spirituall which a Pastor hath from Christ with the temporall which he deriueth from Princes the confusion hath shed much Christian blood and we must take notice of this that we neuer be engaged in the like vniust quarrell But enough of the Historie There is a mysticall meaning which the holy Ghost aymeth at in mentioning the Staffe and that is the Analogie betweene the care that is taken for irrationall sheepe and that which must bee taken for the rationall God that trusteth Princes and Pastors with the gouernment of his people will haue them to set before their eyes a Iacob feeding Labans sheepe or a faithfull Shepheards care and thereof doth he put them in minde in this phrase But I forget my principall Note I told you that the Staffe is the Hieroglyphick of power and indeed power is here meant Virga potentiae as it is called in the tenth Psalme it is a Rod of power the titles that are giuen vnto Pastors they all sound superioritie Episcopus Oeconomus Bishop Steward Leader Architect Ghostly father This cannot bee denied vnto the Pastor of whom this Text speaketh who as you haue heard is not Seruus but Dominus is Lord of the house and therefore rules 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with soueraigntie and with power Touching the Seruants there may bee some question because to them is committed onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are onely Ministers But their Ministrie must not be mistaken for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they doe administer indeede but it is the power of Christ that they administer so saith Christ himselfe As my father sent me so send I you A Steward is a seruant in a house but such a seruant as vnder the master commands the whole familie wee are Stewards the Keyes are committed vnto vs we are to rule not to be ruled by the people But this Power brancheth it selfe into two parts for there is baculus directionis and baculus correctionis the Pastors power is first to teach the people their dutie they must receiue his words as the words of God and Gods words are commanding words and they are binding Lawes it is not left vnto the peoples choyce whether they will or will not obey them they proceede from the staffe of direction that directs in foro Poli not Soli the consciences of Christian people As the Power is of direction so is it of correction also not ciuill T is true that the Bishop of Rome hath patcht such a power to his pastorall Staffe but we can claime none such from Christ our Censuâ—es are spirituall we binde or loose mens soules we remit or retaine their sinâ—es open or shut the Kingdome of Heauen vnto them But though the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but spirituall yet are they mighty through God to the pulling downe of strong holds 2 Cor. 10. and to reuenge all disobedience Iustly therefore is this branch of Power to be awed that is contained in the Staffe the staffe that is the embleme of the power of Correction I will obserue no more vpon the first part of the furniture the Pastors Authoritie that is noted by the Staues I come on to his Abilities which are gathered out of the properties of the same Staues whereof one is the Staffe of Beautie the other of Bands I might tyre out both my selfe and you if I would scan the seuerall coniectures of the learned commenting on these words some by them distinguishing the Sheepe eyther into the Families of Noah and Abraham or into the Nations of Iewes and Gentiles some distinguishing the Shepheards into good and bad some the furniture of the good Shepheards which they will haue some to bee the Law of Nature and the written Law some restraine it onely to the written word and finde in these words the sweetnesse of the Gospel and the seuerity of the Law The grounds and mistakes of these seuerall opinions I list not to discusse the truest Commentarie is that which wee finde in this Chapter At the tenth verse then we reade that when the Shepheard brake his staffe of beauty he disanuld with that fact his Couenant that he had made with all people And what was that but the Couenant of Grace At the fourteenth verse where he breaketh the staffe of bands he addes that by that fact hee did dissolue the brotherhood between Israel and Iuda And what is that but the band of Charitie Whereupon it fairely followes that these words doe note the properties of the Shepheard the properties of the Euangelicall Shepheard who must be well seene in the Gospell and keep Christians at one Veritie and Charitie are meant the one by the beauty the other by the bands of the Staues And indeede these are the two grounds of a blessed Church Veritate nihil pulchrius nihil fortius Vnitate there is nothing that allures more than the Gospel or that holds faster than Charitie the losse of eyther of these will much distresse a Church For it will thereupon be either deformed or distracted deformed with heresie if it want the truth and distracted with Schisme if it want charitie it will become Tohu 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bohu without shape and voyde returne to its former Chaos Christ the great Shepheard was Melchisedech King of Righteousnesse and King of Salem also that is King of Peace hee not onely beautified his Church with Righteousnesse but fortified it with Charitie also And whatsoeuer Pastor vnder him doth not herein resemble him he is too like the Idoll shepheard mentioned at the end of this Chapter and hath eyther his arme dryed vp or his right eye darkened he wants a staffe of beauty or of bands and so will be the cause through defect of his Abilities that the Church be eyther despised by Schisme or with Heresie disfigured But let vsâ—ake these Abilities asunder and looke into them seuerally First into the staffe of beauty The word in the Originall signifieth Pulchritudinem Suauitatem Fairenesse and Sweetnesse whereof the later is a consequent vpon the former for the fairest persons if they degenerate not are most commonly the sweetest natures Certainely it was so in our Sauiour Christ who was the fairest of the Sonnes of men and grace was poured in his lips and so the Gospell that commeth from him beareth both the characters of his nature fairenesse and sweetnesse Touching fairenesse Cyrillus Alexandrinus on this text giueth this Note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the doctrine of the Gospell is eminently beautifull but hee addes well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wee must not mistake it is no corporall but a spirituall beauty for the Kings Daughter is all glorious within But the corporall may teach vs what to obserue in the spirituall Corporall beautie consists of figura and forma proportion and complexion euery member of a body must haue his iust lineaments and his proper die and then the body is beautifull Something answerable hereunto there is in spirituall beautie in the beautie
in your priuate families to what end should a man giue instructions to his houshold if he neuer meant to take account of their conformitie thereto But all this is no more than a ciuill ground it deriues an Assizes only from the light of reason my text goeth farther it maketh it also a sacred Assembly Mogned signifieth such a one And indeede how can it be lesse doth not God stand in this Congregation and are not they that sit vpon the Bench called Gods Psalme 82. The Lawyers that plead at the Barre are euen in the entrance of the ciuill Law called Sacerdotes iustitiae they haue a kinde of Priesthood the Iurors and all persons of necessary seruice are bound Iuramento Dei with the Lords oath so the Scripture calleth it the worke as Salomon speaketh Prouerbs 21. is more than a sacrifice finally the place is Mogned a Synagogue a holy place I obserue this the rather because I would raise the estimation of that place to a higher rate than it commonly passeth at with the vulgar people The Iudge when he passeth from the Church to the Bench doth but passe from one sacred assembly to another only with this difference that sitting but as a sheepe in this fold in the other he sitteth as a shepheard Wherefore the Iudge when he sitteth there must remember the saying of Natianzene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou art the Image of God and they with whom thou dealest beare his image also if any staines haue blemished that image purge them but neuer forget so to deale with the people as those that beare Gods image The Lawyers must remember that the Iudges Bench is Gods Altar and being Priests thereat they may not sacrifice with eyther polluted tongues or hands The Iurors that haue bound themselues to God must deale as in his sight they must take heed of that wherewith they are too vsually charged that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 priuate men the common weale are not so much abused they are not abused so cunningly by any thing as by their oathes The words are significant giue me leaue to open them Sinnes are compared to debts he that breaketh a Law becommeth a debter thereby the Iudge commeth to enquire after those debts that satisfaction may bee made for priuate for publick wronges the Iurors are trusted with the relation and taxation of these debts they are to bring in who is in debt and how far and their oathes are credited herein but their oath is become a sophister and cunningly priuate wrongs at the one barre and publike at the other receiue an acquittance and yet the debter makes no paiment or surely no such payment as in equitie he should If their oath were Iuramentum diaboli their sophistrie were tolerable but I beseech them in the feare of God to consider that sinceritie is the attribute of the oath of God and let them take heed lest obliging themselues to God and doing seruice to the Diuel they descend not into hell when they hope to ascend to heauen Finally whereas the ground whereupon the Assembly standeth is holy ground let euerie man put off his shooes put off his corrupt affections so shall the worke be an acceptable a profitable sacrifice which may yeeld a sweet sauour vnto God and a sauour of rest vnto our whole Land it shall so be and it shall do so if the Iudge hauing called this assembly iudge according to the rule if hee iudge vprightly I come then from the time to the manner Some take the word Mesharim for a Nown some for an Aduerb wherupon arise two interpretations one respecting the person of the Iudge the other that whereupon the Iudge worketh If you respect the person of the Iudge then the words are I will iudge vprightly that is according to the Law Before you heard of a publicke standard whereat mens causes must be tryed the Iudge is not fabricator but adhibitor mensurae Iupiter ipse duas aequato examine lances Sustinet the King himselfe much more the Iudge is put in trust with it not to make it but to vse it and as St. Augustine speakes Non iudicat de legibus sed secundum leges he must not confound a Parliament with an Assizes That is the first thing that must be noted A second thing is that the word signifieth streight or right lines which is the proper attribute of a Law and you know that recta linea est brenissima inter eosdem terminos and if mens causes be iudged according to Law the handling of them must not take the next way about the proceeding must be as euen so speedy And yet which wee must note in the third place the straitnesse of the Law is not a mathematicall but a morall straitnesse It is not inflexible but it is so farre to be bent as the minde of the Law giuer did intend A Iudge must not insist vpon the words of a Law but put on the minde of a Law-maker and a Law-maker doth follow medium not arithmeticum but geâ—metricum not rei but rationis The circumstances of quid quantum cui quando Heb. 7. do varie the proceeding and yet the rule is still euen Prouided alwaies that the King and the Iudge bee as Melchisedeck 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so righteous a King and Iudge that he hath no consanguinity nor affinity but only the common weale If a Iudge follow such a rule hee then iudgeth vprightly But I told you though Mesharim may beevsed Aduerbially yet is it a Nown and so the Ancients did take it in this place as appeares by their translating it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 recta and I thinke it is most naturall here to referre it to that whereupon the Iudge worketh Hee calleth an Assembly to see what vprightnesse there is in mens carriage God as the Preacher speaketh made man straight the word is iashar that is set him in a straight way the holy Ghost doth much delight to resemble Lawes by waies and that resemblance is implied in this word but man being set so straight sought out many inuentions c. The Rule is as true in policie as in diuinitie S. Iohn Baptist the harbinger of Christ according to the Prophefie of Esay crying vnto the people to prepare Christs way and to make his path straight doth reduce all the obliquitie thereof vnto foure heads saying that euery hill must be brought low You shall finde some men through pride to swell like hils like mountaines lifting themselues aboue their ranke and vsurping more power than belongs vnto them such are the violent oppressors of the poore And I adde vnto them those that are mountainous also the supporters of the man of sin dwelling vpon the seuen hils who vsurped spirituall power of old but of late is grown more eager for a temporall hee hath many Proctors for both in this Land and they should all be brought low Besides these Mountaines you shall find Valleyes men that by base qualities fall below their
with an old disease a disease which hee brought from his Parents loines and cannot be quiet except he be eased of that except that be healed also And our euill Deeds when wee bethinke our selues of them wil discouer their fountaine which is our euill nature neither haue we sufficiently searched into our selues vntill wee finde the euill Tree that beareth euill fruite the root of bitternes that fructifieth in all our euill Deeds This we must obserue by the way as a fit preface shewing the reason of this branch of King Dauids Confession Let vs now come closer to the Text and see what this sinne is which he acknowledged and that is a Natiue Corruption Iniquitie wherein man is shapen Sinne wherein his Mother conceiues him That you may the better conceiue this I must first remember you of certaine grounded truthes which giue light hereunto without which it cannot be easily conceiued The first is that in the Creation God put this difference betweene Angels and Men that Angels had their seuerall Creations not so Men but as Saint Paul teacheth Acts 17.26 God of one blood made all the nations of men that were vpon all the face of the whole earth he would haue them all propagated from one Secondly as all mankind is deriued from One so with that One God was pleased to enter into a couenant for All and All were liable vnto and to communicate in that which befell that One this is cleare in the Comparison which Saint Paul maketh betweene the First and Second Adam Rom. 5. Thirdly the first Adam failed in his obedience so forfeited that which was couenanted on Gods part was subiect vnto that which was deserued on his owne no man can doubt of this that reades the third of Genesis Fourthly by the tenour of the Couenant man failing wrapt all his Posterity in his transgression and condemnation Rom. 5.12 the Apostle is cleare for this also By one man Sin entred into the world and death by Sin so that by the Fall all mankind becomes first guiltie then punishable both these Euils doth Adam communicate vnto his Posteritie I must open the latter branch a little farther because it is most proper to my Text. The punishment then of Adams Guilt was the losse of Holinesse and Happinesse Holinesse wherein and Happinesse whereunto hee was created in the losse of Holines stands so much of Original sin as my Text doth occasion me to speake of The Fathers vse to expresse it by the Parable of the Man that passing froÌ„ Ierusalem to Iericho fell amongst theeues Luk. 10.30 who robbed him and wounding him left him halfe dead The Schooles abridge it thus Supernaturalia sunt ablata Naturalia sunt corrupta both which being discreetly vnderstood containe a sound truth which I expresse more plainely thus The losse of concreated Holinesse consisteth in a Priuation and a Deprauation Adam was depriued of the Image of God according to which hee was created they call it vsually Original Righteousnes and the Powers that remained after he was thus stript were miserably peruerted he became not only auerse from God but aduerse to him also Sinne is an Auersion from God and a Conuersion to the world or a forsaking of God and things eternall to imbrace the world and things temporall God left Adam in the hands of his owne councell to chuse whether hee would follow Rationem Superiorem or Inferiorem as the Schooles speake that is cleaue to God or to the World but with this condition that which way soeuer hee bent thither should his inclination bee for euer after he preferred Earth before Heauen and so his propension hath been euer since out of loue of this earth to make head against God and goodnesse so that his Deprauation is not only Physicall but Morall not only an Impotency vnto Good but an Opposition to it also his vnderstanding is not only blind but a Sophister his owne Iudgement is a snare whereby he entangleth himselfe in error his will is so farre from making a good choice Ambros. Gen. 6.7 Gen. 8.21 Rom 7.18 Ier. 17.9 Rom 6 6. Rom. 7.24 that it commands alwaies for that which is worst all his Affections distast and abhorre the good which they cannot rellish and therefore not ensue Finally the Flesh is become Illecebra peccati sinne needes no other bait then mans senfualitie All the frame of the Imaginations of the Heart of Man are euill only continually from his youth and in his flesh dwelles no good thing the hearâ— is deceitfull aboue all things and hee beareth about him a Body of sinne and death And this is that Massa Corruptionis and Perditionis that woefull Being whereunto sinne brought Adam Whereby you may perceiue that though he hath lost his Goodnes hee hath not lost his Actiuenes and though sinne be Non ens a Priuation yet it is in ente a Dreprauation also by reason wherof men that were reasonable Creatures by Nature yea and Spirituall also 1. Cur. 3.1 1. Câ—â— 2.14 are vouchsafed no better names in the state of Corruption then those of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sensuall and fleshly Men. Hauing thus opened the miserable case whereunto Adam brought himselfe it wil not be hard for you to vnderstand the words of my Text and acknowledge with King Dauid the Natiue Corruption of mankind or the Originall Sinne meant in this place First then the want of Originall Holinesse is in the Text called Iniquitie or Sinne and well may it so bee called for what is Sinne but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Vnconformitie to Gods Lawes and how vnanswerable is his being herein vnto that state wherein he was made were he only vnanswerable it were Sinne how much more when he is opposite thereunto and is become a rebell vnto God can any thing in the reasonable soule be lesse then Sinne â—on 7. that tempts vnto sinne but Concupiscence is Domesticus Hostis a traitour in our bosome that doth seduce vs and whose Lusts doe sight against the Soule 1. Vet. 2.11 Neither only doth it tempt to sinne but produce sinne also Iam. 1.15 et simile producit sibi simile wee must needs make the Tree Euill that beareth such euill fruit Neither can it be excused seeing the Leauen of Concupiscence hath seasoned all the powers of the soule euen of the Reasonable soule and so maketh the whole man come short of fulfilling the Law Deut. 6.5 Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy Heart with all thy minde with all thy strength c. Ioyne that generall Precept Exod. 20.17 with the generall Prohibition Non Concupisces thou shalt not lust and by them measure the state of a naturall man and he must be verie senslesse that doth not acknowledge sin in this Corruption he must needs make the Habits of no other nature then are the Actions which proceed therefrom They that yeeld it to be Vitium but not
and the order that we are to expect from Christ who commeth to set vs in frame and to vse the Apostles words Ephes 4. to set vs in ioynt that euery part of man should keepe his order and none in working exceed his measure It is one of the curses that God in Esay threatneth to the Kingdome of Israel that the vile person shall set himselfe against the honourable And it is no small curse in euery one of vs to haue the worser part command the better and command it will except Christ doe order except he doe vse his first royall endowment But as he vseth the first so must he vse the second also for as the Kingdome is out of order so is it weake also and the establishing presupposeth this weakenesse yea indeed weakenesse is the cause of disorder men fall to disorder through weaknesse The weakenesse of the ciuill State of Israel is cleare in the Storie for the Israelites were become enthralled to the Romanes and had no power to relieue themselues though they were exposed to all kinde of ignominie and cruelty as he that readeth Flauius Iosephus will confesse It was bad with them in the Assyrian captiuity but in the Romane much worse and it was this weakenesse that the Iewes thought their Messias should support who reiected Christ because hee came not into the World as a likely person to doe this to crush their enemies and to make them a mighty nation according to the Prophecies which not only affirme they should be so but set it out in diuers Similies as you may reade in Esay in Zacharie and in others that they should thresh all Nations as a heauy stone should grinde them should bee as a soporiforous cup and as fire working vpon stubble These places they vnderstood literally which indeed should haue been vnderstood spiritually Another weakenesse for they had another kinde of weakenesse was disability to doe well whereby they were carried captiues vnto sinne as St. Paul speaketh Rom. 7. and that was it which enfeebled them as God had threatned Deut. 28. and gaue their enemies power ouer them Christ came to remedy this weaknesse Esay 35. to strengthen these weake hands and feeble knees as you may perceiue in that excellent description thereof which Zacharie hath cap. 2. where God promiseth power to all the house of Israel and sheweth that the feeblest of them shall be like vnto Dauid and the house of Dauid like vnto the Angels St. Paul Ephes 6. describeth the armour wherewith wee are strengthened and telleth vs that it is The power of the Lord and cap. 3. he telleth vs that therewith we are strengthned in the inward man and to the Hebrewes cap. 11. telleth vs that by Faith many of weake became strong euen so strong that St. Paul saith of himselfe Phil. 4. Hee could doe all things through him that strengthned him which is Christ Finally this is the strength for which he so often prayeth when he prayeth for the Church it is the strength whereby we may be able to encounter our chiefe enemies which are ghostly and to performe the duties which concerne a Christian life The substance of our faculties was not abolished by sinne but the sinewes were enfeebled as wee hold in the question of Free-will Try it in the particulars and you may perceiue it Our vnderstanding had proportionable strength to the obiect thereof the truth of God to apprehend it and the will to the obiect thereof our soueraigne Good to embrace it so had all the affections the strength that was expedient for such attendance vpon the will to further our possession of the obiect thereof But now euery one of these is disabled by sinne and it is Christs grace that enableth them againe giuing vs such wisedome such holinesse such courage and desires as are expedient for a childe of God to bring him vnto and keepe him in enioying of his finall end And this power is that power by which wee must ouerthrow our enemies if they be irreconcileable as the diuell and his angels are we foile them when they can fasten no sinne vpon vs then we break the Serpents head when his craft cannot delude vs and his taile too when we continue starres in the firmament notwithstanding his violent striking at vs and though he roare like a Lion yet we continue stedfast in the faith whether both these be vsed immediately by himselfe or mediately by his instruments And if the enemies be reconcileable then the conquest of them by this power is not the foyling of their bodies or spoyling of their goods but the casting downe in them of all imaginations 2 Cor. 10. and euery high thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God and bringing into captiuity euery thought to the obedience of Christ And in this manner did the Apostles conquer and the Christians in the Primitiue Church taking-in all these holds that were possessed by Sathan and imposing the easie yoke of Christ vpon the wits and wils of all Nations And in this sense should the Iewes haue vnderstood the Prophets and made Dauids Kingdome a type not of historicall correspondencie but of mysticall presignificancy for other power they meant none none that should appeare in this world And the Popes of Rome are Iewish that herein stand for a temporall power ouer Kings direct or indirect whereby they may ouer-top the scepters and dispose of the crownes of Princes Christ left vnto his Church no other sword than that which commeth out of his mouth which elsewhere is called the breath of his mouth Heb. 4. and the Word of God which is sharper than any two-edged sword and workes in it by no other power as it is a Church though hee hath not abolished the ciuill sword nor rebated the edge thereof in peace or warre but strengthned it rather in proceeding vpon lawfull and legall grounds But the ciuill power is not to bee confounded with the power of the Gospell the power of the Church and the power of the Common-weale distant in toto genere and it is the power of the Church that is meant here that is the power which Christ established And marke it is not enough for Christ to order except he establish It was the case of Adam hee was well ordered but hee was not established and thereupon the good order became mutable and all the gifts of God be they not well rooted and founded in vs will come to nought and fall to disorder So that stability signifieth the preseruation of that good order which wisedome sets and is the principall blessing of the Gospell wherein standeth the prerogatiue of Adam regenerated aboue Adam created and it is that which Christ promiseth in the Gospell and for which the Apostles doe pray in their Epistles namely for prescruation and stedfastnesse in the truth and Christ in his prayer before his passion doth specifie it expresly If we consider the mutability of our nature which comming of
it the gift would bee contemptible for who cares for that which euery one hath and the distribution would be vnreasonable for how shall one member further another when all haue the same gift But in calling some and not the rest God doth prouide that his gift is mag is augustum more reuerend and the body of his Church is mag is ordinatum better proportioned all then doe not partake this Calling It was a mutinous speech of Corah Dathan and Abyram when they said to Moses Aaron You take too much vpon you seeing all the Congregation is holy It is true that all are holy in that they are Christians yea in that they are Christians they are anointed Priests so the Scripture cals them 1 Pet. 2. Reu. 1. and they haue spirituall sacrifices which they must offer but it is one thing to offer Sacrifice another thing to offer publicke sacrifice it is one thing to offer for themselues another thing to represent the whole Church vnto God this publicke function is peculiar to some the other is common vnto all The like must we thinke of the other part of the Ministrie euery one may reade Gods word vnto himselfe and to his familie and may instruct himselfe and them therein but in Gods house and in the presence of the whole Congregation to dispense the Mysteries or to take vpon him any where to set to Gods seale of the Sacrament is so peculiar to the Stewards of his house that others may not presume to meddle therewith But yet this is the honour that God hath done vnto all men that they are de genere Sacerdotali euery one is capable of holy Orders euery man I say for St. Paul vpon good reason hath excluded women if hee bee fit he may be called to serue in the Sanctuarie of God and administer in sacred things And this is no small honour though the world thinke otherwise who thinke not that so to minister to God was a prerogatiue of the first borne the Patriarkes made it their chiefe employment our Sauiour Christ did not disdaine it and they are basely proud that thinke themselues too good for it But enough of the first difference the difference betweene the Minister and his flocke and the degree they haue aboue it As the Clergie doe all differ from the Laitie and haue a degree aboue them so doe they differ betweene themselues and haue each degrees aboue others it is cleare by the diuision that St. Paul makes in my text some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists c. It is true that the Gospell is but one that is committed to them all and all agree in this that they are but Ministers but the same abilitie is not giuen vnto all to publish the Gospel neither are they all trusted with alike ample charge And yet this distinction is not such as that diuers of these degrees may not meete in one person though the gifts differ formally et may they meete in the same subiect A vegetable soule differs from a sensitiue a sensitiue from a reasonable and yet notwithstanding they all three meete in the soule of a man euen so though it be one thing to bee a Pastor another thing to be a Doctor c. yet may one man sustaine all these persons you will perceiue it when I open the particulars Of these degrees then some be extraordinary some be ordinary the three first are extraordinary and serued for the first plantation of Christian Religion Of those three the Apostles had plenitudinem Ministerij the fulnesse of Ministeriall power for their calling comprehended all the other degrees And why they were to lay the foundations of the Church so the Apostle teacheth vs in this Epistle and St. Iohn cals the twelue Apostles the twelue foundations of the heauenly Hierusalem Reuel 21. they had infallibilitie of knowledge because they were to set downe the Canon of the Scripture their Diocesse was all the world they might plant Churches euery where their flocke were not only all Nations but all Pastors they had power not only to ordaine them but also to inable them neuer was the like Ministeriall power giuen vnto meere men As for the other two the Prophet and the Euangelist they had each of them a piece of the Apostles power The Prophet of the new Testament was he that was so well seene in the Prophets of the old that he could discern the new Testament in the old and shew how the one is confirmed by the other This was his proper gift though hee had some other accessory which was to foretell future things to aduise in perplexed cases answerable vnto Vrim and Thummim and to discouer the secrets of mens thoughts which were occasionall works of the Spirit of Prophecie but the ordinary was that which I first specified The Euangelist deliuered the new Testament only and in doing that was assistant to the Apostles following their directions and supplying their place whithersoeuer they were sent This was their principall worke whereunto some of them had an accessory which was to record the summe of the Gospel indited vnto them by the Apostles so did Luke and Marke Besides these there were other gifts extraordinary as of speaking with strange tongues curing of diseases working of miracles but they serued rather for to raise attention than to conferre the grace of adoption and therefore they are not here specified these here specified are those which serue properly for that principall end and therefore they are only specified The other two degrees are ordinarie Pastors and Teachers Some of the Fathers make these different some take them to be but one degree They that make them different hold the Doctor or Teacher to bee that person whose care is only to deliuer truth and the ground thereof whereby it is confirmed maintained against opposite errours such as were the Catechists or Lecturers in Cathedral Churches in the primitiue times of whom we read often mention in the Ecclesiasticall story and the Chancellors of Churches were founded for this vse But now it is apparent in the Vniuersities where therebe speciall Professors appointed to train vp youth in the knowledge of the truth and this is the principall vse of those Nurseries of learning a blessed vse The Pastor is hee that resides vpon his Cure and takes care of the people to instruct them in the knowledge and feare of God and recall them when they goe astray and comfort them in perplexities of conscience As it is true that there must be Nurseries of learning and the testimony there of doth much recommend the Pastour to the people so we must know that none may bee a Pastor which is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 able to teach though many be able to teach which are not Pastors Therefore many of the Fathers vnderstand one degree by these two names and the obseruation is that the names put the Minister in minde of his duety hee must feede by teaching Man
liues not by bread only saith Moses Deut. 8.3 but by euery word that goeth out of the mouth of God Gods word is the bread of life and it is that wherewith Pastors are trusted Neither may any man in the Church take vpon him the name of Pastor bee hee neuer so holy except God hath furnished him with some part of this prouision how should he be a guide that is blinde how should he be a steward that is not stockt But more particularly If a Pastors knowledge must bee food it is not enough if that which he preacheth be true hee must preach nothing but that which is profitable the Pulpet is neyther for curious nor idle questions St. Paul hath censured both and it were to bee wished that all Pastors of our Church were so discreete as they did not neede such a censure Secondly whereas of food some is wholesome and some is vnwholesome it is not enough for the Pastor to bring foode he must looke that it be wholesome food errours and heresies must be heeded and he must deliuer nothing for which he hath not good warrant he must feede the Israel of God with no Manna which comes not downe from heauen and they must drinke of no water but that which flowes from the spirituall rocke which rocke is Christ Young Students take vp much Diuinitie vpon trust but whom doe they trust promiscuous Authors both moderne and ancient they should be aduised in making their choyce and whomsoeuer they reade try before they trust try it at the touchstone of Gods word and weigh what is said in the scales of the Sanctuary which while they doe not they mistake them selues and misleade others Thirdly it is not enough that the foode be wholesome but it must be conuenient for there bee babes in Christ as well as strong men so that the Pastor must haue milke and strong meate and it is absurd to feede eyther men with milke or babes with strong meate each must be prouided for according to the power of his digestion And here appeares much indiscretion in those that fit not their matter to their auditors being more carefull eyther of their owne praise or ease of their paines than of their good to whom they speake In a word a Pastor must neyther starue nor bane nor neglect reasonably to satisfie his flocke and blessed is the seruant whom his master when hee comes shall finde so doing yea and blessed are the people for God hath giuen vnto them Pastors according to his owne heart Ier. 3. if they so feede with knowledge and vnderstanding But it is not enough that the Pastors deale so the people also must carry themselues answerably vnto him they must not only heare Doctorem but Pastorem they must not only be the wiser but the better for that he saith the knowledge which they doe treasure vp in their head must as good food bee digested also in their heart and as good foode if it nourish sheweth it selfe in the vigour of our body so good Lessons if they doe worke as they ought will shew themselues in our life and conuersation Finally as the degrees are partly extraordinary and partly ordinary so must the ordinary keepe correspondencie with the extraordinarie Ministers now are not Apostles yet they must bee Apostolicke they are not Prophets but they must bee Propheticall they are not Euangelists but they must be Euangelicall that is they must imitate them in doctrine and discipline And indeed what is a Doctor but a Prophet for both search out the true sense of the Scripture the one did it by reuelation the other must doe it by meditation And what is a Pastor but an Euangelist for both feede the flocke of Christ though both be not enabled thereunto by the same meanes And if the Euangelist and the Prophet doe share in the Apostolicke function then the Pastor and the Teacher comming so neare them must needs haue good cognation with the Apostles in the substance of their calling though not in the amplitude in that which they doe though not in the abilitie to doe it And as the extraordinary differ in degree euen so doe the ordinarie also and so haue they euer done in the Church the Bishops haue succeeded the Apostles though in a smaller modell yet in this that all orders are included in the sphere of their calling and as Euangelists and Prophets doe share in the Apostolicke function so Presbyters and Deacons haue some parts of that higher calling which is in a Bishop and they striue to bee wiser than the Holy Ghost that call for an equalitie the mother of confusion as if the same reasons did not still hold which moued the Apostles to subordinate Pastors All may no more now be trusted with gouernement than they might heretofore and schisme is a weede that will spring in all ages yea the latter times are the worser and therefore they more neede the remedie So that though the ground were onely humane which cannot bee proued the change of Ecclesiasticall policie will be very dangerous and others haue made so ill tryall of equalitie that wee shall doe well for to continue the inequalitie especially considering the Originall Ipse dedit Nazianzent inferreth Ne contradicas obserue and reuerence the distinction considering the Author and the Author is Christ. Leauing to speake further of the degrees I will now then come to speake of the originall Ipse dedit two words which yeeld two notes the person that giues He and the title of his Ordinance 1 Cor. 12. Acts 20. it is a Gift He the person is Christ It is true that the ordination of Ministers is ascribed sometimes to the first Person sometimes to the second and sometimes to the third And indeed seeing the ordination is by the gift of the Spirit all that can giue the Spirit may be reputed the originall of holy Orders this being a worke ad extra of those we must pronounce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euery of the persons hath a hand in them Eccumenius In all such works we must acknowledge the Trinitie in Vnitie Vnitie in the action representing the vnitie of the essence of God and a Trinitie in the efficients representing a trinitie of the persons in God And indeed this mysterie of Trinitie in Vnitie the memoriall whereof wee solemnize this day cannot better bee studied than in the effects that giue vs a glimpse of it and of all effects none more comfortable than those of our Redemption and the meanes whereby wee are made partakers thereof wherein euery person is pleased to shew his loue to man But yet as in other workes so in this they keepe an order and that order the Greeke Fathers call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latine Fathers dispensationem though with consent and concurrencie of the other two persons some one shewes himselfe principally in the worke In this worke the second Person He as head of the Church Master of the Assemblies and chiefe
could professe their Faith The Ancients write much de Catechumenis worth our reading and imitating in the same case and of those adulti or Persons come to the yeares of discretion must you vnderstand all those rules in the Scripture which require those acts of the reasonable soule Faith Hope and Charitie before admission into the Church of whom yee may require one you may require all and of whom you may not require all you may require neuer a one But Christ doth not here prescribe who shall be baptized but How At least Christ doth not forbidde them to be baptized which are not taught but commands them that are taught to be baptized Children of the faithfull must bee baptized vpon another ground they are not increduli they haue no actuall vnbeliefe neyther can they Ponere obicem resist the grace of the Spirit or make themselues vncapable thereof Secondly they are foederati they are in Gods Couenant by meanes of their Parents whom when God receiued into the Church he receiued them with this Promise Ero Deus tuus seminis tâ—ui So then there is an obligation that lieth vpon children by a natiue allegiance vnto God the Vow that their Sureties make for them is not arbitrary but necessary and he is bound to make it good aswell as a childe vnder age is bound when hee commeth to age to satisfie his Tutor for whatsoeuer hee reasonably doth expend vpon his health foode apparrell and whatsoeuer else the child did owe himselfe by the Law of Nature and of Reason See then is the child on his part so bound vnto God in his infancy and is not God bound vnto the child by his Promise euen in the same infancie to giue him the grace of his Couenant and the Minister in his Name to seale vnto the childe the assurance thereof by the Sacrament Surely hee is otherwise the stipulation is not mutuall And take away this what is the prerogatiue of a Christians childe beyond the childe of a Turke or Infidell To thinke there is none is impious and besides this they can name none As then Kings giue vnto their naturall subiects euen so soone as euer they are borne the benefit due vnto subiects though they expect their personall Homage till they come to yeares of discretion so doth God deale with the new-borne subiects of the Kingdome of heauen And as it were very hard for a King to put a childe borne vnder his allegiance out of the protection of his law till he is of yeares to doe his owne Homage and take his Oath so standeth it not with the goodnesse of God to with-hold the benefit of the Sacrament from him whom he hath taken to bee his childe till he can with his owne voice professe that hee doth vow himselfe to bee such Nay as in the Primitiue Church many together with holy Orders receiued the qualities fit to discharge the calling though others were qualified before they were ordered euen so in Baptisme some receiue the grace of Faith Hope and Charity by the Sacrament as infants though those which are come to yeares of discretion must bee in some sort seasoned with them before they are baptized But the time biddeth mee end and reserue what I haue farther to say vpon this Text till some other time Wherefore LEt vs pray God that the Pastors may so teach and the People so learne that both doing their duety in the Kingdome of Grace may receiue their reward in the Kingdome of Glory from him that hath all power both in Heauen and Earth This he grant into whose Name wee are baptized the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost To this one God in three Persons be rendred all honour and glory now and for euer Amen THE SECOND SERMON MATTH 28. Vers 20. Teaching them to obserue all things whatsoeuer I haue commanded you And lo I am with you alwayes vnto the end of the world Amen THis Text with the former Verse doth containe Christs right to send and his sending of his Apostles Hee had good right to send because hee is Soueraigne Lord of all the World Hee sendeth them with a common charge and comfort Their charge is to goe through the whole world to endeauour to conuert all both Iewes and Gentiles vnto Christ If in doing their errand they speed with any they are first to consecrate them vnto God by Baptisme and then to conforme their liues vnto the Gospell This is the summe of the common charge Their common comfort standeth in the powerfull and perpetuall presence of Christ Christ promiseth to be with them Hee will be with them that hath all power hoth in heauen and earth And hee will neuer forsake them he will be with them alwaies or with their successors Hee will bee with them vntill the worlds end Vpon this comfort they must sixe their eyes Loe or Behold and their hopefull prayer must desire this Amen These be the particulars whereinto heretofore speaking vnto you vpon a like occasion I brake this and the former Verses I then handled Christs right to send I haue opened vnto you the large Diocesse ouer which the Apostles were set you haue seene how they must endeauour their conuersion and last of all I opened vnto you the manner of consecrating beleeuers vnto Christ farther I could not goe at that time except I would trespasse too much vpon your patience I purpose now God willing to goe on and goe through with the particulars which remaine vntoucht Of the Charge then there remaines one point to be handled and that is the conforming the liues of beleeuers vnto the Gospell of Christ The Apostles are willed to teach beleeuers to keepe all things whatsoeuer Christ had commanded his Apostles In which words I will obserue vnto you these two things first whereunto the seruice of a Minister is resembled to the office of a Schoolemaster the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alludes thereunto and they must proceed in this manner they must praeire verbo exemplo by word and by deed Christs word for they must teach them to doe all whatsoeuer Christ hath commanded but the deedes must bee their owne for Christ hath layed his commandements immediately vpon the Apostles to do all things which I haue commanded you But let vs open these points a little more fully first the resemblance of a Minister to a Schoolemaster The resemblance is very fit The first name that euer was giuen vnto Christians was the name of Disciples that is Schollars wee finde the name in the former Verse implyed in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make Disciples Now if the beleeuers are Disciples then the Pastors are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Masters of those Schollars they are appointed to instruct them and so the most renowned of the Fathers are in the writings of the Fathers oftentimes termed But that which I will obserue vnto you that are to be ordered is from Schoolemasters to learne a point of discretion they
made steward of Gods house a disposer of the secrets of the Kingdome of God an Oecumaenicall both Steward and Disposer Et ad haec quis idoneus No man that is not qualified by grace and by grace not only called but inabled thereunto as St. Paul was that was not only an Apostle but had also Apostolicall gifts But I said I would haue an eye to this present occasion wherefore I will enlarge this point as fitteth the present Auditorie The grace of a Minister is eyther inherent or assistant the first giueth Abilitie the second Authoritie by grace inherent hee vnderstandeth the Scripture by grace assistant hee hath power to retaine and remit sinne Of these two graces both are requisite to the being as it were of a Pastor there should be a sufficiencie in him vnto whom authoritie is giuen and hands should not be imposed on them which haue not a competencie of gifts And yet it falleth out too often that through the ambition of ignorant men and ouer-facilitie of those that haue power to lay on hands many weake yea wicked ones are honoured with that sacred calling whereunto themselues are no meane dishonour who in regard of the grace of inherence cannot say with St. Paul by the grace of God I am that I am inward grace in this kinde they haue plainely none I would they would redeeme this shame and not liue to bee scandalls of our Church But the sinne of such doth not impeach their power they are true though they are not fit Ministers Which must bee considered by those which factiously refuse or scrupulously forbeare to be Sheepe vnder such Shepheards or to communicate with them in sacred things although hee come short in regard of grace inherent yet God is not wanting to him in regard of grace assistant whether he dispence the Sacraments according to Gods ordinance or present according to the ordinance of the Church the peoples deuotion vnto God And let this suffice touching St. Paules Endowment I come now to his Employment And here I told you first that St. Paul did not neglect Gods gifts Gods grace bestowed vpon him was not in vaine Vaine is eyther emptie or idle emptie is that which hath a shew but no substance idle is that whose efficacie is not answerable to its abilitie The grace that St. Paul had was neither way vaine for he had Gods spirit indeed not in shew onely and his deeds did beare witnesse that Gods spirit was in him In this place the Apostle meaneth not so much emptinesse as idlenesse for though whatsoeuer is emptie must needs be idle yet whatsoeuer is idle is not emptie otherwise there could be no sinne of negligence whereof notwithstanding there is too much in the world Negligence of both kinde of graces of the grace of Adoption which is common to all the Church for how many be there whose vnderstanding God illightneth with the knowledge of the truth that neuer make vse of it in ordering of their liues but liue as if they knew neyther Creede nor ten Commandements how many good motions doth God kindle in the hearts of many a man who notwithstanding liueth frozen as it were in the dregs of his owne impure lusts and those good motions set him not a whit forwarder towards heauen Nay as water that hath beene warmed is apt to bee bound faster with the frost so after-lusts are the more violent by reason of former good motions But this is a foule neglect of Gods good gifts Wherfore let me remember you all in the Apostles words to follow his good example not to receiue the grace of God in vaine St. Paul did not the more grace he had the better he liued and so must we if there be light in vs it must shine forth from vs and they must feele the heat of our inward zeale that conuerse with vs outwardly in the world In a word wee must all walke in that spirit by which wee liue they that boast of Gods gifts let them shew the effects of them for I haue chosen you saith Christ that you may goe and beare fruit Gods grace that makes vs other men must make vs also profitable men As none of the Church must neglect the grace of Adoption so must not the Ministers neglect their grace of Edification they must not hide their talent consult with flesh and blood bee disobedient to the heauenly visions they must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stirre vp the grace of God blow off the ashes that would ouer-cast it sound the trumpet and giue timely Alarums be instant in season and out of season being salt wee must euer be seasoners of the world being light we must euer be dispelling the darkenesse of men being Architects wee must euer be building of Gods house being Husbandmen wee must euer bee labouring in Gods field finally being Shepheards we must euer be attending on Christs flocke so was St. Paul so must we Otherwise Gods grace is bestowed on vs in vaine our conscience cannot yeeld vs this good testimonie which St. Paul giueth here vnto himselfe it will rather challenge vs of our neglect and the grieuousnesse of our neglect will bee answerable to the gifts which wee receiue from God And God knowes there is too much of this neglect of our calling in many at whose hands God will require the blood of many perishing soules But I will dwell no longer vpon this first branch of St. Paules employment St. Paul did not neglect the gifts of God but vnto his vse of them there concurred more workers than one he doth specifie them and the preheminencie of eyther of them The workers are two St. Paul and Gods grace And here I must put you in minde that though in our first conuersion we are only passiue yet being conuerted we become actiue also God onely maketh vs new men but being new he will haue vs make vse of our new vnderstanding and our new will and our new affections he will haue vs vse them all And it were grosse for vs to neglect our selues when God hath giuen vs abilities which we may employ yea honoured vs so farre as to enable vs to work out our saluation and walke the waies that leade vnto eternall life neither doth hee euer deserue to come there that will not set forward that way And yet many such wretches haue you that leaue themselues to be carried to heauen by God while they giue themselues ouer-securely to fulfill their owne wicked lusts that hope well of God but themselues doe no good at all And as there bee such carelesse Christians so are there carelesse Ministers also who presuming vpon dabitur in illa hora do all things extempore preach pray and what not as if premeditation and studie did not concerne them but the spirit of God would alwaies supply them and giue them an extraordinarie abilitie But this is grosse presumption and dangerous also euen the high way vnto Enthusiasme Anabaptisme and all those mischieuous Sects the
good vse of your indulgence as to be ashamed and reclaimed Wherefore as St. Iude obserues you must saue some with feare and plucke them out of the fire wherein they would burne themselues you must compell them to learn and obey the law of the God of Ezra the true God whereupon followeth also the next point which is they will the more easily be brought to doe the Kings law Of obseruing lawes in generall I need say no more than I haue but the iniquity of the times wills mee to remember you that lawes must bee obeyed though they be the lawes of the King of Persia this is the second caution The Proctors of Rome though they dare not flatly deny it yet so sophystically handle it that what with subiecting the scepter of Kings to the command of Popes and exempting of such persons and cases as seeme good vnto him they vndermine what they would seeme to yeeld and the most they grant is no more nor no longer than their Holy Father doth that 's too much or hereafter will allow them If hee will abrogate all they must acknowledge none no lawes of a King of Persia a King that is not of their religion Others haue learnedly and sufficiently shaken their grounds and my Text is an argument of no small force to resolue the consciences of such as doubt whether a different religion doth euacuate the power of a lawfull Soueraigne It doth not though it be a false religion how much more when it is the true and the King our King commands onely for the God of Ezra the true God and enioynes no other worship of him than according to his owne lawes the vndoubted register whereof is the sacred Word of God Wherefore you must bee as the earth mentioned in the Reuelation cap. 12. and swallow all those waters that the dragon casts forth to drowne the woman you must crush these seedes of rebellion which ayme at nothing but the ouerthrow of true Religion And how must you crush it euen by punishment And so I come to the second worke of iudgement from the precept to the sanction which containes the second limitation of the power Wherein I obserue first how farre the Magistrate may draw his sword Looke how farre his prouidence doth reach so farre may his vengeance reach also The reward of sinne is death eternall death to violate Gods Lawes or the Kings is no lesse than sinne it should therefore be reuenged with eternall death But behold here vnspeakeable mercie God would haue vs iudged here by men that we be not condemned hereafter by him This is the proper end of the keyes and the sword of the power that is in the Prince and the Pastor The occasion draweth mee to speake of the Sword yet let me giue you this Item touching the Keyes that malefactors must remember that for euerie of their offences challengable by the Law of man they owe a repentance vnto God and the greater their offence the deeper should be their repentance Which I the rather note because there are too many of them that scarce giue glorie vnto God when they suffer by the Law and if they escape make no conscience at all of their sin as if how soeuer they speed at the iudgement seat of men they were not to take heed that they be not cast at the barre of God which the first Councell of Nice well corrected when imitating Gods law without preiudice to the ciuill sword it appointed sundrie yeares penance according to the grieuousnesse of sinne Sed pristino rigori non sumus pares the Liturgie of our Church saith that it were to bee wished but the iniquitie of the times that it is not to be hoped Secondly seeing your power should touch men with a losse temporall to keepe them from a losse eternall you see what wrong you doe them when you suffer them to spend their dayes in loosenesse and in a moment as Iob speaketh though from their beds they goe quicke down into hell how much better were it for them if with one hand or one eye they might goe into heauen than hauing both to bee cast into hell O then let the righteous rebuke them yea smite them rather than that your precious balmes should breake their heads yea slay their soules spare nothing that is temporall so you may preserue them from the paine which is eternall You see how farre you may draw the sword But when you strike your strokes must bee proportionable to their sinnes but the proportion must not be Arithmeticall but Geometricall they must be secundum merita but not aequalia meritis you may punish intra but not vltra medum so doth God who notwithstanding doth punish in number weight and measure Semper aliquid detrahit de poenae atrocitate as Nazianzene speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he doth temper mercie with iudgement In the hand of the Lord there is a cup the wine thereof is red and it is full mixt whereof though his children offending drinke yet only the incorrigible wicked drinke the dregs thereof And the same Father writing to the Emperours Deputie reckoning vp his vertues demands this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what shall I say of your clemencie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here you decline something but he addes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I cannot much blame you you haue God for your patterne who in Hosea speakes thus of himselfe How shall I giue thee vp O Ephraim how shall I deliuer thee O Israel how shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Seboim my heart is turned within mee my repentings are rouled together I will not execute the fiercenesse of my wrath c. You must wisely then temper iudgement and mercie but so that mercie doe not hinder iudgement and yet that of the two mercie reioyce against iudgement And thus haue you heard what a Iudge may and must doe he may take the sword and must vse it against malefactors but with the conditions of the vse and limitations of the power specified in my text The conditions are two he must vse it timely and indifferently the limitations also two he must extend it to all transgressions of both Tables and intend it according to their transgressions And the end of all must bee by a temporall punishment to saue the wicked from eternall paine or if that will not bee that the blood of all cursing Shimei's and factious Ioabs and irreligious Abiathars also may bee vpon their head and the head of their seed but vpon Dauid our Dauid vpon his house and vpon his throne vpon this whole Church and Common weale may bee peace for euer from the Lord. MOst mighty most mercifull Lord who to preserue sincere pietie and secure peace in the Church and Common weale hast put the sword into the hands of mortall men and for the vse thereof hast aduanced them aboue their Brethren we humbly beseech thee so to sanctifie them with thy grace whom
that which I rather obserue is These two Disciples aboue the rest had a strong conceite of Christs earthly Kingdome which made them carnally both ambitious and zealous Of their ambition wee read elsewhere where One of them desired to sit on Christs right hand and the other on his left here they shew themselues zealous But their indignation is carnall and so is the weapon where with they doe expresse it My Obseruation is One grosse conceite breedes another It did so in them It doth so in the Church of Rome who dreaming of a temporall power which Christ hath giuen vnto his Church is forward to execute temporall paines vpon whomsoeuer is not conformable vnto her will But I leaue the Persons and come to their Passion Wherein notwithstanding marke that though they are bold to propose yet to resolue they are not bold They are bold to propose their Desire their Reason Their desire is Fire a sharpe weapon especially seeing Saint Paul for dissention in Religion prescribeth other which they would not haue to spare they would haue it Consume their Enemies Rom 16. Fire is their Weapon Quid mirum filios tonitrus fulgurare sayth Saint Ambrose It may be the very place put them in minde of the Element because it was in the Region of Samaria that God executed a fearefull vengeance by Fire 2. Kings 1. Or haply because this Element is in the Scripture made the ordinary attendment vpon Gods Iudgement therefore they especially affect that weapon Iohannes Magnus reporteth that Carolus an ancient King of the Gothes amongst his great Lawes ordained this for one That if any man were thrice conuicted to haue denied entertainement to strangers his house should be set on fire Vi aedibus proprijs iuste priuaretur qui earum vsum inhumaniter negavisset Surely whereas there are foure Elements the Earth the Water the Ayre the Fire euery one of the three first are hospitall the Earth entertaines beasts and men the Water fishes the Ayre birds only the Fire is inhospitall and therefore though they might haue wished for an earth-quake to founder the Village or a floud to drowne it or a venemous Ayre to poyson the Inhabitants of it as that King thought so did these Apostles think that the other 3 Elements were too compassionate and only this vnmerciful Element â—iâ— to take vengeance on these merciles men Sure they would haue no mercy shewed them for they would not only haue fire out Consuming fire Li 2 〈◊〉 Seneca obserues well Non vt in beneficijs bonestum est meritameritis compeâ—sare ita in iniurijs illic vinci turpe hic vincere inhumanum and the rule of the Law is Fauores ampliandt restringendaodia and God is the Patterne hereof whose mercy doth indeede permit him to doe vs good Vltra condignum but his Iustice neuer strikes vs but Citra condignum 〈…〉 81. 〈…〉 40. 〈◊〉 131. God is more admirable in sparing then punishing because Cedit iure suo in the one Exigit in the other read Hosea 1.6 Wisd 12. It is our riches to exact our debts but Gods to forgiue his What bowels then had these Apostles that would so repay wrong with reuenge a Iesse wrong with so sharpe a reuenge for it was but a common discourtesie which for many yeares the Samaritans bad vsed towards all the Iewes and that out of no other malice then such as proceeded from a rooted ignorance they were then rather to be pâ—tied for their ignorance then thus to be hated for their malice But I see now the truth of King Dauids answere to the Prophet Gad when he was offered his choice of three plagues Famine 〈…〉 Pessilence or the Sword I am in a wonderfull straight Let vs fall now into the hand of the Lord for his mercies are great and let not mee fall into the hands of men for men are bowelles euen Iames and Iohn which asking fire shew themselues to be worse then fire for as Chrysostome obserueth Fire can stay it selfe if God commaund though it be the nature of fire to burne as appeareth in the case of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego but men though it be contrary to their nature as appeares in that it is painefull to be furious and rage cannot hold though God lay his commandement vpon them The voluntary Agent whose property it should be Statuere actiont suae modum becomes a naturall Et agit ad extremum potentiae suae Vnto whom I say no more but this Wouldest thou O man that God should so deale with thee and send fire such a fire so soone as thou deniest entertainment vnto him Thou wouldest not see then how euery man desireth mercy for himselfe the tenderest mercy but for his enemy Iustice the extreamest Iustice and because it is so Seneca's rule is good Irascenti tibi nihil volo licere quia dum irasceris omnia putas licere In a word the Apostles offend twice first in that being Pastors they desire a corporall reuenge Secondly in that being Christians they desire so sharpe a reuenge Nazianzene thinks they wished for the fire of Sodome Sharpe it is but it is not singular though they haue no Rule yet they haue an Example for it Elias did so In this Chapter is report made of the Transsiguration of Christ wherein appeared Moses and Elias â— Moses the meekest of men Elias a seuere man they saw them both but see whom they remember they might haue remembred Moses and so haue intreated Christ not to take iust displeasure at so bad vsage if he had beene feeling of his owne wrongs but while he is calme they storme and they colour their passion by Elias his example So prone is our nature to imitation and in imitation to pitch vpon the worst The knowledge of Rules is too painefull few will study them and know good and euill by them men take a shorter course and thinke that well done wherein they are like vnto others So liueth the most part of the world and careth not much for any farther enquiry into their actions But when they fall vpon examples according to which they square themselues their liues commonly are exemplifications of the worst It is the obseruation of a very leud Writer but heerein hee hath deliuered a remarkable truth When men read the liues of good men they read them with content and cannot without detestation read the liues of those that are bad yet when they are but to expresse whom they wil be like they forget their owne vpright iudgment and yeeld themselues to their inordinate Passions Certainely these Apostles not so much out of iudgement as out of rage chose rather to bee liâ—e Elias then Moses and wherein are they better then the Samaritans For the Samaritans ranne vpon the same ground that they did they called for fire because Elias did and the Samaritans had the same argument They would not receiue Christ because their Fathers had not vsed to to do it Certainely in the
it fitted him for the charge which his Father imposed on him As the Shepheard was full furnished so was hee well employed he employed his furniture for the good of his charge His charge is noted by the Flocke a short but a faire description of the Church is intimated in this word for a Flock is Congregatio Ouium an assembly of Sheep euery member of the Church is resembled to a Sheepe and as Sheepe so are these members sociable Of such a societie Christ tooke care he fedde them hee wrought the properties of his Statues into them hee instructed euery Sheepe in truth and vnited them all in peace This was Christs pastorall care a care which we must hold exemplary if exemplary then other Pastors must exemplifie it it beseemes vs to bee conformed to the chiefe Shepheard of our soules I haue laid before you the Contents of this Scripture I will now begin to enlarge them and fit them to this occasion Qui pascit pastorem the Master Shepheard that feedes the vnder Shepheards so feed mee that I may herein be the better able to feede you and both of vs may proue duetifull obseruers and followers of his Pastorall care The first inquirie that must bee made is Who he is that speaketh these words hee is not exprest therefore the Interpreters differ Of those that speake probably some will haue him to bee Zacharie our Prophet some our Sauiour Christ they are easily reconciled It is an vndoubted rule that there are aswell reall as verball Prophecies and not onely persons but things also were Typicall in the Old Testament the Prophets did often times act their persons whose stories they related certainely Zacharie in this Chapter doth personate both good and had Shepheards the bad in the end of the Chapter and the good in this seuenth verse And this good Shepheard is our Sauiour Christ St. Matthew puts it out of all doubt for in him wee read that certaine words in this Chapter were fulfilled when Iudas sold Christ vnto the high Priests now hee that was sold was hee that spake these words that is plaine by the contexture therefore he that speaketh these words must needes be our Sauiour Christ Neither is it strange that he should be resembled to a Shepheard the Prophets the Apostles doe so compare him and least they should seeme to doe it with disparagement Christ is pleased in the tenth of St. Iohn to warrant their doing by doing the same himselfe But that which I worke hereout is that this Shepheard is Non seruus sed filius he is no seruant but the sonne of God there is eminency in his Person and indeede seldome is hee remembred without some addition importing his worth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Shepheard of speciall note the good Shepheard the great Shepheard the chiefe Shepheard of our soules are his honourable titles The higher his person the more regard is due vnto him St. Paul argueth so Heb. 2. Contempt cost the Iewes deare and it is to be wished that other mens harmes make vs beware Secondly if the sonne stoope to this calling what seruant without intolerable pride may thinke himselfe too good for it No man can vnderualue it but withall hee must needes disgrace his blessed Sauiour I note this the rather because it checks the Gentrie the Nobilitie that thinke so well of their birth that they thinke scorne to be of our Coate In the beginning of the world for many hundred yeares the Kingdome and the Priesthood did concurre in the same person when they were seuered they were diuided between two brethrene Moses and Aaron yea at this day Christian Kings haue somewhat of the Clergie conferred on them at their Coronation and they disdaine not to be reputed mixt persons I will not remember those Senators and Officers of State that in the Primitiue Church became Clergie men nor the Princes that in the Church of Rome at this day vndergoe our calling though according to the fashion of that corrupt Church with more policy than piety Onely this I will say that seeing our calling in the state of grace is to bee Kings and Priests hee is vnworthy as a priuate person to haue this honour that scornes it in a publike one which hath an addition not a diminution and maketh them Fathers which were before but Sonnes the enlarging of the Prerogatiue should vindicate it from contempt especially seeing therein wee haue communion with Christ And let this suffice for the first Enquiry The second Enquiry must be into the meaning of the words I told you they meane nothing but the pastorall care of Christ In the deliuery wherof the first thing that I obserued in the text was the Shepheards furniture and thereof the first part appeared to be his Authority for it is his Authority that is noted by the Staues The Originall of this phrase is partly historicall and partly mysticall the history is briefely this The first Patriarches as it appeares in Genesis were for the most part Shepheards and yet to them being such God did commit both ecclesiasticall and ciuill power In an honourable remembrance hereof when the Church of domesticall became nationall the title continued still the Priest the Prince both were called Shepheards and each is said to haue his Shepheards staffe Moses no lesse than Aaron and Aaron no lesse than Moses though in time the Princes Staffe was changed into a Scepter and the Priests into a Crocier yet are both monuments of the old Shepheards staues This is the Originall of the phrase which we finde in the Rituals But I may not conceale from you a later birth of the Crocier wee read it in that part of the Ciuill Law which is intuitled Consuetudines feudorum there you shall finde that after the translation of the Romane Empire vnto the Germanes the forme of inuestiture of any person with Office or Land was per traditionem baculi the party doing his homage was inuested by receiuing of a Staffe As our originall is from those Nations so are their customes retained amongst vs when the great Officers of the Court of the Crowne are created they haue a staffe deliuered them and Copie-holders in Court Barons are admitted by the deliuerie of a Wand Bishops holding large Temporalities did homage for them and were inuested with them for many years per traditionem haculi annuli by receiuing a Staffe and a Ring from their Soueraigne from whom they held their Temporalities About this manner of Inuestiture the Popes neuer left wrangling with the Emperours and with other Kings vntill by Peters keyes and Paules sword excommunicating them and vncrowning them he wrested it from their hands and exempted the Clergies person from the Oath of Allegiance farther than it was subordinate vnto him and made himselfe Master of all such Inuestitures to the preiudice of all Christian Kings and States But we must learne to distinguish the old Symbolicall Staffe from this Historicall and not confound the power