Selected quad for the lemma: peace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
peace_n	bring_v	good_a	tiding_n	2,863	5	11.4428	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25404	The pattern of catechistical doctrine at large, or, A learned and pious exposition of the Ten Commandments with an introduction, containing the use and benefit of catechizing, the generall grounds of religion, and the truth of Christian religion in particular, proved against atheists, pagans, Jews, and Turks / by the Right Reverend Father in God Lancelot Andrews ... ; perfected according to the authors own copy and thereby purged from many thousands of errours, defects, and corruptions, which were in a rude imperfect draught formerly published, as appears in the preface to the reader.	Andrewes, Lancelot, 1555-1626.	1650 (1650)	Wing A3147; ESTC R7236	963,573	576

his writeing as he did of his verbal exposition Therefore hath God ordeyned expositions such as the book Jasher which as some think was a commentary upon the law written for this end to explicate the hard Texts of Scriptures and 〈◊〉 them 2. Another Means to sanctification is the word preached of which the Apostle speaks to the Romans how shall they hear without a preacher and this is one of the ordinary means of faith and so of sanctification The Apostle in that placeq uoteth out of two of the Prophets this text How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things And our Saviour Christ in his prayer before his passion for his Apostles who were to be such preachers saith sanctifie them with thy truth and thy word is truth and by his own practise in preaching he sanctified this means of preaching And the Apostle tells us that the wisdom of God hath appointed by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that beleeve this way of saving men the wisdom of God hath pitcht upon which is not to be altered but to continue to th end of the world For though reading of the word be a necessary means to sanctification yet are not all men capable to understand what they read The 〈◊〉 Custome therefore of the Church was and so continued in the Apostles times that after the reading the of Law and the Prophets some that were learned in Gods Law and sent by him to that purpose stood up and expounded to the people some text of that which was read We may see this plainly in the book of Nehemiah that after Ezra and others had read in the book of the Law to the people in the congregation they gave the sence and caused them to understand the reading And the Apostle S. James puts the Jews in minde that Moses was preached in the Synagogues on the Sabbath day This practise continued as I said even in the Apostles time For we see in the place before mentioned that the Rulers of the Synagogue at Antioch entreated the Apostles to bestow 〈◊〉 words of exhortation upon them after the reading of the Law and the Prophets The Eunuch no doubt but was a man of as great capacity as many who now adayes take upon them the exposition and preaching both of Law and Gospel yet had not he met with S. Philip he would have been to seek in that place of the Prophet which the Apostle found him reading 3. A third duty is the pondering of that which we have heard read or preached This we read that Mary did who pondered all the 〈◊〉 of Christ in her heart And so did David when he said Oh how I love thy Law it is my 〈◊〉 continually Besides the meditation of the Word that we shall hear read or preached the 92 Psalm which was a Psalm peculiarly made for the Sabbath and was usually sung on that day the two first verses whereof if credit may be given to the Jews traditions came from Adam who used to sing them in Paradise giveth us three further points to consider 1. The first is in the fourth verse which indeed is that which God here expressely urgeth in this Commandment the Consideration of the works of his hands the raising to our selves a Contemplative use of the Creatures that as all the week before we have had a naturall use of them so on this day we should make a spiritual Thou Lord hast made me glad through thy works and I will rejoyce in giving praise for the operation of thy hands 2. A second is in the seventh verse a meditation of the judgements of God when the ungodly are green as the grasse and when all the workers of wickednesse do flourish then shall they be destroyed for ever And this meditation is most necessary to keep men within the bounds of obedience for upon the Consideration of the severe judgements which God inflicts upon Malefactors men are held in as with a bridle from swerving from his Commandments 3. The third is at the tenth and twelfth verses a Meditation of Gods benefits and Mercies or of his mercies towards them that love him as well as his visitations upon their enemies both which may be included in the Hebrew word taking judgements for the genus of them both Such as be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of the house of our God c. These whether they extend to our own persons or concerne our fathers house or the place wherein we live or the Church round about us every one of these affoord us an object of Meditation And as we see the other Creatures of God as the wilde asses sparrows cranes lilies pismires c. yield matter of Meditation thereby to stir us up to praise the Creator Upon which we may frame an argument a minore ad majus from the lesse to the greater If God have made them thus how much more are we bound to be thankful to him for whom he hath done infinitely more So the Apostle setteth forth Gods judgements to provoke us to repentance and his mercy to move and stir us up to thankfulnesse And thus when we are wearied with prayer and that reading and preaching of the word is ended meditation still remaineth wherein to exercise our selves and in this dutie we may continue the rest of the day and be furnished with matter sufficient to work upon 4. The fourth duty of this day is not to be contented onely with meditating upon these things in our Closets privately but there must be conference also between our selves and others about what we have heard And this is done two manner of waye s. 1. The first is with them that have taught us if we doubt of any thing we are to confer with the Priest The prophet tells us that the Priests lips should keep knowledge and we are to seek the Law at his mouth we read that it was our Saviours practise For it was a custom of old that after the solemnity on the eighth day the last of the feast that the Teachers sate down at the Table and the Auditors standing about them propounded 〈◊〉 and questions that they might be resolved in them And so no doubt was Christ at twelves years old not as an Opposer but in the state of a Learner though he discovered a great guift that way above his years And if points of doctrine fail then others concerning practise are to be resolved such as the souldiers and Publicans put to John and the people to the Apostles Now because there are now adayes no doubts no putting of questions it is a signe that fear of God is utterly extinguisht in mens hearts and if there be any doubts at all they are not propounded with that heart which they did it that said

will be sharper or their life shorter so fear in them worketh more then love And so is it with men whose first taste in spiritualibus is corrupted If love could cause us to taste spiritual joyes fear were super fluous But vain delights in earthly pleasures ease and evil company have so cloyed and corrupted our tastes that we are not able to desire that which is truely to be desired and that which is hurtful to us we desire And therefore there is nothing can alter our taste but that if we continue in taking those earthly pleasures and not take that which is spiritual our fits will be sharper and our life shorter this fear is necessary to be set before us To this may be added that to this love we are brought by fear for Odium peccandi the hate of sin cometh from fear for fear causeth us to abstain from sin this abstinence bringeth a good life and that a good conscience being possest with that we shall be without fear and have peace of conscience which breedeth love to God and godlinesse A timore bona vita a bona vita bona conscientia a bona conscientia amor And love and fear in this respect are compared by Saint Augustine to a needle and threed the needle tarrieth not but bringeth the threed after it first we must fear and that will bring love after it Discat timere qui non vult timere discat ad tempus esse solicitus qui vult esse semper securus let him learn to fear that would not fear let him be solicitous for a time that will be secure for ever So we see that the use of fear is to restrain us from evil and to procure love in us The Common definition of fear is Expectatio mati the expectation of evil upon which may arise a doubt to them that are not well versed in Divinity How a man may be said to fear God seeing there is no evil in him for he being wholly goodnesse it self and the fountain of all goodnesse therefore should not be said to be feared But it is soon resolved For God is not to be feared as he is God and goodnesse and no evill in him but ab effectis in respect of his Judgements the effects of his Justice they are first to be feared and God secondarily The 〈◊〉 why the effects of his justice are to be feared are because in Gods judgements concurre all the causes and motives that can by any means move fear his judgement is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 malum formidabile an object altogether fearfull And it is in a three fold respect for it is 1. Futurum to come 2. Propinquum neer 3. Vires excedens exceeding our strength 1. An evil past is not the object of fear but an evil to come and the greater it is ' the greater the fear is and therefore after our Saviour had reckoned up to his Disciples many calamities that should happen he addeth but the end is not yet the greatest is behinde though we suffer many things in this world yet there shall somewhat befall us after worse then those 2. It is propinquum because the armies of God are ever round about us wheresoever we are God is present and in the midst of his host and all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do And therefore if we do ill he is ready and 〈◊〉 to see it and his armies ready to execute vengeance upon them that do evil 3. It is vires excedens It must be a great matter of difficulty that must exceed our power and strength but this doth and such a thing takes a deep impression it terrifies us when we can make no resistance And this the Psalmist by a question makes to appear plainly If thou O Lord shouldest be extreme to mark what is done amisse who may abide it that is none can And therefore S. Paul saith Do we provoke the Lord to jealousie are we stronger then he No our strength to him is but as stubble not as the strength of stones nor is our flesh of brasse as Job speaketh This makes it malum arduum hard and difficult which is aggravated by these four degrees 1. First it is a punishment malum poenae and there is a bar erected and an inditement framed We must all appear as the Apostle tells us before the judgement 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 c. 2. This punishment will be fearful and strange insolitum without example fiery indignation Horrendum est incidere in manus Dei viventis it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God 3. It will be malum subitum repentinum sudden and unexpected sudden destruction as travail upon a woman with childe especially upon such as harden themselves He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy which is the last No redemption till the utmost farthing be paid that is never after this life for as God shews the uttermost of his 〈◊〉 in providing rewards for his 〈◊〉 so he will shew his infinite power in punishments for those that will not fear Besides all this we say in Philosophy Timetur is qui malum potest infligere he is to be feared that can bring evil upon us Now that God is able appears by three things considerable in a party to be feared 1. The first is authority Though a childe be a King or a woman bear rule over 〈◊〉 who in respect of themselves are but weak yet in regard of their authority they become terrible to us And the Lord is king over all the earth let all the earth therefore fear him saith the 〈◊〉 And why An earthly kings wrath is as 〈◊〉 of death and as the roaring of a lyon then what is the wrath of the King of kings And besides by best right he may challenge this fear for being King of kings his authority is highest and above all others And he is not onely a king but such a king as to whom all the celestial powers and principalities lay down their crowns and fall on their faces before him And therefore it was the song of them that overcame the beast Who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy Name 2 The second is power A man if he have a mighty adversary though he have no authority yet he is to be feared Might is to be feared and therefore we are counselled to be at peace and have good correspondence and in no case to strive with a mighty man If the mighty men upon earth are to be feared how much more the mighty God whose power as it exceedeth all other powers so it hath compelled them that were mighty on earth to fear him Nebuchadnezzar when he perceived the power of God working beyond the course of nature that three men should walk in a

Moses So in another place when they enquired of the Prophets There are things too hard for some therefore they are to be resolved by them that have better gifts Thus much for the excellency of the minde 2. We come now to bonum corporis the excellency of the body Old age Canities venerabilis est gray hairs are to be had in reverence There is an 〈◊〉 law for it Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head and honour the face of the old man And the Prophet joyneth ancient and honourable in one 〈◊〉 And we may see that it was ever accounted for a blessing to that City that did enjoy the aged The Prophet reciting the benefits that Jerusalem should enjoy at the restauration hath this for one Old men and old women shall dwell in thy streets And it made Job at a stand he knew not what to think when he saw the wicked grow old Sure it is that among the curses which the man of God denounced against Eli this was one There shall not be 〈◊〉 man in thy house The Apostle therefore willeth that Elders should be honoured and intreated as fathers which honour consists in several duties that the younger sort must perform towards them viz. 1. When ancient men are in place to be 〈◊〉 and lay their hands upon their mouth and give them leave to speak the reason is given by holy Job because there is Wisdom with the ancient and in multitude of years is understanding Elihu being a young man Waited till Job spake and gave his reason I am young and ye are old I was afraid and durst not shew my opinion I said Dayes should speak c. The Philosophers rule was that when we have made our own demonstrations we must give way to indemonstrabilia the positions of old men without demonstration because they are grounded upon long experience The neglect of this was the ruine of 〈◊〉 who regarded not the counsel of the ancients but took counsel of the young men 1. Answerable to this is the duty of the aged First they are not to be 〈◊〉 centum annorum children of an 〈◊〉 years old S. Jerome translates it Elementarios senes Old men that were to learn their A B C as they have canum caput a gray head so they must have canum intellectum an understanding answerable And therefore it is said that honourable age is not that Which standeth in length of time nor that is 〈◊〉 with number of years but wisdom is the gray hair unto men and in another place O how comely a thing is judgement for gray hairs and for ancient men to know counsel 2. The second is assurgere to rise up before them in signe of reverence Thou shalt rise up before the 〈◊〉 head saith the Law because they are in a 〈◊〉 manner the image of God who is called 〈◊〉 dierum the ancient of dayes their hoary head is a crown to them even a crown of glory as the Wise man speaks and so they have a resemblance of eternity 〈◊〉 est vestigium 〈◊〉 old age is a print of 〈◊〉 There is 〈◊〉 temporis 〈◊〉 meriti an age of time and an age of merit and there are as S. Jude speaks arbores 〈◊〉 trees that begin to blossom in the end of harvest when 〈◊〉 fruit should be gathered such are true representatives of an old man without understanding but yet though they be such they are to be honoured for their years though they be not worthy 〈◊〉 pati to receive this honour yet it is meet for us hoc agere to give it to them They must not be such trees but Davids trees bringing more fruit in their age the older the more wisdom must appear in them 2. Answerable to this they must so live that their age may deserve honour The Wise man tells us how this may be The hoary head is a crown of glory but how if it be found in the way of righteousnesse and then as he speaks in another place The beauty of old men is their gray head The Apostle describes in particular six qualities that they should be endued with 1. Sobriety 2. Gravity 3. Temperance 4. Soundnesse in faith 5. Charity 6. Patience 3. The third duty is to provide for their ease for age brings Weaknesse therefore young boyes must not sit and ancient men stand God provided for the 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉 after they were fifty years of age they were exempted from the service of the Tabernacle and yet had their allowance The Prophet Esay mentions it as a signe of great confusion and of judgement imminent When children shall presume against the ancient and the base against the honourable If we carry our selves thus to aged persons sic fiet nobis so it shall be done to us when we come to years and sic fiet nostris so shall others do to our fathers and to our children when they grow old Old age is a burden but young men should help to make this burden light to old men by giving them reverence which if they do they shall reap a blessing by their blessings and prayers which are in a special manner 〈◊〉 with God as on the other side by neglect of this duty they may expect a curse from God and the aged for the blessings or curses of fathers or mothers are usually heard of God and made good upon obedient or disobedient children 3. We come now to the third kinde of excellency consisting in bonis fortunae the goods of fortune as they are called or in outward estate as in Nobility and Riches c. for noble men and rich men are in Scripture 〈◊〉 called fathers and consequently there is an honour due to them Nabal was rich and David in his message to him implicitly calls him father Give I pray thee to thy servant and to thy son David whatsoever cometh to thy hand and Naaman the Syrian was an honourable man and his servants call him father My father if the Prophet had commanded thee a small matter c. The reason hereof is 1. Because of the Common good that they may bring to the Common-wealth in times of peace and of war 〈◊〉 rei-publicae pecunia money is the 〈◊〉 of a Common-Wealth and therefore because God hath blessed them above others in their 〈◊〉 relation the Common-wealth doth prize and esteem them accordingly and prefers them above others setting them among the elders in the gate for if they have been careful in their own house it is like they will be so also in the Common-wealth Their duty answerable to this is expressed by the Apostle to communicate their 〈◊〉 for the benefit of others and to be rich in good works Nehemiah had besides his own family 150 others which he maintained at his table Barzillai was a rich man and he provided for David all the time that he lay

brings us back to the first answer That honour is but the shadow of vertue and therefore not happinesse it self 5. Honour is good if it were sine sera clave without lock or key without dependance which it is not for honour dependeth upon other mens mouths and hath no stability Now that felicity which is as mutable as a Camelion cannot be true happinesse We see it to be true in our Saviour for by the same people that he was honoured in a triumph to Jerusalem within few dayes after he was led in a disgraceful manner to be crucified Therefore in Honour consists no true happinesse 3. In Pleasure there can be no true felicity 1. The very frame of the body speaks against it for there are but two parts of it as the Epicures hold capable of it 1. For the one they wisht to be like Cranes And for the other like Sparrows 2 Seeing man is spiritual and intellectual and pleasure sensible in following delight he descends to a thing inferior to himself but felicity must be in summo above him Seneca wished rather to have been unborn then to have been born to this end Super lectum jacere vinum potare c. As the Prophet hath it To lie in bed and drink wine c. 3 Man should be more miserable then the beast if pleasure should be his end For they vse pleasures openly and freely while man is ashamed to vse some pleasures in publike view Again thy do it without remorse of conscience and man after the act of pleasure is 〈◊〉 in conscience yet no man will say that beasts have true felicity 4 Again the Philosophers hold that pleasure without moderation is not good and if pleasure be true felicity then the vertues of Temperance Abstinence Continency c. were lost Temperantia est abstinentia a voluptatibus Temperance defined is abstinence from pleasures so that if pleasure be true felicity and that without moderation it is not good then it follows that abstinence from felicity is 〈◊〉 and that he is continent who abstaineth from felicity 5. Plutarch is confident that if an Epicure knew that he had but one hour to live and were put to his choice whether he would spend that hour in sport and pleasure or do some notable act to eternize his name that he would make election of the latter and thereby condemn his own opinion of felicity in pleasure himself No true felicity then in pleasure 4. Nor yet in Vertue 1. The vertues in which the Stoicks place felicity are meerly morall and they are onely to pacifie the disordered passions of the minde our affections and the pacifying of them is to bring ease to our actions and every action 〈◊〉 propter finem for some end there being therefore other ends besides these there is no felicity in them 2. Every vertue hath its severall use as Justice to preserve peace fortitude to procure peace and the like therefore these have further ends then for themselves and so are not true felicity 3. Prudence accompted by them the prime vertue is nothing but to direct us to the end and is not the end it self therefore not felicity it self In Vertue then no true felicity 5. Neither in contemplation 1. For it is an absurd thing in nature that any thing should be long in getting and short in fruition or enjoying but contemplation is ever in getting so that it cannot be long in fruition therefore no felicity in it 2 Our contemplation is onely in posse in what may be and to be happy is 〈◊〉 in actum to be drawn into action but to say that this posse may be brought to a perfect act were absurd for there is no man can say there is nothing but I know it 3. By their own confession we know not the essential form of any no not of the most vile Creature and we are ignorant in most familiar things to us and how much more dim and unperfect is our knowledge in more divine natures and in God himself of whom we know nothing but by privation as that he is not finite and comprehensible and the like 4. They testifie of themselves that they know nothing Hoc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 me nihil scire said Socrates this one thing onely I know that I know nothing Aristotle confest that he had spent his time and had onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Owls eyes in contemplating heavenly essences Simonides that the more he contemplated on Gods essence the farther off he confest himself to be Heraclitus cryed out In 〈◊〉 est it is so deep I cannot sound it And maxima pars 〈◊〉 quae scimus est minima 〈◊〉 quae ignoramus the greatest part of that we know is the least part of that we know not No felicity then in contemplation Thus much for particular exceptions against these opinions of felicity now generally against them all demonstrative That there is no true happinesse in any thing besides God The Philosophers propound two things in their 〈◊〉 1. Terminus appetitus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contentednesse or satisfaction of the appetite 2. Perpetuity or continuance of that satisfaction 1. To come to any thing but to God non facit terminum appetitui it satisfieth not our appetite for ut ponatur terminus appetitui to set a bound to our appetite there must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contentednesse And this cannot be without satisfaction Nor can any thing satisfie the appetite but God alone because it was ordained to receive God all the world is too little to fill it Saint Augustine saith Domine tu fecisti me propter te nec quiescat anima mea donec veniat ad te Lord thou hast made me for thee and my soul will not be satisfied till it come to thee For without God there is 〈◊〉 universal good therefore some want and consequently a desire to have that which is wanting and the appetite being unsatisfied unquietnesse followeth and so no felicity 2 This is apparant in the example of riches and the desire of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Desire and appetite hath its name from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word expressing an earnest motion ardere flagrare cupiditate to burn or flame with 〈◊〉 in which re spect it is called ardens appetitus an ardent desire Now if a man heap never so much wood upon a fire though at the first it seeme to put it out yet by little and little the fire waxeth bigger by reason of it and is as apt to receive more wood as it was in the beginning And so it fares in the desire of riches the more matter is ministred the lesse the desire is quenched but still encreaseth till it come to be infinite Quomodo ejus sitim extingues cujus sitis expatu crescit How then will you quench his thirst who the more he drinks the more he may Therefore there is no worldly thing that can satisfie mans appetite Riches were not made to

societies we must first speak of those that govern and teach in schools and universities and of the honour due to them 1. That the first sort come within this Commandment appears out of that Chapter of the 2. of Kings where the sons of the Prophets call 〈◊〉 Master and that a Master should be a Father it is in the same Chapter confirmed for Elisha called Elijah My father my father c. The very like to which we finde among the Heathen who had their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Physitians and the sons of the Physitians their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their Philosophers and their sons of the Philosophers answerable to the Prophets and the sons of the Prophets And as Elisha a Prophet calls Elias father so 〈◊〉 a Prince brought up under Elisha calls Elisha father because of the benefit which comes by them to the Common-wealth as well as to the Church in which regard they are fathers to both and for that cause they have 〈◊〉 from both And therefore to justifie Colledge livings and their other endowments we finde the first fruits which belonged ordinarily to the Levites bestowd upon Elisha and the Prophets because they were beneficial to the Church which was their principal and first end and likewise that great presents and gifts were bestowed upon them by the civil Ruler because of the benefit to the Common-wealth in the second place as by Hazael sent by Benhadad king of Syria to the same Elisha And the principal scope of God in this was 1. That the Law as the Prophet speaks might be sealed among the disciples that so it might be kept among them sacred and inviolate though some among them sometimes by negligence of Rulers will set counterfeit seals upon it for as S. Peter speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unlearned men sometimes pervert the law and among the learned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unstable men that is floating shallow headed Scholars who are not grounded and setled though learn'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do pervert the law and break the seal against both these viz. men unleardned and floating unstable men God hath bound and sealed it up among grounded Scholars that it might not be perverted 2. And secondly that men hereby might be fitted for publick employment in the Church and Commonwealth The Scripture expresses it by carving and polishing 〈◊〉 per Prophetas I have carved them which is improperly translated I have hewen them by the Prophets as a piece of wood or stone is carved and polished by the hand of the Artificer For there is naturally in men caecitas cordis as the Apostle speaks the taking away whereof is a special part of this function the manner we may best see by Balaams speech who saith he was a man born clausis oculis blinde in understanding as all men are brutish in knowledge as the Proph. 〈◊〉 hath it but afterwards audiendo verbum by hearing the word he came to knowledge and so ad visionem to have his eyes a little opened and then he was 〈◊〉 oculatior somewhat better sighted And hereupon it was that they which were afterwards called Prophets were at first called Seers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speculantes seers in a glasse from which word Tsophim it is very probable the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wise men came because such could see afar off and plainly it is said of some when they prophesied mutabantur in alium virum they were changed into other men as it is said of Saul when the spirit of God came upon him and he prophesied It makes a man wiser then when he was born and fit for church or Common-wealth For the institution of this we finde about the time when the law was given that God appointed not onely Moses but the seventy Elders to be placed about the Tabernacle to be taught by Moses for that is meant by taking of the spirit of Moses and putting it upon them and then they prophesied So that there was a kinde of Vniversitie about the Tabernacle for when one teacheth another the Jews call it a taking of the spirit and putting it on him And by the word Prophesie was not meant at first prediction or foretelling things to come onely for neither the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do 〈◊〉 signifie more then to teach and instruct or declare to others As it is in the Prophet I create the fruit of the lips peace that 〈◊〉 by having learning to bring peace For as he saith God gave him the tongue of the learned that he might know how to speak a word in season to the weary Esay 50. 4. And as the Wise man The mouth of the just shall prophesie that is shall bring forth wisdom for that other gift which was to foretell things to come was bestowed upon men afterwards to oppose the sorcerers sooth-sayers and Augurs c. among the Heathen and was extraordinary And it is plain by that of the Apostle that prophecie at the first was taken for teaching He that prophesyeth speaketh unto men to edification exhortation and comfort and if by prophesying were meant onely foretelling or prediction then we were in an ill case now having none that can foretel things to come seeing the Wise man saith Dempta prophetia perit populus where there is no prophecie the people perish And this it was which the Prophets did by their ordinary function viz. teach and instruct but when it pleased God to shew them things to come it was extraordinary When the Elders were thus placed about the Tabernacle the Levites and certain called Nazarites were added to them and of these two sorts consisted their Colledges when they came into the land of promise for before they were about the Tabernacle and therefore it is said of Josbua who was so good a student that no Prophet or Levite could compare with him and therefore having profited so well Moses at his death chose him for his Successor by Gods appointment That he departed not out of the Tabernacle Being come into the land of promise they sound a City well situated which was Kirjath-Sepher a city of books which Joshua that it might not be thought they came to their knowledg by the books of the Heathen but by divine assistance and studying the law of God called Debir which is 〈◊〉 When this city was not sufficient they had three other places Mizpeh Bethel and Gilgal As also Gibeah Elohim i. c. mons Dei 1 Sam. 10. where two things may be observed 1. That the land was called the land of Tsuph from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speculatores or Seers of which we spake before which the Thargum expousds to be Ramah Prophetarum And 2. that when Saul prophesied being not brought up in the schools of

as he heard of 〈◊〉 welfare it is said that his spirit revived as we said before This killing of the spirit cometh three wayes in opposition to those three things wherein the life of the soul consists of which we spake before 〈◊〉 1. Joy 2. Peace 3. love Against the first is when men grieve others as the Egyptians did the 〈◊〉 when they brought them in amaritudinem spiritus into 〈◊〉 of spirit Against the second when they bring them as they did the Israelites 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spiritus into anguish of soul so that they would not hearker to Moses when he brought a message from God when the heart is broken with sorrow the inward peace and harmony is disturbed for heavines in the heart makes it stoope as 〈◊〉 observed Against the third when a man is brought to a hating and lothing of himself and all other things so that he can take no joy in any thing None of these must be done to any neighbour but least of all to the godly It is a wicked thing to grieve the soul of a righteous Lot for by this means we bring him to the first death to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dulnes and deadnes of spirit whereby he is not fit to go about any thing that is good This is done by provocation or 〈◊〉 as they provoked God in the wildernes and therefore all irritation must be avoyded 2. The soul also may be murthered in respect of the life to come especially by him to whom the cure of it is committed And this may be done diverse wayes as sometimes by him that hath the cure as 1. By causing men to stumble at the law 〈◊〉 in lege 〈◊〉 the Prophet or by teaching as 〈◊〉 did 〈◊〉 to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel which Christ taxes in some of the Church of Pergamus 2. Indirectly and by negligence in not doing his duty The prophet 〈◊〉 of such that if any perish through his default the Lord will require his blood at his hands Prosper upon these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. That is to say if thou shalt not tell a man of his faults that he may be converted and live I will condemn thee into everlasting fire that hast not rebuked him who by reason of thy silence hath sinned Saint 〈◊〉 saith Omnis qui male vivit 〈…〉 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 forte qui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that liveth ill in the sight of those over whom he is set as much as in him lies kills them and perhaps he that followes his example dies and he that follows not lives yet in respect of his cure they both die And therefore it is that Prosper tells them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 A minister ought to live piously for examples sake and to teach so in regard of the performance of his duty being assured that justice will not favour him from whose hands the soul of him that perisheth is exacted And Saint 〈◊〉 Penset ergo sacerdos qui ad satisfaciendum districto judicio de sua tantummodo anima fortasse vix sufficit quot regendis subditis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apud Deum rationis tempore 〈◊〉 ita dicam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 animas habet let the priest therefore consider and lay to heart how he that perhaps can hardly tell how to satisfie or answer for his own soul at the day of judgement will be able to render account for so many souls as are committed to his charge 2. Though one have not the charge of souls yet as a private person he may be guilty of the spiritual death of anothers soul if either by counsel or otherwise 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 by word or deed by example c. He cause his brother to fall as Peter by his counsel was a scandal to Christ and would have prevented his suffering if Christ could have been disswaded and so the great work of mans redemption had been hindred So the same Apostle by his example gave offence and misled the Jews and 〈◊〉 The like did they whom Saint Paul reproveth who by their examples induced others weak persons to eat of things sacrificed to Idols with doubting consciences Let all such as prove scandals to others remember that woe denounced by our Saviour That it had been better for them that a milstone were hanged about their necks and that they were thrown into the sea And in the case of the souls murther a man may be accessory to the death of his own soul as he may to the murther of his body 1 By neglecting the meanes of his salvation for all must not lie on the minister we have our parts too Work out your own salvation saith the Apostle with fear and trembling If we neglect it we are accessory to our own perdition 2. By seeking after worldly things too much The same Apostle tells us in the next chapter that they that minde earthly things inordinately end in destruction 3 By giving himself over to sin without sense and working uncleannes with greedines and make no conscience of sinning 4. By deferring repentance from time to time till he finde no place for it it was Esaus case And it is the masterpiece of the devil where he worketh this neglect Saint Gregory describeth it excellently Cum in gravi 〈◊〉 miser homo labitur suadet ei 〈◊〉 ne 〈◊〉 ne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in corde 〈◊〉 misericordiam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 suggerit 〈◊〉 sic in 〈◊〉 Dei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pereat When a wretched man falls into grievous sinne the devil disswades him from repentance from confessing his sinne then tells him it is a small sinne then preacheth mercy to him and promiseth him long life and vrgeth him to continue in his sin till at last he brings him into Gods displeasure and desperation with himself and so he perisheth And this is by deferring repentance 3. The third rule for expounding the law is that it reaches to the heart for Gods law is spiritual and so this law reacheth not onely to outward murther in in regard of the act but to murther in the heart The Pharisees counted it not murther unlesse blood were shed and the life taken away but Christs teaches us that the law goes further it restraines not onely the arme and the blow that is given but the first motions and desires of the heart If any hate a man in his heart or be angry without a cause he is guilty of the breach of this commandment for the outward acts done or committed whereby any is murthered are nothing els but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fruits of unjust anger which is that 〈◊〉 of bitternes from whence all outward acts spring and this root must be plucked up and therefore he pronounceth plainly that out of the heart proceed murthers c. Those