is the signification of its name derived from the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies joy and exaltation or our English word Glee That as the resurrection of Christ was the greatest joy that ever came to earth whose very dust by this new breathing of God the Son is the second time become a living body never to die again so the place wherein it was demonstrated and the time wherein it was celebrated should be to mankind both of them remembrancers of everlasting joy This was enough then to make all the world go to Hierusalem and Hierusalem it self to go to Galilee that they might be joyful spectators of this great blessing and more blessed partakers of this great joy accordingly providing their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their songs and hymns of triumph in honour of our blessed Saviour who had thus overcame death to open unto us the gate of everlasting life and let us in to an immortal Communion with himself the first-born of the dead and with his holy Angels the first-born of the living This is that communion the holy Apostle recommendeth to our desires and much more to our delights when he saith Ye are come unto Mount Sion and unto the City of the living God the Heavenly Hierusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels To the general assembly and Church of the first-born which are written in heaven and to God the Judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect and to Iesus the Mediator of the New Covenant Heb. 12. 22 23 24. As many words so many excellencies of our Christian communion which is inchoate here in earth and shall be consummate hereafter in heaven but I will reduce them all to three heads the proper place the company and the author of this Communion 1. The proper Place is the Church of God here specified by three most honourable titles or compellations Mount Sion The City of the living God The heavenly Hierusalem three such titles as will make every sober much more every Religious man in love with the Churches communion as he would be in love with the stedfastness of Mount Sion which cannot be removed with the holiness of the City of God which cannot be defiled and with the happiness of the heavenly Hierusalem which above all things is to be desired for without doubt this Christian communion with the Church of Christ is the safest and the plainest way to stedfastness to holiness and to happiness 2. The company and that is so good that we cannot hope for better in heaven for it consists of Angels and of the first-born in Christ whose names are written in heaven and of God the Maker Preserver and Rewarder of these and the Judge of all that hate and oppose them with all these do we actually communicate in Christs Church whiles we are here on earth with Angels as the assistants with good men as the members and with God as the president of this communion nay indeed we actually communicate with more then these for also with the spirits of just men made perfect so that if any just man go from hence out of our company yet he goes not out of our communion for we follow after him to heaven in our affections though we still continue and remain here on earth in our persons 3. The author of this Communion and he is no other then the eternal Son of God the hope of men and the joy of Angels the support of earth and the beauty of heaven even Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant who by his eternal Priesthood offering up himself hath fully expiated and taken away the sins of the whole world and by his own death hath ratified and confirmed that Testament in which he hath given us the Inheritance of heaven 'T is of his fulness we have all received grace for grace It is of his fulness we shall all receive glory for glory It is the sprinkling of his blood which washeth away our sins contracted from our earthly parents and which will present our souls without sin before our heavenly Father so that we have great necessity earnestly to desire and constantly to embrace his Communion by whom alone we can hope to attain the sanctification of our souls here and the salvation of our souls hereafter CAP. III. Of Christian Communion in its sincerity SECT I. The sincerity of Christian Communion consists in this that it gives all to Christ Those Christians justified that do so in their Festivals the Sabbatarians questioned for not so doing The Apostles new method of teaching Christian Divinity by interlining of prayers and praises that Christ might be the more glorified and the Christian Religion the less adulterated IN other communions every one is like Diotrephes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ready to challenge if not to engross the preheminence to himself But in the true Christian communion all are willing to give the preheminence wholly unto Christ And they have great reason so to do and greater Religion in so doing for they do but give unto him what they have received from him that like as they have the preheminence among other men in being members of his body so he may have the preheminence among them in being acknowledged for their Head For his humiliation was very great in stooping down so low as to be joyned to them and by the Apostles express rule Phil. 2. His exaltation is to be correspondent to his humiliation Saint Chrysostom thus expresseth his humiliation in that He descended to this communion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That he who was above and above all things was pleased to joyn himself with those below that so he might be their Head It was the Psalmists admiration Who is like unto the Lord our God that hath his dwelling so high and yet humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and earth Psalm 113. 5. It must be our astonishment that he humbleth himself not to behold but to guide and manage them that he humbleth himself not to look but to come down to heaven to be the head of Angels not to look but to come down to earth to be the head of men Three great steps of humility in stepping down to this It was one great step for him to look down to heaven Another great step to look down to earth but the third was far greater then both to come down to earth that he might there incorporate himself with men in one body and so become their Head and inspirit men with himself as it were in one soul that they might become his members Wherefore our enquiry concerning this must needs begin in admiration that our admiration may the better end in thanksgiving according to Saint Pauls example who after his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O the depth of the riches concludes with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to whom be glory for ever Amen Nay indeed according to Saint Pauls Doctrine for so he expresly saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
behold him as my Judge For if I be ashamed of him in his infirmity how shall he not be ashamed of me in his glory Therefore I dare not be ashamed of this day least I should seem to be ashamed of him also no nor of his prayer least I should seem to be ashamed of his words since himself hath said Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him also shall the Son ef man be ashamed when â—e cometh in the glory of his Father with the Holy Angel Mar. 8. 38. SECT XI The first Christmas-day was kept by the Holy Angels therefore no will-worship in keeping Christmas but rather a necessity to keep it from Heb. 1. 6. The Kingdom of Christ as Creator and as Redeemer IN keeping of Christmas the Church militant follows the example of the Church Triumphant for the First Christmas-Day that was ever kept on Earth was kept by the Holy Angels that came of purpose from Heaven to keep it Luk. 2. 13 14 And suddenly there was with the Angel A multitude of the Heavenly Host Praising God and saying Glory to God in the Highest and on Earth Peace good will towards men Shall that be accounted Superstition in men which was undoubted Religion in the Angels or can we be called will-worshippers for doing no more then they did unless you will first call them so Let will-worship go in Epiphanius his language for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for wilful and for superfluous worship for what it hath of mans will or wilfulness it cannot but have of superfluity But let us take heed of calling that will-worship for which there is a Precedent in the Text and so great a reason for that Precedent for it is most certain that the blessed Angels in Heaven had great reason to joy for the incarnation of Christ since he was the Repairer of their ruine in their fellows and the confirmer of their â—â—ay or standing in themselves whence Alensis tels us plainly that the Angels joy and bliss was greater after the incarnation of Christ then it had been before For though the substantial Joy of the Angels consist in the contemplation of the Divinity yet their accidental joy consists in the contemplation of the Humanity of our blessed Saviour as it is united to his Divinity Accrevit igitur gaudium Angelorum licet non quod substantiam tamen quantum ad multitudinem quia pluribus modis habent modò gaudium in beatitudine quà m ante Incarnationem Par. 3. q. 12. Therefore the Joy of the Angels is increased by the Nativity of Christ though not in its substance yet in its Variety for that now they rejoyce more several wayes then before for whereas before the Incarnation they rejoyced to see God in God now since it They rejoyce to see God in man And we find that they did sing and triumph that they might express their joy surely not to teach us Christians who in that we are men have much greater cause of joy from thence then the Angels could have I say surely not to teach us men a lesson of silence and of fullenss But if we will not regard Precedent yet we must regard Precept And the Angels seem to have a Precept to worship our Saviour Christ at his Nativity For the Apostles words seem to look towards a Precept Heb. 1. 6. When he bringeth in the first begotten into the world He saith And let all the Angels of God worship him I know this Text chiefly aims at the Proof of Christs Divinity but if the Holy Spirit thought he had sufficiently proved the first-begotten of the Father though brought into the world in the form of a servant to be no less then God when he had said And let all the Angels of God worship him It is evident they do what is in them to invalidate this Proof who at the very time that he was thus brought into the world do cry out as loud as they can let not the the sons of men worship him But where doth the Holy Ghost say this Epiphanius in his Ancorate plainly cites Moses's song for this Text which is in Deut. 32. where v. 42. The Greek interpretation hath these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let all the Angels of God worship him but with some various lections to make the Interpretation disputable at least if not questionable However since no such thing is to be found in the Hebrew and we are not assured that the Holy Ghost spake in Greek by the Septuagint supposing their Translation hath been preserved incorruptible we may not ascribe this Greek Translation to the saying of the Holy Ghost we must therefore appeal to the Hebrew Original which we are sure came immediately from Gods holy Spirit and then we shall find this Injunction Worship him all ye Angels of God in Psal 97. 7. And indeed the whole Argument of that Psalm is nothing else but a Prophecy of the Kingdom of Christ and an exhortation both to Angels and men Joyfully to celebrate the magnificence and thankfully to acknowledge the power of his Kingdom For the Kingdom of Christ may be considered either as he is Creator Eternal God with the Father and the Holy Ghost and so the Jews themselves will not deny him to be their King or As Redeemer God and man in one Person and and so the Jews do stiffly deny his Kingdom and we Christians had need beware least we may seem to encourage or at least to confirm and Harden them in that Denial SECT XII We must embrace all opportunities of glorifying Christ that we may not be thought to desert either our Saviour or our selves whiles we are defective in our Devotions either for want of Preparation before which hath hitherto made us so bad Christians in so good a Church or of Affection in them which will keep us from being good Christians or of Thankfulness after them which wil keep us from worthily magnifying the name of Christ THe best course I know to prevent the hardening either of our own or of others Hearts is to take all the opportunities that are offered us of glorifying our blessed Saviour for he that is willing to neglect an opportunity can scarce be zealously inclined to lay hold of another time he that will not Honour Christ on his own Day will scarce pick out another Day to honour him though he may pretend to keep Christmass all the year or if he be indeed zealously inclined to honour Christ yet other Christians cannot be easily inclined to think him so and Jews must necessarily think him not so And though we ought not to judge them also that are without 1 Cor. 5. 12. yet we ought not to offend them and much less them that are within for this is the way to cause God to judge us we will therefore take that for granted which cannot be denied that we have all great need to imploy very much and cannot imploy
silent and gave no answer as if by their silence they had proclaimed that the Word was only in Judea which is not only historical but also rational not only credible for the relation but also for the reason because it was convenient that he who came to break the head of the Serpent should at the time of his coming stop his mouth Wherefore those Oracles that spake from the false and evil Spirit were all silenced at Christs coming as being unfit witnesses to Gods Truth because they were from a false Spirit and to his goodness because they were from an evil Spirit But their mouthes were then most open who spake by the Spirit of God The Angels that had been silent long before then began to sing Babes and sucklings were advanced above men to chant out their Hosanna's to the Son of David when he was made lower then the Angels In a word all tongues and languages of the world accustomed before to speak vanity were then taught to speak the wonderful works of God and Saint Peter gives us the reason of it because God did then pour out his Spirit upon all flesh Acts 2. 17. This is the Spirit that still filleth the hearts of good Christians with Thankfulness and their Mouths with Thanksgivings that they may continually more and more rejoyce in this Son of God till they come to enjoy him For as Christ is called panis descendens Joh. 6. 50. not qui descendit the bread decending to shew that he is alwaies descending in his salvation though he descended but once only in his person so our praise and thanksgiving to God for his descent may be called Cantus ascendenâ— the praise that is alwaies ascending according to that of the Psalmist Psal 71. 12. As for me I will patiently abide alway and will praise thee more and more for this praise never comes to its zenith or vertical point till our souls be there where our Saviour now is and from whence we expect him again to our salvation For good Christians can never meditate enough on their Redeemer never joy too much in that meditation They can never be weary of singing Hosanna blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord because in their souls they have tasted the sweetness of that song The Spirit of God making melodie with their hearts whiles they are making melody with their mouths SECT II. God the holy Ghosts love to man in giving him the assurance of his particular redemption without which there can be no joy of his creation It had been good for that man if he had never been born spoken of Judas according to our Saviours own judgement not our apprehension that gloss an abusing of the Text The joy of our Redemption is not to be lost WE cannot but have great joy if we have true joy in our Redeemer and we cannot but have true joy in our redeemer if we rightly weigh and faithfully embrace the mercy of our redemption therefore when the Holy Ghost hath said Let Israel rejoyce in him that made him Psal 149. 2. he hath much more said in effect Let Israel rejoyce in him that redeemed him for the Joy is not so truly that he is made as that he is made Israel according to that of Saint Augustine frustra profuit hominem nasci nisi redimi etiam profuisset in vain had man been made partaker of the Creation if he had not also been made partaker of the redemption And agreable to this is our Saviours doctrine concerning Judas who in that he betrayed his redeemer forfeited his share in this redemption It had been good for that man if he had not been born Mat. 26. 24. To seek to make the contrary true by Metaphysical quiddities as a Divine of late hath done is so to be in Metaphysicks as to be out of Divinity for though singly and simply in it self being is better then not being yet a Metaphysical being which only exempts from nothing accompanied with a moral not being that makes worse then nothing is certainly not better but far worse then a bare Metaphysical not being for it is clearly better to be nothing then to be worse then nothing and consequently to be no soul at all then to be a damned soul under an eternal enmity with and eternal separation from that goodness which is the fountain of being and which only doth make our being to be good wherefore it must needs be a dangerous Position that requires such a proof but more dangerous that admits it For to admit this is in effect to say that our Saviour Christ is not a man of his word as he that first broached this desperate doctrine being urged with the authority of our Saviours forementioned words It had been good for that man if he had not been born made his answer that our blessed Saviour did there speak secundum captum vulgi according to the opinion of the common people which is little less then to put a fallacy in the mouth of Truth it self and to fasten such a blasphemy upon the word of Christ as will easily enable us to elude the whole Text and verifie his most wicked words by our more wicked practice who once said in zeal to his Church but not to his Saviour Scripturam esse nasum cereum that the Scripture was a meer nose of wax But we have not so learned Christ and dare not so revile his word least we should so learn him we will therefore rejoyce in him that made us out of nothing to be his creatures because he hath also redeemed us from being worse then nothing when we were his enemies and we will commit the keeping of our souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful creator because we know him to be also our merciful redeemer For the same son of God who made the world and upheld all things by the word of his Power and consequently was our Creator hath by himself purged our sins and is now sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high there making intercession for us Heb. 1. 2 3. Heb. 7. 25. and consequently is also our Redeemer The joy of our Creation we have lost by losing our Innocency but the Joy of our Redemption is never to be lost unless we lose our Repentance which is so true so great a comfort to a man who is born in sin lives in sin dies in sin that if you deny him this you can afford him no true comfort against his sinfulness SECT III. That this redemption whereof the Holy Ghost assureth us is twofold 1. Privative because we are not under the Law that is not under it as condemning us though we be under the Law as regulating and restraining us 2. Positive because we are under grace and know that we are so the right way to attain that knowledge THat would not be so great a comfort to a good Christian which Saint Paul gives him Rom. 6. 14. for
presence our blessed Saviour was received up into heaven will afford us several considerations for they were of two different kinds Angels and men The one were Citizens of heaven in their Pilgrimage to earth the other were inhabitants of earth in their Pilgrimage to heaven He was taken up before some Angels that were newly come down from heaven and before some men that were in their journey thither none is accounted by him a fit witness of his ascension into heaven but such a one as is already there either by the excellency of his condition or by the purity of his affection either an Angel or an Apostle The Angels are mentioned Act. 1. 10. Behold two men stood by them in white apparel that is Two Angels in the shape and appearance of men They had been witnesses of his humiliation to their astonishment and were now of his exaltation to their joy He is going up and they are coming down He seems to carry away Heaven from his Apostles they seem to bring it back again God never leaves his servants destitute of all comfort If not Christ yet an Angel is still with them till at last comes the Comforter himself Nor did our blessed Saviour account a bare promise of the Comforter to be enough but here he also gives a pledge of that promise Those Ministring spirits being as it were so many harbingers sent before hand to be speak and provide lodging for God the Holy-Ghost against his comming and so many sureties or pledges that he would now very shortly come Yet our blessed Saviour appointed not Angels for witnesses of his ascension to the world lest the Divels which can transform themselves into Angels of light might also have been witnesses of the same without his appointment not to the confirmation but the utter depravation and subversion of the true Christian Faith Therefore hath God flatly bound us up to be guided and governed only by those things which his Apostles have preached unto us that our faith should be wholly grounded and fixed upon certainties so that though an Angel from heaven should preach any other Gospel we should not hear him but curse him Gal. 1. 8. But Aquinas in 3. 64 7. upon this question Vtrum Angeli possint Sacramenta Ministrare whether Angels may administer the Sacraments concludes they may not upon such demonstrative reasons which will also prove that they may not preach the Gospel one of his reasons is this Tota virtus Sacramentorum à passione Christi derivatur cui in naturâ conformantur homines non autem Angeli ideo ad homines pertinet dispensare Sacramenta non autem ad Angelos All the vertue of the Sacraments is derived from the passion of Christ who took not on him the nature of Angels but of man and therefore it belongs to men not to Angels to be the Ministers of the Sacraments We may say the same concerning the word for the Word and Sacraments were both ordained by the same Author and for the same end and are both under the same trust That Christ became man to the intent that he might himself preach the Gospel and therefore would nor make use of any but of men to preach it after him That like as the Son of God had priviledged the nature of man not of Angels by taking it into the Unity of his person so he might priviledge the persons of men not of Angels by taking them into the society of his office The other of his reasons is indeed above all reason because it is founded upon Gods Authority and therefore serves him for an Argument to be opposed against all the contrary objections Sed contra est quod dicitur Heb. 5. Omnis pontifex ex hominibus assumptus pro hominibus constituitur in his que sunt ad Deum sed Angeli boni vel mali non sunt ex hominibus ergo ipsi non constituuntur ministri in his quae sunt ad Deum 1. in Sacramentis The Apostle saith That every high Priest is taken from men and is ordained for men in things pertaining to God but Angels are not taken from men Therefore they are not ordained Ministers for men in things pertaining to God doubtless the word and Sacraments are things pertaining to God the argument concerns the whole discharge of a Priests office That an Angel may discharge no part of it For the Apostles intent is to clear the Priest-hood of Christ against all objections of the Jews and accordingly he proves out of their own Law that God had absolutely circumscribed and limited the Priest-hood in three respects 1. In regard of the person of the Priest for that none could be a Priest who was not a man because none else was fit to intercede for men none else would have compassion of men 2. In regard of the office of the Priesthood which was to reconcile the sinners and expiate the sin 3. In regard of the outward calling to that office for no man might take that honour to himself but he that was called of God as was Aaron Accordingly our Saviour Christ was pleased to be made man that he might be capable of being our high Priest to intercede for us and to have compassion on us And he did actually undertake this office of the Priest-hood in reconciling sinners and in expiating sin nor did he undertake this office without being thereunto called of God as was Aaron From this Argument we may deduce these two conclusions 1. That Angels cannot be Priests nor discharge those duties which belong only to Priests as Preaching the word and ministring the Sacraments because they are not men and every Priest is to be taken from among men 2. That all men may not be Priests to discharge these same duties but only those who are called of God as was Aaron that is who are set apart by an outward calling for that discharge And they that are not so called and yet will needs be either Preaching the Gospel or Ministring the Sacraments do affront our Saviour Christ in his Priest-hood opposing him in his office rejecting him in his example and contemning him in his Authority For as an Angel may not do the office of a Priest propter impedimentum personae for the impediment of his person because he is not a man not taken from among men So that man who is not called of God as was Aaron may not do the office of a Priest propter impedimentum causae for the impediment of the cause or office it self because he is not ordained for men in things pertaining to God and unless God ordain him sure God will not accept him Let him meddle only with things pertaining to men let him not meddle with things pertaining to God For he that struck Vzzah dead for rashly going to uphold his Ark when it was shaken 2 Sam. 6. 7. because not having Commission to touch it he had profaned it with his touch hath plainly shewed how much he hateth
the diffusion of his glory he hath prepared a mansion for us with him by the diffusion of his grace he hath prepared a mansion in us for himself O the immortal comfort of a good Christian and the more immortal glory of the Christian Religion shew me a comfort like to the comfort of a good Christian who is already in his head ascended into heaven shew me a glory like to the glory of the Christian Religion which hath him alone for its author for its head who sitteth on the right hand of God Ask the Jew he will tell you he left his Prophet upon Mount Nebo Ask the Turk he will tell you his Pcophet was left at Meca Ask other Religions they will tell you they know not what is become of their Prophets It is only the Christian Religion that can say it had such a Prophet as now sitteth at the right hand of God A Prophet who taught not a religion without righteousness as is the Religion of Turks and Heathens nor a Religion with Righteousness but which could not make men righteous as was the Religion of the Jews But a Religion with Righteousness to shew it self righteous and a righteousness with Religion to make us so For the law which was the rule of righteousness came by Moses but grace which maketh righteous came only by Jesus Christ John 1. 17. By this He still dwelleth in us even now that he is farthest from us which is so invaluable a blessing that it cannot be valued till it be enjoyed and when it is enjoyed it is found invaluable For the soul of man cannot but have a wretched dwelling in the body and a more wretched dwelling out of it unless Christ have a dwelling in the soul It is the glory of men above Angels that Christ dweleth in their flesh It is the glory of good Christians above other men that Christ dwelleth in their spirits By his grace he dweleth with us and in us by our faith and love we dwell with him in him nor shall this dwelling ever be destroyed it shall only be enlarged when what is now of grace shall hereafter be of glory There is so inseparable an union betwixt Christ and the good Christian that as the Christian cannot be in the state of Grace without Christ so Christ not fully in the state of glory without him The head thinks himself not in honour whiles the members are in dishonour and therefore our head being ascended into heaven makes it his work to draw us the members of his mystical body thither after him For we are united unto Christ by a threefold cord that is not easily broken First by the tie of Election God having chosen us in him before the foundation of the world having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will Eph. 1. 4 5. Secondly by the tie of incarnation wherein he took our flesh unto himself Thirdly by the tie of Inspiration wherein he hath given his Spirit unto us All which have begot so inseparable an union betwixt the Son of God and the sons of men by a golden chain reaching from heaven to earth that Saint Paul speaks of the good Christians as of those who are already in glory with Christ And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus Ephes 2. 6. He looks on them not only as having jus ad rem but also as having jus in re not only as claiming but also as possessing their heavenly inheritance O that we would be so careful or could be so happy as not to abuse those mercies which we cannot deserve O that we would lift up our souls truly and entirely unto the Lord then would our hearts be where our treasure is at the right hand of God For we may not be in heaven by our perswasions whiles we are either in earth by our affections or in hell by our dispositions How can we see our Saviour at Gods right hand whiles Satan stands at ours making us to butcher his servants to deface his Sanctuary to discountenance his Religion to defile or despise his Ordinances to deceive his people to destroy his inheritance How can we believe him to be making intercession for us whiles we care not to make intercession for our selves or at least wise use such extravagant prayers wherein we cannot justly expect much less judiciously hope he should make intercession with us Be it the priviledge of faith to have an eye to be able to see Christ but of devotion to keep that eye alwaies open actually to behold and look upon him for which cause some have thought that prayer was the proper act of justifying faith men then most especially believing in Christ when they are praying to him So that to oppose or disturb the exercise of well-grounded and well-settled devotions under pretence of reforming them is to put out the eye of faith whiles we pretend to take off the film that it may see the clearer For the precious talent of faith must neither be wrapped up in a Napkin nor indiscreetly managed if we expect it should enrich our souls with heavenly and immortal comforts but must be diligently and discreetly imployed in judicious as well as in fervent pravers and praises to Almighty God that so we may fight the good fight of faith by defending and maintaining not only the truth of the Gospel but also our profession and practise of that truth Saint Paul requires both alike of his Scholar and in him of us 1. Tim. 6. 12. Fight the good fight of faith lay hold on eternal life whereunto thou art also called and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses Saint Timothy had not only embraced the Christian faith in general but had also in particular professed a good profession thereof before many witnesses and Saint Paul binds him as well as he had bound himself to make it good Else as many as had been witnesses of his profession must have been Judges and Condemners of his revolt And doubtless God having exalted our Saviour Christ at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principalitie and power and might and dominion Eph. 1. 20 21. hath sufficiently declared That we should so exalt and advance the Christian Religion whereby we seek to glorifie his Son in earth as the Father hath glorified him in heaven that neither principality nor power nor might nor dominion here on earth for those in heaven will not endeavour it should be able to remove us from the truth of Christ either in its belief or in its practise no more then they can remove Christ himself from sitting at the right hand of God And we most humbly beseech thee O blessed Saviour who hast conquered all things to conquer also our inconstancies that we may perfectly and without all doubt believe in thee and shew the sincerity of our faith by
it or potentially in our spiritual vote and desire though we live never so far from them And it is to be noted in Gods Method that he first makes provision for the Truth of his worship in the three first then afterwards for the publike exercise of it in the fourth Commandment he first takes care that we be not faulty in the object of our worship saying Thou shalt have no other Gods but me then not in the outward manner of it either in deed or in word not in deed saying Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven image thou shalt not how down to them nor worship them not in word saying Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain After this order taken for the truth of his worship both in the object and in the manner then he proceeds to command the publick exercise thereof saying Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day Certainly this Method was not in vain but to shew that as the Truth was to go before the exercise so the exercise was to follow the Truths of Religion And therefore wheresoever the Church did worship God according to the dictates of the three first commandments there every man was bound to be a communicant with the Church by vertue of the fourth and not only by vertue of the fifth Commandment For Christian communion as an act of Religion belongs to the first though as an act of obedience it belong to the second Table Therefore if another man saith Our Father which art in heaven how shall I not say with him Hallowed be thy name Doth it beseem me to be angry with the Lords most holy prayer for his sake that saith it as if what Christs lips had sanctified his lips could prophane for my devotion Or can I be angry with any of Christs words wheresoever I find them and not be guilty of anger against Christ and against Christianity Is the love of my God to be over-ruled by the hatred of my neighbour or may I indeed hate my God for my neighbours sake who am bound to love mine enemy for Gods sake The argument then will proceed à minori ad majus that if I may not in a true worship deny my communion to a stranger much less to a brother if not to a brother then much less to a mother If not to one single Minister much less to a whole Church which God hath entrusted with his own worship and with my soul For if I must look on that particular Minister whom God hath set over me as one that directeth me in his worship by his authority then much more must I so look upon my Church which God first set over that Minister before he set that Minister over me And if every particular Minister amongst us would as conscionably acknowledge and as couragiously vindicate his Churches Trust as he confidently assumes and diligently performs his own we should soon have much less faction in the Church and much more Religion in the people SECT V. The Prince as the supream governour of the particular Church in his own Dominions is Gods Trustee concerning the outward exercise of Religion not to manage or perform but to propagate and to protect it The antient Divines acknowledged this Trust and the antient Princes discharged it and Princes were bound so to do because it is their right by the Law of nature and because without the discharge of this Trust there can neither be the face nor the order of Religion among any People IT was the singular providence of God to commit the care and trust of man in matters of Religion only to men for since the devil can transform himself into an Angel of light if in this case we had been entrusted with the Angels we might have been deluded by the Devils But now having a more sure word of prophesie then can be any voice from heaven whosoever be the speaker or the messenger 2 Pet. 1. 19. there is no true Christian Church but may with confidence and must with courage say unto the people committed to her Trust as Saint Paul said to the Galatians Though we or an Angel from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you then that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed Gal. 1. 8. God hath not trusted Angels but men with preaching his Gospel nor hath he trusted men to preach a new Gospel but that only which the Apostles at first preached and what he hath given some men spiritual power to preach that he hath given other men temporal power to maintain The Priest is to preach it the Prince is to maintain it and the same God who in the affairs of the body hath given his Angels charge over men hath in the affairs of the soul given men charge over Angels for though an Angel from heaven should preach any other Gospel yet neither might the Priest publish it nor the Prince protect it It being a priviledge of men above Angels since the eternal truth took on him not the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham that as Angels are the guardians of men so men should be the guardians of Gods truth And happily in this regard we find two sorts of men especially in the holy Scriptures called Angels to wit Kings and Priests because God hath most especially trusted them with his truth T is sure this reason is given why the King is so called 2 Sam. 14. 17. For as an Angel of God so is my Lord the King to discern good and bad And t is very probable the same reason is meant though it be not given why the Priests are so called Revel 2. For we find the Angels of those several Churches strictly examined if not severely blamed for the neglect of this Trust God hath made Kings and Priests guardians of his truth as he hath made the Angels guardians of our persons that we should admire his infinite power whereby he is able and adore his infinite goodness whereby he is willing not only to send down from heaven his Ministring Spirits but also to raise up from earth his Ministring flesh to be our guardian Angels Nor can we now without unthankfulness to God injury to the Truth and injustice if not uncharitableness to our selves deny either King or Priest his part in this guardianship And God he knows we have great need of both It hath been the Devils cheifest policy to sow seeds of jealousie and dissension between these two Trustees that so he might make himself the greater harvest either by depraving the purity or by disturbing the peace of Religion In some Churches the Priest hath almost expelled the King in other Churches the King hath almost expelled the Priest The one extending his spirituals even to temporals the other extending his temporals even to spirituals neither but cometh short of his duty whiles both go beyond their Trust God make both truly to see the danger and the burden of their own
it ought to be so ordered that Minister and People may as one man with one voice and with one heart Pray together not only in one company but also in one Communion And consequently the Gift of Prayer which is to be exercised in publick is that which God hath given to his Church in general and not that which he hath given to any of his Ministers in particularâ—…â—â—use the people cannot communicate in faith unless they 〈…〉 before-hand the terms of their communion For faith is grounded upon infallibility which now cannot be in the Persons and therefore must be in the Prayers and hence ariseth the necessity of a set form of publick Prayer that the People as well as the Priests may pray in faith in the same Congregation and not only one but also many several Congregations may constitute no more then one and the same Christian Communion For that Precept Let all things be done decently and in order was given to the whole Church of Corinth and with it a power of making publick Prayer as a Duty over-rule publick Prayer as a Gift For by the same reason that the Church hath power to regulate the gift of tongues it hath also power to regulate the gift of Prayer which is chiefly seated in the tongue and since unknown matter and form in Prayers is no less against the edification of the People as to praying in faith then an unknown dialect the Church may as justly prohibit the one as the other and the pretence of a Gift may in neither enervate the Churches prohibition Again The Church is bound to use her Gift of Tongues for the peoples good and why not also her Gift of Prayer and how can she use that Gift without making of a set form The same Church is entrusted with the ordering of Religion and how shall any Minister either presumptuously invade her Trust or contumaciously opppse her order Nay on the contrary every Minister is bound to submit his gifts to the order of the Church for so is Saint Pauls absolute determination The Spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets 1 Cor. 14. 32. that is The Spirits of the Prophets ought not to be refractory insolent and imperious but modest obedient and submiss not given to contention but compliance not to contradiction but condescention not despising others but submitting themselves For he that placed a Prophet above a private man hath placed that Prophet under the other Prophets Saint Chrysostom here observes the Apostle hath used four arguments together whereby to perswade Ministers to a Christian modesty and moderation in the publick use of their spiritual gifts 1. That the work of the Ministry will be as fully but more orderly discharged For ye may all prophesie one by one Vers 31. 2. That the Spirit will not be discontented or disparaged For the Spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets Vers 32. 3. That this is exactly according to the will of God For God is not the author of confusion but of peace Vers 33. 4. That this is exactly according to the general practise of the Church of God As in all Churches of the Saints Vers 33. He that will not be induced by these arguments to submit his gift to the Churches gift in the publick exercise of Devotion plainly sheweth that though he may have the Gift yet he hath not the Grace of the Spirit And indeed it is no wonder that these two should be divided for common gifts of the Spirit such as tend only to the edification of others and not to a mans own sanctification are often given without saving grace And such a gift we must acknowledge the Gift of Prayer considered precisely in it self because we doubt not but Judas had it as well as the rest of the Apostles and yet we dare not say that he had sanctifying Grace We must therefore distinguish between the Spirit and the Gift of Prayer The Spirit of prayer consisteth in an holy and firm attention in sanctified and enlarged affections and proceedeth wholly from the infusion of Grace But the gift of Prayer as this age is pleased to call it though without Gods warrant in the Text consisteth in the readiness of apprehension and the fitness of expression and proceedeth partly from the endowments of nature partly from the confidence of custom and partly from the acquisitions of industry For these three Nature Custom and Industry are all necessarily required to the attaining of that faculty whereby a man is enabled upon all occasional emergencies or necessities fittingly to express the desires of his heart and by fitting expressions to enflame and to enlarge those desires as well in himself as in those that hear him which I think will afford us the full definition of the Gift of prayer considered precisely in it self without the Spirit of prayer not only essentially but also causally For so the efficient cause thereof is nature custom and industry though nature and custom more then industry in so much that men of natural endowments and of personal confidences do often in this gift out-strip those of most industrious improvements whereby nature and custom are frequently animated to laugh and scorn at learning and industry The material cause thereof is occasional emergencies or necessities The formal cause thereof is readiness of apprehension and fitness of expression The final cause thereof is to enflame and enlarge the desires of the heart Tell me what can any true Israelite see in this Dagon of the Philistians that the Ark of God should fall down before it and not rather it should fall down before the Ark For all this while if the desires be truly good such as indeed ought to be enflamed or enlarged that is not to be ascribed to the Gift but only to the Spirit of Prayer So that in truth the Spirit of Prayer is as much above the Gift of Prayer as an holy affection is above a quick imagination or a voluble expression and a sanctified heart is above a ready wit or an elaborated tongue For these two I mean the Spirit and the Gift of Prayer must necessarily be separated because they are very dangerously confounded the common sort of people admiring these men as almost Angels who have the Gift without the Spirit and contemning those Ministers as scarce men who have the Spirit without the Gift For many good Christians have the Spirit of Prayer who have not the Gift of Prayer so saith Saint Paul The Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings there 's the Spirit of Prayer but with groanings which cannot be uttered there is not the Gift of Prayer Rom. 8. 26. And on the other side many pernicious hypocrites may have the Gift of Prayer who have not the Spirit of Prayer so saith our blessed Saviour Woe unto you hypocrites who for a pretence make long Prayers Mat. 23. 14. And again Many will say unto me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied
Church of her Truth and Peace For I ask seriously of any Christian and Conscientious Divine who cares either for Christianity or for Conscience May we blaspheme God with our mouthes and say That we honour him in our hearts and think thereby to excuse our blasphemie May we invocate the creature as the Creator in our prayers and say we mean the Creator and think thereby to excuse our Idolatry Doth it not indeed concern our Religion to be truly Christian in words as well as in sense that if there came in one unlearned he may be convinced of all he may be judged of all and falling down on his face may worship God 1 Cor. 14. 24 25. and not worship the Saints in word and say He worships God in sense This is the unhappiness of those who are obliged to a superstitious form of publick worship if they mean as they speak they are guilty of Idolatry and of Blasphemie if they do not mean as they speak they are guilty of falsness and of hypocrisie So necessary was it for our Church to reform the Liturgie in those Prayers which were directed to the Saints instead of God And so happy are we if at least we know our own happiness who do enjoy the benefit of that Reformation For surely it is no more lawful to honour him as God who is not God then it is not to honour him as God who is so 'T is one proof of the Deity of the Holy Ghost that he hath a Temple 1 Cor. 6. 19. And since the worship is greater then the Temple How shall we worship any that is not God Franciscus Davidis was justly condemned for denying the Divinity of Christ because he denyed his Invocation and how then can we bestow Invocation upon the Saints and not acknowledge their Divinity Doubtless though they are Gods nearest and dearest friends yet such honour to them is too great to be due And since it is not due because they are his friends we may be sure it is not acceptable So that if there were no other argument but this alone to prove that the Saints do not hear them that pray this were enough to prove it That they do not openly reject and reprove their prayers for else without doubt they would say now as the Angel did heretofore See thou do it not for I am thy fellow-servant worship God Rev. 19. 10. 22. 9. The reason is plain and undenyable for I am thy fellow-servant and must exclude Saints and Angels both alike out of our Liturgies Thus doth Justine Martyr describe the worship which was professed and practised by the Primitive Christians saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apol. 2. We worship God the Creator of the universe in the first and his Son in the second place and his Prophetical Spirit in the third No mention at all of Saints or Angels to be worshipped in any place much less to come in before the Holy Ghost as by a false comma upon the same authors words not two leaves before Bellarmine would prove the Angels were antiently worshipped the words are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We reverence and worship the true God and his Son which came from him and taught us these things and the Host of the good Angels and also the Prophetical Spirit The meaning of the Martyr is this That they worshipped God the Father Son and Holy Ghost only he describes the Son more at large as one who had revealed his Fathers will and made known the Hoast of Angels amongst other his Revelations but the Jesuite by a comma parting the Hoast of Angels from the things revealed reckons them up as things worshipped which comma we may not allow though it be now in the Paris Edition First because it is absolutely against the fore-cited place which saith the Holy Ghost was worshipped in the third place viz. with the Father and the Son whereas if the Angels may step in before him he must be contented with the fourth place Secondly Because it is an Article of our Christian Faith that the Vnity in Trinity and Trinity in Vnity is to be worshipped but if the Angels may step in before the Holy Ghost we must say not the Trinity in Vnity but the Quaternity in Community is to be worshipped Thirdly Because this exposition supposeth the blessed Martyr to prefer the Angels before if not above God the Holy Ghost which were to expunge him out of the Catalogue of the Fathers and leave him among the grossest Hereticks whereas on the contrary he is so far from asserting the worship of Angels That in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew He proves the Angel which appeared to Lot was indeed the Son of God because Lot worshipped him which proof had been nothing worth had he thought it lawful to worship Angels 4. Because the Greek Text will not bear this comma without some confusion in the words and more in the sense which the Latine interpreter well observing hath thus rendred the place Verum hunc ipsum so Deum Patrem qui ab eo venit atque iste nos bonorum Angelorum exercitum docuit Filium Spiritum Propheticum colimus adoramus Fifthly If the comma should be allowed yet would it not justifie Bellarmines conclusion for he maketh this Inference from it That some kind of worship greater then Civil less then Divine is due to Angels whereas if they be indeed to be worshipped by vertue of this quotation They have equal worship with God the Father and the Son and they must have it before God the Holy Ghost I will not here insist upon arguments from the uncertainty of this worship because I meet with too too many from the Impiety of it 'T is uncertain whether all that are cannonized are Saints wherefore it may be imprudent but t is certain they are not Gods wherefore it must be impious to offer up our Prayers unto them For that is a spiritual sacrifice which is due only unto God Haec est Christiana Religio ut colatur unus Deus quia non facit animan◠beatam nisi unus Deus saith Saint Augustine Tract 23. in Evang. Johan This is the Christian Religion that we worship one God because none can make the soul blessed but only God None else made the soul but only God therefore none else may have the homage of the soul none else can make the soul blessed therefore to none else should be the desire of the soul So saith the Prophet Isaiah O Lord we have waited for thee the desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee with my soul have I desired thee in the night yea with my Spirit within me will I seek thee early Isa 26. 8 9. Till I can in my Prayers have too much desire of my soul for thee I may not bestow the least part of that desire away from thee All the desire of my soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee