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A16522
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A sermon preached at Flitton in the countie of Bedford at the funerall of the Right Honourable Henrie Earle of Kent, the sixteenth of March 1614. By I.B. D.D.
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Bowle, John, d. 1637.
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1615
(1615)
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STC 3435; ESTC S106815
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24,390
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50
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soule God fashioned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the outward man of the bodie And God ioyned soule and bodie together with an incomprehensible vnion Fire and Water are not so contrarie as flesh and spirit Tell me then what are the strings what the buckles what are the cords of loue what slime of Euphrates what Gumme of Arabia what Cement and Glue doe ioyne an immortall incorporeall insensible soule in a house of Clay in a bodie of earth the most grosse most base most solid element Surely wee are wonderfully made None but God did cōpose vs none but God can preserue vs none but God by his permission or direction ordinarie or extraordinarie administration of second causes can dissolue vs. He with a breath gaue vs breath he with a word takes away our breath and all our thoughts perish Let no Asa trust in his Phisitian no Naamans trust to the Riuers of Damascus no Absolon to the lustre of Beautie no Maximus to the strength of an Elephant no Herod to the flattering clamour of Idolizing People that wee are not men but Gods Those who in regard of their constitutions communicate in the sanguine of the Rose and in the snowie beautie of the Lilly their bodies are sayth Saint Chrysostome but nidus hirundinum A Swallowes nest composed of durt and straw they are no fairer then Ionas Goord a Worme strooke it at the root and the Goord withered The greatest Lord that liues may make King Philips Fable his Motto and Morall Menippus the Satyricall Philosopher meeting Mercurie in the Elizian fields amongst all the ghosts would needs know which was Philip the great King of Macedon Hee quoth Mercurie is Philip of Macedon that hath the bald head Menippus I know him not by this for all their skuls are bald Mercurie Hee which hath a flat nose is Philip of Macedon Menippus Why all haue flat noses Mercurie Hee with the hollow eyes is King Philip of Macedon Menippus Why all haue hollow eyes bare teeth naked ribs open pores disiointed members all are carkasses Mercurie Why then Menippus in death there is no difference betwixt a King and a Beggar We must say that he that was Lord of Salomon the Prince he was Lord of Simeon the Prophet Wee must say with Iob the Lord giueth and the Lord taketh away The ballance of life and death in which the highest and lowest are weighed is onely turned by the imperiall hand of God Simeon therefore as in the rest so in this hee is curious to die hee asketh death of him who only hath the power of life and death So absolute a power that as the Psalmist speaketh Dixit facta sunt hee spake the word and all things were made So Dicat non sunt let him speake but a word and all things will bee marde Therefore Simeon to the dutie of a seruant and the power of a Lord addeth Secundum Verbum tuum according to thy Word Knowing that it is the dutie of a seruant to depart at the least word of his Master Secundum Verbum tuum THis clause is plainely interpreted vers 26. Simeon had a reuelation by the holy Ghost that hee should not see death till he had seene Christ. This was Gods word and this was a certaine word but yet looke into this word and for one certainety you shall finde two vncertainties First the Text saith Expectabat consolationem hee expected the consolation of Israel To see Christ he was certaine but when to see Christ hee was vncertaine Againe he was to liue till Christ came that was certaine but whether hee should then immediately die that also was vncertaine Nicephorus saith he dyed presently at that instant But the Scriptures and Apostolicall Fathers are altogether silent therefore it is dangerous to be confident Simeon therefore had an absolute certainty of life no absolute certainty of death No more had Moses and Aaron they were certaine to die and neuer to enter into Canaan but they were not certaine when they should see Canaan from the Mount and so die Hezekiah that was promised fifteene yeeres life must so be vnderstood as he was threatned a present death both condicionall and limited to the order of second causes which haue not in them an absolute necessitie but a voluble contingencie God did not make Hezekiahs body impassible against externall violence nor incorruptible against internall corruption But thus saith the Lord I haue heard thy prayer I haue seene thy teares I will adde fifteene yeares of strength I will repaire the defects of nature and extend them to a possibilitie of fifteene yeeres with an implicite condition of thy repentance and so of thy liues continuance Yea to goe a little farther that which Christ said of the day of Iudgement is applyed by the Fathers to the day of death that neither the Angels nor Christ the Lord of Angels doth know that day and houre 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hee knoweth that saith Nazian as God but as Man he doth not know it I am not ignorant that the Schoole and some of the Fathers doe interpret those wordes in another sense But Bernard Ambrose and Chrysostome doe concurre with Nazian affirming that Christ as man did not know it not because he could not but because he would not Ne eam ignorantiam feramus molestius quaecum Christo Angelis nobis est communis that wee may beare that ignorance patiently which is common to vs with Christ and his Angels Many men I confesse are sicke of lingring consumptions the infallible harbingers of death and yet they are not certaine of the moment of their consumption Many at the beginning of their sicknesse feele in their hearts a presage of their death and yet they languish in hope and know not the certaine houre of their dissolution The generall rule remayneth that Simeon knew not that no man knoweth the place the manner the moment of death First not the place and it is no great matter since Rachel dyed in the high-way aswell as Iezabel in the streets since Iosias and Achab both dyed in the field since Saul and Ionathan dyed both in one battell and their carkases were hung vp as Trophees of a bloudie Victorie in a barbarous Citie Will you heare a Philosophicall comfort Earth you know is the Cēter heauen is the worlds circumference If any man shall draw a Circle with his pen with a point in the middest of the Circle the Circle is equally distant from all points of the Circle vnto the point of the Center There is therefore from all parts of the point and Center of the earth an equall distance to the Circle and Circumference of Heauen What matter therfore though the bodies of the Martyrs were intombed in the entrailes of wilde beasts though their ashes were scattered vpon Rhodanus though their carkases were made a prey to the fowles of heauen What glorie was it to Martials flie though it were buryed in concreted Christall what shame to Naboth though
the World are his Trumpettors are his Labourers are his Ambassadors his Messengers of fire are his Angels his ministring Spirits Beares and Lions and Catterpillers and Wormes are the Executioners of his Iustice But Lambes and Doues are the voluntarie instruments of his mercie Nebuchadnezzar burnt the Temple Cyrus did build the Temple Both did the will of God Neyther intended to doe the will of God Both were Gods Seruants in execution neither of both were Gods Seruants in affection Both serued him with the hand neyther with the heart But to be Gods Seruants in affection to God and in protection from God is a singular prerogatiue For if the Seruants of Salomon were happie much more happie are they who serue a greater then Salomon If the Angell in the Reuelation acknowledgeth himselfe to bee the Apostles fellow-Seruant how great an honour is that to bee entertained into such a seruice where the Angels are our fellowes You call me Master saith Christ and you doe well for surely hee doth very ill that hath not Christ for his Master verie Ill indeed since it is mans necessitaled condition to be a Seruant Yee were the Seruants of sinne Rom. 6. 20. Yee are the Seruants of righteousnesse Rom. 6. 22. In both estates still Seruants Yee cannot serue God Mammon two Masters but you must serue God or Mammon one Master We must not halt betwixt God Baal but we must adhere to God or Baal We must eyther serue the Deuill as Simon Magus or wee must serue Christ as Simon Peter It is the percing contemplation of Basil that he enuied the Deuils happinesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who neyther made vs nor dyed for vs but seekes our bodies destruction and our soules perdition yet hee hath more Seruants then Iesus Christ that came downe from Heauen to redeeme vs and offered vp his bloud to saue vs. It is S. Augustines experience that to serue God is libertie to serue sin is slauery Seruus tot Dominorum quot vitiorum saith the Father a man is a slaue to so many Masters as hee is subiect to vices Many a great man endures Chams Curse he is Seruus Seruorum A Slaue of his Slaues Many a wiseman could not be abused as Herod was by Blastus his Chamberlaine Acts 12. Verse 20. if their owne guiltinesse did not make them feare their owne Seruants He that will not be the Slaue of men let him be the Seruant of God A good conscience is farre richer farre safer then the Brestplate of Aaron or the golden shield of Salomon To draw to a conclusion Will you haue a third rule to know when you are Gods Seruants Behold Simeon earnestly desiring to be with his Lord. Simeon had a patterne of Abrahams seruant Genesis 24. He went along iournie to fetch a Wife for Isaak he laded tenne Camels hee came at euening to the house of Bethuel he would not eate till he had told his errand the next morning hee would goe to his Master Send mee away verse 54. hinder me not verse 56. Send mee away that I may goe to my Master I will not stay tenne dayes for the Damsell not one day to refresh my wearie Camels I came in the euening I will returne the next morning Here is a true Seruant as soone as hee had Rebecca nothing pleased him but to returne to Abraham Here is a Simeon as soone as he had Christ nothing can content him but to returne to God Excellent is the meditation of Cyprian Eius est mortem timere quinon vult ad Christumire That man feares death that feâ—res to come to the Tribunall of Christ. You say you are Gods Seruants you boast of your faith you talke of Heauen let mee see the Caracter of Gods Seruants shew mee the power of your faith Expresse the desire of Heauen There is a secret infidelitie our tongues and hearts are contrarie to feare death and to desire eternall life are things incompatible Volumus ab eo praemijs honorari ad quem venimus inuiti How can we sayth Cyprian hope for Heauens happinesse when we are dragged thither with a fearefull vnwillingnesse God is not bound to make euerie Saul a King that only seekes for his Fathers Asses To conclude if we be Gods Seruants why doe wee feare to goe to God If wee feare to goe to God how are we Gods Seruants Simeon desired to be gone and we will leaue him and so passe from the Seruants condition to the Lords Dominion The Seruant was dutifull and the Lord is powerfull Lord IS the chiefe word in the Text and the chiefe word for the time For we see the Hearse of a dead Lord and we heare the power of a liuing Lord. There are many in earth who are called Lords but they are Lords of earth and those Lords are earth and those Lords must returne to earth as you see this day fulfilled in your eyes He who is the sonne of Ioseph Lord of Egypt the sonne of Iacob Lord of Caaaan who is the sonne of Isaak who is the sonne of Abraham who is the sonne of Nachor who is the sonne of Sem who is the sonne of Noah the sonne of Adam He is the sonne of Dust. There is a Lord of Lords who hath the power of life and death who rayseth out of the dust and setteth with Princes who powreth contempt vpon Princes and layeth their honour in the dust For none of vs saith the Apostle liueth to himselfe and no man dyeth vnto himselfe For whether wee liue wee liue to the Lord and whether we die we die to the Lord whether wee liue therefore or die we are the Lords The very word which Simeon vseth is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord sayth Varinus hath reference to a Freeman Master to a Bondman Intimating in the very proprietie of sillables that man is a verie Bondman vnder the despoticall power of God Which principle of Religion the light of Nature seeth In a storme at Sea euery Idolatrous Mariner calls vpon his God In a drought at Land euerie Churle howles vpon his bed euen those who neuer thinke on God in their life will call vnto the Lord for feare of death But by the light of grace Elias in his agonie Ionas in his furie Lord take my life death they desired but death by God permitted The Apostles in their feare Lord saue vs wee perish The thiefe in his paine vpon the Crosse Lord remember me when thou commest into thy Kingdome Stephen vnder the stones Lord Iesu receiue my spirit Saul cast downe from his Horse but cast downe lower in his soule Lord what wilt thou haue me to doe Lord Lord is the Eccho of miserie is the suppliant for mercie Saint Basil giues the reason GOD created 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the inward man of the