Malum culpae and Malum paenae Sinne and the wages thereof hee telleth them that they were free from neither deepe in sinne for they were a generation of Vipers in danger of the wages of sinne which is the wrath to come In danger they were of it and yet they were not aware for Who had forewarned them to â—ite from the wrath to come No master as yet had taught them that leison So he opened their case But here to haue ended his Sermon had beene to leaue them to an vn 〈…〉 end euen to desperation but hee doth not leaue them so as 〈◊〉 would haue them throughly to vnderstand their owne case So doth 〈…〉 prescribe them a good course his words are plaine but 〈…〉 of them is darke by a few propositions I will make it 〈◊〉 The 〈◊〉 was to haue a double being in the Couenant an here 〈…〉 the hereditarie was nothing but the birth-righ which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad rem be that lineally descended from Abraham might claâ—me to bee admitted into the Couenant which God made with him The posseâ—â—orte consisted in his personall grace which gaue him Ius inre when hee did not onely descend from Abraham according to the flesh but communicated also with him in the graces of the spirit These two beings in the Couenant were to concurre in euerie Iew and they could not bee scuered without danger danger not to the Couâ—nant but to the Iew. Now marke Saint Iohns words hee sheweth that the Iewes did separate the Personallgrace from their Birth right wherefore he calleth vpon them to remedie that bring forth fruites worthy of Repentance This is the Personall grace which Saint Iohn will haue the Iewes adde to their Buth right and which hee telleth them they cannot separate without danger danger to themselues not to the Couenant To themselues Begin not to say with your selues We haue Abraham to 〈◊〉 father We haue Abraham to our father is too single a plea it pleadâ—â—h onely the birth right God can deriue that vnto others without 〈◊〉 This Couenant he can raise children vnto Abraham of the verie steres And he can â—ustly according to his Couenant reward you as you deserue roote you out of that family Now â—â—the 〈◊〉 c. You see what is the substance of this Scripture and the 〈◊〉 that I shall handle thereon not all at this time but so many as the time will permâ—â— Consider what I say and the Lord giue vs vnderstanding in all things I begin at the persons and of them first consider the Number the naâ—â—â— great a Multitude in the originall it is Multitudes Saint Matthâ—â— conâ—â—â—imes it by particularising the seuerall companies But whereas the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may signifie either the qualitie or the quantitie of persons the qualitie and so is vsed for the vulgar people whom in English wee call the Multitude or else may signifie their quantitie here it is taken not for qualitie but quantitie For the persons are many in number Ierusalem came out all Iudaea came out and so did all the confines of Iordan Matth. 3. so saith S. Matthew and he saith also that amongst them that came out there were more then vulgar persons for there were Pharisees Saduces Antiq. lib. 3. cap. 14 de Bellâ— Iudaic. lib. 2. c. â— persons of principall note amongst the Iews as appeares not only in the Gospel but also in Iosephus And of those there came a great many so many as that some would haue the word Multitude in Saint Luke to be restrained vnto them according to the direction of Saint Matthew in whom this sharpe Sermon seemeth to be made onely vnto the Pharisees and Saduces But because hypocrisie might bee common vnto more we will take the words at large and concerning the Multitude obserue this that though they had lost the true knowledge of the Messias yet the hope of a Messias they had not lost they hearkned diligently after him Their calamitie sharpned their desire such was their miserie vnder the Romanes that no person either seditious or superstitious promised newes of the Messias but he was flockt vnto by men of all sorts we haue a touch at it in the Acts but in Iosephus it is deliuered more at large Acts 5. The same God that in punishment of their grosse mistake of the Messias suffered them to bee abused by Impostors honoured the comming of the true Messias with resort of no small numbers to his harbinger And this agreeth well with those titles that the Scripture giueth vnto Saint Iohn he is called the voice of a crier he was heard farre and rowsed many he was a burning Lampe he shined cleare and drew many his doctrine his life were both such and so powerfull as be seemed the harbinger of Christ that harbinger that was to take vp many lodgings for him by them Saint Iohn preuailed And Ministers must herein imitate him and the people must imitate these multitudes they must learne of them to come forth And so from the persons I come to their disposition They seeme well disposed first in their Paines they came from home vnto Saint Iohn and some of them came somewhat farre The principle is good and ancient that men that will serue God must goe from their owne home though a man may serue God at home yet the sollemne place of worship was commonly distinct from the priuate home so was it euen in the dayes of Adam as Bertram obserueth it is more cleare in the dayes of the Patriarches but most of all in the time of the Tabernacle and Temple to say nothing of the Synagogues and the most Christian Emperours did not disdaine to come into publique assemblies of the Church As Religion grew cold so priuate Oratories were â—rected at first onely for Kings afterward for Peeres and now scarce any man of more then ordinarie ranke that must not haue a Church in his owne house Men thinke themselues too good to sort with the common assembly But though their bee a subordination of States in the Common-weale yet this subordination ceaseth when we come into the Church where all should alike bow and pray heare and obey as hauing but one God one Sauiour one Faith one Hope and all these farre from respect of persons whereupon Saint Paul grounded his exhortation Heb. 10 15. which I also renue vnto you Forsake not the assembly as some doe In a word wee must goe out to Saint Iohn Baptist not from our home only wee must goe from our state also these Iewes did goe out from their houses indeed but not from themselues and so their paines was rather great then good not like Abraham that did not only come out from his fathers house but from his Idolatrie also especially if wee come to receiue sacred things wee must forsake our former euill wayes Let vs vs see their pretence That cannot be disliked they went to be baptized Baptisme was a Sacrament wherewith God began the New
If you looke to the Patriarkes that liued before him they had the same Couenant in substance but in ceremonies and circumstances wherwith God was pleased to cloth his Couenant Abraham did excell them As for the Patriarkes that succeeded though they did partake of all that Abraham had yet this was Abrahams aduantage that God first gaue these things to him and onely confirmed them vnto them Gene. 26. In Matth. â—ap 〈◊〉 Hom â— operis imperfectâ— Decimae Deo sacra and that too for his sake But to speake more distinctly Chrysostome obserues that which is cleare 1. Cor. 1. that Abraham was the tenth from Noah and that God tooke him out of that prophane age and place wherin he liued as his owne portion for the tithe is sacred vnto God Noah was such a tithe before in whom God began the new world Abraham was then a person sacred vnto God Not onely so but consecrated also by God himselfe for Eusebius in his Chronicle obserueth that Abraham was the first Prophet to whom the Sonne of God appeared in the shape of a man Cui verbum dei appaâ—uit in sigura humana at what time he inuested him with the Patriarkship Now of a person so sacred so consecrated we must looke to heare of some thing more then ordinarie and indeed Saint Austin telleth vs that whatsoeuer the Scripture reporteth of Abraham it is Factum prophetia Tom. 10 Sermane de tempore 72. a propheticall fact it concerneth not only the time present but the time to come as well his as him But two things principally set forth Abrahams prerogatiue the first is that his family was to bee the depositarie of Gods Couenant the second is that his vertues were to be exemplary to the whole Church Touching the first the Promise is plaine that in his seed all Nations of the earth shall be blessed the Prophets vsually meaning the Gentiles call them Israel Rom. 11. and the Apostle saith that the branches of the wild O liue must bee engrafted into the true it is not enough that the partition wall is broken downe but we must bee incorporated into the same body for God is not pleased that any shall ordinarily be saued except he bee of Abrahams family Secondly of those which are of Abrahams family it is not Gods pleasure that any should bee saued that doth not exemplifie Abrahams vertues in his life Tom. â— Serm 42 in Gen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iohn 8 for Abrahams vertues were to bee exemplarie of his vertues in generall S. Chrysostome obserueth that any man might take a patterne of any vertue from him for they were limmed with liuely colours in him But of his vertues Saint Paul doth especially insist vpon his Faith S. Iames vpon his Charitie our Sauior Christ vpon both both are sauing vertues and no hope without them of entring into Abrahams bosome This may well goe for a third prerogatiue of Abraham that the place of Blisse beareth his name and that our best fare in heauen is to be guests at the same Table with him to bee blessed with blessed Abraham but no hope I say to attaine this but by conforming our liues to Abrahams in such a faith as worketh by charitie Therefore Gregorie Nyssen calleth him viam fidei the path of saith Orat in Basil lib 4. c. 38 De Ciutt Dei lib 16 cap. 16. Irenie saith that his Faith was prophetia sidei Ambrose that hee was Forma credentium but Saint Austin obserueth well that which commeth yet nearer to my Text Duplex prophetia facta est Abrahae carnalis spiritualis He was a most noble Patriarke corporally but spiritually hee was much more noble yea whatsoeuer he was corporally was but a Type of that which he was spiritually obserue in the points of his prerogatiue the Sacrament a pledge of Gods Couenant the sacrifices Types of his vertues in both the thing corporall was but a Type of a better thing of that which was spirituall The last thing which I obserue concerning Abraham is Gregorie Nyssens note P. 250. Abraham had a carnall and a spirituall generation or off-spring whereof the carnall was to continue but during the old Testament but the spirituall was to last vntill the end of the world It is an errour of the Iewes to thinke that Circumcision must bee Catholike both in time and place for when the spirituall seed came then the carnall was to cease and with the carnall the Character thereof so doth Epiphanius call Circumcision In a word Christ when he came changed not the Couenant but the Sacrament that so although carnall children cease yet spirituall might continue vnto Abraham Hauing thus farre opened vnto you the prerogatiue of Abraham it is time that we now come to speake of the errour of the Iewes In handling whereof for more breuitie and greater perspicutie I will branch by branch carie along the answere with the obiection Let vs come then to their Ignorance Whereof the first branch is the mayming of the truth they vnderstood the prerogatiue of Abraham onely according to the flesh and not according to the spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyrill Alexand. in Amos cap â— Though in their Synagogues they doe boast of foure things first their Birth-right secondly their Circumcision thirdly their Lawe and fourthly their Countrie and mis-vnderstand them all yet doe they glorie most in their Birth-right and that they vnderstand worst It is true that euen according to the flesh no nation may compare with the Iewe in Nobilitie â—of parentage none euer sprang from such worthies as they doe Saint Paul doth them but right when Rom. cap. 3. cap. 9. hee acknowledgeth their preheminences therein to say nothing of that which we find in the Prophets And certainely it is in it selfe a great blessing to be borne of worthy Parents because it is a Monument of Gods fauour to a family but vnto vs it is no blessing except we communicate in their vertues For there are certaine notes by which euerie liuing thing must bee knowne notes stamped in the body and notes stamped in the soule lineaments and qualities of which the qualitie doth morally denominate rather then the lineaments Take for example a sheepe or a Wolfe they haue outward shapes and inward qualities whereby they are distinguished the qualitie of the one is meekenesse of the other is rauenousnesse when wee come to consider whether either of the se be such as he should bee we find that either of them may degenerate either in the lineaments or in the qualities in the lineaments for a sheepe may happily haue the shape of a wolfe and yet retaine the meeknesse of a sheepe a wolfe may haue the linearnents of a sheepe and yet retaine the rauenousnesse of a wolfe It is not the lineaments of either but the qualities that will giue them their name Doth reason acknowledge this in beasts and shall not Religion acknowledge it much more in
and therfore may seeme to import but one thing but Nazianzene doth distinguish them and so doe others both Greeke and Latine Fathers I will not trouble you with repeating of their words thus I conceiue the Heart noteth the soueraigne the Spirit the actiue power of the reasonable soule The Heart then is the soueraigne power for as in a Kingdome there are sundry ministers of State but the Maiesty is in the King so in our litle common weale our senses inward and outward attend and informe but with submission alwayes to the pleasure of the Will so that the Will is as it were a King in the person of man therefore it is that the Scripture maketh so frequent mention of the Heart in points of Morality But the Soueraignty thereof appeareth in two speciall poynts in commanding of the whole man and in seasoning all his workes that it commands appeareth by that receiued Maxime Inclinatio voluntatis est inclinatio totius suppositi let the Will once incline and all the whole person bends with it whether it be to loue or to hate what the will hates the Eye will not indure to behold the Eare to heare of the Tongue to speake of the Feet to goe to the Head to thinke of Finally no power of our Soule or part of our Body will haue to doe therewith except it bee to detest or to destroy it but on the other side what the Heart doth loue the Eye is not satisfied with seeing of it nor the Eare with hearing the Tongue cannot talke enough neither the Hands doe enough for it it will euer be busying our wits and wee can neuer thinke enough thereon such power hath the Will in commanding the seruice of the whole man and so readily doth euery part and power obey wee need not seeke proofe of this truth euery man may be an instance or an example of it vnto himselfe As the Heart hath this commanding power so hath it a seasoning power also it giueth a Moral seasoning vnto all our workes the rule is Actio tantum habet virtut is aut vitij quantum voluntatis looke how farre our Will doth intermedle with our works so farre are they either vertuous or vitious a good Will maketh the worke good and the worke cannot bee good if the Will bee euill wherevpon Nazianzene obserues well that God hath equalized all men in that ability which doth most commend or discommend and that is the ability of the Will hee giueth an instance in Liberality the Widowes mites by the forwardnesse of her Will were made a greaten offering then that which out of their superfluity the rich did offer in greater measure measure of coine but not of Will wee may apply it vnto any other workes of wisedome of strength of learning and whatsoeuer els hee that is lesse able and more willing may bee preferred before him that is better able and lesse willing in doing well and in doing ill men are doomed accordingly this is the soueraignty of the Heart so to command and so to season But as this power is soueraigne so there is another power that is actiue a power that putteth in execution the resolutions of the former power it is here called Spirit our common phrase sheweth that this word noteth an actiue power for wee say that a man is of an excellent spirit a great spirit a high spirit when wee meane that hee is fit for and forward in action and when we meane the contrary wee say that hee is of a quiet a meeke an humble spirit Psal 131. that is as the Psalmist speaketh hee doth not exercise himselfe in great matters which are too high for him that which the Philosophers obserue concerning the concupiscible and the irascible faculties of our soule tends this way for they make the soule actiue in pursuing of her obiects the concupiscible hasting vs to them and the irascible encountring all difficulties that may hinder vs from them so that the soueraigne power resolues not in vaine because of this actiue power that executes so well but certainely were it not for the actiue power the souer aigne power were in vaine God hauing so lincked them we must not seuer them and seing either of them is so necessarie to the other we must desire to haue our Regeneration in them both Out of this which you haue heard you may gather that though our Inward man is named yet the Outward is not excluded because though a part is named yet the whole is meant seeing the whole followeth the condition of these principall parts wee cannot be regenerated in these principall parts but the regeneration will redound vnto the whole man But what is Regeneration of what gifts consists it I told you of holinesse and staydnesse which are meant by cleannesse of the heart and rightnesse of the Spirit where first marke that Regeneration doth not concerne the substance Iohn 3.4 but the qualities of our nature Nicodemus conceiued grossely that thought a man must enter into his mothers wombe and so be borne againe that he may bee new borne and they conceiue as grossely that thinke that Originall sinne is any part of the substance of man wee lost not our being but our well being as the moone in the Eclipse ceaseth not to be a starre but to be a bright shining starre the ayre in the night ceaseth not to be ayre but to be lightsome ayre the earth in the winter is earth still though it be not a flourishing earth finally when we haue lost our health we lose not our bodies though they become but sicke bodies Yet may we not conceiue superficially of Originall sinne it is not as a painting but as a dying of our nature you know that painting is a colour layed on but the Dye is a colour that sincketh in we may wash off or scrape out a painting the body continuing the same but a Dye cannot be so taken out but it sincketh cleane through the wooll or the cloath and the inwards of the stuffe are coloured as well as the outwards The same may bee illustrated by the former similitudes but I will not be so troublesome onely this I obserue that as Illyricus and others haue racked Originall sinne too farre so the Pelagians old and new haue shrunk it too much we shall doe well to keepe the meane and hold the truth It is a corruption that though it be not our substance for that can not stand with the articles of our Creed as the learned haue proued abundantly against Illyricus yet is it throughly incorporated into our substance neither is there any the least particle of our soule and body that is not infected therewith whereupon God passeth his censure The frame of the imaginations of the heart of man is euill Gene. 5.6 that continually from his youth Rom. 7.18 and S. Paul maketh his confession I know that in me that is in my flesh there dwels no good thing therfore when we come
liues not by bread only saith Moses Deut. 8.3 but by euery word that goeth out of the mouth of God Gods word is the bread of life and it is that wherewith Pastors are trusted Neither may any man in the Church take vpon him the name of Pastor bee hee neuer so holy except God hath furnished him with some part of this prouision how should he be a guide that is blinde how should he be a steward that is not stockt But more particularly If a Pastors knowledge must bee food it is not enough if that which he preacheth be true hee must preach nothing but that which is profitable the Pulpet is neyther for curious nor idle questions St. Paul hath censured both and it were to bee wished that all Pastors of our Church were so discreete as they did not neede such a censure Secondly whereas of food some is wholesome and some is vnwholesome it is not enough for the Pastor to bring foode he must looke that it be wholesome food errours and heresies must be heeded and he must deliuer nothing for which he hath not good warrant he must feede the Israel of God with no Manna which comes not downe from heauen and they must drinke of no water but that which flowes from the spirituall rocke which rocke is Christ Young Students take vp much Diuinitie vpon trust but whom doe they trust promiscuous Authors both moderne and ancient they should be aduised in making their choyce and whomsoeuer they reade try before they trust try it at the touchstone of Gods word and weigh what is said in the scales of the Sanctuary which while they doe not they mistake them selues and misleade others Thirdly it is not enough that the foode be wholesome but it must be conuenient for there bee babes in Christ as well as strong men so that the Pastor must haue milke and strong meate and it is absurd to feede eyther men with milke or babes with strong meate each must be prouided for according to the power of his digestion And here appeares much indiscretion in those that fit not their matter to their auditors being more carefull eyther of their owne praise or ease of their paines than of their good to whom they speake In a word a Pastor must neyther starue nor bane nor neglect reasonably to satisfie his flocke and blessed is the seruant whom his master when hee comes shall finde so doing yea and blessed are the people for God hath giuen vnto them Pastors according to his owne heart Ier. 3. if they so feede with knowledge and vnderstanding But it is not enough that the Pastors deale so the people also must carry themselues answerably vnto him they must not only heare Doctorem but Pastorem they must not only be the wiser but the better for that he saith the knowledge which they doe treasure vp in their head must as good food bee digested also in their heart and as good foode if it nourish sheweth it selfe in the vigour of our body so good Lessons if they doe worke as they ought will shew themselues in our life and conuersation Finally as the degrees are partly extraordinary and partly ordinary so must the ordinary keepe correspondencie with the extraordinarie Ministers now are not Apostles yet they must bee Apostolicke they are not Prophets but they must bee Propheticall they are not Euangelists but they must be Euangelicall that is they must imitate them in doctrine and discipline And indeed what is a Doctor but a Prophet for both search out the true sense of the Scripture the one did it by reuelation the other must doe it by meditation And what is a Pastor but an Euangelist for both feede the flocke of Christ though both be not enabled thereunto by the same meanes And if the Euangelist and the Prophet doe share in the Apostolicke function then the Pastor and the Teacher comming so neare them must needs haue good cognation with the Apostles in the substance of their calling though not in the amplitude in that which they doe though not in the abilitie to doe it And as the extraordinary differ in degree euen so doe the ordinarie also and so haue they euer done in the Church the Bishops haue succeeded the Apostles though in a smaller modell yet in this that all orders are included in the sphere of their calling and as Euangelists and Prophets doe share in the Apostolicke function so Presbyters and Deacons haue some parts of that higher calling which is in a Bishop and they striue to bee wiser than the Holy Ghost that call for an equalitie the mother of confusion as if the same reasons did not still hold which moued the Apostles to subordinate Pastors All may no more now be trusted with gouernement than they might heretofore and schisme is a weede that will spring in all ages yea the latter times are the worser and therefore they more neede the remedie So that though the ground were onely humane which cannot bee proued the change of Ecclesiasticall policie will be very dangerous and others haue made so ill tryall of equalitie that wee shall doe well for to continue the inequalitie especially considering the Originall Ipse dedit Nazianzent inferreth Ne contradicas obserue and reuerence the distinction considering the Author and the Author is Christ. Leauing to speake further of the degrees I will now then come to speake of the originall Ipse dedit two words which yeeld two notes the person that giues He and the title of his Ordinance 1 Cor. 12. Acts 20. it is a Gift He the person is Christ It is true that the ordination of Ministers is ascribed sometimes to the first Person sometimes to the second and sometimes to the third And indeed seeing the ordination is by the gift of the Spirit all that can giue the Spirit may be reputed the originall of holy Orders this being a worke ad extra of those we must pronounce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euery of the persons hath a hand in them Eccumenius In all such works we must acknowledge the Trinitie in Vnitie Vnitie in the action representing the vnitie of the essence of God and a Trinitie in the efficients representing a trinitie of the persons in God And indeed this mysterie of Trinitie in Vnitie the memoriall whereof wee solemnize this day cannot better bee studied than in the effects that giue vs a glimpse of it and of all effects none more comfortable than those of our Redemption and the meanes whereby wee are made partakers thereof wherein euery person is pleased to shew his loue to man But yet as in other workes so in this they keepe an order and that order the Greeke Fathers call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latine Fathers dispensationem though with consent and concurrencie of the other two persons some one shewes himselfe principally in the worke In this worke the second Person He as head of the Church Master of the Assemblies and chiefe
because as the Apostle teacheth she is of him and for him and therefore is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 7. yet in coniugall power they are equall Man hath no power ouer his body no more hath the woman ouer hers each is in the others power and that in solidum they haue coequall command each ouer the other So likewise their coniugall affections should be coequall they should embrace each the other with entire and vndeuided loue no reseruation of that kind may be endured by the bond of wedlocke on either side the mans or the womans It is true that Licentiousnesse hath distinguished where the Law hath not distinguished and libertie hath beene granted to men to share their bodyes and their affections amongst many women but women are denyed that libertie and haue euer beene required to confine their affections to one man and communicate their bodyes to no more then one which distinction of licentiousnesse hath specious grounds First they say the ends of marriage are lesse preiudiced if the libertie be granted vnto men then if it should be granted vnto women Are they preiudiced Then preiudiced But nothing should be granted that doth preiudice those ends Away then with that Apologie for Lust There is another taken from the example of the Patriarkes and indeed so the Iewes vnderstand this Text as if it were an allegation of the Fathers to proue Polygamie and read it thus An non vnus fecit Did not our father Abraham take many wiues And yet he had aboundance of Spirit i. aboundance of the spirit and grace of GOD he know what he did and he did nothing amisse Why should not we imitate him But supposing that reading to this obiection in the next words the Prophet shapes an answer he sought an holy seed that is as the Fathers say non fecit propter libidinem sed propter orbitatem he did it not to satissie his lust but that he might haue an heire according to GODS Promise And if you looke vpon the storie of the Patriarkes ABRAHAM and IACOB you shall find that though they had more wiues then one yet neuer had they them out of lust no nor out of their owne choyce ABRAHAM tooke HAGAR but he was importuned to doe it by his wife SARA yea and SARA too would haue the child reputed hers as borne vpon her knees IACOB chose but one wife and that was RACHEL LEAH was put vpon him by deceipt and the two Mayds by the opportunitie of his wiues The after times were worse and of all the Kings of Israel were most licentious they tooke too much after the Heathen Kings but their fact can be no good president because expresly forbidden by a speciall Law Deut. 17. Some excuse them by a dispensation as likewise the Patriarkes but being vrged to shew it they are saine to supply the silence of the Bible with a conceipt that the first that swarued from the Law had his warrant by inspiration and that others tooke their allowance from his example But the excuse is dangerous and vngrounded we may not make so bold with GODS Law rather may we thinke that the best of the Patriarkes were but men and that they were carryed away with the error of their times and that GOD in mercie bore with that as with other their imperfections but we may not venter to say his Iustice did allow it A dispensation is an allowance of Iustice notwithstanding the Law but a permission is a forbearance of mercie which doth not proceed against sinne according to the rigour of the Law either to checke or to correct it We may grant the Patriarkes the benefit of such a mercifull permission but a legall dispensation we cannot grant them without better proofe As for GODS giuing of SAVLS wiues into DAVIDS bosome 2 Sam. 12.8 we are to vnderstand NATHAN of those whom SAVL neuer knew otherwise they will iustifie Incest in the right line which DAVID so abhorred that he would neuer keep companie with those Concubines which ABSALON had abused much lesse would he admit into his bosome any woman which his father-in-law had knowne Vnto this principall onenesse we must adde the accessorie of honor and concord Onenesse of honor for Vxor fulget radijs mariti vt luna solis when a man marryeth a woman with his body he doth worship her and endow her with all his worldly goods that is she becomes as noble and as rich as he is reseruing alwayes the supremacie vnto man I meane reuerence to his person which is the fountaine of her honor and obedience to his command in dispencing the goods which she holdeth from him in chiefe Onenesse of concord is a like affection and disposition in prosperitie and aduersitie which can neuer stand with Polygamie the mother of iealousie and iealousie is the mother of discord as you may gather out of the storie of SARA and HAGAR RACHEL and LEAH and the wiues of ELCANAH SAMVELS father the best mens Families haue not auoyded it All this while that I haue spoken of the onenesse in marryage you must not mistake as some haue done for there are two kinds of Polygamie Simultanea and Successiua the hauing of more wiues successiuely or at one time Some haue ouer-rackt chastitie as some haue shrunke it Hist Fab. lib. 1 The Montanists as appeares by TERTVLLIAN in his Booke de 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Nouatians as we learne out of THEODORET held that if a man buried one wife he might not marrie an other And the CHVRCH of Rome cannot excuse it selfe from this error in that it forbiddeth the blessing of second marriages in the CHVRCH and suffereth not any that hath had a second wife to enter into holy orders or that hath married a widow which is interpreted Polygamie But this kind of Polygamie was neuer forbidden by any Law it is not onely allowed Rom. 7. but commanded also 1 Tim. 5.14 Canin 8. Amb. de vidâ—â—â— The Councell of Nice hath made a Canon in defence of it and the Fathers iustifie it It is then onely Polygamia simultanea the hauing of many wiues together that is condemned by my Text by the Old Testament Austin de bono viduit c. 11. Cap. a. Cap. 19. by the New and by the Fathers as they haue occasion to speake either of the institution of marriage deliuered in Genesis or the interpretation of our Sauiour CHRIST in St MATHEW which Polygamie had its originall from LAMECH one of CAINES posteritie And this must you the Penitent obserue as that which giueth the first light vnto you of your sinne you haue offended against the onenesse of marriage As you haue offended against the onenesse the Worke so haue you against the Workemaster he is the second part that I pointed out in the Text of the Law for he is the cause of this onenesse In wedlocke there are three persons to be obserued first the Male secondly the Female and thirdly GOD that