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A44950
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A sermon preached at Worcester on the 18th of April, 1686 being the second Sunday after Easter / by H.H., S.J.
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H. H. (Henry Humberston)
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1686
(1686)
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Wing H3365; ESTC R14501
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10,105
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29
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A SERMON Preached At VVorcester On the 18 th of April 1686. being the SECOND Sunday after Easter By H. H. S. J. LONDON Printed for Matthew Turner near Turn-Style in Holbourn 1686. THE PREFACE WHosoever reads the following Discourse will see by the beginning of it that it was not made for the Press but it having had the same hard fortune that many have now adayes to be generally condemn'd without being known it was judg'd convenient it should shew it self in Print to the end that those who think and speak Ill of it may see what it is they Blame For my part as I do not know its Crime so I cannot undertake to Defend it therefore I deliver it up to the judgement of the Reader without any thing but it s own Innocency to protect it against a Censure only one favour I beg at his hands which is that he would not presently upon sight of the Text as many have done at the Hearing it cry out without proceeding any further Here must needs be a Bloody Sermon for this is tacitely either to condemn the Word of GOD as being the principle of ill Doctrine or to say that the Preacher has Quoted it to a Malicious purpose The former of which would be a Blasphemy the latter a rash Judgement Therefore let him read it over first and then let him freely Condemn whatsoever he finds Amiss Now in confidence that no Immorality will be found in it I intreat those that find themselves deceiv'd in the Opinion they have had of it to reflect that perchance the same Popular Report that has Misinform'd them in This does also Abuse them in a matter of greater Importance and make them condemn a Religion which would be their Salvation if they Vnderstood it To avoid this Inconvenience they would do well to follow the advice of the Apostle 1 Cor. 4. 5. Do not judge before the time i. e. Before your self have examin'd and seen what you condemn If this counsel were follow'd I confide that by God's Grace we should soon be Vnited here in Faith and Charity and in Eternal Happiness in the next Life Which is the Hearty wish of c. Transite per Civitatem percutite non parcat oculus vester neque miseriamini Senem adolescentulum virginem parvulum mulieres interficite usque ad internecionem omnem autem super quem videritis Thau ne occidatis Ezec. 9. v. 5 6. Pass through the City and strike let not your Eye spare nor have ye mercy The Old the Young man and the Virgin the little One and the Women kill to utter destruction But every one upon whom you shall see Thau kill you not Ezech. 9. v. 5 6. IN my former Catechismes I explicated to you as well as I could the two principal Misteries of our Faith viz. the Unity and Trinity of Almighty God and the Incarnation and Passion of our Saviour Jesus Christ I call these the principal Misteries of our Faith and that you may understand why I must desire you to reflect that there be two things in this life which it mainly concerns a man to know viz. the last end whether he is going where all his desires are to be accomplished where he is to rest for ever And the way or means to attain to it Our end is God in him we are to find our eternal repose and out of him there is no true repose Our hearts were made for him and they can never be at quiet saith St Augustin till they rest in him The means to attain to this end is our Saviour Christ as he saith himself John 14. v. 6. I am the Way the Truth and the Life i. e. the Way by my Example the Truth by my Doctrine and the Life by my Grace No body comes to the Father i. e. to the beatifical vision of God in Heaven but by me i. e. by imitating my Life and Conversation by observing my Doctrine and Commandements and by the assistance of that Grace which I purchased at the price of my Blood This is the reason why these are called the principal misteries of our Faith viz. because in these two consisteth our whole Happiness the one being Happiness it self the other the Way to it he that knows these two Misteries as he ought knows enough tho' he knows nothing else because he knows all that is requisite to make him Happy and he that knows not these knows nothing tho' he knoweth all things besides tho' he knows all Philosophy tho' he knows how to heap together Mountains of Riches tho' he knows how to Conquer Kingdoms because he doth not know that which only concerns him to know i. e. wherein consists his Eternal Wellfare A Christian should have alwayes two things in his mind viz. God and Jesus Christ God in whom and Jesus Christ by whom he is to be Happy God who is his end and Christ who is his way The knowledg and due consideration of these two Points is the source of life everlasting as our Saviour tells us John 17. v. 3. This is life everlasting that they know thee the only true God and whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ On the contrary the want of this knowledg or which is the same the want of a true reflexion upon it is the cause of perdition to all those that perish Travellers must needs lose themselves that neither know their end nor their way These two Misteries do contain the greatest part of the Creed whether we regard the importance of the matter or the number of Articles for of the Twelve as I told you before these are Eight Therefore at present we will put an end to the declaration of the Creed and pass to another part of the Christian Doctrine but first I have one thing to do and that shall fill up the time we have left for this days entertainment It is to tell you how we may keep a perpetual memory of these two great Misteries which it so much imports us never to forget It is by making the Sign of the Cross a thing so much practised by Catholicks and with so much reason as by Gods help I will make appear presently For the sign of the Cross is a short abridgment of all that we are taught in the Symbole of the Apostles concerning the Unity and Trinity with the Incarnation Death of God the Son Observe a little and you shall see how When I make the sign of the Cross I put my hand first to my head and say In the name of the Father then under the breast saying And of the Son then to the right and left shoulder saying And of the Holy Ghost First I say singularly In the name that is to say power and authority Then I say plurally Father Son and Holy Ghost by which I signify that all Three have but one Name that is Power and Authority and consequently one Essence and Divine Nature here is Unity and Trinity Now the