be baptised In which words diuers things do offer themselues to bee considered and that which I thinke first is necessary is the coniunction of these two namely Faith and Baptisme He that shall beleeue and be baptised must be read without dis-junction and make but one proposition For our Sauiour Christ doth not heere meane that he which is baptised but beleeueth not or that he that beleeueth and is not baptised shall be saued but both are heere ioyned together He that beleeueth and is baptised Betweene these two I meane Faith and Baptisme Christ doth part the causes of Saluation yet let none mis-take me in that I say these are causes of Saluation I doe not say they are principall causes but instrumentall adiuvant secundary inferiour causes which it pleaseth God to vse and sanctifie for the sauing of our soules I doe not say that either both together or any one of them by it selfe is a cause absolutely necessarie to Saluation so that he that wants either one or both must be damned which in the latter member I shall more largely declare but I say they are necessarie in respect of our obedience and necessarie because commanded and therefore if of contempt or grosse or affected negligence we either refuse the one or the other we incurre the displeasure of God and by that meanes eternall damnation In this sence I call them causes and ioyne them both together euen as Christ himselfe doth Hee that beleeueth and is baptised both of them are in their kinde necessary Of the one that is Faith the Apostle sayth Without faith it is vnpossible to please God Hebr. 11.6 Of the other that is Baptisme the Apostle sayth Titus 3.5 it is Lauacrum regenerationis the washing of the new birth and is resembled by Saint Peter 1. Pet. 3.20.21 to the Arke in which Noah and his children were saued The Arke was not a signe onely of the mercy of God but God vsed it as an instrumentall cause to preserue Noah in that great and vniuersall deluge and to it is Baptisme compared The ancient Fathers grounding themselues vpon that and the like places doe speake as becomes them reuerently resembling Baptisme to the red-Sea in which Pharaoh that is the Diuell with all his workes are drowned and the Israelites that is the true Christians regenerate are deliuered from the wrath of God To the Poole of Bethesda into which the Angell descended at a certaine time and stirred the water and who first descended there-into was cured of his infirmitie I say they not onely resemble it but preferre it before this water for that water did onely cure the bodie but this the soule in this water but one could be cured at one time there many are cured into that water the Angell descended at a certayne time and before he had stirred the water it would not worke and therefore it might bee called Fons signatus a Fountaine sealed vp but this water is open and common and floweth plentifully to all Christians according to that prediction of the Prophet Zacharie In that day Zach. 13.1 there shall be a fountaine opened to the house of Dauid and to the house of Ierusalem for sinne and for vncleannesse In that water God did worke by the ministerie of an Angell heere he worketh by the ministery of sinfull men yet is the effect wonderfull neither doth our humility derogate from the power and operation of it I might repeate many other their similitudes to this purpose many speeches they haue which some thinke to be Hyperbolicall and beyond the truth but indeed they are no more then the Scripture teacheth A man may as well ascribe too little as too much to the Sacrament and as the Papists haue erred in Superstition so some perhaps in Prophanenesse to which these our times do too much incline A meane may be held betweene both that is to thinke of these as they are in effect causes and instruments by which Christ doth deriue into our soules the efficacie of his precious bloud He that beleeueth and is baptised shall be saued And this is the first thing I thought meete to be obserued I meane the coniunction of these two Faith and Baptisme But is nothing else will some say required to Saluation Is it sufficient to beleeue and be baptised VVill these two without good-workes bring them that are come to yeares of discretion to heauen God forbid any should think so yet some in former times haue beene of that minde who held that Faith without Workes was sufficient to Saluation and against that heresie Saint Augustine hath written a whole Booke very learnedly Our Aduersaries of the Church of Rome doe ascribe vnto vs this errour and say that we haue reuiued this Heresie wherein their conscience tells them they doe vs wrong It may be you haue heard some say that Faith onely is necessary to Iustification and that is very true but did you euer heare any say that onely Faith was necessary to Saluation I suppose there was neuer any so madde as once to thinke it Bellarmine in this poynt doth vs right who sayth That both they and wee doe hold a necessity of workes though in a diuers sence They hold in workes necessitatem efficientiae a necessitie of the efficacie of workes we holde necessitatem praesentiae a necessitie of the presence of workes In plaine termes the Question betweene vs is not of the necessitie of workes but of the merit and dignity of workes in which there is some difference betweene vs but the necessity of workes is held of both and therefore there is no need to refuse the words he is supposed to be in the wrong which taketh away the necessity of a vertuous life it rather requireth a reall refutation For although it is confessed on both sides I meane of Protestants and Papists that good workes are necessary to saluation yet in eyther Religion many there are who ouerthrow the confession of their faith with the notorious sins of their liues professing they know God but denying him with their workes Tit. 1.16 as the Apostle saith and that is a kinde of indirect and implicite Atheisme How true this is the times doe testifie and I shall easily make knowne yet not without griefe as one that taketh small delight in this discourse and yet not without profit for I see a profitable vse of it I will beginne then with our Aduersaries who in contention do iustify themselues and lay heauy imputations vpon others but as the old saying is Hee that condemnes another ought not himselfe to be faultie Let vs consider then their demeanour Bellarmine amongst other notes of the Church saith that Sanctitas doctrinae Purenesse of doctrine both concerning Faith and Manners is a speciall one and another is Sanctitas vitae Holinesse of life at the least in the authors and founders of their seuerall Orders But if you should measure truth either by some of their doctrine taught or by
dead now liueth he that was in the graue is now ascended now Vltra non dominatur mors Death hath no dominion ouer him but he hath now the dominion of death Hee did both enter into his graue and arise againe to assure vs that howsoeuer our bodies may putrifie in the Graues yet God shall restore them againe Et fragile hoc lutum in purissimam solidissimam testam excoquetur This house of Clay shall be made farre firmer then Stone more glorious then Golde or any such corruptible matter VVhy then are we afraid to descend into the graue which howsoeuer in it selfe fearefull yet to those that seeke Christ zealously as these women did it is a bed of rest and quietnesse as the Prophet calleth it or a Receptacle or Sanctuary against the troubles of the world and so is it called Esay 65. Esay 65. Christ liueth saith the Angell and as a Conqueror of death he is risen from his house of death and made it to such as seeke him a repose a rest a treasury in which they are safely kept and stored vp against the day of Resurrection This is the benefit we haue by Christs liuing by his rising from the graue As his resurrection is for our benefit so is his ascension Jascend saith Christ to prepare a place for you to take possession of Heauen in our name in our nature and here he sitteth at the right hand of God pleading our cause and shall come in maiesty to iudge vs at the last day A point worthy to be considered and which among other things the Angell also meant saying Feare not Now as it pleased God that an Angell should publish the Resurrection so also by an Angell was the Ascension published for as heere the women are first rebuked and afterwards instructed so the Angell seeing them gazing and looking after Christ rebuked them in this manner Whygaze yee you men of Galile And then afterward comforted them and in structed them concerning the Resurrection adding withall This Iesus shall come againe euen so as you haue seene him ascend that is he shall returne in the same nature in which he ascended which our Sauiour himselfe saith is to be in the glory of his Angells But some may say a fire shal go before him the powers of heauen shall be shaken and all the Tribes of the earth shall lament before him how then doth he come againe as he ascended I answer That though there be some difference in the circumstances yet shall he returne in the verity of his body in the very same body shape and members glorified in the which hee was crucified And it is a point most comfortable that the Father of all mercies will vouchsafe by Man to iudge men that the similitude of Nature in so great feare and perturbation might giue vs assured confidence If then his death resurrection ascension glorification and comming to iudgement be all for our comfort so that we seeke him heere it is plaine that this speech of the Angells hath both Consolation and Reprehension These women had a sharpe reprehension by the Angell for seeking him that was liuing amongst the dead but because otherwise their zeale was good God doth pardon their infirmity and comforteth them in their misery As the speech was vnto them so is it vnto vs. I hope there is none of vs so perfect but may very wel indure the Angell taxing our earthlinesse and stirring vs vp to the seeking of Christ now sitting at the right hand of God and if wee profite by the reprehension then appertaineth the consolation vnto vs if we seeke him deuoutly heere For the Prophet saith truely Lord thou art good vnto that soule that seeketh thee neither is it said to that soule that findeth thee for hee that according to his humanity raigneth in Heauen by his grace reigneth in the heart Et prope estinuocantibus ipsum Hee is neare to them that call vpon him VVe neede not as the Apostle saith to climbe vp into heauen nor descend into the depth heere hee is at hand within vs if there we will nourish him and giue him entertainement The finding of him then is not hard so wee seeke him earely whilst he may be found and all dependeth on this point And that men doe not seeke him by lifting vp their hearts vnto him I will shew you both the reason and the remedy and so end A man saith Lactantius is made ex repugnantibus of contrary principles of a soule and a body in respect of his soule hee is of affinity with the Angells in respect of the body he is of affinity with the beasts the soule originally lookes vpwards in respect of his body hee is apt and prone to sensualitie of these contrarieties there do arise in man distractions of minde the soule carrying him one way the frailety of the flesh another and this warre betweene the spirit and the body some doe thinke had beene euen in the state of innocency but that God gaue vnto Adam Donum supernaturale a supernaturall gift which was instar aureifreni like a golden Bridle by which he might pacifie the strife of these contrary parts make the body subiect to the spirit and the spirit subiect to God But after Adam offended he lost not onely that supernaturall gift if any such he had but euen Nature it selfe was now corrupted He that before was prone to Sensuality in respect of his body was made sensuall and carnall in his very soule For as flesh obeying the spirit may be called spirituall so the spirit whilest it obeyes the flesh is carnall and in this estate of corrupt nature man cannot but looke downe his soule and body in respect being but earth fleshly and sensuall But it seemed good to God to dissolue the workes of the Diuell and to send his owne Sonne who both dyed for sinne and applieth the power and efficacy of his bloud by the Sacraments to the regenerating and renewing of the soule which is purified from corruption and indewed with strength and grace to rise and mount vp vnto Heauen Yet forasmuch as this renouation is not pure but in part there remayneth still and euen in the best of vs this combate and contradiction betweene the flesh and the spirit the spirit coueting vpwards and the body hanging downwards and as this corpus corruptibile this corruptible body doth weigh downe the soule so the soule doth make the body mount vp to heauen And heereof proceedes our earthlinesse wee are made of earth and so apt to fixe our mindes on the earth vnlesse the spirit vanquish this earthlinesse in vs whereon dependeth the victorie For as while Aaron and Hur held vp Moses hands strongly the Israelites preuailed against the Amalekites but when they fainted and waxed weary the Amalekites preuailed against the Israelites so while our hearts are set on heauen the Diuell is vanquished by vs but when this heauy lump of Clay this body of ours with our sensuality doth weigh downe the soule then the Diuell preuailes against vs. Therefore our care must bee to keepe downe and represse this sensualitie of ours to mortifie the affections and desires and to make them obedient to the spirit that our earthly affections beeing subdued our spirits with the wings of the morning may climbe vp to God and in zeale of heart say with Dauid Psalme 42. Euen as the Hart desireth the water brookes so longeth my soule after thee O God to which there is nothing more auaileable then frequent meditation of the life to come of Christs ascending of his sitting at the right hand of God receiuing of the Sacrament with such other holy exercises of deuotion which if you doe assure your selues you shall finde him enioy him and pray to him with much comfort in the Spirit ye shall conuerse with him familiarly and take more pleasure in him then in all earthly pleasures beside which are but vaine and momentany blazing like a fire of Thornes but suddenly extinguished whereas the things that are not corporall God bestowes on his whilest by setting their mindes on him they seeke Christ aboue whereby he brings them to raigne in glory with himselfe for euer to whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise and glory now and for euermore Amen * ⎠* FINIS
TWO SERMONS Viz. 1. A Preseruatiue Lilie to cure Soules AND 2. How to Seeke to finde Christ Preached by that famous and iudicious Diuine PETER LILIE Doctor of Diuinitie and sometime Fellow of Iesus Colledge in Cambridge Except a man be borne of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of God Iohn Chap. 3 Vers 5. LONDON Printed by Thomas Snodham 1619. TO THE RELIGIOVS and Noble Lady the Lady BARBARA VILLIERS Increase of all Graces and Honours in this life and in the life to come eternall Felicitie Madame SEeing the importunities of many great and worthy Persons will not suffer the Authour of these Sermons to lie hid in obscuritie I doe heere present you with a mite of his Labors your Vertues iustly challenging at my hands richer returnes then a bandfull of Lilies Yet as the learned and iudicious eye will happly delight it selfe to beholde the resemblance of the Authours face so I trust your humble and religious heart will somewhat recreate it selfe with the heauenly sauour of his gracious words Let them that knew not his person iudge his worth by these liuing Images of his soule for they that knew him do affoord him the testimony of a milde and humble spirit fraught with all rich Iewells of excellent learning and knowledge Of his vertues what greater euidence can be then the sweet sauour of a good name Of his learning what better proofe can we haue then the admirable commendations of them who most excell in all excellent knowledge O the admirable height of iudgement and depth of learning that dwelt within the lowly minde of this true humble man great in all wise-mens eies except his owne With what grauity and maiesty of speach did his Tongue and Pen vtter heauenly mysteries What sweet streames of sanctified eloquence did flow from his gracious lips whose eies in the true humility of his heart were alwaies cast downe to the ground all things that proceeded from his blessed mouth were sweetely breathed out as from the spirit of Loue so that the most famous Vniuersity of Cambridge once his nursing-Mother giues this honourable testimony of him That for Life and Learning the whole world hath not many such men But what shall I say more His praise is with God J here then good Madame salute your Ladiship with this little Mite knowing you to be furnished with many Graces but chiefly the ground of all grace and noblenesse true Humility which neuer takes offence at good-meanings Therefore all happinesse shall euer be wished to you and all yours by me which will euer liue Your Ladiships in all true affection Dorothy Lilie The Epistle to the Christian Reader REader this Booke was pen'd with single heart But yet this Booke was pen'd with double Art And therefore reade this Booke with single eie And it with double honour dignifie On the first Sermon THe Lilies pure delight in waters pure This Lilie pure delights in waters sure And what these waters pure Yea purest be The waters which the world doe mundifie The water of the Font the purest streame It is the head-spring of our Lilies theame The leaues of this our Lilies Booke doe grow Amidst these waters whence all comforts flow Gather these leaues and thou shalt comfort finde These Lilie leaues will make an humble minde On the second Sermon MAny doe seeke but few there be who finde Because that many seeke but out of kinde Now that ye may so seeke that ye may finde This Booke directs you how to seeke in kinde Seeke not on earth but seeke in heau'n for blisse For there is Blisse where now your Sauiour is Patterne of Learning Patron of learn'd men Eterniz'd be thy fame by learned Pen The * For the Lily being white is embleme of purity Lily notes thy spotlesse puritie Embleme is * For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Greeke word for Peter signifies a Rocke and is the embleme of Constancy Peter of thy constancie Rare are these Patterns for Posteritie Learne then of Lilie Christians pure to be It is the thing his blest Soule longs to see Learne of this Saint-like Peter constancie Ye that with him will liue aeternally Maria Lily moesta Authoris filia haec secum maerens meditata est I Ioy that I haue found him whom I lost Whose death so many teares mine eies hath cost I lost a Father but haue found him be A Father to the Church as well as me The Church yet calls him Father so will I His Workes doe liue and he shall neuer die Aliud eiusdem I Grieue that I haue lost him whom I had Life of my life who so my soule did glad But doe I grieue or am I rather glad That such a peerelesse Father once I had Yet doe I grieue and yet againe am glad That I shall finde in heau'n him whom I had M. L. A Preseruatiue LILIE to cure Soules Marke 16.16 He that shall beleeue and be baptised shall be saued but he that will not beleeue shall be damned THese words are almost the last words our Sauior spake to his Disciples who hauing finished the worke of our Redemption on the Crosse risen againe a triumphant conqueror laden with the spoiles of death meaning now to ascend to his Father doth before his departure commit a special charge vnto his Apostles and in them to all others succeeding them in any part of that function which charge S. Mathew in his last chapter expresseth in these words Go saith our Sauior teach all Nations baptising them in the name of the Father the Sonne and the Holy-ghost This is the charge which Christ did properly commit to his Disciples but because it was to small purpose to lay this commandement on them to enioyne them the duty of preaching and administring the Sacraments vnlesse others would embrace their doctrine and receiue their Sacraments to allure men the better and to draw them for their owne good vnto the discharge of this heauenly dutie he proposeth a reward to him that shall beleeue and be baptised and a punishment to them that shall refuse to beleeue or of contempt reiect his Sacrament The reward in these words Hee shall be saued the punishment in these He that will not beleeue shall be damned Betweene which two estates there is no meane but eyther Saluation or Damnation of which two my meaning is not to dilate to speake eyther of the Ioyes of Heauen or Paines of Hell these are copious Common-places in which as no man can want matter of discourse so no man is able to expresse either of them in the least part But my meaning is to speake of the persons to whom the reward which is vnconceiueable is promised and to whom the punishment or threatning here belongeth For this I take to be pertinent to the Time and to this present Occasion I will beginne with the persons to whom the reward is promised set downe in these wordes Hee that shall beleeue and
Baptisme with the modesty of that Sexe I know not I know that Figge-tree leaues are found out to shadow this fault but in my opinion it is but to lay colour vpon colour to finde out Figge-tree leaues to couer nakednesse withall How much better were it for Ladies according to the Apostles counsaile to array themselues with good-workes to diminish something of their brauery that they might be better able to exercise the deedes of Charity as Dorcas did This as I haue said is a generall duety to which all of vs are bound without distinction of sexe or degree and that by our very vow in Baptisme in which we are made Christs souldiers For though women be priuiledged from bearing of Armes and from the performance of Military seruice yet Christs souldiers they are as well as others and bound to fight against the VVorld the Flesh and the Diuell bound to serue God in the generall duety of all Christians and in the particular duty which their sexe and calling requires And hereof I suppose you are not ignorant The Apostle Colos 3.18 if any be ignorant will at large informe them in their dueties Art thou a Maide 1. Cor. 7.32 Be as one that careth for the things of the Lord how thou mayst please God Art thou a VVife Coloss 3.18 Submit thy selfe to thy husband as is comely in the Lord. Art thou a VVidowe 1. Tim. 5.6 Remember that the Widow that liueth in pleasure is dead Here a question is moued which of these estates is the best but in my opinion a curious one and not meete to bee handled especially at this time For they are all good and commendable each of them hath seuerall dueties appertaining in performing whereof they shall haue more honour in the eyes of men more reward with God then for al other the nicenesses and trimnesse of the bodie whatsoeuer But to shut vp all in a word as our Sauiour doth promise saluation to him that is baptized so heere on the contrary he saith But hee that is not baptized shall be damned Out of which some haue inferred that Baptisme is not simply necessary to saluation VVhich doctrine although I take to be very true yet is it not absolute nor rightly collected out of this place For our Sauiour doth not in this ouerthrow that which he spake in the former and we must holde a coniunction of both these I meane Faith and Baptisme both being in their kinde necessary yet as I said not so but that in some cases one may be saued without either Faith or Baptisme Some haue no faith and yet are saued For what actuall faith haue Infants Some think there is actuall faith in them from which I suppose S. Augustine doth not much swarue Others haue had Faith but not Baptisme as Valentinian and yet were saued Some haue neither had Faith nor Baptisme and yet were saued as children deceased before they could come to receiue Baptisme It is the ordinarie meanes of Regeneration and therefore not to be contemned not to be deferred for howsoeuer GOD is powerfull enough without meanes to regenerate and bring to saluation yet those holy meanes which himselfe hath appointed sanctified to that purpose must by no meanes be contemned nor neglected For He that beleeueth and is baptized shal be saued VVhich fauour God grant vs all for his Christs sake Amen FINIS Seeke to finde LVKE 24.5 Why seeke yee Him that liueth among the dead THe blessed and deuout Maries seeking our Sauiour at his Sepulchre earely in the morning are encountered with this Angelicall checke Why seeke ye Him that liueth among the dead A question that might easily trouble persons of so weake a sexe at that season and out of the mouth of an Angell too But though they were amased at the sodainnesse of the voice yet was not their zeale cooled from seeking him whom their soules loued In this question of the Angells are two things to be considered First a reprehension of their errour Secondly a consolation for their labour First the reprehension and checke which the Angells gaue to these holy women for seeking Christ among the dead was not without iust cause for it was an erronious seeking All of vs are seekers and in some sort seekers of Christ too but few of vs doe finde him Because wee seeke him amisse The errours then where-into men vsually fall in seeking Christ must be narrowly obserued that they may the better be auoyded The first errour men doe commit in seeking of Christ is committed in the Time The time assigned vs for to seeke Christ is the terme of this life which opportunity if we neglect it is impossible wee should euer obtaine our desires in finding Christ For after death Hebr. 10.26 72 There remayneth no sacrifice for sinne but a fearefull expectation of iudgement and violent fire which shall deuoure the Aduersaries Therefore the Apostle willeth Galat. 61.0 that Whilest we haue time we doe good to all men especially to the houshold of faith There are twelue houres in the day Iob. 11.9 as our Sauiour teacheth vs If a man walke in the day he stumbleth not because he seeth the light of this world Iob. 12.35 Walke therefore while ye haue light lest the darkenesse come vpon you It becommeth vs then not to loose the season of seeking and herein to apprehend the fittest opportunity For though I will not deny but Christ may be found at any time whilest wee liue yet there is a difference of times God is debter to no man and if hee should subtract his grace vniuersally from vs yet no man could iustly complaine of him why he had done so but God in mercie doth dispence his graces and knockes at the doores of our hearts desiring to be let in yet not at all times but at certaine seasons according to the dispensation which seemeth fittest to himselfe At which time and season if wee harden our hearts how know wee whether the like mercy will be offered againe and therefore we must with all carefulnesse embrace such times and opportunities when hee doth knocke at the doores of our hearts The custome of most of vs is to deferre the seeking of God to our olde age and to confecrate our youth to sinne to tender our decrepite yeares to God and the crop and creame of our youth to sinne and sathan not remembring the counsel of Salomon Eccles 12.1 Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth Nay do we not deferre the seeking of Christ to the last moment to the last act of our life And what can be more vaine For as Augustine speakes most truely Qui remittit poenitenti peccatum non promittit peccanti vitam God which promiseth the penitent sinner forgiuenesse doth not promise him length of life or any certaine number of yeares How many are cut off when they least thought of it Doth not the incertainty and frailety of our estate tell vs so