervenerat unde comodo homo erat liberandus ut recognosceret se indigere liberatore Aquinas rested satisfied Secondly if we regard the quality of the Physician For no man sendeth for the greatest Doctour especially if he be farre off before he hath tried others that are neere at hand or the cure grow dangerous if not desperate Before the King commeth himselfe many Embassadours and Noble men are sent Nature and Art observe the like method proceeding from lesse noble to more noble workes from the egge to the chicke from the seed to the fruit from the kernell to the apple from the dawning to the day from childhood to youth and from youth to perfect age The painter in like manner first maketh a rude draught of a face after perfectly pourtrayeth it and last of all casteth beautifull colours upon it the Chirurgian first washeth the wound then poureth in wine to search it and after oile to supple and heale it in like manner the providence of God proceeded in the dispensing the meanes of mans salvation after the twylight of nature and dawning as it were of the day the day starre appeared more obscurely in the publishing of the law but manifestly in Saint John Baptists doctrine and then the Sunne arose in the preaching of the Gospell first God sent Priests and Prophets as messengers then Angels and the Archangell as it were Princes and Peeres of heaven and last of all he sent his Sonne the heire of all things Like a Chirurgian he first cleansed the sores of wounded man by pouring in the wine of the Law after he suppled and healed them by pouring in the oyle of the Gospell first he rough hewed us by Moses and after plained and smoothed us by Christ that we might be as the polished corners of the Temple Thirdly if we regard the state of Judaea which was now most deplorate being destitute both of King and Law-giver for Herod a stranger usurped the Crowne and destroyed the Sanedrim or great Councell they had now no Prophet or Seer to lead them in this time of thickest darknesse now therefore if ever the Messiah must come to set all right Fourthly if we regard the state of the whole world which at this time was most learned and thereby most capable of the doctrine of the Gospell Besides it being reduced to a Monarchy and the parts thereupon holding better correspondency one with the other a greater advantage was given for the dispreading of Christian doctrine through all the Provinces of the Roman Empire 2 Of the yeere of the age As God crowned the age in which our Lord tooke flesh with many remarkeable accidents so also the yeere of that age 1 First Herod this very yeere bereaving the Tribe of Judah of King and Lawgiver utterly abolished their grand Councell and thereby the Prophesie of Jacob was verified that c Gen. 49.10 the Scepter should not depart from Judah nor a Lawgiver from betweene his feet till Shilo come The substance of the Scepter if I may so speake was departed before and this yeere the shadow also remaining hitherto in the Sanedrim which had a kind of sovereign power to make lawes and execute them vanished away now therefore Shilo commeth 2 Secondly Moreover this very yeere Augustus Caesar d Luke 2.1 sent forth a Decree that the whole world should be taxed which was not without a mystery viz. that this yeere the world should be prized and an estimate made thereof when our Lord came into the world to redeeme it Little thought Augustus when he gave order for drawing that Proclamation of drawing Marie to Bethlehem that she might there be delivered according to the prophesie of e Micah 5.2 Micah yet so did Augustus his temporall Decree make way for Gods eternall determination of Christs birth in Bethlehem 3 Thirdly this very yeere the same Emperour shut up the Temple of f Functius in Chron. Janus where all the Roman warlike provision lay and established a peace through the whole world that so the Prince of peace might be borne in the dayes of peace 4 Fourthly this yeere also he enacted a law g Sethus Calvisius ex Dione Cassio De manumissione servorum of setting servants at liberty which might have some reference to the spirituall freedome which h John 8.36 Christ purchased for us whereof hee himselfe saith If the Sonne make you free you shall bee free indeed 5 Fiftly this yeere in a certaine Shop or Inne to be let in Rome a i Plat ex Eutrop paulo diac fountaine of oyle sprang out of the earth and flowed a whole day without intermission Magna taberna fuit tunc emeritoria dicta De qua fons olei fluxerat in Tiberim Which may seeme literally to verifie those words of the Prophet k Esay 10.27 It shall come to passe in that day that his burden shall be taken off thy shoulder and his yoake from off thy necke and the yoake shall be destroyed because of the oyle or annointing 6 Sixtly what should I speake of the falling downe of the Temple of l Magdeburg ex Petro comest Templum pacis corruit Romae ne alibi quam in Messiâ pax quaereretur peace in Rome about this time Might not that be an item that true peace was no where now to bee sought save in Jesus Christ our onely Peace-maker now come into the world to reconcile Heaven and Earth and establish a covenant of grace betweene God and man for ever 7 Seventhly neither is m Calvis
raise up the prostrate and dejected soule Be of good cheere ye that have received the sentence of death in your selves There is no malady of the soule so deadly against which the death of Christ is not a soveraigne remedy there is no sore so great nor so festering which a plaster of Christs bloud will not cleanse and heale if it be thereto applyed by a lively faith Thus as you see I have made of the bruised reed a staffe of comfort for a drouping conscience to stay it selfe upon extend but your patience to the length of the houre and I will make of it a strait rule for your actions and affections Though all the actions of our Saviour are beyond example yet ought they to be examples to us for our imitation and though we can never overtake him yet we ought to follow after him His life is a perfect samplar of all vertues out of which if we ought to take any flower especially this of meeknesse which himselfe hath pricked out for us saying Learne of me that I am meeke and lowly in heart Matth. 11.29 and you shall finde rest to your soules which also hee richly setteth forth with a title of blessednesse over it Matth. 5.5 and a large promise of great possessions by it Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth Matth. 5.7 Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercy Neither is this vertue more acceptable in the sight of God than agreeable to the nature of man Witnesse our sleek and soft skin without scales or roughnesse witnesse our harmlesse members without hornes clawes or stings the offensive weapons of other creatures witnesse our tender and relenting heart apt to receive the least impression of griefe witnesse our moist eyes ready to shed teares upon any sad accident mollissima corda Humano generi dare se natura fatetur Quae lachrymas dedit haec nostri pars optima sensus Shall not grace imprint that vertue in our soules which nature hath expressed in the chiefe members of our bodies and exemplified in the best creatures almost in every kind Even among beasts the tamest and gentlest are the best the master Bee either hath no sting at all or as Aristotle testifieth never useth it The upper region of the ayre is alwaies calme and quiet inferiora fulminant saith Seneca men of baser and inferiour natures are boysterous and tempestuous The superiour spheres move regularly and uniformly and the first mover of them all is slow in his proceedings against rebellious sinners hee was longer in destroying Jericho than in creating the whole world And when Adam and Eve had sinned with a high hand reaching the forbidden fruit and eating it it was the coole of the evening before the voice of the Lord was heard in the garden and the voice that was heard was of God walking not running to verifie those many attributes of God Mercifull gracious long-suffering Exod. 34.6 7. and aboundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sinne Is God mercifull and shall man be cruell is the master meek and milde and shall the servant be fierce and furious shall hee give the Lambe in his Scutchion and they the Lion If hee who ruleth the Nations with a rod of iron and breaketh them in pieces like a potters vessell will not breake the bruised reed shall reeds breake reeds Martial Epigr. The Heathen Poet giving charge to his woodden god to looke to his garden useth this commination See thou looke well to my trees Alioqui ipse lignum es Otherwaies know that thou art wood thy selfe that is fit fuell for the fire Suffer I beseech you the word of exhortation Looke to it that you breake not Christs bruised reeds Alioqui ipsi estis arundines Otherwaies know that you your selves are but reeds and what measure you mete unto others shall be measured unto you againe Stand not too much upon your owne a Sen. de clem l. 1. Nec est quisquam cui tam valde innocentia sua placeat ut non stare in conspectu clementiam paratam humanis erroribus gaudeat innocency and integrity For b August confes l. 13. Vae laudabili vitae hominum si remot â misericordiâ discutias cam Wo be to the commendable life of men if it bee searcht into without mercy and scann'd exactly The Cherubins themselves continually looke towards the Mercy-seat and if we expect mercy at the hands of God or man we must show mercy for there shall be judgement without mercy to him that will shew no mercy which menacing to the unmercifull though it point to the last judgement and then take it's full effect yet to deterre men from this unnaturall sinne against their owne bowels it pleaseth God sometimes in this life to make even reckonings with hard hearted men and void of all compassion As he did with Appius Livius dec 1. of whom Livie reporteth that he was a great oppressor of the liberties of the commons and particularly that hee tooke away all appeales to the people in case of life and death But see how Justice revenged Mercies quarrell upon this unmercifull man soone after this his decree hee being called in question for forcing the wife of Virginius he found all the Bench of Judges against him and was constrained for saving his life to preferre an appeale to the people which was denied him with great shouts and out-cries of all saying Ecce provocat qui provocationem sustulit who sees not the hand of divine Justice herein He is forced to appeale who by barring all appeales in case of life and death was the death of many a man Let his owne measure be returned upon him And as Appius was denied the benefit of appeales whereof he deprived others and immediatly felt the stroke of justice so Eutropius who gave the Emperour counsell to shut up all Sanctuaries against capitall offenders afterwards being pursued himselfe for his life and flying to a Sanctuary for refuge was from thence drawne out by the command of S. Chrysostome and delivered to the ministers of justice who made him feele the smart of his owne pernicious counsell I need the lesse speake for mercy by how much the more wee all need it and therefore I passe from the act to the proper subject of mercy The bruised reed If * Sen. de cle l. 1. Tam omnibus ignoscere crudelitas est quam nulli Jude ver 22. mercy should be shewed unto all men no place would be left for justice therefore St. Jude restraineth mercy to some Of some have compassion making a difference The difference we are to make is of 1. Sinne. 2. Sinners For there are sinnes of ignorance and sinnes against conscience sinnes of infirmity and sinnes of presumption sudden passions and deliberate evill actions light staines and fowle spots some sinnes are secret and private others publike and scandalous some
him Apoc. 1.7 even they that nailed him to the Crosse and pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall mourne before him Yea and Amen then he shall bring or send forth judgement unto victory He brought forth judgement in his life by preaching the Gospel in his owne person and he sent it forth after his death by the ministery of his Apostles and doth still by propagating the Church but hee bringeth not forth judgement unto victory in the Evangelists phrase because this his judgement is much oppressed the light of his truth smoothered the pure doctrine of the Gospel suppressed the greater part of the Kings of the earth and Potentates of this world refusing to submit their scepter to his Crosse and saying as it is in St. Lukes Gospel Luke 17.14 Wee will not have this man to reigne over us but when the sonne of man shall display his banner in the clouds and the winds shall have breathed out their last gaspes and the sea and the waters shall roare when heaven and earth shall make one great bonefire when the stage of this world shall be removed and all the actors in it shall put off their feigned persons and guises and appeare in their owne likenesse when the man of sinne 2 Thes 2.3 8. that exalteth himselfe above all that is called God shall be fully revealed and after consumed with the spirit of Christs mouth and be destroyed by the brightnesse of his comming then he shall suddenly confound the rest of his enemies Atheists Hypocrites Jewes Turkes Idolatrous Gentiles and Heretikes and breake the neckes of all that stubbornly resist him and then the truth shall universally prevaile and victoriously triumph All this variety of descant which you heare is but upon two notes a higher and a lower the humility and the majesty the infirmity and the power the obscurity and the glory the mildnesse and the severity of our Lord and Saviour his humility upon earth his majesty in heaven his infirmities in the dayes of his flesh and his power since hee sitteth at the right hand of his Father the obscurity and privacy of his first comming and solemnity of his second his mildnesse and clemency during the time of grace and mercy and his wrath and severity at the day of Judgement and Vengeance Ecce tibiâ cecinimus vobis Behold out of this Scripture I have piped unto you recording the pleasing notes of our Redeemers mildnesse and mercy who never brake the bruised reed nor quenched the smoaking flaxe now I am to mourne unto you sounding out the dolefull notes of his justice and severity which shall one day bring forth judgement unto victory But before I set to the sad tune pricked before mee in the rules of my Text I am to entreat you to listen a while till I shall have declared unto you the harmony of the Prophet Esay and the Evangelist S. Matthew the rather because there seemeth some dissonancy and jarre between them For in Esay we reade Esay 42.3 Hee shall bring forth judgement unto truth that is give sentence according to truth but in St. Matthew He shall send forth judgement unto victory which importeth somewhat more than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. that the judgement he shall send forth viam inveniet aut faciet shall either finde way or force it take place or make place no man or divell being able to withstand it Besides this discord in their notes there is a sweet straine in the Prophet he shall not faile Verse 4. nor bee discouraged till hee have set judgement on the earth left out in the Evangelist To the first exception the Jesuit Maldonat saith that the Syriack word signifieth both truth and victory and that Saint Matthew wrote not in pure Hebrew but in the Hebrew then currant which was somewhat alloyed and embased with other languages which if it were granted unto him as it is not by those who defend that the Greeke in the New Testament is the originall yet the breach is not fully made up For still the originall Hebrew in Esay and the Greeke in Saint Matthew which hath been ever held authenticall are at odds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Hebrew signifying truth and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Greeke signifying victory and not truth I grant the truth of Christ is most victorious and hath subdued all the false gods of the Heathen as the Arke laid Dagon on his face and the rod of Aaron devoured all the rods of the Magicians yet truth and victory are not all one A weake Judge may bring forth judgement unto truth yet not unto victory as on the contrary a potent and corrupt Judge may bring forth judgement unto victory yet not unto truth Tully in a bad cause prevailed against Oppianicus by casting dust in the Judges eyes And Aeschines prevailed not against Ctesiphon in a good cause Right is often overcome by might and sometimes by the sleight of a cunning Advocate for the false part To the second objection Beza answereth that these words that hee will not faile nor be discouraged till he hath set judgement on the earth were anciently in St. Matthew but of late through the carelesnesse of some transcriber from whose copy ours were drawne are left out But sith this Verse is wanting in all the copies of Saint Matthew now extant neither can Beza bring good proofe of any one in which this Verse was ever found it is not safe to lay any such imputation upon the first transcribers of St. Matthewes Gospel whereby a gap may be opened to Infidels and Heretickes to cavell at the impeachable authority of the holy Scriptures in the originall languages A safe and easie way to winde out of these perplexed difficulties is to acknowledge that the Evangelist who wrote by the same spirit wherewith the Prophet Esay was inspired tyed nor himselfe precisely to the Prophets words but fitteth the Prophets sense to his owne purpose and what the Prophet delivered in two Verses he contracteth into one For what is hee shall bring forth judgement unto truth and he shall not faint nor be discouraged till hee hath done it but that he shall doe it effectually and powerfully and what is that but he shall send forth judgement unto victory Hee shall send forth Cal. in Mat. 1. Hoc verbum educere quo utitur Propheta significat officium Christi esse Regnum Dei quod tum inclusum erat in angulo Judeae propagare in totum orbem This phrase reacheth forth unto us a twofold observation the first touching the extent the second touching the freedome of this judgement here spoken of By judgement is here meant the Kingdome of Christ which must not bee confined to Jury nor bounded within the pale of Palaestine but hee sent forth that is propagated and spread over the whole world according to the prophecy of the Psalmist a Psal 110.2 The Lord shall send a rod of thy strength out
Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastours and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ Ver. 12. Till wee all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ Till all the Elect be come God ceaseth not to call by the ministery of the word and none may call without a calling to call Needs must there be therefore a settled order in the Church for the calling of those to the ministery of the word sacraments who are to call others by their ministery This constant ordination of a succession in the Church some make a royalty of Christ or an appendant to his princely function for it is for Kings to set men in authority under them in the affaires of the Kingdome Others annexe it to his priesthood because the high Priest was to consecrate inferiour Priests A third sort will have it a branch of his propheticall office because Prophets were to anoint Prophets All these reasons are concludent but none of them excludent For the entire truth in which these three opinions have an equall share is that the establishing the ministery of the Gospell and furnishing the Church with able Pastours hath a dependance on all three offices 1 On the Kingly in respect of heavenly power 2 On the Priestly in respect of sacred order 3 On the Propheticall in respect of ministeriall gifts Each of Christs offices deliver into our hands as it were a key 1. Clavem Coeli 2. Clavem Sanctuarii or Templi 3. Clavem sacrae Scripturae 1. His Kingly office conferreth on us the key of heaven to open and shut it 2. His Priestly the key of the Temple to enter into it and administer holy things 3. His Propheticall the key of holy Scripture to open the meaning thereof Thus you see ordinem ordinis an order for holy orders you heare who is the founder of our religious order and whose keyes we keepe Which consideration as it much improveth the dignity of our calling so it reproveth their indignity who walke not agreeable thereunto A scar in the face is a greater deformity than a wound or sore in any other part of the body such is the eminency of our calling beloved brethren that our spots can no more be hid than the spots in the Moone nay that it maketh every spot in us a staine every blemish a scar every pricke a wound every drop of Inke a blot every trip a fall every fault a crime If we defile Christs priesthood with an impure life we do worse than those his professed enemies who spit on his face If we foule and black with giving and receiving the wages of unrighteousnes those hands wherwith we deliver the price of mans redemption in the blessed Sacraments we more wrong our Saviour than those who pierced his sacred hands with nailes If we in these holy Mounts of God wherein we should presse the purest liquor out of the grapes of the Vines of Engaddi vent our owne spleene and malice what doe we else than offer to Christ againe vinegar and gall If we Christs meniall and domesticall servants turne m Rom. 12.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as some copies mis-read and serve the time instead of serving the Lord. If we preach our selves and not Christ crucified if we beare the world in hand to wooe for our master but indeed speake for our selves if we use the staires of the Pulpit as steps only to our preferment if we heare our Lord and Master highly dishonoured and dissemble it if we see the Sea of Rome continually to eat into the bankes of our Church and never goe about to make up the breaches if that should ever fall out which a sweet sounding Cymball sometimes tinckled into the eares of the Pope that n Bernard de considerat ad Eugen Multi necessarii multi adversarii non Doctores sed Seductores non Praelati sed Pilati the greatest enemies of Christ should be those of his owne house if Pastours turne Impostours if Doctours Seductours if Prelates Pilates if Ministers of Christ servants of Antichrist either by silence to give way or by smoothing Romish tenets to make way for Popery no marvaile then if judgement begin at the house of God as it did in the siege at Jerusalem with the slaughter of Ananus the high Priest no marvaile if God suffer sacriledge to rob the Church of her maintenance almost in all places when the Church her selfe is guilty of worse sacriledge by robbing God of his worship and service But on the contrarie if as Ambassadours for Christ we deliver our message faithfully and roundly if we seeke not our owne but the things that are Jesus Christs if we esteeme not our preferments no nor our lives deere unto us in comparison of our Masters honour if we preach Christ crucified in our lives as well as in our sermons if in our good name we are the sweet smelling favour of God as well as in our doctrine we may then Christi nomine in Christs stead challenge audience yea and reverence too from the greatest powers upon earth whatsoever State-flies buzze to the contrary For as he that o Luke 10.16 despiseth Christs ministers despiseth him so he that p Mat. 10.40 receiveth him receiveth them also No man who honoureth the Prince can dis-esteeme his Ambassadours If Scribes and Pharisees must be heard because they teach in Moses chaire how much more Saith St. Chrysostome may they command our attention who sit in Christs chaire The same Apostle who chargeth every soule to be q Rom. 13.1.4 subject to the higher powers who beare not the sword in vaine as strictly requireth the faithfull to r Heb. 13.17 obey them that have the rule over them in the Lord and submit unto them for they watch saith he for your soules as they that must give account that they may doe it with joy and not with griefe for that is unprofitable for you Therefore ſ Sym. epist ad Anast Defer Deo in nobis nos Deo in te Symmachus kept within compasse when he thus spake to Anastasius the Emperour Acknowledge God in us and we will acknowledge him in thee Deus est in utroque parente we hold from Christ as you from God as we submit ourselves to Gods sword in your hands so you ought to obey Christs word in our mouthes And so I passe from the person consecrating to the persons consecrated He breathed on them and said receive ye the holy Ghost The holy Martyr St. t Cypr. de unita Eccles Apostolis omnibus post resurrectionem suam parem potestatem tribuit dicit sicut misit me pater ego mitto vos accipite Spiritum sanctum si cui remiseritis peccata remittentur ei c. Hoc
downe like a cord or finew and within a few months reacheth the ground which it no sooner toucheth than it taketh root and maketh it selfe a tree and that likewise another and that likewise a third and so forward till they over-runne the whole grove To draw nearer to you my Lord to bee consecrated and so to an end This scripture is part of the Gospell appointed for the Sunday after Easter knowne to the Latine Church by the name of Dominica in albis Which Lords day though in the slower motion of time in our Calendar is not yet come yet according to exact computation this Sunday is Dominica in albis and if you either respect the reverend presence Candidantium or Candidandi or the sacred order of Investiture now to be performed let your eyes be judges whether it may not truely be termed Dominica in albis a Sunday in whites The text it selfe as before in the retexture thereof I shewed is the prototypon or original of all consecrations properly so called For howsoever these words may bee used and are also in the ordination of Priests because they also receive the holy Ghost that is spirituall power and authority yet they receive it not so amply and fully nor without some limitation sith ordination and excommunication have bin ever appropriated and reserved to Bishops And it is to be noted that the Apostles long before this were sent by Christ to preach and baptize and therefore they were not now ordained Priests but consecrated Bishops as Saint c Greg. in Evan. Horum nunc in ecclesiâ Episcopi locum tenent qui gradum regiminis sortiuntur grandis honor sed grave pondus est istius honoris Gregory saith expressely in his illustration of these words Receive the holy Ghost whose sinnes yee remit c. Now Bishops who fit at the sterne of the Church hold the place of those to whom Christ gave here the ghostly power of forgiving sinnes a great honour indeed but a great charge withall and a heavie burden so ponderous in Saint Barnards judgement that it needs the shoulders of an Angell to beare it The Apostles had made good proofe of their faithfulnesse in the ministry of the Word and Sacraments before Christ lifted them up to this higher staire as likewise the venerable Personage now to bee taken up into that ranke hath done For more than thirty yeeres hee hath shined as a starre in the firmament of our Church and now by the primus motor in our heaven is designed to bee an Angell or to speake in the phrase of the Peripatetickes an Intelligence to guide the motion of one of our Spheres Which though it be one of the least his Episcopall dignity is no whit diminished thereby In Saint d Hiero. ad Evag Omnis Episcopus sive Romae sive Eugubii aequalis est meriti Hieromes account every Bishop be his Diocesse great or small is equally a Bishop Episcopatus non suscipit magis minus one Bishop may be richer than another or learneder but hee cannot bee more a Bishop Therefore howsoever e Basil epist 31. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nazianzen tooke it unkindly at Saint Basils hands after hee was advanced to the Metropolitical See of Cappadocia and had many good Bishopricks in his gift that he put him upon one of the meanest being ill situated and of small revenue telling him flatly that he gained nothing by his friendship but this lesson not to trust a friend yet it never troubled great Austine that obscure Aurelius worked himselfe into the great and famous Archbishopricke of Carthage whilest this eminent light of the Church stucke all his life at poore Hippo for hee well remembred the words of our Lord and Master f Matth. 25.21 Be thou faithfull in a little and I will set thee over much Suffer I beseech you a word of exhortation and but a word Be faithfull to your Master seeke not your owne but the things that are Jesus Christs It is not sufficient in Nazianzens judgement for a Bishop not to be soyled with the dust of covetousnesse or any other vice g Nazian orat 1 de fuga in pont Privati quidem hominis vitium esse existimet turpia supplicioque digna perpetrare praefecti autem vel antistitis non quam optimum esse he must shine in vertue and if hee bee not much better than other men h Idem orat 20. Antistes improbitatis notam effugere non potest nisi multum antecellat hee is no good Bishop Wherefore as it was said at the creation of the Romane Consul praesta nomen tuum thou art made Consul make good thy name consule reipublicae So give mee leave in this day of your consecration to use a like forme of words to you my Lord Elect Episcopus es praesta nomen tuum you are now to be made a Bishop an Overseer of the Lords flocke make good your name looke over your whole Diocesse observe not onely the sheepe but the Pastors not only those that are lyable to your authority jurisdiction but those also who execute it under you Have an eye to your eyes and hold a strict hand over your hands I meane your officials collectors and receivers and if your eye cause you to offend plucke it out and if your hand cut it off Let it never bee said by any of your Diocesse that they are the better in health for your not visiting them as the i Eras apoth Eò melius habeo quod te medico non utor Lacedemonian Pausanias answered an unskilfull Physician that asked him how hee did the better quoth he because I take none of your Physick Imprint these words alwayes in your heart which give you your indeleble character consider whose spirit you receive by imposition of hands and the Lord give you right understanding in all things it is the spirit of Jesus Christ he breathed and said receive the holy Spirit This spirit of Jesus Christ is 1 The spirit of zeale Joh. 2.17 Bee you not cold in Gods cause whip out buyers and sellers out of the Church 2 The spirit of discretion Joh. 10.14 I am the good shepheard and know my sheepe and am knowne of them Know them well whom you trust with the mysteries of salvation to whom you commit those soules which God hath purchased with his owne blood lay not hands rashly upon any for if the k Matth. 6.23 light be darkenesse how great will the darkenesse be If in giving holy orders and imposition of hands there be a confusion hand over head how great will the confusion be in the Church 3 The spirit of meeknesse Matth. 11.29 Learne of me that I am meek breake not a bruised reede nor quench the smoaking flaxe sis bonus O foelixque tuis be good especially to those of your own calling Take not l Histor Aug. in Aureliano Aurelian for your patterne whose souldiers more feared him than the enemy
about it or if musicall termes sound sweeter in your eares here is 1 Planus cantus or the ground Christ 2 Discantus or the division is become the first fruits of them that slept The notes in the descant must answer those in the planus cantus so they doe here The first fruits to Christ Is become to is risen Them that slept to the dead The ditty hath three parts or sentences 1 The doctrine of resurrection is certaine for Christ is risen 2 The prerogative of Christ is singular is become the first fruits 3 The condition of the dead is happy they are them that slept and rest now from their labours Now seemeth here to have more of the Conjunction than of the Adverbe and to bee rather a particle of connexion than a note of time For Christ was not newly risen when Saint Paul wrote this Epistle but many yeeres before The proper and precise Now of Christs resurrection when hee might have beene said to bee now or new risen was the third day after his passion being the first day of the weeke Whence I observe the agreement of the time with the truth not in substance onely but in circumstance also The types were the Paschall Lambe and the first fruits Now as Christ our passover was slayne the very day in which the Paschall Lambe was to bee killed so hee being also the first fruits ver 23. rose againe the very day in which the first fruits were by the law to bee offered Saint r Bern serm in domin Pasch Bernard a little varieth the note yet maketh good harmony On the sixth day on which hee made man hee redeemed him the next day being the Jewish sabbath hee kept his sabbath rest in the grave the third day which was the first of the weeke-dayes he appeared The first fruits of them that slept Of which day I neede say no more to kindle your devotions and stirre up your religious affections than ſ Serm. de resur Maximus Taurinensis hath long ago in his meditations piously ejaculated A blessed day first discovering unto us the light not of this world but of the world to come farre happier than that day in which man first saw the light of the sunne For on that day man was made to travell on this day to rest on that day hee was sentenced to death on this day freed from feare of death on that day the sunne arose upon the just and unjust this day the sunne of righteousnesse rose onely upon the just illius diei splendor etiam sepulchra illuminat that day shined only upon the living this also upon the dead as it is written Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Christ u l. 4. divin instit Lactantius interpreteth the King Unctus nomen est imperii anointed is the name of soveraigne majesty Saint * Tract 2. in Johan Christus sacramenti nomen est quomodo si dicatur sacerdos Austine expoundeth it a Priest others a Prophet for Prophets were also anointed Saint Bernard alluding to this name maketh Christ a tender Chirurgian curing our wounds non ustione sed unctione not by lancing or searing but by anointing and plastering The Heathen in Tertullians time expounded it x Tertul in apologet bonum benignum good and bountifull ne sic quidem malè and not amisse saith hee if wee regard the sense and application of that attribute to our Saviour For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 kinde and gracious and profitable to man because y Phil. 1.21 in life and death advantage but amisse if wee respect the derivation For Christ is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ungo and answereth to the Hebrew Messias of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying to anoint and peculiarly it designeth the Sonne of God and Saviour of the world For albeit others were anointed besides Christ and called the Lords anointed yet Christ alone was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Christ 1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In verity 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 After a singular manner 1 In verity or truth for all Kings Priests that were anointed before him were but types of him and that in part how holy soever they were hee is the onely true Christ anointed and appointed by God to save lost man 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 According to excellency or after a singular manner he is the Christ 1 Others were anointed by men he immediatly by God z Psal 45.7 God even thy God hath anointed thee 2 They with a lesse measure of graces he with a greater incomparably greater with oyle of gladnesse above thy fellowes 3 They to beare one office or two at the most he to beare three Melchisedech was a King and a Priest but no Prophet Samuel a Prophet and a Priest but no King David a King and a Prophet but no Priest Christ was all three a Priestly King as Melchisedeck a Kingly Prophet as David and a Propheticall Priest as Samuel I conceive the Apostle here made choice of this name Christ above others because it best fitted his purpose and implyed some cause of his resurrection For as anointing or embalming dead corpses keeps them from putrefying so Christ by the divine unction was preserved from corrupting in the grave because there was no corruption in his soule his body could not corrupt or at least God would not suffer it as the Prophet speaketh * Psal 16.10 thou wilt not suffer thy holy One to see corruption Now if his body must not bee left nor corrupt in the grave because it was a Act. 2.24 impossible for him to be held with the sorrowes of death he must undoubtedly have risen againe as it followeth Is risen In the originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 raysed viz. by the right hand of his Father elsewhere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee is risen of himselfe neither is there yet any contradiction For the Father and the Sonne are one in nature and consequently the power of the Father who is God is the power of the Sonne who is one God with him Id resurgit quod prius cecidit that is properly said to bee raised or rise againe which before fell and that is the body which is therefore called in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in latine cadaver a cado Christs resurrection then or resuscitation from the dead must bee the enliving his dead corps and lifting it up and bringing it up out of the darke sepulchre into the light which is a kinde of second birth and not unlike to his first For as that was his proceeding out of the Virgins wombe so this was out of a Virgin tombe the difference was onely in this as b Petrus Chrysolog serm pasch de resur ser 14. Chrysologus acutely hath observed the wombe
eare-pleasing Madrigals and Fancies but the strong and loud voice of Cryers to call all men into the Court and summon them to the barre of Christs judgement hee that promiseth his Apostles and their successors to give them a b Luk. 21.15 I will give you a mouth c. mouth hath given mee at this time both the mouth and the Motto the Motto of the embleme viz. the words of my text Zelus domus tuae devoravit me In the uttering whereof if ever now I need to pray that the Lord would c Esay 6.7 touch my tongue with a coale from his altar with a coale that I may speake warmely of zeale with a coale from the altar that I may discourse holily of his Temple Saint d Homil. 3. Utinam daretur mihi de superno altare non carbo unus sed globus igneus offeratur qui multam inveteratam rubiginem possit excoquere Bernard made the like prayer upon the like occasion O saith hee that there were given unto mee from the altar above not one coale but rather a fiery globe a heape of coales to scorch the abuses of the time and burne out the inveterate rust of vitious customes By the light of these coales you may behold in this Scripture 1 In David as the type Christ 2 In Christ as the mirrour of perfection zeale 3 In zeale as a fire 1 The flame 2 The fuel The flame vehement consuming or devouring devoravit The fuel sacred me mee No divine vertues or graces like to Christs affection No affection in him like to his zeale No zeale like to that which hee bare or rather wherewith hee was transported to his Fathers house which even eat him up and may deservedly take up this golden moment of our most pretious time May it please you therefore Right c. to suffer your religious eares to bee bored at this present with these sacred nayles or points which I humbly pray the holy Spirit to fasten in your hearts 1 The vertue or affection it selfe zeale 2 The object of this affection thy house 3 The effect of this object hath eaten up 4 The subject of this effect mee 1 In figure David 2 In truth Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and who is sufficient for these things or able worthily to treat of 1 An affection most ardent zeale 2 A place most sacred thine house 3 An effect most powerfull hath eaten up 4 A person most divine mee Zeale is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to burne or hizze as water cast on metall melted and it signifieth a hot or burning desire an ardent affection and sometimes it is taken 1 For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or emulation which is a commendable desire of attaining unto anothers vertue or fame 2 For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 envie which is a vitious affection repining at anothers fame or fortune 3 For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jealousie which is an irkesome passion arising from love wronged at least in opinion And no other fire wee finde on natures forge or the Philosophers hearth but on Gods altar there burneth another manner of fire fed with pure fuell which like a waxe light or taper yeeldeth both a cleare flame and a sweet fume and this is holy zeale All things that are cast into the fire make a smell but the burning of sweet odors onely makes a perfume so the hot and fervent 1 Desire of 2 Intention in 3 Affection to the best things onely is zeale Fire is the noblest of all the elements and seated next to the heavens so zeale sparkling in the soule is the chiefe and most heavenly of all spirituall affections Some define it to bee the fervour intention excellency or improvement of them all Heat 1 In e Rom. 12.11 Ferâ—ent in spirit devotion if it exceed becommeth zeale 2 In f Col. 4.13 affection if it be improved groweth to be zeale 3 In g 1 Cor. 14.12 desire of spirituall gifts if it bee ardent is zeale 4 In h 1 Cor. 7.11 indignation or revenge of our selves if it bee vehement is called by the Apostle zeale Fervent devotion ardent love earnest desire vehement indignation all are zeale or rather are all zeale for there is a 1 Zeale of good things which maketh us zealous of Gods gifts 2 Zeale in good things which maketh us zealous in Gods service 3 Zeale for good things which maketh us zealous for Gods glory And answerable to the three operations of fire which are to heat to burne to consume 1 The first heateth us by kindling a desire of grace 2 The second burneth by enflaming our hearts with the love of God 3 The third consumeth by drying up the heart absuming the spirits with griefe and hazzarding our persons and estates in removing scandals and reforming abuses and profanations of God his name house or worship as also revenging wrongs done to his houshold and servants In summe zeale is a divine grace grounded upon the knowledge of Gods word which according to the direction of spirituall wisedome quickeneth and enflameth all the desires and affections of the soule in the right worship of the true God and vehemently and constantly stirreth them up to the preserving advancing and vindicating his honour by all lawfull meanes within the compasse of our calling Rectum sui est judex obliqui If you set a streight line or rule to a crooked figure or body it will discover all the obliquities in it Hang up an artificiall patterne by an unskilfull draught and it will shew all the disproportions and deformities in it Wherefore Aristotle giveth this for a certaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or character of a true definition to notifie and discover all the errors that are or may be devised about the nature of the thing defined which are in this present subject wee treat of sundry and manifold For as when there is publicke notice given of a ring found with a rich stone set in it every one almost that ever was owner of a ring like unto it especially if his owne bee lost challengeth it for his so all in whose temper affections or actions any naturall or spirituall divine or diabolicall heavenly earthly or hellish fire gloweth challengeth the pretious coale or carbuncle of zeale to bee theirs The Cholericke and furious the quarrelsome and contentious the malicious and envious the jealous and suspicious the Idolatrous and superstitious the indiscreet and preposterous the proud selfe-admirer the sacrilegious Church-robber the presumptuous and exorbitant zealot nay the seditious boutefieu and incendiary all pretend to zeale But all these claimers and many more besides are disproved and disclaimed by the true definition of zeale which is first a grace and that distinct from other not more graces or a compound of love and anger as some teach or of love and indignation as others for the graces of the spirit and vertues of the minde are incoincident As
Jud. 5.23 Curse ye Meros curse yee bitterly the inhabitants thereof because they came not to the helpe of the Lord against the mighty accurseth all those in the name of Meros that refuse to come in their best equipage to aide the Lord against the mighty r Magdeburg Cent. 5. Pomp. Laetus compend hist Rom. Anastasius the Emperour for his luke-warmnesse in the Catholicke cause and endevouring to reconcile the Arrians and Orthodoxe or at least silence those differences was strucken to death with a hot thunder-bolt No Sacrifice is acceptable to God that is not salted with the fire of zeale which guided by wisedome quickneth and enflameth all the inward desires as well as the outward actions that appertaine to religion for the chiefe seat of zeale is the fountaine of heat and that is the heart there it ſ Psal 45.1 bubbled in David there it t Luk. 24.32 Did not our hearts burne when hee opened to us c. burned in the disciples it u Psal 22.15 My heart is dried c. consumed and dryed up the very substance of the heart in Christ If our zeale burne not inwardly as well as outwardly as well upwards towards God as downewards towards the world if it enflame not our charity as well as incense our piety if the heat of it bee cooled by age or slacked by opposition or extinguished even by floods of bloody persecution it is no true Vestall fire nor such as becommeth Gods altar for that might never this did never go out sincerity it selfe is not so opposite to hypocrisie as zeale Sincerity without zeale is a true but a cold and faint-hearted zeale is an eager fierce hot and couragious enemy of all hypocrites whom shee brandeth with an eternall note of infamy But because all fires are in a manner alike to the eye how should wee know holy fire from prophane heavenly from earthly that is zeale from enraged hypocrisie pretending with Jehu that hee is zealous for the Lord of hostes I answer as a precious Diamond is valued by three things 1 Inward lustre 2 Number of caracts 3 Solidity of substance and thereby is distinguished both from counterfeit gemmes and those that are of lesse value so true zeale is distinguished from hypocriticall by 1 Sincerity 2 Integrity 3 Constancy all which notes are discernable in holy * Psal 119.2 Davids zeale 1 Sincerity I have loved thy testimonies with my heart ver 6. yea my whole heart 2 Integrity I have had respect unto all thy commandements ver 34. all false wayes I abhorre 3 Constancy I have kept thy lawes unto the end ver 44. When the face and hands and outward parts burne as in a feaver the heart is so cold that it quaketh and shivereth so it is with the hypocrite his tongue alwayes and his hands too sometimes burne x Persius satyr Sed pone in pectore dextram Nil calet If you could put your hand into his bowels you should finde his heart like Nabals as cold as a stone True zeale if it bee transported it is in private devotion to God si insanimus Deo insanimus in outward carriage towards men it proceeds resolutely indeed and undauntedly but yet deliberately and discreetly it burneth within most ardently it scarce ever flameth or sparkleth outwardly like those bathes in the Pythecusian Ilands whereof y Balnea in Pythecusiis insulis fervent supra modum calore vi igneâ nec tamen flammam emittunt Vide Aristot mirabilium auscult Aristotle writeth that they are hot above measure and of a fiery nature yet send forth no flame Secondly as insincerity discries the hypocrite so also want of integrity Take the hypocrite that maketh the fairest offer to zeale though hee outstrippe some it may bee in some works of piety and duties of the first Table you shall take him tardy in most acts of charity and duties of the second Table Peradventure he will slay smaller sinnes with the sword of the Spirit like the meanest of the Amalekites but hee will spare Agag and the principall his gainefull sinnes of simony sacriledge usury and oppression hee is never Totus teres atque rotundas Goe he as upright as hee can you shall perceive him to limpe and halt with God or man or both If the point of controversie in the Church no way touch his free-hold hee takes it no more to heart than z Act. 18.17 Gallio did the uproare about Saint Pauls preaching then difference about articles of faith are but contentions about words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but if it rubbe upon his profit or credit with his owne faction then hee never leaveth crying out great is a Act. 19.28 Diana of the Ephesians You may finde an hypocrite zealous against Idolatry but you shall finde him very moderate against sacriledge if he have a moneths minde to Rome he will stickle for the authority of the Church but the scripture is very cheape to him hee will deliver prayers by tale to God the blessed Virgin and Saints but for Sermons hee holds it a kinde of merit to heare few of those of his owne sect and none of any other On the contrary if hee hath beene brought up at the feete of Cartwright or Brown then he is all for Scriptures and nothing at all for the Church all for preaching and nothing for prayer unlesse it be an abortive issue of hi◠owne brain an extemporary indigested incomposed inconsequent ejaculation in which he is never out because he is never in As for the premeditated penned advised and sanctified forme of Service appointed by the Church it is to him like the white of an egge that hath no tast in it But the most certain and infallible character of an hypocrite and his zeale is the soon cooling and abating thereof and in the end evaporating into ayre like a blazing starre he glareth for a time but in a short space playes least in sight like fire-works of danke powder hee never leaves shooting off on these and the like watch-towers whilest his matter lasteth but when that is spent goeth out in a fume or stench True beauty beareth off all weathers but paint is washed off with a shower or discovered by the fire Saint Basil's embleme was columna ignea a fiery pillar fiery there 's his zeale a pillar there 's his constancy I doubt whether nature can present such a stone as the name Asbestus in the original signifieth that is a stone of fire that nothing can extinguish but I am sure grace can and that is this jewell of zeale I have beene so long in describing for it burneth alwayes in the heart and can never be quenched I would bee loath to be thought to goe about to quench the smoaking flaxe or discourage any man in whom there is a sparke of this fire covered with ashes yet I should deceive them or suffer them to be mis-led with an ignis fatuus if I should
the Indians and in some countryes themselves as among the Americans yet for all this their throwing themselves into or causing others to passe through the fire to their Moloch or Saturne or Abaddon they are not to bee accounted zealously affected in religion because what they doe in this kinde is not done by Gods commandement nor intended to his honour but in obedience and to the honour of an Idoll or Devill whom they worship in stead of the true God 3 The Jesuite or Jesuited Romanist is a kinde of zealot for hee will compasse sea and land to make a proselyte hee will sticke at nothing for the advantage of the catholike cause no not the sticking or stabbing of Kings and Princes his zeale is so hot that it will kindle a fire to blow up whole Parliaments for an Holocaust to the Romane Moloch yet is hee not zealous because hee is hot and fervent not for Christ but for Antichrist and hee useth not sanctified but execrable and damnable meanes to promote the catholike cause as he termeth it and enlarge the territories of the Man of sinne The last condition of true zeale is that it keepe within the walke of mens speciall calling which they who confound for the most part bring confusion upon themselves as did King Uzziah who would bee thought out of zeale to burne incense unto the Lord but because hee tooke upon him to doe that which i 2 Chron. 26.18 appertained not to him but to the Priests of the Lord the sonnes of Aaron that were consecrated thereunto his incense stanke in the nostrils of God ver 19. and himselfe also for a leprosie rose up in his forehead before the Priests in the house of the Lord from beside the incense altar and Azariah the chiefe Priest thrust him out of the Temple ver 20. yea himselfe hasted also to goe out because the Lord had smitten him Nothing is more necessary or usefull than fire if it bee kept within the furnace oven or tunnell of the chimney yea or within the barrell of the piece and from thence orderly issue out but nothing so dangerous if it bee not contained within the hearth or breake out of it selfe and flye abroad so nothing is more commendable or profitable than well guided nothing more incommodious and perillous than exorbitant zeale when the Prince medleth with the censer or the Priest with the scepter when private men take the sword out of the Magistrates hand or the Magistrate mis-applyeth the publike sword of justice to revenge his private wrongs Thus have I at length defined zeale and confined it within the limits of every mans lawfull and speciall calling Which limits shall be the bounds of my speech and your attention at this present The best k Plin. nat hist l. 12. c. ult Optimum quod est odoratissimum è semine ac maximum ponderosissimum moâ—dens in gustu est fervensque in ore balsamum and most soveraigne is that which is biting in the taste and burning in the mouth such have beene the observations upon this text biting in the taste and hot in the mouth God grant that like true balsamum they may prove a savour of life unto life to all that have heard me this day I am come with our Saviours Commission to put fire among you and what is my desire but that forthwith it be kindled to purge out all your drosse to purifie the sons of Levi like l Mal. 3.2 silver to burne up all hay and stubble built upon the foundation of our most holy faith and lastly to consume all our spirituall sacrifices But non opis est nostrae non opus est nostrum alas it is not my breath will doe it it must bee the blast of Gods holy Spirit that can first kindle and after keepe this sacred fire in the hearth of our hearts To him therefore who descended in the m Act. 2.3 similitude of fiery cloven tongues let us lift up our hearts hands and voices beseeching him to tind and preserve this spirituall fire in our 1 Hearts 2 Eares 3 Tongues 4 Hands that wee may bee zealously affected to Godward in meditating on him in hearing from him in praying to him in doing and suffering for him To knit up all in a word His grace make us sincerely entirely discreetly and constantly zealous 1 Of his gifts 2 In his service 3 For his honour to whom bee ascribed all honour glory c. THE SEASONING OF ALL SPIRITUALL SACRIFICES OR The Salters Text. A Sermon preached before the Company of the Salters at S. Maries Church in Bread-street THE FIFTEENTH SERMON MARKE 9.49 For every one shall bee salted with fire and every sacrifice shall bee salted with salt Right Honourable Right Worshipfull c. THat I may not entertaine your religious attention with a cold or unseasonable discourse I have made choice of a text wherein I finde both fire and salt fire to heat it and salt to season it And if any parcell of Scripture may be appropriated to any of the Worshipfull Societies or Companies of this Honourable City certainly you may challenge a peculiar interest in this For here is both salt and salting from whence you take your name both of men sacrifices The best of all creatures on earth are men and the best of all gifts of men are sacrifices both are made savory and acceptable to God by seasoning they with fire these with salt In relation to the former me thinks as Christ said to Andrew and Peter a Matth. 4.19 Follow me I will make you fishers of men so I heare the holy spirit say to mee Observe this text well and apply it and I will make thee a salter of men for every man must bee salted with fire and as it followeth Every sacrifice must bee salted with salt b Lev. 2.13 Every oblaâ—ion of the meat offering shalt thou season with salt neither shalt thou suffer the covenant of thy God to bee lacking from thy meat offering With all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt saith Moses from God Every sacrifice shall bee salted with salt saith Christ from Moses whose drift in this place is somewhat obscure because the sense is covered under the vaile of an Allegory which wee cannot draw without looking up higher into the chapter and touching upon the precedent verses Wherein our Lord threatneth unquenchable fire and an immortall worme to all that for want of the fire of zeale grow cold in religion and for lacke of the salt of grace putrefie in their sins If saith he that person or thing that causes thee to offend either in want of courage for God or of zeale and Christian resolution against thy bosome sinnes and naturall corruptions bee as deare to thee as thine eye or as necessary as thy right hand part with them thou must if it be an eye plucke it out if an hand cut it off and cast it away from thee better
of the 81. Psalme If Israel would have walked in my waies c. that is if you will yeeld to mee and acknowledge mee for your Lord and accept of my lawes I will take the protection of you against all your bodily and ghostly enemies I will secure you from all danger enrich you with grace give you all the contentment you desire upon earth and preferre you to a crowne of glory in heaven Can you desire fairer conditions than these know yee who it is that tendereth them he is your Lord and Maker who need not condition with you that which hee meekly craves he could powerfully force you unto hee sueth for that by entreaty which hee may challenge by right all that hee requireth on our part is but our bounden duty and his desire is that we should bind him to us for doing that service which wee are bound to doe Was there ever such a creditour heard of that would come in bonds for his owne debt and become a debtour to his debtour Saint r Aug l 5. confes c. 9. Dignaris quoniam in seculum misericordia tua est iis quibus omnia debita dimittis promissionibus tuis debitor fieri Austin could not hold when he fell upon this meditation but breaketh out into a passion Thou vouchsafest O Lord by thy promises to become debtour to them to whom thou remittest all debts What happinesse what honour is it to have Almighty God come in bonds to us I beseech you thinke what they deserve who set light by so great a favour and refuse such love Application Now God maketh as it were love to us and in dolefull Sonnets complaines of our unkindnesse O that my people would have hearkened to my voice c. To which his amorous expostulations if wee now turne a deafe eare the time will come when wee shall take up the words of God in our owne persons and with hearts griefe and sorrow say O that we had hearkened to the Lord O that we had walked in his wayes then should we have seen the felicity of his chosen and rejoyced with the joy of his people and gloried with his inheritance but now wee behold nothing but the misery of his enemies and are confounded with the shame of reprobates and suffer the torments of the damned and shall till wee have satisfied to the utmost farthing Now God wooeth us with deepest protestations of love and largest promises of celestiall graces which if we make light of it will one day fall heavie upon us The sweetest wine corrupteth into the sharpest vinegar and the most fragrant oyntments if they putrefie exhale most pestilent savours and greatest love if it be wronged turneth into the greatest hatred Now God as a lover passionately wooeth us but if wee sleighten him and despise his kinde offers he will change his note and turne his wooe into a woe as we heare ſ Hos 7.13 Woe be unto them for they have fled away from mee destruction shall be unto them because they have rebelled against mee though I have redeemed them yet they have spoken lyes against mee After the clearest flash of lightening followeth the terriblest clap of thunder in like maner after Gods mercy in Scripture hath for a long time lightened most clearly shewed it selfe to any people or nation his justice thundereth out most dreadfull threats For example after Gods familiar disputation with his Vineyard t Esay 5.1 2 3 4. My beloved had a vineyard in a very fruitfull hill and hee fenced it and gathered out the stones thereof and planted it with the choicest vine and built a tower in the midst of it and also made a wine-presse therein and he looked that it should bring forth grapes and it brought forth wilde grapes And now O inhabitants of Jerusalem men of Judah judge I pray you between me my Vineyard what could I have done more to my Vineyard that I have not done c. mark the fearfull conclusion Verse 5. I will tell you what I will do to my Vineyard I will take away the hedge thereof it shall he eaten up I will breake downe the wall thereof and it shall be troden downe And what ensued upon our Saviours teares over Jerusalem which would not sinke into their stony hearts but the bloudy tragedy which was acted upon them 40. yeeres after by the Romans who spared neither the annointed head of the Priest nor the hoary head of the aged nor the weaker sexe of women nor the tender age of infants but put all to the sword sacked the walls rifled the houses burned the Temple downe to the ground and left not one stone upon another O that wee were wise then wee would understand and observe the method of Gods proceedings and in the ruine of Gods people if wee repent not consider our later end O that they were Wise The Philosophers distinguish wisedome into Observ 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sapience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prudence Sapience they define to be the knowledge of all divine humane things so farre as they fall within the scantling of mans reason Prudence they restraine to the ordering of humane affaires and this they divide into 1. Private 2. Publike and this they subdivide into 1. Civill 2. Military Military prudence maketh a wise souldier civill a wise statesman domesticke a wise housholder and sapience a wise contemplative and morall prudence in generall a wise practick man The rules of this wisedome are to be taken from the precepts of Philosophy discourses of Policy the apophthegmes stratagems sentences and examples of those whom the world hath cryed up for Sages but this is not the wisedome which Moses here requireth in Gods people and passionately complaineth of the want of it but a wisedome of a higher nature or to speake more properly a wisedome above nature a wisedome which descendeth from the Father of lights which directeth us so to order and governe our short life here that thereby we may gaine eternity hereafter so to worship and serve God in Christ in this world that we may reigne with him in the world to come The infallible rules of this wisedome are to be fetched onely from the inspired Oracles of God extant in the Old and New Testament the chiefe whereof are these 1. To receive and entertaine the doctrine of salvation Rules of spirituall wisedome which is the wisedome of God in a mystery confuting the errours and convincing the folly of all worldly wise men 2. To deny our selves and our carnall wisedome and reason and bring every thought in obedience to the Gospel 3. To account our selves strangers and pilgrimes here upon earth and so to use this world as though wee used it not 4. To know that we are not Lords of our lands wealth and goods but only Stewards to account for them and therefore so to dispense and distribute them that we make friends of unrighteous Mammon that when it faileth
the flames of fire are the conquerers c Pareus in Apoc Corporaliter victi sunt spiritualitèr vicerunt dum in verá Christi fide ad mortem us◠perstiterunt Paraeus expoundeth this riddle The servants of Christ who seale the truth with their blood are in their bodies mastered but in their soules undaunted and much more unconquered whilest notwithstanding all the tortures and torments which the malice of man or devill can put them to they persist in the profession of the true faith unto death For this is the d 1 Joh. 5.4 victory of the world even our faith In that famous battell at Leuctrum where the Thebans got a signall victory but their Captaine Epaminondas his deaths wound Plutarch writeth of him that he demanded whether his buckler had beene taken by the enemy and when hee understood that it was safe and that they had not laid hands on it hee died most willingly and cheerefully Such is the resolution of a valiant souldier of Christ Jesus when hee is wounded even unto death hee hath an eye to his shield of faith and finding that out of the enemies danger his soule marcheth out of this world singing Saint Pauls triumphant ditty e 2 Tim. 4.7.8 I have finished my course I have kept the faith Henceforth is layd up for me a crowne of righteousnesse To cleare the summe which I have beene all this while in casting Christian victory is a prerogative of the regenerate purchased unto them by Christs death and resurrection whereby in all conflicts and temptations they hold out to the end and in the end overcome on earth and after triumph in heaven First it is a prerogative of the regenerate for none but those that are f 1 Joh. 5.4 borne of God overcome the world Secondly this prerogative is purchased unto them by Christ and therefore the Apostle ascribeth the glory of it to his grace g 1 Cor. 15.57 Thankes bee unto God who giveth us victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thirdly this victory is not in one kinde of fight but in all whether Satan the world or the Devill assault us whether they lay at our understanding by sophisticall arguments or at our will by sinfull perswasions or at our senses by unlawfull delights whether our profession bee oppugned by heresie or our unity by schisme or our zeale by worldly policy or our temperance by abundance or our confidence in God by wants or our constancy by persecution or our watchfulnesse by carnall security or our perseverance by continuall batteries of temptations in all wee are more than conquerours through him that loved us h Rom. 8.35.36.37 What or who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distresse or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword as it is written For thy sake wee are killed all the day long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter Nay in all these things we are more than conquerours c. Obser 6 None can overcome who fighteth not valiantly none can fight valiantly unlesse they be trained up in Martiall affaires and provided of good and fit armour both for offence and defence this spirituall armour is got by instant and constant prayer and reading and meditating on Gods word and wee put it on by due application of what wee read and heare and wee use it by the exercise of those divine vertues above mentioned from whence the severall pieces of our armour take their names Moreover that a man may conquer his enemie three things are most requisite 1 Exasperation 2 Courage 3 Constancy Exasperation setteth him on Courage giveth him strength and Constancy holdeth out to the end Exasperation is necessary because anger as Aristotle teacheth is the goad or spurre of fortitude neither indeed can any man maintaine a hot fight in cold blood And this is the cause why wee are so often put to the worst in our spirituall conflicts because wee fight like her in the Poet Tanquam quae vincere nollet wee fight not in earnest against our corruptions but either in shew onely dallying or faintly without any earnest desire of revenge Saint i Aug. confess l. 8. c. 7. In exordio adolescentiae petieram chastitatem sed timebam ne me nimis citò audiret citò sanaret à morbo concupiscentiae quem malebam expleri quam extingui Austine before his thorough conversion prayed against fleshly lusts but as he confesseth with great anguish sorrow of heart for his insincerity so aukwardly against his will that secretly hee desired that his lust should rather be accomplished than extinguished As it was then with him so it is with too many that take upon them the profession of Christians and would thinke it foule scorne to bee taken for other than true converts When the voluptuous person offereth a formall prayer to God to extinguish the impure flame of lust rising out of the cindars of originall sinne Satan setteth before his fancy the picture of his beautifull Mistresse and as the Calor ambiens or outward heat in a body disposed to putrefaction draweth out the naturall heat so this impure heat of lust draweth out all the spirituall heat of devotion and so his faint prayer against sinne is turned into sinne In like manner while the covetous man prayeth against that base affection in his soule which ever desireth that wherewith it is never k Aristophan in Plut. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sen. ep 15. Si quid in his esset solidi aliquando implerent nunc haurientium sitim concitant Horat. carm l. 2. od 2. Crescit indulgens sibi dirus hydrops nec sitim pellit nisi causa morbi fugerit venis aquosus albocorpore languor satisfied Mammon representeth unto him the rising up of his heapes and swelling of his bagges by his use-mony whereby his heart is tickled and so his prayer also turneth into sinne Thus all sinners that are not brought to a perfect hatred and detestation of their bosome sinne even whilest they pray against the forbidden fruit hold it under their tongue and their carnall delights suffocate their godly sorrow Spirituall courage is most necessary that is confidence in God and in the power of his might This confidence is the immediate effect of a lively faith which S. John calleth l 1 Joh. 5 4. the victory of the world When Christ bad Peter come to him walking on the sea upon the rising of a storme Peters faith began to faile and no sooner his heart sanke in his body but his feete also sanke in the water even so when any storme of persecution ariseth for the word when wee see our selves encompassed on every side with dangers and terrours and our faith faileth wee presently sinke in despaire if Christ stretch not out his hand presently to support us and establish our heart in his promises 3 Thirdly constant perseverance is most needfull for though all vertues runne in
of Galatians hee endevoureth to prove according to the true characters and points in the Hebrew is novum nomen a new name never given to any but our Saviour of this name above all other names it is most certain that no man knoweth the vertue thereof but he that is partaker of it In which interpretation the Jesuites affection seemeth to me to have over-swayed his judgement For as Aristoxenus the Musician out of an admiration of his own profession defined the soule to be an n Cic. Tusc 1. harmony so this expositour out of a love to his own society resolveth this new name can be no other than a denominative from Jesus But he should have considered that this new name here promised to the Angel of Pergamus is 1500. yeeres elder than Ignatius their Patriarch and is not promised to him onely but to all Christian conquerours in alleges whereas the name Jesuite before Layola in this age so christened his disloyall off-spring was never heard of in the world Neither lyeth there hid such a mystery in the name Jesuite that no man knoweth it saving hee that receiveth it it is knowne well enough not onely to Romanists of other orders but also to those of the reformed Church who yet never received the badge of their profession nor any marke of the o Apoc. 14 9. beast Victorinus and some others with more probability ghesse the new name to be here meant Christianus of which they understand those words of p Esa 62.2 Esay they shall bee called by my new name Aretas giveth the same interpretation of the white stone and the new name by both which the conquerour in proving masteries was made knowne to the people Carthusian distinguishing of the essentiall and accidentall rewards in heaven and calling the former auream the latter aureolam conceiveth this white stone to bee aureolam a gemme added to the Saints crowne of glory in it the name of Beatus engraven which no man can know but he that receiveth it because q 1 Cor. 2.9 eye hath not seene nor eare heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him r Illyr in Apoc Scribam cum haeredem vitae aeternae Illyricus and Osiander relating the custome of the Romanes in the election of their chiefe Magistrates to write his name to whom they gave their voice in a white stone thus comment upon the words of my text Him that overcommeth I will entertaine with hidden Manna and I will declare him heire apparent to a crowne in heaven I will elect him to a kingdome ſ Comment in 2. Apoc. Pareus expoundeth novum nomen nomen dignitate praestans a name of honour and renowne t Junius annot in Apoc. Induendo novum hominem quem nemo novit nisi spiritus hominis qui in ipso est cujus laus non est ex hominibus sed ex Deo Junius glosseth it signum indicium novitatis vitae a signe and token of newnesse of life Lastly Victor Pictabionensis Sardus Beda Bulenger Melo Primasius Rupertus Pererius and other expositours generally concurre upon Filius Dei the new name say they written in the white stone is the sunne of God Which their opinion they illustrate by other texts of Scripture as namely Rom. 8.15.16 and 1 Joh. 3.1 and they backe it with this reason The new name here is such a one as no man knoweth saving hee that receiveth it and what can that name bee but the title of the sonnes of God which no man knoweth saving hee that receiveth the Spirit of adoption whereby hee cryeth u Rom. 8.16 Abba Father which Spirit testifieth to his spirit that hee is the childe of God All other expositions may after a sort bee reduced to this for this is a blessed name according to Carthusians interpretation for the children of God are the children of the resurrection and they are most happy It is the name of Christian conquerors according to Victorinus and Aretas his glosse for * 1 Joh. 5.4 every one that is borne of God overcommeth the world and this is the victory that overcommeth the world even our faith This is also a symbol and token of newnesse of life for all the regenerate sonnes of God x Eph. 4.24 have put on the new man This name indeed is a glorious name in Pareus his sense for if it were an honour to David to bee sonne-in-law to an earthly King how much more honourable is it to be the adopted sonne of the King of heaven Lastly this name importeth according to Illyricus and Osianders joint explication haeredem vitae aeternae heire of eternall life for if y Rom. 8.17 sonnes then heires And thus as you heare the strings are tuned and all interpretations accorded now I set to the lessons or doctrinall points which are foure 1 The title of sonnes novum nomen 2 The assurance of this title inscriptum calculo 3 The knowledge of this assurance novit qui recipit 4 The propriety of this knowledge nemo novit nisi qui recipit The Roman Generals after their conquests of great countries and cities had new names given unto them as to Publius Scipio was given the sirname of Africanus to Lucius Scipio of Asiaticus to Metellus of Numidicus to Pompey of Hierosolymarius in like manner our celestiall Emperour promiseth to all that overcome their spirituall enemies a new name and eminent title of honour even that which Alexander the conquerour of the whole world most triumphed in when the Egyptian Priest saluted him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sonne of God But why is this called a new name Either because it is unknown to the world and worldly men or in opposition to our old name which was sonnes of Adam That is the name of our nature this of grace that of our shame and misery this of our glory and happinesse that is a name from the earth earthly this is a name from the Lord of heaven heavenly And it appertaineth to all the Saints of God in a threefold respect 1 Of Regeneration 2 Adoption 3 Imitation Regeneration maketh them sonnes of God Adoption heires with Christ Imitation like both When the Astronomer that calculated the nativity of Reginaldus Polus was derided of all because the disposition of the man was knowne to all to be contrary to those characters which he gave of him Poole facetely excused the matter saying Such an one I was by my first nativity as hee hath described me but since that I was born again This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or second birth though Nicodemus at the first deemed a riddle because it could not enter into his head how a man could re-enter his Mothers wombe and be borne the second time yet after our Saviour ingeminated this doctrine unto him z Joh. 3.5 Verily verily I say unto thee Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit
mandasse ne quis se dominum deinceps vocaret divinantem credo verum Principem orbis terrarum ac mundi totius natum esse Platina writeth Augustus by a Proclamation forbad that any should call him Lord whereby though he intended no such thing yet God who secretly moved him to it may seeme to give all men to understand that no Lord ought to be named the same day with his sonne that when he came into the world all other Lords and Kings were as much obscured as the starres are at the rising of the Sunne m Hom. Il. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In his presence and in comparison of him there is no King Lord or Master For as all Kings are but his subjects all Lords his servants so all Masters his scholars in whose schoole there is great difference betweene the scholars some are able to construe a lecture to others but none can give a lecture but he who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both the wisedome and the word of God From whence we heare n Mat. 11.29 Learne of me of whom we heare o Mar. 3.17 This is my well beloved Son in whom I am well pleased heare him p Col. 2.3 In whom we heare all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge are hid to whom wee heare St. q John 6.68 Peter beareth record Thou hast the words of eternall life and St. Ignatius r Ignat. epist ad Philad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ is my ancient record and Tertullian ſ Tert. Nobis non opus est curiositate post Christum nec inquisitione post Evangelium cum hoc credimus nihil amplius credere desideramus hoc enim prius credimus nihil ultra esse quod credere debeamus There needs no curiositie after Christ nor farther enquiry after or beyond the Gospell when we beleeve it we desire to beleeve no more and St. Cyprian t Cyp. ep l. 2. ad Cacil It is agreeable to the Religion we professe and our reverence to God to keepe the truth of that which our Lord hath delivered and according to his commands to correct what is amisse that when he shall come in his glory and majesty he may find that we hold that he admonished us to keepe and observe what he taught and doe what he did and St. Jerome u Hier. ep 57. Nullum primum nisi Christum sequentes We follow none as first but Christ and Vincentius Lerinensis adver heres Keepe the Depositum x Quid est depositum quod tibi creditum non quod à te inventum quod accepisti non quod excogitasti Custodi fidei catholicae talentum esto spiritualis tabernaculi Bezaleel pretiosas divini dogmatis gemmas exculpe fideliter coapta adorna sapienter adjice gratiam splendorem venustatem intelligatur te exponente illustriùs quod ante obscurius credebatur eadem tamen quae credidisti ita doce ut cum dicas novè non dicas nova What is the Depositum That wherewith thou art trusted not which thou hast found out that which thou hast received not which thou hast invented keepe the talent of the Catholike faith be thou a Bezaleel of the spirituall Tabernacle cut the gems of divine doctrine shining in his word insert them curiously in thy discourse set them off with a good foyle let men understand that by thy exposition clearly which before they beleeved obscurely yet be sure to teach no more than thou hast learned of Christ though thou speake in a new manner yet deliver no new matter If we teach not that which we have learned of Christ or teach any thing as needfull to salvation which we have not learned of Christ we hazzard if not lose the name of Christians for Disciples of Christ Christians are all one no Disciple of Christ no Christian every one so far a Christian as a Disciple of Christ What Christians then are Papists whose Creed consisting of foure and twenty articles twelve of them they learned of Christ the other twelve of Antichrist as may be seene in the Bull of Pope y Bu la S.D.N.D. Pii Papae quarti super formâ juramenti professoris affix ad Conc. Trid. p. 439. Pius affixed to the Councel of Trent Shall we simply affirm that they are Christians we wrong then our selves and all the reformed Churches who have severed from them Shall we absolutely deny that they are Christians we wrong them who hold with us the profession of the Trinity the two Sacraments Baptisme and the Lords Supper and the three Creeds the Apostles the Nicene or Constantinopolitane and that of Athanasious Although the Roman Cardinall might justly be blamed who caused his Painter to draw King Solomon halfe in heaven and halfe in hell yet I suppose they could not justly be censured who should draw Popery or the Church of Rome as she is at this day partly in heaven and partly in hell in heaven in respect of those heavenly truthes which she maintaineth with us against Atheists Jewes Turkes and all sorts of Infidels and many ancient Heretiques but in hell in respect of many pernicious and hellish errours which she pertinaciously defendeth against the cleere letter of Scripture and doctrine and practice of the Primitive Church The blessed Apostle resolveth a like question concerning the Jewes who received the Old Testament but rejected the New in a like manner y Rom. 11.28 As concerning the Gospell they are enemies for your sake but as touching the election they are beloved for the Fathers sake Wee can hardly come off this controversie upon better tearmes than these that Papists as concerning the principles of the common faith are Christians but as touching their proper errours by addition to it detraction from it corruption of it they are no Christians You wil say this is no simple or direct answer neither need it so to be because the question is not simple As it is superfluous to give a mixt or double answer to a simple question so it is dangerous to give a simple and single answer to a mixt question or a question of a mixt subject 1 For instance let the question be concerning Ayat the Jew who used indifferently either of his hands as we use our right hand Whether was he a right handed or a left handed man 2 Or concerning a part of speech which taketh part of a noune and part of a verbe Whether is it a noune or a verbe 3 Or concerning a Myrmaid which in the upper part resembleth a maid in the lower a fish Whether is it a fish or a maid 4 Or concerning the Muscovy Monster which feedeth like a sheepe yet groweth like a plant and hath his root affixed to the earth Whether is it a beast or a plant 5 Or concerning an Androgyne that hath in it both sexes Whether is it a man or a woman 6 Or concerning the apple mentioned by Seneca that hath in it a middle kinde
in Chron. ad an c. 1. Calvisius his hote discordant from our purpose viz. that the yeere of our Lords birth was Annus Sabbathicus a yeere made of seven multiplyed or a yeere of Jubile For even by this very circumstance wee may bee put in minde that he who was borne in a temporall Sabbathicke yeere on earth procureth for us an everlasting Sabbath in heaven 3 Of the day of the yeere From the age in which our Lord was incarnate wee have already proceeded to the yeere now from the yeere wee will come to the day on which God hath set many glorious markes 1 First St. Matthew telleth us of a n Mat. 2.2 new starre that appeared to the heathen Sages which guided them in their way to Bethlehem 2 Secondly St. o Quest vet N.T. Hodâ—eâ—no die natus est Christus octavo Calend. Jan. ab illo die crescunt dies ecce à nativitate Christi dies crescit illo oriente dies proficit Austine and St. p Ambros Serm. 8. de temp Ambrose and q Prudent in hyâ—n ad Cal. Jan. Quid est quod Arctum circulum Sol jam recurrens deserit Christusne terris nascitur qui lucis augit â—ramitem Prudemius note that the day of our Lords birth fell precisely upon the winter solstice and from that day the dayes begin to lengthen 3 Thirdly this day in the vineyard of r Magdeburg ex Martino Vinca Engaddi quae balsamum ferebat horem fructum liquorem simul fudit Engaddi the Balsamum tree both blossomed and bare fruit and liquor also dropped from it Thus we see what golden characters God hath fixed upon the age yeere and day of our Lords birth in which we may read the benefits of his incarnation which are these First rest this seemeth to be figured by the Sabbathicke yeere Secondly peace this was shadowed by the temporall peace concluded through all the world by Augustus Thirdly libertie from spirituall thraldome this was represented by the law of manumission of servants Fourthly Knowledge this was shewed by the new starre Fiftly encrease of grace this was signified by the lengthening of the dayes from Christs birth Sixtly spirituall joy this was expressed by the oyle which sprang out of the earth Seventhly health and life this the Balsamum was an embleme of This peace this libertie this knowledge this grace this joy this health God offereth to us in this accepted time and day of salvation Behold now c. The Jewes had their now and that was from the day of our Lords birth to the time of the destruction of the Temple before which a voyce was heard at midnight saying Å¿ Joseph de bello Jud. l 7. Migremus hinc Let us goe hence The Gentiles now or day of grace began after Peters t Acts 10.11 vision and shall continue untill the fulnesse of all Nations be come in Our Countrie 's now for their conversion from Paganisme began when Joseph of Arimathea or Simon Zelotes or Saint Paul or some other of the Apostles planted the Gospell in this Island for our reversion to the puritie of the ancient doctrine and discipline was from the happie reformation in King Henry the eighth his time and Kings Edward the sixts and shall last till God for our sinnes remove our golden Candlesticke All your now who heare me this day is from the day of your new birth in baptisme till the day of your death Application Behold now is your accepted time now is your day of salvation make good use of these golden moments upon which dependeth your eternall happinesse or miserie Yet by a few sighes you may drive away the fearefull storme that hangeth over you yet with a few teares you may quench the fire of hell in your consciences yet by stretching out your armes to God and laying hold on Christ by faith you may be kept from falling into the brimstone lake While yee have the light of this day of grace t Phil. 2.12 Worke out your salvation with feare and trembling before the night of death commeth when u John 9.4 no man can worke If you reject this accepted time and let slip this day of salvation there remaineth nothing for you but a time of rejection x Mat. 7.23 Away from mee I know you not and a day of damnation y Mat. 25.41 Goe yee cursed into everlasting fire To apply this now yet once more Behold now in these feasts of Christmas is tempus acceptum an accepted time or a time of acceptation a time when wee accept and entertaine one another a time of giving and accepting testimonies of love a time of receiving the holy Sacrament a time when God receiveth us into favour biddeth us to his owne table Behold now is the day of salvation the day in which our Saviour was borne and the y Titus 2.11 grace of God bringing salvation appeared unto all men This day our Saviour will come into thy house and if with humble devotion godly sorrow a lively faith and sincere love thou entertaine him what himselfe spake to Zacheus the Spirit will speake unto thee z Luke 19.9 This day is salvation come to thy house Which God the Father grant for the merits of his Sonne through the powerfull operation of the holy Spirit To whom c. THE SPOUSE HER PRECIOUS BORDERS A rehearsall Sermon preached Anno 1618. THE XXXII SERMON CANT 1.11 We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver Right Honourable c. AS the riches of Gods goodnesse are set forth to the eye of the body by the diversity of creatures in the booke of nature so are the treasures of his wisedome exposed to the eye of the mind by the varietie of senses in the booke of Scripture Which in this respect is by reverend antiquitie compared to the scrole in a Ezek. 2.10 Vid. Hier. in c. 2. Ezekielis Ezekiels vision spread before him which was written Intus à tergo within and without without in the letter within in the Spirit without in the history within in the mystery without in the typicall ceremonies within in the morall duties without in the Legall resemblance within in the Evangelicall reference without in verborum foliis within in radice rationis as St. Jerome elegantly expresseth it The former sense resembleth the golden b Exod 16.33 And Moses said to Aaron take a pot and put an Omer full of Manna therein c. pot the latter the hidden c Rev. 2.17 Manna it selfe that is as the shell or mother of pearle this as the Margarite contained within it both together as d Nazianz ad Nemes Literalem comparat corpori spiritualem animae Verbum Dei geminam habet naturam divinam invisibilem humanam visibilem ita Verbum Dei scriptum habet sensum externum internum Nazianzen observeth make this singular correspondency betweene the incarnate and the inspired
finde here casually in my Text what I so long sought for similitudines auri golden resemblances to wit borders of gold with studs of silver For as e Sanctius in hunc locum Aurum ut ait Aquinas significat sensum spiritualem argentum eloqum nitorem illud suppedi tat Scriptura hoc ars concionatoris Aquinas teacheth us the gold mystically signifieth the Spirits meaning the studs of silver the Preachers art gold representeth the precious doctrine they delivered silver the perspicuity of their speech and bright lustre of their stile As for the number the Text saith borders in the plurall number and if Solomon continue his former comparison of a troupe of horses in Pharaohs charret in the precedent Verse which were foure after the custome of all Nations when they rode in state Ergo erit ille dies quo tu pulcherrime rerum quatuor in niveis aureus ibis equis the borders by consequence must needs be foure And herein the mysticall ornaments of the Spouse are corresponding to the typicall ornaments of her Husband As the f Exod. 28.17 breast of Aaron a type of Christ was adorned with foure rowes of precious stones so the necke and breast of Solomons Queen the Churches type is decked here with foure borders of gold See then here as it were the modell of my intended frame The friends of the Spouse who present her with foure borders of gold with studs of silver are the foure Preachers whose Sermons may be compared to the borders in my text in a fourefold respect 1 Of the number foure Borders foure Sermons 2 Of the order the Borders were set immediatly one under another the Sermons preached one after another 3 Of the matter the Borders were made of gold the Sermons consisted of Scripture doctrine like unto g Apoc. 3.18 gold tryed in the fire 4 Of the forme the Borders were enameled with silver or set out with spangles of that metall and in the Sermons Scripture doctrine was beautified with variety of humane learning and adorned with short sentences of ancient Fathers like O's spangles or studs of silver Pomiferis ut apes in saltibus omnia libant Omnia nos itidem depascimur aurea dicta Aurea perpetuâ semper dignissima vitâ THE FIRST BORDER OR THE PASSION SERMON The first presented the Spouse with a Border of gold with Studs of silver wrought upon the text Zech. 13.7 Awake O sword against my shepheard and against the man that is my fellow saith the Lord of hostes smite the shepheard and the sheepe shall be scattered And thus he put it on ILlius Doctoris libentiùs audio vocem saith devout Bernard non qui sibi plausum sed qui mihi planctum movet The first Sermon preached on good Friday by master Warberton now Dean of Wels abridged Me thinkes whilest you are here assembled to celebrate the memorie of our Lords death I see a great concourse as it were to a funerall Sermon I shall therefore intreat you Right Honourable Right Worshipfull c. to prepare rather your hearts to be wounded than your eares to be tickled and at this time to lay aside all expectation either of Art or Learning and yeeld your selves wholly to religious Passion It is the observation of St. Austine and Gregorie that the foure beasts mentioned by St. John mystically represent the foure maine acts of Christ a Apoc. 4.7 or workes of mans redemption His 1 Incarnation 2 Passion 3 Resurrection 4 Ascension For at his Incarnation he tooke our nature upon him and was found in shape as a Man In his passion as a Bullocke he was slaine for sacrifice In his resurrection he was a Lion In his ascension as an Eagle We here consider him as a Bullock sacrified upon the altar of the Crosse Which as it is the greatest mystery that ever was revealed to the world so the Pen-men of the holy Ghost have bin most laboriously employed to publish it in all ages figuring it in the Law foretelling it in the Prophesies of the Old Testament and representing it most lively in the history of the Gospell I have to doe with a Prophesie somewhat darke before the light of the Gospell shone upon it Awake O sword c. which words in the Prophet are a Prosopopaeia made by God or an Apostrophe to his sword to whet it selfe and be stirred up against a man of meane condition in the estimate of the world A shepheard yet in some relation to himselfe my shepheard of a strange composition and quality a man that is my fellow and it extendeth to the smiting of this shepheard and scattering his whole flocke The parts are two 1 The Speaker the Lord of hostes 2 The speech Wherein observe 1 Direction O sword 2 Matter Wherein 1 Incitation Wherein 1 The act Awake 2 The object described by 1 His office shepheard 2 Person which is my fellow 2 Commission Wherein 1 The act smite 2 The effect the sheep shal be scattered First we are to speake of the Speaker the Lord of hostes The Lord of hostes is a name of power and soundeth like a thunder his Generall is Death his great Captaines Plague Famine and the Sword his Arsenall the whole world and all creatures in heaven earth and hell his Souldiers ever ready pressed to fight his battailes Quantus Deus Dominus exercituum saith St. Bernard cui inservit universa creatura Onely rebellious man standeth out in such defiance to his Maker that the creatures which were ordained to be under his dominion are often awaked and summoned to be armed for his destruction Awake O sword As all the creatures are Gods souldiers so when hee imployeth them against man they are called his swords The wicked is said to be his h Psal 17.13 sword and the i 1 Chron. 21.27 pestilence also When the Lord is pleased to execute his wrath he never wanteth instruments or meanes he hath a sword for Saul and an oake for Absalom and a roape for Achitophel and a gibbet for Haman and a worme for Herod and thus for the generall The particular intent of the Spirit leadeth mee to another consideration viz. that of this great blow here threatned to the shepheard God himselfe is the Author Deus erat qui pastorem percuti jubebat saith Maldonat quod per alium facit ipse facit Yea but God never awaketh his sword to smite but for sinne and in this shepheard there was no sinne of his owne the sword therefore lies sleeping in the scabbard and must now bee summoned to awake Awake O sword Chereb gnuri To the act of mercy wee are all apt to importune God with clamours Up Lord but to the act of justice if we should provoke him who were able to stand before him To this he is enforced after a sort to provoke himselfe Wherein observe first his unwillingnesse to strike till he is provoked his sword sleepeth secondly his hast and resolution
blow the earth trembles the stones are cleft and the vaile of the Temple rends and the people smite their breasts now are blackes hung all about the galleries of heaven the Sunne hath put on a darke vaile insomuch that a Philosopher as farre from his hearse as from his faith takes notice of this great Gods funerall And to make up the companie of true mourners the grave sendeth forth her dead and corpse arise and enter into the holy Citie now is his hearse set without the gate that they that are without even dogs may see him and make songs of him and lest any should be ignorant whose hearse it was his title is set up in Hebrew Greeke and Latine O tell it not in Gath publish it not in Askelon lest the uncircumcised rejoyce to see the glory of Israel obscured nunc nunc vires exprime dolor solitum flendi vincito morem If it be true that the Hebrewes have no word for eyes but what serves for springs it seemeth that all the eyes the holy Language speaketh of should be like springs wherewith they should bewaile him whom they have pierced yet there is better use of this than to lament O consider this and rejoyce weepe for him but rejoyce for your selves When the glittering sword in the hand of the Lord was lift up and his arme stretched out utterly to destroy you this Shepheard steppeth in and standeth betweene and in his owne body receiveth the blow that was aimed at you O consider you this for whom the Shepheard hath suffered such things First acknowledge with reverence the singular justice of God that could not be satisfied but with such a ransome Secondly acknowledge with detestation the hideousnesse of your sinnes that deserved so great a ransome Thirdly acknowledge the uneffable love of this blessed shepheard that payd this great ransome On the other side consider this and tremble yee that forget God yee have no interest in this Shepheards death looke to your selves in time antequam exeat ira apprehendite disciplinam osculamini filium The Shepheard is smiten if you looke to it in time it may be for you if not a worse disaster remaineth for you than befell these sheepe you shall be confounded they were but scattered The sheepe shall be scattered This Prophesie hath speciall relation to their temporall flight but it extendeth also to their amazement and staggering at the heavinesse of the blow They trusted that it had beene hee that should have redeemed Israel but now through his blow they are fallen from their trust The Sunne labours in the eclipse no ray appeares hee cannot bee discerned to be the Sonne of God all candles were quite blowne out this night unlesse it were as Allensis affirmeth that of Virgin waxe and whether it had any light in it I cannot say certainely the sword went through her heart too But disperguntur tantum non destruuntur oves these sheepe shortly met againe and suffered much with great constancie for their shepheard Peter and Andrew were crucified James beheaded the other James brained with a Fullers club all martyred save John yet in all these deathes they were more than conquerours sanguis Martyrum semen Evangelii the bloud they spilt was as oyle to feed the lampes of the Church or as dew to fatten her soyle Let no man therefore be deterred at the mention of the Crosse it is like the man in armour that appeared to Josuah who seemed dreadfull at the first but in the end proved a friend O bone Jesu ubicunque fueris in praesepi in horto in cruce in sepulchro non curo modo te inveniam O sweet Jesu wheresoever thou art in the manger in the garden in the crosse in the sepulchre I care not what befalls me so I may finde thee Thus have I presented unto you the gift which the first Speaker tendered to the Spouse of Christ a border of gold with studs of silver nothing remaines but that I worke an embleme of the giver in his gift Every embleme consisteth of an image and a motto the Image shall be Sulpitius the motto Tullies testimonie of him in his booke De claris oratoribus Maximè grandis ut it a dicam tragicus Orator incitata volubilis nec redundans tamen oratio vox magna suavis gestus venustus he was a loftie and if I may so speake a tragicall Oratour his speech was full and fluent yet not redundant his voyce great and sweet his gesture comely THE SECOND BORDER OR THE RIGHTEOUS MAMMON The second border of gold which the second Speaker offred to the Spouse was wrought upon that text of Scripture which we finde 1 Tim. 6.17 Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertaine riches but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy Ver. 18. That they doe good that they be rich in good workes ready to distribute The second Sermon preached by Doctor Hall now Lord Bishop of Exon abridged willing to communicate And thus he put it on Right Honourable Right Reverend c. THose things which are most necessary in their use are most dangerous in their miscarriage And therefore nothing is more necessarie for a Christian than to be rectified in the managing of a prosperous estate and to learne so to manage his happinesse here that hee may be happier hereafter which this text undertakes to teach where Timothie is set as it were upon the Bench to give the charge Charge A charge to whom To the rich Of what 1 What they must avoyd 1 High-mindednesse because their wealth is in this world 2 Trust in wealth because their riches are uncertaine 2 What they must endeavour and labour for 1 Confidence in God because he is a living and liberall God 2 Beneficence to men because by this they lay up to themselves a sure foundation Here said the Preacher is worke enough for my discourse and your practice I feare more than enough for my rehearsing The God of heaven who blessed it in his hands blesse it now in mine who have it but at the second hand Charge Charge Janus-like hath a double aspect the one that lookes up to Saint Paul the other that lookes downe to Timothie and from him to the rich In the first there is Apostolicall superioritie in the second Episcopall power and Evangelicall sufficiencie For the first charge thou referres to I charge thee ver 13. so Paul chargeth Timothie to charge the rich The first foundation of the Church was layd in an inequalitie and hath ever since so continued There can be no harmonie where all the strings and voyces are of one tenour hee that giveth the charge if hee be not the chiefe of the Bench yet hee is greater than the Jurie the rich are commonly great Nobility in the account of God is joyned with wealth Curse not the King in thy thought nor the rich in thy bed chamber saith
even as a good Carpenter in stead of a rotten groundsill layes a sound The same trust then must we give to God which we must not give to riches him must we esteeme above all things looke up to him in all things depend upon him for all things This is to trust in God which the Psalmist in his sweet dittie saith is a good thing good in respect of God for our trust in him is one of the best pieces of his glorie Joseph holds Potiphars trust a great honour 2. For us for what safety what unspeakable comfort is therein trusting to God Our Saviour in his farewell Sermon John 16. perswading to confidence saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word signifying boldnesse and what is there in all the world that can worke the heart to so comfortable and unconquerable resolution as our reposall upon God The Lord is my trust whom then can I feare They that put their trust in the Lord are as mount Sion that cannot be moved Oh cast your selves therefore into those almighty hands seeke him in whom you shall finde true rest and happinesse honour him with your substance that hath honoured you with it trust not in riches but trust in God Riches are but for this world the true God is Lord of the other therefore trust in him riches are uncertaine the true God is Amen ever like himselfe ergo trust in him riches are meere passive they cannot bestow so much as themselves much lesse ought besides themselves the true God gives you all things to enjoy riches are but a livelesse and senselesse metall God is The living God Life is an ancient and usuall title of God he for the most part sweares by it When Moses asked his name he described himselfe by I am He is he liveth and nothing is and nothing lives absolutely but he all other things by participation from him In all other things their life and they are two but God is his owne life and therefore as Aquinas acutely disputeth against the Gentiles must needs be eternall because beeing cannot be severed from it self Howbeit not only the life he hath in himselfe but the life which he giveth to his creatures challengeth a part in this title A glympse whereof the heathen had when they called Jupiter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Those creatures which have life we esteem beyond those that have it not how noble soever other waies those things be Therfore he that hath the perfectest life must needs be the best God therefore who is life it self fountain of all that life which is in the world is most worthy of all the adoration joy love and confidence of our hearts and the best improvement of that life which he hath given us Trust therefore in the living God not in riches that is idolatrie yea madnesse What greater madnesse can there be than to bestow that life which we have from God upon a creature that hath no life in it selfe nor price but from men Let me then perswade every soule that heares me this day as Jacob did his houshold Put away the strange gods that are among you or as St. Paul did his Lystrians O turne away from these vanities to the living God who gives us richly All things to enjoy Every word would require not a severall houre but a life to meditate upon and the tongues not of men but of Angels to expresse it God not onely hath all in himselfe but he gives to us and gives us not somewhat but all things and not a little of all but richly and all this not to looke on but to enjoy Here the Preacher said it should content him to top the sheaves onely because he could not stand to thresh them out it shall content me with the Apostles to rub some few eares because I cannot stand to top the sheaves Whither can you turne your eyes to looke besides the bounty of God If you looke upwards his mercie reacheth to the heavens if downewards the earth is full of his goodnesse and so is the broad sea if you looke about you what is it that he hath not given us aire to breathe in fire to warme us water to coole us cloathes to cover us food to nourish us fruits to refresh us yea delicates to please us beasts to serve us Angels to attend us heaven to receive us and which is above all his sonne to redeeme us Lastly if we looke into our selves hath he not given us a soule rarely furnished with the faculties of understanding will memorie and judgement a body wonderfully accommodated to execute the charge of the soule and an estate that yeelds due conveniencies for both moreover seasonable times peace competencie if not plentie of all commodities good lawes religious wise just Governours happie and flourishing dayes and above all the liberty of the Gospell More particularly cast up your Bookes O yee Citizens and summe up your receits I am deceived if he that hath least shall not confesse his obligation to be infinite There are three things especially wherein yee are beyond others and must acknowledge your selves deeper in the bookes of God than the rest of the world First for your deliverance from that wofull judgement ef the Pestilence O remember those sorrowfull times when every moneth swept away thousands from among you when a man could not set forth his foot but into the jawes of death when piles of carcasses were carried to their pits as dung to the fields when it was crueltie in the sicke to admit visitation and love was little better than murderous Secondly for your wonderfull plentie of all provisions spirituall and bodily Yee are like the Sea all the Rivers of the land runne into you nay sea and land conspire to enrich you Thirdly for the priviledge of your governement your charters as they are large and strong so your forme of administration is excellent and the execution of justice exemplarie For all these you have reason to aske with David Quid retribuam and to trust in God who hath beene so gracious unto you And thus from the duty we owe to God in our confidence and his beneficence to us we descend to the beneficence which we owe to men expressed in the varietie of foure epithetes to one sense To doe good to be rich in good workes ready to distribute willing to communicate all is but beneficence This heape of words shewes the vehement intention of his desire of good workes and the important necessitie of the performance and the manner of this expression enforceth no lesse Charge the rich c. Hearken then yee rich men of the world it is not left arbitrarie to you that you may doe good if you will but it is layd upon you as your charge and dutie the same necessity there is of trusting in God is of doing good to men Let me fling this stone at the brasen forehead of our Romish Adversaries whom their shamelesse challenges
nothing remaines for God so that unlesse a man put a sacrificing knife to the throat of his concupiscence and cut the wind-pipe of his worldly desires and bind himselfe as it were with cords to the hornes of the Altar the flesh and the world will devoure all and nothing will be left for charity to bestow but a few scraps cast into the almes-basket The sacrifices of righteousnesse In these words I note foure particulars 1 Rem Sacrifice 2 Numerum Sacrifices 3 Qualitatem of righteousnesse 4 Effectum and trust in the Lord. Rem Sacrific◠Sacrificium as i Lib. 10. de Civit Dei c. 6. Austine defines it est omne opus bonum quod agitur ut sanctâ societate inhaereamus Deo relatum ad illum finem boni quo veraciter beati esse possimus Sacrifices are either 1 Legall and these of three sorts 1 Burnt-offerings 2 Sinne-offerings 3 Peace-offerings 2 Evangelicall and these may be divided as the schooles speake into 1 Sacrificium redemptionis seu universalis sanctificationis 2 Sacrificia specialis sanctificationis For the Legall they were umbrae futurorum viz. 1 Of Christs sacrifice In which respect Nazianzen calleth them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St. k Lib. 2. cont Faust Manich. c. 17. Austine termeth them praedicamenta unius veri sacrificii and St. Cyril saith Parturiebant veritatem sacrificii 2 Of the spirituall sacrifice of Christians that is holy offices of Religion and charity So saith St. l Lib. 10. de Civit Dei c. 5. Austine Quaecunque in mysterio tabernaculi de sacrificiis leguntur ad Dei proximi dilectionem referuntur and Justin Martyr Figurae eorum quae vel praedestinati ad Christum vel Christus ipse gesturus erat Now as the shadow vanisheth in the presence of the body so these after Christs oblation upon the Crosse Tunc as m Lib. 4. cont Marcion c. 1. Tertullian speaketh elegantly compendiatum est Novum Testamentum legis laciniosis operibus expeditum As those that cast metals saith n L. de spiritu sanc Cyril of Alexandria first make a mold after the fashion of the bell vessell or image which they cast but after the metall hath run and the vessell is cast or the work finished they lay aside their mold of earth so after the worke of our redemption was finished the types and molds of the law were cast away This Origen after his maner expresseth by an excellent allegory Til Isaac was born weaned Hagar Ishmael remained in Abrahams house but afterwards they were turned out of doors so til Christ the true Isaac was born and weaned the bondwoman her son the Old Testament and types therof remained in the Church but after his birth and ascension they were for ever cashiered For Evangelicall sacrifices they are of two sorts 1 The prime and soveraigne 2 Subordinate and secundarie 1 The prime and soveraign is of Christ himselfe who offered his body for our redemption and by his bloud entred into the holy place of which St. Austine excellently noteth Unum manebat cum illo cui offerebat unum se fecit iis pro quibus offerebat unus ipse erat qui offerebat offerebatur 2 Subordinate sacrifice to this are referred 1 The sacrifice of commemoration or the commemoration of Christs bloody sacrifice in the Sacrament of our Lords supper o Tert. de pudicit c. 9. quo opimitate dominici corporis vescimur anima de Deo saginatur which in this respect p In Psal 95. Chrysostome calleth coeleste simulque venerandum sacrificium and Irenaeus novi testamenti novam oblationem 2 The workes of charity which are called q 1 Pet. 2.5 Heb. 13.16 De idelis sacrifices and we must still offer them if we beleeve Tertullian Spiritualibus modo hostiis litandum Deo and r Con. Juli. l 10. Cyril Crasso ministerio relicto mentalis fragrantiâ oblationis And these we are to offer the rather because we are eased of the burden of the other The difference between us and those under the law is not in the duty of offering but in the kind of sacrifice ſ Iren. l. 4. c. 34. oblationes hic oblationes illic Quippe cum jam nona servis sed a liberis offerantur t Cap. 21. omnes justi sacerdotalem habent ordinem not to distribute the mysteries of salvation but to offer spirituall sacrifices to God 2 Numerum Sacrifices in the plurall number plurall in specie and in individuo For we are to offer divers kinds of sacrifices and we are often to offer them There are ordinary sacrifices and extraordinary morning and evening sacrifices of the soule and sacrifices of the body internall and externall whereunto St. u Lib. de spirit sanct Cyril applyeth that description of Solomons Queene Psal 45. All glorious within in inward devotion in a vesture embroidered with gold in respect of her outward oblations It is not enough to offer to God inward sacrifices we must offer also outward First because God requireth them Secondly because we receive from him outward blessings Thirdly because we sin in outward things and therefore ought to seek to t Quo sensu opera placant Dei iram Vid. in fra pacifie and appease his wrath by our outward sacrifices Of these there are divers kinds I will note three 1. Of almes and charitable deeds whereunto the u 1. Tim. 6. Heb. 13. Apostle exhorteth x 1. Cor. 13. Of these three the greatest is charity haec est Regina virtutum saith S. Chrysostome it is as the purple robe which in ancient time was proper to Princes If thou seest this purple robe of charity upon any say certainly he is the child of God he is an heire of the kingdome of heaven 2. Of mortification whereunto the y Rom. 12.1 Apostle exhorteth Hereby we expresse the z 1. Cor. 9.27 2. Cor. 4.8 dying of the Lord Jesu in our bodies 1. By temperance in our diet which is not more salubrious to the body than healthfull to the soule 2. By fasting which without doubt is an act tending to religion and helping it For so wee read a Luke 2.37 Anna served God with fasting and prayer and Christ promiseth a b Mat. 6.13 reward unto it and the Fathers generally make fasting and almes-deeds the two wings carrying our prayers to heaven 3. By Christian modesty in apparell habit and deportment cura corporis incuria animae The pride and luxury of this age in this kind exhausteth mens estates and eats up all their holy oblations What shall I speake of our plastered faced Jezebels who are worse than those Idols which we have cast out of our Churches Those are but dead Idols these are living and rank themselves with our gravest Matrons all bounds of modesty are broken and markes of honesty confounded 3. Of obedience whereunto the c Heb. 13. Apostle exhorteth If
have delivered up those blasphemous Heretickes into the hands of the Magistrate who beareth not the sword of justice in vaine 9 Ninthly if these pious resolutions of the ancient Fathers and noble acts of religious Princes serve not as matches to kindle the zeale of godly Magistrates against the enemies of our Religion the heathen shall one day rise up against them the ancient Romans who had this law written among the rest l Leg. 12. tab Deos privatos nemo habeat Let no man have a private Religion to himselfe the Athenians who banished Protagoras for that atheisticall speech of his de diis Sintne an non sint nil habeo dicere I can say nothing concerning the gods whether there are any or not and put Socrates to death m Plato in apolog Socr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he made question of the truth of that Religion which the State professed In a word all nations of the world shall condemn them of whom n Seneca sent Violatarum religionum apud diversas gentes diversa statuitur poena apud omnes aliquo Seneca writeth truly that for the profaning violating or corrupting the worship of God there are divers punishments appointed in divers places but in all Countries some or other And not without cause for if it be a scandall to a State to suffer theeves murtherers to go unpunished are Hereticks to be set free who rob men of that pearle of truth which the rich merchant man sold all that he had to buy who are guilty of spirituall homicide wherewith St. o Tract 11. in Johan Videtis qualia faciant quâ—lia patiuntur occidunt animas affliguntur in corpore sempiternas mortes faciunt temporales se perpeti conqueruntur Austine directly chargeth them You see what these miscreants doe and what they suffer and have they thinke you any just cause to complaine of the punishments that are inflicted on them They kill the soules of men and smart for it in their bodies by their damnable doctrine they bring men to eternall death and yet grudge that they suffer a temporall Doe not all wise men account Religion to bee the foundation which beareth up the whole frame and fabricke of State And is it possible a building should stand upon two foundations Religion is the soule which animateth the great body of the Common-wealth and will it not prove a monster if it be informed with divers soules The Church and Common-wealth have but one centre any new motion therefore in the one must needs make a commotion in the other In which regard Mecoenas advised Augustus to punish severely all Innovators in matter of Religion p Non solum deorum causâ sed quia nova quaedam numina hi tales inducentes multos impellunt ad rerum mutationem not only out of a regard of pietie but also for reason of State What mutinies what heart-burnings what jealousies what bloudy frayes and massacres may there be feared where Religion setteth an edge upon discontent And all that dye in these quarrels pretend to the Crowne of Martyrdome I forbeare multiplicity of examples in this kind our neighbour Countries have bin for many yeeres the stages whereon these tragedies for Religion have been acted and God alone knowes what the catastrophe will be There was never so great mischiefe done at Rome by fire as when it took the Temple of Vesta and mingled it selfe with the sacred flame q Ovi fast l. 6. Ardebant sancti sceleratis ignibus ignes Et mista est flammae flamma prophana piae Even so if the wild-fire of contention mixe it selfe with the sacred fire of zeale and both burne within the bowels of the same Church it is not a river of bloud that is like to quench the direfull flame Therefore r Ep. 166. Julianus reddidit Basilicas haereticis quando templa Demonus eo modo putans Christianum nomen posse petire de teâ—â—â—s si unitati Ecclesiae de qua lapsus fuerat invideret sacrilegâ—s diâ—â—â—nsiones liberas esse pâ—rmitteret Julian the Apostata as S. Austine reports having a desire to set all Christendome in a combustion cast a fire-ball of contention among them by proclaiming liberty to all Heretickes and Schismatickes to set abroach their damnable doctrines hoping thereby utterly to extinguish the name of Christians But to come neere to our Adversaries and turne their owne ordnance upon them Did Queene Mary in her short reigne exempt the servants of God of any age or sexe from the mercilesse flames of the fire Doe not Bellarmine Allan Parsons Pammelius Maldonat and generally all Jesuits set their wits upon the rack and stretch and torture them to maintaine the rackes and tortures of Popish Inquisition Of what hard metall then are their foreheads made who dare supplicate for a toleration in a Protestant state able to suppresse them Why should they not be contented with their owne measure though all the world knoweth the sweet benignity and clemency of our gracious Soveraign abates them more than the halfe Here me thinkes I heare the soules of the slaine under the Altar cry How long Lord holy just dost not thou revenge the bloud of thy servants spilt as water upon the ground by the Whore of Babylon which to this day out-braveth thy Spouse having dyed her garments scarlet red in the goare of thy Saints and Martyrs of thy Son Jesus Christ Righteous Lord wee have been made a spectacle of misery to Angels and men wee have been killed all the day long and accounted as sheep for the slaughter wee have been spoiled of all our goods banished our native soile we have been hewen asunder wee have been slaine with a sword we have been whipt scourged cast into dungeons with serpents burnt at a stake to ashes some of us digg'd out of our graves and martyred after our death and she that hath thus cruelly butchered thy servants sits as Queene arrayed in purple and scarlet and fine linnen and carouseth healths to the Kings and Princes of the earth in a cup of gold and after shee hath made them drunke with the wine of her abominations she committeth spirituall filthinesse with them in the face of the Sun Cupio me patres conscripti clementem non dissolutum videri saith the wise Oratour I wish that mercy to which all vertues as Seneca observeth willingly give the place and yeeld the garland may be still the prime gemme in our Soveraignes Crowne I plead for mercy which must be our best plea at Christs Tribunall but I desire it to bee well thought upon whether it be mercy or not rather cruelty to spare those who spare not your sonnes and daughters but daily entice them and by their agents conveigh them over beyond the Sea to sacrifice not their bodies but their soules their faith their religion to the Moloch of Rome * Plin. nat hist l. 8 c. 22. Arcades scribunt ex
of extolling charity bring in the merit of workes under colour of an Ecclesiasticall Hierarchy endeavour by degrees to bring in Papall tyranny for the Sonne of God with his eies like flaming fire seeth the thin wire and fine threed by which he would draw in Popery Now as the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour shines so his wrath sparkles in these eyes When the heart is enflamed with rage the eies are red and h Hom. Il. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Virg Georg. 3. Flammantia lumina torquens Aen. l. 7. De alecto flammea torquet lumina fiery whereof i Aristot prob sect 31. Aristotle in his Problemes yeelds this reason Quia ad partem violatam ascendit calor because the eyes are most offended at the presence of the object which is hatefull unto us and therefore nature sends the beate thither to arme that part with revenge If Christs eies be like flaming fire let the heart of all presumptuous sinners melt like waxe before him Let none gather too farre upon his titles of the Lambe of God and Prince of peace and Saviour of the world For as he is the Lambe of God so he is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah as he is the Prince of peace so hee is the Lord of Hosts as he is the Saviour of all especially the Elect so he is the Judge of quicke and dead and here he is brought in by Saint John with fire in his eyes to consume and a sword in his mouth to smite and brasse in his feet to stamp his enemies to powder And his feet like fine brasse Some of the Interpreters demand why brasse is here preferred to gold and they yeeld this reason because brasse is a stronger and harder metall and the purpose of the Holy Ghost was to represent not only the glory of Christ in the splendour of this metall but also his power in the strength and solidity thereof Now gold is a soft and bowing metall not so apt to represent Christ his invincible power and therefore here it is said that his feet were like fine brasse not burnished gold The Heathen attributed to their gods feet of a heavier and baser metall to wit of lead whence grew that Proverb among them That God had leaden feet but k Eras Adag iron hands in which their meaning was that God proceedeth slowly to the punishment of wicked men but when hee overtakes them payes them home tarditatem supplicii gravitate compensans but our Saviour you see in my Text hath feet of a quicker stronger and more precious metall of finest brasse to support his Church and to knocke and tread downe whatsoever exalteth it selfe against his truth and kingdome Now I marvell not that Saint l Mat. 3.11 John thought not himselfe worthy to unloose Christ his shooe latchet who hath such precious and beautifull feet resembling fine brasse glowing in a furnace on which m In Apoc. c. 1. Dominus purgatissimos habet pedes omnem calcat impietatem omnem absumit haereticam pravitatem vitam impuram Bullenger engraveth this posie Our Lord hath most cleane and pure feet wherewith he tramples on Satan he treads downe all impiety and burneth up all heresie and impurity as hee walketh in the midst of the seven golden Candlestickes But I may insist no longer upon these brasen feet of our Saviour I must haste to that which followeth I know that is I approve Gods knowledge of any thing in the Scripture phrase often implyeth his approbation as Psal 1. v. ult As on the contrary those whom hee condemnes hee is said not to know n Mat. 7.23 Depart from mee I know you not ye that worke iniquity I know you not that is I acknowledge you not or take no speciall notice of you God doth not willingly know any thing but that which is good whereas on the contrary most men by their good will will know no good by any but all the evill they can like flies they light no where but upon the scarres and sores of their brethren and after the manner of horse-leaches they greedily sucke out their corrupt bloud Whereas they might gather many sweet flowers in the Spouse her garden they cull out nothing but weeds much like the covetous Vintner who sold abroad all his best wine and kept the worst for his house and being asked of one who saw him walking in his cellar what he was then adoing answered o Sphinx Philosophica c. In bonorum copia malum quaero In abundance and store of good I seeke for bad I would wee had not just cause to renew the complaint of Gregorie Nazianzen The onely godlinesse we glory in is to find out somewhat whereby we may judge others to be ungodly the onely vertue is to finde vice in others as if to soile others were the readiest meanes to cleare our selves To convict us of this malevolent disposition I need no other proofe than the use of the verbe animadverto in Latine and marke in English for animadvertere in aliquem signifieth to censure or punish and to shew that wee marke nothing so much as mens vices and deformities the very word mark in English without any epithet added unto it signifieth a deformity as when wee say Such an one is a markt man and Take heed of those whom God hath marked As venemous Serpents are nourished with poysonous roots and herbs so men of corrupt minds greedily feed upon other mens corruptions and desire to know nothing more than the wants and infirmities of their brethren herein direct contrary to the goodnesse of God who is here said to know that onely which he knoweth to be good and approveth as the opposition betweene this sentence and that which followeth Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee maketh it manifest I know then that is I like or I approve of Thy workes and charity and service and faith and patience And thy workes that is thy workes begun and thy workes ended the workes of thy faith and the workes of thy calling thy workes at the first and thy workes at the last I commend thee for thy love of mee and thy service to me and thy faith in me and thy patience for me and thy proficiency in all these which most evidently appeares by this That thy last workes are more than the first Take we here by the way an infallible note of a true Christian which is growth in grace and godlinesse he is like Vespasian in the Poet melior pejore aevo better in his worser age He never standeth at a stay but p Psal 84.7 goeth on from strength to strength like the trees planted in the house of the Lord they q Psal 92.14 still bring forth more fruit in their age As the r John 2.10 water-pots of stone which our Saviour filled with wine by miracle yeelded the best wine at the last Thou hast kept the good wine even till now
the Arke of the Lord within curtaines Is this decent or fitting that the King should bee better housed than his maker and advancer to his royall throne Yee would expect that hereupon he should have concluded upon building God an house but hee proposeth only the major his owne house the minor the Arke and leaveth the Prophet to inferre the conclusion because in a matter that so neerly concerned the honour and service of God he would not seem to lead the Prophet but rather be led by him from whence we may gather three speciall observations not unworthy our most serious thoughts 1. That in matters immediately appertaining to the service of God and advancement of religion the Prophets of God are to be called and their advice to be asked and taken even by Kings themselves 2. That it is a noble and princely worke to build Temples or Churches 3. That we are to set more by the glory of God than our own ease and safety and rather to desire the erecting of his house than the raising our owne fortunes After we have gathered these there be other which will fall of themselves from the branches of the Text as wee lightly passe over them And it came to passe when the King sate in his house and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies that the King said unto Nathan Behold now c. The circumstance of time challengeth our due consideration in the first place It is not usuall for men sitting at ease and at rest to entertaine godly motions and resolve upon workes of pious bounty Otium pulvinar Satanae rest is oftentimes the Divels cushion but here it was not so but rather a chaire of state for God himselfe to rest in After David had been for a long time pursued by his enemies and driven from place to place as it were powred out of vessell into vessell when he now stood still he settled not upon his lees with Moab but breathed out these sweet and heavenly meditations and vowes Behold now I sit at rest and the Arke of the Lord tosseth and tumbleth from place to place I lye safely under a sure roofe able to beare off wind and weather and the Arke of God hath no better fence than a few curtaines spread over it the walls of my house are hung with rich arrasse and the sides of the Arke are covered but with skins is it fit that it should be so Nathan Speak thou on Gods behalfe who art his Prophet Is the Kings Cabinet more precious than the Lords Arke Shall the King have a palace and God have no house Shall I provide a safer place for my records and evidences than for the records of heaven and the tables of the testimony and the inspired Oracles of God This must not be so I protest it shall not be so I a Psa 132.3 4 5. sweare unto the Lord and vow a vow unto the mighty God of Jacob that I will not henceforth enter into the tabernacle of my house nor come upon my bed I will not suffer my eyes to sleep nor my eye-lids to slumber until I find out a place for the Lord an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. Such holy vowes and religious oathes and protestations many of Gods children make in the depth of their misery but few as here David doth in the height of their prosperity and the midst of their triumphs The zeale of most men lieth in their heart like fire in a flint it must be strucke out with some violence their prayers and fervent meditations like hot spices are then most fragrant when their hearts are bruised in Gods mortar and broken with afflictions and troubles Some such thing befalleth the soule in prosperity as the husbandmen observe in a fat soyle and plentifull yeere Luxuriant b Ovid. l. 1. de art animi rebus plerunque secundis Prosperity breedeth a ranknesse in the desires and a dangerous riot of sinne whereof Moses maketh great complaint in his song But c Deut. 32.15 Jesurun waxed fat and kicked thou art waxed fat thou art growne thicke thou art covered with fatnesse then he forsooke God that made him and lightly esteemed the rock of his salvation and God by the Prophet d Hos 13.6 Hosea According to their pastures so were they filled they were filled and their heart was exalted therefore have they forgotten mee O how great is our ingratitude when God most remembreth us we most forget him drinking our fill of the rivers of his pleasures and never thinking of the spring devouring greedily the good blessings of God as Swine doe acornes upon the ground never looking up to the tree from whence they fall David was farre from this brutish vice for as soone as God had destroyed his enemies round about him he thought of building a magnificent Temple When other Kings after so good successe and glorious victories obtained in war would have cast away all care or thought of Religion at least for the present to give the more scope to their licentious desires and lusts David confineth himselfe to his closet there recounteth the innumerable benefits God had heaped upon him and studieth how to expresse his gratefulnesse to him in fine he resolveth with himselfe to build a stately palace for the King of heaven and sendeth for the Prophet Nathan to advise with him about it The King said to Nathan the Prophet David a Prophet himselfe conferreth with the Prophet Nathan Saint Peter a prime Apostle is reproved by the Apostle Saint Paul John the elder is instructed by an Elder Whence we learn That Prophets need Prophets advice Apostles need Apostles admonitions Elders need Elders instructions As two tooles whet one the other and two Diamonds point each the other and two Torches mutually light one the other so it pleaseth the wisedome of God to divide the gifts of his Spirit severally among the Pastours of the Church in different kindes and degrees that they might be one bettered by the other In which consideration among many others not lesse important the Founders and Benefactors of Collegiate Churches and Universities have built so many houses for Prophets and Prophets children as you see to live together and by lectures conferences and disputations to whet and sharpen one the other And if one starre one eminent Doctor in the Church give so great a light in the darke of ignorance what a lustre what an ornament must a Colledge of such Doctors an University of such Colledges as it were a conjunction of many starres or rather a heaven of many such conjunctions and constellations uniting their light be If one aromaticall tree send forth such a savour of life as we smell in every particular congregation what shall we judge of a grove of such trees surely it can be no other than the Paradise of God upon earth But because David is not here stiled the Prophet but the King The King said to Nathan the
taking the houses of God in their owne possession a fearfull and most shamefull end What gained k 1 Kin. 22.31 2 Kin. 9.33 Ahab and Jezabel by Naboths vineyard the vine of Sodom and the grapes of Gomorrah it cost them their lives and their kingdomes What gained l Dan. 5.28 Balthasar by the plate of the Temple the division of his crown betweene the Medes and Persians What gained m Act. 5.5 10. Ananias and Sapphira by their fraudulent keeping backe part of the price for which they sold their possessions a sudden and most fearfull death What gained n Mat. 27.5 Judas by his thirty pieces of silver which hee received to betray innocent blood a halter to hang himselfe As Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar o Dan. 4.19 this dreame bee to the Kings enemies so I will be bold to say such gaine as is made by commerce with Satan be to Gods enemies Godlinesse hath the promises of this life and the life to come ungodlinesse of neither but contrariwise threats of judgements in both which sometimes fall upon the estate of those that are rich and not in God sometimes upon their bodies but alwayes upon their soules either God suddenly bloweth them away from their great estates or hee bloweth upon their estates and the fruits of their labours and they subscribe probatum est to the Latine proverbs Malè part a malè dilabuntur and De malè quaesitis non gaudet tertius haeres ill gotten goods prosper not The officers whom p Suet. in Vesp. Vespasian employed like spunges to sucke in the blood of the subjects he after they were full squiezed them till they were dry And how often doe we see the great spoylers of others spoyled themselves and the secret underminers of other mens fortunes undermined themselves the cruellest exacters upon their tenants exacted upon by their superiour Lords In the second place I treated of the second attribute or consequent of sin shame and by evidence of Scripture and testimony of every ones conscience proved that sin shameth us three manner of waies 1 Within our selves making us seeme most vile filthy lothsome and odious to our selves 2 In the world staining our credit and branding us with a note of infamy 3 At the tribunall of Christ before God Angels and men when our consciences which now like a scrole of parchment lye folded together shall bee opened and spread abroad that all men may read what is written there If the consideration of the unfruitfulnesse and shame of sinne affect us not much nor make any sensible alteration in our lives and conversations behold yet stronger physicke which will worke with us if we be not dead already The end of those things is death Here are three bitter pills that are to bee taken by all them that surfeit in sinfull pleasures and worldly vanities whether they bee lusts of the flesh or lusts of the eye or appertaine to the pride of life 1 These things will have an end The end 2 The end of these things is fearfull Death 3 This death is the second death and hath no end I see saith David q Psal 119.96 that all things come to an end but thy commandements are exceeding broad yea so broad that all wayes and courses besides the path of Gods lawes come to a speedy end and very short period What the Historian observed concerning the race of men Vita hominum brevit principum brevior pontificum brevissima that the life of man is shorter than of other creatures of Princes than of other men of Popes than of Princes may be applied thus to our present purpose The lives of men are but short their actions and endevours of a shorter date but indirect and sinfull courses of the shortest duration of all All the fruit that comes of them like the fig-tree cursed by our Saviour withers suddenly Crassus enjoyed not long the fruit of his covetousnesse but was slain in war and had melted gold poured into his mouth by the Parthians Julius Caesar enjoyed not long the fruit of his ambition but was stabbed with twenty five wounds in the Senate Heliogabalus enjoyed not long the fruit of his pleasure but was slaine and throwne into a jakes Dionysius enjoyed not long the fruit of his sacriledge and tyrannie but was constrained to change his scepter for a ferular and teach Scholars for a small stipend to keepe him from starving If the prosperity of the wicked be an eye-sore unto us as it was sometimes unto David r Psal 73.17 18 19. Let us enter into the sanctuary of God and wee shall see the end of these men namely that God doth set them in slippery places and casteth them downe to destruction How are they brought into desolation as in a moment they are utterly consumed with terrours Achan spent not his wedge of gold nor ware out his Babylonish garment but was soone discovered and stripped of all hee had and came to a fearfull end It was not long after Ahab and Jezabel purchased a vineyard at the deare rate of the blood of the owner but they watered it with their owne blood Belshazzar had scarce concocted the wine in his stomacke which hee carowsed in the bowles of the Sanctuary before hee saw a hand writing his doome on the wall and soone after felt the arme of Cyrus executing it upon him Achitophel his policy tooke not long for within a short space after he had animated the sonne against the father his counsell was rejected and hee hanged himselfe The price of innocent blood was not long in Judas his hands before with the same hands hee fitted his owne halter Titus exhibited to the people stately pageants pompes carosels and triumphant festivities for an hundred dayes Asuerus kept royall feasts for halfe a yeere together of both after the prefixed tearm was expired nothing remained but infinite spoile of Gods creatures and an excessive bill of charge Hee that thriveth most by sinfull courses and gurmandizeth all sorts of pleasures and keepeth continuall holy-dayes a great part of his life yet before hee goeth out of the light of this world seeth an end of all his worldly happinesse and there remaines nothing unto him but a sad remembrance distempers in his body wounds in his conscience and a fearfull account to bee given to his Lord and Master for thus lavishing out his goods and wasting his substance in riotous living Pleasures like blossomes soone fall the garlands of honour are withered in a few yeeres the treasures of wickednes soon rust all lewd and sensual all base and covetous all proud and ambitious all false and deceitfull wayes have a short period and a downfall into a lake that burneth with fire and brimstone ſ In ep ad Rom. Servitutis culpae triplex est incommoditas primo quia cum damno multo secundo quia cum fructu nullo tertiò quia cum fine malo Gorrhan summeth up all briefly thus There is
love Nay how canst thou not be perswaded sith hee himselfe hath said it I chasten as many as I love which words that thou maist take more hold of he hath often repeated them in holy Scripture Desirest thou greater assurance than his words which is all that heaven and earth have to shew for their continuance yet if thou desire more rather helpes of thine infirmity than confirmations of this truth observe who are oftenest longest under Gods afflicting hand who are fullest of his markes if they are deepest in sorrow who are highest in his favour if they mourne in Sion who sing Halelujah in the heavenly Jerusalem if they goe in blacke and sables here who are arrayed in long white robes there if they lay their heart a soake in teares who are men after Gods owne heart if Benjamins portion be greatest in afflictions assuredly manifold tribulations and Gods favour may stand together In the truth of which assertion all those Texts of Scripture may establish us which set before us the sweet fruits that are gathered from the crosse as 1. Knowledge It is good for mee that I have been k Psa 119.71 afflicted that I may learne thy statutes 2. Zeale I will l Hosea 5.15 goe and returne to my place till they acknowledge their offences and seeke my face in their affliction they will seeke mee diligently 3. Repentance I truly am m Psal 38.17 18. set in the plague and my heavinesse is ever in my sight I will confesse my wickednesse and be sorry for my sinnes When the people were stung with fiery serpents they came to Moses and said We have n Num. 21.7 sinned for wee have spoken against the Lord and against thee And againe In their o 2 Chro. 15.4 trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel and sought him and he was found of them When the Prodigall was pinched with famine he came to himselfe and said How many hired p Luke 15.16 17 18. servants in my fathers house have meat enough and I perish with hunger I will arise therefore and goe to my father c. 4. Patience Tribulation worketh q Rom. 5.3 4. patience and patience experience and experience hope 5. Joy in the Holy Ghost Receiving the Word with much affliction with r 1 Thes 1.6 joy in the Holy Ghost 6. Triall of our faith which like Å¿ 1 Pet. 1.7 gold is purged by the fire of afflictions Though he t Job 13.15 slay mee yet will I trust in him Our u Psal 44.18 19 20. heart is not turned backe nor our steps gone out of the way no not when thou hast smitten us into the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadow of death 7. Righteousnesse No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but * Heb. 12.11 grievous neverthelesse yet afterwards it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse to them that are exercised thereby 8. Holinesse It x Heb. 2.10 became him for whom were all things in bringing many sonnes unto glory to consecrate the Captaine of our salvation through afflictions The y Heb. 12.10 fathers of our flesh for a few dayes chastened us after their owne pleasure but hee for our profit that wee may bee partakers of his holinesse 9. Estranging our affections from the world and earthly desires Eliah requested that he might dye It is z 1 Kin. 19.4 enough Lord take away my life I am no better than my fathers We that are in this tabernacle doe * 2 Cor. 5.4 groane being burdened not for that we would be unclothed but clothed upon that mortality might be swallowed up of life 11. Humility The a 2 Cor. 12.7 messenger of Sathan was sent to buffet mee and that I should not be exalted above measure there was given mee a thorne in my flesh 11. Renovation and ghostly strength Therefore I b 2 Cor. 12.10 take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches in necessities in persecutions in distresses for when I am weake then am I strong and though our outward man decay yet our inward man is renewed day by day 12. Freedome from everlasting torments When c 1 Cor. 11.32 wee are judged wee are chastened of the Lord that wee should not bee condemned with the world 13. Encrease of celestiall glory For our d 2 Cor. 4.17 light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a farre more exceeding and eternall weight of glory The Heathen that never tasted the least part of these fruits yet feeling by experience that the mind cloyed with continuall felicity grew a burden to it selfe was deprived hereby of matter and occasion of excellent vertues and not so onely but infatuated and wholly corrupt thereby maintained this memorable Paradoxe e Demet. apud Sen. Nihil eo infelicius cui nihil intelix contigit That none was so unhappy as bee who knew no mishap nor adversity at any time Nay they went farther in that their conceit and thereby came nearer to my text affirming that store of wealth large possessions high places and great honours were not alwaies signes and tokens of the love of God God saith the wise Poet and the best Philosopher taketh it out of him f Aristot Rhet. l. 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sendeth many men great prosperity not out of love and good will but to the end that they may bee capable of greater misery and that the calamities which they are after to endure may bee more g â—uven sit Numerosa parabat excelsae turris tabulata unde altior esset casus impulsae praeceps immane rumae eminent and signall Tolluntur in altum Ut lapsu graviore ruant Misery is alwayes querulous and even weake objections often ruine them who are already cast downe with griefe such as are these Doth not God threaten to powre out his plagues upon the wicked Doe wee not read in Saint h Rom. 2.9 Paul Tribulation and anguish upon every soule that sinneth of the Jew first and also of the Gentile Are not losses infamy captivity banishment tortures and torments judgements of wrath how then can they bee arguments of love I answer that originally all the evils of this life came in with sinne and were punishments of it and they retaine their nature still in the wicked but in the godly by the mercy of God and merits of Christ they are changed from judgements of wrath into chastisements of love from stings of sinne to remedies against sinne from executions of vengeance to exercises of excellent vertues and the inflicting of them so little prejudiceth Gods love to his chosen that hee no way more sheweth it to them than by thus awaking them out of their sleepe and by this meanes pulling them out of hell fire And therefore the Prophets threaten it after all other judgements as the greatest of all that for their obstinacy and impenitency God would punish them no more
the more humble the more grace because they more desire it and are more capable thereof For the more empty the vessel is the more liquor it receiveth in like maner the more empty wee are in our owne conceits the more heavenly grace God z Mat. 11.25 infuseth into us To him therefore let our soules continually gaspe as a thirsty land let us pray to him for humility that wee may have grace and more grace that wee may be continually more humble Lord who hast taught us that because thy Son our Saviour being in the forme of God humbled himselfe and in his humility became obedient and in his obedience suffered death even the most ignominious painfull and accursed death of the crosse thou hast exalted him highly above the grave in his resurrection the earth in his ascension above the starres of heaven in his session establish our faith in his estate both of humiliation and exaltation and grant that his humility may be our instruction his obedience our rule his passion our satisfaction his resurrection our justification his ascension our improvement of sanctification and his session at thy right hand our glorification Amen Deo Patri Filio Sp. S. sit laus c. LOWLINES EXALTED OR Gloria Crocodilus THE LIII SERMON PHIL. 2.9 Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him Right Honourable c. WEe are come to keep holy the solemnest feast the Church ever appointed to recount thankfully the greatest benefit mankinde ever received to celebrate joyfully the happiest day time ever brought forth and if the rising of the sun upon the earth make a naturall day in the Calendar of the world shall not much more the rising of the Sun of righteousnesse out of the grave with his glorious beams describe a festivall day in the Calendar of the Church If the rest of God from the works of creation was a just cause of sanctifying a perpetuall Sabbath to the memory thereof may not the rest of our Lord from the works of redemption more painefull to him more beneficiall to us challenge the like prerogative of a day to be hallowed and consecrated unto it shall we not keep it as a Sabbath on earth which hath procured for us an everlasting Sabbath in heaven The holy Apostles and their Successors who followed the true light of the world so near that they could not misse their way thought it so meet and requisite that upon this ground they changed the seventh day from the creation appointed by God himselfe for a a Ignat. epist ad Magnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athanas Homil. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aug. de verb. Apost ser 25. Domini resuscitatio consecravit nobis diem Dominicum Vide Homil. Eccl. Of the time of prayer Hooker Eccles polit l. 5. sect 70. p. 196. The morall Law requiring a sevent part throughout the age of the world to be that way employed though with us the day be charged in regard of a new revolution begun by our Saviour Christ yet the same proportion of time continueth which was before because in a reference to the benefit of creation and now much more of renovation thereunto added by him which was the Prince of the world to come wee are bound to account the sanctification of one day in seven a duty which Gods immutable decree doth exact for ever Sabbath and fixed the Christian Sabbath upon the first day of the weeke to eternize the memory of our Lords resurrection This day is the first borne of the Church feasts the Prototypon and samplar Lords day if I may so speak from whence all the other throughout the yeere were drawne as patternes this is as the Sunne it selfe they are as the Parelii the Philosophers speake of images and representations of that glorious light in bright clouds like so many glasses set about the body thereof With what solemnity then the highest Christian feast is to be celebrated with what religion the christian Sabbath of sabbaths is to be kept with what affection the accomplishment of our redemption the glorification of our bodies the consummation of our happinesse the triumph of our Lord over death and hell and ours in him and for him is to be recounted with what preparation holy reverence the Sacrament of our Lords body and bloud which seales unto us these inestimable benefits is to be received with that solemnity that religion that affection that preparation that elevation of our minds we are to offer this morning sacrifice Wherefore I must intreat you to endeavour to raise your thoughts and affections above their ordinary levell that they fall not short of this high day which as it representeth the raising and exaltation of the worlds Redeemer so it selfe is raised and exalted above all other Christian feasts Were our devotion key cold and quite dead yet mee thinkes that the raising of our Lord from the dead should revive it and put new life and heat into it as it drew the bodies of many Saints out of the graves to accompany our Lord into the holy City After the Sun had bin in the eclipse for three houres when the fountaine of light began againe to be opened and the beames like streames run as before how lightsome on the sudden was the world how beautifull being as it were new gilt with those precious raies how joyfull and cheerfull were the countenances of all men The Sunne of righteousnesse had been in a totall eclipse not for three houres but three whole dayes and nights and then there was nothing but darknesse of sorâ—ow over the face of the whole Church but now hee appeares in greater glory than ever before now he shineth in his full strength What joy must this needs be to all that before sate in darknesse and in the shadow of death In the deadest time of the yeere we celebrated joyfully the birth of our Lord out of the wombe of the Virgin and shall we not this Spring as much rejoyce at his second birth and springing out of the wombe of the earth Then he was borne in humility and swadled in clouts now he is borne in majesty and clothed with robes of glory then he was borne to obey now to rule then to dye now to live for ever then to be nailed on the crosse at the right hand of a theefe now to be settled on a throne at the right hand of his Father As Cookes serve in sweet meats with sowre sawces Musicians in their songs insert discords to give rellish as it were to their concords and b Cic. de orat l. 3. Habeat summa illa laus umbram recessum ut id quod illuminatum est magis extare atque eminere videatur Rhetoricians set off their figures by solaecismes or plaine sentences in like manner the Apostle to extoll our Saviours exaltation the higher depresseth his humiliation the lower he expresseth his passion in the darkest colours to make the glory of his resurrection appear the brighter
true Howsoever what piety is it nay what equity nay rather what abominable iniquity and impiety is it florem Diabolo consecrare faeces Deo reservare To consecrate the flower of their youth to the Divell the world and the flesh and reserve the lees or dregges of their old age for God To dedicate to him our weake and feeble dotage if we live to it what is it better than to offer the f Deut. 15.21 blind and the lame for sacrifice which God abhorreth Repent therefore repentè repent at the first offer of grace Ye shall scarce find any precept of repentance in Scripture which requireth not as well that it be out of hand as that it be from the heart Remember thy g Eccles 12.1 Creatour in the dayes of thy youth To h Psal 95.7 8. day if yee will heare his voice harden not your heart Seek i Psal 32.6 the Lord while he may be found Now he may be found now he seeketh us now he calleth to us let us therefore breake off all delayes and pricke on forward our dull and slow affections with that sharp and poynant increpation of Saint k Confes l. 8. c. 5. Modò modò non habent modum quamdiu cras cras cur non hoc dic cur non hac horâ finis turpitudinis meae Ib. Verba lenta somnolenta modò ecce modò sine paululum sed sine paululum ibat in longum c. Austine Why doe I still procrastinate my comming unto thee O Lord Why not now why not this day why not this houre an end of my sinfull course of life Deo Patri Filio Spiritui sancto sit laus c. THE DEFORMITY OF HALTING THE LVII SERMON 1 KIN. 18.21 And Elijah came to all the people and said How long halt ye betweene two opinions If the Lord be God follow him but if Baal then follow him and the people answered not a word Right Honourable c. ELijah who sometimes called for fire from heaven was himselfe full of heavenly fire the fire of zeale for the Lord of Hosts His words like fire 1 Give light 2 Heate 3 Consume 1 They give light to this undoubted truth That one and but one Religion is to be embraced either God or Baal must be worshipped in no case both Stand firme to one How long halt ye betweene two 2 They heate and enflame true zeale and devotion If the Lord be God follow him 3 They burne up indifferencie and neutralitie If Baal be he goe after him This passage of Scripture relateth a Sermon of Elijah wherein we are to note more particularly 1 The Preacher Elijah 2 The Auditorie the whole Parliament of Israel 3 The Text or Theame handled by him viz. What God is to be worshipped what religion to be established and maintained by Prince and people Now although I perswade my selfe that there is none in this whole assembly who halteth betweene the Popish and reformed Churches or hath once bowed his knee to the Romish Baal yet because Satan hath of late not only turned himselfe into an Angell of light to dazle the eyes of weake Christians in point of Doctrine but also into a Seraphim of heat and zeale under colour of devotion to bring us to offer strange fire upon Gods Altar and especially because there is no lamp of the Sanctuarie that burneth so brightly but that it needeth oyle continually to be powred into it to feed the flame the opening of this Scripture cannot but be seasonable and usefull to reduce you into the path if you swerve from it never so little or to prick you on if you are in the right way that leadeth to the kingdome of God The key to open this Text is the occasion of this exhortation of the Prophet wherefore before I proceed to the exposition of the words I must entreat you to cast a looke backwards to the occasion of them and the cause of the peoples haulting downe-right a circumstance not giving more light to the right understanding of the Prophets reproofe than strength to our stedfast standing and upright walking in the high way to Heaven What the religious Father spake by way of Apologie for handling controversall points in the pulpit Ideo non dubitavimus dubitare ut vos non dubitaretis We therefore make no scruple to move doubts that yee may not doubt but upon the solution of them be more settled in your most holy faith I may say truly that therefore I hold it needfull to make a stay at the cause of the poeples haulting that their haulting may be no stay to your godly proceedings that you may never hault upon their ground which was so slipperie that they slid now this way now that way not able to set sure footing any where Elijah by his divine commission drew them to Gods Altar but Ahab especially at the instigation of Jezebel by his royall power enforced them to offer at Baals groves between both they were miserably perplexed their minds distracted and their worship divided betweene God and Baal Men are led by examples more than precepts especially by the examples of Princes or Potentates which carrie a kinde of Sovereigntie over mens affections and manners as they themselves have over their persons insomuch that their morall vices yea and naturall deformities also have beene drawne and patterned out by some of their subjects as if they were vertues and gracefull ornaments a Jan. Grut. annot in Tac. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Diodorus Siculus telleth us in sober sadnesse that it was the custome of the Aethiopians to maime or lame themselves in that part or foot on which their Prince limped because they thought it a great disparagement for their Prince that any about him should goe more upright or have a more gracefull gate than hee And Atheneus likewise reporteth of Dionysius his familiars that because himselfe was somewhat purblinde they as they sate at table reached towards dishes as it were by aime and sometimes missed that they might not seeme more quick-sighted than he And to make up the number when Philip received a wound in his eye Clisophus as if hee had got a blow on the same eye putteth a patch on it and when afterwards Philip was run thorow the right thigh in comes Clisophus all to be plaistered on that thigh and out-halteth his Master We can hardly hold laughing when we read or heare of the madnesse rather than folly of so grosse flatterie yet wee have cause rather to weepe at the sight of a farre worse flatterie and yet most usuall whereby some indeere themselves into great personages by imitating their vices and profane carriage To expresse these they account it a kinde of merit of favour or at least an homage due to their greatnesse because saith b Lactant. divin instit l. 5. c. 6. Et quoniam regis vitta imitari obsequii quoddam genus est abjecerunt omnes pietatem ne regi
zealous Austine say so only doth not the holy Spirit confirme it that they who embrace or maintaine more religions are indeed of none How read we The people of divers nations saith the text whom the King of Assur planted in Samaria feared the Lord but served other gods Now let us hear the censure of the holy Ghost which followes To this day they doe after the old manner they neither feare God nor doe after their ordinances nor after the Law nor after the commandement which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob Feare no other gods nor bow to them nor sacrifice to them Hence we may strongly infer that Ambodexters as they are called are Ambosinisters Omnifidians are Nullifidians and that there is no greater enemie to true religion than worldly policie which under pretence of deliberation hindreth sound resolution under pretence of discretion extinguisheth true zeale under colour of moderation slackeneth or stoppeth all earnest contention for our most holy faith yet without contention no victorie without victorie no crowne How should they ever hope to bee incorporated into Christ whom hee threateneth to spue out of his mouth But I hope better things of all here present though I thus speake and things that accompanie salvation through the sincere and powerfull preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ among you Cui c. OLD AND NEW IDOLATRY PARALLELED THE LVIII SERMON 1 KINGS 18.21 If the Lord be God follow him but if Baal then follow him Right Honourable c. THe summe and substance of the speech made by the Prophet Elijah before King Ahab the Nobles and Commons of Israel assembled on Mount Carmel is a quicke and sprightly reproofe of wavering unsettlednesse fearfull lukewarmnesse and temporizing hypocrisie in matter of Religion which we are stedfastly to resolve upon openly to professe and zealously to maintain even with striving unto bloud which is gloriously dyed by death for the truth with the tincture of Martyrdome How long halt yee between two opinions c. This reprehensory exhortation or exhortatory reprehension was occasioned by the mammering in which the people were at this time the causes whereof I lately enquired into to the end that as the fall of the Jewes became the rise of the Gentiles so the halting of the Israelites between the right way and the wrong might prove our speedy running in the race of godlinesse to the goale of perfection for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus The cause which I then declared unto you of their halting between two opinions was this Ahab instigated especially by his wife Jezebel partly by his example but much more by furiously brandishing before them the sword reking with the hot bloud of the slaughtered Prophets and servants of the true God drove them to Baals groves where they prostrated themselves before that abominable Idoll and offered the flames of their Holocausts to the bright beames of the Sunne This their bowing to Baal and burning incense to the host of Heaven so incensed the God of Heaven that he barred up the windowes of Heaven and punished their not thirsting after the water of life with such a drouth that not men only and beasts but the earth also every where chopped gasped for some moisture to refresh her dried bowels which for the space of wel-nigh three yeers had no other irrigation than the effusion of Saints bloud The people thus miserably perplexed as being persecuted on the one side by the Prince and plagued on the other side by God himselfe in the end faint and yeeld to the worship both of God Baal The crafty Serpent of Paradise resembleth the Serpent called Amphisbaena which hath two heads moveth contrary wayes at the same time For when hee could not make them hot in Idolatry by feare he cooleth them in the service of God and bringeth them to a luke-warme temper in the true Religion At this the Prophet Elijah is exceedingly moved and put out of all patience his fiery spirit carrieth him first to Ahab whom he thus charmeth It is not I but thou and thy fathers house that have troubled Israel because yee have followed Baalim after up to Mount Carmel where meeting with a Parliament of all Israel hee thus abruptly and boldly setteth upon them How long halt yee between two opinions Every word hath his spirit and accent How long and halt ye and between two opinions It is a foule imperfection to halt and yet more shamefull long to halt most of all between two waies and misse them both To be inconstant in civill affaires which are in their own nature inconstant is weaknesse but in Religion which is alwayes constant and one and the selfe same to be unsettled is as I proved to you heretofore the greatest folly in the world For he who is not assured of one Religion is sure to be saved by none Yet as massie bodies have some quaverings and trepidations before they fixe and settle themselves so the most resolved and established Christian hath a time before hee rest unmoveable in the foundations of the true Religion but he is not long in this motion of trepidation he is not altogether liable to this reproofe of Elijah How long halt yee between two opinions Halting between two opinions may be as I then exemplified unto you two maner of waies either by limping in a middle way betwixt both or by often crossing waies and going sometimes in one way sometimes in another Against these two strong holds of Sathan the Prophet Elijah setteth a dilemma as it were an iron ramme with two hornes with the one hee battereth down the one and with the other the other If the Lord be God then are ye not to stay or halt as ye do between two religions but speedily and resolutely to follow him and embrace his true worship but if yee can harbour such a thought as that Baal should be God then go after him Either Jehovah is God or Baal is he as ye all agree whether of the two be it is certaine neither of them liketh of halting followers If God be the Soveraigne of the whole world why bow ye the knee to Baal if Baal be hee why make yee supplications to God why enquire yee of his Prophets What Lord soever be God he is to be followed if the Lord be he follow him but if Baal then follow him I hold it needlesse to make any curious enquiry into the names or rites of this Idoll that which way suffice for the understanding of this and other Texts of Scripture I find that Baal was the abomination of the Sidonians a people of Phoenicia who as a Ex Rainold de Rom. Eccles Idolatr l. 2. Sanchoniacho an ancient writer of that country and Herodian a later Romane Historian affirme worshipped the Sunne invocating him Beel or Baal-Samen that is in their language Lord of Heaven Though this Idoll were but one yet in regard of the divers Images set up
lately celebrated with a fit antheme Thou hast ascended up on high thou hast led captivitie captive the later may supply this present thou hast received gifts for men yea for the rebellious also that the Lord God may dwell among them Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits even the God of our salvation for on this day Christ received gifts for his Church the gifts of faith hope and charitie the gift of prayer and supplication the gift of healing and miracles the gift of prophecie the gift of tongues and the interpretation thereof Verily so many and so great are the benefits which the anniversary returne of this day presenteth to us that as if all the tongues upon the earth had not beene sufficient to utter them a supply of new tongues was sent from heaven to declare them in all languages The new Testament was drawne before and signed with Christs bloud on good Friday but c Ephes 4.30 Grieve not the holy spirit of God whereby yee are sealed to the day of redemption sealed first on this day by the holy spirit of God Christ made his last Will upon the crosse and thereby bequeathed unto us many faire legacies but this Will was not d 1 Cor. 12.4 5 8. There are differences of administrations but the same Lord and diversitie of gifts but the same spirit For to one is given by the same spirit the word of wisdome unto another the word of knowledge by the same spirit administred till this day for the e And 2 Cor. 3.8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious ministration is of the spirit Yea but had not the Apostles the spirit before this day did not our Lord breathe on them John 20.22 the day he rose at evening being the first day of the weeke saying Receive yee the holy Ghost The learned answer that they had indeed the spirit before but not in such a measure the holy Ghost was given before according to some ghostly power and invisible grace but was never sent before in a visible manner before they received him in breath now in fire before hee was f Calv. in Act Anteà respersi erant nunc plenè imbuti sprinkled but now powred on them before they received 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before authority to discharge their function but now power to worke wonders before they had the smell now the substance g Aug. hom de Pent. Nunc ipsa substantia sacri defluxit unguenti cujus fragrantia totius orbis latitudo impleretur iterum adfuit hoc die fidelibus non per gratiam visitationis operationis sed per praesentiam majestatis of the celestiall oyntment was shed on them they heard of him before but now they saw and felt him 1. In their minds by infallible direction 2. In their tongues by the multiplicity of languages 3. In their hands by miraculous cures S. Austine truly observeth that before the Apostles on this day were indued with power from above they never strove for the Christian faith unto bloud when Satan winnowed them at Christs passion they all flew away like chaffe And though S. Peters faith failed not because it was supported by our Lords prayer Luke 22.32 yet his courage failed him in such sort that he was foyled by a silly damsell but after the holy Ghost descended upon him and the rest of the Apostles in the sound of a mightie rushing wind and in the likenesse of fierie cloven tongues they were filled with grace and enflamed with zeale and they mightily opposed all the enemies of the truth and made an open and noble profession thereof before the greatest Potentates of the world and sealed it with their bloud all of them save S. John who had that priviledge that hee should stay till Christ came glorifying the Lord of life by their valiant suffering of death for his names sake In regard of which manifold and powerfull effâ—cts of sending the spirit on this day which were no lesse seene in the flames of the Martyrs than in the fiery tongues that lighted on the Apostles the Church of Christ even from the beginning celebrated this festivity in most solemne manner and not so onely but within 300. yeares after Christs death the Fathers in the Councels of h Concil Elib c. 43. Cuncti diem Pentecostes celebrent qui non fecerit quasi novam heresem induxerit pumatur Eliberis mounted a canon thundring out the paine of heresie to all such as religiously kept it not If the Jewes celebrated an high feast in memory of the Law on this day first proclaimed on mount Sinai ought not we much more to solemnize it in memory of the Gospel now promulgated on mount Sion by new tongues sent from heaven If we dediâ—â—â— peculiar festivals to God the Father the Creatour and God the Sonne the Redeemer why should not God the holy Ghost the Sanctifier have a peculiar interest in our devotion S. i Serm. in die Pent. Si celebramus sanctorum solennia quanto magis ejus à quo habuerunt ut sancti essent quotquot fuerunt sancti si veneramur sanctificatos quanto magis sanctificatorem Bernard addeth another twist to this cord If we deservedly honour Saints with festivals how much more ought wee to honour him who maketh them Saints especially having so good a ground for it as is laid downe in this chapter and verse And when the day of Pentecost was come As a prologue to an act or an eeve to an holy day or the Parascheve to the Passeover or the beautifull gate to the Temple so is this preface to the ensuing narration it presenteth to our religious thoughts a three-fold concurrence 1. Of time 2. Of place 3. Of affections Upon one and the selfe same day when all the Apostles were met in one place and were of one minde the spirit of unity and love descendeth upon them Complementum legis Christus Evangelii spiritus As the descending of the Sonne was the complement of the Law so the sending of the spirit is the complement of the Gospel and as God sent his Sonne in the fulnesse of time so he sent the spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the fulnesse of the fiftieth day When the Apostles number was full and their desire and expectations full then the spirit came downe and filled their hearts with joy and their tongues with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Magnifica Dei facta the wonderfull works of God vers 11. That your thoughts rove not at uncertainties may it please you to pitch them upon foure circumstances 1. The time when 2. The persons who They. 3. The affection or disposition were with one accord 4. The place in one place 1. The time was solemne the day of Pentecost 2. The persons eminent the Apostles 3. Their disposition agreeable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. The place convenient in an
and crucifying the lusts of the flesh than in verbo or signo After these three wayes we must all shew forth the Lords death Till he come To wit either to each particular man at the houre of his death or to all men and the whole Church on earth at the day of judgement This Sacrament is called by the auncient Fathers viaticum morientium the dying mans provision for the long journey he is to take Every faithfull Christian therefore is to communicate as long as he is able and can worthily prepare himselfe even to the day of his dissolution and all congregations professing the Christian religion must continue the celebration of this holy Sacrament till the day of the worlds consummation As often The seldomer we come to the table of some men the welcomer we are but on the contrary wee are the better welcome the oftener wee come to the Lords Table with due preparation There are two reasons especially why wee ought oft to eate of this bread and drinke of this cup the first is drawne from God and his glory the second from our selves and our benefit The oftener we partake of these holy mysteries being qualified thereunto the more we illustrate Gods glory and confirme our faith If any demand further how oft ye ought to communicate I answer 1. In generall as oft as yee need it and are fit for it The x Cypr. ep 54. Quomodo provocamus eos in confessione nominis Christi sanguinem suum fundere si iis militaturis Christi sanguinem denegamus aut quomodo ad Martyrii poculum idoneos facimus si non eos prius ad bibendum in Ecclesiâ poculum jure communicationis admittimus Martyrs in the Primitive Church received every day because looking every houre to be called to signe the truth of their religion with their bloud they held it needfull by communicating to arme themselves against the feare of death Others in the time of peace received either daily or at least every Lords day The former Saint Austine neither liketh nor disliketh the latter he exhorteth all unto 2. I answer in particular out of Fabianus the Synod of Agatha and the Rubrick of our Communion booke that every one at least ought to communicate thrice a yeere at Christmas Easter and Whitsontide howbeit we are not so much to regard the season of the yeere as the disposition of our mind in going forward or drawing backe from this holy Table The sacrament is fit for us at all times but wee are not fit for it y Gratian. de consecrat distinct 2. Quotidié Eucharistiam dominicam accipere nec laudo nec vitupero omnibus tamen dominicis communicandum hortor Ibid. Qui in natali Domini Paschate Pentecoste non communicaverint catholici non credantur nec inter catholicos habeantur wherefore let every man examine his owne conscience how hee standeth in favour with God and peace with men how it is with him in his spirituall estate whether he groweth or decayeth in grace whether the Flesh get the hand of the Spirit or the Spirt of the Flesh whether our ghostly strength against all temptations be increased or diminished and accordingly as the Spirit of God shall incline our hearts let us either out of sense of our owne unworthinesse and reverence to this most holy ordinance forbeare or with due preparation and renewed faith and repentance approach to this Table either to receive a supply of those graces we want or an increase of those we have and when we come let us Eate of this bread and drinke of this cup. For as both eyes are requisite to the perfection of sight so both Elements to the perfection of the Sacrament This the Schooles roundly confesse Two things saith z Part. 3. q. 63. art 1. Ideò ad Sacramenti hujus integritatem duo concurrunt scilicet spiritualis cibus potus Et q. 80. art 12. Ex parte ipsius Sacramenti convenit quod utrumque sumatur corpus scilicet sanguis quia in utroque consistit perfectio Sacramenti Aquinas concurre to the integrity of the Sacrament viz. spirituall meate and drinke and againe It is requisite in regard of the Sacrament that we receive both kindes the body and the bloud because in both consisteth the perfection of the Sacrament And * Bonavent in 4. sent dist 11. part 2. art 1. Perfecta refectio non est in parte tantùm sed in utroque ideò non in uno tantùm perfectè signatur Christus ut reficiens sed in utroque Bonaventure A perfect refection or repast is not in bread only but in bread and drinke therefore Christ is not perfectly signified as feeding our soules in one kind but in both And a Soto in 12. distinct q. 1. art 12. Sacramentum non nisi in utrâque specie quantum ad integram signification em perficitur Soto The Sacrament as concerning the entire signification thereof is not perfect but in both kindes Doubtlesse if the Sacrament be a banquet or a supper there must be drinke in it as well as meate The Popish communion be it what it may be to the Laity cannot be a supper in which the Laity sup nothing neither can they fulfill the precept of the Apostle of shewing forth the Lords death for the effusion of the wine representeth the shedding of Christs bloud out of the veines and the parting of his soule from his body If we should grant unto our adversaries which they can never evict that the bloud of Christ might be received in the bread yet by such receiving Christs death by the effusion of his bloud for us could in no wise bee represented or shewen forth which the Apostle here teacheth to be the principall end of receiving this Sacrament As oft saith he as yee eate of this bread and drinke of this cup Yee shew forth Christs death In Christs death all Christianity is briefly summed for in it we may observe the justice of God satisfied the love of Christ manifested the power of Sathan vanquished the liberty of man from the slavery of sinne and death purchased all figures of the Old Testament verified all promises of the New ratified all prophecies fulfilled all debts discharged all things requisite for the redemption of mankind and to the worlds restoration accomplished Therein we have a patterne of obedience to the last breath of humility descending as low as hell of meeknesse putting up insufferable wrongs of patience enduring mercilesse torments compassion weeping and praying for bloudy persecuters constancy holding out to the end to which vertues of his person if ye lay the benefits of his passion redounding to his Church which hee hath comforted by his agony quit by his taking justified by his condemnation healed by his stripes cleansed by his bloud quickened by his death and crowned by his crosse if you take a full sight of all the vertues wherewith his crosse is beset as with so