these good precedents they that are honoured to bee Gods messengers must learne that it beseemes Referendaries to keepe themselues to their instructions and deliuer so much as and no more then they haue receiued in charge But to speak a litle more distinctly to this point The message did consist of two branches First That which God required Secondly That which God offred Moses that did deliueral Gods Cōmandements deliuered both these branches he informed them of their dutie aswell as of Gods mercy and of Gods mercy no lesse then of their dutie And indeed both are requisite to be taught our dutie that wee doe not presume Gods mercie that we doe not despaire omit either and you may me the doctrine of Gods Couenant There is also committed vnto vs the Law and the Gospel the one to humble the other to comfort men we ought to conioyne both and you must be content to heare of your dutie aswell as of Gods mercie We preach them both to our people the Papists charge vs with taking from the doctrine of the Couenant but the bookes of our Confession the Articles and Catechismes and the booke of our Deuotion our publike Lyturgie and finally the Homilies which are appointed to be read vnto the people refute this slander But wee iustly charge them with adding to the doctrine of the Couenant the bookes Apochryphall and their vngrounded Traditions and wee remember them of that saying of Salomon Pro◠30 v. 6. adde not to Gods Word lest he reprooue thee and thou be found a liar And what wee haue censured in them are nothing else but the forgeries of mens braines which may not bee reputed the Oracles of God Therefore though we call vpon you dutifully to heare and receiue aswell what God requires as what hee promiseth yet as necessarily to saluation wee doe not wee should not call vpon you to heare more then he requires or to beleeue more then he promiseth But enough of Moses Fidelitie Let vs now see his Wisdome As hee dischargeth himselfe fully so doth hee discharge himselfe clearely also For he laid all that God commanded him before the faces of the Elders Nec incautis nec nescientibus ingeritur Lex Here first we meete with a strange phrase for can words bee laid before mens faces you would expect that the Text should haue said Moses spake that which God commanded in the eares of the people and here wee find their eares turned into eyes When the Holy Ghost meaneth euidence of speech it vseth to expresse it in such significant tearmes Saint Paul telling the Galathians of his perspicuous preaching the Gospell vnto them 〈◊〉 3. v 1. saith that Iesus Christ was described in their sight and crucified before them Although the Holy Ghost doe speake to some in Parables Mat 13. that in hearing they may heare and not vnderstand which he doth in punishment of their contempt of euident truth which hath beene laid before them Mat. 6. because as the Prouerbe is Pearles are not to bee cast vnto swine nor holy things vnto dogs yet to those that heare with a reuerent and an obedient eare Mat. 13. ◠11. Datum est nosse mysteria regnicoelorum the Parables are vnfolded the mysteries of the Kingdome of heauen are laid before their face To open this point a little better We must distinguish the Couenant of God from the Illustrations and Amplifications thereof The Couenant it selfe both Old and New is plainly deliuered whether you respect that which God requires or that which Godoffers aswel in this chapter as in other parts of the Bible But there are many Illustrations and Amplifications of either of these Typicall Mysticall darke and hard to be vnderstood which the people cannot vnderstand without an Interpreter ea which the Interpreter himselfe cannot vnderstand without manifold helpe helpe of Deuotion that Gods Spirit may inlighten him and helpe of Meditation painfully scanning and comparing the branches of the Text with other places finally helpe of Varietie of humane literature which giueth great light sometimes to the phrase sometimes to the matter in hand But aboue al in matters necessarie to saluation we follow Catholike Tradition This we say And yet the wrangling Romanists beare the World in hand that wee say there is no difficultie in the Scriptures and that for their guide wee referre the people only to their priuate Spirit which are grosse vntruths We encourage the people to read the Scripture and tell them that though there bee some depths therein wherein an Elephant may swimme yet there are some such shallowes wherein a Lambe may wade The simplest may meete there with all parts of their Catechisme the ten Commandements the Articles of their Creed the Lords Prayer the Sacraments These points containe the substance of the Couenant and they are plainly deliuered there And more then these are not necessarie to saluation Some may haue more some lesse vnderstanding of these according to their breeding yet all should vnderstand these And for this purpose did Moses and the Prophets Christ and his Apostles and the Fathers of the Primitiue Church commend vnto the people the reading of the Scriptures But we aduise them to leaue vnto the learned at least to learne of them to vnderstand those things that are vailed and soberly to edifie their pietie with these things which they shall find there vnuailed or laid before their faces I haue done with the deliuerie of the Message I come now to the Answere that is made thereunto And here we are to take notice first Who maketh it the whole Congregation The people answered But doe not you remember that the Message was deliuered to the Elders why then doe the People answere Surely because the Elders receiued it to deliuer it to the people and therefore not only the Elders but the people also were to make an answere Some are of opinion that the Elders were the representatiue bodie of all the people and that their consent was the consent of all and that all were bound by that which they did as in Parliaments the chosen Knights and Burgesses in Synods the chosen Proctors of the Clergie haue such obliging voices Which conceit the Romanists wrest so farre as therupon to make the tenents of the Elders of the Church the ground of the peoples faith to which purpose they also abuse the maxime of Cyprian Ecclesia est in Episcopo The Church subsisteth in the Bishop vbi non sunt Sacerdotes Ecclesia non est The same premises serue aswell to conclude for the Lyturgie in an vnknowne tongue and for their priuate Masse For if the people may beleeue because their Bishops beleeue they may aswell as indeed they doe serue God in the Priest and in the Priest they may communicate without any their priuitie to what hee doth or any their cooperation with him from which they are necessarily excluded by priuate Masses and vnknowne Prayers But the reason why the people are said to
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
of paines to fulfill Gods commands but so insolent so foolish are the most of men that they will haue their owne wils satisfie their owne lusts and rather than faile thereof they will breake Gods bonds and cast his cords from them And what Cup can be bitter enough to purge such peccant humours The last note that I gaue vpon the Text is the comparison betweene the Wish and the Will whereof I told you the one was conditionall the other absolute the one is but as it were a deliberation the other a resolution And indeed that difference we must hold when our Wishes and Gods Decrees are different neuer to present our desires but with a condition but to take heed of capitulating with God for that were to giue Law vnto the Law-giuer which should not be attempted and will not be endured But it is time to end Tract 104. Christ saith S. Austin being in the forme of a seruant might haue conceiued this prayer in silence but It a se voluit Patri exhibere peccatorem vt meminisset se nostrum esse doctorem he would so performe his deuotion as might make best for our instruction And Saint Chrysostome noteth herein an extraordinary instruction Sublimem admirabilis Philosophiae virtutem docet etiam Natur â abhorrente renuente Deum sequendum It is an high straine of Christian vertue that is taught vs in this patterne of Christ so farre to be masters of our naturall Affections that will they nil they we will doe what God doth bid vs. St. Cyprian telleth ys that we are not onely taught by Christ What to doe but How namely to imitate Christs offertory Prayer prostrating our selues humbly inuocating our Father reuerently and not presenting our desires otherwise than conditionally if we take this course we shall conclude with an absolute submission vnto the Will of God Certainly St. Bernard thought so for hee meditateth thus vpon my Text Noniam despero Domine Lord I am not out of heart now be my case neuer so bad Let my tribulation be irkesome vnto me and let me haue a comardly heart by nature let me be forward when I petition with Transeat Let this Cup passe take i◠from mee I haue learned of thee to betake my selfe not to a carnall but an heauenly comfort Not my Will but thy Will be done will hold in all murmuring and hearten all fainting of my soule These words then are exemplary words they informe vs what Christ did to direct vs what we must doe Christs example is without exception because hee was without sinne and is of good vse for vs because we may fall into the like case The like I say but not the same we may fall though not into a Propitiatory yet into a Probatory suffering It is sacriledge to affect the one the other is common to the whole Church When we fall into it if we take Christ for our patterne we shall finde him our patron also we shall finde that his draught hath left little bitternesse in ours and that which is left is much allayed When Christ made this Prayer an Angell from heauen comforted him and if wee conceiue the like prayers the Spirit of Christ will not faile to be a comforter to vs. Onely let vs ex non volito make volitum giue the vpper hand to Grace aboue Nature and we shall finde much ioy in affliction which will be vnto vs the pledge of a greater ioy which after our affliction wee shall enioy in the Kingdome of Heauen THis Grace he giue vnto vs that in this practice hath gone before vs that as his so by his our patient obedience may open vs a way vnto a blessed Inheritance IHS A SERMON PREACHED AT St. PETERS IN OXFORD Vpon EASTER DAY 1 COR. 15.20 Christ is risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept ANd these words are a part of that first Hymne wherewith wee solemnize this Feast yea they containe a good and full Commentary vpon this dayes employment For this day is spent in historia Prophetia we therein renue Christs and foretaste our owne Resurrection that in the Seruice and this in the Sacrament These two Resurrections are inseparable therefore St. Paul willing to assure vs of the later doth first establish the Doctrine of the former and he doth it by Witnesses and by Reasons By Witnesses because a matter of fact and by Reasons because this fact is an Article of Faith For Articles of Faith are not only credenda but also credibilia though before they are reuealed we cannot diuine at them yet being reuealed we may argue fairely for them many times out of Nature but out of Scripture alwaies The Reasons here yeelded by the Apostle are of two sorts the first collects the Absurdities that presse all Gaine-sayers the second those Conueniences that must bee acknowledged by true Beleeuers This Scripture stand◠in the midst of these Reasons and is compounded of the conclusion of the former and foundation of the later The refutation of the Absurdities warrants this truth Christ is risen from the dead and the proofe of the Conueniences relyes vpon this ground Christ is become the first fruits of them that slept The Resurrection then from the dead is the maine point of this Text and the Text doth occasion vs to consider 1. what it is then how applyed What it is we cannot be ignorant if we know the termes wherein it is exprest these two termes Dead and Resurrection But when we haue found them wee must discreetly apply them for they haue different subiects Christ and those that slept they belong to both but vnto those by him for He is their first fruits These be the contents of this Scripture and of these shall I by Gods assistance and your Christian audience now speake briefly and in their order And first of the termes Death and Resurrection These termes are opposite therefore by the one wee must bee led to know the other and because death is first in nature I beginne at that All death if it bee antecedent to the Resurre ion is eyther in sinne or for sinne Death in sinne is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orat. 7 as Nyssen defines it an inabilitie to doe good because we haue lost communion with God But communion with God simply wee cannot lose and be for without him nothing can subsist It is then communion in that which is his supreme perfection in wisedome and in holinesse the soule that is destitute of these that soule is dead for it can neyther taste nor see how good the Lord is whom notwithstanding so to know is euerlasting life and if it be so senslesse it must needes be liuelesse It is dead in sinne But as there is death in sinne so is there also for sinne and this is double eyther only the dissolution of soule and body or else a penall condition that followeth thereupon Touching the dissolution we must marke that as
to giue so hee may giue as much or as little as hee will for hee may doe what hee will with his owne but hee doth not onely follow his Will but the counsell of his Will as this Apostle teacheth vs Occumenius and the counsell of his Will or his Wisedome doth respect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the endowment of the Church As in our body naturall God hath ioyned beauty and commodity in framing the limmes so that euery one hath that proportion as is most comely and vsefull so the Church though vna yet is varia though it be but one body yet hath it diuers members and though the one body be quickned with the same spirit yet in euery member the spirit doth varie his gifts and the Church thereby is the more beautified and benefited so that no man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufficient of himselfe but hee is thereby vrged to desire the Communion of Saints wherein stands our mutuall comelinesse and comfort Seeing then Christ giues as hee thinkes meete euery man is bound to thanke him for that which hee hath and enuie must not make him murmure for that which hee hath not It is absurd for a man to dislike with the dispensation of Christ it is as if the members of the body should grudge that they haue not the endowments each of the other wherein if God should satisfie them the deformity and discommodity which would follow would quickly make them weary of their desires Though Christ be thus discreet in giuing yet is hee kindly bountifull also for he giues to euery one St. Ambrose hath a good rule In donis officiorum diuer sitas est non Naturae all drinke of the same spirit though they drinke not the same draught As in our naturall body there is no member that liues not by the soule no more is there in the mysticall Bodie any member that liues not by the Spirit Christ will haue euery one haue some token of his loue and will haue euery one stand the Church in some stead The Church I say for the particle All is limited by Vs. There are gifts that are bestowed vpon all the world as wee acknowledge in our daily grace The eyes of all things looke vp vnto thee O Lord and thou giuest them their meate in due season thou openest thy hand and fillest with thy blessing euery liuing thing Psal 145. but the graces here meant are the peculiar of the Church you heard it in the Gospell this day The spirit is such a thing as the world cannot receiue but the Church seeth and knowes him and he shall abide with her for euer for it is onely the Church that can say The Let is fallen to her in a faire ground she hath a goodly heritage But the gifts that as vpon this day descended on the Apostles were visible gifts and they had corporall effects speaking in diuers languages casting out diuells curing of diseases treading vpon serpents c. these gifts we haue not how then haue we the spirit that descended this day Gregory the Great answereth well Thou hast it though it appeare in another sort Thou canst not speake diuers tongues but of what Nation soeuer thou art thou canst speake the language of Canaan and it is as great a miracle that all Nations vnderstand the same heauenly language as that the same person should speake all languages Thou canst not cast out Diuels out of mens bodies but out of their soules thou mayst and cure the diseases of their soule though thou canst not the diseases of their body yea bruise thou mayst the old Serpents head though thou canst not safely tread vpon a Snake In a word thou mayst doe many things inuisibly and spiritually which are not inferiour to those things which the Apostles did visibly and corporally and doubt not but if thou beare the fruit of the Spirit the Spirit of Christ doth rest vpon thee And if wee doe solemnize the memory of Saints how much more should we solemnize the memory of the Sanctifier wee are all bound to keep this day holy to the Lord because this day the Lord gaue that gift which doth concerne vs all Wherefore let vs all say BLessed be the Lord God euen the God of our saluation hee daily loadeth vs with his gifts euen the spirituall gifts of Grace Hee that giues them fill vs with them that as we are called to be so we may be indeed comely and profitable members of the mysticall Body of Christ and liue for euer conformable to our Head Amen THE SECOND SERMON On Trinity Sunday at an Ordination of Ministers EPHES. 4.11 He gaue some to be Apostles some Prophets and some Euangelists and some Pastors and Teachers THE passage of Scripture contained from the 7. to the 17. Verse doth informe vs of the reasons which perswade Christians to agree in Gods truth These reasons are two drawne the one from the meanes whereby the other from the end for which the Church receiues the spirituall gifts of God The meanes is Christ And touching Christ St. Paul teacheth vs in this passage what he doth and what right he hath to doe it That which hee doth is expressed three wayes but all yeeld but one sense 1. He giues grace 2. He bestowes gifts 3. He fils all things that is his gift is a filling grace Grace is a free gift a gift Donum non salarium not an hyre of our labour but an argument of Gods fauour And this gift is free it is grounded vpon no obligation all gifts of men are in part due as the reciprocall between equals for loue challengeth loue or those that are not reciprocall between vnequals be they Honoraria or Eleemosynaria whereof the inferiour oweth the former to his superior in acknowledgement of his eminency and the superiour owes the latter vnto his inferiour out of a fellow-feeling which hee must haue of his wants but Gods gifts can neither bee deserued nor requited neither doth he finde ought worthy his regard in vs neither doth any danger of his moue him to commiserate vs His gift then is absolutely free But this is common to the gifts as well of Creation as of Redemption but the Scripture restraines the word Grace vnto the gifts of Redemption which are not onely non debita but indebita whereof God owes vs no one but he owes vs the contrary that is plagues and therefore hee doth giue not only non dignis to those that are without all merit of good but also indignis to those that are full of the merits of sinne The word then is plainly Euangelicall and signifieth such blessings as accompany the New Testament those blessings are most properly termed Grace This grace hath a power to fill which no other thing hath and it fils sistendo and explendo desiderium it fixeth our wandring desires so that we desire no other obiect and this is able to satisfie to the full and satisfie the whole man Now
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
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
went to the Feasts To vnderstand it we must know That although God chiefly respect the substance of his worship yet in the Old Testament the Iewes were tied to a circumstance of place also God commanding that they should there sacrifice where he put his Name and that was finally the Temple of Hierusalem After the returne from the Babylonian Captiuitie when the Law was vrged of diuorcing such wiues as were Iewes neither by nature nor by becomming Proselytes Ioseph Ant. l 11. c. 7. l. 12.6.1 Manasses a brother of the High Priest was put to his choice whether he would be excluded from the function of his Priesthood or forsake his wife He consulted Sanballat a Prince of Samaria whose daughter he had married and by his aduice became an Apostata In recompence whereof first by the leaue of Darius and afterward by the approbation of Alexander the Great Sanballat built a Temple vpon the top of Mount Garisim the highest Hill of Samaria Ioseph l 23. c. 15. in emulation of the Temple vpon Mount Sion which stood vntill the dayes of Iohannes Hircanus infamous for robbing of King Dauids Sepulchre who together with Samaria raised that Temple and although Herod new built Samaria yet did hee not the Temple Notwithstanding the Samaritans esteemed the place in the dayes of Christ no lesse then if the Temple had beene standing Of this Temple Manasses was made High Priest ouer all the Sect of the Samaritans This being the originall of their Temple erected contrarie to the Law yet did they in time affect it for the reputation of Antiquitie stiling themselues Pertinentes ad montem benedictum as Postellus obserues and therein they allude to the Storie Lib. 12. de linguâ— Deut. 27. where we read that the Benediction was pronounced vpon Mount Garisim You haue a touch at their humour Iohn 4. where the woman of Samaria telleth Christ Our Fathers worshipped in this Mountaine But most ample to this purpose is that famous contention betweene the Samaritans and the Iewes that dwelt in Egypt heard and determined by the King of that Countrie you may read it in Iosephus And although then their forged Antiquitie was discouered and condemned as the same Iosephus reports yet ceased they not to stand to it and bee bitter to all that denied it I might trouble you with relation of the bloudie warre betweene them and the Galileans about a passage through their Countrie vnto Ierusalem Ioseph l. 20 c. 5. But it will suffice to obserue that the Samaritans quarrell against the Iewes for Theophylacts conceit why Christ was not entertained at Hierusalem is cleane opposite to the truth was de loco cultus Videtur appropinquasse festuÌ„ Scenophagiae which was a necessarie Question then though not now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Chrysostome obserues But being then a necessarie Question it was fit that Christ should deliuer his iudgement and hee doth it openly His face was as if he went to Hierusalem There is a figure in the phrase in that the Face is said to goe but there is significancie in the figure because it noteth Christs plaine dealing and constancie therein which is also intimated in the former words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Simulation is a reall lie as a lie is a verball dissimulation both sinnes alike hated by Christ and Christians Saint Pauls rule With the heart man belieueth vnto instification Apol. 2. and with the tongue he confesseth vnto saluation was obserued by our Sauiour And Iustin Martyr obserues in the Primitiue Church that they were so farre from impugning their aduersaries that they did not endeuour so much as to deceiue them but apertè confitentes mortem adibaÌ„t The same doth Tertullian obseruewriting ad Scapulam But the old Hereticks were of another mind I might instance in sundrie of whom reade Danaeus Comment vpon Saint Austine de Haeresibus I will only mention the Priscillianists of whom Saint Austine Habent etiam in dogmatibus Iura periura secretum prodere noli Trust rather God with thy soule then men with either thy bodie or goods And how like vnto them are the Iesuiticall Equiuocators that with a nice distinction of Veritas Iuramenti and Iurantis haue learned themselues and others infamous Hypocrisie and hauing separated the Serpent from the Doue shew whom they resemble Christ or the Deuill I will say no more to them then what Ierome said sometimes to Iohannes Hierosolymitanus Ad â—ammachium Nolo verborum ambiguitates nolo mâ—hi dici quod aliter intelligi possit retectâ facie gloriam Domini intueamur If we will not haue Christ denie vs before his Father Rom. 10. we must not denie him before men for Corde creditur ad institiam we must learne of Christ constantly to confesse the truth yea though thereby we incurre danger as Christ did For as Christs Confession was open so you see it was not well taken the Samaritanes had no personall quarrell against him the Nationall was enough hee approued not their Place of worship and they would therefore haue none of his companie Men that are of diuers Nations hardly sort more hardly if they bee of diuers Religions the degree of hatred ariseth to the heighth of that for which they hate and higher matter there cannot be then Religion therefore the Deuill intendeth that Quarrell specially because it is the root of all Enmitie He knoweth if that take place there is nothing whereat malice will sticke it will set the Father against the Sonne and the Sonne against the Father where there is vnitie in Religion Religion is some stay to malice but there is nothing to stay it if Religion set men at oddes for their inhumanitie they suppose they haue a faire excuse Orat. 12. Orat. 14. p. 199. if they can make God a partie to the Quarrell Nazianzene hath handled this point excellently shewing that men being ashamed of their villany flye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And what cloake haue ambitious couetous malicious massacres at this day Ambros l 10. Epist 82. but the specious name of the Catholicke Chuse I vrge this poynt no further but remember you that this quarrell betweene the Iewes and the Samaritans was the cause of that Warre wherein the Romans did vtterly destroy them both And how much of Christiandoome became a prey many hundred yeares since vnto the Sarizens and of late yeares to their heires the Turkes he hath read little that doth not know God grant that the continuance of this malice bring not that which remainueth into the same bondage which the Kingdomes already lost doe miserably indure But enough of the Samaritans Prouocation I come now to the Persons of the Apostles and those were Iames and Iohn I will not dispute whether they were the persons that were sent to prepare for Christ the Scripture is silent I will not define it Let it passe for a probability because some of the Ancients haue thought it likely But