resisting Princes and disturbing States in the behalf of Holy Church When such actions make men fit to be joynt purchasers with Christ in the Redemption of the World But when the French Histories say 't was disputed long after in Paris whether he were Damn'd or Sav'd that the Church in her publique Offices should pray to go thither where he is gone to have his Society though it expresse their most infallible assurance of the condition of those men who for their sakes resist the Secular Powers yet O my Soul enter not thou into their counsels in this world neither say a Confederacy to whom they say a Confederacy Much lesse pray to be in their Society who by resisting S. Paul sayes do receive unto themselves Damnation Secondly It is notorious that in their first General Counsel at Lyons Anno 1245. the Emperour Frederick the second by the Sentence of the Pope and the whole Councel after long deliberation and producing several Arguments which they say are not sleight but effectual to prove the suspicion of Heresie is depriv'd of his Empire all his Subjects are absolv'd from their oath of Allegiance and by Apostolical Authority forbidden to obey him Therefore that such things may be done in the cases of Religion hath the Authority of a General Council 't was that Councel that Decreed Red Hats to Cardinals Hats red it seems not onely with the Royal Purple but with the Blood of Kings and of Royalty it self Thirdly I should have urg'd the well known Canon of the General Councel of Lateran the greatest their Church ever boasted of which sayes That if the temporal Lord shall neglect to purge his Territories from such as the Church there declares Hereticks he shall be Excommunicated by the Metropolitan if he do not mend within a year complained of to the Pope that so he may declare his Subjects absolv'd from their Allegiance expose his Lands to be seiz'd by Catholicks who shall exterminate the Hereticks saving the right of the chief Lord Provided he give no impediment to this But the same law shall be observed to those that have no chief Lords that is who are themselves Supreme This I should urge but that some say that penal Statutes which are leges odiosae tantum disponunt quantum loquuntur Therefore this Canon since it does not name Kings it does not they say concern them although 't is plain it do sufficiently enough But that there may be therefore no evasion Fourthly In the General Councel of Constance that part of it I mean that is approv'd by their whole Church The Pope and Councel joyn together in commanding all Arch-Bishops Bishops and Inquisitors to pronounce all such Excommunicate as are declared Hereticks in such and such Articles and that of Transubstantiation half-Communion and the Pope's Supremacy are among them or that favour or defend them or that Communicate with them in publique or in private whether in sacred offices or otherwise â—tiamsi Patriarchali Archiepiscopali Episcopali Regali Reginali Ducali aut aliâ quâvis Ecclesiasticâ aut mundanâ praeâ—uâ—geant dignitate And Commands them also to proceed to Interdicts and deprivation of Dignities and Goods and whatsoevâ—r other Penalties vias modos Thus that Councel though it took away the Peoples right to the Blood of Christ denying them the Cup in the Sacramcâ—t gave them in exchange the Blood of thâ—ir own Kings making them a right to that And that they extend the force of these Canons to the most absolute Princes even to him that pleads exemption most to the King of France is plain because when Sixtus the fifth thundred out his Bulls against the then King of Navarre afterwards King Henry the fourth of France and the Prince of Conde depriving them not onely of their Lands and Dignities but their Succession also to the Crown of France absolving their Subjects from their Oaths forbidding them to obey them he declared he did it to them as to relapsed Hereticks favourers and defenders of them and as such fal'n under the Censures of the Canons of the Church Now there are no other Canons that do take in Kings but these which can touch him for that of Boniface the eighth which sayes the Pope hath power to judge all temporal powers is declared not to extend to France Cap. merâ—it de priviledg in extravag communibus Thus by the publique Acts of their Church and by the Canons of their General Councels we have found in causes of Religion Deprivation of Princes Wars and Bloodshed and the other confequent Miseries are establisht Rebellion encouraged by a Law And if Rebellion he as the sin of Witchcrast then we know what manner of Spirit they are of that do encourage it sure witches have no spirit but the Devil for familiar But the Church of England on the other side in her publique Doctrine set down in the Book of Homilies establisht in the 39. Articles of her Religion says in expresse words that it is not lawful for Inferiours and Subjects in any case to resist and stand against the Superiour Powers that we must indeed believe undoubtedly that we may not obey Kings Magistrates or any other if they would command us to do any thing contrary to Gods Commands In such a case we ought to say with the Apostle we must rather obey God than Man But nevertheless in that case we may not in any wise withstand violently or rebell against Rulers or make any Insurrection Sedition or Tumults either by force of Arms or otherwise against the Annoynted of the Lord or any of his Officers 1 Book of Hom. 2 part of Serm. of Obed. Not for Reformation of Religion for what a Religion 't is that such men by such means would restore may easily be judged even as good a Religion surely as Rebells be good men and obedient Subjects 2 Book of Hom. 4. part of the Serm. against wil ful rebellion The very same thing is defined in the first of the Constitutions and Canons Ecclesiastical of the year 1640. for Subjects to bear Arms against their King offensive or defensive upon any pretence whatever is at least to resist the Powers which are ordâ—in'd of God and though they do not invade but only resist S. Paul tells them plainly he that resists receives unto himself damnation This was the Doctrine of the Church in those her Constitutions although there was no Parl. then sitting to enact these Canons into Lawes yet since that time the Law of England is declar'd to say the same and we obliged by it to acknowledge that it is not Lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take up Arms against the King by this Parliament whose memory shall be for ever blessed And now it is not hard to know what manner of Spirit our Church is of even that Spirit that anoynts the Lords Anoynted that is which
However mean and abject his condition were that cannot make you to despise him who from that must needs reflect how dear you were to God when for your sakes meorly he became so mean and abject He became poor saith S. Paul that you through his poverty might be made rich He was made the Child of Man that you might be made Sons of God it was to pay the price of your Redemption that he so emptied himself thus he valued you and men do not despise meerly because and by those measures that they are esteem'd these are not the returns of love its passionate obliging ravishing effects do not use to be thus requited this his great descent cannot occasion your fall who know he descended only to assume you up to glory But 't is worth inquiry why since it was certain that for this this Child should be the fall of Israel that for this they would reject him and the meannesse of his condition would prove an unremoveable obstruction to their belief as it is to this day Why yet he would choose to be born in a condition so in the utmost extream to his own nature so all contradiction to his Divinity and so seemingly opposite to the very end of his coming The Jew indeed will find no excuse for his Infidelity from this condition For whatever that were yet those Miracles that made the Devils to confesse him brought conviction enough to make Jews inexcusable And it was obvious to observe that He who fed five thousand with five Loaves and two Fishes till they left more than was set before them needed not to be in a condition of want or meanness if it were not otherwise more needful he should not abound God that when be brought this first begotten Son into the World said Let all the Angels of God worship him might have put him into an estate which all Mankind most readily would have done homage to As easily have drest his Person with a blaze of Pomp and Splendor as his Birthday with a Star if there had not been necessity it should be otherwise And such there was For when the fulnesse both of Time and Iniquity was come when Vice could grow no further but did even cry for Reformation and when the Doctrine that must come to give the Rules of this Reformation was not onely to wage War with Flesh and Blood with those desires which Constitution gives but which perpetual universal Custom had confirmed and which their Gods also as well as Inclinations did contribute to which their Original sin and their Religion equally fomented for Vice was then the Worship of the world Sins had their Temples Theft its Deity and Drunkennesse its God Adultery had many and to prostitute their bodies was most sacred and their very Altar-fires did kindle these foul heats whence Uncleannesse is so often call'd Idolatry in Scripture And besides all this when all the Philosophy and all the power of the world were ingag'd in the belief and practise of this and resolv'd with all their wit and force to keep it so When it was thus the Doctrine that must come to oppose controul reform all this must come either arm'd with Fire and Sword design to settle it self by Conquest or come in a way of Meeknesse and of suffering The first of these Religion cannot possibly design because it cannot aim to settle that by violence which cannot be forc't and where 't is force is not Religion One may as well invade and hope to get a Conquest over thoughts and put a Mind in Chains and force a man to will against his will All such motives are incompetent to demonstrate Doctrines for however successful their force proves yet it cannot prove the Doctrines true for by that Argument it proves that Religion that it settles true it proves that which it destroyes was true before while it prevail'd and had the Power Had this Child come so he had onely given such a testimony to the truth of Christianity as Heatbenifave had before and Turcisme hath since He might indeed have drown'd the wicked World again in another Deluge of their own Blood But sure never had reform'd it thus Therefore that Religion that must oppose the Customes and the Powers of the World upon Principles of Reason and Religion must do it by Innocence and Patience by doing good and which was necessary then by consequence as the world stood by suffering evil parting with all not only the Advantages but the Necessaries of this life and life it self too where they stood in competition and were inconsistent with mens duties and their expectations And by this means they must shew the world that their Religion did bring in a better hope than that which all the profits pleasures glories of this World can entertain and flatter Thus they did and thus they did prevail For the first Ages of the Church were but so many Centuries of Men that entertained Christianity with the Contempt of the World and Life it self They knew that to put themselves into Christ's Service and Religion was the same thing as to set themselves aside for spoyl and Rapine dedicate themselves to Poverty and Scorn to Racks and Tortures and to Butchery it self Yet they enter'd into it did not only renounce the Pomps and Vanities of the World in their Baptism when they were new born to God quench their affections to them in those waters but renounc'd them even to the death drown'd their affections to them in their own heart blood ran from the world into flames and fled faster from the satisfactions and delights of Earth than those flames mounted to their own Element and Sphere In fine they became Christians so as if they had been Candidates of death and onely made themselves Apprentises of Martyrdom Now if it were not possible it should be otherwise than thus as the world stood then it was necessary that the Captain of Salvation should lead on go before this noble Army of Martyrs if it were necessary that they must leave all who followed him then it was not possible that he should be here in a state of Plenty Splendor and Magnificence but of Poverty and Meannesse giving an Example to his followers whose condition could not but be such To give which Example was it seems of more necessity than by being born in Royal Purple to prevent the fall of many in Israel who for his condition despis'd him I am not so vain as to hope to perswade any from this great Example here to be in love with Poverty and with a low condition by telling them this Birth hath consecrated meannesse that we must not scorn those things in which our God did choose to be install'd that Humility is it seems the proper dresse for Divinity to shew it self in But when we consider if this Child had been born in a condition of Wealth and Greatnesse the whole Nation of the Jews would have received him
only asserted boldly but prov'd nothing As if argument and reason never had place in the Jewish or the Christian Religion only those who were the institutors of each Religion did deliver it others had no more to do but to believe it that is to receive it as a little Child Whether these reproaches and the oath of these known enemies may go for proofs that it was so I shall not now enquire But it is certain on the other side S. Paul requires of his new Christian Corinthians that they be not children in understanding that they be in malice Children but in understanding Men. Now a man and a child differ not in this that the one hath an understanding reasonable soul and the other hath not but in that the one cannot use his understanding or his reason and the other where he acts as man does So that our Religion in requiring that we be in understanding men does require of us that we use our reason in it And since assenting to a thing as truth is an act of the highest faculty of the soul of man as it is properly and truly reasonable namely as it understands and judges it is not possible a man should really believe a thing unlesse he fatisfie himself that he hath reason for so doing Yea whether that be true or not which many men so eagerly contend for that the will though free is bound and cannot choose but will that which appears best at that time it wills yet it is sure that he who with his understanding which is not free in her apprehensions and judgments but must necessarily embrace that which hath most evidence of truth He I say who really assents to any proposition does satisfie himself that he hath better and more cogent reasons for that then the contrary And therefore it is impossible that any man can verily believe a thing which he is throughly convinc't is contrary to clear and evident right reason for he cannot have a better reason for the thing that is so And were it possible for any man to believe so there could be neither grounds nor rules for such a ones belief for there is nothing in the world so false and so absur'd although he were assur'd it were so but he might assent to it for whatever demonstrations could be offer'd why he should not yet it seems he might believe against acknowledg'd evident truth and reason but this were onely wish or fancy and imagination not belief And to prevent such childish weak credulity was the great work and care of Christ so far is he from requiring we should be as Children in this kind For when he was ascended up to heaven he gave some Apostles some Evangelists some Pastors and Teachers he shed down the Holy Spirit and his gifts that we might not be as Children tossed to and fro and carried about with every winde of Doctrine Eph. 4. 14. First For want of rationall grounds instable in our Faith as Children are in body and in judgement also taking all appearances for truths If men were only to believe there must needs be as great variety of Religions as of teachers And though God hath appointed that some Church should be as perfectly infallible as that of Rome pretends to be yet since there are so many Churches and the true one therefore could be known no otherwise then by some marks there must be disquisition before Faith and men must reason and examine ere they can believe upon good grounds for were they to receive Religion as a little Child be nurst up with the Doctrine as with milk a Child we know may suck infection from the poyson'd breast of an unwholesome mother or some other person for it knows not to distinguish And so may be nurst to death A soul like theirs that is but rasa tabula white paper is as fitted to receive the mark of the beast as the inscription of the living God just as the first hand shall impresse Therefore we are bid not to believe every Spirit not every Teacher though he come with gifts pretend and seem to be inspir'd but try them and our Saviour forewarn'd the Jews of false Christs that should come with signes and wonders Something therefore must be known first and secur'd before the understanding can be thus oblig'd to give up its assent And Captivate every thought into obedience as S. Paul directs Now what that was here to the hearers in the Text is easily collected namely that he was the Christ that does require it And S. Paul expresses it in the forecited place where he says we must bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ to wit of that Christ who as he does himself professe that if he had not done among them the works which no other had done they had not had sin John 15. 24. If his demonstrations had not convinc't them it had been no fault not to believe So when he had made appear he was that person whom their prophesies had poynted out the Messiah the Son of the living God and this not only his Disciples had acknowledg'd but the multitudes yea when his miracles had made one of the Pharisees confesse Rabbi we know thou art a Teacher come from God for no man can do these miracles except God be with him Then if the Pharisees dispute against his Doctrine of Divorce urge the authority of Moses and Gods Law and the Disciples presse the inconveniences that will happen If the case of a man be such with his wife he may answer them He that will not receive my Doctrines without dispute that is to say He that will not receive the Kingdom of God as a little Child shall not enter therein This King that cometh in the name of the Lord may well determine how we shall receive the Kingdom of God If he propose strange precepts to our practise It appears that he is sent from God and Gods commands are not to be disputed but obey'd if his revelations present dark unintelligible Mysteries to our faith his promises offer seeming impossibilities to our hope why yet he hath made proof he comes from God and surely we are not so insolent as to doubt that God can discover things above our understanding and do things above the comprehension of our reason Therefore since we are as Children to all these it is but just we should receive them even as little Children With a perfect resignation of our understandings and of our whole souls Here 't is most true what S. Austin says Those are not Christians who deny that Christ is to be believ'd unlesse there be some other certain reason of the thing besides his saying Si Christo etiam credendum negant nisi indubitata ratio reddita fuerit Christiani non sunt For to them that are convinc't of that 't is such a reason that he is the Christ. There is indeed no other name now under heaven to whom we are oblig'd to give
rescue sin from that contempt and throw the Crosse and shame upon Religion it self while they exult in their commissions as in commendable things and too truely verifying the Apostles aggravations against wilful sinners Crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame while they put scorns on that contempt he suffered For the Agonies and Contumelies he endured on that account of sin must needs be most ridiculous to them who count Sin gay and Honourable Thus they trample and insult upon his Passion thus tread underfoot the Son of God even on his Crosse and upon that footstool they exalt themselves by putting sin in countenance and credit with the Age. For it is plain it is so when men once can glory in it For our actions raise a glorying in us onely in relation to the sentiments of others that growing from a confidence of having praise and value for them in the world So that they must assure themselves that most men or the most considerable will applaud their vices otherwise they could not glory in them but would be ashamed And such a judgment we may safely passe upon an Age or Nation where great Crimes not only have impunity but Reputation and men glory in them Had it been so in the Heathen World when Christ and his Crosse first appeared there Christianity had wanted one of its convincing pleas Tertullian in his Apology for our Religion to them that blasted it with all imaginable imputations of impiety discourses thus Omne malum aut timore aut pudore Natura perfudit Nature hath dasht every vice with fear or shame all Malefactors labour to lye hid and if they are laid hold upon they tremble and deny when they are accus'd hardly confesse it to the Rack and when they are found guilty they bewail upbraid themselves and aggravate confessions of their Crimes Christianus verò quid simile but what does the Christian like this None of us is asham'd of his Religion or repents except it be because he was not sooner of it If he be branded for it he rejoyceth if you accuse him of it he does own it triumphs in it if he be condemned for it he calls his Execution his Martyrdom his sufferings his Crown Quid hoc mali est quod naturalia mali non habet Now what strange kind of impiety is this that hath none of the natural affections of it not the shame nor fear tergiversations or repentance or deplorings of it Quid hoc mali est cujus reus gaudet cujus accusatio votum est poena foelicitas What a kind of evil's this which he that is found guilty of is glad to be accus'd of it is his ambition to suffer for it is his happinesse Alas the world hath taught vice now adayes to use this plea with a much greater confidence and he that would apply this argument to our experiences might plead thus for the Religion of sin For now they are but pitteous puisny sinners who feel those things which in Tertullians dayes were natural and essential to sin to blush and be ashamed and have regrets Men do not onely own it as those primitive persons did their Christianity but they out-vie the Martyrs heats for they accuse themselves and boast of their performances in villany yea falsify belye themselves in sin and usurpe Vice steal the glorious Reputation of exceeding sinfulnesse as if the impiety were meritorious And truly as that Christian Confidence and Magnanimity brought in the world as Proselytes to the Crosse so this other confidence brings Sholes of Votaries to Vice For when once there is no need to be asham'd of it there are but very few but will venture to commit it And indeed this sort of men do manage their hostility so dexterously as to use those very weapons Christianity was successful with against it self 'T was by a discipline of shame for that was the great strength of the Church Censures that our Religion did at first prevail almost to the exterminating Vice out of the World The temporal Sword was never so victorious as this weapon of our Spiritual Warfare was which yet in those times drew no blood unlesse it were into the face in blushes But since men have found or made pretexts to glory in iniquity and several Crimes are become honourable Vertues are drest up as mean poor spirited sneaking qualities some look melancholick sad are hypocondriacke some pedantick some unmanly some irrational and worse so that men are now asham'd of Duty 't is a disparagement to own the doing it Thus they have as it were excommunicated Religion It is accounted a contemptible or at best foolish thing which is the very sentence of the third sort of Enemies the Wise men of this World those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that mind earthly things the fourth sort in which all their wisdom lies Which two last sorts of Enemies I shall attaque together The Crosse of Christ amongst its other ends was set to be an instrument whereby the World is to be Crucified to us and we unto the World to be the means whereby we are enabled to prevail upon and overcome our worldly lusts and inclinations and to sleight yea and detest all the temptations of its Wealth Delights and Heights when they attempt to draw us into sin or take us off from Duty Now to this it works by these three steps First shewing us the Authour and the finisher of our Faith nailed himself to that Crosse his joynts rackt on it his whole Body stript and nothing else but Vinegar and bitter potions allow'd his thirst and thus convincing us that if we will be his Disciples we must take up his Crosse and follow him at leastwise we must have preparednesse of mind to take it up when ever it is fixt to Duty to renounce all profits honours and delights of this World that are not consistent with our Christian profession This is the Doctrine of the Cross of Christ it being otherwise impossible to be Disciples of a Crucifyed Master And when this great Captain of our Salvation was himself consecrated by his sufferings and had for his Standard his own Body lifted up upon the Crosse we that are listed under him and with that very badge the Crosse too crucis Consecranei Votaries and fellow Souldiers of that Order if we shall avoyd our duty when it is attended with a Crosse or straitned any wayes and the provisions of this World are cut off from it and betake our selves rather to the contents of Earth we do not only shamefully fly from our Colours fugitives and cowards Poltrons in the Spiritual warfare but are renegadoes false and traytours to our selves too such as basely ran away not onely from our Officer but from Salvation which he is the Captain of and which we cannot possibly attain except we be resolv'd to follow him and charge through whatsoever disadvantages attend Religion vanquishing all those temptations
distinct every one cannot beat up the Corner or be a pillar and foundation-stone much less can every one place it self in the Ephod assume to be one of the Vrim and the Thummim-stones and there break out in Oracles and give responses and every rubbish stone set it self in the Mitre and shine in the head ornaments as if it were one of the precious stones of Sion In fine to speak now out of Metaphor not only the transactions of the Text which is a precedent for men to commission such and such but also all Scripture rules direct a Choice and where there is Election there is also dereliction and both evince a separation And if all the Nations in the World have had their distinct Officers for Religion and as it were to signalize the separateness of their function in many Nations they did live apart from Men The Priests had their adyta as well as the Deities dark solitary Groves were made choice of not so much for the God as for his Officers retirement so that every appearance of him also was a Vision and the Priest was reveal'd as well as the Oracle and all this at the first to make a kind of sacred Pomp for the solemnity of awfulness though afterwards it often prov'd but opportunity for foul performances And if to this uniform practice of the World Gods attestation be set who order'd it in his own government not that as a Levitical or Iewish administration but it was practised amongst his own from the beginning and vvhen dominions vvere but greater families there vvere still distinct persons for the imployments of Religion that vvas the office and the priviledge of the first-born Esau vvas call'd profane for selling that birth-right of his And the vvord in the Text here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 separate is the same vvhich God does vvord the sanctifying the first-born for him with Exod. 13. 2. 'twere easy to deduce all this out of all ancient Jewish Records And vvhen the practice ever since hath been the same in Christs Religion after all this sure nothing else but absolute defection of the Notions of Mankind and blotting out all the impressions of Vniversal Nature and Vniversal Religion or else an absolute Command from Heaven could alter this Establishment from vvhich command vve are so far that 't is the Holy Ghost himself that said expresly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 separate Now this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Separateness in Function does infer upon us a separateness in Life and Conversation and they who are thus set apart from the VVorld must keep themselves unspotted from the VVorld To separate and Consecrate are but two vvords for the same thing Separate three Cities is the Command in Deut. 19. 2. and they sanctified three Iosh. 20. 7. Our Offices assume them both and all are holy Orders Now separate and pure are both so primitive and so essential notions of holy that truly I cannot determine vvhich of them is original and vvhich secondary Our Consecration does challenge both and as vve vvill be separate in our calling so vve must be separate in our lives not conforming our selves to the VVorld for I have chosen you out of the VVorld saith Christ. A torrent licence of an Age must not carry us along an Universal Custome of the World must be no precedent and can be no excuse for us to do vvhat is irregular We are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 separate and that the world does such things is no more a plea for us to do so than that because the world is Common ground therefore the Church is so too fit to be put to all the uses of the field or of vvorse places Were it a reasonable argument because I see that the vvhole Countrey 's till'd vvhy should I not break up the holy places and plow the Temple Why so vve are enclos'd for God and separated for the uses of Religion and to preserve our selves pure for them Our Saviour says that the Community of Christians is a City upon an Hill and then sure the consecrated Persons are the Temples of that City the separate places of it and then as they are most in fight the Church is ordinarily the most visible building so truly he that sees one of them it should be as if he saw an open Church where there is nothing else but holy duty as if his life were Liturgy publick Service and Worship of God Hath your zeal never rose at least your indignation at the profane fury of this age which never made a stop in violation of things sacred when to its heap of other Sacriledges it added most contemptuous defilements of God's Houses making the place that Angels met us in to vvorship and God dwelt in to bless us there the place appointed for the Divinest Mysteries of our Redemption for the Celebration of Christs Agonies for the Commemoration of the blessed Sacrifice the place for nothing but Christ's Blood then to become the place of a most odious and insolent uncleanness If I had worded this more aggravatingly it had been only to infer that then to see a consecrated person to pollute himself with those black foulnesses that made Hell and made Fiends is sure a sadder and a more unhappy spectacle If an Apostle become wicked he is in our Saviours Character a Devil have I not chosen Twelve and one of you it a Devil Yea if the good Saint Peter do become a scandal tempt to that which is not good Get thee behind me Satan Christ calls his nearest Officers Stars Emblems of a great separateness those that teach them how far their Conversation should be remov'd from Earth for they are of another Orbe Heaven is the Region of Stars But they are Emblems of a greater purity there 's nothing in the World so clean as light 't is not possible so much as to sully shine it may irradiate dung-hills but they do not defile it you may eclipse a Star but cannot spot it you may put out the light you cannot stain it 'T is a vvord for God's purity only his light is glory and as his holiness is so separate that it is incommunicable so his Light is inaccessible Yet sure they that are starres in Christs right hand they do come neer and mix their light with his and they of all men must be pure and holy vvhom the spirit calls to that place as he does all vvhom he calls to that separation that he did Barnabas and Saul the Persons and the next Part Separate me Barnabas and Saul I intend not to make particular reflections upon these persons although the Character of Barnabas be registred the 11. Chap. ver 24. He was a good man full of Faith and of the Holy Ghost and the good influence that that had upon the people follows and much people was added to the Church And as for Saul though he began the Christian persecution and vvas
had defil'd his dwelling places to the ground and by his ancient gists of remove he vvas certainly gone There was indeed exceeding much Religion among us yet God knows almost none at all while Christianity was crumbled into so many so minute professions that 't was divided into little nothings and even lost in a crowd of it self while each man was a Church every single professor vvas a vvhole multitude of Sects And in this tumult this riot of faiths if the son of man should have come could he have found any faith in the Land Vertue vvas out of countenance and practice while prosperous and happy Villany usurped its name vvhile Loyalty and conscience of oaths and duty vvere most unpardonable crimes to vvhich nothing but ruine vvas an equal punishment and all those guilts that make the last times perillous Blasphemy disobedience truce-breakings and Treasons Schisms and Rebellions with all their dismal consequences and appendages for these are not single personal crimes these have a politick capacity all these did not onely walk in the dress of piery and under holy Masks but were themselves the very form of Godliness by which 't was constituted and distinguished the Signature of a party of Saints the Constellation of their graces And on the other side the detestation of such hypocrisie made others Libertines and Atheists vvhile seeing men such holy counterfeits so violent in acting and equally engag'd for every false religion made them conclude there vvas none true or in earnest And all this vvas because vve vvere without our King for 't was the only interest of all those usurpations that vvere to contrive and preserve it thus And vvhen vve had roll'd thus through every form of Government addrest to each mov'd every stone and rais'd each stone to the top of the Mount but every one still tumbled down again and ours like Sisyphus's labour was like to have no end onely restless and various Calamity Necessity then counsell'd us and we applied to God's directions in the Text I know not whether in his method but it is plain we did seek David our King And my heart is towards the Governoâ—rs of Israel that offer'd themselves willingly among the people bless ye the Lord yea Thou ô Lord bless them May all the blessings which this was the birth-day of all that my Text encloses all the goodness of the Lord be the sure portion of them and their Families may they see the King in his beauty and peace upon Israel and may their Names be blest in their posterities for evermore We sought him with the violent impatiences of necessitous and furious desires and our eyes that had even fail'd with looking for him did even fail with looking on him as impotent and as unsatisfied in our fruitions as expectations and he was entertain'd with as many tears as pray'd for as one vvhom not our Interests alone but our guilts had endear'd to us and our tears he vvas as necessary to us as repentance as vvithout vvhom it vvas impossible for us to repent and return from those impieties to him of usurping his rights of exiling of murthering him by wants because vve could not doe it by the Axe or Sword vvithout him ' t vvas impossible for us to give over the committing these and the tears that did vvelcome him vvere one of our best lavers to vvash off that blood that vve had pull'd upon our selves One endear'd also to us by God's most miraculous preservations of him for us We cannot look upon his life but as the issue of prodigious bounty snatch'd by immediate Providence out of the gaping jaws of tyrannous usurping mutherous malice merely to keep him for our needs and for this day One vvhom God had train'd up and manag'd for us just as he did prepare David their King at thirty years of age to take possession of that Crown vvhich God had given him by Samuel about twelve years before and in those years to prepare him for Canaan by a VVilderness to harden him vvith discipline that so the luxuries and the effeminacies of a Court might not emaseclate and melt him by constant Watches cares and business to make him equal for habituated to careful of and affected vvith the business of a Kingdome and by constraining him to dwell in Mesech vvith Aliens to his Religion to teach him to be constant to his own and to love Sion And hath he not prepared our David so for us and vve hope hath prepared for him too the first dayes of David having no Sheba in the Field nor Achitophel in the Councel nor an Abiathar in the Temple not in that Temple vvhich himself hath rais'd God having made him instrument of that vvhich he vvould not let David doe building his house and furnishing it vvith all its Offices and making it fit for God to meet us in vvhen vve do seek him also vvhich vvas the other perquisite of our Condition There never vvas so much pretence of seeking God as in those late dayes of his absence from us and it should seem indeed vve knevv not vvhere to find him vve took such several vvayes to seek him But if God did look down from heaven then as he did Psal. 14. to see if any did understand and seek after God should he not then have found it here as there They are altogether gone out of the way their throat is an open scpulchre with their tongues have they deceived the poison of asps is under their lips their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness their feet are swift to shed blood destruction and unhappiness is in their wayes and the way of peace have they not known there is no fear of God before their eyes They eat up my people as it were bread and vvhich is vvorse in these then them they even then call upon God as if they craved a blessing from the Lord upon that meal that did devour his people and when they did seek God they meant to find a prey Yet where were any others that did seek him or that do cleave to him novv The Schtsmatick does not seek God who shuns the place where he appears and meets and dwells nor does he cleave to God vvho tears himself off from the Lord's body Mark such as cause divisions saith S. Paul and avoid them and if all Christians must avoid them then I am sure God is not vvith them The other Schismaticks that divide from the World by cutting off the World from them do they seek God that are diverted by so many Saints and Angels that terminate divinest Worship in a creature or do they cleave to God when their devotion embraceth stocks and stones or did they seek God for the purpose of my Text who did not seek David their King but did apply themselves to several forein Princes and to others which they hoped would setup their Golden calf Incendiaries that make fires and raise commotions these are farre from God for