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A20769 Certaine treatises of the late reverend and learned divine, Mr Iohn Downe, rector of the church of Instow in Devonshire, Bachelour of Divinity, and sometimes fellow of Emanuell Colledge in Cambridge. Published at the instance of his friends; Selections Downe, John, 1570?-1631.; Hakewill, George, 1578-1649. 1633 (1633) STC 7152; ESTC S122294 394,392 677

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world make a flourish to the contrarie expressely confesseth that the Spirits of the Patriarchs and Prophets before the comming of Christ were not so worshipped and called vpon as the Apostles and Martyrs now are because as yet they were detained in those infernall prisons where they had not the beatificall sight of God Now if the Patriarchs then saw the face of God as farre forth as the Saints doe now as indeede they did the argument is so much the stronger if yet all that while they were never called vpon In the new testament likewise we finde no warrant for it even by their owne confession And Salmeron the Iesuite rendreth reasons thereof For saith he the Iew that never had called vpon any of the Patriarchs or Prophets would hardly haue beene drawne to pray vnto those newer Saints the Gentiles would haue thought that insteed of those many Gods which they had forsaken a multitude of other Gods had beene put vpon them As for the times after Christ and his Apostles it was long before it crept into the Church and when it entred it was but the opinion of some private men and not the publike doctrine of the Church All the Fathers which proued the Deitie of the Sonne of the holy Ghost by this dutie of Invocation must needs if they will not contradict themselues be against it So must they also and they are not the least or meanest part of them who held that the Faithfull hence departed are not admitted into heauen but continue elsewhere in some secret receptacles without the vision of God vntill the day of iudgement For vpon that vision even in the iudgment of our aduersaries their particular knowledge of all things here done on earth dependeth vpon this againe their Invocation In a word whensoeuer or howsoeuer it began as it grew on so was it still opposed and neuer gate publike strength vntill the blinde times of superstition overswaied true devotion The cafe then standing thus that Invocation of Saints and Angels is neither necessary nor pious nor profitable but rather impious and extreamely dangerous as being derogatory to the glory of God the honour of Christs Mediation and that no ground or warrant at all can bee found for it either in the old or new Testament or in the writings and practise of those holy Fathers who flourished when the Church was in her primitiue puritie the case I say thus standing our safest course will be to follow the precedence and direction of our blessed Saviour and with him to addresse our selues vnto our heauenly Father and to none other It is he alone who at all times can both heare and helpe Neither is he more able then ready and willing to grant our requests if we come vnto him in his sonnes name Night and day he stretcheth out his armes towards vs he invites vs with all louingnesse to come vnto him hee chargeth and commandeth vs in all our needs and necessities to direct our prayers immediatly vnto him Let vs not therefore sollicite any other mediators or spokesmen for vs as if we doubted of his fatherly goodnesse and affection towards vs but let vs rather come directly with all boldnesse vnto the throne of grace to the end we may obtaine mercy and finde grace to be holpen in due season So to doe is not Presumption but Faith and Dutie And so much for the first part of our Saviours prayer Quem orat to whom he prayes The second is Pro quibus orat for whom he prayes Hee prayes for the Church mysticall as some tearme it or as it may more fitly be called for Christ mysticall that is the whole body consisting both of the Head which is Christ and all the rest of his members That it may more fitly bee called Christ mysticall we haue the warrant of S. Paul who expressely calleth it so As saith he the bodie is one and hath many members and all the members of one body though they be many yet are one body euen so is Christ Where by Christ nothing can be meant but the whole consisting both of Head and Members Had the Church as it s distinguished against the Head beene vnderstood hee would haue said as St Austin obserueth ita Christi so is Christs that is the body of Christ or the members of Christ but hee saith ita Christus even so is Christ vnum Christum appellans caput corpus calling both the head and the body one Christ. The same doth St Austin elsewhere also obserue vpon those words of the Apostle He saith not and to seeds as speaking of many but as of one and to thy seed which is Christ. Now saith he some perhaps will say if Christ be the seed of Abraham are we so also Remember that Christ is the seed of Abraham and if by this wee also are the seed of Abraham then are we also Christ. Vnto this warrant of Scripture adde we the reason thereof that Christ and his Church being twaine and yet constituting but one mysticall body it is fit the denomination of the whole should be taken from the better and more worthy part which is Christ and not the inferiour which is the Church But of this by the way For Christ mysticall then doth our Saviour pray but first for himselfe and then for his members For himselfe from hence vnto the ninth verse for his members from thence vnto the end of the Chapter If any demand a reason of this order I answere first Christ is the more worthy person For hee is Emanuel God-man appointed by his Father to be the Head of the Church and in all things to haue the preheminence And therefore as he hath in our Creed before the Church so in this Prayer also he deserues to haue precedencie Secondly hee knew it could not goe well with his Church vnlesse first it went well with himselfe For vnder his Father he was to be the fountaine of life and grace the vniversall cause of all good vnto his Church and to this end was hee to be annointed of the Spirit without stint or measure So that vnlesse the ointment be poured vpon Aarons head it cannot descend vnto the beard and from thence vnto the skirts of his garment And vnlesse Christ be first replenished himselfe we cannot of his fulnes receiue either grace for grace or glory for glory That therefore it might goe well with vs he prayes first for himselfe But then in the next place he maketh sute for his Church as if without her welfare it could not be well with him For as for her he was incarnate so without her hee counts himselfe imperfect For so it must needs be if as St Paul saith she be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all The reason because he is her Head And therefore though he fill all in all yet without her he wanteth of his owne fulnesse because he
he mortify the deeds of the body In a word to this end hath the grace of God appeared vnto all men and instructed vs that we denying all vngodlinesse and worldly lusts might liue soberly iustly godly in this presēt world By all which it is cleare that all our corrupt lusts affections must be denied if we will be disciples in the schoole of Grace yet is it further to be observed that whē the Apost saith we must deny all worldly lusts he meaneth fleshly lusts as they haue reference vnto the world to the profits pleasures of this present life So that in comparison of Christ when they let and hinder vs from comming after him whatsoeuer in the world is most deare pretious vnto vs must be despised and trod●n vnder foot We must with the holy Apostles be content to forsake all and to follow him If wee loue father or mother or sonne or daughter more then him we are vnworthy of him Nay if any come vnto him and hate not his father and mother and wife and Children and brethren and sisters yea his owne life also or as some thinke it may not vnfitly be translated his owne soule he cannot be my Disciple Wherefore as Hierom saith if Father or Mother shall lye in the way to hinder thee from comming after Christ bee not afraid to tread vpon the gray beard of thy Father and to trample vpon the belly of her that bare thee rather then to be barred from cōming vnto him As therefore to conclude this point a young man in the iudgement of Aristotle is an vnfit auditor of Morall Philosophy even so the meere Animall man by the verdict of Iesus Christ is vtterly vnmeet to be scholler in Christian Philosophy If hee will make himselfe meet for Christs schoole hee must of necessity deny himselfe which is the first Counsell The second is let him take vp his crosse daily The Crosse properly is a tree or engine of wood framed into such a forme where vpon malefactors were wont to bee executed and put to death The manner was either with cords to bind them or which was more vsuall with nailes to fasten them hand and foot vnto it and there to suffer them to languish and pine away vnto death in regard whereof they were wont aunciently to call it vltimum supplicium the extremest and greatest punishment because the basest sort of people only and such as were servants or slaues were in this manner executed therefore was it also termed servile supplicium a servile punishment This cruell and slavish death did our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ suffer to free vs from eternall death and to procure vnto vs everlasting life Wherevpon those pressures tribulations afflictions persecutions that doe befall a man not for his wickednesse but for righteousnesse sake for the profession of the Gospell of Christ are in the language of Canaan called the Crosse because they are the remainders of the afflictions of Christ which he in his body that is the Church doth yet still suffer And this is the Crosse which is here meant But it is further said His crosse Not that Crosse which a man frameth vnto his owne selfe or rashly pulleth vpon himselfe as sundry Martyrs in the primitiue Church seemed to doe whom yet I dare not censure because I know not with what spirit they did it For we may not like Coecias draw stormes and clouds vpon our owne heads and our Saviour himselfe advizeth vs when they persecute vs in one Citty to fly into another Then only are we bound to beare the crosse when without denying the truth we cannot avoid it Our Crosse then is that which is imposed vpon vs by God whether it be poverty or ignominy or imprisonment or banishment or whipping or racking or torment or death of what kind soeuer For God layeth not the same crosse on all but one Crosse on one and another on another as hee in his wisdome thinketh best But whatsoever the crosse is which God appointeth vnto a man that is his crosse And this crosse saith Christ must be taken vp It was the manner that he that was cruciarius to bee crucified was to beare his crosse or some part thereof vnto the place of execution So did Christ vntill meeting with Simon of Cyrene they compelled him to beare his crosse But malefactors beare it against their wills our Saviour willingly which was the very forme of his suffering and he requireth all those that will come after him to doe so too For to take vp the crosse imports not only a patient bearing of it when it is laid vpon vs but also a ready and voluntary vndergoing of it And this also saith our Saviour must bee done daily that is at all times and continually Not but that the Church hath sometimes her lucida intervalla her good daies for the rod of the wicked resteth not alwaies vpon the lot of the righteous and after stormes and tempests God sendeth calme Halcionian times How then Thus. Whensoever God sendeth the crosse vnto any he must actually take it vp in the time of peace and when there is no crosse though actually he cannot yet must he take it vp in the preparation and disposition of the mind And this is the substance of the second Counsell Let him take vp his crosse daily The Necessity of it if wee will come after Christ is easie to be demonstrated What more manifest in the Scripture then this that the Crosse is an vnseparable companion of the Church The Church is Lilium inter spinas a lilie among thornes Christ without his crosse is but a Chimoera so is the Church also without afflictions Many are the troubles of the righteous saith David In the world yee shall haue tribulations saith our Saviour Christ. Through much tribulation must we enter into the kingdome of God saith Saint Paul and againe All that will liue Godly in Iesus Christ shall suffer persecution Search the records of all times from the beginning of the world downe to this present and you shall find that Persecution hath ever attended vpon the Church Not to speake of particular persons the bondage of Egypt the captivity of Babylon the tyranny of Antiochus the ten bloudy persecutions of heathen Emperours the barbarous cruelties of Antichrist finally the fire the sword the massacres of this last age wherein our Fathers lived and we our selues yet liue doe make it more then manifest And indeed as long as Satan continueth to be malitious against vs how can it be otherwise Knowing himselfe to be eternally reiected and without redemption he beareth an eternall hatred against God And because he cannot wreake his teene vpon him being out of his reach he turneth his malice against mankind and among them those principally who by Christ are conquered out of his hands For as the Panther raging vpon the picture of a man bewrayes the
vs and why should not we willingly take vp our Crosse for him As touching the last which is our Following of Christ know wee it is our safest course absolutely to resigne our selues into his hands He is farre wiser then we are as being the very wisdome of his Father and therefore knoweth both what is best for vs and how to provide for vs better then we our selues Againe his loue is far greater then ours either is or can be towards vs. The heathen Poet even by the light of nature could say Charior est illis homo quam sibi Man is more deare to God then to himselfe but the light of revelation demonstrateth it more fully in that out of his infinite loue he gaue his only sonne for vs. His loue then being such it cannot be but that hee is most willing to doe vs the best good hee can Now what his wisdome and loue resolue concerning vs his power is able to effect for he is omnipotent and nothing is impossible vnto him What then should let but that it is our safest course to make a perfect surrender of our selues vnto him If we be left vnto our owne selues wee are ever in danger and in the end shall surely perish but being Christs and following him wee can neuer miscarry nor doe amisse All these things being duly weighed considered are sufficient to make vs willing willing I say to deny our selues to take vp our crosse daily and to follow Christ. Vnto which Willingnesse if wee further adde our owne Endeauour doing what lieth in our power confecta res est we shall surely come after Christ that is bee his schollers here and raigne with him for ever hereafter Without trauell and labour nothing can bee had in this world much lesse will the kingdome of heauen be obtained with sitting still and doing nothing No it must suffer violence violent men must take it by force which whosoeuer shall doe he shall never fayle of it Christ will instruct him by his word guid him by his spirit protect him with his providence gard him with his Angels and ever pursue him with his grace vntill he haue brought him vnto the end of his hopes even the eternall saluation of his soule Vnto the which the Lord bring vs all for his Christs sake AMEN FINIS AN APOLOGIE OF THE IVSTICE OF GOD. OXFORD Printed by I. L for E. F. 1633. GEN. 18.25 Be it farre from thee from doing this thing to slay the righteous with the wicked that the righteous should be even as the wicked bee it farre from thee should not the iudge of the whole world doe right ALthough the good in regard of Gods knowledge and their owne affection are chosen out of the world separated from the wicked yet are they not remoued out of the world but still remaine therein mixed with them in place and conversation So that the Church of God while it is militant here on earth is no other then a floore wherein is both chaffe and wheat a field both of corne cockle a net containing both good and bad fishes a flocke consisting both of sheep goats and shall so continue vntill the fanning time come vntill the harvest be cut vntill the net be drawne to the shore vntill the high shepheard survey his flocke but they shall eternally then be divided one from another be ranged into severall places the one into a place of refreshment everlasting ioy the other into a place of torment everlasting woe In the meane season both good and bad being embarked as it were together in the same vessell how can the good escape the common shipwracke of humane calamitie Or being enwrapt in the same punishment with the wicked how is God iust Abraham the father of the faithfull a man of deepe vnderstanding in the mysteries of Gods providence yet stood astonished hereat in Sodoms case where righteous Lot and for ought hee knew divers other holy men dwelling he marvelled how it might stand with the iustice of God in the destruction thereof to involue both righteous and wicked together and therefore saith according to my Text Bee it far from thee from doing this thing A point as you see of great importance and as will evidently appeare by the sequele every way worthy our present consideration which was the cause why I made choice thereof at this time God grant vnto vs the assistance of his blessed spirit that wee may handle it as it deserueth and that it may bee vnto vs as profitable as it is pertinent All that I haue now to say touching these words may be reduced vnto these three heads Gods action Abrahams affection Abrahams argument Gods action how hee dealeth with these mixt societies consisting both of good bad Abrahams affection how hee standeth affected towards them Abrahams argument which so much swayed his owne affection and whereby hee would perswade God also to be of his minde Gods action is intimated implied generally through the whole Text in the words going before it in the twentieth and one and twentieth verses wherein God acquainted Abraham how he meant to proceede with Sodom and Gomorrha Abrahams affection is plainely declared in the Deprecation he maketh vnto God for them His argument is expresly set downe in these words Shall not the iudge of the whole world doe right Which being a question propounded negatiuely is to be vnderstood as an affirmatiue proposition thus The judge of the whole world must needs doe right Of these things briefly and in order The actions of God in this case are not alwaies one the same but as his Wisdome is to vse the Apostles word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 full of variety so are his actions also manifold yet alwaies iust For iustice is vnto God not accidentall as it is vnto man but essentiall and inseparable so that hee can no more doe that which is vniust then cease to bee that which eternally and necessarily hee is namely God First then so great loue beareth God vnto his deare Saints and children that the wicked among whom they liue oftentimes fare the better for them and their temporall prosperitie and deliuerance from dangers is to be imputed vnto them Was not wicked Cham preserued in the Arke from that deluge which overwhelmed the whole earth for his good father Noahs sake Were not the sinfull Sodomites reskued out of the hands of their enimies by the sword of Abraham for righteous Lots sake If fiftie if fortie if thirtie if twentie nay if but ten iust men might haue beene found in Sodom had they not escaped that fearefull storme of fire brimstone which after fell from heauen vpon them even for tennes sake What speak I of ten One Moses standing in the breach before God turned away his wrath so that he did not destroy his people Israel And God himselfe by the Prophet Ieremie saith thus Run to and fro by the streets of
certainly iudge you as he sees you iudge others Remember farther that they are men whose causes yee iudge made of the same stuffe bearing the same image of God redeemed by the same pretious bloud of Christ quickned by the same spirit heires of the same Kingdome with you Oh then tender them as your owne bowels let their bloud and right be deare and pretious in your eyes Remember lastly that though yee be Gods yet yee are men also and shall dye as men In Nabucadnezars image the head was gold the breast and arme siluer the belly and thighs brasse the leggs iron but all ●●od on feete of clay Oh then when you are in your ●●●●unalls thinke sometime of these feete that when they ●●all faile you conscience of doing justice may support you Iudge yee therefore now as your selues would be iudged in the last day weigh every cause in even ballance let nothing but right sway you Draw forth the sword of your authority and strike at wickednesse couragiously Never more need the sins of this land are crying and spreading among the rest the pestilence of Drunkennesse infecteth every where There was a street in Rome called Vicus sobrius the sober streete but is there a village in England that may be called Villa sobria the sober village Every house almost is now become an ale-house and they are the very schooles of all rogery and villany yet by our country Magistrates are too much winked at and favoured Against these and the like enormities my Lords there is neede of your greatest severity Qui non vetat peccare cum potest iubet hee bids men sinne who 〈◊〉 power forbids them not Let not your remissenesse eith●● harden the wicked or dishearten the good but rise vp 〈◊〉 with David to destroy all the wicked of the land Iustice requireth it at your hands wisdome requireth it justice that offendors may be cut off wisdome that others may be preserued from contagion and the state from Gods vengeance which otherwise will light vpon it if yee purge it not from such pollutions But your honours are wise and vnto the wise one word had beene sufficient Yet before I conclude I cannot but intreat my brethren of the cleargy also seeing them here so frequent to haue care that Magistracy be not despised As wee are desirous to be assisted by thē so let vs in our places assist them Let the sword of God Gedeon the sword of the mouth the mouth of the sword goe together while they labour 〈◊〉 make men subiect for wrath let vs endeavour to make them subiect for Conscience Wrath belongs vnto the Magistrate but Conscience is the taske of the Minister Oh thē let vs apply our selues diligently vnto this taske and speake home vnto the conscience first by our holy life and conversation and then by our powerfull and effectuall preaching Let our end and aime bee in all our Sermons not so much to please as to profit nor to tickle the eare with quaint phrases as to establish the heart with grace that the mind being enlightned the spirit fortified and flesh repressed vice may bee loathed and detested and the way of vertue facilitated and sweetned So shall wee make good subiects indeede such as if there were no wrath to terrify them yet meerely for conscience would submit themselues Yea so shall wee prepare both them and our selues also to bee meete subiects for that glorious Kingdome whose King is Trinity whose law Charity whose reward perfect blessednesse whose measure Eternity FINIS A DEFENCE OF THE LAVVFVLNESSE OF LOTS IN GAMING AGAINST THE Arguments of N. N. OXFORD Printed by I.L. for E. F. 1633. A DEFENCE OF THE LAWFVLNESSE OF LOTS IN GAMING NOT that I hope to purchase any great reputation to my selfe by confuting so slight a Pamphlet nor yet that I desire to afford the least countenance to those irregular Gamesters who loue not to keepe due compasse in their play but for sundry other important and weighty reasons haue I vndertaken this Defence of Lot-games Among the rest first to cleare the truth rightly to informe the vnderstanding that what wee doe or leaue vndone in this case bee not sinne vnto vs. For practice without knowledge is little better then Presumption and abstinence vpon errour is little lesse then Superstition Secondly to arme and settle weake and tender Consciences least happily some honest and religiously affected hearts who haue at times without scruple vsed these Games receiue some wound from these Arguments and be brought into a needlesse labyrinth and perplexity vnlesse they be provided of some buckler against them or threed to disintangle them Thirdly lastly to reforme the affection and to worke those that are contrary minded to a little more Charity that seeing vpon how slender and sandy a ground they haue wronged the people of God in their Christian liberty tying them farre shorter and straiter then God himselfe doth they may be moued hereafter not to censure their brethren with so much superciliousnesse to hold a better correspondence with them These are the cheefest ends I aime at for which I haue chosen rather to adventure my selfe into these lists then out of I know not what imaginary feare of encouraging idle and immoderate Gamesters to forbeare True it is debausht and lewd companions are not to bee humoured in their vanities howbeit it is a very preposterous course because of the abuse to condemne the lawfull vse and to labour the redressing of a misdemeanure in life either by breeding or fomenting an errour in judgement An errour in judgement will you say That is not yet demonstrated neither will it bee accounted so vntill the contrary Arguments bee sufficiently answered Let vs therefore in Gods name trie examine the force and strength of them N. N. Meere Lots vnlawfull in light matters as at play with Cards and Dice and the like exercises DEFENCE A Lot is nothing else but a casualty or casuall event purposely applied to the determination of some doubtfull thing Of Lots some are Meere some are Mixt. Meere Lots are those wherein there is nothing else but a Lot or wherein there is nothing applied to determine the doubt but only meere casualty Mixt Lots are those wherein something else besides casualtie is applied to determine the doubt as namely wit skill industrie the like These termes being thus cleared I answer first that by the tenor of your words you seeme to allow Mixt Lots in Gaming and only disallow Meere Lots Whereas notwithstanding you dispute anon against the vse of all Lots in light matters So that you haue not exprest your selfe distinctly enough and thereby giue iust occasion to suspect that you apprehend of this matter but confusedly Secondly I deny this Proposition affirming the Lots both Mixt and Meer are lawfull even in the lightest matters and consequently that cards and dice and tables and all other Games of the like nature are lawfull and may