〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or that they are called so by others But onely the Husband his Father and Mother in Lawes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the wife her Father and Mother in Lawes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In a word there is no word in the Hebrew Tongue which signifies a Bridegroom and Bride as they stand in relation each to other but as to each others Parents onely whence it is remarkable that in the Canticles when this relation comes to be expressed on the Brides behalf it is alwayes done by addition of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Soror mea as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Callah or Nurus my sister which we translate aequivalenter Soror mea sponsa Now if this be true I see not how Zipporah could call Moses here her 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by saying to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sanguinum tu mihi es For she should have called him her son in law and not her Husband Ergo she spake the words to the childe and not to him Thirdly for a farther probability hereof the Jewish Rabbins tell us that it was the custome of women to call their children when they were circumcised 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word here turned sponsus Aben Ezra upon this place Mos mulierum saith he vocare filium cum circumcisus est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rabbi Levi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in principio connubii vocatur qui alicui promissus est Inde translatum ad initium rerum aliarum ut cum infans recens circumcisus à mulieribus sponsus vocatur Nam tunc primùm incipit Deo servire The like hath Rabbi David Kimchi in his Lexicon who conjectures withall that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should have some signification of causing new joy and thence to be used both at the day of marriage and day of circumcision Fourthly from this custome to call a childe at his circumcision 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Arabians who are of Abrahams posterity and still use and anciently used this Rite Chatan is is to circumcise Chiten circumcision 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 circumcised as is ordinarily seen in their Translation of the New Testament whence comes this but from the manner of calling a childe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when hee was circumcised Even as we because a childe in Baptisme is made a Christian use the word Christen for to Baptize and Christened for Baptized And Zipporah was an Arabisse and the Arabian tongue of near affinity with the Hebrew Fifthly this exposition is agreeable to the following words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he let him goe when he had said Sponsus sanguinum hoc est circumcisionis that is the Angell let Moses goe as soon as those solennia verba Sponsus sanguinum were out of Zipporahs mouth so the Vulgar rightly translates it Et dimisit eum postquam dixerat Sponsus sanguinuÌ„ tu mihi es ob circumcisionem For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is here as elsewhere for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex tunc ab eo tempore postquam not simply tunc as we translate it Namely as the destroying Angel Exodus 12. when he saw the blood of the Paschall Lamb upon the lintels and side-posts of the Israelites doores passed by them and destroyed them not so the Angell here when he saw the blood of the circumcision upon Moses child let Moses goe and slew him not In these words if you mark it the Holy Ghost expounds what Zipporah meant by those words Sponsus sanguinum that is Sponsus circumcisionis Et dimisit eum postquam dixit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sponsus sanguinum id est circumcisionis then are not these words spoken of or to Moses but unto the childe Having thus proved what I took in hand that these words were not spoke by Zipporah to Moses but as solennia verba in that case to her childe whom she circumcised it remains I should now tell you how they are so construed I say therefore Tu mihi sponsus sanguinum in Zipporahs meaning is as much as Siâ— mihi initiatus circumcisione It is well known how tropically those words of relation of kindred Father Mother Sister Sonne are used in the Hebrew Tongue and Sonne beside other notions to be often the circumlocution of our vox concreta as Filius percussionis is he that is strucken Filius foederis he that is foederatus Filius mortis he that is condemned to die or worthy of death and the like And why may not then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gener sanguinum that is as the Holy Ghost expounds it circumcisionis be as much as circumcisus and Gener sanguinum tu mihi es for so I told you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies be as much as 〈◊〉 pronounce thee circumcised As if the circumcised person by being married to circumcision were made the circumcisers son in Law and circumcisions Bridegroom as Es or sis mihi in generum desponsatus circumcisioni Or if blood or circumcision note the Instrument the Formula may be thus explicated that the person circumcised becomes Gods son in Law as being wedded and joyned to his Church by the blood of circumcision as with a ring and then the pronoun mihi must not be taken relatively to Zipporah as before but efficienter onely in this sense Per me factus es gener Deo per sanguinem circumcisionis or Feci le generum Deo or if you like better the notion of sponsus I have espoused thee to the Church of God by this rite of circumcision or Thou art or be thou espoused c. Thus as you see may the Formula be either way explicated to one and the same sense But the first I like the best because of mihi the relative to Zipporah Tu mihi in generum es desponsatus circumcâ—sioni Now lastly to free my interpretation from novelty the sense I have given of these words is that which both the Septuagint and the Chaldee Paraphrast directly aim at the Paraphrast expounding it thus In sanguine circumcisionis istius datus est sponsus or gener mihi The Septuagint as we now read thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stetit sanguis circumcisionis filii mei where the Text is corrupted and I beleeve the Septuagint translated not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sit hic sanguis circumcisionis Filii mei a Periphrasticall but evident sense with the change of one letter onely From the sense of this place thus proved I will point out two observations and so conclude The first is that it is lawfull to use some fitting forme of words in the exhibition of a Sacrament though not expresly ordained by God at the institution thereof as appears by this form that Zipporah used no doubt ex more then whatsoever the form were after that time The second is that the neglect of the circumcision of a childe then and so consequently of baptizing it now makes
of worship in speciall which was confessed by both sides to be tied to one certain place onely that is of worship by Sacrifice and the appendages In a word of the typicall worship proper to the first Covenant of which see a description Heb. 9. This Iosephus expresly testifies Lib. 12. Antiq. cap. 1. speaking of the Jews and Samaritans which dwelt together at Alexandria They lived saith he in perpetuall discord one with the other whilest each laboured to maintain their Country customes those of Ierusalem affirming their Temple to be the sacred place whither sacrifices were to be sent the Samaritans on the other side contending they ought to be sent to Mount Garizim For otherwise who knows not that both Jews and Samaritans had other places of worship besides either of these namely their Proseucha's and Synagogues wherein they worshipped God not with internall onely but externall worship though not with sacrifice which might be offered but in one place onely And this also may seem to have been a type of Christ as well as the rest namely that he was to be that one and onely Mediator of the Church in the Temple of whose sacred body we have accesse unto the Father and in whom he accepts our devotions and services according to that Destroy this Temple and I will rear it up again in three daies He spake saith the Text of the Temple of his Body This sense divers of the Ancients hit upon Eusebius Demon. Euang. Lib. 1. Cap. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not by Symbols and Types but as our Saviour saith in Spirit and Truth Not that in the New Testament men should worship God without all externall services for the New Testament was to have externall and visible services as well as the Old But with such as should imply the verity of the promises already exhibited not by types and shadows of them yet to come we know the Holy Ghost is wont to call the figured Face of the Law the Letter and the Verity thereby signified the Spirit As for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both together they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but once found in holy Writ to wit onely in this place And so no light can be borrowed by comparing of the like expression any where else to expound them Besides nothing hinders but they may be taken one for the exposition of the other that to worship the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the same with to worship him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But howsoever this Exposition be fair and plausible yet me thinks the reason which our Saviour gives in the words following should argue another meaning God saith he is a Spirit therefore they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth But God was a Spirit from the beginning If therefore for this reason he must be worshipped in Spirit and Truth he was so to be worshipped in the Old Testament as well as in the New Let us therefore seek another meaning For the finding whereof let us take notice that the Samaritans at whom our Saviour here aimeth were the off-spring of those Nations which the King of Assyria placed in the Cities of Samaria when he had carried away the ten Tribes captive These as we may reade in the second Book of the Kings at their first comming thither worshipped not the God of Israel but the gods of the Nations from whence they came Wherefore he sent Lyons amongst them which slew them which they apprehending either from the information of some Israelite or otherwise to be because they knew not the worship of the God of the Countrey they informed the King of Assyria thereof desiring that some of the captiv'd Priests might be sent unto them to teach them the manner and rites of his worship which being accordingly done they thenceforth as the Text tels us worshipped the Lord yet feared their own gods too and so did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Saint Chrysostome speaks mingle things not to be mingled In this medly they continued about two hundred years till toward the end of the Persian Monarchy At what time it chanced that Manasse brother to Iaddo the High Priest of the returned Jews married the daughter of Sanballat then Governour of Samaria For which being expelled from Jerusalem by Nehemiah he fled to Sanballat his Father in Law and after his example many other of the Jews of the best rank having married strange wives likewise and loth to forgo them betook themselves thither also Sanballat willingly entertains them and makes his son in Law Manasse their Priest For whose greater reputation and state when Alexander the Great subdued the Persian Monarchy he obtained leave of him to build a Temple upon Mount Garizim where his son in Law exercised the office of High Priest This was exceedingly prejudicious to the Jews and the occasion of a continuall Schism whilst those that were discontented or excommunicated at Ierusalem were wont to betake themselves thither Yet by this means the Samaritans having now one of the sons of Aaron to be their Chief Priest and so many other of the Jews both Priests and others mingled amongst them were brought at length to cast off all their false gods and to worship the Lord the God of Israel onely Yet so that howsoever they seemed to themselves to be true worshippers and altogether free from Idolatry neverthelesse they retained a smack thereof in as much as they worshipped the true God under a visible representation to wit of a Dove and circumcised their Children in the name thereof as the Jewish Tradition tels us who therefore always branded their worship with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or spirituall Fornication Just as their predecessors the ten Tribes worshipped the same God of Israel under the similitude of a Calf This was the condition of the Samaritan Religion in our Saviours time and if we weigh the matter well we shall finde his words here to the woman very pliable to be construed with reference thereunto You ask saith he of the true place of worship whether Mount Garizim or Ierusalem which is not so greatly materiall for as much as the time is at hand when men shall worship the Father at neither But there is a greater difference between you and us then of place though you take no notice of it namely about the object of worship it self For ye worship what ye know not but we Jews worship what we know How is that Thus Ye worship indeed the Father the God of Israel as we doe but you worship him under a corporeall representation wherein you shew you know him not but the houre commeth and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and Truth In spirit that is conceiving of him no otherwise then in spirit And in truth that is not under any corporeall or visible shape For God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
founded in an inflammation of flegme returns every day an Ague which comes from choler every other day from melancholy every third day Now if a body may be kept so long unburied it is supposed it may be kept so long uncorrupted namely where a corruption is not begun before death as in some diseases but longer it will not continue When therefore it is so often inculcated in the New Testament that our Saviour should rise again the third day the Holy Ghost in so speaking respects not so much the number of dayes as the fulfilling of Scripture that Messiahs body should not see corruption but should rise before the time wherin dead bodies begin to corrupt and indeed our Saviour rose again within forty hours after he gave up the Ghost and was not two full dayes in the grave Therefore if there be any other Scripture which implies Messiah should rise before his body should see corruption that Scripture whatsoever it be shews he should rise again within three daies EXODUS 4. 25. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the fore-skin of her son and cast it at his feet and said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sponsus sanguinum tu mihi es THEN that is when she saw the Angel of the Lord ready to kill Moses her husband in the Inne because his son was not circumcised she took a sharp stone 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is she took a knife which according to the custome then was made of stone sharped This we may learn out of Ioshuah 5. 2. where the Lord sayes to Ioshuah Make thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sharp knives say we ad verbum cultros petrarum and circumcise again the children of Israel The Chaldee Paraphrast hath Make thee novaculas acutas the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus far all is clear but for the rest we are to seek First on whom the fault lay and what was the reason of this omission of circumcision Then who and what is meant when it is said she cast or made the foreskin to touch his feet and above all what is meant by sponsus sanguinum Zipporah is commonly reputed to have been a perverse and froward woman and Moses the meekest man on earth to have had that mishap in his choice which many a good man hath The reason because she not onely hindred her childe from being circumcised out of some nicety and aversation thereof as a cruell ceremony but also when she saw there was no remedy but she must do it to save her husbands life yet she did it with an upbraiding indignation telling him that he was a bloody husband who must have such a thing done unto his poor childe But I see no ground either for the one or the other For that the circumcision of the childe was not deferred out of any aversation of hers of that ceremony may be gathered First because she was a Midianitesse and so a daughter of Abraham by Ketu rah and therefore well enough acquainted and inured to that Rite which not onely her Nation the Midianites but all the Nations descended of Abraham observed as may be seen in the Ismaelites or Saracens who learned not this ceremony first from Maâ—…met but retained it as an ancient custome of their Nation Secondly she had suffered already her elder son Gershom to be circumcised wherefore then should we think she was averse from the circumcision of this For that this childe for whom Moses was now in danger was Fleezer his youngest son it cannot be denied for as much as it is evident that Moses at this time was the Father of two sons which by reason as may seem of this disturbance he sent back with his wife unto her Father Iethro as we may reade in the eighteenth Chapter of this Book By which it may be gathered that the cause of this omission of circumcision was not any aversenesse in Zipporah from that rite but rather because they were in their journey when the childe was born and so having no convenient time or place to rest in till the wound might be healed and thinking it might endanger the infants life to be tossed up and down whilst the wound was green in so long and tedious a voyage they resolved to deferre the circumcision And that Zipporah was delivered of this childe when they had begun this journey for Egypt may be gathered by this because Moses before Gods sending him hath but one childe mentioned namely Gershom For what reason can be given why if Eleezer had been then born he should not have been mentioned also But howsoever this case of travell afterward excused the Israelites in the Wildernesse for deferring the circumcision of their children then yet could it not excuse Moses here in regard it was necessitas accersita he being not forced to take his wife and children with him especially his wife being in that case but might have sent her and them back presently to her Father as upon this admonition he did Nor was it indeed fit when God sent him upon such a businesse to carry such an incumbrance with him Thus have we freed Zipporah from the first charge of being the cause of this omission out of any aversenesse to the Divine Ordinance Now I come to shew likewise that the words she spake at the time of circumcision Sponsus sanguinum to mihi es were no words of upbraiding indignation to her husband as is supposed but have a far other meaning For I beleeve not she spake these words to Moses but to her Childe whom she circumcised as the Formula then used in circumcision namely that as the fore-skin fell down at her childes feet not Moses or the Angels feet she pronounced the Verb 〈◊〉 solennia Tu mihi sponsus sanguinum My reasons are First because a Husband is not wont to be called sponsus after the wedding solemnity is past nor can there any such example be shewn in Scripture Ergo it is not like that Zipporah after she was the mother of two children should say to her Husband Sponsus sanguinum tu mihi es Secondly because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word here translated Sponsus properly signifies Gener a son in Law and Sponsus onely by way of equivalence or coincidence because to be made son in Law to the Parents is by being the daughters Sponsus My meaning is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word used signifies not the relation of the Bridegroom to his Bride but his relation to his Brides Parents by taking their daughter to wife And therefore in the whole Scripture we shall never finde it relatively used or with an affix but onely in respect to the wives Father or Mother And of the same condition is the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we often by equivalence translate a Bride but properly signifies Nurus wherefore we shall never finde the Bridegroom call the Bride his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor the Bride the Bridegroom her
of Ezekiel Thou wast not washed with water nor salted with salt that of putting on the white garment to resemble swadling All these were anciently especially the first used in the Sacrament of our Spirituall birth out of reference to that which was done to Infants at their naturall birth Who then can doubt but the principall rite of washing with water the onely one ordained by our blessed Saviour was chosen for the same reason to be the element of our initiation and that those who brought in the other did so conceive of this and from thence derived those imitations JOSH. 24. 26. And Joshuah took a great stone and set it up there viz. in Sichem under the Oak which was in the Sanctuary of the Lord Alii by the Sanctuary Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE Story whereupon these words depend is this Ioshuah a little before his death assembled all the Tribes of Israel at Shechem or Sichem there to make a solemne Covenant between them and the Lord to have him alone for their God and to serve no other Gods besides him which they having solemnely promised to do saying The Lord our God will we serve and his voice will we obey Ioshuah for a testimony and monument of this their stipulation erects in the place a great stone or pillar under an Oak which was by or as the Hebrew hath it in the sanctuary of the Lord. Of this Oak or rather collectively Querceâ—um or Oaken-holt of Sichem is twice mention made elswhere in Scripture For this was the place where Abraham first sate down and where the Lord appearing unto him he erected his first Altar in the Land of Canaan after he came out of Haran thither as we reade Gen. 12. 6. in these words And Abraham passed through the Land unto the place of Sichem unto the Oak or Oak-grove of Morch where the Lord appeared unto him saying Vnto thy seed will I give this Land and there he builded an Altar unto the Lord who appeared unto him And what place more fit for Abrahams posterity to renew a Covenant with their God then that where their God first made his Covenant with Abraham their Father Again it was this place where in the after-times of the Judges one hundred and seventy years after the death of Ioshuah the Sichemites made Abimelech the base son of Ierubaal or Gideon King as we read Iudg. 9. 6. That all the men of Sichem gathered together and all the House of Millo and went and made Abimelech King by the Oak of the Pillar which was in Sichem The words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even the Oak where Ioshuah here in my Text set up this great stone for a witnesse to Israel For the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the other two places signifie one and the same thing to wit either an Oak Terebinth or some other kinde of tree as the Septuagint perpetually render them Yea that of Iudges must of necessity so be rendred by comparing it with this of my Text to which it hath reference Neverthelesse our last Translation in the first of these places Gen. 12. concerning Abraham chose rather to follow S. Hierome wherefore I know not who follows not himself and translates it a plain not an Oak to wit the plain of Morch by which Translation the identity of that place with the other two where it is translated Oak is obscured and made the lesse observable If there be any difference between the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it should rather be this that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should signifie a tree and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a grove holt or wood of such trees as the Septuagint in that place of the ninth of Iudges have expresly rendred it namely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Quercetum Oak toft or holt in Sichem And so I beleeve it ought to be understood in the other places that is to be taken collectively of which we shall hear more hereafter But this is no great matter of difficulty that which follows is namely how this Oak or Oaken-holt of Sichem is said here in my Text to have been in for the Hebrew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or by the Sanctuary of the Lord. For how comes the Sanctuary of the Lord to be at Sichem when as the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Testimony were at Shiloh there set up by Ioshuah himself and so remained as the Scripture elswhere tels us untill the time of the Captivity of the Land which without doubt was not till after Ioshuah was dead and buried and is usually understood of that time when the Ark was taken captive by the Philistims And yet is not onely here a Sanctuary mentioned at Sichem but in the beginning of the Chapter the Elders and Officers of the Tribes are said upon Ioshuahs summons to have presented themselves there before the Lord which speech useth to imply as much If we say the Ark of God was taken out of its place at Shiloh and brought to Sichem by the Levites upon occasion of this generall Assembly yet the difficulty will not be removed For first how could the Ark alone give dâ—â—oininâ—tion to the place where it stood to be called the Sanctuary of the Lord Or secondly if the Altar were there with it how was the Law of God observed which saith Thou shalt not plant a Grove of any trees or any tree neer unto the Altar of thy God which thou shalt make thee Neither shalt thou set up a pillar which the Lord thy God hateth when as here are both an Oak or Quercetum in the Sanctuary of God and a Pillar or Statue erected under it Thirdly this Sanctuary whatsoever it was must be something which had a constant and fixed station and was not temporary or mutable because the Oak under which this pillar was erected by Ioshuah is here designed and appointed out by it as by a constant and standing mark else to what purpose had it been to sign out the Oak by it if it were such as would be here to day and not to morrow For these reasons it appears that this Sanctuary could not be the Tabernacle where the Ark and Altar for Israel were but that it was somthing else And what that should be is to be enquired I answer it was a Proseucha or praying place which the Israelites at least those of Ephraim in whose lot it was after the Country was subdued unto them had erected in that very place at Sichem where God first appeared to Abraham and where he built his first Altar after he was come into the Land of Canaan The place where God said unto him Vnto thy seed will I give this Land For the understanding whereof you must take notice that the Jews besides their Tabernacle or Temple which was the onely place for sacrifice had first or last two sorts of places
Peace on earth Good will towards men For the conjunction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not to bee taken here for a copulative but as Vau is frequently in the Hebrew for a conjunction causall or for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Glory to God in the highest for that there is Peace on earth Good-will towards men Or if we retain the copulative sense yet we must understand the words following as spoken by way of gratulation Glory be to God on high and welcome peace on earth good-will towards men Or both causally and gratulatorily thus Glory be to God in the highest for ô factum bene there is peace on earth and good-will towards men To begin with the first the Doxology or praise Glory be to God in the Highest that is Let the Angels glorifie him who dwels on high for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to be referred to Glory and not to God the sense being glorified be God by those on high and not God who dwels on high be glorified This may appear by the like expression in the 148. Psalm whence this Glorification seems to be borrowed Praise ye the Lord from the heavens praise him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—ratâ—e ye him all his Angels praise ye him all his Host. Therefore Iunius for Praise ye the Lord from the Heavens hath Laudate cum coelites The Chaldee for Laudate eum in excelsis Laudate eum Angeli excelsi In like manner here Gloria in excelsis â—eo are the words of the Angelicall Quire inciting themselves and all the Host to give glory and praise unto God for these wonderfull tidings Now therefore let us see what this Glory is and how it is given to God To tell you every signification of the word Glory in Scripture might perhaps distract the hearer but would inform him little Nor will it be to purpose to reckon up every signification it hath when it is spoken of God I will therefore name only the two principall ones And first Glory when it is referred to God often signifies the Divine Presence or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in this Chapter a little before my Text when it is said The Glory of the Lord shone round about the Shepheards and they were sore afraid But this is not the signification in my Text but another which I shall now tell you For Glory besides signifies in Scripture the high and glorious Supereminency or Majesty of God which consisteth in his threefold Supremacy of Power of Wisdome and of Goodnesse And as words of eminency and dignity with us as Majesty Highnesse Honour Worship are used for the persons themselves to whom such Dignity belongeth as when we say His Majesty his Highnesse his Honour his Worship so in the Scripture and among the Hebrews His Glory or the Glory of the Lord is used to note the Divine Essence or Deity it self As in 2 Pet. 1. 17. There came a voice saith S. Peter from the excellent Glory that is from God the Father This is my welbeloved Son in whom I am well pleased Rom. 1. The Gentiles are said to have changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likenesse of things corruptible As it is said in the 106. Psal. ver 20. of the Israelites in the Wildernesse That they changed their Glory into the similitude of an Oxe that eateth grasse S. Iohn cap. 1. 14. of his Gospel says of the Son We beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten Son of God According to which sense he is called Heb. 1. The brightnesse of his Fathers glory and the expresse Image of his person where the latter words are an exposition of the former Image expounding brightnesse and person or substance expounding glory If Glory therefore signifie the Divine Majesty or Greatnesse to glorifie or give glory unto God is nothing else but to acknowledge this Majesty or greatnesse of His namely his supereminent Power his Wisdom and Goodnesse for in the peerlesse supereminency of these three under which all his other Attributes are comprehended his glorious Majesty consisteth Take this withall That all the religious service and worship we give unto God whether we praise him pray or give thanks unto him is nothing else but the acknowledging of this glory either in deed or word namely by confessing it or doing some act whereby we acknowledge it To come to particulars By our Faith we confesse his Wisdome and Truth by our thanksgiving his Goodnesse and Mercy when we pray we acknowledge his Power and Dominion and therefore the form of prayer our Saviour taught us concludes For thine is the kingdome power and glory In praise we confesse all these or any of them according to that in the Hymne of the Church Te Deum laudamus Te Dominum confitemur We praise thee O God we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. All which is evident by those forms of glorification set down in the Apocalypse which are nothing else but expresse and particular acknowledgements of the greatnesse or Majesty of God and his peerlesse prerogatives When the four Wights are said to have given glory honour and thanks to him that sate upon the Throne what was their Ditty but this Thou art worthy ô Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created When the Lamb opened the book with 7. Seals the Wights the Elders and every creature in heaven in earth and under the earth sung Worthy is the Lamb to receive power and riches and strength and honour and blessing And again Blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever In which we may observe the whole glorification to consist in the acknowledgement of these three soveraign prerogatives of the Divine Majesty his Power his Wisdome his Goodnesse The two first Power and Wisdom are expresse and Riches and Strength belong to Power The third is contained in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Blessing or thanksgiving which is nothing else but the confession of the Divine goodnesse Hence it is that the Septuagint and Vulgar Latine commonly render the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifie to praise and glorifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 confiteor Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus quoniam in saeculum misericordia ejus Psal. 106. 107. 136. Confitebor tibi Domino in toto corde meo quoniam audisti verba oris mei Psal. 138. Confitemini Domino invocate nomen ejus Psal. 105. and the like And in the 148. Psal. Confessio ejus super coelum terram that is His glory is above the heaven and the earth The Holy Ghost in the New Testament useth the same language Luc. 11. 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes where we have I thank thee ô Father Beza and Erasmus read
neglect of such duties of piety and charity which amongst our Fore-fathers were frequent as also our open profession when being exhorted to these works of piety to God and of charity towards our brethren we stick not to alledge we are not bound unto them because we look not to be saved by the merit of works as they but by faith in Christ alone as though faith in Christ excluded works and not rather included them as being that whereby they became acceptable unto God which of themselves they are not or as if works could no way conduce unto the attaining of salvation but by way of merit and desert and not by way of the grace and favour of God in Christ as we shall see in the handling of this Text. We greatly now a days and that most dangerously mistake the errour of our forefathers which was not in that they did good works I would we did so but because they knew not rightly the end why they did them nor where the value of them lay they thought the end of doing them was to obtain eternall life as a reward of Justice due unto them whereas it is onely of grace and promise in Christ Jesus They took their works to have such perfectness in them as would endure the touchstone of the Law of God yea such worth and value as to merit the reward they looked for whereas all the value and acceptablenesse of our works issueth from the merit of Christ and lieth onely in his righteousnesse communicated unto us and them by faith and no otherwise But setting aside these errours of the end and of the value of works we must know as well as they That not every one that saith unto Christ Lord Lord c. but he that doth the will of his Father c. Now for the Explication of the words To call Christ Lord is to beleeve in him to acknowledge him to look for salvation by him or as the Scripture expresseth it Luke 6. to come unto him every one saith our Saviour there explaining this very Text we have in hand Every one saith he that commeth unto me and heareth my words and doth them I will shew you who he is like where to come unto Christ is put in stead of that which in the former was to say unto him Lord. The doing of his Fathers will is the doing of those works of obedience which his Father hath commanded in his Law and now committed to his Son whom he hath made the head and King of his Church to see executed and performed by those he bringeth to salvation But how and in what manner we shall see by and by The Text consists of two parts The one negative Not every one that saith unto Christ Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of heaven The other affirmative But those who doe the will of his Father shall onely enter thither But these are so nearly linked together that they cannot be handled asunder And the observations which I shall draw thence depend on the whole Text the first and chiefest whereof is this That faith in Christ without works of obedience and amendment of life is not sufficient for salvation and consequently not that faith whereby a Christian is justified For if it were it would save us If it be not sufficient to save us it cannot justifie us This floweth directly from the Text and cannot be denied if ye remember what I said before that to call Christ Lord is to beleeve in him For the better understanding of this you must take notice that there is a threefold faith whereby men beleeve in Christ There is a false faith There is a true faith but not saving and thirdly there is a saving faith A false faith is to beleeve to attain salvation through Christ any other way then he hath ordained as namely to beleeve to attain salvation through him without works of obedience to be accepted of God in him which is a faith whereof there is no Gospel A true faith is to beleeve salvation is to be attained through obedience to God in Jesus Christ who by his merits and righteousnesse makes our selves and our works acceptable to his Father A saving and justifying faith is to beleeve this so as to embrace and lay hold upon Christ for that end To believe to attain salvation through obedience to God in Christ so as to apply our selves and rely upon Christ for that end namely to perform those works of obedience which God hath promised to reward with eternall life For a justifying faith stayeth not onely in the brain but stirs up the will to receive and enjoy the good beleeved according as it is promised This motion of election of the will is that which maketh the difference between a saving faith which joyneth us unto Christ and that which is true indeed but not saving but dogmaticall and opinionative onely And this motion or applying of the will to Christ this embracing of Christ and the promises of the Gospel through him is that which the Scripture when it speaks of this faith calleth comming unto Christ or the receiving of him Joh. 1. 12. As many as received him to them he gave power or priviledge to be the sons of God even to them that beleeve on his Name where receiving and beleeving one expound another So for comming Come unto me saith our Saviour all ye that are heavy laden and I will ease you The last is very frequent Iohn 5. 40. Ye will not come to me saith our Saviour that ye might have life And Chap. 6. 37. All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me ver 44. No man can come unto me unlesse the Father draw him 45. Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father commeth unto me and such like All which expresse the specification of a saving faith which consists in the embracing receiving and applying of the will to the thing beleeved What this embracing receiving or applying unto Christ is I will farther make plain thus He that beleeveth that Christ is an atonement to God for the sins of all repentant sinners and surely he is an atonement for none else must repent and turn from all his sinnes that so Christ may be an atonement for him else he embraceth not what he beleeveth He that beleeves that God in Christ will accept and reward our obedience and works of piety though short of perfection and of no worth in themselves must apply himself accordingly to doe works of Religion and Charity that God in Christ may accept and reward them For our beleef is not that saving beleef untill we apply our selves to what we beleeve To beleeve to attain salvation through Christ without works of obedience to be accepted in him is as I have already said a false faith whereof there is no Gospel no promise To beleeve the contrary that Christ is given of God to such only as shall receive him to perform acceptable obedience to God
such an one where Idolatry false worship and Popery so reigned as there had been little hopes or means to have been saved But behold we are born bred and dwell in a reformed Christian State where the worship of God in Christ is truly taught and practised where no God is worshipped but the Father and in no other Mediator but his Son Jesus Christ. How should we then magnifie our good God for his so great and abundant mercy towards us Luther or some other tels a story of a German pesant who on a time beholding an ugly Toad fell into a most bitter lamentation and weeping that he had been so unthankfull to Almighty God who had made him a man and not such an ugly creature as that was O that we could in like manner bewail our ingratitude towards him who hath made us to have our birth and habitation not among Pagans and barbarous Indians a people without God in the world but in a beleeving and Christian Nation where the true God is known and the means of salvation is to be had Thankfulnesse for a lesse benefit is the way to obtain a greater To acknowledge and prize Gods favour towards us in the means is the way to obtain his grace to use them to our eternall advantage whereas our neglect of thankfulnesse in the one may cause God in his just judgement to deprive us of his blessing in the other Consider it And thus much concerning the person to whom the Angel spake Cornelius And he said unto him Now I come to the message it self Thy prayers and thine almes are come into remembrance before God Where before I make any further entrance there is an Objection requires to be answered namely how Cornelius his service could be accepted of God as it is said to be when as he had no knowledge of Christ without whom no man can please God I answer Cornelius pleased God through his faith in the promise of Christ to come as all just men under the Law did which faith God did so long accept after Christ was come till his comming and the mystery of Redemption wrought by him were fully and clearly made known and preached which had not been to Cornelius till this time for though he had heard of his preaching in Galilee and Judaea and that he was crucified by the Jews yet he had not heard of his Resurrection from the dead and Ascension into glory or was not assured of it till it was now confirm'd unto him by one sent from God himself And it is like that having heard somewhat of the Apostles preaching and of the Jews opposing their testimony and so knowing not what to beleeve he had earnestly besought God in his Devotions to lead him in the way of truth and make known unto him what to doe This being premised I return again unto the Angels words wherein I will consider three things First the conjunction or coupling of Almesdeeds with Prayer Thy Prayers and thine Almes Secondly the efficacy of power they have with God Thy Prayers and thine Almes are come up into remembrance before God Thirdly I will adde the reasons why God so much accepteth them which are also so many Motives why we should be carefull and diligent to practise them For the first the joyning of Almesdeeds with prayer Cornelius we see joyn'd them and he is therefore in the verses before going commended for a devout man and one that feared God And by the Angels report from God himself we hear how graciously he accepted them giving us to understand that a Devotion thus arm'd was of all others the most powerfull to pierce into his dwelling place and fetch a blessing from him Therefore our Saviour likewise Mat. 6. joyns the precepts of Alms and Prayer together teaching us how to give alms and how to pray in one Sermon as things that ought to goe hand in hand and not to be separated asunder It was also the Ordinance of the Church in the Apostles times that the first day of the week which was the time of publike prayer should be the time also of Alms. So saith S. Paul 1 Cor. 16. 1. Now concerning the collection for the Saints saith he as I have given order to the Churches of Galatia even so do ye 2. Vpon the first day of the week that is upon the Lords day let every one of you lay by himself in store as God hath prospered him that there be no gatherings when I come Which institution seems to be derived from the Commandement of God in the Law twice repeated Let no man appear before the Lord empty For the words annexed to that Law Deut. 16. where it is applied to the three great feasts when all Israel was to assemble to pray before the Lord in his Tabernacle the words I say there annexed sound altogether like unto these of S. Paul concerning the Lords day Three times a year saith the Text there shall all the males appear before the Lord and they shall not appear before the Lord empty Every one shall give as he is able according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee Is not this the same in sense with S. Pauls Let every one lay by himself in store as God hath prospered him The Primitive Church after the Apostles followed the same president and our own Reformed Church hath ordained the same in her Service-book were it accordingly practised as was intended For after the Epistle and Gospel she appoints divers choice sentences of Scripture to be read which exhorts us to Almes and other Offerings to the honour of Almighty God and then as supposing it to be done in the Prayer for the whole estate of Christs Church We humbly beseech him most mercifully to accept our Almes and receive our prayers which we offer unto his Divine Majesty Shall I now need to exhort Christians thus to furnish and strengthen their prayers which they daily offer unto God to couple them with Almesdeeds to come before God with a present and not empty-handed Whom neither Gods Commandement the practice of his Church the example of his Saints nor the acceptance of such prayers as the hand which dealeth Almes lifteth up to him whom these will not move no words of mine will do it But some may say Would you have us always give Alms when we pray No I say not so but I would not have you appear before the Lord empry that is such as are not wont to give them nor mean to do for you may give them before or second your prayers with them after you may have set and appointed times for the one as you have for the other or when the Law of man injoyns you any thing in this kinde do it heartily faithfully and with a willing minde without grudging that so God may accept it as a service done to him Or lastly thou maist doe as the holy men of Scripture were wont vow and promise unto God if
he that supports and enables a Prophet for his duty hath an interest in his work and consequently in the reward that belongs unto it This appears by the contrary because he that maintains and abets those who commit an evil act makes himself guilty of their sin and so of the punishment due to the same An example whereof we have in that of the Benjamites in the Book of Judges who by abetting the men of Gibeah who committed that foul abomination with the Levites Wife made themselves guilty of their sin and brought that hideous judgement which at first was deserved only by a few sons of Beliall upon the Heads of the whole Tribe It is a known story Now it is par ratio for a man to entitle himself to anothers good works as to his ill But there is a modification in the Text whereupon this reward we speak of depends otherwise not to be looked for And that is This good office must be done in nomine Prophetae not for any other respect then as he is and because he is a Prophet He that receiveth a Prophet in nomine Prophetae shall receive a Prophets reward not he that receives him onely for some personall or by-respect because he is his kinsman friend or friends ally or which is the ground of the most respect the Prophet gets among the most now adays because he is one of their own side and faction but setting all such respects aside eo nomine quia Prophet◠with meer respect to their office and calling or because they are as Valens and Valentinian in their Rescript apud Theodoretum cals them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Procuratores magni Regis I may tell you that this is no ordinary thing now adays we may perhaps finde some that can be content to make much of the Prophet for some personall qualities of his or perhaps because he hath abilities above ordinary or because it may be he is like to further the way they wish good luck to or that they may gain repute among some sort of men or other respects of like nature But are there many which regard them in nomine Prophetae How then comes it to passe that their courtesies are so appropriate to the persons of some that they shew no respect or esteem to the calling in others Whence comes that Unchristian or indeed Atheisticall language A base Priest A paultry Priest It would never have grieved me if any other had served me thus but to be served thus by a base Priest who can endure it Tell me in good earnest is this to honour a Priest or a Prophet in nomine Prophetae or not rather point-blank unto it to reproach and dishonour him under that reverend Name that is to despise and reproach the Calling it self For can a man honour that condition the name whereof he thinks to be a reproach Is any man wont to say A base Lord A base Knight A base Gentleman A base Christian No And why because he accounts them all terms and titles of honour Judge then by this what account they make of Gods Ambre who turn the very title of their Calling into a name of reproach and what reward by proportion they are like to merit at Christs hands Not a Prophets I am sure and whether a Christians or not themselves may judge 'T is often and too often true indeed that for our persons we are unworthy of any better respect but even then it best appears whether a man hath respect to the Calling eo nomine when there is nothing in the Person to move him to it But there is another sort of men who honour not a Prophet in the name of a Prophet yet behinde namely such as rob and spoil them of their livelihood and daily bread and not onely themselves give nothing to enable and encourage them the better to perform their Ministery but take from them severall ways that which the piety and bounty of their Ancestors hath allotted them yea to many if not to the most no gain or theft is more sweet then that which is gotten out of the Priests portion But whether it will prove so at that day when the just God shall reward every man according to his works may be greatly feared I told you a little before that the reason why he that receives a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall be partaker of a Prophets reward is because he that supports and enables a Prophet to do his duty hath thereby an interest in his work and consequently to the reward due to the same If this be so what can they look for who by subtracting their daily bread from them hinder and disenable them from the free and chearfull performance of their duty by distracting them with the cares of providing for their bodily life Do they not derive upon themselves the guilt of whatsoever impediment comes hereby to the propagation of the Kingdom of Christ Shall not the losse of every soul that perisheth for want of due provision to maintain an able Minister be cast in their account at the last day I will speak nothing now of the burden which Sacriledge it self being a robbing of God carries with it see Prov. 20. 25. It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy and after vows to make enquiry nor of those dreadfull execrations which the Donors of such things were wont antiquo ritu to lay upon the heads of all such as should divert them to profane uses wherewith these men willingly and wilfully involve themselves But for a close let us join in an humble and hearty acknowledgement of Gods goodnesse and mercy and say Blessed be God our heavenly Father who notwithstanding the malignity of many hath not left us destitute but in every age hath raised up some to shew kindnesse unto the Prophets and to provide entertainment for them Witnesse the goodly structures and liberall endowments in our two Seminaries for the entertainment and education of Prophets and Prophets Sons being the bounty of those Worthies the fruits of whose Piety and Devotion the whole Church of God by his Divine goodnesse doth enjoy To whose blessed Names as their deserts challenge from us let all due honour and thankfulnesse be for ever rendred DEUT. 33. 8. And of Levi he said Let thy Thummim and thy Vrim be with thy Holy One. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THis verse is part of that blessing wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death and these words are part of the blessing of Levi a blessing which much exceeds those that went before it and is far above all that come after it For as S. Paul proves Melchisedec to be greater then Abraham because he blessed Abraham and worthier then Levi because he tithed Levi in the loins of Abraham so may we say of this blessing that it is the greatest of all because it is the blessing of him who by his Office was
to blesse all the rest and the worthiest of all because by it the party blessed is enabled to blesse the rest of his Brethren 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Always that by which another is that thing it self is more then the other In the words themselves we will consider first the subject blessed and then the quality of the blessing it self The subject blessed is expressed both by name and by description by name Levi by description Gods Holy One. The blessing it self is contained in words few in substance plentifull Vrim and Thummim nay more then so Thy Thummim and Thy Vrim that we might know whence this blessing comes how that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a divine thing the gift of God who is the Author and giver of all good things And of Levi he said Let thy Thummim c. To begin first with the Subject Levi What Levi was is so well known that it were needlesse to say much to make it better known Only this that Levi was the Tribe which God had especially bequeathed to himself and set apart for the Ministery of the Altar Concerning whose name though observations drawn from names are like an house raised upon the sand yet because of old and among the Patriarchs Names were given by the Spirit of Prophecy it will not be altogether unworthy our speculation to remember the reason why this Name Levi was imposed which we shall see as truly verified in that Function to which God did advance his posterity as it was by his Mother fitly given to himself upon the good hope she conceived at his birth For Levi signifies a Conjoyner an Uniter or maker of union for thus said Leah when she bare him Now at this time will my husband be joyned to me because I have born a third son And she called his name Levi. She called him Levi but for ought we reade in regard of her self she found him no Levi as she hoped but she prophecied of that sacred office whereby all the sons of Levi became conjoyners became makers of union not between Iacob and Leah but between God and Man between Christ and his Spouse between the spirituall Iacob and his deformed Leah For as truly as ever Leah spake might the Church then and may the Church now affirm when she hath born these sons unto her husband Now I know my heavenly husband my Lord my God will be joyned to me because I have born him these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these sons of Union these Ministers of reconciliation Plato could say a Priest was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A friend-maker between God and men Nay his whole office is nothing but the service of peace and that not only between God and man but between man and his brother for how can he love God who loves not his brother or how can he be at peace with God who is at variance with his brother Needs must he therefore that is Minister of the one be Minister of the other also and he that is so nay he alone that is so is a right Levite and a true son of Union How unworthy then of this holy name how unworthy to succeed in the holy Order of Levi are those who are Ministers of division who by their lives doctrine example or any other way divide God and his Church and the Church within it self who neither have peace with God themselves nor will suffer others to have it who neither agree themselves with others nor suffer others to agree among themselves Beati pacifici Blessed are the peace-makers especially in the sons of Peace This Christ prayed for in his Apostles Ioh. 17. saying Holy Father keep them through thy name that they may be one as we are one Christ is so one that he makes all one who are one in him so should every son of Levi be one In summe the Ministers of God are called Angels and therefore should sing a song like unto that song of Angels Glory be to God on high peace on earth and good will amongst men That Church which hath such a Levite such a Minister such a son of Union may truly take up the words of Micah Iudg. 17. and say Now I know the Lord will do me good seeing I have a Levite to my Priest And thus much of the name Levi Now I come unto the Tribe it self concerning which there may be two things asked First why God did confine the Priesthood to one Tribe alone and not suffer it to be common to all as it was before the Law and is now since the Law Secondly why Levi was chosen to this holy Function rather then any other Tribe To the first why God did limit this holy Function to one Tribe only some of the Jews make this answer That one of the sons of Israel with his whole posterity was due unto God by virtue of Jacobs vow Gen. 28. which was that if God would be with him in his journey and bring him back again unto his Fathers house of all that thou shalt give me saith he I will give the tenth unto thee Now because God gave children as well as beeves and sheep therefore they also must fall within compasse of his Vow And that there might be no difficulty about tithing the odde children because there were more then ten they devise this way to make all even for first say they the full number of Iacobs children was fourteen because that Iosephs two sons Ephraim and Manasseh go in the number of Iacobs sons for Iacob Gen. 48. said unto Ioseph Thy two sons which are born unto thee in the land of AEgypt before I came into AEgypt shall be mine as Reuben and Simeon are mine but thy lineage which thou begettest after them shall be thine Now of these fourteen four were the Lords by his right unto the first-born for so many there were which first opened the womb of their four Mothers Rahel and Leah Bilhah and Zilpah Iacobs two Wives and his two Concubines Now of the remainder being ten one fals to Gods share for Tithe as being comprized within their Fathers Vow This reason though it be as you see handsomely framed yet hath no great likelihood because men use not to be tithed and therefore this extent of the Vow is beyond the intent of the Vower And whereas they urge the words of all that thou shalt give me they seem to forget that God gave unto Iacob besides his sons great store of man-servants and maid-servants and yet we reade not that any of these were dedicate unto God or that he challenged any of their posterity The only or chief cause if I am not deceived why God restrained the Priestly Function to one Tribe was for a sign and band of restraint of his Church to one people For as the Church cannot be without the sacred Function of holy Ministery so likewise the condition thereof must follow the condition of the Ministery As long
the use of the things themselves Vrim is Light and Illumination Thummim Integrity and Perfection By Vrim the Jews were ascertained of the counsell and will of God By Thummim of his favour and good will towards them All this agrees to Christ both in himself and in regard of us In himself his brest is full of Vrim full of Light and Understanding in him dwell all the treasures of Wisdome and Knowledge as S. Paul saith He is the Wisdome of the Father by which the world it self was made His heart is also endowed with Thummim with all kind of Perfections He was conceived without Originall sin lived without Actuall sin fulfilled the whole Law of God which is the Law of Thummim the Law of all Perfection Thus to Christ himself agrees both Vrim and Thummim and so it doth also in regard of us for he is an Vrim and Thummim both to us and for us To us he is Vrim a light which enlightneth every one which commeth unto the world He is the light which shone in darknesse but the darknesse could not comprehend it He was that light by which the people as it is said in Matthew 4. which sate in darknesse saw great light And of this Light Iohn came to bear witnesse that all might beleeve in him Ioh. 1. In summe Christ is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Patris the Word and Oracle of his Father by whom we know and learn the Fathers will for so S. Iohn saith cap. 1. No man hath seen God at any time but the Son who is in the bosome of the Father he hath revealed him unto us Neither is Christ only an Vrim but also a Thummim to us For as by Thummim the Jews were ascertained of Gods favour toward them in accepting their Sacrifice so by Christ comming in the flesh is revealed the unspeakable mercy of God to mankind in that he would accept his Sacrifice once offered for the expiation of the sins of the whole world This is that Good-will toward men which the Angels sung of assoon as he was born Glory be to God on high peace on earth and good-will towards men Yea glory be to God on high for this peace on earth and for this good will towards men Thus we see Christ an Vrim and Thummim to us now let us see how he is the same for us and that is when his wisdome and righteousnesse is made ours by imputation So his Vrim becomes our Vrim his Thummim our Thummim that is his wisdome is made ours his righteousnesse and favour with God made ours for this is my welbeloved Son said a voice from heaven in whom I am well pleased In brief S. Paul comprehends both these together where he saith Christ Iesus is made unto us Wisdome Sanctification and Redemption And so Lord let thy Vrim and thy Thummim be with thy holy one And thus much for the speciall consideration of this Vrim and Thummim both personally and typically Now I come unto the generall meaning thereof as it concerns not the High Priest only but the whole Tribe of Levi for this is the blessing of that whole Tribe And in this large respect the meaning cannot be proper for so it belongs unto the High Priest to have Vrim and Thummim nor typicall because the Priests only and not the under Levites were types of Christ but the sense must be analogicall signifying some endowments common to all Levites which resemble the Vrim and Thummim upon the brest of the High Priest Now what these are the words themselves import namely Light of understanding knowledge this is their Vrim and Integrity of life this is their Thummim The first makes them Doctores the second Ductores populi He that wants either of these two wants the true ornament of Priesthood the right character of a Levit. For though these endowments may well beseem all the Tribes of Israel yet Moses specially prays for them in Levi because by him they were to come to all the rest and the want of them in him could not but redound to all the rest It a populus sicut sacerdos the Priest cannot erre but he causeth others to erre also the Priest cannot sin but he causeth others to sin also And this is it that Malachi saith from the Lord unto the Priests of his time Ye are gone out of the way and have caused many to fall by the Law But the Levites of old saith the same Prophet The Law of Truth was in their mouth and iniquity was not found in their lips they walked with God in peace and equity and turned many from iniquity Here you see when the Levites erre the people erre also when the Levites walk in equity the people are turned from iniquity The Ministers of Christ must be Lux mundi the light of the world Vos estis lux mundi ye are the light of the world ye are the worlds Vrim saith Christ unto his Apostles for the lips of the Priest should preserve knowledge and they should learn the Law at hâ—s mouth This light of knowledge this teaching knowledge is the Vrim of every Levite and therefore Christ when he inspired his Apostles with knowledge of heavenly mysteries he sent a new Vrim from above even fiery tongues tongues of Vrim from heaven He sent no fiery heads but fiery tongues for it is not sufficient for a Levite to have his head full of Vrim unlesse his tongue be a candle to shew it unto others There came indeed no Thummim from heaven as there came an Vrim for though the Apostles were secured from errors they were not freed from sin And yet we who are Levites must have such a Thummim as may be gotten upon earth for S. Paul bid Titus in all things to shew himself an example of good works and this is a Thummim of Integrity But besides this Thummim the Ministers of the Gospel have received from God more especially another Thummim like unto that which was proper to the High Priest namely the power of binding and loosing which is as it were a power of Oracle to declare unto the people the remission of their sins by the acceptance of Christs Sacrifice And this directly answers to Thummim in the first sense ACTS 5. 3 4 5. 3. But Peter said Ananias Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the holy Ghost and to purloin of the price of the Land 4. Whiles it remained was it not thine own and after it was sold was it not in thy power why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart Thou hast not lied unto men but unto God 5. And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up c. IN the 110. Psalm where our Saviour is Prophetically described in the person of a King advanced to the Throne of Divine Majesty glorious and victorious The Lord said unto my Lord Sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool
food of Angels whereby this their intellectuall life and vegetation is strengthned and continued is that unspeakable joy and delight which accompanies this contemplation of God and which they finde in the beholding of whatsoever else hath any conformity or sutableness with him his power his wisdome his glory his goodnesse According to that in the Gospel There is joy in heaven and in the presence of the Angels of God for one sinner that repenteth This is that Manna which feeds the blessed Angels and which makes them unweariable and unsatiable in their contemplation and imitation of God as corporall food enableth the body for the continuance of corporall works And such as this had been the Devils fare had he not fallen from his first estate by sin whereas now in stead of that Manna he is fain with the Serpent to feed of a food as course and as base as the dust of the earth for as of a glorious Angel he is fallen to be a damned spirit so is his diet answerable to continue him in that damnable estate namely a food clean contrary to that of the blessed Angels and a very earth to their heaven A most execrable joy and a malicious delight in whatsoever is opposite to the power the wisdome the goodnesse the glory of God his Creator this is that he hungreth and hunteth after and nothing but this If there were no sin no confusion no misery of creatures in the world the Devil would be soon starved for this is that he preys after this is that carrion he seeks for when he goeth about as S. Peter saith like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour I have read of a people of America that will eat no flesh before it be stinking rotten and then it seems to them most tender and delicate These are of a diet like unto the Devil for nothing but garbage and carrion are his dainties the more rotten with sin the more pleasing to his palate that which stinks most in Gods nostrils that smels the sweetest in his The last part of this curse remains I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed c. In which we will first consider the parties who are to be at this deadly feud Secondly the event and successe they have one against the other For the first the parties are on one side said to be the Serpent and his seed on the other side The woman and her seed By the Serpent we are to understand Satan the Prince of darknesse and Father of Devils This Serpents seed in the first place are the whole crue of Devils and damned spirits who are fallen from their first estate and condition These are the Serpents first-born begotten by him not by corporall generation nor as they are spirits but by spirituall deformation as they are Devils For it is the opinion of Divines that Satan fell first himself and afterward propagated his Apostasie by drawing others after him over whom therefore he worthily deserveth to have the principality and chiefdome in which respect also were there no other yet he might be called their Father and they his sons or seed as we know the use of the Scripture is to call Princes Fathers and Subjects sons The latter off-spring of the Devil being a second brood are the whole company of wicked and reprobate worldlings for that such as these are the spawn of that foul fiend it appears clearly by the words of our Saviour to the Pharisees Ioh. 8. 44. Ye are of your Father the Devil and the lusts of your Father ye will do And again 1 Ioh. 3. 10. The children of God are opposed to the children of the Devil Therefore Christ cals Iudas a Devil Ioh. 6. And Paul Act. 13. 10. cals Elymas the Sorcerer A child of the Devil The case is plain And as the Vanguard consisted of the first crue so these latter are the Rere of Satans Army Now on the other side against this Army of Hell-hounds stand the Woman and the Womans seed The woman though only named excludes not the man who was to be at enmity with the Devil as well as the woman But the reason of this unusuall Trope which cals the kind by the name of the weaker and inferiour sex is because of the words following of â—he seed wherein is contained the great mystery of Christs Incarnation under whose colours and in whose power alone this Army is both to march and overcome for this great Captain was to be as you know the seed of the woman only and not of the man A Virgin should conceive a Son whose name is called Emmanuel Whence it comes to passe that some by seed will have no other seed to be understood but the person of Christ only both because he is alone that seed of the woman which is not the seed of man and because S. Paul Gal. 3. 16. in those words In thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed expoundeth seed singularly and individually of Christ himself alone But if it be well observed the case here is not the like for the seed of the woman is opposed to the seed of the Serpent which seed cannot chuse but be taken collectively for Satan and all his regiments of Devils and hell-hounds And why should not also the seed of the woman be understood of Christ mysticall that is of Christ the Head with all his members who are incorporate into him by faith into one mysticall body For although they are naturally the seed of man as well as of the woman yet spiritually by this incorporation they are the feed of the woman only as is their Head with whom they are one And this it is which makes them of the party against the Serpent for till they once became the seed of the woman only there was no enmity betwixt them The seed therefore of the woman I expound to be Christ and his Members He 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the seed of the woman by nature they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by their spirituall engraâ—ment into him Hence appears the difference of these two Armies First in Satans Army all march under their Father who begot them but Christs Army sighteth under the Colours of their elder brother the first begotten seed of the woman Secondly in their ranging Christ and his Army are as one body informed by one Spirit the Devil is far more disunited Thirdly in their fighting for in Satans Army every Souldier useth his own strength and fights with his own weapons but in Christs Army the whole strength lies in Christ their Generall All our Armour is on his back and our weapons guided by the power of his hand So we may learn out of S. Paul Ephes. 6. 11 12. Put on saith he the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the
Eucharist and therefore I doubt not but Clemens means of the same and tels us that in this Sacrifice Christ the High-priest of our offerings is found that is represented and commemorated In the same style speaks Iust. Mar. Dial cum Tryphone Ne unum quidem est genus Mortalium sive Graecorum sive Barbarorum sive quocunque nomine appellantur inter quos per nomen cruci fixi Iesu 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Patri fabricatori omnium non fiant He is speaking of the Christian sacrifice our Text in Malachi In omni loco offeretur incensum nomini meo where by Nomen Dei he understands Christ through whom in this Sacrifice our devotions are offered So doth Ireneus and others Iren. lib. 4. cap. 33. Quod est aliud Nomen quod in Gentibus glorificatur quà m quod est Domini nostri per quem glorificatur Pater glorificatur homo quoniam ergo Nomen filii proprium Patris est in Deo omnipotente per Iesum Christum offert Ecclesia bene ait secundum utraque Et in omni loco offeretur incensum Nomini meo sacrificium purum Now how this Incense and Sacrifice which the Prophet saith the Gentiles should offer to the Name of God may be expounded Offered by the Name of God to wit by Christ Origen lib. 8. contra Cels. will inform us Vnum Deum saith he unum ejus filium ac verbum imaginemque quantum possumus supplicationibus honoribus veneramur offerentes Deo universorum preces per suum unigenitum Cui prius eas adhibemus rogantes ut ipse qui est propitiator pro peccatis nostris dignetur tanquam Pontifex preces nostras sacrificia intercessiones offerre Deo super omnia That which we offer to the Father by Christ we offer first to Christ that he as our High-priest might present it to his Father More passages hath Origen in the same Books of this kinde But I will not weary you too much in this rugged way out of this which we have hitherto discoursed and proved may be understood the meaning and reason of that Decree of the third Councell of Carthage and Hippo. Vt nemo in Precibus vel Patrem pro Filio vel Filium pro Patre nominet Et cum Altari assistitur semper ad Patrem dirigatur oratio The reason because the Father is properly the Object 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to whom the Son onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by whom in this Mysticall service and therefore to direct here our Prayers and Thanksgivings to the Son were to pervert the order of the Mystery which is as hath been proved An oblation of Praise and Prayer to God the Father through the Intercession of Iesus Christ represented in the Symbols of Bread and Wine SECT IV. THe fourth particular propounded was this That the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ or Lords Supper is a Sacrifice according to the style of the ancient Church It is one thing to say that the Lords Supper is a Sacrifice and another to say that Christ is properly sacrificed therein These are not the same for there may be a Sacrifice which is a representation of another and yet a Sacrifice too And such is this of the New Testament a Sacrifice wherein another Sacrifice that of Christs death upon the Crosse is commemorated Thus the Papists gain nothing by this Notion of Antiquity and our asserting the same For their tenet is that Christ in this Sacrifice is really and properly sacrificed which we shall shew in due time that the Ancients never meant To begin with this As in the Old Testament the name of Sacrifice was otherwhile given to the whole action in which the Rite was used sometimes to the Rite alone so in the Notion and Language of the ancient Church sometimes the whole Action or Christian service wherein the Lords Supper was a part is comprehended under that name sometimes the Rite of the sacred Supper it self is so termed and truly as you shall now hear The resolution of this Point depends altogether upon the true Definition of a Sacrifice as it is distinguished from all other Offerings Which though it be so necessary that all disputation without it is vain yet shall we not finde that either party interessed in this question hath been so exact therein as were to be wished This appears by the differing Definitions given and confuted by Divines on both sides the reason of which defect is because neither are deduced from the Notion of Scripture but built upon other conceptions Let us see therefore if it may be learned out of Scripture what that is which the Scripture in a strict and speciall sense cals a Sacrifice Every Sacrifice is an oblation or offering but every offering is not a Sacrifice in that strict and proper acception we seek For Tithes First-fruits Heavofferings in the Law and whatsoever indeed is consecrated unto God are oblations or offerings but none of them Sacrifices nor ever so called in the Old Testament What offerings are then called so I answer Burnt-offerings Sin-offerings Trespasse-offerings and peace-offerings These and no other are called by that name Out of these therefore must we pick the true and proper ratio of a Sacrifice It is true indeed that these Sacrifices were offerings of beasts of beeves of sheep of goats of fowls but the ratio of any thing consists not in the matter thereof As the gowns we wear are still the same kinde of apparel though made of differing stuffs These Sacrifices also were slain and offered by fire and incense But neither is the modus of any thing the ratio or essentiall form thereof That therefore may have the nature and formale of a Sacrifice which consists of another matter and is offered after another and differing manner Those we call Sacraments of the Old Testament Circumcision and the Passeover were by effusion of blood ours are not and yet we esteem them neverthelesse true Sacraments and so it may be here To hold you therefore no longer in suspence a Sacrifice I think should be defined thus An offering whereby the offerer is made partaker of his Gods Table in token of Covenant and friendship with him c. more explicately thus An offering unto the Divine Majesty of that which is given for the food of man that the offerer partaking thereof might as by way of pledge be certified of his acceptation into Covenant and fellowship with his God by eating and drinking at his Table S. Augustin comes toward this Notion when he defines a Sacrifice though in a larger sense opus quod Deo nuncupamus reddimus dedicamus hoc fine ut sanctâ societate ipsi adhaereamus for to have society and fellowship with God what is it else but to be in league and covenant with him In a word a Sacrifice is oblatio foederalis for the true and right understanding whereof we must know that it was the