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A03336
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A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse the third of March, 1610. By Theophilus Higgons. In testimony of his heartie reunion with the Church of England, and humble submission thereunto. Published by command
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Higgons, Theophilus, 1578?-1659.
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1611
(1611)
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STC 13456; ESTC S104096
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44,137
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62
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other the one negatiue he maketh not the wicked innocent the other affirmatiue he visiteth iniquitie Consider secondly the extent of the one and other His mercy extendeth vnto thousands his iudgement vnto three or foure generations Here is mercie and riches of mercie This therefore being so peculiarly annexed vnto the diuine nature the Church for many hundred yeeres harh vsed that excellent Collect O God whose nature and property is euer to haue mercy c. And this bringeth vnto my remembrance the saying of Tullie so much applauded by S. August lib. 9. de Cruit Dei when hee pleaded before Caesar for the life and liberty of Ligarius his friend O Caesar saith he none of thy vertues is more admirable or gracious then thy MERCIE Men come neere vnto God in nothing so much as in sauing the afflicted Thy fortune hath nothing greater then that thou hast power thy nature nothing better then that thou hast will to shew mercie and to saue others So I may say of all Gods proprieties none is more admirable and gracious then his mercy It is not his power it is not his knowledge it is not his wisdome but it is his Mercy wherein we chiefely reioice I should despaire if there were not mercy in him since there is so much iniquity in me But because of sinners hee shall be called mercifull 2. Esdr 8.31 Thus his mercy hath an aduantage by our sinnes to declare and to expresse it selfe For though in him there is an habit if I may so speake of mercy alwaies yet the act of mercy requireth sinne precedent in vs which giueth matter and occasion vnto the same There is a double matter of mercie the one whence it proceedeth the other where it is shewed The first is in God onely the second in vs. The heauens neede not the mercy of God saith August in Psal 32. because there is no misery in them but the earth needeth it and where the misery of man hath abounded there the mercie of God hath abounded much more If therefore I haue committed sinne then I haue fit matter for the declaration of his mercy In this ô Lord thy goodnesse shall be praised if thou be mercifull vnto vs who haue not the substance of good works 2. Esdr 8.36 In truth many haue the shadow not the substance of good works Now though it is an euill cause saith Seneca which requireth mercy yet there is no cause so euill which can despaire of mercy For as I haue the matter of or for mercy in me to wit my sins so if I haue the means to apprehend this mercy which meanes is faith alone the mercy of God shall bee commended through mine iniquity and my owne sinne shall turne to my owne safety All things worke together for the best vnto them that loue God euen to them that are called of his purpose Rom. 8.28 Omnia cooperantur saith S. Augustine all things worke etiam peecata Domine euen our sins also ô Lord. For by sinne we haue experience of our infirmity our infirmity draweth vs vnto humility humility lifteth vs vp vnto God in God euery man hath his quietus est perfect rest and endlesse peace Thus it is true that sinne which naturally and of it selfe worketh damnation may occasionally and by accident worke saluation also but by his power who brought light out of darkenesse and worketh our good out of our own euill I dare not therefore adde this grieuous sin vnto my other sinnes to despaire of mercy For as to commit a sinne it is the death of the soule so to despaire of mercy it is to descend into hell And some feare not to affirme that Iudas sinned more by despaire of mercy then by treason against his Lord. For what is more sacrilegious saith Fulgentius then to deny Gods mercy in forgiuing our sins If he be a skilfull physitian he can cure all our infirmities if a mercifull God hee can forgiue all our sinnes Therefore Dauid Psal 103. exhorteth his owne soule to praise the Lord and again to praise the Lord. Why He forgiueth all thy sinne healeth all thine infirmities If this be so let no man despaire of the physitian and remaine in his sicknes let no man extenuate Gods mercy and pine away in his sinnes For Christ died for sinners Rom. 5.8 And Christ came into the world to saue sinners 1. Tim. 1.15 If I were not a sinner he were not a Sauiour Qualecumque fit ergopeccatum c. Whatsoeuer then thy sinne be God can and will pardon it if thou by despaire doest not close vp his hands and shut vp the gate of indulgency against thy self Finally he concludeth his exhortation out of the prophet Esay 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his wayes and the vnrighteous his owne imaginations and returne vnto the Lord and he will haue mercy vpon him and to our God for he is very ready to forgiue Yea multus ad ignoscendum as he rendreth it neerer vnto the originall text In hoc multo nihil deest in quo est omnipotens misericordia omnipotentia misericors He can pardon for his mercy is omnipotent he will pardon for his omnipotency is mercifull Therefore let no man despaire Thus much of the first motiue or cause to wit the mercy of God And so I come vnto the second which is his LOVE as it followeth here in my Text through his great loue wherwith he loued vs euen when we were dead by or in sins Here is loue the cause of mercy I haue loued thee with an euerlasting loue therefore with mercy haue I drawne thee Ierem. 31.3 The riuer of mercy issueth from the fountaine of loue But of this I haue spoken * Pag. 8. before Now for the Text it selfe you may obserue First that this affection or attribute is comfortable because it is loue specially in God Secondly that this loue is commendable because it is great Thirdly that this greatnes is admirable because it is toward vs. Concerning the First to wit the affection or attribute loue in God the beloued disciple teacheth vs that God is loue 1. Io. 4.8 And so loue is attributed vnto him in the abstract because it is in him not as an accident and by participation but by essence as S. Bernard speaketh diuinely of this other properties in God He loueth as charity he knoweth as truth he fitteth as equity he ruleth as maiesty he gouerneth as the beginning he defendeth as health he worketh as power he reuealeth as light he assisteth as piety All these things the Angels doe yea we also doe but yet in an inferiour manner not by that good which we are or haue in our selues but which we participate of him But it is otherwise in GOD whatsoeuer is attributed vnto him is God himself For he is a simple vncompounded being in whom all things are one So that the variety of his attributes is not from a diuersity of affection in him but of effects vnto vs. But J
am confined vnto his Loue therfore I will speake particularly of it He hath an immanent loue dwelling in him so he loueth himselfe by the necessity of his nature He hath a transient loue proceeding from him and so he loueth his creatures some more some lesse by the liberty of his will He hath a generall loue vnto all for all are his creatures the works of his own hands He hath a speciall loue vnto some according as his Image in respect of their substance is stamped in them and as his likenesse in respect of their qualities is represented in them For likenesse is the cause of loue So then God loueth vs as his creatures but more as men He loueth vs as men but more as elected He loueth vs as elected but more as iustified And this loue which he beareth vnto vs as actually iustified by Christ hee declareth more in his work of our sanctification by the Spirit Finally the more holy wee are the more hee loueth vs. Whereupon S. Augustine doth excellently obserue tract in Ioh. that God loueth the Humanity of Christ more then any man because it was full of grace and truth Ioh. 1.14 If therefore we will obtain and retain the loue of God we must be as he is conforming our wils vnto the obedience of his will and be like vnto him in all things merciful as he is mercifull louing as he is louing gratious as hee is gratious yea perfect as he is perfect Math. 5 48. Not by adequation that is beyond our power but by imitation that is our dutie Be holy for I am holy Leuit. 11.44 In the second place As before this loue in God was a speciall and not a generall loue so here it is not a little but a great loue For he is a great God and a great King aboue all Gods Psal 95.3 Likewise his loue is great aboue all loues Therefore the vulgar readeth it thus propter nimiam charitatem for his ouer much loue In truth it is ouer much beyond our desert and beyond our comprehensiō too For what loue shal I compare vnto his loue The loue of a WOMAN It is great indeed but yet the loue of Ionathan vnto Dauid was greater then it Thy loue to mee was wonderfull yea passing the loue of women 2. Sam. 1.26 The loue of a MOTHER Here is a greater degree then in the former but yet this loue is not so certaine and infallible as Gods loue Can a woman forget her child and not haue compassion vpon the sonne of her wombe If they should forget as some may be yea some haue beene so vnnaturall yet will not I forget thee saith God vnto his disconsolate and afflicted Sion Esay 49.15 Therefore till you canne find whom you may compare with God you shall find no loue to bee compared with his loue But now to come vnto the third point As the loue of God was commended before from the quantity thereof it beeing a great loue so it is yet further commēded from the obiect thereof Vs. Who Iewes and Gentiles Of what condition or estate Dead in sinne This was * Pag. 5. designed by me to be the third generall circumstance of my Text but I will intreat of it here because I am so happily inuited thereunto his great loue wherewith hee loued vs when wee were dead by sinnes First I will consider the Obiect it selfe Vs which in extension doth include both Iew and Gentile Secondly the quality thereof dead in sinne or by sinnes And first of the Obiect Vs. O blessed S. Paul Quid tibi nobis what hast thou to doe with vs It was thy priuiledge not ours to say They the Iewes are Hebrewes so am I they are Israelites so am I they are the seede of Abraham so am I 2. Cor. 11.22 But so were not we the Gentiles What is the reason then thou shouldest here include thy selfe in this extensiue particle vs The reasons are many but specially three The first is the charity of S. Paul For the voice of Faith is EGO I with an appropriation vnto our selues Faith draweth the circūference of Gods promises vnto the center of our hearts But the voice of Charity is Not we with a communication vnto all Therfore it is one note of charity assigned by S. Paul 1. Cor. 13.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it seeketh not her own things Secondly the speciall interest of S. Paul in the Gentiles whose Apostle he was by way of excellency and prerogatiue aboue all others He is a chosen vessell vnto me to beare my name before the Gentiles Act. 9.15 Thirdly our communion in Christ For now the stop of partition-wall was broken downe Ephes 2.14 Now there was one shephard and one sheepfold Ioh. 10.16 Now God had perswaded Iaphet to dwell in the tents of Shem Gen. 9.27 So that now there was no difference no distinction as our Apostle diuinely saith There is neither Iew nor Grecian there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ Iesus Galath 3.28 Why then should one nation despise another or why should one man contemne an other For as we are all one by nature in the first Adam so we are all one by grace in the second The nobility of stocke the antiquity of descent the abundance of wealth the excellency of wit the comelinesse of bodie finally no externall glory of temporal things maketh a difference or an acception of persons in the sight of God Now to proceede vnto our owne vnworthinesse whereby the worth of Gods loue is amplified be we Iewes or be we Gentiles great was the loue of God which was extended either to the one or other As for the Iewes the whole course of the old Scriptures doth so demonstrate their ingratitude and rebellion against God that it must needs be a singular extraordinarie loue in him to vouchsafe them any grace or fauour at all For instance I remit you vnto the 78. Psalme where the Prophet Dauid doth illustrate the benignitie of God by the iniquitie of this people to wit how hee brought them out of Egypt by a miraculous power diuided the sea for their protection brought water out of the stonie rocks for their consolation went before them in a cloud for their direction yet they sinned still against him and prouoked the Highest in the wildernesse verse 17. Notwithstanding hee rained downe Manna vpon them he rained flesh also vpon them as dust yet for all this they sinned still and beleeued not his wondrous works vers 32. Notwithstanding he forgaue their iniquitie and restrained his anger from them vpon their submission vnto him yet they returned and tempted God and limited the holy one of Israel vers 41. Notwithstanding he cast out the Heathen before them to receiue them into their inheritance yet they tempted and prouoked the most high God and kept not his testimonies vers 56. But as for vs Gentiles what could we plead We