had each of them some quantity within them wherefore Christ to take away all colour of deceit first bids all those vessels to be filled full of water up to the top that so each person in the room might see the certainty of the miracle and the liberality of God when he pleaseth to open his bounteous hand unto us 8. This done Jesus bids them draw of the vessels full of water a cup full and carry it to the cheif Steward of the feast because he could best tell whether or not he had provided that plenty and such rare Wine as those pots full of water did afford For it was the Jewish custome ever to have some modimperatour or prefect of good order at such feasts so Christ gave him the respect of first tasting this cup of grace and the presence of such a prefect makes the company of Iesus and his Mother more avowable at the feast since where a prefect of good order was there could be no suspition at all of the least excess or disorder 9. This verse shewes us the modimperatour having found Wine come in more than he had appointed and knowing none durst provide any besides himself unless by chance the Bridegroom took the priviledge so to doe which yet was not usuall presently calls to him saying to this effect 10. This is beyond the ordinary course two wayes first that you have more Wine than I was privy too next that you have reserved to the last your best Wine for this is singular good much better than what we had before And yet the bâ—st is alwayes first served in that in case of want worse may suffice at the latter end when the tast being glutted before is not so able to distinguish the difference yet this was so superlatively rare as even to those Palates formerly glutted in a manner it did tast extraordinarily well indeed to admiration nor was it strange since the works of God are ever perfect 11. Many doubt wheither or no this were the first miracle that Christ wrought willing to believe divers former which he did in his youth though in regard Gelasius the Pope hath condemned a fictitious book published by Hereticks intituled The miraculous infancy of Jesus and full of inventions of their own it is not improbable this was the first he did after his Baptisme with any purpose to be noted for the Messias By the manifestation of his Glory here is understood the shewing of his power wherein he was glorified and for which cause the Disciples are here said to believe him to be the true Messias and the true â—amb of God who as John the Baptist had told them was come to take away the sins of the world and this miracle he chose to work at a marriage as alluding thereby to the solemnity he made this day of his own wedding between his Divine and humane nature since now he was resolv'd to discover himself to be as well God as man whence this was done mystically on the Third day after he was published by the Baptist to shew now the Third state of the world was begun The first being hat under the Law of Nature The second that under the Law of Moses and this that under the Law of Grace besides the miracle was done in the Gentiles Cana to shew Christ came to call all Nations it was also done in Cana of Galilee as importing the transmigration of possession that is amongst Christian people who are the possession of Christ as bought by his bloud and therefore are to passe yet from earth to heaven their better and finall possession The Wine he so abundantly gave imports the doctrine of Christ and his holy grace inebriating the soules of the Faithfull The Application 1. LEarn Husbands hence to love your Wives as Christ doth love his Church learn Wives to obey your Husbands as the Church obeys her Head our Saviour Jesus Christ since marriage is a Sacrament representing the union between Christ and his holy Spouse 2. Learn married people hence to moderate excesses both at bed and board for neither Jesus nor his Blessed Mother can behold excesse and they to faintifie your marriage must be there 3. Learn Parents hence to breed your Children rather to supply the Angels rooms in Heaven than for to be your own Successours here on Earth thus will the waters of humane infirmitie be turned into Wine of Christian perfection by grace moderating natures exorbitances and making peace between two fatall enemies the spirit and the flesh As the Prayer to day petitions On the Third Sunday after the EPIPHANIE The Antiphon MATH 8. ver 2. O Lord if thou wilt thou canst cleanse me and Jesus said I will Be thou cleansed Vers Let my prayer c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer OMnipotent eternall God look we beseech thee propitiously on our infirmity and extend to our protection the right hand of thy Majesty The Illustration IT is remarkable to see how negatively Saint Paul in this dayes Epistle minds us of being sinners when positively he exhorts us to be Saints with the Romans for what greater signe that the Apostle found a world of infirmities in the Romans than that he stirs them up so much to Vertues contrary to the vices they abound in and thus the Epistle insisting all upon vertues is well adapted to the Gospell running all upon infirmities mystically representing vices for what else doth the corporall leprosie of the Leper or the paraliticall disease of the Centurions boy purport than the like scurvy latent diseases of sin in our Souls to those which were apparent in these two bodies Whence it was but fitting this dayes Prayer should beg to have the same right hand of God extended over us which was the cure of these temporall diseases types of our spirituall infirmities nor can we hope this will be done unless God of his infinite goodness be propitious to us and therefore we beseech him in the Prayer first to look propitiously on our infirmities and then to extend to our protection the right hand of his majesty that is to say all his power as if our vice required no less than an infinite vertue to cure it our weakness no less than all Heavens forces to protect us And since both the Leper and Paralitick saying this Prayer in effect obtained corporall cure thereby why should we doubt of Spirituall cure if we say with like Faith like Hope like Love the same Prayer to day and truly to say it with less were a confusion to Christianity that Jewes and Gentiles should exceed us in fervour of Piety besides we have yet an easier task than they in hand for their demands were no less than to have a Miracle wrought upon them by a Physicall cure without a Physicall cause unless we shall say the touch of Christs hand was a Physicall cure for all diseases whereas we onely demand a favour not a miracle a little Grace to blot out a great
Tables of the Law and the Cherubins of Glory above this overshadowing the propitiatory and the Apostle told them this way of Sacrificing should last till the time of correction that is untill the first comming of Christ into this world who should correct this manner of proceeding and take away those legall rites and ceremonies by putting in their place a spiritual Sacrifice and worshipping of God not that it is to be understood the old being corrected should stand but be abrogated by command of Christ as we say ill manners are corrected in youth not by remaining in the young man but by being taken away by good behavior and by vertue correcting his former vices so the Apostle having told the Hebrewes thus much of the old way of Sacrificing begins in this verse to shew how Christ assisting taking upon him the office of High Priest of the new law and of the good things to come thereby distinguished the fruits of his Sacrifice from those of the High Priest in the old Law who by assisting officiating at the Tabernacle obtained onely present and temporall benefits but Christ was an High Priest obtaining the good things to come Spirituall and Heavenly things as here remission of sins graces and vertues and in the next world glory blisse and everlasting life and this by entering to keep the Analogy between the old way of officiating and the new first a more ample and perfect Tabernacle that is as some say by his Divinity entering our humanity as others by his entering his Virgin Mothers wombe but the most genuine sence is by his entering into his Church Militant becoming the first member of it as it was framed in the Idaea of his Heavenly Father For so it was not a work of humane hands of flesh and blood or of this creation of creatures making but was indeed the Tabernacle of God the first Sanctum Holy through which he was to passe by the vale of the Crosse into the second Tabernacle Sancta Sanctorum the holy of Holies his Church triumphant the Kingdome of Heaven nor was it necessary for Christ to prepare his way from his outward Tabernacle his Church Militant to his inward his Church triumphant by the bloud of Goates for his own sins since he had none and the blood of a Calfe for the sins of the people as in the old Law the High Priests did once a yeare that by Sprinkling the Sancta Sanctorum with this blood they might render God more propitious to themselves and the people no he shed once for all mankinde his own most sacred bloud and dying on the Crosse he entered the holy of holies the kingdome of heaven whereby he found for us eternal redemption so copious an one indeed as needed not be repeated by his dying any more for us then once though in the old Law the bloody Sacrifice of the High Priests were annuall because the power of that bloud they shed was weak and could not plead for long mercy whereas Christs blood prevaileth for eternall and that by being shed but once 13. It was the ceremony of the old Law Num. 19. first to shed the blood of Goats Oxen and Heifers and then burning the Beasts to keep the ashes and putting them into living so they called fountaine water and Sprinkling the people with them to declare they should by that aspersion after Sun-set not before be reputed sanctifyed corporally cleane and be admitted into the company of the faithfull as formerly which was a figure of the blood of Christ issuing out of his earthly body to be a reall purgation of sin out of our Souls and not onely of our corporal impurity it was also the ground whence holy Church useth aspersion with holy water wherin is mixed Salt insteed of those burnt-ashes Note it is well said here this ceremony was but to the cleansing of the flâ—sh for it only did declare their bodies who were thus sprinkled should be esteemed cleane and pure though before polluted by the touch of a dead carcasse a leper or otherwise and this cleansing was then called sanctifying as in this text it is 14. It is indeed great reason the blood of Christ who was God as well as man inspired by the instinct of his own Deity and by the speciall instigation of the Holy Ghost to offer up his life as an unspotted Sacrifice to God the Father for our sins should have much more force to purge our Soules from sins that is from dead works then the blood of beasts had to cleanse mens bodies and Sin is not unfitly called a dead work because it not onely defileth our Soule worse then the touch of a dead carcasse did their bodies of the old Law but even kils them too and yet by the blood of Christ they are both purged and revived so as to be able to waite upon the living God before whom no dead Soul that is to say no Soule in deadly Sin can give any attendance at all it being unfit that the Fountaine of life should be attended on by the ougly countenance of death 15. He is therefore truly the Mediator because he did partake of the nature of both extreames that is of God offended and of man offending and so death being a mean which is to say man dying in Christ God was satisfied not onely for the Sins of those who live under the Law of grace but as is specially noted here in this verse for the Sins of those under the former Law of Moses which was the former Testament here specified and of those also under the Law of nature quoniam copiosa erat apud eum redemptio because redemption with him is plentifull and since he took humane nature it was not out of the Spheare of his activity to satisfie for all mankind to whom that nature is common by those called are understood here the elected for those onely are effectually called to the participation of the promise of eternal inheritance of being eternally heirs of God and coheires of Christ and this inheritance is called a promise because it was the pact of God the Father with his Sacred Son that if he would once dye to satisfie divine justice for mans Sins those whom he should call that is effectually single out or elect for eternall salvation should receive the same by vertue of promise from God the Father to his Sacred Sonne whence their salvation is called the promise of eternal inheritance and in this regard Saint Paul speaking of himselfe as of one thus effectually called or elected said that he having done what was required of him had reposed for him in heaven a Crown of Justice not as due to his work but as due to the promises God the Father in Pauls behalfe made to his Sacred Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and the like promise we account is made in the behalfe of all those whom Christ hath elected to his eternal inheritance not that it is a thing man can
our selves is not understood as well as our selves for a man may lawfully love himself better then his neighbour but yet so as withal he is bound to love his neighbour too and self-love is not so much commanded as presumed because it is natural but the love of our neighbour is an absolute command because our neighbour is as dear to God as we and was created by him as we are redeemed by him as we are and so must be beloved by us because he is as well beloved of God as we if not better and if he be a better Christian sure enough he is better beloved 28. Here our Saviour caught the Doctour who thought to have entrapped him by telling him the keeping of this Law is the way to live everlastingly but the Doctour expected Christ would have contradicted the Law and not have confirmed or bound him to keep it which therefore he did bind him to because it was a Law of love not of ceremony as those other lawes were which Christ abrogated 29. By justifying himself is here understood a huge pride in this Doctour as who should say he was so just a keeper of the Law and so just thereby that he did not think he had his fellow in justice or any neighbour like to himself and so he demanded of Christ to know who was his neighbour who so just as he who to be compared with him 30. By these words Jesus taking it is intimated Jesus understood the latent pride of the man and so in the following parable undertook to confound him and make him answer himself by finding that no man in misery is to be rejected by those who are in prosperity but that the way to make a man in prosperity as good as another in misery is to commiserate his case and to relieve his wants who is in need not to neglect or scorn him as it seems the Lawyer did all others besides himself whilest he thought no man so just as he was True by the word tempting as above it is evident this was first the sense of the Lawyer till afterwards as some say he found by his conversation with our Saviour that his own heart was changed from malicious to religious If so the sense is sound that sayes really the Lawyer desired to become just and did not then as formerly think he was so but with a real desire of becoming so ask Christ who was his neighbour that he might love him as he did himself And this stands with reason because the Jewes held none for their neighbours but vertuous people of their own Nation so they thought it a vertue to hate a sinful Jew or a Gentile but our Saviour reduced them from this errour by the following parable wherein he made the Jewish Lawyer see the Samaritan was the Jewes neighbour if he did love him and relieve him in his wants and that Christian perfection extended even to the love of enemies Where note that our Saviour takes hold of the dangerous passage that was between Jerusalem and Jericho because none could passe almost without danger of being rob'd stript wounded and many times slain By this man half-slain is understood the state of man corrupted by the fall of Adam whose understanding and free will remain but so as a man half dead is said to live in respect of another in full health and vigour of body 31. 32. This is understood a chance to man but a true providence in respect of God who therefore ordained those passengers should go by that some of them might relieve the wounded man But by this act of the Priest and Levite we are instructed how little inward vertue was in the Ministers of the Church under the old Law all their sanctity consisting in outward ceremony and having no acquaintance with internal sincerity or charity so as disdaining they went off from him whom they found in misery in the way they were to passe 33. By the Samaritan is here figured Christ the perfect Priest of the perfect new Law and light of the Gospel He therefore goes not off blancheth not from the man in misery but comes near him and hath pity on him 34. By the oyl and wine understand the Sacraments of the new Law made as salves to cure the sore of sin which yet literally may be taken for the Samaritans provision in his journey By his own beast may here be understood the humanity of Christ taking upon his back all our sins to ease us of the burthen 35. By the two pence given the hoste may be understood the Sacrament of the Eucharist consisting of two natures in Christ Divine and humane The hoste may signifie the Deacon or the Priest of the new Law or the Priest assisting the Bishop in administration of the holy Eucharist By what he should supererogate is here understood what he should spend in cure of this man above the two pence held sufficient he would repay and here is grounded the Catholick doctrine of works of supererogation which Hereticks allow not of And by this Parable is insinuated that what the old Law had not power to do for recovery of the wounds in corrupted nature the new Law by way of the Priests and Sacraments thereof is sufficient for and so can save even all the corrupted seed of Adam by the virtue they have from the passion of our Saviour Jesus Christ 36. Christ doth not intend to ask which of these was neighbour to the wounded man for all men are truly neighbours each to other but onely which behaved himself like a neighbour 37. Here you see Christ by a question makes the Doctour be his own instructer commends his answer and tells him if he will be saved he must not onely know but do the law of charity and this whilest he bids him do to all men as the Samaritan did to the Jew to enemy as well as friend to bad as well as good Christians if the bad one be in misery Thus Christ hath made curiosity the cause of sincerity and dissimulation the cause of truth in this entrapping Lawyer and no marvail since he alone is able to cull good out of bad The Application 1. THis dayes Epistle taught us a due regard to the Law of God least breaking it we loose the hopes of heaven and all the expectation of the happy promises God made to those who keep his holy Law This Gospel tells us now how to keep that Law By loving our neighbour as we love our selves by loving him for that dear Jesus sake to whom he is probably much more dear then we as happily offending God lesse however most displeasing us who are still lesse pleased with others when we our selves do most displease the heavenly Majesty So 't is not indeed what others do to us that ought to trouble us but our omitting that we ought to do to please Almighty God and purchase heaven by keeping of his holy Lawes which then our Saviour sayes are kept when we
The CHRISTIAN SODALITY OR Catholick Hive of Bees Sucking The Hony of the CHURCHES Prayers from the Blossomes of the Word of God blowne out of the Epistles and Gospels of the Divine Service throughout the yeare Collected by the Puny Bee of all the Hive not worthy to be named otherwise than by these Elements of his Name F. P. Divided into three Tomes whereof this the first Tome onely upon the Sundayes And that subdivided into three Parts The First From Advent to Lent The Second From Lent to Whitsontide The Third From Whitsontide to Advent That of one mind with one mouth you may glorifie God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 15. Vers 6. Printed in the year of our Lord MDCLII To the Honourable Walter Mountague Esquire all health and happinesse SIR IT might argue I did acquiesce too much to flesh and bloud should I dedicate this book to any of my Kindred and least it seeme presumption in me to consecrate it unto you I must beseech you to believe 't is none of mine You know I have a gallant Master for this self-deniall who said His Doctrine was not His which yet none could lay claime unto besides his sacred self How justly then may I professe this book is not mine own being all of it upon the matter either Holy Churches Prayers or Holy Text or Holy Fathers Expositions on the same And as such it is rather your Defence than any waies in need of your Protection Now least you should reply I give it then unjustly as mine own to you and more unjustly begg your Patronage thereof as of a stollen Treasure I must confesse it is indeed a pious theft but such an one as the thiefe may take at noone day from the Coffers of the Church without a Sacrifice without a blush though all the world were lookers on and such as you may safely both receive and Patronize with as small remorse as men doe Hony brought unto the Hives which openly the Bees have stollen from the mellifluous flowers of other mens Gardens as I have done the sweet Connexion that I found between the Churches Prayers and Text of Holy Writ when I assay to shew the self-same Spirit annimates them all and makes them speak one sence in diverse Languages or Dialects And this sympathy between the parts of Holy Churches service is what I here present to you as my observation rather than my worke for had it not been there before I could not now have found it out if yet I may not rather feare I loose it when I look to find it by making it appeare lesse than it is for want of being able to shew it to the full But I will not tell you by how many titles I intitle this to you least I force the Lillyes of your modestie to change complexion with the Roses of your other Virtues or least I seeme to flatter you who are not to be flattered and therefore I shall rather silence my obligations to you than betray the secrets of your bounties which your left cannot accuse your right hand of although they both are stealing merrit whilst they give their Almes in ample manner unknown to one another as he well advised who knew the best way how to make benevolences meritorious nor shall I boast your more than ordinary favours showred upon me other waies as tyes to make me give you these my labours abstracting therefore from all self-relation and looking onely on the nature of this booke I find not any man more fit to Patronize it than your selfe because as it associates all the CHRISTIANS of the universe into one SODALITIE so you that are Eminent in making every man your owne will be the greatest help to this Association which I have founded on the Word of God and Prayers of Holy Church two subjects that I know not any one more versed in than you witnesse the excellent store of both which your Missive and your Misscelania doe afford wherein you shew your selfe not onely to have the Scripture lodg'd within your heart but even the genuine sense thereof ingrafted in your understanding as appears by your admirable Explications of the Texts and Applications of them to the purpose that you cite them for which as it was a motive for me to imitate you in so in justice it obligeth me to consecrate this book to you whose whole designe is either Notion or the use of the Holy Text. Againe Sir I looke upon you as a man designed to some thing more than yet the World is privie to for your Pauline Conversion makes me think you are the Vessell of Election which our Nation may one day hope to see as overflowing as I know you are now full of Eminent Perfections this I professe I doe not mind you of to puffe you up with self-conceit for of your self it is with you as with the rest of men made up of nothing but corruption and infirmity but to humble you rather to see how much of Grace doth shine upon the dunghill of Humane Nature while your Conversion from infidelity workes in you an aversion from all singularity and renders you a man partiall to none beneficiall to all that know you even unto those that are above you to who fare the better for your virtues while their Temporalls are raised from the spirituall foundations you have laid Thus from the Court unto the Cart from the Prince unto the Begger God hath adapted you to all his Holy Ends and therefore I that aime at Unanimity in this Sodality at Unity in our Community let me attest for this the Motto of my Book Saint Pauls words to the Romanes CHAP. 15. Vers 6. have made a right addresse when I petition you to Patronize my Labours in aggregating this SODALITIE who are one man most acceptable to all for your Equality or rather Equanimity to every one as if you were Omnibus omnia factus And seriously Sir I doe honour you most for the impartiality of your affections for that you are not biassed so as to runne one way but can and doe plie unto the mark of loving all in him whom all must love which way soever you are throwne upon request of this or that body Rich or Poore Clarke or Lay-man Secular or Regular Priest so much that I believe if I had failed of this my duty in choosing you for Patron of my Book I had been chidden for mistaking in my choyce of him whom all men would have voted for as well as I the design of this SODALITY and your simpathie to that design considered Please therefore I beseech you Sir to Patronize these labours of your humble Servant who am all your own and who beg your Patronage of this first Tome for one reason more than I have heer expressed or then is known as yet to any but my self which you will well approve of when you see to whom the next Tome shall bee consecrated as this is now to you
corporall eyes to the latter that their time is now come also of awaking from the sleep of infidelity and of their other enormious sins being the Redeemer of all mankinde was actually come though even the Jewes also after Christs Birth were fast enough asleep in their infidelity most of them and so were capable of this speech to them even in that sense too 12. By the night is here meant the time before Christs comming made dark as night with infidelity By the day the time after our Saviours Birth rendered bright as day with the light of the Gospel the works of darkness are Sin because they shut out the light of grace from our Souls the Armour of Light are acts of Vertue works of Grace and in these words Saint Paul minds us that our life is here a spiritual warfare since we know Armour is necessary for Warriours though the Greek Text imports by Armour of Light a kind of habit proper to the day and this is not inconsistent with the other sense above for Armour is a kind of habit too 13. This Verse seemes to begin with prosecuting the last sense in the former as if it were indecent to appear in the day without our Armour of Light as above but if it be taken as independent thereof it imports not for the sense is full in it self Aâ— in the day of Grace as in the day of the illuminating Gospel let us walk honestly that is modestly converse religiously and shew our selves to be children of Light by our works shining to the edification of our neighbour and glory of God Not any more in Banquettings and Drunkenness feastings and excesses of Wines These you know are works of the Flesh not of the Spirit or the Grace of God by Chamber-works the Apostle means here plainly Fornication by Impudicities more petulant and wanton actions of Lust even in publick such as indeed may be well called carnall impudencies Not in Contention not striving for vain-glory and popular applause whence followes the forbidden Emulation which is an envie at our neighbours greater good or esteem than our own See therefore here three of the capitall Sins so represented unto us as by all means to be avoided Gluttony Lechery Envy all being acts and deeds of darkness not fit to appear in the day light of the Gospel which now shines bright among us 14. By putting on Christ is here meant being dressed up in such Vertues as may make us appear Christians men clad in the Livery the Sanctity of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ and so abundant the Apostle in this phrase bids our Vertues be that they may hang as full Garments all over us for this difference there is betwixt carrying and putting on of cloathes that when carryed they are cumbersome and not adorning when put on they are light and becoming So to carry Vertue onely wrapt up in the speculation of it is no way graceful but to unfold it by the practice thereof this becomes a good Christian and this is truly to put on Christ not onely to study and speculate but to practice Vertue The Application 1. THe two first Verses of this Epistle are wholly and clearly describing the effects of the Incarnation and do exhort to a due Christian comportment at such a season That is now to prepare our selves for our Deification since therefore God became man that man might become God I have said ye are Gods and all sons of the Highest Psal 82. v. 6. 2. The third Verse tells us how unsuitable all Sin must needs be at this season though indeed it cannot be allowable at any time but especially how unseasonable these three deadly Sins now are which here the Apostle specifies and under them forbids us all the rest Gluttony Lechery Envy For nothing sooner starves a Soul to death than a gluttonous pampering of the Body nothing more odious to our God incarnate than to pollute that humane nature which Jesus could not endure to take upon him but in the sacred womb of his unpolluted Virgin Mother Nothing so unseasonable at this season of love as for a Christian to envy Christ in his neighbour just now when he coming to save us commands us to love each other as he loves us all 3. The last Verse gives us an armour of Proof against all danger of sin whatsoever for as Jesus by taking our sins upon himself did redeem us so we by putting on his Vertues may deserve to be saved that is to say we may be capable of Salvation for other desert we have not of our selves than a meer capacity of Heaven through the merits of our Saviours death and passion applyed to us cooperating towards that which we cannot operate our own Salvations since it is the onely participation of his merits that makes us fit to receive his rewards for those we call our meritorious actions such as Saint Augustine required saying He that made thee without thee will not save thee without thee Yet the same Doctor lest we should presume too much upon our selves says also When God rewards mans works he crowns his own Gifts for even our cooperation whereby we merit is the speciall Gift of God Which we Petition in the Prayer above most aptly set to the Tune of this Epistle The Gospel LUKE 21. ver 25. c. 25. ANd there shall be signes in the Sun and the Moon and the Stars and upon the Earth distresse of Nations for the confusion of the sound of the Sea and Waves 26. Men withering for fear and expectation what shall come upon the whole world for the powers of Heaven shall be moved 27. And then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty 28. But when these things shall begin to come to passe look up and lift up your heads for your redemption is at hand 29. And he spake to them a similitude see the figtree and all trees 30. When they now bud forth fruit out of themselves you know that Summer is nigh 31. So you also when you shall these see things come to passe know that the Kingdom of God is nigh 32. Amen I say to you that this generation shall not pass till all be done 33. Heaven and Earth shall pass but my Words shall not pass The Explication 25. THese Signes appearing in the Sun Moon and Stars argue they shall not perish but remain set to another Series or order of being than they were before such Signes in them shall portend the dismall day of Judgement And indeed how can there be other than a sad distress on earth amongst all the Nations thereof upon the confusion of sound that will then be in the boiling Sea and Waves which by the general conflagration fire falling from Heaven shall be far more agitated than ever by any storm or tempest these commonly happening but in some part of the Sea whereas this disturbance shall arise from the very bottom of the channell
and soften towards his God who like a melted Goodnesse came to pour out himself amongst us This this beloved were the part of good Christians to pray now in this sense to run like Lacquies nay like shadowes near up to the new Incarnate God who being in himself an Inaccessable light was fain to ecclipse his Glory in the cloud of humane Nature that so within the shadow of his shade-yeilding body we might approach unto him and whisper our necessities in his sacred Ears who now as man will hear us however as God the whole world seemed to cry out in vain to him for 4000. years together Say then Beloved this Prayer to day with this religious Duty this All-ghostly sense dictated unto us by the holy Ghost and we soon shall see the effect it worketh in us towards rendring us the perfect Christians that this dayes Epistle exhorts us to be Joyfull modest resigned thankfull and peacefull even to the surpassing the understanding nay more inlightned Angels running before the face of Jesus Christ to his Crib where born he will immediately dispence in ample manner the speciall Grace of his visitation to us all that thus like Baptists as the Gospell to day exhorts shall now prepare his wayes before him to the future Feast of his Nativity And thus we see both Epistle and Gospell of this day though not litterally yet Mystically if not as it were eminentially too included in this Prayer above The Epistle PHIL. 4. ver 4. c. 4. REjoyce in our Lord alwayes again I say Rejoyce ye 5 Let your modesty be known to all men our Lord is nigh 6. Be nothing carefull but in every thing by Prayer and supplication let your Petitions be known with God 7. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding keep your hearts and intelligences in Christ Jesus The Explication 4. TO Rejoice that they were Christians and had the happiness of true Faith true Hope true Charity This the Apostle meant by rejoycing in our Lord in his holy gifts of Spirit bestowed upon them not that he had made them noble rich or great Persons but religious Christians for this he bids them alwayes rejoyce in our Lord again and again rejoyce And when he said always he meant as well in affliction as in prosperity because to zealous Souls no humane trouble ought to be disturbing so long as they have the comfort of a good Cause and a good Conscience too 5. Modesty is a vertue giving a mean to all the actions of a man and therefore that we might see Christianity sets all things in order both with the inward and outward man the Apostle exhorts the Philippians to give a proof of their perfection in Christianity by their Modesty and by such a modesty as might be known to all men such a modesty as puts a gracefull blush upon all their actions lest any one might see the infirmity of man in him who was become more than man by beeing a true and perfect Christian and therefore S. Paul tels us here we should stand upon a modest guard because our Lord who is to be our Judge is nigh and hath his eyes upon us as needs he must when he gives us the concourse of his Divine Assistance towards our each thought and deed but our Lords being nigh may now in Advent be applyed to the Nativity of our Saviour and for this purpose holy Church appoints that place of Scripture to be read to day though litterally the Text alludes to the latter day of Doom 6. By Care is here meant Anxiety or trouble of minde not that he prohibits a diligence a due regard to doe what is on our parts to be done but beyond that he will not have us goe he forbids us all anxious sollicitude and recommends a perfect resignation of our selves to the will and pleasure of Almighty God And though he bids us have a care to pray upon all occasions as well of Prosperity as of Adversity yet he allowes not any sollicitous care in us about the effect of our Prayer whether we obtain our requests or not made unto God by Prayer but will have us leave that freely to his Divine Majesty for indeed Beggars who want all things must not choose what supply they will first receive but humbly accept of whatsoever is given and if denyed they may ask again but never must be troubled when they are refused nor is our Prayer to God other than an expression of our despicable beggery and exigence of all necessaries both for Body and Soul and since from him we receive all our supplyes what hand soever it be that gives relief to him must our Prayer to him our Supplication to him our thanks and for his sake to those that are his Messengers his Ministers of help unto us and then we glorifie him when we thank them by whom he hands his Blessings to us 7. By the peace of God we may here understand either that increated peace which is God himself whereof peaceable creatures participate or the peace which Christ made between God and Man by his passion appeasing the Divine Wrath or the peace which we make among our selves when we forgive each other our Offences or the peace we have within our selves of a quiet Conscience for all and every one of these are truly called the Peace of God And yet when the Apostle sayes That peace which passeth all understanding he seemes to incline to the first and last acception of Peace for as that surpasseth the understanding of Angels so this is indeed past all humane understanding to know how unquiet man can attain the happiness of that peace which a quiet conscience affords him since it calmes all the tempests of outward persecution and trouble and makes a man by the equality of his mind equally to bear all unequalls whatsoever can befall him keeping our hearts our wills and our Intelligences our understandings still sixt upon Almighty God still adhering unto him and united to his sacred Son our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ The Application 1. IN the first Verse of this Epistle we are taught how to comport our selves towards God Alwayes rejoicing in him to bear even the afflictions of this world with a contented mind So Saint Paul Rom. 5. We glory even in our tribulations and glory we cannot in any thing that gives us not content that doth not joy our hearts for the momentary tribulations of this world born with patience secure us of eternall consolations in the next Whence the same Apostle Cor. 6. sayes As it were sad yet alwayes rejoicing because in our patient suffering we serve and glorifie The God of all consolation 2. In the second Verse see how we are to demean our selves towards our neighbour Modestly ever because our Lord is nigh As who should say we can never look upon our Neighbour but as on our fellow servant holding up the hanging to let our common Master in to us that followes
to us cooperating with the same what our sins retarded that is to say our own redemption was by our own sins retarded for 4000. years together the Indulgence of his propitiation may accelerate It was indeed a huge indulgence in Almighty God to make his sacred Son a propitiation for our sins and more to hasten him away for this purpose since fourty thousand years had been too short a time to have expected so much mercy as is now accelerated by the indulgence of his propitiation which would not give him leave to stay above 4000. years away And by this close of the Prayer we virtually include the whole Epistle and Gospell of the day while we beg the help of Gods Grace to accelerate unto us the benefit of the Indulgent propitiation that Christ his Birth-Day brings to every pious Christian which benefit lest our sins retard see how the Church prepares both Priest and People to a due regard against them by the counsell given to both in the Epistle and by exhorting both to be Baptistick Saints in the Gospel of the Day to be preparers of the way of Christ Angels of Men running this holy Advent before his face to sanctifie our own and our neighbours wayes unto the Crib where Christ on Christmas Day is mystically born again as often as Christians celebrate the Feast of his Nativity so saith Saint Leo in his nineth Sermon upon that Feast and the like is of all others We doe not so much recall the past as we behold the present Feast of our Saviours Birth so often as it comes about by Annuall revolution The Epistle 1 COR 4. ver 1. c. 1. SO let man esteem of us as the Ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the Mysteries of God 2. Here now is required among the dispensers that a man be found faithfull 3. But to me it is a thing of least account to be judged of you or of Mans day but I judge not my self neither 4. For I am not guilty in Conscience of any thing but I am not justified herein but he that judgeth me is our Lord. 5. Therefore judge not before the time untill our Lord doe come who also will lighten the hidden things of darkness and will manifest the counsels of the hearts and then the praise shall be to every Man of God The Explication 1. THe Apostle seemes here to bid Man esteem of him and his Associates in the Apostolate as if they were not men but Ministers of Christ for as much as they did the Offices of God by being dispensers of his Mysteries and indeed that is most true for though to be a Steward or master of a Family under any temporall Lord and to dispence and dispose of his Lords Monies and Goods be not to execute an office above man in regard all the goods and monies in the Stewards hands are temporall things and the properties of nothing above a humane creature yet to be Steward of the House of God and to have the dispensing of such goods as are Spirituall and cannot be the properties of any temporall Lord certainly this renders a man though not in nature more than Man yet by Office hugely more than an Angel for though we read of them that they are Heb. 1.14 Ministring Spirits in the House or Church of God both triumphant militant and patient yet we never read that they were stiled the dispensing spirits of Gods hidden Mysteries which yet as the Apostles were so must their suuccessours the Priests of holy Church be too and consequently are not in the execution of that Spirituall Office to be looked on or esteemed as men but as Ministers of a higher nature as persons indeed more than Angelicall since they have an Office and Power above Angels namely to forgive Sins and to dispence or dispose of Gods severall Graces by the conduit of holy Sacraments Pipes made on purpose by our Saviour Jesus Christ to convey unto our barren Souls the fertilizing waters of heavenly grace and these pipes are so put into the hands of Priests as they can turn the cock at pleasure give or retain this holy grace as they judge fit to administer a Sacrament or suspend a Sinner from the benefit thereof But we must further note the Apostle here as he speaks in generall to all Christians and bids them esteem Priests above men by reason of their office so he speaks particularly to the Corinthians in order to their main contention which was to make a difference betwixt the Dispensers of these Mysteries as if Baptism for example received from one were of more value than if they were baptized by another or as if the Ministers of Baptism were the Authors of grace and so they who received it at a more holy mans hands received more than if the conferror thereof were lesse holy to both these effects the Apostle speaks correcting the Corinthians errour in them both that is for thinking the Administrator of a Sacrament to be the Author of grace therein conferred or that grace was more abundantly conferred according as the Administrators thereof were more or lesse holy 2 This alludes to the vanity of the Corinthians who were men so curious that they judged of their Preachers as they found them more wise more grave more eloquent in their Sermons or Catechisms than others and particularly they adhered much to Apollo because they held him more eloquent than S. Paul whereas the same Apostle here tells them they must not regard in the Dispensers of Gods word the Rhetorick language or eloquence of the preachers but above all their fidelity or being faithfull that is to have them tell the true sence and meaning of Christ Jesus to have them give rather sound than flourishing doctrine least while they put too much force in words they lose the vigour of the Spirit which is and ought to be the life of a Sermon and least they seek by the Ostentation of their languages rather their own than the glory of God or preach themselves not Christ Whereas S. Paul tells them here fidelity is the principall part of a preacher that is to preach the Word of God and not the word of man to preach spirit rather than language to move the soul to Acts of love rather than the ear to delight of Eloquence 3. This Verse prosecutes the sense of the former telling them plainly he did not regard their fond judgements that esteemed men by their glib tongues rather than by their vertuous spirits for it is indeed Unction a speciall gift of the Holy Ghost that renders a Preacher most profitable to souls and so most accomplisht in his preaching whence the Apostle knowing what he said was pure spirit told them he did not regard their censures of him as if he were defective in his duty of preaching and what he sayes to them in this kinde he affirmes the like in respe of all men by his following words wherein he makes no account of
words of the Prophet Isaias are above explicated in the Present tense for the reasons alledged yet they were fitly spoken in the future and prophetically too by Isaias when he foretold what Iohn should say to us in the present tense at his coming or else Isaias might begin with the Baptists voice to say of him prophetically I am the voice of one crying in the Wilderness prepare the wayes of our Lord. Though if in this future tense we allow even the Baptist also to speak it will not be unproper to him for however his principle Office be that of forerunner or pointer out of our Saviour to be the long expected Messias come at last now standing in the midst of them yet he may in a secondary respect be allowed the Title and Office of a Prophet also telling us for the future what will follow if we believe in Christ and cast our cares upon him namely that all shall goe well with us both in the outward and inward man since our Saviour avowes him to be a Prophet though not onely such but more his Fore-runner his humane Angel going before the face of his Divine Humanity to tell us that this Man-Divine Christ Iesus was true God as well as Man who came to redeem and save the whole world The Application 1. AS the Epistle so the Gospel to bids us prepare the way for Iesus his Nativity alluded to all over but clearly mentioned in the close of the Gospel while the Fore-runner of our Lord is set before our eyes to day giving Instructions how to demean our selves in the Sacrament of Confession whereunto the Baptisme of Pennance unto Remission of Sins preached by the Baptist here alludes 2. How that Confession shall be rightly made is told in the penultime or last Verse but one of the Gospell doe as the Exposition of it bids and it will be rightly done at least prepare for it now that you may performe it well at Christmas 3. Now that we may doe this see if the holy Church could frame a fitter Prayer than what She sayes to day If not Then say it as above and so confess there is an admirable Harmony between the Preaching and the Praying parts of holy Churches services On Sunday within the Octaves of the Nativity The Antiphon LUKE 1. ver 25. THe Child Jesus did profit in age and wisdome before God and Man Vers The word became Flesh Allelujah Resp And dwelt in us Alleluja NOte this Antiphon above being much to the same purpose with the 40. Verse of this Chapter which is the last in this dayes Gospel I doe not change it though differing a little from that because I find it thus appointed by the Church The Prayer OMnipotent Sempiternall God direct our actions in thy good pleasure that in the Name of thy Beloved Son we may deserve to abound in Good Works The Illustration HOly Church hath hitherto taught us in our Prayers to Court down God from Heaven and now he is come unto us little in Appearance great in Power an Infant amongst men see how this day our Prayer make Infants of us too such as know not which way to turn but are glad to beg directions of Almighty God that our Actions may be done according to his will and pleasure or rather that his holy will may be our actions for so the words of the Prayer import when we beg that God will direct our actions in his good pleasure as who should say if he so please they shall be well done nor can we indeed please him in our doings if he doe not please to doe well in us For our actions are more his than our own insomuch that when we love God or please him he rather loves and pleaseth himself in us than that we of our selves can love or please his Divine Majesty by any thing we are able to doe And thus we see how with our new-born Iesus we pray like Infants unable to help our selves and for this purpose both the Epistle and Gospel of the day run upon infantile actions the former shewing us that men by Adoption of Grace became new-born Babes of God who were before ancient slaves of the Devill and telling us further how infants must be nurtured and tutoured up even by their own servants as long as they are under age The latter relating how our infant Iesus was this day presented to his Heavenly Father in the Temple as the first gratefull present humane nature durst make a tender of to his offended Majesty in hope thereby to appease his wrath and so confident we are that this will be a present appeasing as well as pleasing that we have no sooner offered him up to his Heavenly Father then we grow bold not onely in the name of this his beloved you to beg we may doe well but presume to hope that in his Name we may even deserve to abound in good workes and with good reason because we acknowledge this infant of Time to be coequal and coeternal God with his Eternal Father and consequently what we doe in his Name since it is more principally done by him than us may merrit the reputation of being abundantly well done and thus we doing it also may deserve to abound in good Works even such as shall not want the happinesse of a plentiful reward of grace in this life and of glory in the next But so that all our desert or merit must be still in his Name as the Prayer professeth inconsequence to what was said upon the close of the two first Prayers in this Book The Epistle GAL. 4. ver 1. c. 1. ANd I say as long as the Heir is a little one he differeth nothing from a Servant although he be Lord of all 2. But is under Tutors and Governours untill the time limited of the Father 3. So we also when we were little ones were serving under the elements of the World 4. But when the fulness of time came God sent his Son made of a Woman made under the Law 5. That he might redeeme them that were under the Law that they might receive the Adoption of Sons 6. And because you are Sons God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father 7. Therefore now he is not a servant but a a son and if a son an heir also by God The Explication 1. ST Paul had in the precedent Chapter told the Galathians that the old Law of the Jews was a Paedagogue or Usher rather to the new Law of Christ and so was to cease when the new Law came This doctrine he follows now here closely saying The Jewes that were the chosen people of God his first begotten as it were and so his heirs were by all the help of their Lawes but as little ones in the sight of God that is as children or infants wanting maturity of yeares and ripenesse of judgement to govern themselves and thus were nothing different from servants
the will to it Thus these Baptismal vertues make of children men hence the Graces of the Holy Ghost brook no delay but make an Infant Christian as soon the Masculine sacrifice as he is able to be the Sacrificant O Happy Christianity 2. And 't is great reason that new creatures should operate according to the newnesse of their Being Since therefore we are all by Baptism newly made to be children of God who were born slaves of the Divell it is but reason we embrace the Apostles counsell here and live reformed according to the newness of our mind who have new Beings given us such as propend to a conformity unto the will of God and renounce all self-will for ever As then that Renunciation was made last Sunday so this Conformation must be made from this day forward 3. Now least we should erre in this Conformity the close of this Epistle tells us how to scape that Errour by a sweet subordination unto one another such as may make up the mysticall body of Christ which Christians are as perfect as our naturall bodies bee whose every member is subordinate unto the Head whilst they remain subservient to one another and the Head commands them Learn therefore subject Christians to be dutifull to your superiours Learn Commandants to live your selves obedient to the great Commander of us all And that we may learn these Lessons let us pray as above The Gospel Luke 2. ver 42. c. 42. ANd when he was twelve years old they going up into Hierusalem according to the custome of the Festivall day 43. And having ended the dayes when they returned the child Jesus remained in Hierusalem and his parents knew it not 44. And thinking that he was in the companie they came a daies journey and sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance 45. And not finding him they returned into Hierusalem seeking him 46. And it came to passe after three dayes they found him in the Temple sitting in the midst of the Doctors hearing them and asking them 47. And all were astonished that heard him upon his wisdome and answers 48. And seeing him they wondered and his mother said to him Son Why hast thou so done to us Behold thy Father and I sorrowing did seek Thee 49. And he said unto them what is it that you sought mee did you not know that I must be about those things which are my Fathers 50. And they understood not the word that he spake unto them 51. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject to them And his mother kept all these words in her heart 52. And Jesus proceeded in wisedome and age and grace with God and men The Explication 42. THe twelve years of the childs age are here specified to shew that Jesus who was not onely Doctor of the heavenly chaire but even the wisedome it self of his heavenly Father lost no time in taking hold of all opportunities offered unto him to shew how great a zeal he came withall from heaven to teach and play the Doctors part on earth so as at the twelfth year of age childhood expires and youth begins in us to spell man at least if not to write it wholly Jesus who was as wise an Infant as a youth would not before the years of discretion assume unto himself the office of a Teacher but so soon as by course of nature he was held among men capable of discourse and judgement then he mixed himself mostestly amongst the Doctors in the Temple to shew he came not thither to play the boy as children at that age doe but the man assoon as men would look upon him for such who knew no more of him than what they saw They vvho are here said to goe up into Jerusalem according to the custome of the Festivall Day which was that of the Jewish Easter or Pascha were Jesus Mary and Joseph the childs Mother and Father as also with them wee may presume there went diverse others of their allies and kindred as the custome was for friends to goe in troops together to this celebrated Feast once a year from all neighbouring Countries that being the Metropolis or head City of the Jewes where the grand Synagogue was held 43. The dayes that are here mentioned to be ended were those seven daies which they held continually solemn as now the Catholick Church doth the Octaves of the greatest Feasts in the year consisting of eight solemn dayes to shew that as by seven of those dayes we consecrate all time to God as well that of work as that of rest so by the eighth day we offer up unto him here all the eternity wherein we hope to rest with him in glory after we have ended our laborious time upon earth and by this we give testimony that the Evangelicall Law is much more perfect than the Iewish in regard we labour here in hope of eternal rest and this by the prescript of our law whereas the Law of the Jewes was onely temporary and so prescribed order for no further than the time they lived here upon earth which whole time was mystically represented by their Feast of seven day s continuance and ours hath one day more to shew that we hope for a blessed Eternity after time is gone Here then the Story tells us the Parents of Iesus returned to Nazareth after the seven dayes of this solemnity were ended which yet was more than others spent in the celebrating this festivity for none were tyed to be there all the dayes thereof it being sufficient that they appeared once upon any one of the seven Festivall dayes but as the Devotion of this humane Trinity of Saints Iesus Mary and Ioseph was greater than that of others so they spent the whole time of this Festivity in continuall Prayer and Devotion which time being ended and Iesus having asked leave of his Parents to goe visite some of his kindred whilst they were getting things ready to return home again it was through God Almighties permission that he by this slight gat loose from his Parents making a very short stay with those he went to see nor did he make a false pretence though he concealed the other truth of his further meaning partly out of humility to cover his devotion which lead him to a longer stay in the Temple partly to let his parents see that however they were holy Saints yet they were not exempt from the infirmities of humane nature and so though not sinning therein were short of that home-care they ought to have had of keeping Jesus alwayes in their own eyes as thinking him safe enough for so short a time amongst his kindred hence it was they knew not that their charge stayd behinde them in Ierusalem 44 45. So thinking he had been with his kindred where they presum'd at night to find him but missing of him they returned a dayes journey back full of trouble and yet were carryed on with the comfort of hope
as this action tended to the execution of his Function it had no dependance on his mother however in other actions he were subject unto her and for proof thereof he went from this very action to the practise of his subjection as is said in the 51. verse following 50. It was no marvell they understood not this manner of speech for however it was revealed to them that Jesus was God and man sent to save the world yet how and in what sort he was to work out mans salvation they did not understand neither durst they be so curious as to ask him 51. But when they perceived it was his holy pleasure to go home with them and there be subject unto â—â—â—a they went home with him or rather the Text seems to say He lead them the way home to Nazareth saying And he went down with them out of the Temple that is to say he lead them down for sure they durst as ill lead him the way as they durst ask him any further question how he was to proceed in his grand work of humane Redemption Note his subjection was according to his humane nature not his divine and even that was an ultroneous or voluntary indeed a meer gratuite subjection too for albeit as he was his mothers naturall son shee had a right in nature to a superiority over his humane nature yet in regard the Hypostaticall union made of his two Natures but one person and that this person was as properly God as man he stood as much exempted from all subjection to his mother even as man as he was from Caesar Herod Pilate or any Magistrate upon the face of the earth and yet to shew us that obedience was a cheif vertue in Christian perfection and happily the hardest to bee performed by humane creatures therefore he spent thirty years in the practice of this subjection of this obedience to his Parents and onely Three in an absolute way independent of them and indeed to obey Superiours is in them to obey God who hath placed them over us So though S. Luke say no more of Christs actions from this time to his thirtieth yeare of age yet in this little hee hath said much That God should be subject to his own creatures to teach them subjection to their Creatour and that it is here said His mother kept all his words in her heart doth not argue S. Joseph was negligent or forgetfull thereof but that his trade imployed much of his minde whereas the Blessed Virgin made it her whole employment to hear and practise the Doctrine of her Saviour-Sonne 52. This Progresse of Jesus in Wisedome Age and Grace is to bee understood as was explicated the last Sunday vers 40. of this same Chapter onely for further Illustration wee may conceive this Progress extrinsecall to be like that of the Suns light from the rising to the Noon-tide sun still seeming to us greater and greater yet in it self all one in the luminous body whence it comes though made lesse by a greater distance at rising than when it is nearer to us at noon-day or by the diversity of reflection for from both it varies but divers wayes grace in Christ differs from grace in us For example as it is to him naturall beeing God and Connaturall by reason of the Hypostaticall Union between God and man in Christ To us it is ever supernaturall as it renders us gratefull or rather restores us to grace by taking away Originall and Actuall sin whereas in him it hath none of these Effects but flowes from his Person as light from the Sun Again as our Grace is private and particular his common to us all as in us it increaseth by good works but in him it being still full cannot increase But the close of this Verse seems hardest yet is it easie if rightly understood that is if we conceive our doing well in the sight of men is a like increasing in Gods eye as we increase before men in perfection Nor is it enough to doe well privately towards God but we must doe publiquely so too both before God and man to please one and to edifie the other The Application 1. THis Gospel first teacheth all Parents by example of the blessed Virgin Mary and of S. Ioseph to breed up all their children in the fear of God to teach them their prayers to see them go to Church on Sundayes and Holy-dayes at least to cause them to bee present at Divine Service at Sermons Catechisms or Exhortations thereby to bee instructed in their Faith and Rules of Christian perfection 2. It also teacheth all children due obedience to their Naturall Parents and all Christians religious subjection to our Holy Mother the Catholique Church while we read of the child Jesus that he was subject unto them Namely to his putative Father St. Ioseph and to his Naturall Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary and as we read of little else in all the Storie of our Saviours Infancie nor indeed till he came to the age of thirtie yeares so wee may rest content that this Lesson alone well learned and well practised is sufficient to make us the Infantil and youthfull Saints that God desires to have us 3 It lastly teacheth us That where Gods honour is concerned there Flesh and Bloud is not to be regarded while our Saviour excused his slipping from his naturall Mother to obey the commands of his supernaturall Father For thus to doe is to put the Will of God in execution according as we pray above we may The Antiphon JOHN 2. ver 3. THe Wine failing Jesus commanded the Water-pots to be filled with water which was turned into Wine Vers Let my prayer O Lord be addressed Resp Even as Incense in thy sight The Prayer ALmightie everlasting God who doest moderate at once heavenly and earthly Things hear clemently the prayers of thy people and grant us thy peace in our Times The Illustration IF upon any day in the year we can think it possible to fail of connexion between the Epistle Gospel and the Prayer it is like to be to day for when we come to seek a key to unlock the hidden Treasure of harmony between this Prayer and the other parts of this dayes Service we shall hardly find it in any member or word of the Prayer where yet if at all it must be found For example the first clause of the Prayer seems onely courtship to Almighty God telling him he moderates at once heavenly and earthly things The second clause doth but beg of him that he will hear clemently the prayers of his people The last which is all we can esteem petitionary asks indeed the grace of peace to us in our Times but in all the Epistle and Gospel too we find not the least touch upon peace and so may doubt whether the design can hold of finding a sympathy between the Prayer Epistle and Gospel Neverthelesse if we cast our eyes upon the miracle done this day we shall
being the Messias the Son of God and this Wedding most probably was that of S. Simon one of the twelve Apostles though some think it was S. Iohn Evangelists because S. Augustine speaking of him sayes Our Lord called John from the fluctuating time of marriage which yet may as well bee interpreted from his marriageable age for that indeed is the fluctuating time of man when he ebbs and flows in carnall desires according to emergencies of temptations more importune at that age than at any other time of his life and truly S. John seems to have been the favourite of Christ rather by reason of his singular love to chastity than for any thing else so it is likely he never thought of marriage whence it is more probably conjectured that this was S. Simons wedding who upon the miracle wrought thereat of turning water into wine left his wife by consent and became an Apostle if yet he might not afterwards bee called to the Apostolate though married as S. Peter was The place of this wedding is said to be in Cana of Galilee to shew it was not that other Cana of Sidonis which also was in Galilee within the Tribe of Aser whereas this was within the Tribe of Zebulon three daies journey onely from Nazareth lying in lower Galilee and the other in the higher out of which latter place it was that the daughter of the Chananaean came whom our Saviour afterwards dispossessed of the Devill pittifully tormenting her Matth. 15. v. 22. And it stands with reason this should be the wedding of Simon Nephew to the mother of Iesus by marriage at least for he was the son of Cleophas a Chananaean brother to Ioseph the husband of the B. Virgin Mary since the text seems to say Iesus his mother was the principall guest and that for her sake Iesus was also called with his Disciples 2. As Cousin-Germane to the Bride-groom S. Simon but with speciall providence of God First to honour his kinsman with his presence next to countenance the Nuptials of poor people for these were no other that had but little wine to make good cheer withall since upon the fail thereof Christ miraculously made more as here the Gospel tels us Lastly that by this miracle he might confirm his Apostles in the belief of his being the Messias which wrought so far upon them as it is credible St. Simon left his Spouse to follow Christ though by the presence of Christ at his wedding the Sacrament of Matrimonie was highly honoured and made a sacred mysterie of the union between Christ and his Church to beat down the Tatian and Marcion Heresies holding it unlawfull to marry and by this example we find it not unfitting for Priests to be at Weddings modestly celebrated to put them in minde the bond of wedlock is a sacred thing and ought to be knit up with souls affecting God even in that state above the world As for the Disciples here present they were onely four at most namely Peter Andrew and Phillip not as yet purposely called to the Apostolate though in the Chapter above S. Iohn sayes Christ bade Peter follow him because this was onely a preparation to his after calling since from this Wedding Peter went to his trade again and was from thence purposely called by Christ upon his mount with the rest of the Apostles numbred up in the 6. of S. Luke v. 14 15 16 though it is likely Nathaniel a great devote of Christ was also here because Philip had with much zeal brought him to Christ as we said Ioh. 1. v. 47. who commended him for a true Israelite in whom there was no guile nor fraud and the other Disciple not named who went with Andrew to Christ from Iohn the Baptist 3. This Verse shewes Simon was a poor man since he could not provide wine enough for his wedding whereupon the B. Virgin his Aunt moved with the touch of humane honour to see her kinsmans Nuptials disparaged for want of Wine and knowing her sons power that as God he could doe all things as also believing his Time of shewing himself to be God was if not come yet at hand presumed to anticipate the time out of this humane respect by desiring him to prove his Deity upon this occasion of working his first miracle at her request to honour her husbands kindred and yet see how modestly she makes this motion by onely telling him openly They have no Wine as knowing he understood the rest of her meaning without more words 4 These are not words of rebuke to the B. Virgin as some conceive but rather of recalling her memory and bidding her reflect whither it be a thing for flesh and bloud to command or indeed expect that God for humane ends should shew his power of working a miracle sooner than of his own pleasure he had decreed as it seems this was sooner since Christ tells his Mother his hour was not yet come of declaring himself to be the Messias but in regard he found there was a piety mixed with this humane respect of the Virgin he dispenseth with the concomitant infirmty of humane nature as long as there is a motive directly calling upon his Deity which is that of piety whence some will have it that Christ onely expected till all the Wine was quite gone to the end the miracle might be more manifest when the after plenty of Wine should flow from the totall privation thereof And in this sense neither was the B. Virgin much preproperous nor Christ at all anteverting or preventing the time prefixed for the manifesting of his Deity since immediately after this last cup of Wine was gone and then the B. Virgin knowing happily by his all-reavealing aspect what would follow 5. She sayes to the Servants Doe whatseover he shall say to you without dispute for his word is sufficient to effect what ere he pleaseth to have done 6. The reason why speciall mention is made here of water-pots of Stone is because what was to be filled out of them might be manifestly known to be nothing but water since Wine was never put into such great vessels especially at such poor peoples feasts as these so finding those water-pots to run Wine the miracle might appear the greater and more manifest Though besides this the Text tells us here of the custome among the Jewes to have great Jarrs of water alwayes ready in case they had touched any unclean meat at the Table to wash their hands immediately and for this respect it is said These pots were according to the purification of the Jewes and these were vessels of such bulke as probably six of them containing each four gallons or thereabouts held as much as a large vessell of Wine to shew the miracle the more undoubted that such a quantity should be afforded them so suddenly who had not one drop left before 7. It seems therefore though these great vessels of water were brought in they were not filled but
I of a slight command can doe much by vertue of this power what mayst thou O Christ by thy command who hast perfect and absolute power over Heaven and Earth and art under no command as I am who can deny but this stile was used purposely for our morall instruction that hearing this we should remember if at any time we have command ovâ—r others yet we are commanded our selves by many more above us and again to advertise us that the Soul shall then best command the Body when she her selfe moves not but as commanded by God and moved by his holy grace And if she rebell against God no marvell the body requoiles against her as in Adam and his race was and still is apparent 10. Since Admiration or Wonder is an effect of ignorance and Christ as being God was omniscient and had in perfection all the three Sciences that could render him perfectly knowing as man namely Beatificall Infused and Experimentall certain it is his Admiration here could not be a proper wondring at what he seemes to make exceeding strange of as by professing he had not found so great faith in Israel rather indeed to excite and stir up others to admiration and imitation of the like than that he was or could be seised on by the surprisall of any new notion accruing unto him which he had not before So Saint Austine sayes well These operations in Christ were rather signes of his actions upon others than of his passions from them of his teaching us not of his being taught himself by any thing that could happen unto him new or strange and what followes is to be taken strictly as spoken to those common people who were then present for else it could not be meant of all others or spoken to them that were absent For example when he said to those that followed him I have not found so great Faith in Israel meaning among such as you are that now behold the Faith of this Centurion for certainly he knew the Faith of his blessed Mother of Abraham of Moses and of John the Baptist was greater yet than this of the said Centurion so highly commended so much admired by our Saviour 11. This following Verse illustrates the latter end of the former in the sense as above for here Christ gives Abraham Isaack and Iacob as presidents for singular Faith rewarded with eternall glory in the Kingdome of Heaven and sayes Many shall come from East and West meaning from all corners of the world and share with Abraham c. in the like reward for their like Faith so here our Saviour alludes to the calling of the Gentiles unto the Faith of Christ and gives for their encouragement this encomiastick or superlative praise of the Centurion for the first fruits of the Gentiles vocation or beleeving in Christ Iesus the adoration of three Kings arguing not so much Faith as the Profession did so what he said to his followers in the Verse above may by adjoynder of this unto it be conceived as if Christ had said he never found so great Faith in any Gentile whom he had met with amongst the Israelites as he found in this Centurion for the three Kings were not Israelites admit their adoration could argue like Faith in them 12. He pursues the incitement to like Faith of this Centurion saying Those Gentiles who believe as he did shall succeed in the Kingdome of Glory to be dis-inherited Heirs thereof namely the Israelites or Jewes whom he calls the Children of the Kingdome in two regards first because as descended from the loynes of Abraham they were heires to his promised earthly kingdome of Iudea next as for the same reason they were heires to the Heavenly Kingdome of glory likewise promised to his issue in like Faith to his as who should say the forraign Gentiles shall inherit the two Crowns whereunto the Jewes were born heirs by Promise and this by reason the said Gâ—ntiles shall receive the faith of Abraham which the Jewes had deserted and apostatized from So as the Gentiles shall be saved in reward of their Faith and the Jewes damned in punishment of their incredulity which damnation or hell is here called outward darknes as often elsâ—where in holy Writ it is because hell as it is the most remote part from Heaven so is it the darkest and outmost in respect of the inhabitants in Glory whose Beatitude consisting in their beholding the inward light of the Deity by means of the outward light of Glory argues the damnation of the wicked consisteth in their being deprived of all light either of Glory or of God and consequently are out-casts from Heaven wallowing in the deep hell of outward darkness And as by this darkness is understood their pain of damnation or pain of loss consisting in an absolute privation of the sight or light of God and consequenly of all light so by weeping or gnashing of teeth is understood their pain of sense best expressed by those termes which alwayes betoken sorrow and horrour 13. Christ concludes giving the Centurion all he askes in reward of his Faith so curing his Boy at a distance in vertue of his sole Word as was observed that just when Christ spake those words Be it to thee as thou believest then the child was wel recovered hence we are to learn that according to the firmnesse of our Faith we may measure the greatness of our hope in God and mystically we may apply this passage of the Centurion to our selves who are commanders of our senses and powers which make up a spirituall Militia in this life Iob 7. if therefore any of these languish or grow otherwise diseased let us make our addresses by our Friends the Saints in Heaven and Good men on Earth to God beseeching him to cure that sick sense or faculty which is in danger to let in upon us the death of Sin and look with what Faith with what Hope with what Love we make our applications to Almighty God either by our selves or others we may rest assured our help shall be answerable thereunto The Application 1. CHrist cures the Leper to Day by a touch of his sacred Hand to shew he had cured the leprosie of sin in all humane nature by touching it with his nature Divine in the mystery of his Incarnation 2. Being intreated he cures the Centurions son by saying I will come and cure him however by the humility and faith of the Centurion he was not suffered to goe but desired by his Word to doe it at a distance This argues the power of Christ to be as operative as his Person and that by his Power given to Priests he cures all humble and believing Souls in the Sacrament of Pennance as he did the Centurion whose corporall infirmity was here but a figure of Sin-sick-souls 3. O happy Christians who have against all humane diseases a Cure Divine The touch of all the three Persons of the sacred Trinity in the Blessed Sacrament
supernaturall propensions by hearing the most elevating Word of God Symbolically Saint Hilary sayes This leaven of the Gospell was hid in the three measures of meal the Law the Psalmes and the Prophets and now appears in the Trinity of the three Theologicall Vertues Faith Hope and Charity or as others will have it to the three sorts of Believers Beginners Proficients and Perfect who bring forth loaves of fruit swollen to these correspondent proportions of Thirty Sixty or an Hundred fold increase of bigness Allegorically Saint Bernard makes the wombe of the Blessed Virgin Mother of Christ to be the leaven of the Hypostaticall union having a seasoning influence into the three parts of Christ his Soul his Body his Divinity uniting them all in one Person or one loaf made of these three measures of meal as above Anagogically Caesarius Dial. 4. Sayes the woman is the divine wisdome or deity of Christ the three measures oâ— meal are all humane natures death and hell and the leaven Christs humanity hid in his grave and in hell whither his humane soul went with his deity seasoning all mankind into the blessed condition of a resurrection from death and purgatory to life eternall in everlasting glory 34 35. There is no more mystery in these two verses than litterally they sound onely this we may observe that as all the whole 77 Psalme of David is a kind of parabolicall or aenigmaticall grave sententious speech because in that psalme he speakes prophetically of this manner of parabolicall speech of Christ therefore to verifie that prophesie Christ here speakes both in grave and truely parabolicall senses though David have much of litterall sence in his said psalme as where he recounts the Benefits God bestowed on the Synagogue or children of Israel in their forty years march with Moses through the red sea and the desert from Aegypt to Canaan the land of promise yet S. Hierome saies that David the type of Christ speakes there mystically as in Christs person promising to his Church infinite blessings namely to man passing through the red sea of his passion and through the desert of this world into the heavenly Canaan or promised land of Glory And for that purpose Christ here ends his parabolical discourse with this second verse of that 77 Psalme of the royall Prophet David I will open my mouth in parables I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world The Application 1. AS it was reason Christ should speak in Parables to verifie what was prophecied of him according to the last Verse in this Gospell so with those Parables he is said with great reason doubtless To utter things hidden from the foundation of the World we may suppose the hidden Mysteries of the Blessed Trinity and of the Incarnation in particular and in generall the workes of Faith whereof Saint Paul in this dayes Epistle mindes the Thessalonians and in them all after Believers For it was indeed the main business our Saviour had to doe upon Earth to plant a Faith in mens mindes whereby they might work out their salvation Hope and Charity assisting the said work of Faith as Saint Paul above cited sayes 2. As it was reason Christ should verifie the Prophets sayings of him so was it reason he should draw the Ignorant multitude to a belief of the greatest Mysteries of Faith by degrees as he did in first speaking Parables and then expounding of them by his Apostles at least in so rationall a way that they easily took all he said for good when they had heard good sense to be wrapt up in his Parabolicall speeches which at first they understood not so what seemed to be spoken to blind their understandings was indeed intended to open them and thus did Christ reasonably condescend when he seemed most unreasonably to transcend the capacities of the People 3. As the Mustard seed of Divine Faith and the leaven of Christian Doctrine have seasoned the whole world with Christianity so is it great reason they being both received into our hearts should in such sort season the little world we are within our selves that all our actions may be answerable to those hidden roots of Religion planted in our hearts as then they will bee when our thoughts are alwayes meditating upon those Christian Duties which in reason we are alwayes bound unto And that we may doe this the Church reasonably prayes to day as above On SEPTUAGESIMA Sunday The Antiphon MAT. 20. ver 6. THe housholder said unto his workmen What stand you here all the day idle but they answering said Because no man hath hired us Goe ye also into my Vineyard and what shall be just I will give you Vers Let my prayer c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer VVEe beseech thee O Lord clemently to hear the Prayers of thy People that we who for our sinnes are justly punished for the Glory of thy Name may be mercifully delivered The Illustration WEe were in the fourth Sunday after the Epiphany taught to pray much to this purpose but we must not think much of repeating the same Prayer when we dayly repeat the same Sins which are the cause of our increased punishments yet we shall finde that danger was there the punishment we deprecated here it is labour either in the race we are by the Epistle bid to run or in the paines the Gospell calls us too in the Vineyard of Christ as if we were hereby given to understand our life in this world is a continuall toil and labour to deserve an eternall rest in the next But further we are to note this Prayer is particularly proper to this day not onely as referring literally in a manner to the Epistle and Gospell but even to the whole Series of holy Churches service upon this Septuagesima Sunday when the Priest in his office is bid begin the story of Genesis thereby to minde us we should from this day begin to serve God as if we were but newly created for that purpose and yet lest we should forget that we were no sooner created than we had by sin annihilated as it were our selves and lost our right of return to that All-being the Creator of Heaven and Earth from whence we came out of our nothing See the Prayer of this Day puts us in minde of our degenerating from God by Sin But withall of our return to him by Repentance if we cooperate with his holy Grace who is ever more ready to give than we are to ask him Pardon Now in regard the Epistle of this day falls from the simile between a Christians life and those who runn a race and mindes us of the Children of Israels going out of Aegypt into the Land of promise of the Cloud and of the Red Sea wherein they were by Moses as it were Baptized as also the Rock which followed them to quench their Thirst and of the Manna from Heaven to be their Food we must observe that this Story
the holy Altar not his reall body as we doe so the true sence of this place is that as they all did eat one figurative bread and had one faith in God so doe we but yet as their faith and food did not carry them all to Canaan so will not faith alone carâ—y us to heaven without good works 4. This verse is harder than the former in regard it will not be easy to shew how they drank of that rock that followed them unlesse we allow they drank of Christs bloud as well as we now doe since Christ is truely the rock that did follow them or came after them and issued out his pretious bloud for us really to drink againe Christ was a spiritual rock as here is said not a reall rock of stone for the true understanding therefore of this place we must know by spirituall rock is here understood a mysticall or typicall rock and such was the reall and naturall rock out of which Moses commanded water with a stroak of his rod and yet that reall rock was but a mystery type or figure of Christ and so in regard of that mystery is called here spirituall because it did praefigure the rock of Christ some therefore say with the Hebrewes that this rock did miraculously follow the children of Israel even to the land of Promise grounded in that text Numb 21. ver 16. Others conceive this to be verified by the water of the rock following the children of Israel at least till they came where plenty of more water was others think following them is veryfied by the obedience the rock shewed to issue out water once at Moses command so by follow they understand obey but this falls short of the gramatticall signification of the word follow so the true and genuine sence of the Apostle is that this rock as it was a type of Christ so the following of this rock is typicall and not reall Spiritual and not naturall as who should say Christ who corporally followed them many yeares after did spiritually now follow them that is in his sacred Deity or as he was God not man marched with them from the beginning to the end and so by his providence still supplyed them with water which was in effect to make the rock follow them so here Christ his divinity was the thing signified by the water out of the rock which did represent the same and to clear this sence the Apostle sayes in plaine termes the spirituall rock here meant by the material or natural rock was Christ Those are his words But the rock was Christ as who should say what we mean by this spirituall rock following them was Christ his divinity for his humanity was not then in being when spiritually he did follow them nor doth it urge against this truth what is further objected they did drink of this rock but the rock they drâ—nk of was the materiall rock therefore that material rock was not onely a type of the spirituall but was truely the spirituall rock since as the drink was materiall water so the rock must be the maâ—eriall rock for it is answered the water they drank was typicall because it was a figure of Christs Deity and so the materiality of both rock and water hinder not the spirituality of Type or Figure in them both To conclude the Allegory of this place holds thus Christ was this rock who was therefore sayd strucken by Moses because the Iewes were of the Mosaicall Synagogue who struck Christ to death by the Rod of the holy Crosse the bloud of which rock was satiating drink to the true believers and was water of contradiction to the Incredulous Iewes who will not believe in his deity and misbelieving hereticks that deny the reality of his blessed body and bloud in the Sacrament of the holy Altar by whose virtue we are carried through the desart of this world into the heavenly Land of Promise nor will it follow that therefore these words of Christ saying this is my body are to be understood as hereticks pretend This is a figure of my body as here we say this is a spiritual rock that signifies This is a figure of a spiritual rock because Christ doth not say this is a figure of my body or this is my body spiritually meant no but this is my body absolutely and really the same which shall be crucified for your sinns upon the crosse as it was indeed not onely figuratively but really besides the sixth verse of this Chapter cleares all doubt of this point saying in expresse termes These things were done as in a figure to us so here is a plaine profession of a figurative speech in the Apostle we find none such of any figurative speech of Christ when he said This is my body 5. This fifth verse confirmes what was said before That Faith alone without good works was not enough to bring the children of Israel into the Land of Promise and consequently much more are good works necessary to bring us to heaven lest as the greatest part of the Hebrew people perished in the desart so the greatest part of Christians be damned if they lead not lives answerable to their Faith and Religion The Application 1. FRom the first Sunday in Advent to the Nativity of our Saviour the Churches service represents the senility or decrepit age of Judaism weary of old expectation and longing for the coming of new hopes in Jesus Christ Yet to shew the Jews were dear to God he gave them a happy period a glorious Catastrophy in John the Baptist 2. From the Nativity to this Septuagesima Sunday the Holy Church hath fed us with the admirable doctrine of out Infantile Christianity beginning with the Infant Jesus and teaching us how to walk religiously as so many Infants and children of grace 3. From this day to the end of Lent the service runs upon another strain minding us of the forfeiture of our first Father Adam made of that Repose and Rest he was created in and of the toil and labour hee drew upon himself and his whole Posterity by his disobedience so the vicility or perfect man-hood of humane nature is the state wee are now taught to perfect And therefore this Epistle brings us into the school of vertue to day neither as decrepid men nor as new born Infants but as active youths all running of a race to win the Prize of heaven and this to verifie the curse imposed on our Father Adam of eating his bread in the sweat of his brows So that toyl and labour is wee see most justly inflicted on us for the punishment of sin and all the rest we can hope for must be by the meer mercy of our Lord who yet is ready to give us an eternall Rest in the next life for a short race here for a little labour taken to glorifie God by loving our own souls Say then beloved the Prayer above as the fittest Petition for the performance of our present
the Apostle saith here of prophesies failing is to be understood that they faile not as defective in revealing truth but as not rightly understood by those to whom they do reveal the same through the defect of our capacity to hard and abstruse points Note the possible failing of tongues is here on purpose expressed in the plurall number as alluding to the cessation of the gift of many tongues which even now is ceased and was so long since not that the power in God of giving such gifts again is lost but that there is not the like necessity thereof as in the primitive Church but we may observe he doth not say the Tongue shall possibly cease but Tongues or the plurality thereof for it is a common opinion amongst Divines that all men in heaven as they have their bodies there so they shall have the use of their tongues and speak to one another but so as they shall all speak one and that the Hebrew tongue the most perfect expresser of the mind and that which Adam spake in the state of innocency and all the Antient Patriarks before the destruction of Babylon confounded the Tongues and likewise the Prophets singing as in the Apocalyps Amen Allelujah Though some think it not improbable they shall rather than want the use of speech have a new language created common to them all and more perfect yet than Hebrew For thus all shall cease that ever were in use and yet another never used may be made without contradiction to this text not that the Blessed shall want in heaven the gift of Tongues if they please but that as they are there all of one mind so they shall choose rather to speak all one tongue than to use many which multiplicity argues rather an imperfection than otherwise though here it were a Blessing necessary to our imperfect state by Science being destroyed in heaven some will have the acts thereof destroyed onely and the habits remain yet to no purpose this for in vain is that habit faculty or power which never shall be reduced to act hence we must rather say Science as it is imperfect here shall be destroyed by a change into perfect Science there yet even this is rather preservation by addition than destruction by subsâ—â—action Let us therefore say yet further Science shall be destroyed as it imports here teaching and learning which there shall cease since no man can teach nor no man learn in heaven any new Science To conclude let us grant a totall cessation of Science as the best of Sciences namely Divinity grounded on points of Faith deduced here partly out of naturall reason partly out of revelations nay even Faith it self the Mistresse of Divinity and yet we shall doe no wrong to the Blessed because intuition is better than cognition clarity of knowledge is more excellent than obscurity in a word vision is the best of demonstrations and therefore Science being nothing but a rationall exhibition of the object shall suffer no prejudice by ceasing when the object is there more clearly seen with the eye than it could be discerned by the understanding here but the truth is the cessation of prophesie tongues and knowledge or science is not here absolutely asserted but supposed onely to prove their cessation would not yet take away charity 9. See how this Verse cleers the former in the latter sense thereof here we onely know in part so there this partiall knowledge ceasing our Science may be said to cease as also our prophesie which though it be a revelation of truth yet it is not a revelation of all truth which in heaven shall be revealed and so take away all divisions of truth by an unity or integrity of all truths in one 10. See how still the succeeding verse in termes avowes the explication of the precedent when perfect intuition comes then imperfest exhibition shall cease when God in his owne and sole perfect selfe shall appear then creatures who shew him onely in part shall need no more to make their imperfect exhibitions of him or when we see the creature perfectly in God then the imperfection we did see of them in themselves shall cease 11. In this verse he illustrates by a similitude of a child or little one in respect of a man what he said in the former and makes the Science Prophesie or perfection we have here to be in respect of what we shall have in heaven like the meer sensible knowledge in a child to his intellectuall and rationall science when he is a man which is as much as to say most of all our science here is but as knowledge of sense and not indeed intellectuall because not grounded in certitude of principles but in apparences onely of truths and causes which though they doe not yet for any thing we know they may fail us even when we thinke our selves most certain of truth therein 12. Some will have S. Paul to allow cleer Intuition of God here by his confessing we see him at least in a glass because glasses doe represent the reall things and not the pictures onely thereof which is true but withall they represent the things in a reflected not in a direct line and hence we see nothing so perfectly in a glass as when we look directly on the object it self Again hence we never see nor know so much of our selves as we doe of others because we see not our own shapes so directly in a glass as wee doe others out of it by looking on their persons directly Others understand S. Paul to mean by a glass here our seeing God in a confused way as Mercers shew a multitude of ware together to distract the eye of the buyer or as if they were shown by false lights giving them other lustre than indeed they have or as things shewn in a transient way to cheat the eie rather than to satisfie it all which is to see God wrapt up in Riddles of knowledge not in the reality thereof Now if we ask what glasse it is wee here see God by say either the creature representing him or the fancie apprehending him or Christ his humanitie best of all expressing his goodness yet infinitely short thereof or as some will have it in the Sacraments which are visible signs of invisible things of grace and of God the Authour thereof By seeing God face to face some conceive it shall onely be when we see Christ in heaven and through his glorious face behold with our corporall eyes his sacred Deity grounded in the words of Theodoret faying Wee shall not see his nature meaning his Deitie which falls not within the compass of our corporall eyes and so can bee seen by none but that nature onely which hee assumed meaning humane nature but Theodoret thus understood would be made the Author of a huge errour as denying us the happinesse of the Beatificall vision which doth not nay cannot consist onely in seeing Christs humanity face to face because
that humanity is but a creature his meaning therefore must be that with our corporall eyes we can onely see the Deity as tralucent and shining through the face of Christ or through his humane nature but yet with our souls eyes that is with her faculties of understanding we see even the sacred Deitie and with our wills we love him as the beginning and end of all our hopes as our chief and infinite goodness and when the Apostle sayes he shall know God in heaven as he is there known by God his meaning is onely that we shall see God perfectly and not in part onely as he doth know us perfectly by knowing the integrity of all the causes concurring to our making and the infallibility of all the effects of our each operation or motion not that therefore our knowledge of God shall be equally perfect with his of us for such knowledge would argue identity and not onely similitude of knowledge whereas here there is no identicall but onely a similitudinary knowledge asserted 13. We must note that Iraeneus Tertullian and others understood by the word now that the Apostle meant now that we are in this perfect knowledge that is in heaven Faith Hope Charity shall remain but this were to contradict all that hath been said before of Faith ceasing when vision comes of hope decaying when Fruition affords all that can be hoped for so those Fathers must be explicated to mean by faith all firm assured and undoubted science such as onely consisted in vision and by hope all incessant adhesion to the infinite goodness of God above all things else beloved which adhesion they called fruition and yet though this qualifie their sense to bee neerer the Apostles than an asserting that faith and hope remain in heaven formally as charity doth yet this comes short of S. Pauls meaning by the word now in this life not in heaven for his main scope was to prove to the Corinthians that charity was the chief of all other vertues faith hope and charity but the chiefest and greatest of these is charity and not so much boasted gift of tongues and therefore as to them he sayes Now there are three Theologicall vertues faith hope and charitie but the greatest of these is charity not your vain faith which is not acquainted with love nor your idle hope which fixeth your expectation of help from creatures nay though your faith be pure and your hope in God alone yet charity is greater than these vertues and shall remain in heaven when the other two Theological vertues cease however now they are all three together here the most excellent indeed of all other gifts or vertues however you esteem more that of tongues which I see you prefer fondly before any other gifts of God To conclude the Apostle resolves charity to bee above all other vertues as the fire is the chief of Elements gold the principall of metals the Sun the best of Planets the Empyreal the highest of heavens and the Seraphins the top-gallant of Angels so is charity the chief the principal the best the highest and the most gallant of all vertues whatsoever The Application 1. SInce the first operation of Adams soul was an act of love to his Creator because he see him to bee infinitely more amiable than all the lovely creatures he had made him master of Therefore every child of Adam doth even in that degenerate if his first reasonable operation be not also an act of love to God Nature as well as grace teaching the giver ought to be beloved far above the gift he gives 2. Hence it is that in Regeneration we are bound to make our first act a profession of our faith and love to the divine Majesty so solemn that it is accompanied with an abrenuntiation of all love to creatures namely those that tempt us most the World the Flesh and the Divel with all his Pomps and vanities And this because originall sin had fetterd our affections and tyed them to a dotage on the creatures so as to love these above the Creatour of them and us 3. Now because this indebit love to creatures is the fetter that fastens us to sin making us affect it even when we doe not commit it actually and because for sin wee are lyable to all adversity therefore S. Paul by tying a true-lovers-knot of perfect love and charity to God within our hearts would loosen the fetters of our love to creatures that fasten us to sin and by this art would keep us free from all adversitie no effect remaining longer than the cause thereof remains Whence it is that whilest Saint Paul so passionately recommendeth charity in this Epistle as the onely remedie against adversitie We properly pray as above The Gospel LUKE 18. ver 31 c. 31. ANd Jesus took the twelve and said to them Behold we goe up to Hierusalem and all things shall be consummate which were written by the Prophets of the Son of man 32. For he shall be delivered to the Gentiles and shall be mocked and scourged and spit upon 33. And after they have scourged him they will kill him and the third day he shall rise again 34. And they understood none of these things and this word was hid from them and they understood not the things that were said 35. And it came to passe when he drew nigh to Jericho a certain blind man sat by the way begging 36. And when he heard the multitude passing by he asked what this should be 37. And they told him Jesus of Nazareth passed by 38 And he cryed saying Jesus son of David have mercy upon me 39. And they that went before rebuked him that he should hold his peace But he cryed much more son of David have mercy upon me 40. And Jesus standing commanded him to be brought unto him and when he was come neer he asked him 41. Saying what wilt thou that I doe to thee but he said Lord that I may see 42. And Jesus said unto him Doe thou see thy faith hath made thee whole 43. And forthwith he saw and followed him magnifying God And all the people as they saw it gave praise to God The Explication 31. OUr Saviour being now neer the time wherein he was pleased to be sacrificed for mans redemption took with him in this his last ascending to the grand feast of the Jewes their Paschall solemnity all his twelve Apostles and lest they should be surprised by his sudden death which they knew not to be at hand as himself did he forewarnes them of it nay for their further comfort he tells them his death was fore-told long before by the holy Prophets but with this consolatory clause of his rising again after he was dead to prove thereby it was God redeemed us when God and Man dyed for us and such was the Messias such was he who now foretold them this of himself to prepare their patience against his passion to secure their Faith though
he lost his own life for that purpose And that this was the last time of our Saviours going to this City of Hierusalem in observation of their Paschall solemnity all the four Evangelists agree Saint John onely adding this circumstance Chap. 11. ver 54. that Jesus came now from the City Ephrem privately to this Feast having fled thither for fear of the Jewes after he had raised Lazarus from death to life a little before and was much envied and sought after to punish not to reward him for his said goodness Now some Expositours will have it that from this very instant of Christ foretelling his Apostles he should die and rise again Judas gave his first way to the temptation of covetousness which moved him to betray his Master for Mony since he did believe the first part of his death but gave no credit to his last of Rising again and so concluded when once his Master was dead all the little treasure of the common purse would fall to his share that feared no account to be exacted from a dead man by his Resurrection nor is this conjecture improbable But to the letter of the Text we shall not doe amisse to observe the phrase our Saviour useth saying here Behold we goe up and indeed the word Ascend or goe up alludes deeply to the mystery of the prediction as above of Christ his passion for by ascending voluntarily now to this Feast he shewed he was as voluntarily to ascend within few dayes out of this City up the Mount Calvary to his Passion Again the Temple of Hierusalem was upon the highest part of the Town and contiguous if not continuous to the Mount Sion which over-looked the City and so by Analogie the heavenly Hierusalem is called Sion besides he now said we ascend as shewing with what alacrity he resolved to rise up the ascending Mount when he was upon the Cross to triumph over Sin Death the Devill and Hell for as Saint Chrysostome sayes well By his voluntary death he shewed himself to be God as well as Man since though to be able to die argued he was man yet to be willing to die shewed he was more than man But see how he was not content to tell them in generall termes of his future Death and Passion and that it should be consummated as was written by the Prophets unlesse he had farther told them what particular death he was to die saying as followes 32. For he shall be delivered to the Gentiles as he was when Pilate and Herod substitutes of the Roman Empire set upon him as Judges and condemned him after many mockeries scourgings and revilings even to the Death of the Crosse but because the proper place to enlarge upon this subject will be when the Passion is dilated upon here we shall say no more of it than that 33. He foretells the Glory of his Resurrection shall recompence the ignominy of his death and this hony of his rising he gave them a taste off thereby to sweeten the gall of his Passion nor shall we now adde more here than that as Christ used the prediction of his Death as a meanes of comfort to his Apostles in hope of his future Resurrection so we must make affliction sorrow grief persecution and death it self for love of God sweet unto us in hope we shall rise from death to glory and from our corruption to incorruptibility as our Saviour did 34. No marvell they understood not these words nor the things they meant for our Saviour did not then intend they should understand them but then only told them what they should hereafter know by experience and remembring they had been foretold as much should not be dismayed but hope they should by the integrity of the prediction including the joy of his Resurrection be eased of their affliction at his Death and Passion Then therefore he gave them the cordiall of comfort and they were after to feel this effect thâ—reof when it should have a comfortable operation in them which actually it had as soon as he arose from his grave and did appear alive again amongst them all according as he now foretold them he was to doe 35. There is some difficulty in the true meaning of this verse in regard Saint Matthew chap. 20. ver 19. and Saint Mark in his tenth chap. ver 46. both of them say this blinde man was cured by our Saviour as he went out of Jericho whereas Saint Luke here tells us it was done as Jesus went into Jericho again Saint Luke and Saint Mark make mention onely of one blinde man restored to his sight and yet Saint Matthew speaking of the same time and place tells us of two blind then and there cured by Jesus as he passed by them and heard them both in the same words as the other two Evangelists say one onely they called on him for cure saying Iesus son of David have mercy on me on us saith Saint Matthew but for reconciliation of these two different relations by the Evangelists we must recurre to our accustomed observation that Saint Matthew generally under takes to write the Story of our Saviours life most methodically and therefore since he from the verse 29. above cited to the verse 33. ending his said twentieth Chapter continues his Story in the plurall number we are to presume there were two blind men cured though here S. Luke mentions but one and though Saint Mark name that one to be Bartimaeus the sonne of Timaeus so called as Bartholomaeus is called the son of Tholomaeus Bar in Hebrew importing Son hence therefore we are to conclude there is no contradiction in the relation though it be more amply and intirely made by Saint Matthew than by the other Evangelists and as for the differing circumstances of the Miracle being done as Saint Luke here saith when our Saviour went into Iericho happily one of the Two was then cured and the other namely Bartimaeus when our Saviour came out again Saint Matthew and Saint Mark may relate the Story as perfected by a double cure in the exit of our Saviour from Iericho which S. Luke began with a single one in his entrance thither as if it were a continuation of one and the same cure exercised upon two severall persons one at the entrance the other at the exit of the City and so the circumstantialls of the cure make nâ— diversity therein all being but a restitution of sight to the blinde but whither Christ were going or coming restoring sight to one or two it makes no great matter the Miracle being of the same nature and equally shewing Christ to be God and all Evangelists agreeing they both believed alike and both petitioned in the same stile if there were two of them in fine as silence is no disproof nor contradiction to what another positively affirmeth so Saint Matthews positive affirmation stands good without any constradiction by the silence of Saint Mark and S. Luke to part of the Story
what else we are here to note is that Jesus came from Ephrem to Iericho and from Iericho went to Hierusalem where he prepared himself to his Passion by praying in the Temple at the Paschall solemnity mentioned as above in the first verse of this Gospell and though there we gave other reasons why our Saviour said we ascend to Hierusalem yet here we may adde this one more that although while he went out of Ephrem his wayes from thence to Iericho being two leagues and an half were all levell and even ground yet from Iericho to Ierusalem there were seven long leagues all hils and dales as mountainous wayes use to be and therefore are called ascendings because they take their denomination from their most difficult passages however there be much descending ground gone over between all hills as for the name of Iericho it is derived either from the Hebrew word Jareach signifying the Moon because that City was built horned as the quartered Moon or else from reach which signifieth odour or sweetness because Iericho is famous for the best of Balsames in and about it and Saint Gregory in his twelfth Homily upon the Gospells alludes to the cure done at Iericho upon the Blinde taking this name in the first derivation from the Hebrew and saying The Moon is an Hiâ—roglyphick of defect in nature because it is ever changeable and various Therefore saith Saint Gregory while our Saviour comes to Jericho the blind mans defect in nature is cured because when the Divinity put on the defect of our flesh man-kind received the sight which it had lost for whence God suffered humane infirmities thence man was raised to divine perfections And Origen upon this place makes a pious allusion of this blind man importing the blindness of all humane nature then cured thereof When Christ with his Apostles comes to lead them from their naturall Jericho or defect into the heavenly Hierusalem where they shall have a supernaturall perfection added to their naturall Vision and by that supernaturall addition shall see God face to face and seeing him shall become like unto him and by this likenesse to God become perfectly cured of all their naturall defects Thus piously we see the holy Fathers make advantages to our Souls out of every passage of holy Scripture by applying the letter thereof in a spirituall sence unto us and why may not we hence presume to adde this cure alludes in the other sense of Iericho reporting to odour as to the Apostles and the blind man cured following Jesus from Iericho to his passion according to what the Spowse in the Canticles sayes We shall runne after him in the odour of his sweetnesse Since the holy will and pleasure of our Saviour was to take this Balsamick passage through Iericho to serve as a sweet perfume upon the Carian-mountaine of Calvary that so the stanch of sinne might not surpasse the fragraâ—t odours of grace rayning down showers of our Saviours pretious bloud from the odoriferous tree of the holy Crosse and from the more holy fruit hanging thereon 36. 37. It seemes this blind man was not deafe that could hear the murmur of the talking multitude some going rudely before and others following our Saviour from Ephrem to Jerico all discoursing of his works and wonders in so great a lowdnesse that the blind man asked what the matter was what great company was approaching which were heard before they were at hand and being told it was Jesus of Nazereth who came thus accompanied 38. He cryed out immediately Jesu Sonne of David have mercy on me by the Sonne of David meaning the Messias whose office followed the nature of his name for Messias imports mercy towards the miserable and hearing it was Iesus of whom he had heard such wonders and by whom such miracles were done he concluded presently this was the Messias marked out by the Prophets saying of him then when he shall come the eyes of the blind shall be opened Isaias Chapter 35. Vers 5. 39. By this it seemes some of the people were before our Saviour as we said above Vers 36. talking of him and these people either unwilling to be interrupted in their own discourse or that Christ should be stopt in his way by this poor man and so they hindered from something they expected from our Saviour either in Iericho or Ierusalem whither he was going and this company with him they rebuked the blind man both for the noyse he made and for the doubt they had least by his importunity he might stop Iesus in his march as indeed it happened for the rebuked man went on calling still to Jesus for help and the more he was bid hold his peace the lowder he cryed out Iesus the Sonne of David have have mercy on me A good example for us to follow and not let the interposition of any creatures hinder us from our approach to God no nor any rebuke for well doing deterre us from continuing to doe well Thus S. Augustine expounds this place and S. Hilary hath these words upon it Faith when forbidden is more increased and therefore in dangers it is secured and in security it is indangered 40 Strange to see how upon the standing of Iesus the Expositors doe descant S. Hierome sayes his standing in the litterall sence was because the blind should not follow him in that heat of zeale they were in when no reprehension was able to make them desist to cry for help least they might thereby fall in to the ditches or stumble at the uneven waies about Iericho S. Gregory gives the Symbolicall sence thus That by this standing was argued his Divinity for saith he Passing betokens man persisting betokens God Origen saies his standing mystically signified the permanence of the benefit received the sight restored to continue not for a time and then he to be blind againe S. Augustine saith anagogically thus Iesus stood to signifie that the temporary Faith of his Incarnation prepares to the understanding things eternall and so Jesus stood as Eternall and as bequeather of Eternall sight of God in glory in recompense of this blind mans Faith who now believed in his Deity And indeed had it not been that our saviour intended something mysticall he neither needed to have stood nor called but could have cured the party with his sole will or pleasure but he stood for the reasons as above and came neare to aske him 41. What he would have thereby to give the blind man occasion to expresse his Faith and confidence in him the more as also because he knew the people had forbid the man to trouble him and he therefore called him to shew God holds not our importunity in good things any way troublesome unto him Our Saviour asked what he would have not that he was ignorant but that he would declare his knowledge of our infirmities excuseeh us not from the confessing of them nevertheless as also to shew God is not onely ready to give us what
the genuine sense of the Apostle in this Text who by grace here understands both the generall benefit of all mankinds redemption or reconciliation to God by Christ his passion and the speciall concourse of holy grace which Christ hath merited for every particular man and which God consequently gives to every one that thereby hee may if he will not in vaine receive it make himselfe an effectuall partaker of the said passion of Christ by cooperating therewith towards his own Salvation whereas otherwise Christ his passion remaines onely sufficient but not effectuall or actually efficatious to every particular mans Salvation 2. This prophesie reports to the second person of the Blessed Trinity thus speaking to his heavenly Father Jsaias 49.8 in the accepted time of his Incarnation and in the saving day of his passion which wrought Salvation to the whole world and when the Apostle tells us that now this acceptable time this day of Salvation is come he meanes the whole time afforded man in this world from the houre of our Saviours Incarnation and passion to the very latter day of doome is all and every minute of it so acceptable so saving that no man can use any the least instant of it in vaine if he please to serve himselfe thereof but may in any time of his whole life in any instant of that whole time by a true conversion of his heart to God and by an aversion of it from sinne save his soule though it were huge presumption in any man that had enough to doe in all his life to overcome his vices and would be so supinely negligent as never to convert his Soule and the affections of his heart to God but at some posting minute when he could no longer injoy the liberty of sinne note also though this be the literall sense of Isaias above yet the mysticall of it is that holy Lent is singled out as the most acceptable time in all the year to work out our Salvation in because we have then the assistance of the whole Church joyntly prostrate with us in Prayer Fasting and Pennance so in case our own indeavours come short yet they may now be carryed on as some men are in crowds being borne up by others when they have no footing of their own to carry them along 3. Here the Apostle seemes to put so much force in the necessity of good life in Christians such as takes off all note of scandall or offence as if all the labour of the Priests were lost unlesse the people did live according to the doctrine of the Church according to the preaching of the Pastours for so he concludes as though their Ministery might be blamed and questioned whether of God or not if the people did not live vertuous lives and without offence because men would be apt to say they were fine teachers fine Masters indeed who breed up such sinfull Scholars as give offence to others 4. And lest the people might pretend it is in vaine for Priests to Preach good life unlesse they also lead the same the Apostle both for this reason and further to let them see they were seduced by following such Preachers as without ordination or Mission tooke upon them that Ministery and did perhaps speake well but doe ill themselves falls tacitly into an Encomiastick of himselfe and of all true Ministers of Gods holy word above what was due to false Ministers by exhorting the people to such good life as they might see example of in him and the rest of the Apostles and Disciples of Christ while he saies let us shew our selves like Ministers of God instructed ordained and sent by him to Preach and lead examples of good life not obtruded upon the world by man pretending Mission and ordination who had none indeed and therefore could not truly be called the Ministers of God as onely the Apostles and their legall successours are all this he means by those words let us live as the Ministers of God then he proceeds to tell the Signes and the Tokens of such or at least the effects commonly following all such true calling ordination or mission that it renders them capable of much patience and lest this vertue should seeme but narrowly communicated by God to his Apostles here is an ampliation of it to all Emergencies or occasions wherein commonly mens patiences are truly tried that so whiles it is not limited to any one occasion or circumstance but extended to all it may appeare to be a mark or an effect of a true Minister of God since it is his gift whose every work is perfect and from this very place to the end of this Epistle the Apostle runs on declaring the marks of a true Minister of God squaring out the excellency and perfection of an Apostolicall man and of his life so that little need more to be said for explaining the verses following now we know they all drive to this end and are spoken in this sense yet now and then I shall observe in each verse something particular when the sense is deeper then it may seem to be at first reading 5. Note in this verse the Apostle exhorts even in persecutions such as was expressed above to use voluntary Mortifications namely Watching and Fasting for they are seldom inflicted as punishments of our Persecutors though even in that sense the hunger of prisons and restless nights thereof caused by the unruly company commonly in such places may also have been glanced at as things the Apostle exhorts to bear patiently 6. Chastity is here of special regard because we see the Ministers of other Churches profess it is not to be of obligation nay they wil have it incompatible with humane Nature and no way possible to be prescribed to Priests or vowed by them So by this particular mark of Chastity the Apostle distinguisheth a true Priest from an usurper of Apostolical Mission and gives this as an eminent splendour in the Catholick Church abounding in many thousands of Priests and Religious persons of both Sexes vowing and most of them doubtless if not all keeping their Vow exactly Knowledge or Science is here of special remark too since it behoves all Priests not onely to know the common Principles of Christian Doctrine but further the genuine sense of holy Scriptures and deepest Mysteries of our Faith so to enable them upon all occasions to teach to preach and to instruct the ignorant By Sweetness is here understood Meekness that since they must meet with all rudeness in nature and know all the harshness of sinners they had need of this Vertue to make their Reprehensions upon occasions more efficacious by the mildness and sweetness wherewith they exhort to good and dehort from evil life 7. By the Vertue of God is here meant either the power whereby sometimes they work Miracles or that fortitude wherewith they run through all difficulties in the practice of Christian Perfection By the Armour of Justice on the right hand and on
merit in them and that merit is to make us to have deserved such a master then let us confidently say this Prayer to day and all this holy week for as it is the last of the Lenten Sundayes Prayers so we may see it Steers the ships of our Bodies and Soules downe the very gulfe of our Saviours Passion where to suffer shipwracke is to be saved since the greatest mercy in this Sea is to be cast away upon the waves thereof as our Pilot Jesus was himselfe heare his own words out of the royall Prophets mouth Psal 68. v. 3. I came into the depth of the Sea and was drowned in the Tempest of it This Sea was that of his Passion which we are now all sayling on nor can we hope for greater mercy then to be used as heavenly Ionas was our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to be swallowed up by the whale of death to dye to this wicked world that so we may with Ionas-Jesus be cast upon the shore of Resurrection according as the Prayer above purports But lest we forget the Edde of our Lenten Fast running by the shoares of this Red Sea see how admirably the holy Ghost hath contrived this Prayer with due regard to all circumstances of persons time and place for what more eminent effects of a religious Fast then patience and humility and to what more apparent end are these vertues recommended unto us in this dayes service then that thereby we may obtaine a propitious looke from heaven and to deserve a fellowship in the resurrection with Christ after we have learn't without book these lessons of humility and patience which God sent his Sacred Son to teach us The Epistle Philip. 2. v. 5. c. 5 For this thinke in your selves which also in Christ Iesus 6 Who when he was in the forme of God thought it no robbery himselfe to be equall to God 7 But he exinanited himselfe taking the forme of a Servant made into the similitude of men and in shape found as man 8 He humbled himselfe made obedient unto death even the death of the Crosse 9 For the which thing God also hath exalted him and hath given him a name which is above all names 10 That in the name of Jesus every knee bow of the celestials terrestrials and infernals 11 And every tongue confesse that our Lord Iesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father The Explication 5. THe Apostle had in the foregoing verses of this Chapter exhorted to humility in superiority and now in this verse he takes for a rule of our humility that of Christ who though God disdained not to fall below the repute of man and called himselfe even a worme and not a man so low he had stooped for our instruction and example And Saint Paul by this expression doth not onely wish us to thinke humbly of our selves but even to feele by a practicall humiliation the same subjection within us which Christ felt when he became the scorne of men and the out-cast or offals of the people This is the genuine sense of the Apostle though even to thinke to reflect on Christs humility and by reflecting thereon to humble our selves is not an ill exposition of this place neither and thereby to comfort our selves that as Christ his humility was the cause of his exaltation so will our humility prove to us if we embrace it for our Saviours sake 6. But to imprint this Doctrine deeper in us the Apostle amplifies how farre Christ did debase himselfe for our example saying that though he were in the forme of God c. Where we are to note this word forme is here taken perversely by the Arrians when they thence infer Christ was not really and truly God but had onely a shape or forme divine better then other men ever had yet this is a grosse corruption of the Text for Saint Paul meanes here Physicall not Artificiall naturall and not fictitious forme such forme as gives being to the thing in which it is as the forme of wood gives an essentiall distinct being to wood differing from all other substances that are not wood and so in this place the Apostle sayes Christ being in the forme of God being really God himselfe who neither is nor can be multiplyed into many Gods by the forme of God being communicated to many persons as the forme of man is multiplyed into many men though all those men have but one forme specificall one humane forme This shewes the nature or forme of God is infinitely more perfect and more simple then any other nature can be which may be numerically multiplyed though specifically it still remaine one as humane nature is when many men contract it but the divine nature is not so multiplyed though contracted by three distinct persons for we cannot say there are many Gods though it is most true there are many men so the Apostle here speaks literally and rigorously of the form of the nature divine and sayes Christ being coequall God with his Father in regard of his divine nature held it not robberie to say he was equal to God held it no prejudice to his Father to say he was truly one and the same God with him 7. And yet this notwithstanding though he were in the forme of God who is Lord and Master of all the world he would exinanite himselfe debase and lessen himselfe into the forme of a servant made into the similitude of man and in shape found as man who is by all the Titles of the world a vassall Servant and creature of Almighty God though indeed exinanire is not to be truly rendered into English for it is in effect to say Annihiâ—aâ—e not that he was in truth annihilated onely this word imports thus much that Christ who as God was all things had in a manner annihilated himselfe to become man who in the sight of God was and is as much as nothing because pure man hath no being but from God and if God could take away that gift or rather loane of Being which he affords to man instantly man would returne into his first principle which was nothing before Being was lent unto him I say if God could because as to give Being argues perfection so to take it away some Divines thinke would argue imperfection in God as if he would or could destroy himself by Annihilation of any thing since to take Being from a thing is to take his own perfection away which God cannot doe though he may punish those who use their Being to the dishonor of God by making them Be eternally miserable whom he created with power to have Bin eternally happy By the forme of Servant is here understood the humane nature which Christ assumed for that was truly a Servant even to his own Divine nature which did assume it and this for as much as that nature was a creature and so a Servant to the creator thereof but not that Christ was a Servant by
any legall servitude imposed on man as punishment of his sins against God for this servitude tooke hold on the Individuals of humane nature not of the nature it selâ—e and since our Saviours Individuall person was one with that of God the second person of the Blessed Trinity he was not a Servant by any legall servitude falling on his person and so even his humane nature though servile as a creature was not yet servile as a sinfull man because he had not the least guilt of sinne in him and thus we see in captives humane nature is no slave though the man that is taken be made so when then we say humane nature was corrupted in Adam we doe mean every childe of Adam received a contagion or corruption from him and yet humane nature in the line of a creature to God was not corrupted so as to be a less perfect creature then it was before for that had been to corrupt the Essence not the Persons of mankinde whereas sin onely corrupted his State and not his Essence the Persons contracting Humane Nature and not the Nature of man it self for if so Christ being man made of that Humane Nature must have been corrupted in that nature at least which yet he was not By the Similitude of man in this verse we are to understand literally the external shape of man not the accidental or phantastical as the Hereticks said but the substantial and real shape though St. Augustine takes it here as for the predicament of habit which consists in Garments or Clothing and likens Christs Humanity to be as a Garment covering his Divinity or as Iron is made fiery or as Gold is made a Statue and even in that Sence the thing is as true as it is ingeniously expressed by St. Augustine By being made as man is not to say onely like man and not to be truly such but like here signifies to be so like as it is the very same as if a Statue should from a dead Stone be made move as a man moveth eat as a man eateth speak as a man speaketh why still by every one of these gradations the Statue becomes more like a man then it was before and when at last it had all the Faculties of a man it became as man indeed that is to say not onely like but really and truly man In this Sence our Saviour was said to be as man as if we said though he were truly God yet he did not appear to be so but appeared onely to be as man which truly he was as well as he was God 8. This humility was not an Act of God the Son to God the Father for so there is no commanding Power in the one over the other but of his Humanity both to his own Divine Person and to his heavenly Father too by dying on the Cross in vertue of this command Christ did humble himself as low as could be in regard no death was so vile and contemptible as that on the Cross was in the esteem of man in those days though since even for reverence no man is executed in that kinde so Christs Humility made this contempt become reverentiall 9. For the which Act of Humility and Obedience God hath exalted him his Humanity for his Deity could not be exalted and given him a name Here we are to note Calvins pervisity who took such a hatred against the Church for the Doctrine of merit that he hence denied Christ the honour of meriting this Exaltation by his Humiliation but says that for which is to be taken consecutively or consequently not causally as who should say after his Humility God rewarded him by exalting of him but not for his Humility or for the merit thereof which yet is an abominable Impiety and Heresie whereas we allow Christ by his Death not onely to have merited for mankind redemption whereof himself had no need who was from his first Conception Blessed by his Hypostatical Union but even for himself the Glory of his Body and the endowments of a glorious Body the highest place in Heaven above Saints and Angels nay the very setting at the right hand of God the Power to Judge all the world and the dominion over Heaven and Earth which were not onely due to him as united to his Deity but as merited by his Passion further he merited to have a name that is above all names and such a name it was when Christ was called God and the Son of God the name of the Messias so famous in this world lastly the name of Jesus and Redeemer of all mankinde which name though it were given him in circumcision yet it was not divulged to all the world till he was crucified so then he was truly said to have merited that name of Saviour and many times names are given to foretell what such men will merit before they dye thus was the Blessed Name of Jesus given to Christ foretelling how richly he would deserve to be called Saviour of the world 10 In the name of Jesus every knee shall bow because this name is greater then ever any other was for Jehovah which signified God creating and was the greatest that ever had before been heard of is not so great as God redeeming and that is meant by the name of Jesus whence the Church boldly says it had nothing availed us to be born unless to have been redeemed had made our birth availing to us So it is a greater abuse to blaspheme the name of Jesus then the name of God because God gave us more Grace and Benefit by our Redemption then he did by our Creation and Jesus includes both God and Saviour which God alone doth not whence the very Angels who were not redeemed bow their knees to the name of Iesus as convertible with that of God and therefore all mankinde hath much more reason so to do for the Devils they would refrain to honour it perhaps if they could but as it is they cannot since if no otherwise they must adore Man in the Person of God ever since Iesus took Humane Nature upon him 11. And every tongue not onely all Nations upon the Earth first or last shall confess that our Lord Iesus is in the Glory of his Father but every tongue of Angels and Devils as well as of Men and by saying he is in the glory of God the Father is understood more then that he sâ—tteth at his right hand namely that he is equal in Glory to God the Father since Iesus is not onely Man but joyntly God withal So that the summity or highest pitch of Iesus his praise is indeed this that the Man Iesus being God as well as Man is though as man much inferiour yet as God even equal to the Heavenly Father in Glory Power Majesty Goodness and all the other Attributes Divine which are given to Almighty God The Application 1. MOrtification Prayer and Alms-Deeds Perseverance in good Purposes The Fear of God and Holy Poverty were
exaltation when Saint Peter in his Epistle tels us we that are Christians are called to suffer with Christ who gave us example by his sufferings to follow his steps even unto death for him who did vouchsafe to dye for us And is not this the full sence of the Prayer As for the Gospell if we look with a regardfull eye upon it 't is but the same sence in other words for while it runs upon the nature of a Shepheard it never comes unto the hight of his commends untill it layes him low as death to save his sheep so still it drives to that abasement which is our exaltation and drawes us sweetly on to dye for him while it gives us an example of confidence that admits no fear because there is no security but in Trust and who can we trust more safely then him that knowes no guile our Saviour Jesus Christ who rather dyes in us then we can dye for him and if he dye it is that we may live and joy eternally with him that by his resurrection conquered death Thus do the sparkes of spirit flye from every letter of the Holy Text when they are strook against the steele of this dayes Prayer and thus the high dignity of Pastorate acquires a glory from the lowest stoop the Pastor makes even that to death so in a word our highest sanctity consists in our lowest humility as this dayes Prayer Epistle and Gospel do all avouch The Epistle 1 Pet. 2. v. 21 c. 21 For unto this are you called because Christ also suffered for us leaving you an example that you may follow his steps 32 Who did no sinne neither was guile found in his mouth 23 VVho when he was reviled did not revile when he suffered he threatned not but delivered himselfe to him that Iudged him unjustly 24 VVho himselfe bare our sinnes in his body upon the Tree that dead to sins we may live to justice by whose stripes you are healed 25 For you were as sheep straying but you are converted now to the Pastor and Bishop of your soules The Explication 21. SAint Peter had before advised to bear patiently not onely just punishments inflicted on the faithfull to whom he writ dispersed as they were some here some there of Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithynia but also to bear injuries with the like patience saying that to this Christians were called because Christ did suffer for us most unjustly leaving us example to doe the like if need were and as there were three causes which moved God to become man this last is one of them The first was by his death to redeeme us the second by his preaching to teach us the third by his example to draw us to imitate his sanctity of life And to this last the Apostle now chiefely exhorts in this place as we see by the following verse contrary to the Hereticks Doctrine who hold it needless Christ having dyed for our sinnes that man himselfe use any mortification or doe any penance at all 22. Nor could he do any because he was God as well as man and hence Calvins Doctrine teaching Christ was a reall sinner and that he was in regard of his sins afraid to dye and did sweat bloud for fear thereof were all most abominable blasphemies because though in Christ there were two natures humane and divine yet there was in him but one person so had that person sinned God had sinned as well as man since the actions are attributed to the suppositum or person not to the natures contracted by the person but see the Apostle mindes us that Christ was not onely free from sin of fact but also of word and consequently of thought which is by word expressed nor is this marvell since out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Matt. c. 12. v. 34. but certainly God was the most abounding in Jesus his heart and so his words were all holy he being the very word of the eternall Father to whom as nothing is more proper then veracity so nothing is more improper then falsity or dissimulation fraud or guile 23 As indeed he was reviled when they called him drunkard raiser of seditions blasphemer nay conjurer or devill as casting out devils in the devils name yet did not he revile those who used him so ill nor did he recriminate as commonly men doe that excuse their own sins by casting other mens faults in their dish though in pure charity we read in Saint Matthew cap. 23. How roundly he did rebuke the Jewes to see if by a temporall check he could preserve them from eternall paines of hell which is a far other aime then those use who excuse themselves by way of recrimination of others for their end is not charity but passion or revenge and when he might have terrified the Judges that unjustly did condemne him he did not give them the least threat but gave himselfe up to the hands of Pilate his unjust judge how farre short are we of following this example whose whole indeavors are in all our actions even in those that are unjust to justifie our selves whereas if we would follow Saint Bernards counsell we should finde a remedy for all evils and injuries done unto us in the passion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 24. The Apostle here assimilates Christ to the Emissary Goat in Levit. cap. 16. v. 21. Sent out into the desert loaden with all the sinnes of the people and so Christ came into the desert of this world out of his Eternall Fathers heavenly Pallace carrying all our sinnes upon his shoulders though by sins here is not understood the fact or guilt thereof but the punishment due unto them by the tree is meant the Crosse of Christ whereon while he dies hee represents us to his heavenly Father as dead to sinne because he dyes for us and for our sins whereupon Saint Ambrose sayes divinely well c. It was not our Life but our Sinne which dyed when Christ our Saviour dyed upon the Crosse So we being dead by that meanes to sinne may live to justice that is in the sight of the just Judge may deserve Eternall life in heaven for living justly here on earth O Soveraigne Stripes which bruising Christs body do cure our Soules more ulcerated with sinne then his body was with stripes 25. Straying we were indeed from God from vertue from Salvation from heaven and running to the devill to vice to damnation to hell had not Christ our Shepheard â—â—duced us to his fold againe by converting us to an amendment of our lives and winning us to follow the Footsteps of our heavenly Pastor and Bishop of our Soules See Bishops are metaphorically called Pastors because as shepheards feed their sheep so do Bishops by Doctrine and example feed the soules of men but Christ is eminentially called both as feeding soules not onely by grace here but with glory in the next world The Application 1. HOw sweetly Holy Church
our being by the word of truth begotten since the Apostle doth close this verse with telling us how to make our selves more apt to receive the word of truth into our soules or as who should say since wee are begotten voluntarily by the word of truth let us endeavor by all meanes to preserve in us this regeneration this inborne word in us this filiation to God this adoption to glory and by the name of uncleanness the Apostle here alludes to concupiscence drawing us from the life of this word unto the death of sinne by the name of malice hee alludes to the sinne of anger before inculcated as hindering our justice such as by meekness we produce in our selves and so preserve the inbred word our filiation to God which must be our finall salvation of our soules by taking in or receiving the ingraffed word is here meant keeping it for this was spoken to those who were already Christians and the allusion is pretty which is here made to a graft for as by ingrafting on the body of an Apple-tree the gardiner if he please brings forth a Plum or Peare so the word of God ingrafted into our soules brings forth the fruits of grace which are the Seeds of better fruit of glory if any aske what is this ingrafted word we may say it is God incarnate for his incarnation is as it were an ingrafting or inoculating God into the hearts or soules of men since as the graft is alwayes of a better kinde then the Stock it is ingrafted on so the Divinity is much more sweet and fertil then our sowre Crab of humane nature whereas by the Hypostaticall union God and man in Christ became one person as the Tree and the graft become one body when the Sap unites and cements them together againe as all grafts are first cut from their own homogeneall Stock before they be ingrafted into another so the second person of the Trinity was taken as it were out of the hosome of his eternal Father to be ingrafted in the wombe of the Blessed Virgin Mary and so was brought out of his heavenly to be planted in our earthly Paradise or rather wilderness indeed for such it was when he came downe to earth and as from the sowre Stock of a Crab-tree we must first cut a branch before we can ingraft a better fruit upon it so was there cut off from Christ his humane hypostasis and he made to subsist by the hypostasis divine besides as the graft and the Stock are bound together till they fasten into one another so by the hypostaticall union was the divine graft bound to our stock of humane nature that thereby God and man might grow into one person consisting of two natures others will have this ingrafted word to be the Blessed Sacrament united to our Soules others understand it to be Christ crucified on the Cross others contend it is the word of God ingrafted by the Preachers into the hearts of the Faithfull The Application 1. THe two first verses of this Epistle point directly at the gift of Faith which is indeed the Best and most perfect gift eminentially called the gift of God and is such a Light to our Reason as can come from none but the Father of Lights in it selfe the Blessed Trinity but as to us we may say it comes from the Father of our Light that is of our Faith our Saviour Jesus Christ who hath indeed voluntarily begotten us by the word of Truth the Holy Writ the Record of our Faith whereby we have our first beginnings of being God Almighties creatures 2. The two next verses tell us with what Alacrity and Promptitude we should hear this Sacred word of God as also with what Patience we should bear the Rebukes and Checks it gives our Consciences when it reprehends our vices In plaine termes we are told that to be Angry at any holy reprehension is an evident signe of our not being Right beleevers since by our operative Faith we are made just as we have often been taught and nothing is less consistent with justice then Anger 3. The last verse tels us what effects Faith ought to work in us namely Purity Love and Meekness for without these we are not capable of saving our soules by the ingafted word of God in us which yet of it self is sufficient to save us if received with that Purity which renounceth all mixture of Heresie Schisme or Infidelity for these are the Obstructions to the unity of minds which Faith worketh in the soules of true beleevers making them therefore all of one minde because they are all of one pure and impermixed Faith such as is only in the Catholicke Church and the effect whereof is to make them therefore love even the hardest commands of that good God they do beleeve in and to covet ardently what he promiseth unto them in requitall of their love who amongst all the allurements in this world fix their hearts only upon heavenly joyes which are promised in the next world not on such shadowes of joyes as we possess here in a word not to fix their hearts upon our present loanes but upon our future promises for God here doth not properly give us any thing how ever he lends us all we have his gifts are for eternall enjoyment not for temporary uses onely Now that we may doe this see how fitly Holy Church Prayes as above The Gospel John 16. v. 5 c. 5 But I told you not these things from the beginning because I was with you And now I goe to him that sent me and none of you asketh me whither goest thou 6 But because J have spoken these things to you sorrow hath filled your hearts 7 But J tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I goe for if I goe not the Paraclete shall not come to you but if I goe J will send him to you 8 And when he is come he shall argue the world of sinne and of Iustice and of Iudgement 9 Of sinne because they beleeve not in me 10 But of Justice because I goe to my Father and now you shall not see me 11 And of judgement because the Prince of this world is now judged 12 Yet many things I have to say to you but you cannot bear them now 13 But when hee the spirit of truth commeth hee shall teach you all truth for hee shall not speake of himselfe but what things soever he shall heare he shal speake and the things that are to come he shall shew 14 He shall glorifie me because he shall receive of mine and shall shew to you The Explication 5. TO understand what the Apostle meanes in this verse we must know the meaning of the foregoing words and though many wil have these things to report unto what went before namely our Saviours having told them they should be persecuted and punished to death for his sake after he was gone which he told them of that when it
that garrulity taints and spoyles all religion whatsoever and powreth a mans heart out in vanity of words unless he put the bridle of reason and modesty upon his lips to keep his tongue in order Religion therefore is diversely taken either for the worship of God and so the first step to it is faith for He that cometh to God must first beleeve Hebr. c. 11. v. 6. Next religion extends it selfe to the observance of the Law and so it addes good workes to Faith Thirdly it is called the profession of Faith as Christianity is the profession of the Law of Christ lastly by religion is understood taking vowes to such a particular rule of a religious order as Saint Benedicts Saint Francis Saint Bernards or the like now loquacity is contrary to all these senses first as daring to speak idly rather then to heare the word of God and his worship wel inculcated unto us next because oftentimes great talkers are violators of the Law of God by detraction from others or from their own integrity speaking sometimes contrary to their own thoughts and so truly seducing their owne hearts Thirdly because Christians in the primitive Church were noted by refraining from the garrulity of the Gentiles Lastly because garrulity is diametrically opposite to religious silence a perfection much aymed at by all religious orders so in these senses Saint Iames inveighs against much talking or loquacity 27. The Apostle here makes a very fit allusion to the Jewish impure Ceremonial and the Gentiles sordid and multifarious religion of adoring many Gods when speaking of Christian religion he cals it a cleane or pure one in respect of the former that were indeed the one vaine and uncleane the other superstitious and injurious nay further he seemes prophetically to allude unto the impure and prophane religion of the Gnosticks and Carpocratians who by their incestuous cohabitations defiled the name of the pure Christian Religion forbidding such abominable commixtures under the pretext of love and charity to one another not much unlike the family of love now extant and that such there were in those dayes Eusebius witnesseth Lib. 4. Cap. 7. And who can tell whether the Apostle his foreseeing eye being the successor of Christ Jesus in his Episcopall Sea at Ierusalem did not also allude unto the Heresie of Luther professing that vowes of chastiâ—y were unlawful as contrary to the instinct of nature that propends to increase and multiply individuals of mankinde or the humane species which is a meere impure pretext of nature against the rule of grace setting apart some Ministers of God from the uncleane commixture of creatures whose primary end is multiplication whereas these of Gods Ministers are unity and simplicity of adoring one only God by the pure and one onely true religion which taketh root in one onely God and his one only Sacred Son Christ Jesus who consequently could be authour but of one onely truth or religion serving that one onely God whose onely Sonne he was and consisting neither in the impurity of the Jewish ceremoniall rites or Law nor in the multiplicity of the Pagans Sacrifices to their many gods nor in the sordid fictions of of lustful Heretikes nor in the Saracen or Turkish adoration now of Lucifer now of Mahomet for their guide or god but in the pure simple chaste and divine religion of Christ Jesus radicated in the workes of charity and mercy in the love of one onely God and of all the people in the world whom we are to esteeme our neighbors and them to love as we doe our selves being according to their better part their soules Images of God as well as we our selves which religion the Apostle contracts into these few markes of visiting Orphans and Widdowes and of keeping our consciences cleane from the ordure of this world or filth of humane conversation by conversing altogether with Almighty God or his holy Ministers set apart from ordinary humane commerce and these workes he cals cleane and pure because they are not mixed with any corrupt ends of sordid lucre or gaine since no man can expect preferment or profit from such desolate creatures as commonly Orphans and Widdowes are so that the care of them must usually proceed from pure charity and mercy and this the Apostle cals pure religion as shewing we love man purely for Gods sake not for our own which was then more necessary to be inculcated as being indeed a new distinctive signe of Acts proceeding from the instinct of God himselfe since they were unheard of before among men who aimed onely at selfe-interest in all their proceedings whence many were converted by seeing the mutual charity that was among Christians and in them to all other persons of what profession or religion soever so the Apostle here insisteth rather upon the external then the internal Acts of Religion the works of mercy to man rather then those of direct duty to God and yet from hence Heretikes take occasion to blame religious vowes and inclosure as if they were acts of a false religion because not extending to take outward care of Orphans and Widdowes temporal fortunes not regarding what followes for the compleating our Religion namely to keep our selves unspotted from the world untainted by the contagion thereof according to the mark Saint John gives of Saints Apocal. 14. v. 5. They are without spot before the throne of God whence this Apostle seeing it hard to be without spot in this contaminating world incites us at least to endeavor by the purity of our intentions to render our religion pure from all spot of this bespattering world and for this reason mans heart is made broad and open upward close and narrow downward to shew all the touch we have of earthly or worldly things must be but as in a point where there is allowed no latitude but that our affections to God and heavenly things may open wide and be large as we please or can open our hearts thereunto The Application 1. SAint Iames in this Epistle makes three divisions of his speech unto us The first is to tell us that our Faith must be Operative not Idle and he spends the foure first verses of this Epistle in shewing the futility of Faith alone without good workes now because the workes of Faith are full of difficulties and in regard men usually undertake not hard attempts but for hope of reward therefore the Apostle closeth his recommends of working Faith with the Hope of Beatitude attending it saying this man meaning the working believer shall be blessed in his Deed. Nor is this link of Hope fixt now to our Faith without designe of Holy Church in regard this being Regation week wherein we are to aske of our Saviour all we can desire at his farewel from us upon Thursday next when he is to ascend to heaven the service of this Sunday which flames through all the serial dayes between this and Ascension must point us out what we are to be at all
of Tongues bestowed on them first because so sayes the text they spake in divers tongues Secondly because the miracle had been else wrought in the hearers not in the speakers Thirdly the gift or reall diversity of tongues was prophesied by Isaias chap. 28. In other tongues and in other lips will I speak unto this people therefore it must be fulfilled as was affirmed so to be by S. Paul 1 Cor. 14.21 I give my God thanks that I speak with the tongue of you all Besides Christ in S. Mark cap. 16. v. 17. did promise this gift saying They shall speak with new tongues Fourthly because so the Church hath ever taught us Fifthly else many miracles must concurre to one work as in the speaker and the hearer too Though this doth not deny but the Apostles might as well by one language speak intelligibly to all hearers of severall nations as S. Vincentius did To conclude as they were sent to all nations so assuredly they had the gift of all languages as also the B. Virgin S. Mary Magdalene and all the one hundred and twenty then present had the same gift yet so as they did not use it but as the holy Ghost inspired them to speak upon just occasions and then in such manner as was most excellent and best suiting to all purposes because the works of God are ever perfect Deut. 3â— 4 and this was such so that it is credible they never made use of this gift but to Gods honour and glory at least they ever surely aimed thereat how be it as humane creatures they might erre in some circumstantials of their actions as S. Paul reprehended some excesses in that kind especially in women speaking in Churches by this gift of tongues 5. This diversity of nations was there upon occasion of the legall Feast of the Jewish Pentecost as above whereunto great conflux of nations was usuall as Exod. 23.17 it was commanded but more then ordinary in Jerusalem it being the Metropolis or head City of the Jews and the seat of their chief Synagogue so by dwelling is here understood making some stay for a time onely not being constant Inhabitants By religious is understood only devout men not such as now by vowes receive that denomination though with all this confluxe of people was credibly now more then ordinary because God had so ordained it to celebrate the better this Christian Pentecost by the avowment of all nations witnessing the prodigious truth of this unparalleld miracle of the descent or coming of the Holy Ghost in way of fiery tongues 6. By the voyce is understood that of the sudden lowd wind drawing many to the place and that wherewith the Apostles spake which argued there was a grace more then ordinary accompanying their speech after this gift of tongues was bestowed on them so as the multitude of Nations representing the whole world in little assembled suddenly at this place and was strucken with admiration and indeed confusion of mind some thinking one thing some another some trembling to see Christ so glorified now in his Apostles and Friends who had by them been persecuted to death others not knowing what was the reason but inquiring in fine all severally strucken upon several conceits they made of the prodigy every one hearing ignorant men and strangers speak in their own language or tongue 7. This Verse shewes that was the main cause of their amazement seeing the Apostles who were Galilaeans men given more to study the Sword then the Word speak the different Languages of all other several Nations in the World 8. As by this Verse appeares they did 9. 10. 11. There were two Elams one in Persia the other in Media and probably Elamites of both were here There is little to be said of this enumeration of so many nations and people here assembled onely to observe many are specified to shew more indeed all were present that is to say some out of every Nation and though those of Jewry be named in the ninth verse and Jewes again in the eleventh yet it is to be understood the latter were the Jewes dispersed over all the world as well as those living in Judea and the Gentiles by nation Jews by profession who were therefore by another name called Proselytes Adventitious Jews But we are here to observe these Nations did not hear the Apostles speak as some said of them like drunkards nor any vain or idle things but onely the wonders of Almighty God such as the Prophets had foretold Christ taught and were never till now understood nor believed And probably they began here to preach the Incarnation the Nativity the Life and Death the Resurrection the Ascension of our Saviour the reason of this prodigious coming of the Holy Ghost as sent by Christ the mystery of the Blessed Trinity and all things else that were the main heads of Christian doctrine and otherwise appertaining to the splendour of the Church of Christ and to the abrogation of the Synagogue or Jewish Church The Application 1. THe Illustration upon the Prayer and the Explication of the Text render this Epistle so cleer that little more needs to be said then to mind the Christian Reader that as by our Saviours first coming to us God was really made Man so the coming of the Holy Ghost is with a desire to make man become in a manner God but with this difference amongst others that God so assumed humane Nature as he did no way desert nor lessen his own which was Divineâ— whereas Man to be Deified must relinquish and devest himself of his humanity at least of his humane addictions and affections and must call upon the Holy Ghost to create in him a new breast a new heart if not a new soul too 2. And really it seems to have been the chief aym of Jesus Christ to work upon the soules of men but in part onely that is to elevate their Reasons and to illuminate their Understandings by the gift and light of Faith leaving it to the Holy Ghost to perfect the same soules Wills by Charingâ— by adding the heat the Fire of Love to the Light of Faâ—◠〈◊〉 hence it is our Saviour said he came to send Fire into the world and what vvould he else thereby but that this fire should burn burn up he meant the old man with all his stubble of sin and consume even his affections unto vice by setting his heart wholly upon virtue upon goodnesse upon heaven upon glory upon blisful eternity upon Almighty God as amiable objects indeed whereas all things else are but like Foyles to the beauty and lovelinesse of these such as never satiate a soul which the Royal Prophet doth confesse saying I shall then and surely not till then be satiated when thy Glory shall appear 3. Hence it is we see the Apostles turn immediately from Leverets to Lyons from persons afraid of the Jews to look Princes in the Face maugre all their persecution from ignorant and illiterate
to do as it commands as holy Church by reading it commends The Gospel Luk. 6. v. 36. c. 36 Be ye therefore merciful as also your Father is merciful 37 Judge not and you shall not be judged Condemn not and you shall not be condemned Forgive and you shall be forgiven 38 Give and there shall be given to you good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they give into your bosome For with the same measure that you do mete it shall be measured to you again 39 And he said to them a similitude also Can the blind lead the blind doth not both fall into the ditch 40 The disciple is not above his master but every one shall be perfect if he be as his master 41 And why seest thou the mote in thy brothers eye but the beam that is in thine own eye thou considerest not 42 Or how canst thou say to thy Brother Brother let me cast out the moat out of thine eye thy self not seeing the beam in thine own eye Hypocrite cast first the beam out of thine own eye and then shalt thou see clearly to take forth the moat out of thy brothers eye The Explication 36. WE have seen how perfect charity was inculcated by St. John in this dayes Epistle now St. Luke begins his Gospel in a stile suitable thereunto when he recommends the love of our enemies under the notion of mercy And indeed when he bids us be merciful to one another as our heavenly Father is merciful what else can he point out unto us then the dilection of our enemies since God the Father his first mercy was shewn to none else but those that were his utter enemies mankind for whose redemption yet he sent his sacred Son a sacrifice and a propitiation for the whole masse of humane nature to shew the height of his perfection in this his act of mercy which was indeed so great that hence it is his mercy is said to have surpassed all his other works Psal 44.9 And that we do not mistake in expounding mercy here for love of our enemies we may avouch St. Matthew Chap. 5.43 who speaking to the same sense as St. Luke doth here though not in the same words brings in our Saviour saying You have heard that it is said thou shalt love thy neighbour and shalt hate thine enemie v. 44. But I say unto you Love your enemies do good to them that hate you and pray for your persecutours and those that calumniate you and v. 48. he concludes this subject thus Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect as who should say St. Lukes mercy here recommended is the dilection of our enemies and who so loves them is not onely merciful as God is mercifull but by that means is perfect also as God is perfect in such sense as the Expositours interpret St. Matthewes perfection and S. Lukes mercy which are here all one because love or mercy to our enemies is indeed the very height of perfection in us and so it is the greatest that ever did to us appear to be in God if yet any of his attributes can be one greater then another When therefore we are bid be mercifull or perfect as God is we are to understand it thus that Christians are to proceed further in perfection then all other people who though they received the precept of loving their enemies in the very law of Nature as we read Exod. 23.4 5. if thou meet thine enemies Oxe or Asse astray bring it home yet were so blind as not to practise indeed not to see it as appeared when the Scribes and Doctours of the Law delivered a Tradition quite opposite to this teaching as our Saviour sayes above Hate your enemies and for this reason to undeceive them and to shew the world their errour that had antiquated the law of nature in this particular God himself makes it a signal mark of his perfection and recommends it to us as the height of perfection in us above which he requires no more at our hands and for which he likens if not equalls us unto himself in perfection I say likens us because that is the true sense of this Text bidding us love our enemies perfectly and not slightly but with all our hearts as God loveth us who dyed for our sakes that were all his enemies and this perfection therefore is divine not humane in us because we may bear a kind of civill respect of love to our enemies and yet not love them perfectly as God loveth us whereby we onely attain to this divine perfection of mercy and love which likens us to God himself And though by the first 't is true we become Gods children in nature by the last we become his children in grace and so of regulated nature make our nature sayntified too which gives it the finishing and life-colour of perfection or similitude to God though when we are greatest Saints here our perfection is but initiated or begun since here we can at most but curb but tame concupiscence whereas in heaven it shall be extirpated quite and clean and then we shall be perfectly perfect as God is while our here beginnings shall be there finished by the burnish of Glory polishing the works of Grace wrought in our unpolisht natures 37. How excellently well doth this follow since we are alwayes apt to fall upon judging and condemning our enemies Yet it is not Judiciary but rash Judgment that is here forbidden since the former is the main vertue that supporteth government over all the world but the latter is a vice as much destroying order as it were to see the delinquent leap from the bar to the bench and in stead of standing to receive his own sentence from the mouth of Justice pronounce a peremptory sentence on his Judge for so shall all those be to us at the latter day whom we by our rash Judgements here condemn of any fault wherein they are not guilty Now the reason is because Judgment is an act of Jurisdiction not onely declaring but punishing of crimes and therefore restrained to some Magistrates onely not allowed to any that are meer subjects such as we all are to Almighty God and consequently none of us can lawfully sit as Judge over the actions of our neigbours no not the Priest himself out of his Confessionary or Tribunal Seat where the Penitent must be his own accuser too or else cannot be judged by the Priest The like is of condemning as of Judgement which seem to differ onely as the Judges declaration of the crime doth from the condemnation of the Criminal by the prolation of the sentence against him and assignation of him over to the punishment of the Law answerable to the Fact for which he is condemned But why it is said Judge not and you shall not be judged Condemn not and you shall not be condemned will not easily be understood for by this meanes no delinquent
as above The Gospel Luk. 15. v. 1. c. 1 And there approached Publicans and sinners unto him for to hear him 2 And the Pharisees and the Scribes murmured saying that this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them 3 And he spake to them this parable saying 4 What man of you having an hundred sheep and if he hath lost one of them doth he not leave the ninetie and nine in the desert and goeth after that which is lost untill he find it 5 And when he hath found it layeth it upon his shoulders rejoycing 6 And coming home calleth together his friends and neighbours saying to them Rejoyce with me because I have found my sheep that was lost 7 I say to you that even so there shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth pennance then upon ninety nine just persons that need not pennance 8 Or what woman having ten groates if shee loose one groat doth she not light a candle and sweepe the house and seeke diligently untill she finde 9 And when she hath found calleth together her friends and neighbours saying Rejoyce with me because I have found the groat which I had lost 10 So I say to you there shall be joy before the Angels of God upon one sinner that doth pennance The Explication 1. O That we sinners would approach also to hear him in his preachers and teachers who declare his will and word unto us 2. Note the pride of these people who having a law not to touch any foul beast much lesse to eat it disdain also to come near foul souls to cleanse them and murmure at our Saviour for it 3 4 5 6 7. See how our Saviour reprehends this Pharisaicall pride and false devotion in these 3 4 5 6 7th verses following by the first parable of a shepheard having lost one sheep out of an hundred c. Where first we must note the Rhemists expound that Christ meanes himselfe to be the shepheard he speaks of the lost sheep to be a sinnefull soul who straying from the safe pastures of Gods Lawes and seeking food to her own fancie runnes headlong to hell unlesse our Saviour goe after her to bring her backe again having left in the mean time the ninetie nine in the desert that is seeming to goe with all his zeale away from them to reduce the lost sheep and leaving of them in the desert of their usuall assistance onely which he never takes away and which in comparison of that extraordinary help he gives towards converting of soules or finding out any lost sheep seems but a desert or barren help But having found the lost sheep having converted the soul again comes back to his flocke and brings them the increase of his assistance not onely in their fellow convert but even in them to behold his conversion Note our Saviour having found the sheep doth not drive but bring it home upon his shoulders Alas he will not tyre him O tender Goâ— that he is unto us This may minde us that all mankind was once this lost sheep brought home upon Christs shoulders when he carried his Crosse upon them and was crucified besides leaving the nine quires of Angels representing the ninetie nine just in the desert of admiration to see their God so lost in their conceipts to finde out us that were indeed truely lost and strayed into the very jawes of hell and damnation and having brought us home desires all his Angells to joy and congratulate with him Note that as if his joy consisted in our salvation O high expression of his love to mankinde And when he sayes that in heaven there shall be more joy at the conversion of this sinner the salvation of a man doing penance then at the perseverance of ninetie nine just he insinuates the angels have a new actuall content in the penance and saintity of man which being new seems greater then what they had before for all good men one reason is because in every man that is by penance saved they find their own losses repaired and the places of the fallen angels filled But the main reason is because they see the will of God in this fulfilled and they are in perfect conformity to his sacred will 8 9 10. By the second parable the Rhemists say is meant holy Church lighting up her candle of new Missionaries and Preachers to find out the lost soul that heresie hath perverted and having regained found the soul again invites her Priests to a congratulation with her But S. Gregory hom 34. thus explicates both the parables saying Christ is as well meant by the woman as by the Pastour For as he was God he was the wisdome of God and because upon money there is printed an image the woman saith he lost her groat when man who was created to the image of God by sinne left to be like his Creatour but the woman lighted her lanthorn because the wisedome of God appeared in humane nature for a lanthorn signifies a candle lighted in it and the light signifies the divinity in mans nature The lanthorn being lighted the woman swept her house for straight as the divinity shined through flesh mans conscience was then strooken and the house is swept when by reflexion the guilt of any mans conscience is troubled in regard an evill mind if it be not before by fear altered is never purged from accustomary vices The house then being swept the groat is found since whilest mans conscience is troubled the image of God is repaired in him And who are the friends and neighbors but those celestiall powers above mentioned that are so much nearer the supream wisdome by how much more they approximate unto it through the grace of their perpetuall vision of it The woman therefore had ten groats because there are nine orders of Angels and that the number of the elect might be filled the tenth man was created who was not quite lost from his Creatour by his sin because the eternall wisdome shining through humane flesh found him out by the light in the socket of his lanthorn Thus he What more patheticall what more rare The Application 1 AS it is evident the Scribes and Pharisees here mentioned wanted charitie whilest they grumbled at our Saviours conversation with Publicans and sinners so is it manifest that it was an act of highest charity in our Saviour to seek the conversion of those sinners by his conversation with them and consequently while our Lord goes before us with the flame of charity we are taught to light all our works this day at that heavenly fire 2. In the second place these following Parables of the lost sheep and of the lost groat tell us we are to bring up in the rere of charity as we march along the desert of this world the zeal of souls for though this be a vertue principally proper to Pastors missionary Priests yet in regard there is no state of life in this world so desolate wherein men
more since there is no more time to work salvation in then that between his birth and his coming to judgement 12. This verse seems added lest any should conceive the former menaces did not belong to him in particular for such is the condition of humane frailty that who to day is a Saint may tomorrow be a sinner and therefore the Apostle bids us all stand upon our guard 13. This Greek phrase of the imperative moode Let not c. is to be understood in the Latine and English as if it were in the preterperfect tense of the indicative and would say hath not that is the temptations you have had were but mere humane namely to contention to lust to liberty and the like such as are common to all mankind but are easily avoyded by the help of grace bestowed on us by our faithfull God who as the following words assure us will not desert us in our temptations nor let us be tempted above our strength much lesse doth God as Calvin sayes thrust us on or tempt us himself nor doth he as Luther will have it impose things impossible on us to whom his grace as to Saint Paul it was is all sufficient and from whom he never takes the said grace till we reject it or by our consent to sin expell it Contrary God permits us not to be tempted but that we may thereby gain greater force to endure yet further assaults as who should say the issue of our temptation is if we will our victory and inabling us to a new if need be to a greater combat for thus much import the last words of the verse that we may be able to sustain these and yet greater onsets if we will our selves use the grace which God gives us to resist them with The Application 1. THe summe of this Epistle is to tell us Christians that what punishments were inflicted on the little children of Almighty God the Jewes who had onely the Alphabet the Elements of religion bestowed upon them will if we commit the like sins befall us too that a e the Men the Combatants the Champions of Jesus Christ honoured by him so far as to have the perfection of religion taught us by himself not onely in the delivery of his holy word unto us but in the example of his sacred person doing before our eyes much more then he expects from us because we should have no excuse from doing our endeavours in some sort at least to follow his saving footsteps 2. It will therefore behove us that are now marching our long journey through the desert of this world to the kingdome of heaven upon the feet of Christian charity to behave our selves as we were passing some narrow and loose bridge standing o're a precipice of deepest waters full of rocks sure to pash us in peices or to drown us if we fall for to this reflection the 1â—th verse and close of this Epistle lead us And by this means we shall be sure to beg both faith and hope to lead our charity over this dangerous passage lest while she thinks she stands she fall upon the sharpest rock of all before our eyes to day Idolatry by idolizing to her own inventions in seeking of her self not looking after Jesus Christ in her devotions or upon the splitting rock of Fornication by pouring out her affections on the alluring creatures of the world which she hath made by her baptismal vow solemnly sacred to Almighty God alone or into the deepest pit of Tempting Christ in her prayers by praying to God for things she should renounce and not enjoy her own inordinate desires and so indeavouring to give God law instead of begging favour at his hands to make her self God instead of captivating her rebellious will to his holy pleasure or lastly into the desperate swallowing gulf of Murmur by repining at God Almighties bounties when she sees any prosper whom she loves not especially when this murmuring arrives to the malice of envying her neighbours spirituall good 3. O beloved if this be the frequent practise of Christians who pretend charity to be their guide how ought the reflection of it to strike us into a religious awe into a holy fear into a dread indeed lest while we make a shew to men of saintity we practise iniquity And therefore holy Church to day hath made a prayer so excellently suiting to this purpose that it alone said with a heart which beats according to the lip that saies it will suffice to cure us of those evils and to secure our charity she shall hold her footing o're the narrow bridge of danger If while she prayes she perfectly renounce her own desires and beg of God Almighty only that which is agreable unto his holy will and pleasure The Gospel Luke 19. v. 41. c. 41 And as he drew near seeing the city he wept upon it saying 42 Because if thou hadst known and that in this thy day the things that pertain to thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes 43 For the dayes shall come upon thee and thy enemies shall compasse thee with a trench and inclose thee about and straiten thee on every side 44 And beat thee flat to the ground and thy children that are in thee And they shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation 45 And entring into the Temple he began to cast out the sellers therein and the buyers 46 Saying to them It is written That my house is the house of Prayer but you have made it a den of thieves 47 And he was teaching daily in the Temple The Explication 41. HEre our Saviour shewed the tender bowels of his humane nature when drawing near Jerusalem the head city of his own chosen people whither he was sent by his heavenly Father to redeem them and all the world besides seeing by his al-seeing eye that maugre the exclamations of the children and people who shewed his way into the City yet he should by the chief commanders there be crucified in requital of his love he fell a weeping mixing the wine of his triumph with the water of his tears to shew us how to temper our pleasures here Three causes there were of our Saviours tears upon this city The first the blindnesse obduracy and ingratitude of his chosen people that would not receive their Messias and Saviour The second the revenge of God upon them by Titus who was to be their destruction by this ingratitude The third the losse as it were of all his own labours upon his best beloved children most of the sons of that city 42. That is if thou o my beloved city didst know as I do and that in this thy day when I come to give thee a kisse of peace from heaven being sent unto thee by my eternall Father when I enter thy gates to redeem and save thee which is indeed a thing appertaining to thy eternall
Charity in him upon his spirituall conversion wrought together with his corporall cure the Church with all the reason in the world prayes to day for increase of the like virtues and thus adapts the Prayer unto the preaching parts of this dayes service so exactly well as we may freely say the spirit of the Epistle and Gospel is as it were eminentially contained in the Prayer above The Epistle Galat. 3. v. 16. c. 16 Brethren to Abraham were the said promises and to his seed he saith not and to seeds as in many but as in one and to thy seed which is Christ. 17 And this I say the Testament being confirmed of God the Law which was made after foure hundred and thirty years maketh not void to frustrate the promise 18 For if the inheritance be of the Law now not of promise but God gave it to Abraham by promise 19 Why was the Law then It was put for transgressours untill the seed came to whom he had promised ordained by Angels in the hand of a Mediatour 20 And a Mediatour is not of one but God is one 21 Was the Law then against the promises of God God forbid For if there had been a Law given that could justifie undoubtedly justice should be of the Law 22 But the Scripture hath concluded all things under sinne that the promise by the faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe The Explication 16. IN recompense of his faith were these promises made to Abraham which are read Gen. 22. c. Nay even of Isaac himself whom his Father Abraham obediently sacrificed would Christ descend that so in Abrahams seed the promises might be made good Yet this seed is not to be understood Isaac but Christ of Abraham by Isaac lineally descending Note these promises were not made so to Abraham as to fall upon his person but upon the person of his seed Christ Jesus for in him indeed were all the promises truly performed which were made to Abraham since by believing in Christ we are all saved not by any merits of Abraham So Abrahams seed or posteritie is not here taken collectively as importing many but as importing one onely branch of the said posterity namely Jesus Christ 17. Since it was said before v. 15. mans will and testament is not to be broken much lesse that Testament which is confirmed by God himself which were these promises to Abraham no they are not violable by any Law lesse by a Law subsequent thereunto as by the Law of Moses which was 430 years after these promises to Abraham 18. Hence it is evident Abrahams seed did not inherit these benedictions by virtue of the Law which was delivered to Moyses on the mount Sinai 430 years after God had made the promise of these benedictions as if that Law were giving life or saving souls but by virtue of the promise made before the Law of Moyses was written So that our salvation flowes out of the faith we have in Christ to whom the promises were made that by his person being the seed of Abraham all men should be made happy For this promise involves the faith of Christ as the means to save us so doth not the Law of Moyses rehearsing onely the said promise 19. This question is of difficulty the premises in the precedent verses considered yet it is evident the Law here mentioned was not saving but rather to terrifie the transgressours and to declare their transgressions then to save them for neither was there time yet or place for a saving Law since the Saviour of the world was not come so this was at most but a middle Law between that of nature before it and this of grace following of it which we now enjoy and so it was adapted as to a middle use to civilize rather then to save men who even in the time of this law were not savd by virtue of it but by virtue of Faith Hope in Christ who was to come after this law and who was prefigured by it So S. Paul speaks plainly when he sayes in this vers this law was made but for transgressors untill the seed of promise that is untill Christ should come In the following words ordained by Angels is insinuated the Catholick Doctrine telling us this Law was written and delivered by Angels or Gods Embassadours not by God immediately and so like Embassadours they use his name and speak in his person whom they personate that is in Gods Name whence it is that part of this Law which was confirmed by Jesus Christ comes elevated or dignified unto us by the dignitie of the deliverer the Sonne of God himself not onely an Angel By the hand of a Mediatour is understood the person of him that did then mediate between God and the People of Israel namely Moyses into whose hand the Law was given For since a Mediatour must be a party placed between two and partaking of both sides here Mediatour must not be understood of Christ who was not then in being as man but onely his Deitie had being his Humanitie had it not Nor is Christ called our mediatour as God onely but as God and man for as God he partakes of the dignitie and authoritie of his Mediatourship as Man he exerciseth the works and merits of a Mediatour Besides the Angel is said here to use the hand of the Mediatour to deliver the Law by but that was Moyses hand so in this place he must be understood to be the Mediatour 20. This verse again confirms what was said in the former that Moyses is spoken of for Mediatour as distinguished from God whilest the Apostle sayes a Mediatour is not of one so Moyses was not of one side onely but of Gods and the Jews or rather Gods chosen people the children of Israel So Mediatour is not taken here for Christ as mediating between God and Christians or all Nations but as Moyses mediating between God and the Jews onely a particular nation for this mediation was not to salvation since that was Christs and could be none others because he could both plead as man and forgive as God This is yet cleared more by the following words saying God is one and so could not be the Mediatour here mentioned which was Moyses for God had not then put on humane nature to render him of a double consideration or concern but onely was one creating not mediating God which must be man too So that the true sense of this place is God who is one then made Moyses Mediatour between him and the Jews and since made Christ Mediatour between him and all the Nations of the world Wherefore that law of Moyses was rather an usher to Christ his law then a fulfiller of the promises made to Abraham for they were onely fulfilled by Christ and his holy Gospel being the means as well to save as to govern men whereas Moyses his law could onely govern them but their salvation had root in the
time by doing homage to Almighty God So by this account all Sundayes Holy dayes require an exercise of these three virtues Theologicall and consequently all the time of private prayer is to be spent in actual exercise of these because that prayer is an addresse to God as all the time of persecution that being suffered for Gods sake all the time of troubles for those are caused by sinne against Almighty God and must have end by saintitie so by this account all our life time must be a practice of these virtues an increase of them indeed as the onely means to make us saints to make us capable of God Almighties promises by loving these his easie his sweet his saving commandements which are the continual exercise of these Theologicall virtues whereby we are made capable of his heavenly promises And least it should be with us as with these nine ungratefull Lepers cured from their Leprosy which is a type of all sinne whatsoever but especially of the foulest of all others Infidelity Therefore holy Church to day to prevent all sin in her Christian children and above all the sin of ungratefull infidelitie commends unto us the Prayer above that by often saying this Prayer we may exercise the noblest and most essentiall virtues that belong to Christianitie and by their increase make our selves worthie of our Saviours promises to all good Christians On the fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon Matth. 6. v. 33. SEek first the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse and all things shall be given you besides Vers Let my prayer O Lord c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer KEep we beseech thee O Lord thy Church with perpetuall propitiation and since without thee humane mortalitie faileth let it alwayes by thy helps be withdrawn from such things as are hurtfull and directed to those that are saving The Illustration HOw excellently well is the much of the Epistle and Gospel contained in the little of this Prayer wherein we confesse it is by the perpetuall propitiation of our Saviours passion without which our humane mortality would be alwaies failing as the onely help conducing to support us that we can be withdrawn from the works of the flesh and directed to walk in the Spirit that is to say taken off from those things which are hurtfull and directed to those that are saving And what else is the whole Epistle but an exhortation to leave off the works of the flesh and to pursue the fruits of the Spirit Again what are the two masters which the Gospel saies we cannot serve at once but the flesh and the spirit what the drift of all the Gospel but to dehort from one and exhort unto the other So here Epistle Prayer and Gospel speak all one thing how severall soever the language be of each and no marvell because the spirit of Almighty God is able to animate all the creatures of the world Act. 17.28 For it is he in whom we live are moved and have being Now having thus made good our main affair of this work the mutuall connexion of parts in holy Churches service it rests onely to elucidate a word or two in the Prayer above to render the same in it self perfectly understood The first is the perpetuall propitiation wherewith we beg the Church may be kept for though above we called that propitiation an effect of our Saviors passion yet here we must further give a reason why we did so call it and also why we in the Prayer affirm the same to be a perpetuall effect thereof Know therefore it is the effect of his passion because it is not onely a satisfaction for sinne but also a pacification of Gods wrath against mankind who by sinne had provoked Almightie God to a high indignation against the whole race of men And therefore we call this propitiation perpetuall because it is infinite in duration as well as in power of appeasing for though it be now above 1651. years since our Saviour did actually suffer yet the virtue of his suffering is still vigorous and shall be to the worlds end because it was the suffering of God as well as of man and therefore must needs have an eternall operation that is be able for all eternity to appease the wrath divine and in this sense we say the preservation of the world in being is the continuation of the act whereby it was created so the preservation of mens souls from the wrath of the heavenly Father is the continuation of the passion of his sacred Sonne The next phrase of this Prayer which we are to clear is that wherein we say without our perpetually propitious Lord Humane mortalitie would fail as if there were any other mortalitie then humane that were capable of the benefit of our Saviours passion of his perpetuall propitiation Truely no there is not for since it was onely Humane nature that he assumed and by assuming it was pleased to redeem the same we say rightly well no other mortalitie was capable of the benefit of this redemption not but that other natures are mortall as all terrestriall creatures are in the very rigour of death or mortalitie because they all die by way of corruption and if we say the celestiall spirits are mortall too because they may be held to die when they fell from heaven to hell from the state of grace to the state of damnation we shall not speak improperly and truly the phrase of this Prayer seems to allude to that mortality of the blessed spirits when therein we are taught to affirm that our Saviours passion was a propitiation peculiarly provided for the subsistence onely of humane mortalitie since it was a remedy provided onely to recover so often as they chance to fall mortall men and not any other mortall creature besides either terrestriall or celestiall And thus the stile of humane mortalitie is most apposite because man onely had the happinesse of mercy to be shewed him for his sins which was a favour never done to any Angel whatsoever and this mercy is just the same which this present Prayer avoucheth begging that our humane mortalitie which needs must fail without it may have the benefit of our blessed Saviours perpetuall propitiation by the application thereunto of his bitter death and passion which will afford it helps to avoid what is hurtfull and to follow what is saving The Epistle Galat. 5. v. 16. c. 16 Brethren I say walk in the spirit and the lusts of the flesh you shall not accomplish 17 For the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh for they are adversaries one to another that not what things soever you will these you do 18 But if you be led by the spirit you are not under the Law 19 And the works of the flesh be manifest which are fornication uncleannesse impudicitie lecherie 20 Serving of Idols witchcrafts enmities contentions emulations anger brawles dissentions sects 21 Envies murthers
ebrieties commessations and such like as I have foretold that they who do such things shall not obtaine the Kingdome of Heaven 22 But the fruit of the spirit is Charitie Joy Peace Patience Benignitie Goodnesse Longanimitie 23 Mildnesse Faith Modestie Continence Chastitie against such there is no Law 24 And they that be Christs have crucified their flesh with the vices and concupiscences The Explication 16. THe summe of all he aimes at in this Epistle is to advise the Galatians to walk in the spirit after the dictamen of grace and not of nature after the instinct of the holy Ghost and not of their own corrupted judgements and by this meanâ— he tells them they shall avoid the accomplishment of fleshly desires how ever they may be tempted therewith 17. Hence the Manicheans and some Philosophers held there were two souls in man one spirituall the other carnall this of God that of the devil But the Catholick doctrine is otherwise that by one onely rationall soul in man are performed the operations of vegetative sensitive and reasonable souls Hence we see the reason why some good men sinne because they do not what they would what their spirit desires but what their flesh prevaileth for by a greater desire And indeed man is made up of these two contraries to show his life is a perpetuall warfare upon earth between the flesh and the spirit 18 This verse hath diverse senses but the genuine is if we be so led by the spirit of God as we doe what the same spirit dictates then we are not under the Law subject unto it or guiltie of the breach thereof Not that the Law ceaseth to oblige us but that we forbear to offend the Law and so are as it were rather above then under it whilest we walke under the Law of the spirit and in so doing rather trample it under us then break the Law which is onely made against transgressours not against the Just for against those there is no law saith the Apostle by and by against those who walk according to the dictamen of the Spirit 19. By the flesh we are here to understand the concupiscence thereof which leads to the vices afterwards enumerated namely fornication which is properly simple carnal knowledge between man and woman without other circumstances of adultery rape incest or the like Uncleannesse is properly that mollities or softnesse rather easinesse indeed to carnal delight which causeth single pollution without commixture of two bodies Impudicity is properly immodest kisses or touches between two persons Leâ—hery is properly any unlawful carnal delight which is extraordinary and so mortal This may be called also Lasciviousnesse which for the excesse transcends and passerh over all the special kinds of lust that are above named or can be indeed imagined and this excesse may be committed even between man and wife by undue knowledge of one another or by intemperance even in the due wayes of their mutual knowledge 20. By this verse enumerating acts of the soul amongst the works of the flesh we are taught that concupiscence resides as well in the soul as in the body of man and was left as a perpetual punishment of Adams sin in bâ—th parts of humane nature thereby to shew the whole masse of pure man was corrupted not onely every individual of mankind but every essential part of man as well his form as his matter his soul as his body from which Christ was free being God as well as Man and this punishment may not be unproperly called concupiscence which is indeed the fewel to the fire of all sort of sins burning perpetually in mankind and being by concupiscence perpetually fed so that concupiscence leades not onely to corporal but even to spiritual vices and therefore as well these as others are called works of the flesh and are here numbred by the Apostle among them namely Idolatry which is serving false Gods Witchcraft which is working by help of the devil Enmity which is a permanent and professed breach of friendship Contention which is perverse opposing one another in words or opinions out of a spirit of contradiction Emulation which is a repining at others well doing Anger which is a height of passion seeking revenge and this is mortal or venial according as it is greater or lesser Brawles which is breach of brotherly charity by giving provoking language Dissention which leades to strife or war Sects which are all Heretical opinions or choyce of religions by the conduct of private sense or spirit contrary to the known and common doctrine of holy Church 21. The three first vices mentioned here speak themselves plain enough in their names Commessations are all riots or gluttonous excesses in eating or drinking feasts or banquets hereunto are reduced all excesses of wantonnesse at such feasts as idle songs and light womens company or unchaste talk The close of this verse prohibiting from heaven these who do those works of the flesh above enumerated is to be understood onely when mortal habit is contracted in all or any of these works or when any dies in a mortal act of any of these vices 22. See how contrary the works of the Spirit are to those of the flesh and note that the Apostle speaks not here in the same stile as formerly for he calls corporal deeds works of the flesh but spiritual acts he calls the fruits of the Spirit and why because they are more indeed the fruits of the holy Ghost then of man and therefore are called fruits rather then works though they are the works or acts of our soul yet in regard they are done by the vertue of grace not of nature hence they are imputed to be rather fruits of the holy Ghost then acts of our soul whilest that holy Spirit operates more towards them then our own soules do which since Adams fall are still more propense to evil then to good works Note here are principally understood the acts not the habits of those vertues for an act is properly a fruit of the agent and the chief agent in these being the holy Ghost they though produced by us are called the fruits of the Spirit that is of the Holy Ghost in us And the first of these is called Charity as the prime and principal fruit of the Holy Ghost in us because it is indeed the highest of all other virtues insomuch that it partakes in a manner of the Deity it self since God is called Charity 1 Joh. 4 8. and therefore this is indeed the main and special fruit of the Spirit and all other virtues are not improperly called the fruits of this because it is this gives life to the soul and to all her virtues whatsoever And by this are produced in us these following namely Joy the fruit indeed of a serene conscience guilty of no adulterate affection to creatures but ravisht wholly with the pure love of God Peace the tranquillity of mind upon the serenity of a conscience not troubled with any
contracted through the frailtie of humane nature when Christ our Lord came to shew mercy and give pardon not onely to his own chosen people the Jewes but even to all the Gentiles to all sinners how enormous soever Tell me now beloved is it not with reason Saint Gregory calls the prayers of holy Church Sacraments Mysteries when they are set to the same tune that the mysterious Scripture sings unto the people out of the Preachers mouthes for such we may account the Expositours of holy Writ to be And what marvell if we finde the Antiphon leading the tune to the prayer to point at the latter of these two women rather then at the former since we have heard this was a Gentile that a Jew For hence we that are Gentiles are taught to pray peculiarly for pardon of our owne sinnes moved thereunto especially by the benignitie of our Lord who though he first called the Jew yet he first converted the Gentile because as this Antiphon tells us the Gentiles faith was stronger then the Jews and therefore the obstinate Jew shall not be converted till the latter day when we are to have onely one shepheard and one fold of sheep one Christian Church made up both of Jews and Gentiles and for that reason we do not distinguish in the prayer between them because as it is now onely our prayer to God so hereafter it will be theirs as well as ours without putting the Church to the trouble of a new prayer upon that occasion of increasing the number of her children And assuredly that happy time will come with the greater increase if we with fervour say this prayer in the mean time first for the amâ—ndment of our own lives and for the perfecting our selves as in this dayes Epistle Saint Paul exhorteth us and next for the conversion of the stiff necked Jews prefigured to day in the after reviving of Jairus his daughter from death to life though Christ went first about that worâ— when he had before cured the woman of her twelve years issue of bloud first indeed calling the Jew but last converting him as was said above And for further reason of applying this prayer thus to the other service of the day I remit the pious Christian to the Expositours upon the 20.21.22 verses of the following Gospell Suffice it here is enough to shew that the connexion of parts in holy Churches services hath not been wanting hitherto in some measure or other and out of that little I am able to find I doubt not but deeper souls more habituated to meditation then I am will retrive much more The Epistle Philip. 3. v. 17. c. 4. v. 1. c. Chap. 3.17 Be ye followers of me Brethren and observe them that walk so as you have our form 18 For many walk whom often I told you of and now weeping also I tell you the enemies of the Crosse of Christ 19 Whos 's end is destruction whose God is the belly and their glorie in their confusion which mind worldly things 20 But our conversation is in heaven whence also we exspect the Saviour our Lord Jesus Christ 21 Who will reform the body of our humilitie configured to the body of his glory according to the operation whereby also he is able to subdue all things to himself Chap. 1. Therefore my dearest brethren and most desired my joy and my crown so stand in our Lord my dearest 2 Euodia I desire and Syntiche I beseech to be of one mind in our Lord. 3 Yea and I beseech thee my sincere companion help those women that have laboured with me in the Gospell with Clement and the rest my coadjutours whose names are in the book of life The Explication 17. BE not onely followers of my words but of my actions for so he means by bidding them walk live as they do who follow the form of his Apostolical life and actions Happy instructions for the Priests to do themselves as they exhort others to do and in this shew they are truly ministers of the new not of the old law whence Christ bid the people hear believe and obey but not to do as they did themselves that Mat. 23.4 laid huge burdens on their neighbours shoulders and would not carry the least burden on their own Happy sheep that had now shepherds who would not onely let them out into the pastures but defend them from the wolves by loosing their lives rather then expose their sheep to danger as S. Paul did who in persecution gave his flock a pattern of constancy even to the death rather then he would not follow to a tittle his own form whereby he had taught them born in peace and persecution how to serve God 18. This verse again argues the Apostle reports to good life as well as to doctrine when he tells them here many live contrary to the rule he had framed for them for though they beleeve rightly yet they live they walke awry they keep not the direct path of perfection but follow wayes of their own invention and are to those so fondly wedded that rather then leave their own brainsick imaginations they will even deny what no reason can doubt of These are Schismaticks and Sectaries of whom the Apostle often warned the faithfull and now with teares in his eyes moves the Philippians to beware of them again and tells them they are so far from being Christians that they are enemies to Christ for so he means here by the Crosse of Christ And why his enemies Because they mangle his doctrine in pieces believing what they list thereof and rejecting what they please Of this sort were in those dayes Simon Magus who said Christ himself went off from the Crosse and onely left his picture hanging there and Cerinthus who would needs separate Jesus from Christ and teach that Jesus did indeed truly die and rise again from the dead but that Christ was impassible and so went off from the Crosse leaving Jesus there to die Thus while they invent foolish pieties they become blasphemously impious whence it was Saint Paul said 1 Cor. 2.2 He knew nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified to shew the fondnesse of those who would separate Jesus from Christ and deny Christ to have suffered at all whence he calls these the enemies not of Jesus nor of Christ but of the Crosse of Christ that is such as deny Christ to have been really and truely crucified For beating down of which the Church brought up the use of crucifixes erected in all places And those also who make such simple imaginations the ground of Libertinisme Saint Paul calls enemies to the Crosse of Christ those who teach austeritie of life and mortification to be needlesse under pretence that Jesus hath suffered all punishment due for sinne and so pâ—ofesse it a kinde of injurie and prejudice to our Saviours passion for any man since that time to use mortification 19. But see the Apostles judgement of such Sectaries while he sayes
their end is destruction And that you may know he means the Libertines above mentioned he tells you they are such whose God is their belly who worship Dagon not Jesus Christ who delight in venery and gluttony But see the sequel of such worldlings their glory sayes the Apostle is their confusion it shall fare with them as with their God Dagon it did 1 King 5.4 whose head and hands fell from him upon the approach of the Ark brought by the Philistaeans into the Temple of their God Dagon while the people rested themselves leaving this broken-God nothing but the trunk of his body to shew that the preservation of his sordid parts were rather a confusion then a glory to them whilest the instruments of glory the head and the hands betokening glorious resolutions and heroick actions were destroyed And indeed what so contemptible so uselesse as a man without hands or head so while Dagon was thus preserved he had reserved onely his infamy to be his future glory and this in token the Libertines that are his Adorers can expect no other end then what is infamous as this Let therefore such miscreants fear to come near the Christian Ark the Tabernacle of the holy Altar lest they be in the sight of God at least regarded but as Dagons ignominious Statue before the Ark. 20. See how farre S. Paul is removed from those sordid those earthly cogitations when he tells you his conversation is in heaven his thoughts are fixed on Almighty God and by this means teacheth us that ours should be so too the form or rule of Christianity being to meditate heavenly not earthly things and to hope for no good but what descends from heaven upon us whence we may expect to see our Saviour Jesus Christ coming to bring us at the latter day the superabundant reward of all our dayes spent here in a holy conversation 21. And see the manner how he will impart this reward declared in these words that follow by reforming the body of our humility when our abject vile and contemptible bodies shall become beautifull noble and glorious in the sight of God by having them reformed transfigured into another accidentall not essentiall form but remaining shaped as now they are they shall of corruptible become incorruptible of passible impassible of earthly celestiall of lumpish agile of dark lightsome and thus reformed or transfigured they shall be configured conformed also to the body of Christ his gloâ—y as who should say they shall be like or conformable to the glorious body of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ So immensely doth he love man that in requitall of the humane nature which he took of us we shall take as it were divine nature from him while our bodies shall by heavenly glory be like to that of Christ which hath its splendour not as ours from a created but as his from an increated glory by the irradiation of his divinity through the cloud of our humanity there being no personall difference in Christ between God and man however his two natures differ as much as the creature doth from the Creatour And how this ineffable alteration is made the Apostle tells us in the close of this verse namely by that operation of Christ whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Happy subjection to that power which glories to exalt what it is able to subdue and yet loseth not the glory of subduing death while it gives eternall life to our dead bodies and glory to our corruption Cap. 4. v. 1. It is indeed an apt rise he takes to incourage the Philippians in this fourth chapter to stand firm to his principles to his rules of good life which in the former chapter he sayes he framed for them when for their so doing they shall have the reward as above No marvell he calls them his dearest when he professeth they are his joy his crown the fruits of his labours which God will reward with the joyes of heaven and with a crown of glory which shall have in it a precious stone of speciall beauty for every soul he hath converted And by this we see besides the essentiall Beatitude which consists in seeing God those that are the means of others souls salvation shall have an accidentall glory given them as a particular reward due unto them not onely for every soul they have been a means to save but also for every good deed wrought by those souls who have followed the examples of Gods Saints but how that accidentall glory differs from the essentiall is hard to say the words we allow the things we know not See how he inculcates here perseverance in good works Stand persist continue my dearest sayes the Apostle as you have begun and then you make your selves and me happy indeed since it is the end that crowns the work so to begin well little avails without you persevere in well-doing unto the end 2. These were two remarkably famous women among the Philippians for saintity of life and for exhorting of people to the same by their good examples so the Apostle takes speciall notice of them thereby to incourage them to go on and others to follow their footsteps and lest their difference in the wayes of piety and devotion might make a division of minds in them he exhorts them to be of one mind to direct their devotions to one end of Gods glory onely for that is to be of one mind in our Lord not to affect singularity but solidity of devotion they being otherwise free enough from faction or discord of mind though some impertinently inferre hence they were at variance 3. It is left by Expositours uncertain who this dear companion was though all concurre he was some holy man whom also S. Paul here exhorts as he did holy women before but sure enough it is not his wife though some hereticks will have it so yet without all ground since the Apostle in another place professeth he was not married but commends those who remained single as himself was Neither doth it follow that women in those dayes did preach the Gospel as well as men though here the Apostle sayes Euodia and Syntiche did labour with him in the Gospel did suffer for their faith for their belief in Jesus Christ and for following the doctrine of the Gospel and did incourage all others to do the like by harbouring the Apostles and by relieving those Christians that were in want O that the Ladies of these dayes would give Priests occasion by following the examples of these two Ladies to record their holy memories as the Apostle hath done those of these two pious women Clement here mentioned is the same who was the fourth Pope succeeding Cletus who had Linus for his predecessour that was S. Peters immediate successour The close of this Epistle is liable to misconstruction some make it the ground of their errour saying that those who are once in grace can never fall from thence and
once would let us know the dead child being a Jew represents the expiration of the Jewish Synagogue by the plantation of the Church of Christ For as this diseased Gentile fell sick when Jairus his child was born so the Gentiles fell to their brutish Idolatry figured by the Bloudy Flux when the Jewes were born to right belief in Abraham and therefore as Christ went to raise this child from death to life and by the way first healed the diseased woman so he came first to the Jewes yet the Gentiles received and believed in him before the Jewes whose conversion or being raised from the death of infidelity to the life of Faith is not to be till after all Gentiles are first reduced and then at last even the Jewes shall generally be converted This is the mystical sense of the present story prosecuted in these three verses onely we are to observe by this womans Faith that the Gentiles are of much more easie and entire belief then the Jewes besides this place gives a great ground for the Catholick doctrine of revering reliques since here the woman was cured by the onely touch of our Saviours garments hemm and Eusebius writes that she in memory of this favour shewed unto her made a coat like that of our Saviours and kept it religiously in her house and that diverse who were diseased went away from her perfectly cured upon the sole touch of this garments hemm also 23. 24. The musick our Saviour found here was onely such as usually in those dayes did accompany all burials Our Saviours saying the child is not dead did not deny but she was so for all that onely his meaning was she should live again and therefore he accounted her death but a sleep in the sight of God because her soul was not summoned to the barre of Judgement being to return and lead a longer life in this world though this saying of Christ might also import his modesty in not making difficult his works to get thereby popular applause However they knew and so did Christ the child was really dead to all humane power of recovery but that they might see death to God was but as sleep to nature since he that could out of nothing make all things could much more easily out of a dead body make a living creature and so as to God death and sleep are much alike in respect of privation of life whence it is frequent for Christ to call death obdormition or sleeping onely thus he did in Lazarus his case after he was four dayes buried Joh. 11.44 and thus you see here he doth in this present case of the dead child But as commonly men judge of all things by outward appearances and of other mens powers by comparing them to their own so here these mourners laugh at Christ for saying the dead child was onely asleep as who should say they held it impossible for him to revive her which argues they were sufficiently satisfied she was truly dead to all this world 25. 26. Note his bidding them depart when he sayes she is not dead argues that their diffidence in his power did not deserve the honour to be eye-witnesses of the miracle how it was done though afterwards they had proof enough it was most true and again it argues he was not seeking popular applause when he went in alone leaving the company without taking onely the child's parents and his disciples with him S. Mark sayes Peter James and John to shew it was not ultroneous fasting that conferred sanctity of which you heard before but a lively Faith and an ardent love to God wherewith his Apostles were endowed and so fit to be now witnesses of his and after workers of as great miracles themselves though they did not run the vain-glorious wayes of Pharisaical fasting or the like Note the Scripture phrase is here pathetical saying Christ held the childs hand in such sort probably as officers take hold of such as they arrest to carry away with them and so shew their power over them for thus our Saviour seemed to snatch the body of this child from death and to command her soul from entring into hell but to animate again the body thereby to shew he had perfect dominion over life and death And it seems the manner of this was extraordinary when the story of it ends by saying it was divulged all the countrey over for a famous miracle though St. Mark sayes Christ gave the girle to her parents bidding them say nothing Mar. 5.43 to shew his modesty and that he sought not the worlds applause but onely Gods honour and glory Yet their disobedience in this was not unseemly The Application 1. THis Gospel of the Jewes and Gentiles Infidelity is as we heard in the Explication made a whole Type of all Iniquity whatsoever and yet is most peculiarly proper to the Epistle inculcating so sincere a sayntity as above because as to that sayntity pardon of iniquity is necessary and this pardon is mystically represented in the raising Jairus his daughter from the brink of death which is the natural punishment of sinne so to the said sayntity there is also necessary a detestation of all affection to sin which detestation is also represented by the cure upon the woman sick of the Issue of bloud not unfitly likened to reiterated or accustomary sinne which argues a huge affection thereunto 2. What then more proper for Christians at the reading of this holy Text then first to procure an act of contrition for all guilt of sinne upon their soules and next to detest all affection to any sinne whatsoever especially to those which have been formerly to them accustomary for those are properly bonds which we have sealed to the devil while we hamper our selves with giving them up as our well advised acts of our yet most abominable wicked deeds 3. Say now beloved if our holy Mother have not fram'd a fitting Prayer when to this purpose she brings charity to day upon her knees preparing her self for the grand account she is next Sunday put in mind to make By petitioning as above an acquittance of her sinful debts by absolution from the guilt thereof and a cancelling of all her bonds to the devil by teating her affections to sin in pieces and planting her love from hence upon Almighty God above On the four and twentieth Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon Matth. 24.34 AMen I say to you this Generation shall not passe untill all be done Heaven and Earth shall passe but my word shall not passe saith our Lord. Vers Let my prayer c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer STirre up we beseech thee O Lord the wills of thy Faithful that they more diligently preparing the fruit of thy divine work may receive the greater remedies of thy mercy The Illustration WE are this day closing up the Ring of our devotion which we desire all the devotes of our sodality to wear in testimony they are of
that number who according to holy Davids example Psal 118.109 have their soules alwayes in their hands that is to say who make account their every thought word or deed ought to be such as together with the same they are ready to deliver up their very souls into the hands of their Creatour and those souls so regulated as in this sodalitie we are taught according to the pattern of the blessed Virgin Mary Luke 2.19 who conserved in her heart every word that fell from the mouth of her sacred Sonne and as we shall then appear to conserve the same when out of the abundance of his holy word lodged in our hearts we make our mouths to speak and this we do whilest all our prayers are abstracts of the Word of God and all our conversation answerable to those prayers as if we can observe the methode of this book they will be And if beloved you but look upon the first contriver of this devotion Saint Gregory the great you will not undervalue it because it had so mean a reviver as my self Know it was he that called the Prayers of holy Church Mysteries Sacraments and surely for this one reason amongst the rest because they did mysteriously couch the sense of holy writ as we have hitherto assayed at least to shew and as to day we hope to make it appear this prayer above contains the sum of both Epistle and Gospell following though I confesse no soul would think it at first sight for in all the book there is not any prayer which holds a lesse visible proportion with the holy Text then this and yet if I mistake not we shall find it comes as home as heart can wish to our designe when once we shall resolve what is meant by the fruit of the divine work for that 's the key to all the treasure of Devotion couched in this prayer What if we say that fruit is our salvation since this is a work so truely divine that there is none indeed but God himselfe can bring forth such a fruit and yet so good a God we serve that he is pleased we shall our selves prepare this fruit and serve it up unto his heavenly Table while we are bid pray this day that since our understandings are already sufficiently instructed in our duties what they are and ought to be to God our wills may be stirred up to a performance of those duties to the more diligent preparing the fruits of the divine work the salvation of our soules that by redoubled diligence we may receive the greater remedies of God Almighties mercies meaning so much of his grace in this life as may secure us of his glory in the life to come which when with all the diligence imaginable we do obtain 't is still a mercy to us and must be gratis given or else we may justly fear to go without it so great a work it is to save a soul and therefore well is it called a work divine But what are we the nearer now for adjusting this Prayer unto the Epistle and Gospell of the day Admit this be the genuine sense of the Prayer above what report hath it to Judgement which is the subject of the Gospel Why this at least that the best preparative to save a soul is to remember the dreadfull day of doome and therefore when the Prayer beggs to have our wills stirred up to a more diligent preparing the fruits of the divine worke the salvation of our soules the Gospell puts us fitly in minde of the day of Judgement so to fright us into this diligence least through our sloth the Judge do want that crop of fruit which then he comes to gather And thus we seem to draw a little more neare at least to the end of our designe But if we reade the latter end of the Gospell comparing the day of Judgement to the sprouting out of a figg-tree we shall come nearer yet and if we hearken to the Expositours upon the 32 and 33 verses of this Gospell how sweetly they expound that Parable we shall then come fully home to the sweetest harmonie imaginable between the Gospell and the Prayer And for the Epistle it is nothing else but an exhortation of Saint Paul to the Colossians and in them to us how to prepare our soules to salvation even in the very language of the Prayer for example how to fructifie in all good works that we may at the latter day of doome whereof the Gospell minds us now be made worthie to partake of the lot of Saints to be delivered from the power of darkenesse and translated into the Kingdome of the Sonne of Love in whom we have redemption the remission of sinnes in a word the salvation of our soules or the ripening of that fruit which we must with all diligence prepare for the heavenly Table as beeing the worke of our heavenly Lord. When I say we doe consider this then we shall need no more to seek for a connexion between the preaching and the Prayer of holy Church to day in this period of our work wherein we were almost at a losse even now that we stood in greatest need of making good our whole designe in the close thereof And who can marvell now that this sweet Prayer should be suitable to the sower day of Judgement when we see that dreadfull story in the Gospell closed up with the gladsome Parable of a fruitfull Spring And why to shew that to the Blessed the day of doome is a time oâ— Joy and that the just alone are of consideration with Almightie God In a word please but to reade the Expositours upon that point as in the glosse below you find them and tell me then whether this Prayer doe want connexion unto that glosse of theirs if not then you will grant the Prayers of holy Church to be as Saint Gregory calls them Sacraments mysteries indeed of Pietie but such as when explained are sweet as honey and facile as we can desire For what more easie now then to see this Prayer alludes to Judgement in the same sense that holy Church desires her children should be ready for it that is to be prepared fruit for the heavenly Table and by that preparation to be worthie to receive the greater remedies of God Almighties mercies at the day of Judgement against the corruption of humane nature namely his gifts of glory added to those of grace And thus we shall close up the Ring of our devotion with the same Christian dutie we began it whilest mindfull of the day of doome we pray our wills may be raised up to an alacritie in our Christian dutie as they were by the same spirit of Prayer raised upon the same subject on the first Sunday of Advent which this foure and twentieth Sunday after Pentecost inclines unto in like manner as all parts of a circle bow to meet each other with a plie to circularitie and so the dutie of a Christian is then best performed