of his Spirit The Globe the World all things are theirs Their Royall Robes the syndone of Christs 1 Cor. 3. 22. Righteousnesse Their Princely Pallaces White-Hall Gods Sanctuary and Non-such the new Ierusalem the Esquires of their bodies a heavenly guard even 10000. of Angels their dyet is of the best the inconsumptible body and the blood of Christ and hee that made them kings is the King of Kings Beloved Brethren wee see our honourable calling let dogges returne to their vomit Hogs of Epicurus Heards wallow in their obscene Aliud Sceptrum aliud plectrum pleasures Kites feed on caerrion Beasts live like Beasts yet our calling calls upon us to live like men the chiefe of men Kings and Christian Kings What therefore was Iosuahs injunction ought to be ours in theory practice viz. the exercise of pure Religion to meditate in the Booke of the Law day and night to observe and Iosu 1. 8. doe according to all the Law not to turne from it to the right hand nor to the left that wee Deut. 17. 19. may prosper wheresoever we goe It is recorded in Ecclesiasticall History of Philadelphus King of Aegypt however hee had two hundred thousand volumes in his Library yet hee sent the keeper of his Library Demetrius to the Iewes to have the Booke of the Law and the Translators which we call the Septuagint Such was his love to the Law We need not send farre or spend much to have the Booke of the Law and the Gospel in our owne houses in Gods houses they are read and orthodoxally expounded every day and if the best of desires be not thereto to know and to doe we are not worthy the name of Christians much lesse the honour of Kings but if wee shall make the profession and the practice of sincere Religion our joy our glory and our crowne and be found so doing Kings we are here by grace and shall reigne with the King of Kings hereafter in eternall glory And thus I leave this and take hold on the last branch of our honour He hath consecrated us Priests to God and the Father Amongst the Heathen one man sometime was both King and Priest Rex idem hominum Virg. Phoebique sacerdos St. Peter combines both together Ye are a royall Priesthood St. Ambrose is 1 Pet. 2. 9. In Luc. c. 22. plaine Omnes filii Ecclesiae sacerdotes sunt all the true children of the Church are Priests spiritually Priests whereof Clemens Alexandrinus renders this reason Quia eorum caput Christus est Rex Sacerdos because Christ their head is both King and Priest Then Priests wee are therefore it behoves us to adorne our holy Profession as Priests to be filled with knowledge not of the most so much as of the best to send up the Heraulds of our soules to the Mercy-seat for our selves and others that we may be healed to purifie our selves when we approach the Temple and to be holy in all manner of conversation what other thing in Moses Law did that his Act Levit. 8. 24. typifie to put blood on the Priests eare the thumbe of the right hand and the great toe of the right foot than that to spirituall Priests the doore of knowledge and the instruments of action should be sanctified and being sanctified forget not to sacrifice Cum sale cum igne cum thure with discretion fervor of love prayer subdue Arrogance then we offer to the Lord a Calfe Orig. 9. Ep. ad Rom overcome wee anger then wee offer a Ramme quell we concupiscence that is to offer a Goat restraine we wandring imagination then wee offer Pigeons In three words to conclude all let us all offer the Philosophers three kindes of goods 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our externall goods doling Ethic. l. 1. c. 8. almes to the needy for with such sacrifices God is well pleased I but thou hast it not to offer yes sure not so poore but thou hast a sacrifice Si Zachei divitias non habes si desint tibi duo minuta Remig. c if thou hast not Zache his store not so much as the widowes mites no not a cup of cold water offer to thy God thy good will and God takes it well according to that Coronat Deus intus Voluntatem ubi non invenit facultatem 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 August 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the goods of our bodies so the Apostle Rom. 12. 1. supplicates the Romanes how this may be golden mouthed Chrysostome instructs elegantly Let thy eye behold no evill or no evill hold thy eye Hom 20. in Ep. ad Rom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so thy eye is a sacrifice thy tongue speak no evill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it is an oblation thy hand act no evill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it is become a burnt Offering so order all other parts in Gods service and so they are made Gods sacrifices Lastly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the goods of our minde Prayers perfumed with faith incensed with zeale to make them as incense daily and duly presented by the hands of Christ Iesus to that God which heareth prayers and to close with our God in praises and praise him for all his mercies from the morning of our youth to the mid-day of our strength even to the evening of our dayes till our Sunne set that when the Sonne of righteousnesse shall appeare we may beare with Cherubins and Seraphins a part in their heavenly Hallelujah world without end Now to the God of Love the Spirit of grace that moves us to love and the Son of Gods Love Who loved us and washed us in his Blood and made us Kings and Priests unto our God a Trinity in Vnity and an Vnitie in Trinitie be ascribed Glory and Dominion for evermore Amen FINIS Imprimatur SA BAKER Fulham Septemb. 16. 1635.
CHRISTS LOVE AND SAINTS SACRIFICE Preached in a Sermon at St. Pauls Crosse on the 23. of August 1635. BY IAMES CONYERS Mr. of Arts of Sydney-Sussex in Cambridge and Minister of Stratford-Bow in Middlesex CANTIC 2. 12. My wel-beloved is unto me as a bundle of Myrrhe hee shall lye betweene my brests Ambros in 118. Psal Velle Christi commune in omnes est mundari fidei est credentis in Christum LONDON Printed by E. P. for H. Seile dwelling at the Tygers head in St. Pauls Church-yard 1635. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL Sir ROGER NORTH of Milden Hall in SVFFOLKE His truely Religious Lady THOMASIN NORTH Their much honoured Off-spring HENRY NORTH Esquire with his vertuous Spouse Mris SARAH NORTH And Mr. DVDLY NORTH Mris MARY NORTH Collation of Grace and Glory WOrthies your gratious and immerited Favours not onely intended but also extended towards me the meanest of a thousand exact at my hands a more exact Demonstration of gratitude than at this present to present you with a Sermon but having no better Present to offer daign it I pray you your candid aspect and accept it as Artaxerxes did the water at Synataes Aelian hands and expande yours for patronage under which as the Dove in Noahs Arke shall be its best repose and shelter The lines I tender you are a Monument of my sincere and loving affection in themselves mostly lines of Loue not carnall but spirituall being richly in-layd with the loue of Christ that loue out-layd by effusion of his most pretious Blood together with the true felicity and incomparable dignity of Chrtstians wherewith your pious soules have beene daily more and more inamoured and your persons more honoured than Nobilitas sâ—la est atque vinca vertus with any Indian Treasure or the Worlds umbratilous Honour which Worke wheresoever it is wrought there is eminently Digitus Dei the finger of God which finger as did that Starre the Magi guide you to the Starre of Iacob whose loue as a Banner ever over-spread you and the blessings of whose hands compasse you on every side that yee may be able with all Saints to comprehend what is the bredth and length and depth Ephes 3. 17 18 and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge and that yee may be filled with all fulnesse of God to the praise of his Glory Yours and the Churches most humble Servant IAMES CONYERS To the Reader CHristian Reader as these lines are writ so reade in love and then thou canst not carpe but cover if therein had escaped even a spectable Error But to put thee out of doubt I will be bold to warrant thee two things first herein is nothing contrary to good Manners neither in the second place opposite to orthodox Theologie therefore lend them thy looke and happily thou wilt like them and the rather if these contents Christ his Love his Blood the price of thy Redemption or thy owne blessed promotion like thee In hope of one and all to thee and me with all that love unfainedly I rest thine in him that lives for ever and ever loves his J. C. CHRISTS LOVE AND SAINTS SACRIFICE Apoc. cap. 1. vers 5 6. Vnto him that loved us and washed us from our sinnes in his blood And made us Kings and Priests vnto God even his Father to him be glory and Dominion for evermore Amen WEre that Quaere put to In vita Budaei idem narratur de Theodoro Goza Sphynx Philos c. 25. mee which once was to Budeus by Francis the first viz. if all the volumes in the world were doomed to the fire what one would he saue as his resolue was Plutarchs Works by reason they had the impression of all Sciences Mine should be Epistolam Creatoris ad Greg Ep. â—d Furiam Creaturas the Epistle of the Creator to the Creature viz. the sacred Scripture And therein this Text a richer Mine than golden Peru affords the Magazine of all true treasure Christ a jemme of invaluable price his love better than Wine his blood one drop whereof more worth than the Luthe in 2. ad galat. whole world two Evangelicall and Angelicall Sacrifices the one expiatorie for sin made by Christ on the Altar of the Crosse who loved us and washed us in his blood and made us Kings and Priests unto our God The other gratulatorie to Christ Iohn 21. 20. presented by the beloved Disciple for that act of meere grace To him be glory and dominion for evermore Amen In the former sacrifice are offered two parts Analysis 1 The Motive thereto 2 The Manifestation thereof Expiatory Sacrifice The Motive is love wherein to shun a deniall discourse I shall confine to these limits 1 The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Christ loved us 2 The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the impulsive cause to love us 3 The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how he loved us 4 The quos whom he loved us Vnto him that loved us The Manifestation of this love appeares two wayes 1. In Christs owne Humiliation viz. he Christs Humiliation washed us from our sinnes in his Blood where are in-laid these 3. particulars 1 The Act he washed 2 The Object us from our sinnes 3 The Organon wherewith his owne blood 2. In our Exaltation in these words and Our Exaltation made us Kings and Priests to God his Father c. whereout springs two branches of honour The first is Regall hee hath crowned us Kings The second is sacerdoticall hee hath consecrated us Priests unto God even his Father In the latter sacrifice which is Eucharisticall Eucharisticall Sacrifice observe first the matter expressed Glory and Dominion secondly the Majestie to whom it is presented viz. the Prince of the Kings of the Earth Thirdly the manner pressed two waies First in regard of cirumstance of time beyond all time for evermore Secondly in regard of the Sacrificer with a good heart and a very good heart couched in this word Amen Vnto him that loved us c. Thus have I taken the Text asunder and now I must take the parts in their order and because they are many I must but touch as the Bee the flower and flie away The first that Method manuducts me to is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mercy-Master Christ Iesus loved us this is true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in word and deed a Truth Tertul. Tanquam radio solis scripta as ingraven with the Sunne-beame behold the manner of the writing The wretched Iewes play'd the Scribes the pens they used were thornes and speares and nayles the inke was purest blood the Volume wherein they writ and that on both sides was the body of all Divinity the capitall letters deepe and wide wounds the testimonies men and Angels Brond in loc the Seale set to it was Christs consummatum est it is finished whereon as an impregnable Arch-jewell I build my faith
and am perswaded That neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities Rom. 8. 38 39 nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall euer be able to separate us from the love of Christ Iesus who loved us And thus much or rather thus little on this first point viz. the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Christ loved us and so we proceed to the second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 why he loved us The Ethnicks feigne their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods and Goddesses for some lovely good loved certaine Trees Iupiter the Oke for durance Neptune the Cedar for stature Apollo the Laurell for greennesse Venus the Poplar for whitenesse Pallas the Vine for fruitfulnesse but what should move the God of all gods to love us wildings in this fooles Paradise Trees indeed but such as St. Iude mentions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corrupt fruitlesse twice dead and plucked up by the rootes St. Bernard resolves it in three words Amat quia amat hee loves because he loves the root of love to us lyeth in himselfe and by his communicative goodnesse the fruit is ours Hence then exclude wee all boasting in our selves and conclude sith Christ hath loved us and hereby is made to us wisdome in the headfaculty of our soules righteousnesse in the workes of our hands sanctification in our hearts redemption Zach. 4. 7. in all parts it was of grace and grace be to it and thus from the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 why he loved us passe we to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how he loved us Whereon while I muse I am rapt with amazement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for suppose the Heavens as a scrowle of Parchment the Vaste Ocean Inke Creatures caelestiall and subcaelestiall Pen-men all were unable to unfold this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how he loved us The reason is his love as himselfe is infinite which no finite creature is able fully to comprehend yet in a modell we may conceive it is much so sounds that Trumpet of grace as if he loved overloved Propter nimium charitatem so it is rendred in the Ephes 2. 4. vulgar Our stupendious Divine hee speakes for order first grave Cyprian sayes Immerito dilexit 1 Iohn 4. 19. he loved us in mercy without merit St. Bernard thus he loved us Dulciter sweetly he In Cantic assumed our nature sapienter wisely he severed sinne and nature fortiter strongly Much waters could not quench love though never so bitter or so abundant nay the more waters the more love Magnes Amoris Amor. His love should be the magnet of ours But oh how are we drawn aside if we love him it is but a little too little or little or nothing at all as we should Will you reade the reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isid Peleus Ep. 209. Since the love of Gold grew so hot the love of Christ hath growne cold Since Prince Mammon hath triumphed the Prince of our Salvation hath been underprized Shall this worlds goods which in respect of Christ are meere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rubbish or the god of this World which onely loves us as the Wolfe the Lambe to devoure have so strong a hand over us to draw our hearts from the love of our Saviour Absit God forbid Yet for feare of the worst open thy eare to Wisdomes voyce He that loves not Christ plus quam se suos sua more than himselfe his friends Mat. 10. 37. his meanes is not worthy of him If this should not win our love hearken to S. Pauls thunder If 1 Cor. 16. 22. any man love not the Lord Iesus Christ let him bee Anathema or if the voyce of consolation may worke on our hearts know all things worke togegether for the best unto them that love God Quae Rom. 8. 28. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Armies of Angels as for Elishaes protection Sunne Moone and Starres as for Duke Iosuah and Deboraes conquest dumbe creatures Quid non speremus amantes for instruction and preservation Gods rod for caution his rigide staffe for reverence sickenesse as in Ezechias even sinnes by accident meerely as in the Publican for humiliation and salvation these as so many matches may give fire to our chill affections to inzeale and inflame them with the Love of Christ but to prove it is all in all the touch-stone hereof is love to Gods materiall Temple in sincerity to behold the Probatio amoris est exhibitio operiâ— faire beauty of the Lord and to visit his holy Temple therein to hold up pure hands and hearts for the peace of Sion and to uphold it prece pretio with our prayers and with our purses in opposition to the old Massalians who to the number of their impieties adde contemptum templorum the disgrace of Cathedrals as also to crowne our soules with blessings for they shall prosper that love it And let not our love onely rest here but reach to the mysticall Temple viz. Christs poore members hereby we shall neither want Christs commemoration nor remuneration For what if the great Keeper of his Saints here and the Grand-Iudge of all at Doomes-day shall conceale Abels martyrdome Noah his saving a remnant from the Deluge Abrahams invincible Faith Peters Pauls Iohns sufferings yet of the acts of charity he will make a rehearsall Sermon I was an hungred and ye gave me meat Mat. 25. 35. I thirsted and ye gave me drinke I was a stranger and ye lodged me I was naked and ye clothed me I was sick and yee visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me and therefore I will remunerate your bowels of mercie with Come yee blessed of my Father c. Come ad me your Savior that dearely bought you Venite benedicti meos to my Saints and Angels your fellow servants mea to all that is mine joyes c. Honours interminable to all dimensions blessed of my Father before you were borne and blessed that ever yee were borne inherit by my grace not your merit no lesse than a Kingdome no other than a heavenly Kingdome prepared for you before all time purchased for you in the fulnesse of time and shall bee yours in possession when there shall be no more time Thus in a short compasse of time I come unto the last stage viz. Quos whom Christ loved Vs Vnto him that loved us Divine History perpetuates the memorable affection of Ionathan to David how his soule was knit unto his soule And hee loved him as his owne 1 Sam. 18. soule thereto was no little inducement for David was Ionathans Fathers beloved servant his owne faithfull friend a wise and valiant Captaine and all Israel loved him Humane story Val. Max. l. 4. cap. 8. survives of Orestillo when her life went from her Plaâ—tius at the instant became her second for a buriall in memoriall wherof was erected a