D. late Fellow of S. JOHNS Colledge in CAMBRIDGE Justitia non novit patrem non novit matrem veritatem novit personam non accipit Deum imitatur Cass in Psal CAMBRIDGE Printed by John Field Printer to the Universitie Anno Dom. MDCLVII To the right WORSHIPFULL SIR HENRY FELTON BARONET All increase of true Honour with God and man RIGHT WORSHIPFULL THere is store of Sermons extant the Pulpit scarce affordeth more then the Press neither know I which is more advantageous The sound of the Word pierceth more the letter written endureth longer the voice extendeth but to some few present the writing to many absent the Authour though dead yet speaketh Here are two added to the number and by the relict of the deceased presented to the publick view which I crave leave to honour with your name Why I do so I need not give account to the world which alreadie knoweth your worth and deserts and shall know by this that I acknowledge them besides my special obligations to you for your favour to me and my son unknown to the world Sir you were willing to have been his Patron whilest he lived be pleased now to vouchsafe the Patronage of this his Posthumous issue which I humbly commend to your care and you with your vertuous Ladie to the grace of the Almightie wishing you both all that little happiness the earth can afford you and fulness of glorie in heaven Your Worships most humbly devoted JOHN FROST COLOS. 3. 25. But he that doth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done and there is no respect of persons SOme of the ancients have charitably excused the Heathens Polytheisme by that probable conjecture that they worshipped not divers gods but one and the same according to those various benefits they received from him or those divers apprehensions they had of him As Lipsius speaking Lipsius dissert 9. of the gods of the Stoicks saith they were rather multitudo nominum then numinum a multitude of names rather Lib. 4. de Civit. Dei cap. 24. then of natures And Augustine in his book de civitate Dei brings in the Heathens pleading for themselves that they were not so ridiculously ignorant as to think virtue or fortune and the rest gods but onely divers expressions of the same deity Which opinion may gain further probabilitie if we consider what unworthy unsuitable apprehensions men are apt to entertain of God Most men like that Roman painter Arellius who was wont to draw the faces of all his images according to the likeness of that beautie which himself most affected framing a god to themselves suitable to their own carnal interests and corrupt affections not conceiving of him as he is and so truely making God an Idol Thus some fancie a god to themselves all of justice breathing out nothing but fire and brimstone against sin armed with nothing but vengeance and terrour and they can by no means frame to themselves one conception of his mercy and this is the misapprehension which the humbled despairing sinner lies under who can speak no other language of God then that of Job The arrows of the Almightie are within me the poison Job 6. 4. whereof drinketh up my spirit the terrours of the Lord do set themselves in array against me Others which indeed is the more frequent and the more dangerous mistake fancie to themselves a notion of God as all love and mercie all tenderness and compassion in the mean time either through unbelief not crediting or through inadvertencie not actually considering the justice of God and this is the misperswasion and errour of the presumptuous secure sinner and that which encourageth him to a constant and confident continuance in sin against God and wronging his neighbour this prompts and encourageth the superiour to oppress his inferiour and him to rebel against his superiour Therefore the Apostle here undertaking to press upon these Colossians a just and suitable deportment to every subordination God shall set them in which is the relative importance of the words having verse 24. allured them by the hopes of mercie or a reward he here perswades them by the terrours of the Lords justice against those who in any capacitie or rank whatsoever for so Zanchy extends the words wrongs or injures another But he that doth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done c. As if he had said Let none lay aside the belief of the justice of God or encourage themselves Paraphr in sin by hopes of impunitie let not the poor inferiour servant for the words are peculiarly spoken for the comfort of such by the general consent of expositours repine despairingly because here perhaps he suffers wrongfully nor yet the superiour triumph proudly because he can at present oppress securely for there will come a time though now the poor and inferiour are oppressed without relief and great ones Tyrannize without controle when he be he Prince or Peasant honourable or despised rich or poor be he what he will be these circumstances of the persons are not valued or considered by that impartial justice of God from which he that doth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done c. The words you see are the description of Gods severitie against sin their terms may briefly be explained thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that doth wrong 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Budaeus Or if you will take the Philosophers account of it it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to injure another knowingly contrarie Steph. ex Arist Rhet. to some law either the superiour law of God or the subordinate so far as just laws of men agreeing with the law natural and eternal so that every sin as it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Apostles phrase 1 John 3. 4. so it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 too a wrong to God our neighbour our selves and in this latitude I shall here consider it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shall receive The word properly signifies such a receiving as is by way of return or recompence that is He shall have the just reward of that injurie whereby he wrongs another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non personam significat sed personae attributa circumstantias Stephan Scripture speaks of God as having a gratious respect to some men more then to others Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated Rom. 9. 13. Thus God had respect to Abel not to Cain Gen. 4. 4 5. But the persons here signifies the outward circumstances and qualifications of men those which make men glorious and valuable in the world such as Honour Riches Authoritie Greatness Learning Parentage Countrey which are the admiration and terrour of men yet can neither procure Gods favour for nor secure the sinner from the stroke of Divine justice Which interpretation is evident from the context and I shall further clear it anon
mens heads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 greater damnation as our Saviour told those arch-hypocrites the Pharisees Matth. 23. 14. Adams fig-leaves will not secure him from the summons of Gods justice the paint of hypocrisie falls off at the fire of Gods wrath That of Chrysostome is full to this Chrysost in Rom. 2. 11. purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God will judge at the last day not according to the qualitie of the persons but the difference of the actions whether good or bad therefore God is described by S. John at the last judgement as sitting upon a great Rev. 20. 11. white throne which speaks both glory and purity no spot of injustice or partiality in it but as at the words following both small Ibid. v. 12. and great are judged every one according to his works And now give me leave Right Honourable with that modest Application humility as becomes my years and yet with that holy boldness as befits my Office to urge the imitation of this Divine justice upon you I shall endeavour to do it so that I may seem neither to forget to whom nor yet from whom I speak God hath put his work into your hands you are in the place of God to the people you judge Gen. 50. 19. for him you have the stamp of his authority upon you he hath honoured you with his name I have said ye are gods wherefore judge Psal 82. 1. as he does Arnobius tells the heathens that their gods were such Arnob. pag. 190. quorum similes nec vos esse nec alium quempiam velitis as they were ashamed either themselves or others should imitate but Scripture represents God to us as a pattern for our imitation Be ye holy as I am Matth. 5. holy and perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect Imitate him as Christians much more as Magistrates Imitate his vindicative justice which is sometimes in Scripture called his holiness and herein Josh 24. 19. in imitate First The equity of his justice by proportionating punishments to the nature of the offence to punish less then the fact deserves may be of bad consequence to the publick to punish more severely then it deserves is always injustice to the offendour so far innocency it self suffers as any man is punished beyond the demerit of his offence The Romane fasces were a bundle of rods with an axe in the midst to signifie the equity of Magistrates in punishing some onely with a rod others with the axe the one for lesser faults the other for capital crimes Secondly The universality of his justice Let not any wrong go unpunished whether it be in mens good names which to some are of as great concernment as their lives by defamation in their estates by injury robbery and oppression or in their lives by murder or in all these by false accusations and witnesses But I mention this head that I may commend to your justice especially the wrongs of God those which more immediately strike at his honour his glory My Lords God is very severe in revenging the wrongs done to you when the Apostle Peter speaks of Gods reserving the wicked to the 2 Pet. 2. 9 10. day of judgement to be punished he ushers this in with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chiefly them who despise government and are not afraid to speak evil of dignities And when the people would have rejected Samuel from 1 Sam. 8. 7. being Judge saith God they have not rejected thee but me He interprets injuries done to you as done to himself and therefore you have all the reason in the world to be sensible of and zealous in punishing those wrongs which are done to God Let me expostulate a little Shall the least dishonourable word against an earthly Potentate be punished and shall those foul-mouth'd Rabshakehs who reproach the living God by horrid blasphemies go secure and unobserved Shall an affront to an Embassadour be justly censured as an indignitie to the Prince and shall those who scorn defame injure and evil entreat the Embassadours of God who come to them upon terms of peace and reconciliation from him as carnal and Anti-christian not be looked upon as wronging God himself and dealt withall accordingly I am sure Christ esteems them so He that despiseth you saith he Luke 10. 16. despiseth me c. Shall an insurrection in the State and that justly too be punished as rebellion and shall those who are up in open arms against God and bid defiance to his Ordinances Word Ministers which have been the glory and happiness of the Christian world for this sixteen hundred years escape without the least censure Shall a thief who steals to the value of a few pence endanger his life and shall others rob God securely and without danger If you ask how that is not I but the Prophet Malachi shall resolve you In tithes saith he and offerings Mal. 3. 8. In a word shall schisme and faction in the State be punished as rebellion and shall open heresie I speak not of circumstantial opinions in the Church be tolerated under the calmer title of tenderness I must beg a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I cannot imagine what plea can be rationally made for this either we must say The Magistrate is not interested in the care of Religion and that 's directly contrary both to Scripture practise and precept the Apostle making this the very argument why we should pray for all that are in authority that we may live not onely peaceably but in all godliness also It is certainly the 1 Tim. 2. 2. Magistrates duty to preserve Religion as well as keep the Peace Or else we must say that no Heresie wrongs God and that is to make Religion an indifferency and to cut the sinews of all endeavours after truth What think you of those damnable Heresies which Peter speaks of Even denying the Lord that bought them and 2 Pet. 2. 1. is not to deny God to wrong him Else we must say that we do not know what Heresie wrongs God and that 's to turn Religion into a light Scepticisme to make it the greatest uncertainty in the world Or lastly that no Heresie though broached and owned is to be observed and taken notice of by the Magistrate otherwise then as it hath an influence upon the disturbance of the State and that seems to me to be as much as if we should say The peace of the State ought to be more dear to a Christian Magistrate then either the truth or the glory of God In a word to punish such as I have been speaking of capitally is unwarrantable cruelty but not to restrain them at all seems contrary to that zeal which a Christian Magistrate ought to have for God and Religion I shall end this point with a holy meditation of one of the burning and shining lights of this age In mine own wrongs I will hold patience laudable but in Gods
whose prayer was hypocrisie would see oft a mote in his brothers eye and pretend to a skill and desire to pull it out when he neglects the beam in his own He that is so much abroad it is to be feared he seldome turns his eyes inward to consider the plague of his own heart The Pharisee boasts that he is not as the Publican but the good Publican strikes upon his own breast and saith Lord be mercifull to me a sinner It is our dutie Brethren to reprove others but nor uncharitably to condemn them This censorious uncharitableness is commonly the issue of a Pharisaical opinion of a mans own righteousness It was otherwise with the disciples Mark 14. 18 19. they say not Is it he or he but each ready to suspect and accuse himself Lord is it I so the Apostle here accuseth himself by a particular indictment here in the gross of whom I am the chief Whereas in respect of others a Christian thinks it better to wrong himself by an over charitable credulitie then others by unjust censures and suspicions but before God none accuse themselves more hereby magnifying more the grace of God in pardoning haec ejus accusatio est laus salvatoris saith Ambrose accusing himself he exalts his Saviour who came into the world to save sinners of whom he accuseth himself as the chief That 's the third IV. Vox spiritualiter illuminati as the words of the Apostle inwardly enlightned to see and discern the nature of his former sins and this is one thing in which every true Christian is enlightned S. Paul in his unregenerate estate thought in his conscience he was bound to oppose the Gospel of Christ as he tells you himself Acts 26. 9. but now he discovers the horrid nature of his blasphemie and persecution and unbelief and therefore oft heightens it Gal. 1. 13. Carnal hearts do not see the evil of sin and therefore think it a light small matter they 'l be playing with the serpent as not feeling the sting of it but when a Christian spiritually enlightned sees sin through the glass of the law and the bloud of Christ it appears in its proper colours Thus to S. Paul by the law sin appeared exceeding sinfull Rom. 7. and himself here The greatest of sinners That 's the fourth V. Vox confitentis as the words of S. Paul confessing his sin He was primus in ordine confitentium saith Aretius upon the place as readie to acknowledge his sin as any and surely this is a great Christian dutie however many now a-days are high-flown into raptures and ecstasies and cry down Confession and Repentance as legal The Saints in Scripture have been express and frequent in this duty David frequently in the Psalms Psal 32. 5. and fully Psal 51. 2 4 5. confesses his original corruption Read holy Ezra's confession Ezra 9. 5 6. See Daniels holy and humble confession Dan. 9. 4. he recounts particular sins v. 5 6. so continues till v. 16. thus Paul v. 13. and here I am the chief of sinners Hereby Christians acknowledge their liableness to Justice and magnifie the grace of God in pardoning as S. Paul v. 13. yet he obtained mercy Much like this of the Apostle is that of Tertullian in his book de poenitentia Peccator omnium notarum sum nec ulli rei nisi poenitentiae natus that is I am a most notorious sinner as if I were born to no other end then to confess and repent That brings me to the sixth thing as they are VI. Vox dolentis as the words of S. Paul mourning and sorrowing in the remembrance of his former and meditation of his present sins ut se humiliet adhuc dolet de sua incredulitate saith Ambrose upon the place the Apostle still mournes upon the consideration of his unbelief Though many even of those who crucified Christ as those Acts 2. were brought to a sence of their sin yet none more then Paul who now converted yet grieves for his former unbelief True Christians are tender hearted so easily melted into sorrow It is one thing which God workes upon the heart in conversion viz. a melting tenderness under sin How doth Mary Magdalen formerly notorious shed a fountain of teares how tender was Davids heart when he had cut of Sauls garment and numbred the people 2. Sam. 24. 10. And Christians oft mourn even after God hath pardoned them that they should by sin formerly so much dishonour him I question not but upon this account David watered his couch with his tears and some say Peter never heard the cock crow but he wept for the denyal of his Master and Austin in his confessions often aggravates and heightens his sin while a Manichee so the Apostle here reflecting upon his former blasphemy c. seemes with a tear in his eye to cry out Of whom I am the chief VII Vox ingemescent is sub onere the Apostle speaks this as sensible of the burden of sin so that he was the greatest of sinners in respect of his own sence and feeling As suppose one sick of the tooth-ach or head-ach cries out No pain is like my pain because he feels that by experience but other mens by speculation only so the Apostle here from an inward sence of his own sins calls himself the chief of sinners Here 's again a Character of a true Christian He is one to whom sin is a real burthen whereas a wicked man makes light of it sin is there in its proper place A wicked man is in his Element when sinning and Elementa non gravitant in propriis locis but a Christian having a heart of flesh so tender the least sin is a burthen to him David complains of his broken bones by reason of sin and that his sins were a burthen too heavie for him to bear and Paul here confesseth himself the chief of sinners VIII Vox fidei applicantis the words of S. Paul by a particular faith applying to himself that general truth that Christ came into the world to save sinners As if he should have said * Ad quoâ— venit primus ego sum Aug. tom 10. pag. 200. I am the chief of those sinners which Christ came to save This is the special art of saving faith to bring down Vniversal truths by particular application so did David Psal 116. 5 6 7. See he applies the general mercy of God to himself It is not enough to believe in the general that Christ came to save sinners for this is but historical which the divels believe and tremble because they have no part in him and thousands will be damned who profess they believe this but true saving faith is a fiducial relyance upon and particular application of Christ as coming to save me in particular as S. Paul did Gal. 2. 20. so 2. Tim. 1. 22. and hereafter there is layd up for me a crown c. c. 4. v. 8. and here he brings down this general